“Jake”
“Please, Carly. Promise you won’t dance with him. Promise you’ll never hurt me.”
All Carly wanted was to get out of Jake’s house. She didn’t care that she was saying something stupid, uttering words she didn’t really mean. “I promise.”
“Thank you.”
“Okay, I need to go. I have to do my laundry tonight.”
“I’m sorry I made you cry.”
“It’s okay. I’m just a little emotional, is all. It’s been a long day.”
“I’ll see you next week?”
“Same time, same place. Just like always.”
* * * *
Jared paced around the main studio, waiting for the mayor to walk in the door. He couldn’t believe how nervous he already was. Even though Carly and Taletha had both reassured him that Melissa Roth was a nice person, he couldn’t help feeling overwhelmed at the challenge he was about to take on.
The whole studio atmosphere changed when a short woman with dark, curly hair walked in the door. Lynne, the front desk attendant, suddenly sat with better posture. The instructors who were milling around between lessons started acting as though they had purpose. Even Taletha walked out of her office looking excessively formal.
Jared watched as she shook the mayor’s hand and led her toward the studio. He cracked his neck and bounced on his toes a few times to shake off the jitters, then took a deep breath and walked toward them.
“Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Mayor,” he said. “I’m Jared Brooks, and I’ll be your instructor.”
“Nice to meet you, too. And thank you both for allowing me to join at the last second. I meant to sign up sooner, but things at the office just got so, well, complicated.” The smile she had been wearing fell to a frown.
“Not to worry,” Taletha said. “A politician’s life is always hectic, I’m sure. Now, I’ll leave the two of you to your dancing. Have a good afternoon.”
“So,” Jared said, trying to keep his voice steady, “have you had much dance experience?”
“Oh, well, I used to go out to the country bars all the time when I was younger. But then, my political career took off, and it just wouldn’t do to spend my weekends dancing and drinking. I mean, people want their elected officials to be relatable, but that was just a little too relatable, according to my advisors.”
“Even local politicians don’t get to have much fun, do they?”
“No, they don’t. Not that I’m complaining. I knew what I was getting into when I signed up for this life.”
“So would you like to get back to your country roots or try something else?”
“I think I’d like to do a two-step, actually. If that’s okay, that is. I mean, if someone else is already dancing one—”
“Not a problem. There are definitely going to be some overlapping dances. Two-step it is.”
Jared put on some music and took Melissa in his arms. It was obvious from her lackadaisical footwork that she was both poorly trained and out of practice, but Jared could tell that she knew how to follow.
“So?” she asked as the song ended. Jared couldn’t believe it, but she looked a little nervous.
“I can tell you haven’t danced in a while. I can also tell that you didn’t have the greatest teachers in the world. But the good news is, since you’re so out of practice, it won’t be too difficult to break those bad habits and get you going with new ones. That is, if you want to work that hard.”
Melissa smiled. “I do. I need to throw myself into something, to get my mind off of this—well, let’s just say I need to get my mind off my job sometimes.”
“Then let’s distract you.”
Jared started by teaching Melissa some basic patterns, but he soon realized that her job was distracting her from dance more than dance was distracting her from her job. She couldn’t remember more than three steps of a pattern, and she forgot his technique pointers moments after he gave them.
“Melissa—I mean, may I call you Melissa?”
“You may.”
“Melissa, what’s wrong? You’re obviously upset about something, and whatever it is, this dance lesson is clearly not a good distraction.”
She sighed. “I was hoping it would be, but I guess things at the office are weighing on me more heavily than I thought.”
“I don’t mean to pry. I’m just trying to figure out the best way to proceed. Do you need to get back to your office and take care of whatever is going on? Do we need to stop and reschedule for a time when you’re able to give a little more focus?”
“I’m fine, really.”
“Pardon my forwardness, but I’ve been teaching dance since I graduated from high school, and I can tell when a student is too distracted to really get anything useful out of the lesson.”
“No, no, I can do it. Really.”
Jared smiled, hoping to help her relax. “I know your type. So many of my students like to try and power through. That’s not always the most effective way to learn, though. Are you sure you don’t just want to reschedule for a more convenient time? I won’t even bill you for the hour.”
Melissa looked as though she was going to burst into tears. Jared was certain he saw faint glimmers of tears creeping out the corners of her eyes. But, like any trained politician, she maintained her composure. “You don’t understand. Things are very stressful down at City Hall.”
“I know they are, and I can’t imagine how much pressure you have to encounter.”
“I—Well, I’m in some legal trouble.” Melissa slapped her hands over her mouth, as though she couldn’t believe she’d just spoken the words.
“What?”
She sighed, as though resigned to the truth now that she’d uttered it. “I’m in some legal trouble. And that’s an understatement.”
“What happened?”
Melissa shook her head. “I shouldn’t be discussing things with you. The walls have ears, and all that.”
Jared put a two-step on the stereo, took Melissa in his arms, and started leading her in a basic step. “There, we’re hidden in plain sight. Lots of people talk and dance at the same time, you know. What’s going on?”
