The light turned green, and Jared did his best to stay focused on the road while sopping up as much information as possible from the news.
“Impeachment of a local-level government official is extremely rare, and it is only the second time such action has been taken in the entire history of this state. While in most cases, a simple recall vote is put into effect, the severity of Mayor Roth’s transgressions has left the governor, quote, ‘feeling forced into taking such harsh action.’”
Jared squealed into the first available parking spot, shut off the ignition, and raced into the studio. Sure enough, he didn’t see any sign of Melissa as he looked in through the glass doors. He did, however, find Taletha pacing around the front desk with such fury that he thought she was going to wear a hole in the carpet.
“This has to do with what I just heard on the news, doesn’t it?” Jared asked as Taletha rushed toward him.
“Did you know about this?” The edge in her voice was unmistakable. She was clearly trying to keep her temper, but it was a tough battle.
“Well, yes. After Melissa left our first rehearsal early, I went outside, and accidentally overheard her talking on her cell phone. I know I probably should have told you, but I couldn’t bring myself to rat her out. I just didn’t want to be the guy who made all of her problems worse. She didn’t need any help with that one.”
“I’m surprised she managed to keep it quiet as long as she did. Even so, though, you should have told me.”
“What good would have that done?”
Taletha looked around. “Let’s go into my office. I will not have you questioning my authority in front of the rest of the staff. Is that clear?” Jared nodded and followed her into the office.
“Now, why didn’t you tell me about all this right when you found out?” Taletha asked, the patience in her voice slipping away.
“What good would it have done?”
“It would have been nice to have been prepared for this.”
“What would you have done differently?”
“I certainly would have thought long and hard about whether or not she should actually participate in the show.”
Jared couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You’d actually take her out of the lineup for an event designed to help us?”
“Exactly. Her presence won’t be a help to us if it causes all of our other participants to pull out or if it lowers attendance rates. Supporting her could be a politically and fiscally dangerous move right now.”
“I can’t believe you. Look, she did something completely wrong, but she’s sorry for what she did, and willing to accept the consequences.”
“If she was so willing to accept the consequences, then why did she wait until someone else ratted her out? Why didn’t she come clean?”
“Would you dig your own grave so readily?”
Taletha shrugged and averted her eyes. “I guess not. Still, she shouldn’t have done that, and I’m not sure the studio should show implicit support in allowing her to be in the performance, assuming she doesn’t have the decency to quit.”
“I don’t understand why you’re so worried about her participation.”
“I want my studio to stay financially solvent. The bad publicity that might get generated by allowing her to participate is too much to risk. ”
“Come on, Taletha. Don’t tell me you’ve never done anything crazy for love. And don’t tell me that if Morris and Adam had somehow gotten themselves into such trouble, you wouldn’t do something just as reckless and illegal to try and save them.”
Taletha’s expression hardened again. “I wouldn’t do that.”
“Really? Are you honestly that much of a cold, calculating businesswoman that you’d leave either of your lovers at the mercy of a loan shark rather than break some laws to keep them safe?”
Taletha glared at Jared. “Okay, okay, I’d probably break the law for them.”
“Look, she made a mistake, she got caught, and she’s going to face the consequences. Let’s put a positive spin on this. Let’s show that we’re willing to forgive her transgressions as long as she pays her debt to society, both literally and figuratively.”
“I’m still skeptical. Though I suppose that it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to show support if she’s repentant. Besides, being affiliated with a major political scandal might even be good for business, in a weird way.”
“It could easily drive attendance up rather than pushing people away.”
“Okay, we’ll try it your way. But if I get uncomfortable with the way things are going, I’m reserving the right to actually make the final decisions about the studio I own.”
Jared nodded. “Thank you for giving her a chance. I really appreciate it.”
“Not that it’s going to matter much. She’ll probably back out.”
The intercom buzzed. “Taletha?” Lynne’s voice came through the speaker, weak and scratchy.
Taletha pressed the intercom button. “What’s up?”
“Melissa Roth is here.”
“Send her in.” After she released the intercom button, she turned back to Jared. “I hope you’re right and this all works out.”
A few seconds later, Melissa tentatively opened the door to Taletha’s office, her eyes red and puffy.
“I–I’m so sorry I’m late,” she said, sniffling back tears. “Things have been—well, it’s been a stressful morning, as I’m sure you can imagine.”
“How are you holding up?” Jared asked.
“As well as could be expected, I supposed. They’re moving the hearing along quickly. I have about a week left before everything begins.”
“I’m sorry you have to deal with all of this.”
“So am I, but it’s my own fault. I’ll hold myself accountable for my actions and face whatever consequences result from them. I don’t expect to be in office much longer.” She paused for a moment, looking from Jared to Taletha and back again. “You were talking about me, weren’t you?”
“We were actually wondering whether you planned on staying in the show or not,” Taletha said. Jared appreciated her tact. He couldn’t help feeling sympathy for Melissa, and he didn’t want her to feel any worse than she already did.
“So you don’t want me to step down?”
