by Georgia Hill
But then the producer said something which caught everyone’s attention. “As you know, we try to keep the show fresh, to keep the audience interested and voting - and raising money of course. And we need to keep our image separate from that other little dance show on TV.”
Julia caught Lavinia’s eye and they grinned at one another. ‘That other little dance show’ was the riotously popular BBC Strictly Come Dancing. The elephant in the room, Lord Voldemort, never to be named in the studios of Who Dares Dances.
“So we’re proposing,” continued Bob, “that, just for one dance when we come back for the Christmas special, to put two competitors together. This means that two non dancers will dance with one another.
At the ripple of shock Bob put out his hands again placatingly. “You will be coached by your professional dancers of course and it’s just a bit of fun.”
Fun. There was that word again. What fun? wondered Julia. I’m having enough trouble dancing with Jan, let alone someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing!
Everyone else appeared to be having similar thoughts as a buzz of panicked chatter rose around the room.
“I’ll let you know your partners now,” Bob ploughed on, “so you can make arrangements for rehearsals. Remember it’s in only seven weeks so time is of the essence!”
“Uffern dan!” Julia heard from Harri, all his boyish twinkly humour gone.
She closed her eyes and whispered a little prayer. “Please don’t let my partner be Callum. Please don’t let it be Callum!” She wasn’t sure she could put up with his groping for the next seven weeks and there was something about his huge oafishness that was very off-putting. “I’ll do most things for charity but not that.”
“Sorry?” Harri leaned a little closer, to hear better over the noise in the room.
Julia blinked, she hadn’t realised she’d said it out loud. “I said I didn’t know this was in the contract.”
“It wasn’t, but there were rumours they had something up their sleeve for this year. I just hope I don’t get -”
She never heard who Harri didn’t want as a partner as Bob began to read out the new non professional dancing partnerships. “Lavinia, you’ll be partnered with Sam.”
Julia looked over to where Lavinia stood with Charlie and Carol the presenters of the show. Sam was a Liverpudlian comedian known for his coarse humour. Lavinia didn’t look happy.
“Casey, you’ll be partnered with Ted.” Casey looked equally displeased.
“Callum, you’ll be with Suni.”
Julia felt a pang of sympathy for Suni, an elegant celebrity TV cook and then heaved a sigh of relief as she realised she’d been spared Callum’s groping fingers. She was so busy being relieved that she missed the next few announcements.
“And finally, as I’m sure you’ll have worked out by now, the last two celebrities not allocated partners are Julia and Harri.” Bob beamed at them. “So they will be dancing together. That’s all. Have a wonderful evening. Any questions address them to Maria, my assistant. And, don’t forget – who dares dances!” With this, Bob hurried from the studio.
Coward, thought Julia. Drop the bombshell and run off. She turned to look at Harri. “Well, not too bad for us I suppose?” She looked questioningly up at him.
“I think we’ll work together alright won’t we? But whether we’ll be able to dance mind, that’s another story.” He winked, his humour obviously restored.
To Julia’s pleasure, he sounded relieved. She could do a lot worse than spend time with this man she thought.
“Like some food?” he asked her cheerfully. “I’m going to get some, I’m starving, been filming all day, see.”
She nodded and watched him as he made his way over to the table where a buffet was being laid. He had a good pair of shoulders and a neat set of hips. And his bottom was, well quite frankly, it was gorgeous. Yes, she could do a lot worse.
Step Two.
They were all back in the studio the following day. It was show day and last minute dress rehearsals had begun at nine, except for Lavinia who showed up two hours later much to the annoyance of Warren. Julia had left the party early with Harri; they’d shared a cab home, as he lived not far from her in north London. They agreed they’d both had a long day and wanted to call it a night.
And now, thought Julia, it all starts in earnest. She looked around the studio – the same room that they had partied in last night. All remnants of the party had disappeared and there was workmanlike mood this morning. It reminded her of her days in the theatre, of dress rehearsals, of the buzzy adrenalin-filled quality of the atmosphere.
