“I’m saying I refuse to ask them. If your entourage, foroneevening, can’t act in a manner befitting their status without silencing those around them, perhaps this is the wrong fit after all,” I chastise, my tone leaving no room for argument.
She believes this is a negotiation. It is not. She has special requests that Iallow—she needed more security that I was willing to provide; she wanted non-member guests for whom I made an exception.
I do these things because her cost for one night is the equivalent of one member’s fees for six months. And she wants me to do these things for her, not because we are friends, but simply becauseCirqueis the best and her circle of idiot socialites and movie star frenemies expects the best.
“Oh, I completely understand. It’s no problem at all. I’ll let my team know.” She clears her throat before returning to her fake, demure smile. She can play bravado all she wants, but the pink of her cheeks and the nervous hives painted on her chest give her away. A girl trying to intimidate a woman.It’s adorable.
“So, tonight is just to reacquaint yourself with the club and give you an idea of the layout and performances you can anticipate. Of course, the seating will be arranged differently for the larger party and will be closer to the main stage. Part of the night’s entertainment will be performances on stage, the other half will be more, let’s call it, interactive.” I smirk at her, and she seems to relax a little.
“Will there be live music at the event?” She nods her head towards where Stella is perched in her alcove, crooning sweetnothings about fools in love, while the contortionists untangle themselves from the massive theatrical throne and each other.
I take a sip of my seltzer while the curtain falls amidst applause from the audience. The thunderous claps are like little bursts of pride overflowing in my chest. To know the audience is as enraptured by their performance as I was the first time I saw it and knew it had to be part of my show.
A contortionist throuple, consisting of two women and one man, who met when paired to perform together, managed to turn their chemistry on stage into a passionate relationship.
They have been together as long as I have known them, and the only condition they gave me when I poached them from their troupe, was that they would never be separated, and that they were free to introduce new bodies into their act whenever they wanted.
During this particular contract signing, my mind was still replaying some of the positions of their act. I was so distracted, I could have promised them my firstborn without noticing what I was agreeing to. If even I couldn’t pull it together to discuss their onboarding,Cirquehad to have them.
As they walk off the stage, hand in hand, I clear my throat. Noting happily that their act still very much affects me. Stella takes a small bow before slinking behind the curtain to rest and hydrate between songs.
“Each night is a mix of live singers and track recordings. Typically, the tracks are played in between stage performances, while the props and setup are done for the next act. If you have specific songs you want or performances you want to see, just let me or Colton know and we will work it into the night, if able.” I gesture to where Colton is chatting with Tessa while she scribbles down notes on her tablet, probably preparing the drink menu for this bachelorette event. In the pauses she takes to look up from her writing, she looks at Colton as if he hung the moon.She’s not wrong.
Stella returns to position, voice booming across the main floor, while Adam walks onto the stage, ready to set it ablaze. Why is Adam up there instead of Ben? I swear I’ve seen him at rehearsals this week, and I don’t remember anything about him being sick or needing time off.
I glance around, looking for Marcus where he normally lurks around the edges of the stage. When I don’t see him, I make a mental note to bring it up at our next one-on-one meeting. I return to the conversation at hand, trying to get through the rest of this planning quickly, before I start feeling an urge to buy something in beige.
“Of course, we have a list of performances planned for the night, and dancers have been selected for the moreinteractiveportion of the evening. Your guests will be welcome to stay in the main audience area and enjoy the main stage performances, or they can ask a dancer to accompany them into one of the private rooms for a more intimate setting. If anything or anyone catches your eye tonight though, we can make changes…”
Cassie cuts me off mid-sentence, “Him. I want him.” I look up at her outburst, expecting her to be watching the dancers that float through the audience. I follow her gaze back to where I had gestured to Colton, still leaning against the bar.
Colton.
MyColton.
What the actualfuckis happening right now? I’m clenching my jaw hard as I turn back to Cassie to realize she still hasn’t turned away from staring at where he leans against the bar, completely ignoring the performance in front of her and the gorgeous dancers that weave between tables.
I look back to where Colton slouches, and I can’t even blame her. Ihateher right now, but I don’t blame her.
“I’m sorry for the misunderstanding, Ms. Harlin. He is not aperformer of any kind. He is my assistant,” I explain, keeping my tone light.
“You said I could make requests, right?” she asks, eyes still glued to Colton. Shouldn’t he be moving around, checking on different stations? Maybe I can ban him from coming onto the floor altogether. If she doesn’t stop staring at him like that, I’m going to lock him in my office for the rest of the night.
Cassie finally turns back to me, realizing I still haven’t responded, ignoring her in favor of thinking up creative ways to tie Colton to my desk chair.
“Yes, we can accommodate requests for specific personnel, but…” She cuts me off before I can tell her there is no way in Hell I will be accommodating that specific request.
“Great, then let’s get him over here and request it,” she says, so matter of fact, like she’s made some power play and is going to get exactly what she wants.Even if I did let her ask him, he would never say yes to this. It’s insane. He’snota dancer.
But that didn’t stop him before.
10
COLTON
The minute the act finishes up, a server comes over to where Tessa and I have been chatting about the upcoming events, looking nervous as she stops before us. Her unease raises my hackles, instinctively straightening up to look around for Harper.
“You’re being requested,” she says, pointing over to the center table where I’m already looking.