CHAPTER 34

 

“The second couple through to next week’s semi-final is…”

Cate stood under the spotlight, trying to ignore Declan’s treacherous hand on her hip.

Even though she was still conflicted about being on Stepping Out, the Paso Doble had been by far her favourite dance of the series. It felt like a gift that she’d been given such a dramatic and intense dance tonight; it was the perfect outlet for all of her pent-up frustrations about Declan and Ruby.

She was still wearing her gorgeous Paso Doble costume, which was a fitted black waistcoat and a full black lace skirt, woven through with red sparkly thread. The waistcoat finished just below her belly button and the skirt sat low on her hips so there was a tantalising glimpse of bare flesh in between. She’d been allowed to wear her inky-black hair wild and untamed with just a red sparkly band that dipped to a v on her forehead. Her black eyes were accentuated with thick black kohl. She couldn’t help but be inspired by the gypsy style.

Despite the fact that she hadn’t actually talked to Declan, apart from about their two dances, since Wednesday night, they’d finished on top of the judges’ leader board. They came first in the Swingathon and got a total of twenty five for their Paso Doble.

“It’s Cate and Declan.” It was a strange feeling when their names were called out. She plastered that fake smile on her face so nobody watching would suspect that she wasn’t quite sure if she was happy to get through to the semi-finals. She loved learning the different dances and there was simply no greater feeling than making her children proud. But if Declan came back with her to Seattle, that would put him in the same city again as Ruby.

“I need to talk to you,” Declan blocked her path as Cate and Annie walked to Wardrobe.

“I’ll go on ahead,” Annie said.

Declan gripped Cate’s elbow and dragged her into a supply closet.

“Let go of me right now,” Cate struggled against his tight grip.

“If we’re going to carry on in this competition, we need to fix this.”

“We don’t need to fix anything,” Cate spat angrily. “You need to fix things with your wife.”

“It’s none of your business, Cate.”

Cate wanted to slap him so badly. “You made it my business when you slept with my sister, you asshole.” She reached for the door handle but Declan blocked her again. Cate narrowed her eyes at the man she’d once thought was her friend. “You’re going to move out of my way right now or so help me, I’m going to scream as loud as humanly possible.”

Declan took a step backwards. “I’m sorry.”

Cate laughed sarcastically, “it’s not me that you should be apologising to. I really thought you were a decent guy but I was so badly wrong. I’m not going to let your sordid little affair force me to quit Stepping Out but from now on, we are dance partners and that’s it. I don’t want you anywhere near my home or my family.”

“Is everything OK?” Annie looked concerned when Cate joined her in Wardrobe.

“It’s just family stuff,” Cate shrugged as Hope helped her out of her Paso costume.

“Never mind that,” Annie whooped, “can you believe that we are both in the semi-finals?”

“I can’t,” Cate grinned. She’d been so busy thinking about Declan and Ruby’s affair that it hadn’t really sunk in just what she’d achieved tonight; she’d made it to the semi-freaking-finals of Stepping Out.

She clasped hands with Annie and jumped up and down excitedly. It must have been a strange sight for poor Hope because they’d both been halfway through getting changed and so Annie was wearing her A-line denim skirt, flat sandals and industrial-strength bra while Cate was wearing her black Paso waistcoat and black knickers. They both still had their dramatic hairdos and thick make-up leftover from the show.

“I think this definitely calls for one of those selfie things,” Annie said, whipping out her phone.

Hope giggled, “I’ll take it for you.”

“Nonsense,” Annie said, “you’re going to be in it with us, love.”

The three of them pulled a series of goofy faces for the camera. “I’m going to get my granddaughter Suzie to help me post it on my Instagram.”

“You’ve got an Instagram account?” Hope looked genuinely shocked.

“Absolutely,” Annie laughed. She dropped her voice to a whisper, “how else am I supposed to keep up with all those lovely topless shots of Vladimir?”

Kian and Guillermo were both waiting for Cate outside the studios. “Guillermo wants to show you something,” Kian chuckled. Guillermo looked around to make sure that nobody was watching and then quickly undid his smart black jacket and white shirt to reveal a t-shirt with “Team Date” written on it big, black letters. “What is that?”

“That’s what the fans call you,” Guillermo explained. “Declan and Cate, Team Date.”

“Wow,” Cate covered her mouth, “I can’t believe anybody cares enough to give us a nickname.”

“You’re really very popular, Mrs Warner,” Guillermo said, fastening his shirt and jacket again.

“I need you to pinch me,” Cate said to Kian as they climbed into the back of the town car.

Kian cupped her breast over her thin jumper and pinched the swollen bud of her nipple. “Ow,” Cate jumped, feeling the electric shock ricochet down to her furiously clenching sex. “I didn’t say pinch my boob. You’re insatiable.”

Kian laughed, “you didn’t actually specify where you wanted me to pinch you, angel. I just chose my favourite. Anyway, you deserved it. Watching you dance every week is like the most torturous fucking foreplay. You get me so hard I can barely stand to applaud you at the end.”

“Aw,” Cate teased, palming the front of his jeans, “you say the sweetest things to me.”

They were interrupted by her phone ringing. Cate looked down at the screen; it was their home phone in Seattle. “Is everything OK?” Cate asked quickly.

“It’s me,” Ruby said quietly. Cate quickly double-checked the screen but it was definitely their home number.

“What are you doing in my home?” Cate demanded angrily. “I thought I told you to stay the hell away from my family.”

“I’m sorry,” Ruby sobbed, “but it was the only way I could get you to answer my calls.”

Cate shook her head, “I want to talk to Nate right now.” Or more accurately, I want to fire Nate for letting that trampy home-wrecker into my home.

“He’s upstairs,” Ruby said. “Mats woke up; he was thirsty.”

Cate gritted her teeth, “you can tell your friend, Nate that I want to talk to him first thing tomorrow morning. You had better be freaking gone from my house when I get home, Ruby or I swear to God I will physically remove you myself.” She switched off her phone and rested her head back on the soft leather seat. Her tired, aching body was riddled with fresh tension. “We need to find a new nanny. Of course, Nate would sympathise with Ruby – he’s just as bad as she is, making a play for Luke’s dad.”

“Come here,” Kian wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulders, tucking her into his side.

Cate burrowed into the familiar warmth of his chest, “will you remind me to notify the front gate tomorrow that Ruby isn’t allowed access to the house anymore?”

“You can’t avoid her forever, she’s your sister.”

“I can definitely try,” Cate narrowed her eyes at Kian, “and she’s my half-sister.”

A couple of minutes later, Cate’s phone rang again, it was Nate. “Is everything OK? Ruby said you urgently needed to talk to me.”

Cate pressed her knuckles against her forehead; there was a thick band of tension tightly squeezing her skull. “I haven’t got the energy for this tonight, Nate. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

She switched her phone to vibrate and rested her head on Kian’s chest again. He gently stroked his fingers through her silky hair. “I remember reading about this study in Psychology which said that if at first you really like someone and then you dislike them, that you dislike them even more intensely than if you’d disliked them from the very start. I hate Declan and Ruby so much that it actually scares me.”

“I was prepared to lie and say that it was you and me on that sex tape, regardless of the consequences for our family, just to protect her career and this is how she repays me. Maybe she’s more like our biological father than I first thought?”

“She didn’t do this to you,” Kian said. “You feel like it’s personal because it reminds you of what I did with Jenna but Ruby didn’t cheat on you, she and Declan cheated on Nico and Hadley.”

“She might not have betrayed me but what she did… how does that make her any different from Jenna? They both slept with another woman’s husband.”