She was nervous but excited. She and Jan were going to dance a waltz and she was pleased it was a reasonably simple routine. She’d found it hard to memorise the steps and was completely reliant on Jan leading her round. He did so with barely concealed Russian impatience, swearing quietly whenever she did something wrong - which was often. He scared her a little. She worked best with encouragement and praise and his arrogant bullying wasn’t making for an ideal partnership.
She watched enviously as Daniel and Casey cruised round the floor in an American smooth. Daniel Cunningham was as tall and as good lookingly blonde as Jan but was much kinder and encouraging and, as a result, Casey was already dancing with impressive skill.
“They’re good aren’t they?” a Welsh voice whispered in her ear.
She turned and smiled at Harri. “They are. Do you think they’ll win?”
He shrugged. “They might. But my money’s on Scott and Suni.” He nodded to where the couple were trying out some of the moves to their quickstep. “Scott’s determined to win, He’s incredibly competitive and Suni is ….” he trailed off as he looked at them.
“So graceful,” she finished for him. “Yes, she is isn’t she?” Julia blew out a breath.
“Something wrong?”
“Just wondering what I’m doing here, that’s all. I’ve discovered I’ve got two left feet.”
Harri grinned. “Not from where I was watching. You and Jan look great together.”
“Only because he’s lugging me round. Still at least the long dress will cover any wrong steps! It’s got so many feathers sewn onto it you can’t actually see me.”
“Wish I had the same sort of costume,” Harri laughed. “Poor Eva’s given up on me ever being able to move my hips.”
“You’ve got a hard dance to start with, haven’t you? I wouldn’t fancy doing the salsa so early on in the competition.” Julia made a sympathetic face.
“Yup, Eva’s one hell of a taskmaster. Bullied me into submission so I agreed to do it. But if I go wrong I can at least make a bit up, it’s not as technical as their dance.” He gestured again to Suni and Scott.
“Agreed. Jan’s the same, a terrific bully.” She sighed.
“I suppose that’s what it takes to get to the top of their field. Total dedication and one hundred percent competitiveness.” Harri regarded her thoughtfully.
“Yes, but he could be nicer about it … oh hello Jan!” she said brightly as the man in question came up to them.
“No time,” he wagged a finger at them, “no time for gossip. We work. Now!” He snatched at Julia’s hand and marched her to the dance floor.
Harri watched her go and raised a hand as she pulled a silly face back at him. He liked her. He’d seen her on stage last year and had liked her ever since.
She’d been brilliant. It was the first night of a Noel Coward play and she was brittle and arch and poignant, all the things that Coward demanded. He was relieved when he met her briefly at the after show party that she was none of those things in real life. She was actually funny and self deprecating and quite shy.
They’d chatted and then he was dragged off to another party. He left reluctantly; he’d enjoyed talking to her.
Now, as he watched her being swung smoothly round the dance floor by her Russian giant of a partner, he decided he really liked her. He had little time for a personal life and the p
roducers of Red Pepper were always on the lookout for scandal so he had to be extremely circumspect. That’s why he backed off whenever Casey came near, gorgeous though she was, her body clearly displayed in clothes that were too tight or slipped off revealing lots of naked flesh. He knew women like Casey were big trouble. One night and she’d be rushing to the papers with the story. His career wouldn’t withstand that, Fizz TV had made it more than clear that if there were any sex or drugs stories, he’d be out. One glance at Casey and all those things were on the cards. But Julia, now she was a different woman. She was easy to get along with. Attractive too, with her mane of black hair and those flashing green eyes. He felt himself stirring. God, he really liked her. The irritating ‘no relationships’ clause niggled at the back of his mind. It was too frustrating. He’d have to be careful. No rushing into anything.
“Larry!” It was Eva, her Swedish accent could never quite master his Welsh name.
“It’s Harri,” he muttered under his breath and then pinned a cheery smile on his face as he turned to his professional dance partner. His coach. His nemesis.