Melissa frowned. “I really can’t reveal what’s going on. For one thing, I barely know you. For another thing, I need to keep this hidden as long as possible.”
As they rounded a corner, Melissa’s cell phone started buzzing.
“I’m sorry. Whatever this is, I probably have to take it,” she said. She broke their connection and headed off the floor. “I think you’re right, we should probably reschedule. I’ll have my administrative assistant call later this afternoon to set something up.”
“Of course,” Jared said, but she rushed out the front doors without paying him attention.
He sighed and headed out the employee-only door to get some fresh air. Leaning against the sturdy brick walls, he enjoyed the fresh breeze on his face. He started letting his mind wander toward thoughts of Carly. Then the breeze died down, and he heard Melissa’s voice from around the corner.
“I know I screwed up, but how else was I going to cover his gambling debts? What, should I have let my husband get beaten up by a bookie? Is that what you would have done?”
Jared knew he should have gone back inside, that Melissa had enough to worry about without him eavesdropping. But he also couldn’t overcome his curiosity.
“No, I could not get a bank loan. Do you think I want to get a bank teller involved in all this? How do I know who I can trust? I’ve already paid off five would-be blackmailers. I can’t even trust members of my own staff.”
Damn. And here I was just hoping she’d given an intern a blow job.
“Yes, I did think I could get it all paid back before anybody noticed. Otherwise I wouldn’t have done it. I’d already started putting money back into the system. But we just couldn’t sneak it in fast enough. Fine, yes, it was a dumb idea, but I think we have bigger issues at the moment than my embezzlement techniques.”
Jared stood rooted to his spot. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“No, the person who keeps sending me messages about what he or she knows is still anonymous. What’s really freaking me out is that this person isn’t asking for any blackmail money. Whoever this is wants me out of office. It’s only a matter of time before I lose control of the situation. No, I don’t know. Okay, yes, three o’clock. I’ll see you then.”
Jared hurried to get back inside but didn’t move as gracefully as he would have liked. He moved so quickly that he tripped over a rock, his body smacking the pavement.
Instantly, Melissa was around the corner. “How long have you been standing there?”
Jared stood up and brushed himself off. “I–I just stepped outside for a moment.”
“How much of that did you hear?”
Jared took a deep breath. “How much of what did I hear?”
Melissa nodded slowly, looking him up and down.
“You really didn’t happen to overhear any part of my phone conversation?”
“I thought you’d gone back to your office once that call came in.”
Finally, Melissa gave a small smile. “Okay then. I am sorry about earlier. I do look forward to working with you. We’ll set something up for later in the week.”
Jared tried not to shake as Melissa walked back around the corner and headed for her car. His mind was reeling as he tried to figure out what to do. Taletha would probably want to know. But he couldn’t bear the thought of ratting Melissa out. Even though she had done something wrong, he couldn’t bring himself to spread the information around. He knew it would be all over the news soon enough. Melissa didn’t need him interfering.
Chapter Three
“Done for the day?”
Carly jumped at the sound of Jared’s voice behind her. She’d spent more effort trying not to think about him than she had actually dancing. She didn’t appreciate him breaking her concentration as she was trying to not imagine him in her shower.
“Yeah, finally. I can’t believe how booked I’ve been. I thought that once you showed up, my schedule would ease up a little, but apparently, students keep enrolling, most of them in hopes of getting to take lessons from you. I’m not really complaining, though. It’s always nice to have money.”
“It’s even nicer to have a good way to spend it. What are your plans for the night? Do you want to head out to the Golden Cattle Club instead?”
“No, thanks. The last thing I want to do after dealing with students all day is go social dancing at a club where I’m never going to get the chance to relax.”
“I never pegged you as such a snob.”
“It’s not that I’m a snob. Sometimes, professional dancers just get tired. I teach dance eight hours a day, and sometimes ten or twelve if there have been scheduling snafus and Taletha needs me to fill in for someone. There are times when I’ve gone social dancing and been tied up all night without even a moment to sit. And sometimes, I just want to hang out, enjoy a beer, and not be on my feet.”
“Why don’t you just refuse people who ask you to dance?”
Carly gave a small smile. “You know how it works—there aren’t many acceptable reasons to reject people who ask you. If I go out to the Golden Cattle Club, I’m not going to have a chance to unwind.”
“But if you’re there with someone, people might leave you alone a little more than they would otherwise. You know, if they think there’s something going on between us.
Carly resisted blushing. “That’s true, but…” She trailed off, struggling to find the right words. There wasn’t anything between them—yet. She didn’t want to say anything that would ruin the possibility.
“I’ll buy you a drink.”
“What if I don’t drink?”
“Then I’ll buy you a soda. Do you really not drink?”
“No, I do. I was just, um…”
“You were testing me.”
“Maybe.” Carly was half worried she’d offended him and half-hoped that she had, so he’d storm off and leave her alone and she wouldn’t have to struggle with her feelings in his presence. Instead, he stepped closer to her, so near that she could smell his natural musk beneath the cologne he’d splashed on his neck.
