Page 19 of Allured
“Nothing would make me happier,” I reply quickly, the immediacy of the response involuntary.
“Good.” Alek brushes my hair back into a presentable manner. “Don’t leave me hanging again, Ez. My poor little heart can’t take it,” he pouts but the playfulness doesn’t reach his eyes.
The brief thought of Alek in pain brings a lightning shot within my own heart. I am done trying to deny myself and, in turn, deny him.
“I wouldn’t dream of it, Alek,” I say sincerely, leaning on the tips of my toes to plant a small kiss on his cheek. “I will be here tomorrow.”
As I leave the safety of the costume closet, a place that will now forever be sacred within my heart, I take out my phone and dial a number I’ve memorized since last weekend. I barely make it down the hall and the phone only rings once before the call is picked up by him.
“I promise, Alek.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
ALEK
After hours.
“Oh shit!” The bear of a man next to me pushes his stool back from the vanity as he fails to escape the falling mascara wand.
“Goddammit, my pants,” Benny huffs. He attempts to brush off the black smudge but instead makes it larger and a lot more noticeable.
“Dude, relax.” I reach down and pick up the fallen mascara wand. “You can just use T’s pants tonight and we’ll sort these out after the show.”
With the mascara wand secured on the vanity, I walk over to T’s locker and get Benny the extra tear—away dress pants for tonight’s show.
It’s technically my day off but it’s also Benny’s first time taking the lead, and I can see he’s a little nervous about it. He shouldn’t be though, we’ve been dancing together for almost five years and the dude knows how to shake his ass.
“You’re gonna be amazing, Benny.” I pat my friend’s shoulder before I set down the extra pants on the counter. “You’re lucky T’s giant pants were here for you to borrow.”
“I’m not nervous. It’s just different, y’know?” Benny’s drawl turns into a sigh as he sits back on his stool.
“Yeah, I know.”
Lots of things have been changing lately. Between T taking time off, the new hires, and the need for new leads, the Garden of Eden is in a whole different bloom. And I’m not even touching on what happened with Ezekiel last night. A night off couldn’t have come at a better time.
“Let me help you with your makeup.”
“Thanks, Alek.” With a tone that’s part defeat, part relief, Benny hands me the mascara wand.
“De nada, mi osito.”
I’m leaning over him at an unflattering angle, trying to follow the natural contour of his lips when he begins to ask me about last night.
“So you wanna tell us about your costume closet hookup with Professor Hottie last night?” he mumbles, making me mess up the line of his lips.
A chorus ofoohsounds off behind us as the rest of the nosy fuckers listen to our conversation. It earns them a roll of my eyes and a flick on the nose for the beauty queen sitting in front of me.
“None of your business,chismosas. Now pucker up.” I swipe off the excess line of makeup that smeared on his chin.
“You gonna kiss me like you kissedEzekiellast night?” Benny taunts and makes kissy noises.
How did he know—ohof course Ezekiel’s bach party told the guys everything. Who am I kidding? Benny and Laz were probably leading the gossip themselves.
“Oh fuck off, line your lips yourself.” I set the liner back on the vanity and cross my arms to look down at him. “I don’t knowwhat’s up with him and me, or where it’s headed— happy?” I confess to my friend and the whole damn eavesdropping dressing room.
“I’m just sayin’ you two were looking at each other like y’all were more than a closet hookup, bud. I thought he was a pretty cool dude and those girls seemed to love him too.” Benny shrugs casually before turning back to the mirror to finish his makeup.
The guys all get back to their pre—show routines and I leave the dressing room with the excuse of having to set up some props for tonight, but really, I need a breather. I wanted so badly to dig for more information about what happened when Ez returned to his party last night.
