Page 11 of Dirty Dancer

It was erotic as hell and I blew out a slow breath. Sully slowed as she finished the song and ended on a stomp with one hand on her hip and tossing a glance over her shoulder. I adjusted my pants before I shifted to lean against the seats. Soaked in sweat, flushed, and panting—she was absolute fucking perfection.

“We’re going to need more security,” Freddie said abruptly. “Better locks too.”

I got what he was saying and at the same time, it was just one number. A number on the ground. Most of her work was in the air. Still…

“Better,” Sully said when the music cut. “Much better. Walk it off, hydrate, then again. Let’s nail this one down and we’ll start on something new after that.”

I shook my head, then checked my watch before I glanced at Rome. “You got this?” While Freddie had her backstage securitydown to an art, Rome stuck with her anytime she was out in public as well—particularly if she was on stage.

Every once in a while, one of the chorus dancers decided to make a move and see if they could audition to be her new partner. We’d disabused a couple who’d decided to push it when she turned them down. One guy tried to intimidate her into letting himauditionand I removed him from the chorus that week. I sent him out with a wrenched arm, a healthy sense of fear, and some newfound respect following the apology he owed her. He was lucky I didn’t break both of his legs.

“Yes,” Rome said. “Bump in?”

I nodded. “I’d rather watch, but I don’t want there to be anything that slips through the cracks.” I trusted our drivers. I trusted the majority of our crew. Didn’t mean I was willing to let them do everything without my supervision. There were too many opportunities for accidents if the gear had been damaged in transport. I inspected it when we took it down and packed it up. I inspected it again on bump in.

Once we got the primary and secondary sets of silks hung, we’d do a test run. Her weight was negligible, but I didn’t want there to be even a suggestion of possible failure. Minimizing the risks to her let her focus on her performance.

“Remind her to eat,” I said, then lifted my chin to Freddie. “You staying or coming with me?”

It could go either way. He glanced away from where she was doing circuits while downing water to look at me. “Need help?”

“I can do it,” I said.

Freddie grimaced. “Nah, I’ll help.” Then he shot another look at the stage, she and Sully looked like they were debating something. I couldn’t quite read her expression and based on Freddie’s frown, I don’t think he could either. Rome, however, didn’t seem bothered at all.

“We’ll do this as fast as we can. That way, the sooner we’re done, the sooner we can see her again.”

With a grunt, Freddie passed a key to Rome for her dressing room. We weren’t leaving the building but it was better if we all had keys. After Rome pocketed his, Freddie passed another key to me.

We’d just made it to the doors to go out front when the music resumed, Em was in the center of the stage, the kinetic energy seemed to swirl around her and I caught her eye as she looked right toward me and Freddie. We were a little far to be absolutely certain, but I’d bet she just winked at us.

Rather than guess, I just blew her a kiss and savored the smile she wore before her expression went all business.

“You make that shit look so easy,” Freddie said as I shoved the door open and he followed me out into the lobby. We could have gone via the backstage, but I wanted to get a good look at the whole building inside and out.

“Blowing her a kiss?”

“Yeah,” Freddie grumbled and I had to swallow a chuckle at how irked he sounded. “You just—do that shit and she lights up.”

“She lights up for you too,” I reminded him before shoving open the exterior doors and letting the humid air chase away the suggestion of chill from the interior air conditioning. It wasn’tthatmuch of a temperature difference. I pulled out my phone and scrolled for the facilities contact for the theater.

“But I don’t do any of that romantic stuff you guys do.” He trailed behind me, head on a swivel even as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

I cut him a look after I sent the message to have them check their units. She was sweating up there now without a full house audience, and the only difference I could feel between interior and exterior was the amount of humidity. “You do your own thing, Freddie, it’s not a competition.”

Sometimes, we all needed to be reminded of that. Jasper and Liam loved to wind each other up, particularly cause Liam could afford to drown her in gifts. Thing was, Dove didn’t give a damn about the presents. She gave a damn about us and the way we made her feel.

Jasper building her a dance studio or Kel teaching her to drive or even Rome taking her out to paint with him. “She treasures the moments, Freddie,” I reminded him as we headed around the building. “She treasures the things we do with her, not just what we do for her.”

If anything, she didn’t need our money. She had plenty of her own. Granted, the source was someone she wanted nothing to do with, but Liam had taken her inheritance and cleaned it, bit by bit, he was wiping away the blood money and investing it in the things that mattered to her.

Things like Kel’s new mechanic’s shop and rehabbing some of the properties around it.

“I want…” Instead of finishing the thought, he let it drift off as we came around to where the trucks were beginning to back to the loading docks. I paused to glance at him.

“You want?”

“Yeah,” he said with a long sigh. “I do. I just don’t know how to do what you guys do.”

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