“We will work now, I think. Come. And Larry, hold me like a man this time please.”
Harri gritted his teeth and got into position. With any luck, he’d be so dire they’d be voted off in the first show. Then he wouldn’t have to put up with this termagant any longer. But he didn’t really mean it; already the old competitiveness, a relic from his college rugby playing days, had taken hold. He was in it to win it, he decided as he was steered round the floor by the determined arms of his partner.
“No Larry, take the lead! Hold me like you mean it!”
***
Before she knew it, Julia had completed her waltz to subdued applause from the audience and was standing in front of the judges, waiting for their comments. Her heart sank; she could see from Jan’s rigid shoulders that he wasn’t pleased with her performance.
Arthur, the senior judge, was first to comment. He had a reputation for being straight-talking but kind. “Well you had a good attempt, you sell the dance well but you were letting Jan do all the hard work. You need to something about raising your ribcage and your neckline is dreadful. Not a bad effort, work on those things and you’ll get better.”
Not that bad, Julia thought cautiously.
But the others were much harsher, even cruel. Her timing was out, her footwork was bad and they repeated Arthur’s criticism about her poor posture. Jan dropped her hand as soon as they left the main studio and went to the back room for the results. He was a silent mountain of disappointment. The scores were disappointing too – a paltry ten in total and they were in penultimate place at the bottom of the leader board, with –inexplicably - Suni and Scott taking the other last place.
“Don’t worry,” said Harri as he went past to get ready for his dance; he was up next. He squeezed her arm quickly and then left.
Jan stormed off in search of water, muttering Russian curses. Julia went to sit on the sofa with the others and got her breath back.
“Well, I thought it was fine,” said Suni. “In fact, it looked really good from back here.” She patted Julia’s arm kindly.
Julia, her breathing back to normal, watched on the TV monitor as Harri entered the studio to rapturous applause; he was the show’s favourite and, despite what he’d said about Suni, was tipped to win. His salsa, however, was a bit flat. According to the judges, he hadn’t made a connection with his partner and there was no charisma between them. Julia wondered about their sanity, it looked perfect from where she was watching. He and Eva came backstage to wait for their results and Harri quirked an eyebrow at Julia making her laugh. He really was one gorgeous man.
“The results are in!” screamed Carol, trying to get some excitement going within the audience. “Seven, seven and an eight! That makes a total of …” she paused, obviously unable to work it out, “twenty two! Our highest score this evening. Well Harri, although the judges’ comments were critical they’ve scored you well. How do you feel?”
Her voice whined on and she kept touching Harri, Julia noticed, on his arm, on his shoulder, on his back, quite low down on his back in fact, near that well shaped and neat behind. Obviously the man’s attractions had been noted by more than her.
And then it was all over; all they had to do was wait for the public vote and the dance off. Julia had a horrible feeling she might be in it and wasn’t sure how she felt. On the one hand, she wouldn’t have to go through the torture Jan inflicted on her for five hours a day, but it would be a shame to let go this project so soon.
They all had a short break, filled with interviews and frantically snatched gulps of water and then the dance off was announced.
To Julia’s total surprise, it was between Suni and Ted. Everyone sat in the backstage room, hunched up on the cream sofas and watched the little monitor in the corner intently. Scott and Suni danced first and, to Julia’s mind, brilliantly. Suni was as graceful and as elegant as ever. The judges pronounced her the winner after Ted had stumbled through his routine and they voted him off.
“Jeez, just goes to prove none of us is safe doesn’t it?” Harri said in a shocked voice. He gave Julia a swift, hard hug, which sent shockwaves of desire straight through her. Then he got yanked to his feet by Eva, to return to the floor for the finale.
It was exhausting, Julia thought. Was she really going to have to do this all again next Saturday? She wasn’t sure she had the mental or physical energy. She went up to Ted and his partner Alicia and muttered her condolences. As she looked over, to where Casey was congratulating herself on staying in and where Callum had found enough alcohol to begin the night’s partying early, she thought the wrong people had been sent home.
