Page 11 of Take the Lead
Gina pinched the bridge of her nose. “Part of me can’t believe the producers played me like that, and the other part totally believes it. I bet you anything it was Donna’s idea.”
“Fucking Donna.” Natashatsked. “Still, what’s the worst that could happen if you go along with it?”
“The worst?” Gina blew out a breath. “The worst would be playing into the ‘sexy Latina’ stereotype, setting a bad example for my nieces, and losing out on future jobs because they think I’m unprofessional.”
Natasha rolled her eyes. “Gina, youarea sexy Latina. And everyone in this industry sleeps with each other. Hell, I do it all the time.”
“It’s different when it’s private,” Gina protested. “An onscreen showmance makes it the most interesting thing about us. Stone and I will be able to create exciting storylines without it. He’s used to reality TV. He knows how this works.”
Besides, a showmance had the huge potential to backfire on her. She’d seen it before when fans, pissed off by the “will they or won’t they” dynamic, stopped voting for the couple in question. Every step of her career, Gina had succeeded through talent and hard-earned skill, and she would do the same with Stone.
And she would do her best to forget about how sexy he’d looked chopping wood, or how sweetly he’d cared for her after the bear incident.
Natasha raised her eyebrows. “You might change your mind when you hear who Kevin got.”
Gina groaned. “Is it going to make me mad?”
“Yup.”
“Tell me anyway.”
“An Olympic figure skater.”
Gina rubbed her temples.Of courseKevin got the Olympian.“That guy has the best freaking luck. I’ve got a wilderness survivalist who’s more comfortable around bears than dancing in hold.”
“Don’t worry about it so much. Once you’re both in LA, you’ll be on your own turf. And at least you’ve met him. I don’t find out who my partner is for another couple of days. I’m itching to get started.”
“Me, too.”
As beautiful as the forty-ninth state was, Gina was ready to say goodbye to Alaska and get back to Los Angeles, where she’d be faced with the singular challenge of turning a mountain man into a ballroom dancer.
Piece of cake.
Four
Butterflies quickstepped in Gina’s belly as she waited for Stone to arrive for their first rehearsal. Freaking out over a bear wasnotthe kind of first impression she’d wanted to make, and she hoped it didn’t make things weird between them. Natasha was right, though. They were on her turf now, and she was determined to come across as professional and in control.
Gina practiced a few moves in front of the mirrors in the rehearsal room they would use for the rest of the season. Some of the other pros had started to practice already. Natasha had met her partner—star football player Dwayne Alonzo, fresh off the Super Bowl—the previous morning for a short rehearsal. According to Tash, Dwayne was good-looking, but boring.
Maybe Stone would turn out to be boring. That would certainly make things easier on a personal level, although it wouldn’t help their chemistry as partners. As she did a few foxtrot steps, Gina squinted at her feet, picturing Stone’s much longer stride. She had her work cut out for her.
Off to the side, Aaliyah Williams, a young Black woman with long box braids and stylish glasses, sat in a folding chair. As story assistant, her job was to live log the rehearsal on her laptop and send her notes to the editors.
Jordy came in then, a camera perched on his shoulder as he faced the closed door. “Here he comes.”
The door opened, revealing Stone in all his rugged Adonis-like glory. His long hair was pulled back in a man-bun—a style Gina hadn’t found sexy until that very moment—and he wore navy basketball shorts and a white V-neck tee.
Gina suppressed a dreamy sigh. It was highly inconvenient to have such an attractive partner. Meeting him in the middle of a forest had made him appear almost otherworldly. A few days in LA had convinced her he couldn’t really be as handsome and muscular as she remembered. Seeing him here, in the most mundane of settings and outfits, yet still larger than life and stupidly handsome, was like a slap in the face to her libido.
Haha,his body seemed to say.I really am that sexy. Deal with it, suckah.
Whatever. She’d danced with plenty of good-looking men. Granted, most of them had slim dancers’ builds, but so what? She could be an adult about this. Even though she wanted to giggle like a thirteen-year-old meeting her favorite boy band.
Yikes. She needed to get a grip. Between Aaliyah and Jordy, everything that happened in the rehearsal room would be captured, and was fair game to end up in the show. The overhanging threat of the showmance meant Gina had to keep her reaction to Stone in check.
“Hey there.” Trying for nonchalance, she strolled over and gave him a kiss on the cheek, as she did with all her friends. As if the scent of him—pine and fresh air and man—didn’t make her want to close her eyes and breathe deep. She pulled back, ignoring the urge to roll around in his warmth like in a big fuzzy blanket.
Looking into eyes the same blue as clear Alaska skies, it took her a minute to find her wit. “My goodness, you’re big. How tall are you exactly?”