“The choice is entirely up to you,” Taletha said. “I was assuming you would probably feel obligated to leave the show due to recent demands on your professional life, but if you want to continue in the performance, you’re welcome to stay. The official policy of this studio is that we love the sinner and hate the sin.”
A small smile cracked through Melissa’s sorrowful exterior. “Thank you. I’m grateful that someone in this town isn’t shunning me. Even—” Her voice cracked again. “Even my husband has decided to cut and run, and I did this all for him.” A lone tear trickled down her cheek.
Jared took her hand. “Well, let’s get your mind off of your troubles for a little bit.” Giving Taletha a grateful smile, he took Melissa’s hand and led her out toward one of the smaller studios where they could have more privacy. He shut the door, turned on a loud two-step, took Melissa in his arms, and began dancing as though his life depended on it. He could tell that her focus wasn’t in the present moment, that the weight of her problems was distracting her, but he didn’t fault her. He couldn’t even imagine what she was thinking at the moment. As the music went on, though, he could feel her start to relax, and turn her thoughts to the dance itself.
“Feeling better?” he asked when the music came to an end.
Melissa finally gave a truly genuine smile. “Yes, actually. Thank you for that.”
“Good. Now let’s get to work. Shall we run the choreography from the beginning?”
Jared was glad to see that Melissa truly threw herself into the dance. She wasn’t just going through the steps. She was dancing with more emotion than he’d ever seen. For once, he wasn’t nervous about how they would look together on stage. While she wouldn’t
achieve professional-quality dancing in the next few weeks, he knew she was going to look gorgeous on the floor.
They were both drenched in sweat by the time the practice ended an hour later.
“Thanks for rehearsing with me, even though I was late,” she said.
“Don’t worry about it. Things happen, and I had the hour off, anyway.”
She sighed as she walked toward the door. “I don’t want to go out there. I can only imagine who might be lurking out there, trying to give me a sound bite. I always wanted to go into local politics, because I knew I could maintain some sense of my own life. It’s not like at the federal level, where you’re watched every second of the day. All of a sudden, I can’t escape anybody. Even national papers are reporting on this case. I guess mayoral impeachments are rare enough that people across the country care about them.”
“Let me walk you to your car,” Jared said. “You shouldn’t have to brave them alone.”
“Good luck, Melissa,” Lynne called as they walked out the door.
“Thanks.” As the door shut, Melissa turned to Jared with a surprised look. “I can’t believe how nice everyone is being to me around here. After the morning I’ve had, you have no idea how wonderful this is.”
“I’m glad we could make this all a little bit easier for you.”
The crowd outside the studio was not as bad as Jared had been anticipating. Still, the small gaggle of reporters clustered around the main entrance was intimidating as the journalists swarmed around them, desperate for a scoop.
“Mayor Roth will not be answering any questions,” Jared snapped.
Melissa took his hand and squeezed. He squeezed back, hoping to provide even a modicum of comfort. Hurrying past the crowd, he rushed to her car, opening the door for her.
“Thank you, Jared. You have no idea how much your support means to me.” She placed a kiss on his cheek, then tried to move in toward his lips.
“Woah, woah woah.” Jared jumped back. “What are you doing?”
“Just trying to express my gratitude.” She moved in again, and this time Jared ducked so fast that she nearly fell over. Unable to not be a gentleman, he grabbed her arm and steadied her, but broke away as soon as she was steady on her feet again.
“No, really, stop. Look at those reporters over there. Are you trying to add fuel to the fire?”
Melissa sighed. “Damn, I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I’m not thinking clearly right now.”
“It’s okay,” Jared said. He wanted to give her a reassuring hug, but decided it would be best to keep his distance. “I know everything is a little out of whack right now. Let’s just keep our relationship professional, okay?”
“Of course. I’ll see you for rehearsal on Monday, right?”
“Right. Good luck, Melissa.”
“Thanks.”
Jared watched her drive off before heading back into the studio. As he approached the doors, the gaggle of reporters tried to approach.
“Buzz off,” he snapped, wishing he could have been more vulgar, but knew perfectly well that anything he said could be used not just against him, but the studio. He gave the reporters a glare before shutting the door and hurried back into the main studio to teach his next lesson.
Chapter Seven
Carly was glad she hadn’t had a full teaching schedule that day. She and Heath weren’t slated to practice again until later in the week, and she hadn’t had any group classes. Her few private lessons she’d had to teach had flown by quickly, and she’d been able to hurry home to prepare for company. She straightened up her house and began to cook an elegant dinner for the three of them to share, to celebrate the fact that things were finally coming together.
She heard a knock on the door sooner than she’d anticipated. When she opened it, she found Jared, looking exhausted.
“Hey, beautiful,” she said, giving him a kiss. “You’re a little early. I hope you don’t mind waiting.” She hurried into the kitchen, took out the bottle of wine she’d been saving for a special occasion, and poured a glass for him. He took it and chugged down half the contents.
“I take it you didn’t have a good day,” she said.
