First Position

by Melissa Brayden

  “Says the girl covered in flour from head to toe.”

  “You can’t make valid points to me right now. I’m super-vulnerable.”

  “Suit yourself, you delicate flower. You see what I did there?”

  Natalie raised a sardonic eyebrow. “So Frozen has a few jokes up her sleeve.” Ana dusted one shoulder, then the other in confident victory. She turned to Natalie and rubbed her hands together. “Now let’s get this little lesson started.” Ana took the lead and, for the next forty-five minutes, instructed Natalie in a step-by-step tutorial of all things cookie. Natalie, it turned out, was an excellent student, but a horrible chef. She wound up wearing half the ingredients she mixed and splattered the walls with cookie dough when the electric mixer got the better of her. Luckily, Ana was there to shepherd the cause, saving her from her confectionary self, time and again.

  When the first batch dinged in the oven, Natalie looked to Ana expectantly. “Don’t worry,” Ana told her. “Third time’s a charm.”

  And it was.

  When they cut a warm cookie in half and sampled the merchandise, Natalie’s eyes widened in appreciation. “This is my cookie best friend,” she said, her mouth still full. “Oh my God, it’s so good. We’ll probably be eloping.”

  “You and your cookie?”

  “Yep. To Puerto Vallarta.”

  “That’s specific,” Ana said, enjoying the candid childlike happiness in front of her.

  “Don’t be jealous,” Natalie said. “You can visit us.”

  “Puerto Vallarta it is. Now, you get the next batch on the tray and I’ll start cleaning up.” She gestured around the room. “Because it looks like Hurricane Chocolate blew through here and took no prisoners.”

  “On it,” Natalie said, now in excellent spirits.

  They put on some music and Natalie joined Ana in her cleaning quest, dancing as she did it. With flour still covering her ass, she shook it for all she was worth. And what a fine ass it was. Ana had to stop and stare because the flour was like a giant arrow sign. “Don’t objectify me while I’m cleaning,” Natalie said, continuing her booty pops.

  “So when you’re finished?”

  “Absolutely.”

  But when they did finish, and the kitchen gleamed once again, smelling of amazing chocolaty goodness, Natalie’s appearance placed her in a game of “One of These Things Is Not Like the Others.”

  “What?” Natalie asked. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “Well,” Ana said, advancing on her, “because you have cookie dough on your cheek.” With a kiss to the spot in question, she took care of it. “And a spot of chocolate on your lip.” Again, she was happy to help. “Flour in your hair,” she said, as she pulled Natalie’s ponytail free and watched her hair tumble. “And you’re still the hottest woman I’ve ever seen in my life.” Natalie’s eyes flashed dark, a look Ana had come to learn signaled desire.

  “Well, the hottest woman you’ve ever seen should probably change clothes,” Natalie said quietly. “Do you think you can help with that?”

  “I mean, I could try,” Ana said innocently. “If you want.”

  “You’ve been such a big help so far. I’m just saying that maybe there are a few other tasks you could help me with.”

  Ana didn’t need any more invitation than that. She lifted Natalie’s sweater over her head, leaving her standing there in her red bra, which shockingly also showed traces of flour. “Well, look at that,” Ana said, gesturing to the marks. “Maybe that should come off, too.”

  Natalie shrugged. “You’re the expert.”

  Ana undid the front clasp and looked on as Natalie’s breasts filled her palms. She pushed against them, squeezing firmly.

  “Fuck,” Natalie breathed, and closed her eyes.

  “I can do that,” Ana answered softly, kneading her breasts, captivated by how intensely it affected Natalie. She teased her nipples, loving the weight of Natalie’s breasts in her hands. But then the shape of Natalie’s exposed neck was too inviting to pass up. Ana placed an open-mouthed kiss there, wringing another gasp from Natalie, who was trapped against the bedroom door. Ana kissed her way up the column and turned Natalie’s face to hers, hovering just shy of her lips. “Why are you so irresistible?” she asked. “We can’t even get through a simple task like making cookies without my hands needing to touch you.”

