Chapter 6

Addison

Backstage, things were still in a frenzy of nervous energy. I was shaking and sweating, having just pulled off a flawless performance for our first night. A few members of the crew congratulated me and I smiled and thanked them, but most of the cast stared at me with dead eyes.

They were still pissed about the party, about my failure to indulge and to get kicked out of the part. I tried to brush the haters off, but it was hard when I walked into my dressing room to find the words "Addison is a fat old cow" written in red lipstick on my mirror.

I sighed, then noticed the bouquet of beautiful roses in a vase on my vanity. I smiled, looking them over for a card but not finding one. I frowned, wondering who sent them to me.

The dressing room door swung open and I turned, about to get upset at whoever had barged in without knocking. It was Drew, and his face was hard to read. I decided not to yell at him, instead turning my back and starting to remove the pins from my hair.

"Not bad tonight," he said finally, his tone begrudging. "You were off on a few of your moves, and your pirouette is shit, as usual, but no glaring mistakes."

I beamed, figuring this was high praise from Drew. "Thank you."

He drew closer and I tried not to stiffen. Running a single finger along the line of my shoulder, he murmured close to my ear, "Do you like the flowers?"

So they were from him. That was unexpected. "They're very beautiful."

When he planted a kiss on my shoulder, I turned away. "I need to change," I said lightly. "Would you please excuse me?"

Drew crossed his arms over his chest and for a moment I thought he wouldn't leave. His gaze traveled from head to toe, making me feel sick to my stomach. "You need to try harder to impress me," he said. "That part is yours only as long as I think you're worth it."

He left and I locked the door behind him. As quickly as I could, I changed clothes, carefully hanging up my costume for cleaning and climbing into my street clothes without taking a shower. I knew Drew had keys to all the backstage rooms and I wasn't going to chance his walking in on me in the shower.

I knew some of the cast and crew were going out to celebrate tonight, but I wouldn't be joining them. The lead part was the most arduous, and I'd barely gotten any sleep the night before. I was headed home to a hot bath, a half glass of wine, and then as much sleep as I could manage.

At the last moment, I decided to grab the flowers, not wanting to leave them in my dressing room for someone to fuck with. As quickly as I could, I headed out the stage door and jogged toward the line of cabs on the street. I'd just opened the door to the closest one when a familiar voice rang out.

"I'm glad you got the flowers," he said. "I was worried they wouldn't get to you."

I turned, a confused smile on my face, to see Colton Lowe heading toward me. At least "Colton Lowe" was the name on the card he'd given me the night before, but maybe it was just his performing name.

"These are from you?"

He nodded. "Got them at the florist around the corner. I told them to make them befitting a Sugar Plum Fairy."

I looked at the vase, noticing the fluffy pink ribbon and sprays of white flowers among the roses, looking a little like snowdrops. "They're lovely."

"I hunted down the stage manager before the show and told him to make sure they got to your dressing room. You were phenomenal tonight, by the way."

"You saw my show?" A shock of warmth ran through me.

"Well, you did see mine," he replied with a charming smile. "It only seemed fair."

I laughed, then the cabbie leaned over the back seat. "Are you in or are you out, lady?"

"I've got to go," I said with a sheepish smile.

"Split the fare?" he asked, gesturing toward the cab. My hesitation was much less than last night.

"Sure," I said, then climbed in. He slid in beside me and closed the door behind him. After giving the cabbie directions, I leaned back and settled the vase between my knees. "You liked the show?"

"It was great," he said, sounding entirely genuine. "But you were by far the best part."

"Thanks," I said, his praise soothing my jangled post-show nerves. "I hope the critics agree."

"If they don't, they're blind and stupid."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "I wish my director was as easy to please as you are."

"Is he still giving you shit?”

I nodded. "I got in a ton of trouble after the party yesterday. He harped on me all day about the cake and the alcohol." And the handsome stripper, I thought but failed to add.

"Sorry about that," he said, sounding contrite. "If I had known, I never would have singled you out for special attention."

Suddenly, the idea of special attention from Colton Lowe didn't sound so bad. In the close confines of the cab, his intensity was appealing. Colton was over six feet of gorgeous muscles. And, having already seen him naked, I knew exactly what he was packing under those tight jeans of his.

I pushed the naughty thoughts from my mind, focusing on the conversation. "It's not your fault. It's my cast. They're always trying to get me caught doing something wrong. Some of those girls would do anything to steal my part."

"I can't believe that your director would give it away to someone else who doesn't have half the talent you do."

I was buoyed by his words, but I felt like he didn't see the whole picture. "Actually, Drew is taking a chance on picking me for the lead. I'm at least five pounds heavier than the other girls, and a couple of years older. He's basically doing me a favor."

"That's bullshit." His tone was angry, surprising me. "You earned your fucking spot, anyone can see that. And you're plenty thin and young enough."

"Not compared to the other ballerinas." Ballerinas who would stop at nothing to take my place. "They think the only way I got the part was by...well, I guess you could say giving the director my special attention."

Colton gave her a wry smile. "They're jealous, catty bitches. And they only accuse you of that because they'd do it themselves, in a heartbeat."

I considered his words. He was helping me get perspective on the situation, making me feel better about my circumstances. After the mood Drew had left me in, I appreciated Colton's pep talk more than I could say.

We pulled up on my street and I was sad to see that the ride was already over. Reaching into my bag, I pulled out my wallet, grabbing a twenty and holding it out to him.

His hand closed over mine, crumbling the bill. "Keep it. Tonight the ride's on me, Sugar Plum Fairy."

I smiled. "Thanks." His hand on mine was doing strange things to my insides. I suddenly had the urge to invite him up. But I knew it wasn't a good idea. "I've...I've got to go now. I'd invite you in, but I don't think it's a good idea to get involved with anyone right now, especially..."

"Especially one who takes his clothes off for money?" His expression was neutral.

"I wasn't going to say that," I said, even though I'd been thinking along those lines.

Colton shrugged. "Well, in any event, I won't be doing so for long."

"What do you mean?"

"After this holiday season, I'm hanging up my Santa hat thong. No more stripping."

My mouth dropped open in surprise. "Any particular reason you're giving it up?"

Colton looked away. "It's not something I intended to do forever. The gigs help pay the bills, but it's not as much fun as it looks."

I nodded, somehow knowing what he meant. He turned back to face me and his eyes burned into mine with an intensity that sent a rush through me.

"You have my card," he said quietly. "And you know where I work. Give me a call sometime."

I got out, giving him a wave as the cab pulled away from the curb. Carrying the flowers up the stairs, I got a whiff of their fragrance. No wonder the card had been missing. Drew had obviously tossed it out to claim the flowers as his own. I shook my head, wondering why I continued to take orders from such an asshole.

"Because I want to stay prima ballerina," I reminded myself. If I wanted to keep my career, I had to put up with his bullshit.

Suddenly Colton's profession and mine didn't seem so different.