“So did I pass?”
Carly raised her eyebrows. “You’re not mad?”
“We all have standards. Nothing wrong with making sure I meet yours before you agree to go out with me. So, did I pass the test, and may I buy you a drink?”
“Only because you used ‘may’ instead of ‘can.’ I happen to be a bit of a stickler for good grammar.” Carly couldn’t help but grin. He was getting more irresistible by the second.
Just one drink, she told herself as they left the studio. Just one drink, and then you’ll go home. You don’t even need to dance with him.
They bumped hands as they walked side by side on the way to the Golden Cattle Club, and Carly pulled hers away, stuffing it into her front pocket. Just one drink, she repeated, like a mantra, in time to the throb that had started pulsing deep in her pussy. Glancing to the side, she noted that he’d shoved his hand into his pocket as well.
Sitting down at the bar, Carly ordered a gin and tonic.
“You like to keep it simple, I see,” Jared said, flashing a smile that made her pussy feel even hotter.
“Yes, both in my drink choices and in the rest of my life. It seems to reduce my stress levels.”
“Imagine that. So, do you want to dance while we wait for the bartender to bring us our drinks? I mean, I know you’re probably exhausted after a long day of work, but I wouldn’t mind another spin around the floor with you.”
Carly hesitated for a moment. She heard Jake’s pleading from a few days before echoing in her ear. But she could also hear the insistent demands of her heart’s desire, and as Jared extended his hand, she couldn’t resist reaching her own out and allowing him to escort her onto the dance floor. As she settled into his arms and looked into his eyes, her body started to hum with electricity. When Jared took the first step of the dance, she felt the last of her resolve start to crumble away. She’d spent all week ignoring him so she wouldn’t have to dance with him and wouldn’t have to lust after him, but now the foundations of her strength were collapsing.
They twirled and wove around the other couples still struggling with basic patterns, and Carly was so lost in Jared’s eyes and touch that she didn’t notice them beginning to clear the floor to watch. As Jared led more and more complicated patterns, Carly began to have visions of the future. Not just the two of them in bed or in the shower, but also in the grand ballroom at the national championships, or gliding across the floor at the European championships to thunderous applause. She saw so many avenues to happiness. She saw a chance at love, and a chance at competition.
As the song ended, Jared spun Carly out into a bow, and the entire room burst into applause. Carly looked up, startled, to see all of the bar patrons cheering at the unexpected professional exhibition. She blushed, took a second bow, and then hurried away to the bar, where her drink was waiting. Picking up the glass, she knocked back half the cocktail at once, looking to steady the nerves that were reeling from the dance floor revelation.
“Dancing makes you thirsty, doesn’t it?” Jared whispered into her ear.
“You could say that, yeah.”
“Did the drink take care of that?”
“I’m not thirsty anymore. But you could say there’s something I’m hungry for.”
A hand clapped over her shoulder, and Carly jumped. Turning around, she saw Heath standing behind her, a smirk on his face.
“I thought you didn’t social dance,” he said. “Especially not at bars, with the common people like me who don’t know how to lead.”
“That wasn’t a social dance. That was an exhibition.”
“It looked awfully spontaneous to me.”
“Exhibitions can be spontaneous. Nothing wrong with a little unplanned dancing.”
<
br /> “So I guess asking you to dance would be a waste of my breath.”
Carly felt guilty, but she didn’t want to have to deal with the hassle of mixing work and play.
“I’m sorry, but Jared and I were in the middle of something.”
“Go,” Jared said, giving her a playful shove and a wink. “We can finish our discussion after this song.”
Carly put a fake smile on her face as Heath took her in his arms. But after just a few bars of the music, her facial expression became more genuine. “You’ve been practicing.”
Heath beamed. “Every night. I wanted to prove to you that I could learn such difficult choreography and become a better dancer. I know you probably think I’m some wealthy jackass, but I got where I am today due to my own hard work, and I approach every project with that same sense of commitment. Even my dancing.”
“I’m glad to know that.”
“I just want you to respect me. I know I can be difficult at times. I’m not used to hearing criticism from anybody. The first two days of rehearsal with you were a bit of a culture shock.”
“It’s okay, really. All is forgiven. Just keep practicing, and you and I are going to get along very well.”
“What about when I asked you out at the end of the last session? Are you sure you’re not upset about that?”
“What? Oh! Don’t worry about it.” Carly didn’t want to admit that she’d actually spent an inordinate amount of time rehashing that moment in her mind. She especially didn’t want to admit that the only thing that kept her from fantasizing about Jared was to indulge in similar fantasies with Heath. On more than one occasion, however, her fantasies of Jared refused to go away, and she’d found herself thinking about both of them.
“So we’re cool?”
“Yeah, we’re cool.”
“Good. That means I can do this.” He stopped in the middle of the dance floor and pressed Carly into a kiss.
Jordan, Olivia - Carly's Two-Stepping Temptations [Studio Seductions 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 3