“Certainly you’ve heard the news.”
“About the mayor? Yeah. I was amazed that you stood up for her. I don’t know anyone else who would do that.”
Jared shrugged. “She did something wrong, but she’s sorry. I don’t see the point in continuing to tear her down.”
“Well, I admire you for sticking to your principles, and for managing to convince Taletha to take your side. Now, just relax. I’m preparing the three of us a really nice dinner. We can spend the rest of the evening chilling out.
“Thank you for not giving more crap about it. I took enough flak from Taletha about it this morning.”
Carly shrugged. “I can’t say I feel quite as charitable to the mayor as you do, but I’m not going to fault you for doing what you think is right.”
“I love you,” Jared said as he plopped himself down at the table.
He’d said the words with such simplicity and casualness that at first, Carly didn’t quite register what had passed through his lips. Suddenly, though, the implication hit her full force. She stopped cooking and turned to stare at him, her eyes getting wider with each second.
It didn’t seem that Jared could believe what he’d just said, either. His jaw dropped, and he stared at Carly as though she were the one who had just said something life-changing.
They stayed that way for a few minutes. Carly didn’t have the courage to ask whether or not he meant it, because she was afraid he regretting saying the words. She didn’t want him to regret them, though. She wanted him to mean them, just like she meant the words she had been hiding until she was sure it was the right time.
“What’s going on?” Heath asked, coming through the door. He looked from Carly to Jared and back again. “Did the two of you start talking without me?”
“You could say that, yeah,” Carly said.
“Really? What the hell? I thought we were going to finally sit down and figure things out together.”
“Oh, we weren’t talking about that,” Jared said.
“Would the two of you quit being so damn vague? What the heck is going on here?”
Carly swallowed. She was going to have to get the truth sooner or later. “Jared was just telling me that he loves me.”
Heath looked shocked. “Really.”
Carly nodded. “Really. I’m just not sure if he meant it or not.”
Jared finally closed his mouth and swallowed. “I did mean it. I just didn’t realize it until I said it. I surprised myself for a moment there. The words just slipped out, but they felt so right. I love you, Carly.”
Carly smiled, half out of joy and half out of relief. “I love you, too, Jared.” She turned to her other lover, standing in the doorway. “And I love you, Heath.”
Again, a sense of fear settled over her. She knew she had Jared’s love, but she had no clue what was racing through Heath’s head or heart at that moment.
Fortunately, a grin burst across his face. “I love you, too.”
Carly poured more wine and handed Heath a glass. “A toast to us.” They clinked their glasses.
“Now that we’ve gotten through the tricky declaration of love, I suppose we should really have that talk now,” Heath said with a laugh.
“Let’s go over to the couch and get comfortable.”
As soon as they were settled, Heath launched right in. “So why did you spend a week avoiding us?”
Carly sighed. “My dance partner and I have a pretty dysfunctional relationship. And that’s an understatement. We’ve had an extremely dysfunctional relationship ever since he got injured and had to quit dancing entirely.”
“But what does that have to do with us?” Jared asked.
“Jake made me promise that since he couldn’t compete, I wouldn’t compete, either. I could still teach to earn a living, b
ut I would sideline myself so he wouldn’t have to watch me move on without him.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Jared said. “I can’t believe that he’d demand that of you.”
“You went along with it, didn’t you?” Heath asked.
Carly nodded. “I couldn’t stand seeing him in so much pain. Quitting the competition circuit hurt like hell, but it was still easier than seeing him in so much misery. Then, though, he got even more demanding.”
“How so?” Heath asked.
“When he found out that Jared had gotten hired at the studio, he got very jealous very quickly. He thought I’d try to start competing again, and Jake made me swear that I wouldn’t dance with Jared.”
“You went along with that, too, I take it,” Jared said.
“For a while, yes. That’s why I was so distant that first week, too. I had to avoid you at all costs, because that was really the only way I could get away with not dancing.”
“So what changed at the club?”
“I lost my ability to be miserable. I just wanted to have fun. So I let myself enjoy dancing with both of you, and kissing both of you.”
“Until he happened to walk up on all of us.”
Carly nodded. “I chased after him to apologize and—and he hinted that he might hurt himself over my betrayal. He made me reaffirm my promise not to dance with Jared and made me swear I wouldn’t date either of you.”
“I just don’t understand why you kept giving into his demands,” Heath said.
“He’d already been through so much suffering. His entire career was taken away from him. If someone you cared about was in that much pain, you’d do anything to make them feel better, even if you had to make some personal sacrifices.”
He sighed. “I suppose you’re right. But I still wouldn’t put someone I loved through so much agony, the way he did with you.”
“I know you wouldn’t, but you’re not him. I’m not saying what he did was right, but please keep in mind the hell that he’s been through.”
Heath nodded. “I guess maybe if my life as I knew it ended, I’d make unreasonable demands, too. I don’t like to think so, but anything is possible.”
Jordan, Olivia - Carly's Two-Stepping Temptations [Studio Seductions 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 7