  “You’re the one saying that to me?” Natalie asked and crushed her lips to Ana’s. The bedroom, Ana thought distantly. They should find their way to the bedroom. Ana reached for the knob, and Natalie pulled her mouth away. “No. Right here,” she said, her breathing ragged.

  Ana nipped at her jaw. “Here? But shouldn’t we find a bed and—”

  “No,” Natalie said. “Take me right here.” Her hips pushed into Ana’s thigh. “I like it when you get all instructor-like. You do it a lot.”

  “You do, huh?” Ana asked and unbuttoned Natalie’s jeans. “So that day in the studio—”

  “When you kept putting your hands on me—”

  “Had you hot?”

  “You have no idea.” Ana slid her hand into Natalie’s jeans and closed her eyes at how wet she already was. Natalie stifled a moan, and with her hand Ana began to explore every dip and crevice until Natalie’s fingers were white-knuckling their grip on her shoulders.

  “Stay with me,” Ana said, when Natalie closed her eyes. Natalie blinked hard but obliged. She was staring straight into Ana’s eyes when she slid into Natalie. It was Ana who gasped this time, struck at the feel of Natalie enveloping her. She gave her a slow circle with her thumb and Natalie strained against her touch, letting out an inarticulate murmur of pleasure. Her breathing was shallow now, and it was clear she was strung tight. Ana kissed the underside of her jaw and then her neck and she moved in and out, applying pressure with her thumb. When she drove hard inside, Natalie shattered and stilled, her cry muffled into Ana’s neck. She would have collapsed onto the floor had Ana not been there to steady her with a firm arm around her waist.

  “I’m dead right now, you know that?” Natalie said finally. “You killed me.”

  Ana smiled against her skin, her hand still down the front of Natalie’s jeans. “Not the goal. I’d rather keep you around.”

  “Try getting rid of me,” Natalie said to her quite seriously. And she meant it, which sparked a pang of something powerful within Ana. Things were moving quickly between them, and her feelings for Natalie grew exponentially by the day. As scary as that felt, Ana craved more.

  Natalie straightened from the door and slipped her hands up the back of Ana’s Henley. “Do you have an hour? I have this idea.”

  Ana took a step back and stared at her sideways, because with Natalie you never knew. “What’s the idea?”

  “We climb into that bed,” Natalie said and opened the door behind her. “I take your clothes off and do exactly what I’ve been fantasizing ever since you put that damn apron on.”

  “I may have an hour,” Ana said casually as Natalie tugged her into the bedroom.

  Chapter Fifteen

  On Ana’s second day of calling out of rehearsal, she found herself with very little to occupy her time. Natalie had a rehearsal of her own for a ballet that would open in the winter season, and Ana, given that she couldn’t dance, was feeling frustrated with the empty time on her hands and wildly at sea.

  This was why she didn’t take days off. Ever.

  She dully surveyed her apartment, making mental notes of ways to spruce it up and give it more color like Natalie’s. Next she made a grocery list, then followed it up with a session of people-watching (as much as one could from the seventh story). She then retrieved the heat wrap for her foot, and finally, curled up on the couch with a novel she’d selected from her modest collection, A Farewell to Arms. She’d never been a huge reader, but then again she’d never had much time on her hands. Seconds passed into minutes and minutes passed into hours as she read about Henry and Catherine and their passion-filled love affair. />
  The sound of a knock followed by the door opening ripped Ana from the tale just as Natalie burst into the apartment.

  “Hey, you,” she said and placed a kiss on the side of Ana’s temple. “I don’t know about yours, but today kicked my ass.”

  “Ditto. What was today?”

  “First stumble-through for the Balanchine deal.”

  “Symphony in C can hardly be referred to as the Balanchine deal.”

  Natalie slid onto the couch next to Ana and gave her chin the tiniest shake. “Fine, Miss Traditionalist. Final dress for Symphony in C kicked my ass, and my part isn’t even that big.”

  “At least you got to dance today,” Ana said.

  Natalie ignored the comment and picked up the book. “What’s this book about?”

  “Hemingway’s version of romance in the midst of a really depressing war. Not bad, actually.”

  “You read Hemingway?”

  “Today I do.”

  “I don’t know if I mentioned this, but I have kind of a thing for smart girls.”

