5
“Anda mais rápido!” Thomas slammed his hand on the back of the driver’s seat as they attempted to meander through Rio de Janiero’s hectic streets. “What, did your grandmother teach you to drive? We need to be there in fifteen minutes!”
There was no way they were getting to the hotel in fifteen minutes. When their flight had been delayed three hours, Olivia knew that trouble would be afoot. Why did they schedule the shows so close together? They were due on stage that night. They would get the next day off, but that night was dedicated to performing their asses off on stage in front of one of the most demanding audiences in the world.
The moment half the dancers loaded into a large van, however, the crazy fans began to descend. The local driver barely had time to pull out of the airport’s gates before two dozen women dressed in Rick’s tour shirts surged toward them in a wave of screaming and fainting. “How the hell do they know it’s me?” Rick asked, sitting in the seat behind Olivia. Beside her, Thomas grumbled about local fans and told the driver to go faster yet again.
If there was any hope that they would make it to the hotel in twenty minutes, that went out the window the moment a stout girl came out of nowhere and plastered herself against the side of the slow-moving vehicle.
“Girl’s got balls!’ Fiona waved at her, even though the tinted windows meant the girl couldn’t see anyone inside. And yet somehow they know. These types of fans always knew when a hot and seemingly eligible performer was making an appearance, even if in a van they couldn’t see into. “Better watch out, Rick, that girl really wants you.”
“How do you know it’s me she wants?’ He turned his head and waggled his eyebrows at Fiona. Olivia could only laugh beneath her breath. “Maybe she’s been religiously watching concert footage just for you, Fiona.”
“Be that as it may!” Thomas cried, smacking the headrest in front of him again. “Can we please get a move on? If we’re not at the hotel in thirty minutes we can kiss tonight’s concert goodbye. Does anyone here want to piss off these kinds of fans?”
Security finally made an appearance and herded the gaggle of girls away. With a clear path toward the highway, the driver gunned the gas, making Olivia glad she wore her seatbelt.
Fiona, however, did not.
“Holy shit!’ She slammed into Thomas’s seat, her cry of alarm echoing until every other dancer in the back began asking if she was all right. The driver kept going, under Thomas’s instructions, but Rick put a gentle hand on Fiona and helped her into her seat. She kneaded the back of her neck as another woman buckled her up.
“You okay?” Rick asked, his hand still on Fiona’s shoulder. Olivia couldn’t help but notice concern behind his dark eyes. It almost seemed brotherly, and yet she felt the pang of jealousy in her gut. That’s absurd. There was no point being jealous over Rick trying to take care of one of his coworkers who was clearly injured. I’m embarrassing. Olivia also asked Fiona if she was okay. It was a common question bouncing around the van.
Fiona swore that she felt fine, but nobody bought it. She favored her left side, one hand instinctively going to her stomach while she winced in pain. By now the van was zooming down the highway en route to their destination, but Thomas went ahead and said, “As soon as everyone gets dropped off we’re taking this young lady to the hospital.” Even Fiona did not protest.
Sure enough, they arrived at the hotel fifteen minutes later, two of the male dancers jumping out so they could start unloading the gear in the back as a bellhop arrived to take their things inside. Olivia hovered near Rick, who in turn hovered near Fiona, one of the most important backup dancers who was now probably not going to perform that night. They didn’t call her an ambulance, but Thomas did find a young woman from the hotel staff who spoke English and was willing to take Fiona to a nearby hospital.
It was strange performing without her that night. Everyone felt it, including Rick, who did not put out his best, even though most of the audience probably didn’t notice as they were too busy screaming, clawing at the people in front of them, and throwing random items at the talent. When Olivia jumped to center stage during one of the songs, a woman’s bra smacked her against the shoulder. Wrong target. Or at least she hoped so. She didn’t know how to turn down a woman in Portuguese.
The worst, however, was something that nobody but José noticed, but Olivia certainly felt. During the final lift in “Midnight Tango,” Rick missed his mark and allowed Olivia’s leg to slip right through his. They caught each other soon enough, but Olivia had half a scare of her life when she momentarily feared that Rick was going to drop her in the middle of the stage. What use was there in having two dancers in the hospital?
