Page 101 of Take the Lead
The lights came back on and Gina joined him to walk to the judges’ table. She said, “Good job,” but wouldn’t meet his eyes.
A sick feeling spread through his belly and compressed his chest. When they finished a dance, it usually left him energized and elated, and they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.
Tonight, nerves conquered every other feeling. He’d fucked up. Royally.
Juan Carlos was waiting for them. He was smiling, but there was a flicker of apprehension in his eyes.
“That was intense,” Juan Carlos said once they’d joined him. “Stone, I’m surprised you’re not suffering from rope burn.”
Stone swiped a hand over his bare chest. “A little.”
“All right, let’s hear from the judges.” Juan Carlos turned to them without any more jokes. “Mariah, we’ll start with you.”
The judges’ comments washed over Stone. Next to him, Ginanodded and smiled, so the critique must have been positive. It was all he could do not to interrupt the entire broadcast by dropping to his knees and begging her forgiveness.
Backstage, Reggie waited for them in the Sparkle Parlor. Natasha was there, having been one of the dancers to assist during their number. She grabbed Gina and gave her a big hug. A few of the other pros gathered around to compliment them on the dance. It was customary to congratulate and hug each couple right after they came off the dance floor. Still, it was hard to miss the way Gina’s smile turned brittle at the attention. Stone made eye contact with Jackson, who raised an eyebrow. Kevin sent Stone a hard look before turning away.
“Gina, Stone, over here,” Reggie called, gesturing for them to join her in front of the camera. Screens behind her replayed their dance without sound.
They moved to their places by Reggie. When Stone put his arm around Gina, she let him. That was something, at least.
Reggie leaned in with her microphone and a big smile. The blue streaks in her hair glimmered in the too-bright backstage lighting. “That was some interesting footage, huh? Anything you two want to tell us?”
Gina tensed, but retained her easy smile. “Nothing to tell. It was part of the choreography we decided to scrap.”
“Stone, how about you? Any juicy gossip you want to share?”
He shrugged. “When in Alaska, do as the Alaskans do.”
Reggie blinked. “I don’t know what that means, but I believe you. Let’s get your scores.”
A giant ninety-four percent flashed on the screen. Backstage, everyone clapped. Reggie turned back to the camera. “Gina and Stone received a ninety-four. They have another chance tonight to earn more points with their combo dance, but they still need your votes. Don’t forget to visit our website.” She gave the rest of the info, and a few seconds later, the stage manager indicated they were done.
Tucking the microphone under her arm, Reggie took Gina’s hands in hers. “I’m so sorry. They told me I had to ask that.”
“I know.” Gina squeezed Reggie’s hands. “It’s okay.”
Natasha appeared behind them. “I’m stealing her for a minute.” She put her arm around Gina and hustled her out of the Sparkle Parlor.
Kevin sidled up to Stone once the women were gone. “You’ve got Donna, right?”
“Yeah, and Jordy.”
“Jordy’s good, but he doesn’t have as much power. Donna, though?” Kevin shook his head. “Fucking Donna. I used to have her. After I won the second time, I requested a switch. They let me have it, since I threatened to quit otherwise.”
Stone didn’t say anything. Someone called Kevin’s name. He slapped Stone on the back in a good-natured way. “Just get through the next dance, man. Only one more episode left.”
Kevin seemed to take it for granted that Stone would end up in the finals. Maybe he’d been around long enough to guess these things. But finals weren’t enough. They had to win. And Stone had to prove to Gina she could trust him.
One of the stage managers popped up at his elbow. “We have to get you to wardrobe to change for your next dance.”
His next dance. TheBoylesque-inspired striptease. Gina had choreographed it to be sexy-funny, to showcase not just his body, but his breakdancing moves and his ability to laugh at himself.
Tonight, in front of millions of viewers, he was going to use it to seduce her.
Twenty-Eight
How dare they.
