Page 26 of King of Temptation

“Hey, Kim,” she gives me a friendly wave. She’s a curvy brunette who is probably ten years older than me, I wave back. She’s really pretty and really nice. “I see you found your uniform.”

I look down at the box, suddenly curious about what’s inside. I slide off the ribbon, taking off the lid.

Black leather fills the inside and I lift out the piece. It’s a full leather bodysuit that goes from wrist to ankle with a crew neck. I stare at it. This thing probably cost more than I make in a month.

“Don’t worry,” Melissa waves with another smile. “Each of the cages has an air vent above it that blows cool air directly on you so you don’t overheat. You get to set the temperature.”

I blink in surprise as the other dancers crowd close checking out my clothing. “Oh wow, that’s a really nice one,” another redhead gushes. “My ass completely hangs out of mine.”

That sounds more like Leo’s style and I wonder why there is so much…fabric…on my costume. Not that I’m complaining.

“Kim is a family friend of the Kincaids,” Melissa says by way of explanation, and I grimace. Will the other dancers dislike me because they think I’ll get preferential treatment?

“Leo is doing me a favor. I’m trying to get to New York.”

I hear some gasps, but Melissa waves her hand. “Kim got an interview at the New York Ballet.”

The other girls begin babbling at once, everyone sounded really excited, but Melissa keeps going. “And I saw your audition. You are definitely doing us a favor. You’re amazing.”

“Thanks.” If only the ballet had thought so. But the words don’t sting like they did even a few days ago.

Melissa clears her throat. “Today, I’ll give you the playlist. You’ll get to know the song set and come up with your own moves. It’s just good to have some prepared. Tomorrow, you’ll do a rehearsal in costume. And Thursday you’ll start.”

“Great,” I say with a smile.

The redhead leans forward. “I’m Samantha and I’ll show you how we enter and exit the cages. It’s kind of crazy until you get used to it.”

I look down at the leather suit. This whole thing is all kinds of crazy, including the money.

I’m wearing my leotard under my leggings and short sweater. I take off my ballet flats and pull some heels from my bag. There is no way I’m dancing in the cage in flats.

My black leotard has cap sleeves, but it’s got a ballerina neck that cuts pretty low and it cuts kind of high on my hip.

I slip on the heels and adjust the ponytail and follow Samantha to a back set of stairs.

We climb up what must be three stories until we enter a large room that’s open on one end, overlooking the dance floor below. “No way.”

“Cool, right?” Samantha says with a smile. “There’s a plexiglass railing but it has several breaks in it, each break for one of the cages. We load in the cages up here and then they raise and lower us as we dance.”

We walk toward the edge, and I get a little vertigo looking down as I reach for the rail. Each cage is on a hydraulic pole but currently they are all on the ground, so nothing is between us and the edge where there is no railing.

That’s when I feel a hand on my hip. I don’t even have to look to know it’s Leo. I can feel him, smell him, long before I see him.

With his hand on my hip, he curls me toward his body, settling me into his side. My face heats as Samantha’s eyes go wide. “Mr. Kincaid.”

He gives her a nod, before he turns to me. “There will be a cage operator who helps you in and out while he runs the cage. Is that all right? You look a little out of sorts.”

I nod. “I’m sure it will be fine.”

“Afraid of heights?”

I shake my head. “No. I don’t know what happened. I’ve just been off. I got a little dizzy.”

A small line appears between his brows. “You said that yesterday. Have you told Charlotte? Seen a doctor?”

“So you and Mr. Kincaid like know know each other,” Samantha says softly.

It must look so bad that he’s holding me like this. Questioning my health. I try to step back but he keeps me tight.

---