She didn’t bring it up after the show. There was no time, since the fans were starting to go berserk and security was eager to get them out of there. Rick went with two bodyguards, and Olivia soon realized that they would not be able to see each other that night. So she joined one of the other female dancers and a bodyguard of their own as they quickly went back to their hotel.
Olivia was scheduled to share a room with Fiona again. She expected to find the room darkened and empty. Instead, she found Fiona lying in the bed closest to the door, a white bandage placed firmly against her chest. She did not look very happy.
“Are you okay?” Olivia had yet to close the door when she asked that question. Fiona glanced at her, but things weren’t better until Olivia stood next to the bed. She looks like hell. Not broken, but like a woman who had received very bad news. “Everyone has been worried about you. Please tell me that there was some good news.”
“Good news?” Fiona snorted, and it pained her to do so. When she finished wincing, she continued, “Well, the good news is that there’s no permanent damage, I guess. So, things could be worse in that regard.”
“That’s good, isn’t it?”
Fiona looked away. “I guess. Hey, do me a favor and turn on the TV? The doctor told me not to move too much.”
Olivia did as requested, surfing through the channels until she landed on a show in English. “Are you out of the tour?”
Eyes darting around the room as if they searched for someone listening in, Fiona finally said, “I’ll tell you this in confidence. I’ll be able to dance in Argentina… but I’m going home after the South American leg is over.”
“What?” There were still shows in Europe and Japan to do. All of the dancers were contracted to see the tour through to the end. “Is it that bad?” It couldn’t be, if Fiona was going to dance until Argentina.
“Let’s say I didn’t get a bunch of great news. Sorry.”
Olivia left her roommate to watch TV and went into the bathroom to wash up and get ready for bed. She hoped that she would get to see Rick on her day off, but that was looking unlikely if they were on total lockdown while in Brazil. We were so excited to come here. There was lots to do and see in places like Rio de Janeiro. Of course, Rick was a bit too famous here. With fans like that? The last thing he needed was to be seen out on a date with his dance partner.
Olivia was content to go to bed early that night, even if it meant sleeping to the tune of the TV playing in the background. I’m tired enough to go right to sleep anyway. Between the touring, the traveling, and the energy expended in someone else’s bed lately, Olivia was ready to take the day off and sleep anyway… but even if she couldn’t be with Rick, she should still go out and see the sights. Who knew when she would have a chance to come back to Rio again?
“Weird seeing you in the room for once,” Fiona said while Olivia pulled back her bedcovers and crawled in. “I’m used to having the place to myself.”
Olivia had no idea what to say. The reason she was gone so many nights was because she was spending them with Rick. I need to stop falling asleep in his arms. Even though it felt wonderful. Even though it made Olivia feel like the safest woman in the world, no matter where they were. “I like to keep busy. Not really much of a homebody, even when on the road.” That was a lie. If Olivia weren’t seeing Rick recently, she would probably spend most of her time when she was not sightseeing lying in bed and watching TV. Maybe take extra long baths to soothe her aching dancer’s muscles.
Fiona took an extra hard look at her before glancing at the TV again. “And here I thought that maybe you had a boyfriend on the tour. Hey, I get it. I’ve been through that myself a time or two. No need to lie. Not like I’m jealous or anything. Honestly.”
After a statement like that, Olivia had no idea if Fiona was being sarcastic or not. “I’m not seeing anybody,” she said. I sound like I’m lying. Probably because she was.
This time a smile cracked on Fiona’s face. “I told you not to lie to me. You’re always gone, even late at night, but you’re not hanging out with anyone that I know of. At least not with me or any of the other dancers. If it were one or two cities, I would think maybe you had local friends. So far it’s been every single city. That means it could only possibly be one person.” She looked at Olivia. “Rick.”
Her throat dry, Olivia struggled to come up with a response that didn’t make her sound defensive or like a tawdry slut. “That would be really unprofessional.”
“Please, everyone sleeps with everybody else in this business. Especially guys like Rick. I have it on good authority that he slept with half the women on this tour at least once. I know, because I’m one of them.”
