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Maggie turned to Holly. “Could you imagine Jake being submissive?”
“Never!”
Alice pointed at Holly. “And that right there is why I would never sleep with Jake. He would never comply with my wishes, and I would refuse him when he would try to control me.”
“I’d pay good money to see that,” Maggie said.
For the rest of dinner, I listened to them talk about some of the guys they worked with, and Maggie filled me in on how she had come back in contact with her high school sweetheart.
By the time I got home that night, I was exhausted and slightly drunk. I crawled in bed and, for the first time in a few hours, started to think about the dances that I’d had earlier tonight.
I thought back over all three of them or as much of them as I could remember. Between my intoxication and the nerves I’d had earlier, it was hard to remember too many details. Somewhere in between dance two and three, I drifted off to sleep.
* * *
The next morning,I made myself a gourmet breakfast and then headed down to the studio, luckily without a hangover. After makeup and another big cup of coffee, Tarin joined me to record my part before the men arrived.
I chose the two that I wanted to dance with again, then stood in a back room as the three men came up the stairs and lifted their boxes. I could see them and their reactions, but I couldn’t hear them. They had no idea that I was watching either.
So when the first dancer arrived, and I saw him again, I had the chance to study him for a moment. He was an attractive man, and today he wore cargo pants and a tight t-shirt that made his chest and shoulders look broader. He moved directly to the box, but before he lifted it, he closed his eyes for a moment, and I swear he seemed nervous as he pulled the invite out of the envelope.
His eyes lit up, and he grinned, and I found myself biting my bottom lip as I stared at his smile. He most definitely had a very sexy smile. He lifted the card, said something to the camera, and then glanced around briefly before he grinned and headed to the stairs.
Okay, good reaction! Had he looked around because he knew I had been watching?
The second man came up a while later, and he was wearing jeans and a polo. He was cute, but I realized that I was more attracted to the first guy. The man lifted the box and frowned. He dropped the box on the table, shrugged, and said something to the camera before he hit the stairs.
His reaction made me realize that I had been right about him. As I waited for the third man to come up, I wrung my hands. He was a really tall man, and his shoulders were broad. He just screamed safety to me, and I frowned. Why did I need a man to make me feel safe? I didn’t, but it would be nice to be held in big strong arms.
Although dancer number one had a firm grip when he had held me. I’d feel safe in his arms too, and cherished, and a little sexy—maybe a whole lot of sexy.
I watched dancer number three check his box, and his smile burst out when he saw the invite. He looked pleased as he took the stairs down, and a few minutes later, Holly came up.
“What did you think of their reactions?”
“I think I chose correctly.”
“I do too. Are you leaning more toward one or three?”
I laughed and put my hands over my face. “I have no idea!”
“Alright, well, you get out of here, and we will start your new routine on Monday morning.”
“What is the next routine like?”
Holly grinned. “I can’t tell you, but I have seen it, and you are going to love it!”
“Alright, I’m going to trust you.” The two of us headed toward the stairs as the production crew went about gathering all the gear. A bunch of dancers appeared out of nowhere and headed into classrooms on the second floor.
“Any word about the restaurant?”
“No. I hope to hear something soon. I was told that I should hear by one. If so, I can be open tonight on a reduced menu at five.” As we reached the first floor, my cellphone began to ring, and I pulled it out of my purse. “This is it!”
I answered the phone quickly and found Mr. Rushmore on the other end. “The tests came back negative.”
“I knew they would. So I can open tonight.”
“Yes. You can open, but if we get another report, you will be closed down longer.”
