Even though my booth was positioned right up against the front edge of the stage, the majority of the dancers avoided my section for the bulk of the show. I don’t know if it was because of who I was, the social status I held, or if Levi had mentioned something backstage that prevented them from interacting with me—regardless of the reason, for once, the lack of attention didn’t faze me. Ultimately, I had my sights set onhim; the other six could be thrown to the ravenous she-wolves for all I cared.
Levi was mine.
His muscular torso flexed as he slowly brought his arms up to grip the matte black bar above his head, the lighting emphasizing every minute detail of his back like high definition. Shadows sinfully dancing along his skin, their favorite playground.
After roughly a minute of open-mouthed gaping, I returned to my senses and took a good look at what he was actually holding on to. Not just a rail, but a rail connected to the frame of a four-poster bed. One with red silk sheets and matching sheer drapes that had been brought on stage during the last transition.
Excitement and anticipation coursed through my veins at the sight of him as he skirted around the massive stage prop, using the posts as if they were stripper poles, sliding down with his back pressed against them, spreading his legs, and thrusting his hips into the air in time with the song.
There was nothing left to imagine. Hewasthe fantasy, and every move he made was nothing short of a dream.
When Levi reached the front end of the bed, he stretched his arms out along its edge, lying back while driving his hips in anupward motion, and all I could imagine was me riding his waves all night long.
Fuck, I want him to play with me.
Heat pooled between my thighs the longer I admired his performance, using the bed as if it were a jungle gym, swinging over and through the upper rails with expert precision.
His arms, his chest, his back.
I was locked in a trance, absorbed by every cut and contour along his body, nearly dropping my champagne flute, as I found myself gravitating toward the edge of the stage.
Magnetically drawn to him—the pull was too intense even to bother resisting, and when our eyes met, I suddenly found my world tilting like a ship caught in a violent storm.
My heart beat in tandem to the bass as I watched Levi cross the stage to where I had been lingering, and he crouched down in front of me, extending a gentle hand out for me to take—a gesture straight out of a fucking Disney movie.
“Do you trust me, princess?” There was a slight glimmer in his eyes as my gaze flicked over his shoulder to the bed, the sheen of the silk shimmering in the lighting before returning to him.
Once again, I found myself unable to speak. I, an actress who rehearsed lines day in and day out, performing monologues as if they were casual conversation, unscripted, couldn’t even find the dialogue to consent to what he was offering.
How was he doing this to me?
When did simple words suddenly become so foreign?
Yes.
Yes.
Fucking yes!
Answer him, for fuck sake, Tessa!
“Uh, Uh-huh...” I mindlessly responded while trapped in my entranced state, sliding my hand into his and allowing him to pull me up onto the stage.Get a grip, girl…
Levi guided me toward the prop, while the pad of his thumb drew lazy circles around the back of my palm; the motion, almost…affectionatein a way.
Of all the things I could imagine, why would my mind make me feel as though he wanted me, and not just for this performance…
Reaching the edge of the bed, I plopped down onto it, seating myself upright and watching him intently while his body towered over mine as he leaned in to release a pair of black leather cuffs from the side of the frame.
His abs were so close to my face that I could smell his succulent sweat—vanilla, spice, and sandalwood.Goddamn, he smelled so fucking good.
“I’m going to ask you one more time…” His voice was smooth, seductive, and had me melting for every word as he took one of my wrists and brought it up to his face, pressing a gentle kiss to the inner pulse point. “Do you trust me? I’ll need a more confident answer this time, princess. Use your words.”
Confidence. I had to remind myself of who I was—the award-winning actress whom everyone adored and fawned over, and not the woman I was behind closed doors. The woman I became when the cameras were off and the lights were no longeron me. The one who suffered in silence as the world spiraled out around her, controlled by the threat of defeat and, worst of all, disappointment.
“I trust you,” I murmured my words with a weight that I felt deep in the pit of my stomach, squeezing my thighs together beneath my tight black skirt.
Levi’s eyes dropped to my exposed thighs, and he huffed with a devilish smirk—pure sin dripping from the sound he’d just made.
