Page 7 of Inspiring Dominic

“Thank you. I appreciate it. It’s been hard, but I’ll get through it.”

“Are you from Florida?” I asked, noting a slight southern accent.

He shook his head. “No, I’m from a small town in South Carolina. What about you?”

“I was born in Chicago, Illinois, but I’ve lived in Miami for the past couple years.”

“I know you don’t miss those Chicago winters,” he teased.

“Surprisingly, I love the snow.”

“Quit lyin’.”

I laughed. “I’m not. Most people think anyone born in a state that gets snow hates it, but I happen to love it. It’s just that I love the heat more than cold.”

“Ah, there it is,” he observed. “Some people may like the snow, but they always have a preference.”

“I guess. My biggest problem with Chicago wasn’t even the weather. It was the traffic. Miami traffic isn’t the best, but it’s nothing like Chicago.” We were so busy talking, I hadn’t even noticed we were lingering outside of the venue and hadn’t gone inside yet until the couple peeked back outside to see where we were.

Once inside, we followed them to a few seats in the back. The lights were already dimmed, and we could barely see anything, but I could tell I liked the vibe of the place.

“I love stuff like this,” I whispered to Dom who was observing security guarding the door. “What’s wrong?”

“They just locked the doors,” he stated.

“I noticed,” I told him. “We were the last ones to enter, and security locked it right after us.”

He squinted. “I’m surprised you caught all of that.”

I shrugged. “They weren’t being that discreet about it.”

“About what?” the woman asked.

Usually, I’d be a little more forthcoming with the information, but there was something in her voice that made me hesitate. “I’m sorry, I missed your name. What was it?”

“People call me Bea,” she stated. “And Leo here is my husband. I just texted the director of the show, and Leo and I are going to join our improv group tonight, so unfortunately, we can’t sit with you for the show because we’ll be in it.”

“That’s fine,” I told her. “It’s nice that we will get to see you in the show.”

“Isn’t it?” she replied, her and her husband both standing at the same time. The move made me and Dom pause as we shared a look, but Bea and Leo demanded my attention when they slowly began taking off their clothes as if it were the most casual thing in the world.

“Uh, what are y’all doing?”

“Disrobing,” Leo answered, speaking for the first time since we’d met the strange couple. “There’s no way we can get on stage wearing clothes when tonight’s show is meant to be done in the nude.”

I almost choked on my spit. “Did you just say nude?”

Bea nodded, and since other parts of her jiggled right along with that nod, I had to look away. It was dark, but not that damn dark. Dom was so quiet, I thought maybe he wasn’t paying attention, but noted that instead, Dom was so intently aware of what was going on, he was no longer looking the couple’s way at all and was faced straight ahead.

It hit me out of nowhere that there was a chance we’d walked into … “Stark Naked Staging. Is that where we’re at?”

Leo nodded this time, and luckily, I could keep my eyes on his face since they were both completely naked now. “Yes, Bea and I have been a part of the improv team for years. Is this your first time attending one of our shows?”

“And last,” Dom muttered. “Actually, I think Samara and I should be going.”

Bea waved him off. “Don’t be silly. The show is starting in a minute. Just sit back and enjoy.”

“Yes, enjoy,” Leo repeated. “And if you change your mind, you have to wait for at least thirty minutes. The doors are locked until a scene change.”

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