Page 1 of Silk and Steel

1

EMORY

“Ipledge allegiance…I pledge allegiance…to the United States of Loooooooove.”

I nod in time with the beat as four gorgeous men in their late twenties strut out in a choreographed line. Moving in sync, they mouth the words to their song while dancing to the beat.

Okay, now don’t blow the Motif, TJ…

The five men suddenly splay their legs in a wide stance and thrust their left arms up into the air. All except for one, who lifts his right arm instead.

Oh, TJ…

They keep going with the routine, despite his flub. I’d gone with the standard 8 count structure, but the boys seemed to be struggling more than they should. Particularly TJ, who had just come out of rehab.

I suffer through the rest of the routine, until they reach the end of the number. They all strike various poses, some with arms crossed over their chests in defiance, others looking as if they are about two seconds from yanking down your panties and giving you the thrill of your life.

At least they got that part right. I think making women feel that way is essential for a boy band.

“Okay, not bad, not bad,” I say, standing up as I applaud. “We’ve got the basic narrative down, but some of us still need to work on our moves…”

“By some of us, you mean TJ,” groans Mitchell, the honey blonde with the falsetto voice.

“Now, guys, come on, go easy on him,” says Cody, the sensitive one who writes most of the songs.

“Naw, the hell with that, TJ just lost his touch, man,” says…I don’t know his name. He’s the white guy with the blue dreadlocks.

“It’s all right, we have all week to learn these moves before the shoot on Saturday,” I say, trying to sound upbeat. I thought when I landed this choreography gig, it would be like a dream. And it is, mostly. It’s just turning out to be a lot harder than I thought it would.

Still, I think I can get them all into shape in time for the video shoot. At least, it’s my job to make sure they’re ready in time.

We go through the routine, again. I stop them midway because I see there’s some editing to be done.

“Okay, guys, instead of a pop and lock after the second chorus, let’s try some pirouettes.”

“Somewhat, now?” Mitch asks.

“She wants us to spin, idiot,” the guy with the dreads snaps.

“Hey, let’s keep it positive, guys,” I say. “We’re all here for the same reason, right? To make a fabulous music video.”

“That drives up our Spotify streams and album downloads,” Mitch says.

“That makes our fans happy,” Cody says, correcting him firmly. “That’s what it’s all about.”

“Dude, ten years ago, our fans were great. Now they’re all growing up and hating on us,” the guy with the dreads says. “Especially after TJ got popped for DUI on a Sunday morning.”

TJ hangs his head in shame. He doesn’t even try to defend himself.

“Guys, let’s not worry about the past,” I say, trying to get them back on track. “Let’s focus on the present. We have to get this choreography down.”

We go back to work. Thank God these boys all had extensive dance training and have worked together before, or this would be impossible. I wasn’t expecting such a massive clash of egos, but I probably should have.

I call for a break in the early afternoon, mostly because TJ is looking rough. My production assistant, Jenny, comes over and whispers in my ear.

“You’d better watch the other guys, so they don’t try to slip him some alcohol.”

“Jenny,Iam about to slip him some alcohol.” I sigh and rub my eyes with the back of my hand. “He’d probably do a lot better if the other guys in the band would let up a little.”

---