Stars, Love And Pirouettes (Dance 'n' Luv Series)

by Roy Street

  STARS, LOVE AND PIROUETTES

  Dance ‘n’ Luv Series

  Book Three

  By

  Alicia Street & Roy Street

  Kindle Edition

  Copyright © 2012 Alicia Street, Roy Street

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Alicia Street and Roy Street, with the exception of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Art by EarthlyCharms.com

  Special thanks to actor Robin Sachs, our man in Hollywood.

  Chapter One

  Jenna Richardson wouldn’t deny she had obsessive tendencies that made her a perfectionist right down to the most minute details.

  Like flipping the bird at Chang Mulligan.

  Which was why she kept him in her sites as she wandered through the glitzy post-performance reception, waiting for the moment when he glanced at her across the room. Better yet, when both he and his latest female conquest turned her way.

  Aha. Her chance. A quick flex of the elbow. The traditional inverted fist, minus the middle finger, an angry digit pointing skyward. Defiant and reeking with attitude. Delivered of course with the proper “up yours” glare.

  As soon as she executed her move, Jenna did a nifty one-eighty and disappeared into a sea of Valentino, Fendi and Ralph Lauren gowns. She kept a smile plastered on her face while struggling to banish images of Chang, Mr. Bigtime Broadway-to-Ballet Choreographer, with his arm around Kimberly.

  How could I be so stupid to fall for him?

  Duh. Maybe because he’d singled her out for a major solo in his latest dance and lured her into believing he really cared for her.

  They’d spent every minute together for the last three months. She’d even left her favorite New York Jets sleep jersey in his apartment. But no way was she going there to retrieve it. Not after the last visit when the doorman let her in and she saw Chang and Kimberly coming out, arm in arm, wearing those just-had-sex grins.

  Allyson, her roommate and fellow dancer, waved to her from one of the round, burgundy-clothed tables scattered throughout the hotel ballroom. Jenna pretended not to notice and kept on walking, grateful for the soft rose lighting that shadowed her face. It was humiliating enough that everyone in the ballet company knew Chang had dumped her. The last thing she needed was a pity party.

  Unless it was from her big brother Parker. He’d been the shoulder she’d cried on since she was a kid. She wished she could see him now. He was the only one who knew she wasn’t the big sophisticated New Yorker that everybody else back home thought she was. Even her sister Casey teased her about the hotshots she dated. But the truth was, at twenty-four, Jenna still had no idea how to navigate the romance waters and always seemed to get in over her head.

  Heck, when the ballet company took her on at nineteen, she’d been a total noob. Never even had a boyfriend. Who had time for boys when she’d been spending every moment she could for the last ten years in dance studios? Practicing plies, tendues, pirouettes, petit allegro. Striving for perfect form, striving for a dream.

  And maybe some dancers never tired of it, but at this point Jenna desperately needed a change. She was dying to get out of here. Dying to change her whole life.

  Or to at least start figuring out what her life was supposed to be about.

  “Jenna Richardson?”

  OMG. It was Sean Risk. Tonight’s fundraiser performance had been for a select audience of high-end patrons, which usually included a certain number of movie stars, business moguls and New York City celebs. After five years with the company, Jenna had learned to temper her star-struck reaction to them. Not so easy to do for Sean Risk. One of TV’s sexiest hunks with eight-pack abs and dark almond eyes set in a face that would make any woman sigh.

  He put out his hand, his corded forearms visible beneath the rolled-up sleeves of a pinstriped shirt that fit snugly, showing off his manly, tapered torso. “I’m Sean.”

  “Oh, please,” she said, with a laugh and shaking his warm, strong hand. “I know who you are. I never miss an episode of Sunrise Lane. You’re amazing as Justin Grant.”

  With a quick nod of appreciation, he said, “You’re pretty amazing yourself. I was blown away when I watched you dance that solo.”

  Chang’s piece, naturally. “Thank you.”

  “Talk about physically demanding. Bet you worked your buns off for that.”

  A corner of her mouth tweaked. “In more ways than you know.”

  His eyebrows lifted in question, but Jenna was not about to elaborate.

  A waiter breezed by floating a tray of glasses filled with champagne. Sean snatched two and held one out to her. Jenna’s strict lean-and-mean diet usually kept her from indulging in any kind of liquor, but tonight she was sick of dieting. She’d already had three glasses, but she accepted the fourth.

