Page 94 of Forbidden Dance
He pats my shoulder. “I knew something was different about him when he came back to rehearsals. I wasn’t surprised when Bennett called me about you.”
A guy in all black comes through, saying, “Back in three.” All around me, people move into new positions. Cameras roll around. Hushed commands are spoken into headsets.
“Let’s get you out of the way,” Devon says. He grabs the arm of a girl dressed in black. “Hide her until everyone is onstage, then bring her right back here.”
The girl nods. We walk deeper into the dark, where we stand beside a fake section of fence I recognize from the second dance number.
A flashlight shines and a man walks through. And I see him. Blitz!
He looks focused and anxious as he follows the other man to the stage. They put him in position by the flowers. I try to read his expression, but he’s concentrating on something.
There’s more movement and the three finalists walk by. They are dressed to the hilt in splashy dresses and full makeup. The woman leading them stops at the edge of the stage, still out of sight.
A big red set of numbers counts down on a screen at the foot of the stage. I can see the audience, movements out beyond the light.
Then music, loud and startling, the show’s theme song.
The announcer is out front, brash and a little over the top in his dark brown suit and spiked hair. He speaks to the audience. “This is it, folks. The big moment. After an entire season one with no success in the end, Blitz Craven will choose his partner. For two broken hearts, tonight was their final dance with the man they have all fallen for. One lucky lady will become his partner, and maybe even get that ring.”
He turns to our side of the stage. “Giselle, Christy, Mariah, come on out!”
The audience cheers as they walk onstage. When they are in their positions, the girl next to me leads me to where they previously stood. I take off the gold cloak and hand it to her.
I don’t know what Blitz can see from the bright stage, but I am directly in his line of sight if he looks this way.
The women all hold hands as Blitz picks up the bouquet of flowers.
“What are your thoughts as you make this decision?” the announcer asks.
That’s when I see it. Blitz’s expression changes. It’s hard. He’s ready to do what he has to do. Something crazy. Something horrible. Something to get him fired.
And I couldn’t stop myself even if I wanted to. My feet carry me out on the stage.
Chapter 33
Blitz takes a step back when he sees me. “Livia? What are you doing here?”
I run up to him as the audience gasps and murmurs. My body moves, but my voice is definitely paralyzed.
He sets down the flowers. Cameras shift around us. I can hear the three women talking to each other in hushed tones. Even the announcer seems unsure of what to do.
I force air to come out, and then words. “I think you should dance with me right now,” I say.
Blitz looks around, toward the finalists, then out at the audience, and finally back to me.
And that’s when the music begins.
Thank you, Devon.
“Well, it looks like we have a surprise dance,” the announcer says. “Let me be the first to tell you that this is completely unplanned.” He turns to Blitz. “What is going on?”
“I think we’re just going to go with it,” Blitz says.
A woman in sparkling dress comes out and leads the three finalists off the stage. A man in black comes to move the podium with its flowers out of the way.
The announcer steps off to one side, seeming unsure how to narrate what is happening.
“Did you pick this song?” Blitz asks.