  “Well, I read a lot of Hemingway,” Ana said simply, which earned her a laugh and a kiss.

  “I missed you today,” Ana told her truthfully. She leaned her head against the couch and let herself float a little, adrift in Natalie’s big green eyes. Ana touched her cheek softly. “I never get tired of looking at you, you know that? How do you manage it?”

  “I can’t give away all my secrets,” Natalie said quietly, and stole a lingering kiss.

  “I’m lucky to have you,” Ana said. They stared at each other for a long moment.

  “Nope. That would be me.” She tucked a strand of hair behind Ana’s ear. “Want to join me in the shower? Could be fun.”

  Ana laughed at such a blatant leap. “The shower? We’d never make it to dinner.” But Natalie was already on her way to the bathroom, and moments later Ana heard the sound of the water.

  “A total shame,” Natalie called to her.

  As tempting as it was, they’d made dinner plans with Adrienne and Jenna, and it would be rude to show up late, especially since Adrienne was cooking. “We need to stop for some wine to take,” she called to Natalie, who returned to the living room in her bra and underwear.

  “I’ll let you do the choosing,” Natalie said. “Not much of a wine kind of girl.”

  “Deal.”

  “And stop checking out my ass,” Natalie said as she sauntered back to her waiting shower.

  Ana laughed. “I can’t agree to that.”

  An hour later they stood in Adrienne’s kitchen, Natalie opening the wine they brought as one amazing aroma after another wafted Ana’s way. “I forget how accomplished a chef you are,” she told Adrienne, her hip kicked against the counter as Adrienne stirred a decadent-looking mushroom cream sauce on the stove.

  “Cooking is one of my most favorite things ever,” Adrienne told her with a smile. “I just rarely get to do it.” She had her hair pulled into a twist and wore a green sweater that matched her eyes. Ana had always admired Adrienne’s sense of style. She’d attempted to copy it when she was younger, but failed dismally. “When I have a lot on my mind or I need to decompress from the world, I head to the kitchen.”

  “I like the way you think,” Natalie said.

  “Says the girl who burns toast,” Ana told Adrienne dryly.

  “Guilty,” Natalie said, handing Adrienne a glass of the 2012 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo the wine shop owner had told them was “to die for.” “I’m a work in progress. I can admit this.”

  Adrienne touched her glass to Natalie’s. “There’s plenty of time for proper toast preparation. Speaking of,” she glanced at the clock on the wall, “I apologize about Jenna. She so wanted to be here, but her flight was held up in Chicago.”

  “What was she doing in LA?” Ana asked.

  “Taking a meeting with the Weinstein Company. They’re interested in her for an action flick set in the future. It’s outside of what she’s done before, but if she can add action superstar to her résumé, then there really isn’t anything she can’t do.”

  “What about Elevation?” Natalie asked, referencing the Broadway dance show Jenna starred in. She took the spinach salad Adrienne handed her and set it on the table.

  “That’s the tricky part. Her contract with the show is for another six months, so she’d have to negotiate at least four weeks off to shoot the film. They’d most likely bring in someone temporarily and then she’ll finish out her run after the film wraps.”

  Natalie shook her head in reverence. “That show is everything. I’ve never seen anything so innovative. It’s all the things I love about dance packed into ninety amazing minutes.”

  Adrienne looked as if an idea struck. “If you love it so much, you should audition. Like I said, they’re going to need someone to fill in. Plus, you said your true love was modern. It’s possible Jenna could get them to take a look at you. No promises, of course.”

  Natalie passed Ana an “oh my God” look. “I don’t want to be presumptuous,” Natalie told Adrienne. “But I’d kill for that chance.”

  “Well,” Adrienne said, ruffling Ana’s hair as she headed to the table with the bowl of sauce, “let’s see how her meeting went and go from there.”

  “Whose meeting are we talking about?” said a voice from the living room just prior to the sound of the door closing. As they turned, Jenna McGovern appeared in the archway separating the living room and kitchen. Her blond hair was down and she carried a bag slung over her shoulder. She smiled widely at Adrienne as if drinking her in.

