Page 69 of The Devil and His Goddess

“How’s it going?”

The soft whisper in my ear made a delicious shiver travel down my spine and straight to my cock. I smirked but didn’t take my eyes off the stage as the swans performed Act Two.

“I’m pleased overall for now,” I replied quietly. My eyes narrowed, and I immediately jotted down a correction. “Gretchin needs to close that gap between her and Kami.”

“Good catch,” Harper complimented.

From the corner of my eye, I saw her lean her forearms on the back of the chair next to mine. Her black hair fell over the seat as she rested her chin on her folded arms and watched the ballet on stage.

“You just finish practice?” I asked softly as I made another note of a minor correction.

“Yeah. I was going to head home since I’m exhausted, but I wanted to catch a bit of the final dress rehearsal first.”

Swan Lakewas being done in a separate theatre from the inhouse one. I hadn’t been at Silverlight since that morning seeing as today called for my presence here, overseeing the last details before opening day tomorrow. I’d barely gotten a kiss from Harper when we passed each other on my way out, so having her so close to me now after an entire day of not being with her was distracting to say the least. Still, I managed to focus on the ballet happening on stage.

Barely.

Mandi reappeared on stage with the rest of the swans and Samir, who played Prince Siegfried. Harper and I fell quiet as we watched Mandi begin the routine after her reappearance. The white costume against her fair complexion and hair looked wonderful and serene on stage. She danced with the grace and strength befitting a principal dancer of her level, but …

“Hmm,” Harper mumbled seemingly unknowingly under her breath.

“What?” I whispered, still watching my lead on stage. “What do you think?”

From my peripheral, I caught Harper’s head briefly turning my way before she faced forward once more. “Nothing. She looks great. They all do.”

“But?” I prompted. I’d heard the unspoken word at the end of her statement.

She was quiet for a bit. The two of us watched as Odette and Siegfried began their opening pas de deux.

Eventually, Harper commented, “But she’s focusing too much. She’s clean and fluid while being sharp, but she’s almosttoomuch so. She’s so focused on doing it perfectly that she’s notfeelingthe soft vulnerability of Odette right now.”

The spot-on note made blood rush to my cock. Harper was just so damn perfect. Nothing was sexier than a woman who was confident in her field of work, and Harper was a goddamn expert in hers. That deep attraction toward my dancer had me aching to be inside of her. She could talk ballet to me all night, and I’d fuck her happily while she did so.

“Mn,” I grunted in agreement. “My thoughts, too. She’s excellent when it comes to portraying Odile. The cunning and seductive nature of the Black Swan seems easy for her. Odette has been harder for her to portray just right.”

“She still looks great,” Harper replied after a moment more of watching. “Most people probably won’t even notice that she could be softer and more innocent in her expressions and movements.We’rejust not most people. I doubt it will detract from the show for people who come and watch.”

Harper was right. It was a small detail in how Mandi carried herself and the expressions she wore. They were good, but she wasn’tamazing. I couldn’t help but recall the recordings of Harper as the White and Black Swan. She left you breathless. She spoke to your very soul. She was allure manifested.

But Harper could only be in one place at a time. Since our company, which had grown since my taking over, would be doing two shows at once, I had to decide where she was needed most.

I’d considered making her the lead in both, seeing as how this show would be opening four weeks sooner thanDancing in the Dark, but learning an entirely new show on top of doing a demanding role like Odette and Odile would’ve been too much. So I opted to keep Harper in the one production and gave this lead to Mandi. I didn’t regret that decision, either. I couldn’t fucking wait to see all Harper did as Psyche inDancing in the Dark.

“Only four more weeks until you’re on stage again,” I hummed with a small smile.

I could practically feel her excitement spike behind me as she squeezed her arms tighter on the back of the chair. “I can’t wait.”

Harper had said she came to see a bit of the show, yet the ballerina stayed rooted to her seat with eyes transfixed on the stage. As the performance concluded with the curtain drawing closed and applause sounding from staff and early reviewers, Harper finally stood, and I turned my head her way.

“That was excellent,” she praised, her glittering eyes staring down at me. “I think your first ballet will be a success, Mr. Artistic Director.”

A grin tugged at my lips. “It’s Peasant to you.”

Laughing, she squeezed my shoulder. “Right. Peasant.”

She leaned down like she was about to kiss my cheek, but the curtain parted for the cast to take their bows. She drew up short of me, and with the company now back on stage, she merely smiled softly.

“Goodnight, sir.”

---