I can’t think of anything worse. Not because I don’t want to see Christina perform. I love watching her dance. I love soaking up the brilliance of the production. Marvel in how graceful Christina moves. She’s brilliant. I don’t want to go because my father will tell me the same story he does every time we watch her perform.
Christina is a born natural. She danced right out of the womb. Look how graceful and easy she makes it appear. You need to work hard at it and practice every moment you have. No matter how many hours you put into dancing, you’ll never be as good as Christina, but you can do something with the talent you have. Follow in her footsteps and you too will achieve success.
Follow in her footsteps and you too will achieve success.That is their mantra. I’ve heard it for years.
“Tell Dad I’ll try my best to be there.”
“Oh, you must. It’s not an option—”
“Gotta go, Mom. Love you. Bye.” I end the call before she can say another word.
The phone rings again. I tilt my head back and stare at the ceiling. Is she going to keep insisting? Looking at the screen, my lungs deflate with relief.
I answer the phone and greet my agent, “Hey, Davey.”
“Alyssa, honey, how are you? How’s the ankle?”
I’m sick of talking about my damn ankle, but he’s my agent, it’s important that he knows so he can set up auditions for me. “Getting better every day.”
“That’s wonderful news. Are you ready for an audition tomorrow?”
“I sure am. What have you got for me?” I twirl my ankle from left to right. Up and down. There’s only a slight twinge. I stand on my feet, lifting onto my toes and plie. Another small tug of discomfort. It’s nothing I haven’t danced through before. In fact, I’ve danced through a hell of a lot worse.
“They are auditioning the lead roles forMoulin Rouge, and you have everything they’re looking for.”
I’ve heard that five million times before.Moulin Rougeis a dream role. If I can land the lead role, I’ll finally make a name for myself. Finally get my parents off my back. Finally make them proud of me. I need this role.
“Send me the details,” I say.
“Will your ankle be strong enough? This show is huge. You can’t afford to be injured before you start.”
“My ankle is fine. I can do this.” I send a silent prayer to the heavens for this to be true.
“Excellent. We’ll talk soon.”
We say goodbye and end the call. I bounce on my feet a few times. My injury is almost gone. It will hold up. It has to. I need to prove to my parents I’m not the failure they believe me to be.
This is my shot.
It’s my time.
I’m ready.
As much as I love spending time with Lily and watching her dance, I’m excited that the lesson is over. Because there is a gorgeous man I want to spend as much time as possible with and he’s waiting for me downstairs.
In the kitchen, Hayden has prepared spaghetti in a delicious-smelling tomato sauce, ready for us to eat. During the meal, when Lily isn’t looking, he keeps eyeing me, dirty thoughts clear on his face. Anticipation of what’s to come is heating my body.
When we finish eating, we rinse the dishes and stack them in the dishwasher. Lily is sent upstairs to shower and go to bed. Hayden brews coffee and pours it into two mugs, sliding one to me as I sit at the breakfast counter.
“I thought it was our bedtime too.” I wink so he knows exactly what I mean. How could he not? For two days he’s called me late at night, burning me up with explicit details of the many ways he’s going to fuck me.
He grins that oh-so-sexy smile of his. “Patience, Twinkle Toes. We’ll get there. Once Lily is asleep, we’re good to go.” Hayden slides onto a stool next to me, cradling his mug in his hands. “You’ve been quiet tonight. What’s on your mind?”
During dinner we chatted about our day and laughed at Lily’s antics. I thought I did a great job hiding the way I felt about my mother and my agent’s calls. It surprises me he can tell I’m a little preoccupied.
“How do you know I have something on my mind?” I ask.
He shrugs a shoulder. “What you’re feeling is written on your face no matter how hard you try to cover them. Good or bad, they show. I’ve experienced the bad a time or two.” He chuckles.