Page 4 of Kept

The journey to the studio from my tiny apartment in Brooklyn involves a reasonable amount of walking and a fair amount of time on the subway. Like most New Yorkers, I don’t own a car. Even if I did, were I to try parking it outside in my neighborhood, the chances of it still being there in the morning would be slim to none.

I drop my bags in the changing room and strip out of my street clothes. Robert is already warming up at the barre. I flop to the floor and begin lacing up my shoes, finishing right as our instructor for the morning comes in. One might assume that since I’m now a professional dancer I don’t have a teacher anymore, but that would be wrong. Several days per week, every member of the company spends hours working closely with an experienced teacher, perfecting techniques and practicing routines. I almost always work with Robert as we are most often dancing together on stage.

We break for lunch, and I supplement my smoothie with grilled chicken from the cafe across the street while Robert catches me up on the latest gossip, which he somehow always seems to know. His apartment is significantly closer than mine, so we relocate there to relax for a few hours before the show tonight.

“I’m sorry, he wants you to do what?” Robert asks me, holding the apartment door open for me.

I sigh. “Meet with LeBlanc personally after the show.” I curl up on the massive bean bag in the corner. For a grown ass man, Robert’s apartment does have a certain college mystique to it. “Apparently he would like to make his donations to the company as sponsorships in my name.”

“And Chandler did inform him that you’re a dancer, not a hooker, right?”

“Robert!” I toss a throw pillow at him, which he catches and tosses right back at me.

“Well, have you seen the amount of time he spends staring at your ass? He wants something, and it sure as hell isn’t a “sponsorship.” Robert makes exaggerated air quotes with his hands.

I throw my arm over my face. “Okay, sunshine. Any suggestions then?”

He smiles. “Sure, just what my grandma always told my sister. A hat pin in your hair and keep your ass against the wall.”

CHAPTER 4

Sarah

The curtains slide closed. I stay posed, frozen for several seconds, the cacophony of applause echoing through the hall. Robert pulls me to my feet and hugs me before we run off stage.

“Oh babe! That. Was. Awesome.”

“I know! We killed it!” I smile. The show came out amazing, even better than last night. I slip out of my pointe shoes and into my slippers, then touch up my makeup and polish off half a bottle of water.

“Ready?” Robert asks me.

“Let’s do this,” I tell him, nodding towards the door. I run into Bella on the way to the foyer. “Bella! You were amazing!”

She beams, her blush showing even under her heavy stage make up.

Like the previous evening, the foyer is brightly lit up. Saturday nights have a higher attendance, so it’s even more crowded than last night, ushers squeezing past tuxedos and gowns. A small space has been cleared for a sized down version of the orchestra, which is cycling through a series of Tchaikovsky’s more famous pieces.

“There you are!” I hear Chandler’s voice carrying over the din of conversation. I paste my best smile on my face and spin around.

“Sarah, may I introduce David?—”

I chime in pleasantly, “LeBlanc. Nice to see you again.” In his mid-fifties, by far his most memorable feature is the greasy combover desperately trying to hold onto ground like a vanquished country after a war.

“Sarah, thank you for agreeing to meet with me today,” he purrs, taking my hand and kissing the back of it.

Gag.

“Of course, I hope you enjoyed the show.”

“Very much so.” LeBlanc swipes two flutes of champagne off a passing tray and hands me one.

Fuck it. I’m off tomorrow.

I take a large sip and paste the smile back on my face. LeBlanc casually steers us towards the outdoor patio, conveniently forgetting that all I’m wearing is a leotard, tights, and some tulle, and it’s late October in New York, not exactly the warmest city in the world.

“As you know, I’ve contributed to the company for years now,” he tells me.

I just nod along and have another sip.

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