Page 14 of Protecting Hailey

“Fine. But right after my session with Tessa, we are prepping for this appearance all afternoon and night if we have to.”

“Of course, sweetheart. Of course. Fabulous, I’ll let the show know.” He turned on his white sneakers and left.

My gaze caught Christian’s face as he stared at Frankie’s retreat. His eyes narrowed.

“All right, let’s finish up the bridge,” said Tessa, and I tried to concentrate on the song. But it was hopeless. My heart pounded in my chest just thinking about singing in front of the entire country tomorrow, with only a few hours to rehearse.

5

Hailey

Sweat dripped down my back and my feet ached.

“I think we should call it a night,” said Victor, my dance instructor, huffing just as loudly as me.

“One more time from the top,” I panted. “Then we’re done.”

We’d been working on this routine for hours, but I wanted it ingrained in my mind so I wouldn’t have to think about the next move tomorrow and just perform.

“All right,” he said, dragging his feet to stand next to me. “From the top. Five, six, seven, eight.”

I sang my latest hit song and swayed my hips to the music. Running my hands along my body, I watched my movements in the mirror.

Christian watched me, too.

He stood at the back of the dance room for the entire five hours we’d been practicing. He hadn’t moved or complained. He just watched.

I felt his eyes on me as I dropped to the ground and snapped back up. He didn’t smile, but something in his eyes told me he liked what he saw. It ignited a fire in my belly. Performing always made me anxious, but at this moment, a thrill ran down my body, knowing I had this man’s complete attention.

I maintained eye contact the entire time, lifting my hair off my shoulders and letting it fall onto my back. My chest pushed air in and out of my lungs, lifting my breasts with every breath. One more turn, a little twerk before the final shake, and then it was all over.

Victor clapped his hands, breaking the trance, and I pushed my hair off my sweaty forehead. “That’s it, baby. That looked fabulous. You’ve got this.”

Relief washed through me and I laughed, genuinely excited about tomorrow. “I do got this, huh?”

He hugged me, and we both pulled away, cringing. “We need to shower.”

He chuckled. “Good luck tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Vic.”

I walked toward Christian. His arms were relaxed at his sides, but his dark eyes held mine and the fire inside me simmered. “I’ll be out in ten minutes,” I told him.

He nodded and crossed his arms, standing against the wall like a guard in front of a castle.

Inside the change room, I turned the knob to the hottest setting and stepped underneath the water. My muscles ached, but I felt good. The song was fun, and I still enjoyed singing it. I heard some performers started hating their songs but I couldn’t imagine that. I wrote each one during a memorable time in my life, so they’re a tiny piece of me. Good or bad, they were mine.

And the dancing worked out a lot better than I’d hoped. I smiled as water trickled down my face and seeped through my lips. It tasted warm but fresh.

After I dressed, I met Christian outside. “Do you know how to drive a stick?” I asked.

“Yes. Why?”

I threw the car keys at him and he caught them mid-air. “I need you to drive. I’m beat.”

He looked down at the keys and raised an eyebrow. “My pleasure.”

I chuckled. “Don’t make me regret this. I never push her, so be gentle.”

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