  “Baby, you’re here,” Adrienne said, moving to her immediately. She took Jenna’s face in her hands and kissed her long and good. “I thought your flight was delayed.”

  “It was, but I got creative and talked my way onto another one leaving half an hour later. So here I am. Hi,” she said, dipping her face to Adrienne’s for a kiss.

  “Hi,” Adrienne said back. “God, I’ve missed you.” And there was more kissing. And then some more.

  Ana and Natalie exchanged a smile at the sweet display. Ana had always admired Adrienne and Jenna’s relationship. They fit together in the most harmonious mash-up ever. She couldn’t help but wonder if she and Natalie were on their way to something similar, and it gave her heart a squeeze. Always intuitive, Natalie slipped her hand inside Ana’s and threaded their fingers.

  “Ana’s here!” Jenna said finally, and moved to her. “I’m so glad we’re finally doing this. And I was not at all ignoring you. Just needed to say hello to that one.”

  Ana hugged Jenna tight. “I understand entirely. And it’s good to see you, Jenna.”

  As Jenna released her, she turned to Natalie and passed Ana an expectant glance. “Well, introduce us.”

  Ana laughed. “Of course. Jenna, meet my girlfriend, Natalie Frederico.”

  *

  Her girlfriend.

  As starstruck as Natalie was to meet one of her idols, she took a moment to let the enjoyment wash over her. It was the first time she could remember Ana using that word. Girlfriend. Sure, they were a couple. How could they not be after everything? But she’d yet to hear Ana say the word. So if she was beaming, she didn’t mind.

  “A pleasure,” Jenna said and extended her hand.

  “Likewise. I’m a fan of your work. A big one.”

  “I hear you’re quite the dancer yourself.” Jenna snagged a grape from the tray Adrienne had laid out on the counter.

  “I’m working on it. That’s the goal.”

  “She’s being modest,” Adrienne said. “They don’t cast you as the lead at City Ballet unless you’re at the top. Much like Ana.”

  At the comment, Natalie watched the confident smile dim on Ana’s face. It hadn’t escaped Natalie that Ana had selected her most comfortable pair of shoes and even then couldn’t totally hide the limp, at least from Natalie.

  “Speaking of, how’s the show?” Adrienne asked as they dug into the amazing food she’d prepared.

>   “I’m enjoying myself. Because of the rotation with Natalie, I got to luxuriate in a couple days off.”

  “Enjoy them,” Jenna said, obviously in need of a day off herself.

  “Back at it tomorrow,” Ana said and delicately cut her chicken.

  “Unless you call out,” Natalie said innocently, and focused on her own dinner, just letting the comment hover. She knew the move was a bold one, exposing Ana’s injury to her friends, but the feeling of dread she carried at the concept of Ana dancing on that foot the following day had her consumed and preoccupied. Maybe a couple of seasoned performers, like Jenna and Adrienne, could help Ana see reason.

  “Why? What’s up?” Adrienne asked, concern creasing her brow.

  Ana blew off the question with a wave of her fork. “Nothing. A tendon in my foot has been giving me trouble. But it’s feeling much better.” Back to her dinner.

  “Is it?” Natalie asked, further poking at the lion.

  Ana met Natalie’s gaze, her blue eyes steely and focused. “It is. Thank you.”

  Adrienne stepped in. “Ana, if you’re hurt, you need to give yourself time. I know how frustrating it can be when you’re sidelined from what you want to be doing, but it’s for the best in the long run.”

  Jenna turned to Natalie in explanation. “Adrienne tore her ACL a few years back and had pretty extensive surgery, which took her out of a show we did together.”

  Natalie nodded. “I had no idea. But you’re better now?” she asked Adrienne.

  “It took time and there’s still some residual stiffness, but yeah, back in business.”

  “You were lucky,” Ana said quite seriously. She looked as if the weight of the world rested squarely on her shoulders, and it probably did. Natalie was doing what she could to ensure that things wouldn’t get worse. Surely Ana could see that.

  “I was,” Adrienne said. “And if you take care of yourself when your body asks you to, you will be, too.”

  “Understood,” Ana said. “That’s really good advice. Thank you.”