Page 9 of Wicked Dance
Blitz jumps from his seat, avoiding the three girls. He takes my hand and we head over to the signing table, where there are just two padded folding chairs.
“I think those girls have had their say,” I tell Lewis. “You said you had some security?”
“I do,” he says with a wink.
Two of the burly guards head over to the finalists. I make a point not to watch what happens, organizing the pens and water bottles in front of us.
Blitz stares over at his manager as if he could shoot poison darts from his eyes. We’re more or less alone, the photographers packing up now that we’re in less interesting positions and the flamboyant girls are gone. Geneva talks with Doug in hushed angry tones.
“You okay?” I ask Blitz. I know how I’m feeling, scared to death and shocked that I was able to say what I did. My hands are trembling still.
“I’m fine,” he says. “You were brilliant and got Lewis on your side. Cut those she-devils off at the knees by stopping their publicity.” He finally lets his eyes rest on me. “I haven’t been in charge of my own career sinceDance Blitzstarted,” he says. “Everyone else has always run it, and I’ve done what was expected of me.”
“I know,” I say. “It’s hard. Contracts and all.”
“Screw the contracts,” Blitz says. “Let them sue me. I’m not going to do anything with those women.”
The blue-dress girls start making their way up the stairs, followed by the snaking line. The noise levels rise dramatically as the first segments of the crowd are allowed inside the store.
Blitz looks at them and smiles. “You always surprise me, Livia. You seem so shy and unassuming. Then you walk onto live television and make me dance with you. Or you take total charge of a press interview.”
Lewis holds the crowd for another moment, checking wristbands and waving over two employees with large boxes of DVDs.
“You taught me that,” I say to Blitz, leaning over to kiss his cheek. A flash pops and I realize the cameras haven’t really retreated, just moved back. “We’re going to make this work. Nobody can make you do anything.”
The line moves forward and the blue-dress girls dash to the table. Blitz and I greet them and start our rhythm of pictures, signing, and smiles.
Blitz calls Geneva over and gives her an exclusive interview with us and the Livia fans.
But his manager Hannah stays off to one side, sitting in one of the round chairs we vacated. She watches us with an intensity that makes me squirm. I know if she has her way, Blitz won’t have that chance to drop into obscurity like he wants.
And now she knows that I actually do stand in her way.
