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“That’s all I’m asking.” Micki’s heart was thumping with joy at his agreement to her terms. She was so happy she did a pirouette on the beach and then a tumbling run, bouncing to her feet at the end with a grin.
“Do I have to learn those moves?” he asked, coming to join her.
“Maybe next time,” she said, winking to show she was joking. “We’d have to build up to it.”
He took her hand and they walked down the beach. “Are we rehearsing today?”
“Absolutely. I asked the Ship to find me an expert on this dance who’d be willing to conference in and give me advice. I want to make sure we’re honoring the original dance at the same time I’m updating it.” Micki checked her wrist chrono. “We’d better hustle to the rehearsal room or we’ll miss the vidcom with her. It’s within the rules but we can only have a set amount of time to talk to her.”
Descending in the gravlift next to an excited Micki, Josh amused himself by thinking what his brothers would say when he took himself off all the projects he was currently enmeshed in. And Sydni, who was the most efficient assistant he’d ever had, would not be pleased to be banished but she’d never quit. Benfield paid her an incredible salary to accommodate the whims and schedule of a generational billionaire and he knew she relished being in on all the deals and strategy. He was pleased by his dancer’s decision to fight for their win and found her ability to challenge him curiously exciting. There’d been something indefinable about Micki Allwell which drew him from the first time he saw her in the rehearsal holo and the attraction only increased with time. Part of his reason for being so detached from the competition was his own effort to avoid getting in any deeper with the dancer.
A fling with her would be a disaster when it ended and Josh wasn’t sure he could break it off if he allowed himself to pursue her.
Sydni was waiting in the rehearsal room when he and Micki arrived and as she stood aside to set up the com call, Josh met his assistant. “I won’t be needing you during rehearsals,” he said.
A flicker of strong emotion showed in Sydni’s eyes. “Does she have any idea how important you are? This is a bad idea, boss.”
Annoyance pricked him. “The family decided I’d take on this assignment so it’s become of top importance now. Ms. Allwell had convincing arguments to present.”
“I bet she did.” Sydni could apparently tell she’d gone too far now because she bit her lip and added hastily, “It’s just there’s so much pressure on me, fielding the coms and the demands and without my usual access to co-ordinate with you, we don’t appear as efficient and organized as we should be.”
“I know you’ll handle it. Triage the top issues for us to discuss once rehearsal is done. Hire another assistant for yourself if necessary. We can meet in my suite each evening and power through whatever has come up. I’ll talk to my brothers about the change.”
“Josh?” Micki was standing next to a holo of an older woman. “Our expert is here for the consultation.”
“I’ll be right there.” His assistant was still standing in front of him, as if hoping he’d change his mind. “That’ll be all for now,” Josh said abruptly. He didn’t wait to see Sydni leave but moved away to join Micki. The portal slammed shut a moment later and he made a mental note to order a bonus for Syndi to smooth over the current inconvenience and extra duties he was offloading onto her shoulders.
CHAPTER FOUR
He was about two thirds of the way, through the dance, eyes locked on Micki, totally caught up in the character he was portraying, the prince driven mad by this alluring dancer, forced to follow her through the steps of the folk dance, caught in her spell. He was barechested, as she’d ripped his shirt off earlier in the performance, in a move the ISD audiences loved to see and always appreciated. Josh thought it was cheesy and ridiculous but Micki had been right, as she’d been right about everything concerning this number. The audience had gasped and applauded and the gesture showed the increasing power the witch had over him, even as he danced around her and with her. He’d had trouble getting the intricate steps and hand movements the dance called for locked in his muscle memory and she’d simplified them before making him practice for hours on end so now, when he was deep in the emotion of the piece, his feet and hands knew what to do. The hardest part was coming, where he had to spin multiple times as if caught in a dust devil and then collapse onto his throne, but not before dragging her with him. The two characters fought to a draw in essence. Micki’s tiny finger cymbals sounded out the sequence for him and Josh let himself go for it, putting all his remaining energy into the final moves.
Then he was sprawled across the prop throne, Micki at his feet and the music ended. The audience roared and he realized they were receiving a standing ovation. The lights changed to the standard illumination and he forced himself to rise, reaching for the hand she extended gracefully and pulled her to her feet. He was grateful for the efforts of this dance belt and the baggy pants the prince character wore and made sure to keep Micki in front of him as they walked to join the co-hosts in the spotlight. If the audience perceived their dance as sultry and sensual, his cock was sure of it and he ached with desire to take Micki somewhere private right now and complete the seduction for real.
The two women judges were ostentatiously fanning themselves when he glanced over at their dais. The audience kept cheering and the stage manager had a hard time quieting them down. Micki swept them a curtsey and Josh managed a credible bow.
“Where was all that passion last week?” the female host asked with raised eyebrows. “You two burned up the stage tonight.”
“My partner is a wonderful dancer and choreographer,” Josh said.
“He did a terrific job portraying the prince,” Micki added. “And he worked hard in rehearsals.”
“What do you have planned for us next week, if you make it through the elimination?” the other host wanted to know.
“It’ll be a surprise,” Micki said demurely. “A change of pace, given the theme.”
The female host touched Josh’s bare chest and he had to fight not to scowl. “If tonight’s dance is any indication, you might want to build in another shirt ripping moment.”
Behind her back and where the camera couldn’t catch it, her husband frowned. “Time to hear the judges’ verdict.” He escorted them closer to the dais.
Micki clutched Josh’s hand tight as the critiques were given. Only the judge who made her living being sarcastic and acerbic had anything negative. “It’s a good thing we weren’t scoring for the accuracy of the steps tonight. But it was all about the feeling and emotion of the original music and dance and it was outstanding.”
There was more feedback and then the co-host called for the scores. There was a gasp and five “10’s” flashed above the judges’ heads.
“Our first perfect score of the season,” the co-host said as enthusiastically as if he’d done the dance himself. “We’ll see what the interstellar audience has to say but now it’s time to send Micki and Josh backstage and bring out our next couple.”
Grateful to be released from the stage and the cameras, Josh led Micki off to the left and into the backstage set area. As soon as he was clear of the cameras, he lifted her into a hug and spun around until she was giddy, her head thrown back and her hair flying. He wanted to kiss her more than anything but not in public. He was sure ISD had stealth cameras peppered all over the set and had no desire to have anything private between them broadcast to the galaxy for public consumption.
“You were amazing,” Micki said breathlessly as he finally set her on her feet.
