CHAPTER 9
Theo
“You are not letting Lex go this first round. Did you even watch her? She was the only one out of the entire group who nailed your choreography.” Janelle let out an incredulous laugh, grinding on every one of my nerves. “Come on, Theo. This whole last-minute audition was bad enough, but you let her go and you’re making the biggest mistake.”
“This isn’t your decision.”
Shit. That was the wrong thing to say.
Janelle’s eyes narrowed on me. “Fuck you, dude. I canceled my class for you. I handed you studio space that I’d reserved three months ago. I sought out dancers for you the day before your goddamn audition. I think you owe me just a little respect.”
“Okay.” I shrugged. “I’ll give you just a little.”
I knew Janelle wanted to scream. She probably would have punched me if she weren’t surrounded by her peers and pupils. Why the hell was she fighting for this Lex chick, anyway? This was my call. My choreography. My production.
“What is your deal with her? You’ve been making snide comments since the start of this. She hadn’t even danced yet and you shoved her picture in my face and told me to kick her out from the start. Why? What am I missing here?”
I let out a deep breath, knowing Janelle wasn’t going to ease up. “She called me a jerk.”
I didn’t think I’d ever seen Janelle laugh so goddamn hard since I’d known her.
“News flash,” she said through a fit of giggles. “You are the biggest jerk. And that’s putting it nicely. So get over it, because everyone in this room who knows you would agree.” She faced front, then it seemed she had an afterthought, because she turned back to me. “When would Lex have had the opportunity to say something like that, anyway? How do you know her?”
I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair. “She was spying on me in the theater when I was choreographing Winter’s set.”
Janelle’s eyes went wide. “What? Spying on you?”
Okay, so maybe that word was a little harsh. “I think it was an accident or something, but when I caught her, she called me a jerk.”
Janelle shook her head. “Yeah, there’s more to that story, clearly. Look, this is what we’re going to do. I want to respect the fact that this is your gig. I really do. But you owe me. Have her line run it again and watch her. You can’t let her go if you haven’t even seen her perform.”
She was right. I knew she was right, but something about Lex had crawled under my skin and festered for three weeks. I couldn’t understand why, exactly. She wasn’t the first chick to call me a jerk or some other nonflattering version of the word. In my mind, she was cut the moment I spotted her in the pile of head shots. And when I looked up and saw her staring back at me before auditions began today—in the arms of that same guy who had pushed her into me—she was definitely cut. So no, I didn’t watch her perform. I refused to look at her. A little stubborn on my part, but I didn’t want to waste my time since I knew she would be first to go.
I gritted my teeth. “Fine.”
Janelle sighed. “Thank you.” She leaned into the mic without wasting a second and asked the center row to come forward.
Lex knew we’d been talking about her. It was written all over her body. Nerves. Doubt. She was filled with it all. I couldn’t wait to tell Janelle I’d told her so. I leaned in and got comfortable, and my eyes focused on Lex and only Lex. Just as I’d promised.
Her intro was shaky. I could tell Lex was rattled from the argument that was clearly focused on her. Hell, we’d looked right at her in the heat of it all. I felt a little bad about that. I was planning to cut her, not to let her know she was a problem, by any means.
Now that our cover was blown and Janelle had me by the balls, I watched Lex rid her nerves with each step.
Just before the first beat of choreography began, Lex shook her entire body, and with it went her nerves. I watched the transformation, transfixed by the look of calm confidence that washed over her, as if she’d been put under a spell. And so had I.
I was so used to showing choreography in a way that was comfortable for me. I wasn’t a teacher. I’d never been able to teach someone how to glide and pop and click and lock or even follow the rhythmic score of a song the way I could. It was just the way I danced, thanks to years of learning alternate styles.
Those who’d worked with me knew to learn my choreography in small doses, to break down each step and study it. It was what I expected from the crowd today, but to fuck with them, to see who gave up the fastest, I gave it to them quickly, with every intention of going back and breaking it down until everyone was flowing in sync.
Lex not only hit every phantom beat but also performed the shit as if she’d done it a million times before. She had me literally gripping the edge of my seat and my heart beating as if I’d just run a 5K. Where the hell did this girl come from? The timid and awkward girl from the theater who practically cried when she called me a jerk couldn’t have knocked me on my ass harder than the one dancing in front of me to Demi Lovato’s “Confident.”
Even her strut forward was hot as sin, with her sharp hits and strong isolations, giving away every detail of her curved and toned body. It was obvious she’d danced her entire life. Her precision, her timing, and not only that but the fact that she was able to let go so early in the day and perform the shit out of my routine. Yeah, my dick was so fucking hard.
I shifted in my seat, commanding my body to control itself. Then she hit the last note, jutting her hip out and flicking her hand in the air, her eyes purposely set on me. On her pivot, she waited till the very last second to snap her head to the back of the room as she walked off, swinging her hips until she hit the back wall.
The room went nuts with applause. Looking around at the other dancers, I could clearly see who everyone’s eyes were on. I sat back in my chair, refusing to meet Janelle’s eyes. I could feel the hole she was burning into the side of my head.
“Ready to hear me say I told you so?” Janelle’s sarcastic challenge came with a knowing smile.
Fuck. This is going to hurt. “Day’s not over yet.”