Step Three.
The following Tuesday was earmarked for a quick run through of the dance she and Harri were to perform in the Christmas special. It seemed crazy to Julia that they were practising it when she hadn’t even got the hang of the steps for the dance she and Jan were going to do this Saturday. Jan had been a nightmare the day before and, if it hadn’t have been for the cameras watching their every move, Julia would have retaliated.
A smiling Harri arrived with a determined Eva in tow. “They’ve picked the dances out of the hat and we’ve got the rumba,” he said with a grin. “The dance of passion!”
Oh Christ, thought Julia, it’s getting worse. Now I’ve got to make out that I’m in love with the man. Well, she consoled herself, at least he’s easy on the eye, so it might not be all that difficult. He was certainly looking good this morning; fresh and relaxed in dark jeans and a navy t-shirt. Julia gazed down at herself. Jan had called an early rehearsal and they’d already been hard at it for two hours. She was hot and sweaty and definitely did not look her best. She looked over at Eva, in all her blonde coolness, and blew out a frustrated breath. But it was no good, she realised, she would never be like her. She was a completely different body shape for a start. Where Julia was curvy, Eva was tiny, with a waist that was hardly there. And in contrast to Julia’s generously sized eyes and mouth, Eva had narrow, refined features. The huge mirrors which lined every wall in the dance studio that Jan preferred to use accentuated any comparison. They cruelly pointed out the differences between the two women.
Julia gritted her teeth and spent the time waiting for Eva and Harri to warm up by nipping out and freshening herself up as best she could. Feeling a little better, she ventured back into the studio.
Eva clapped her hands. “Now we start!”
And so they did.
Thirty minutes later and Julia was feeling distinctly uncomfortable. She liked Harri, no correction; she really liked him, certainly much more than Jan. She felt far more relaxed with him than with her pro-dancer partner but this was too much. Some of the moves Jan and Eva had choreographed were incredibly intimate. Far too intimate for two people who had only met a few times and were just casual friends. And it was very apparent that Harri was having similar misgivings.
“N
ot so!” barked Jan at Harri. “Put your hand on her breast bone and stroke like so. It is the dance of love. Make love to her!”
“I’ve never felt less like making love to anyone,” Harri muttered to Julia. “No offence.”
Julia scrunched up her eyes, she couldn’t bear to look; she could feel Harri’s embarrassment from here. Her t-shirt was sticking sweatily to her back where his arm was holding her and she was mortified that he had to do this.
“Bend back more, Julia! Arch over. More!” Eva demanded.
Julia tried her best but only succeeded in straining Harri’s strength too far and fell to the floor.
“Are you all right?” he asked and bent over her in concern.
“Tsk!” Jan exclaimed and strode off in yet another Russian temper.
“Please tell me why we ever lowered the iron curtain and warmed up the cold front?” said Julia to Harri as he helped her to her feet. She covered her embarrassment by straightening her rucked up t-shirt and smoothing her hair.
“We finish for break now. Ten minutes only!” Eva snarled and banged out behind Jan.
Harri looked at Julia, one brow quirked in humour. “And the Swedish were always supposed to be our allies. Come on,” he said as he took her arm. “I’ll buy you a nice coffee from the vending machine.”
“What, the one where it tastes like Bovril?”
“That’s the one,” he said flippantly.
“You know how to treat a woman.”
“Only the best for you, cariad,” he replied and Julia grinned at the unfamiliar Welsh word. “And, if you’re really lucky, I might even get you a mince-pie; the canteen have just started selling them.”
“Be still my beating heart!” Julia laughed and realised her heart was pumping fast – and it was nothing to do with the promise of a Christmassy sugar rush.
Step Four.
The week continued in much the same vein. They had one more rehearsal of their rumba together which was equally disastrous and then Jan and Eva declared that they must all concentrate on the dances for the next show.