“You sure you’re not jealous then?”
“Jealous? Not really. I’ve got bigger things to worry about right now. Besides, I should be worrying more about you.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because Rick is the type of guy who gets bored easily. You’ll see. Eventually he’ll get tired of you and move on to some other girl. If you’re going to mess around with him, it’s a good idea to do anything but fall in love. Not saying that I did, partly because I knew going in that it would only be a short-term, casual thing. I like you. You seem pretty nice. Wouldn’t want to see you get hurt.”
There was nothing that Olivia could say. She turned off her light and pulled the covers up around her neck. It’s not like I don’t understand what she’s saying. Olivia often had the same sentiments as well. As nice as it was to be with Rick right now, she couldn’t help but worry that his tune would change when they got back to America. Sure, he made it sound like he was more worried about her, but deep down Olivia knew that she was the one who stood to have her heart broken the most. What a lovely thought to fall asleep to.
As she suspected, Rick could not go out with her on their day off. Too dangerous. There were fans loitering outside the hotel, and every time the cops broke them up, they were replaced with more. Instead he invited Olivia up to his room, where they ordered in and got the most sight-seeing they could out of peering through the window.
It was a gorgeous day. Balmy. Bright. A perfect day to go out and do something, but they couldn’t. So when Rick inevitably suggested they get in bed, Olivia had an idea. She opened the curtains by the bed wide, allowing the bright blue sky and sunshine through the double-paned glass. The room overlooked the water, other beautiful buildings, and a green hillside as lush as it was captivating. It was the perfect view to gaze upon as she made love to Rick.
The dangerous things about such days, however, were how they messed with the mind. Sunshine always made romance feel more sincere. A bright breeze flowing through the open window could caress skin in ways people couldn’t. When Rick wrapped his arms around her from behind, guided her hips down to the bed, and entered her with a soft groan, Olivia felt herself become instantly connected with the nature swirling before them.
Making love to such a view – and in such a lovely, safe room – would bring out the inner beast in anyone. I’m not a beast. I’m a cub. Especially with a handsome, charming man grabbing her by the hips and bringing her upon him in long, steady strokes that touched her deep inside and made her feel one with their world. There was urgency, desire, and understanding in the way he barbarically took her, allowing them both to gaze upon the serene view of one of South America’s most illustrious jewels.
Facing something like that, Olivia could not fight back the feelings she buried deep within her heart. The ones that didn’t allow her to enjoy life as much as she should, due to her living situation and her desire to advance far in her career. Even moments like these with Rick could feel fleeting and hardly corporeal. Then Rick would put his hands on her, grabbing indiscriminately while his teeth nipped the nape of her neck and his hips slammed against hers. Olivia’s fingers gripped the edge of the bed, her hair obscuring her sight of the world beyond the window as impatient Rick pulled her leg up and took the last of her sanity.
I wish every day could be like this. The beauty, the peace, and the thrusts of a man who knew what she liked and readily gave it to her. By now Olivia knew the signs of Rick’s impending climax, and the moment she felt his fingers dig into her thighs she knew she had about five seconds to fling herself into the chasm of orgasm.
Neither of them was disappointed. As sunshine sparkled off the drifting surface of the sea, Olivia’s body burst in pleasure, her core the only part of her she cared about as Rick caressed it with his intimate touch and shared with her something none of his fans got to see.
Olivia fell face first onto the bed, sweating, reeling in the endorphins flooding her skin as Rick gently eased out of her. He was still hard enough to rub against her rear, although that was quickly waning, and soon enough he situated himself on top of her, breath pulsing against her cheek as he kissed and promised her a better time in Argentina.
I don’t want to go to Argentina right now. She wanted to stay there, where time had stopped and her heart was finally free to feel what it had been hiding all along.
She loved him. As foolish as it was – as dangerous as it was – she loved Rick and dreaded the end of the tour. She wouldn’t be the one to end it. No matter how Rick spun it, they both knew that the reason they could never be together in their normal lives was because this relationship didn’t exist in their normal lives.
Dancing. Flirting. Sex. What place did it have outside of their fabricated world of performance and hedonistic debauchery?