  “You looked great in that revealing costume,” Sean said, one finger brushing her bare shoulder.

  Uh-oh. Not another one. Why did she have to go and wear her tight purple strapless dress that was way too short?

  The answer appeared out the corner of her eye. Chang and Kimberly. Laughing with Alec Baldwin. Jenna let out a louder than necessary laugh, leaned in toward Sean with a teasing grin and said at full volume, “I’d like to see you naked, too.”

  Heads turned. Including the pair of her intended targets.

  Sean grinned at her in a way that gave her a case of jelly knee. He put his arm around Jenna and said, “So what are we waiting for?”

  She let him walk her out, giggling all the way. But inside, her mind raced. How was she going to get out of this? No way did she intend to end up easy pickings for this big name actor who, like most celebrities, was no doubt used to having whatever women he chose at will. Not this girl.

  Unfortunately, her little game just sent opposite message.

  When they reached the sidewalk, she decided to come clean and explain herself. “Hope you’ll forgive me, but…”

  “Did it work?” he asked.

  “Did what work?”

  “Our performance.”

  Jenna looked at him, puzzled. “Our performance?”

  “Come on, Jenna. Forget who you’re talking to? Never play a player. I know all the tricks. I saw you trying to get the attention of that couple talking to Alec.”

  An embarrassed flush filled her cheeks. “That obvious, huh?”

  “Only to a trained eye.”

  “Oh. Like that of a seasoned, womanizing, out-for-blood actor from Hollywood?”

  He blinked. She bit her lip, realizing that her sarcasm might have pushed him too far. Then the silence erupted in a shared hoot.

  “Thanks for your help,” she said.

  “Have you eaten?”

  “Eat? What’s that? I’m a ballerina.”

  “Well, you’re going off your diet tonight. I know a great place for a late night dinner.”

  Jenna hesitated. She couldn’t deny she found him outrageously sexy. And he was Sean Risk, for God’s sake. How many times had she stared at the TV panting over him?

  But that was the problem. Certain types of men could spin her head around way too easily. Smoking hot alphas, guys who were tops in their field. She always fe
ll hard for them. And ended up landing on her butt. “Depends on what’s for dessert. If you’re thinking it’ll be me, then no, thanks.”

  “Chocolate mousse. I promise. Besides, there’s something serious I’ve been planning to talk over with you.”

  “Since when? We’ve just met.”

  “Since you performed that solo in the blue costume I’ve been planning my proposal.”

  “Your what?” She looked at him, incredulous.

  “Not that kind. This is business and strictly legitimate.”

  Jenna shrugged. “Now you’ve got me curious.”

  He placed a hand on the small of her back, setting her hormones reeling, and walked her down the sidewalk to a waiting limousine.

  A burly driver in a dark suit held the door. Sean ushered her into a cushy back seat.

  As the car rolled east on Fifty-Seventh Street, Jenna gazed out tinted glass windows at swarms of late-nighters mulling beneath a cascade of streetlights and neon. She’d drunk enough champagne to put herself in a mood to push the envelope, but she couldn’t help wondering about this gorgeous stranger sitting with his muscular shoulder pressed into hers. Was his “strictly legitimate” proposal a ploy he used on women? What could he possibly want to talk to her about? Private dance lessons? Advice on his posture? Hardly.

  They stopped for a light at a corner. Some curious onlookers stepped closer and tried peering into their tinted windows.

  Sean tossed her a wink. “Everybody hoping to catch a star.”

  Had she just done that? Caught a star? Jenna tried to keep her excitement at bay, telling herself to be sensible for once. But Sean’s velvet smooth voice and his arm now resting on the back of the seat behind her sent a tingling thrill right through her limbs.

  “Ever been to Ajacito’s? Best Puerto Rican food in the city,” he said as they got out of the limo.

  “No,” Jenna replied. “I’ve heard great things about it, but lately dining out for me has been a salad pack and yogurt from Whole Foods.”

  He shook his head in mock dismay. “Ballerinas. Living on leaves and water. What you need are some camarones to start, along with a serving of pollo and scrumptious, spicy beef. Oh, I forgot to ask. Do you eat meat?”

  “Not really.”

  “Fine. So you’ll love the vegetariana. Trust me.”

  Jenna had met a lot of celebrities at company galas and knew the heady feeling of going out with guys who were at the top of their game and well known in certain circles. But that hadn’t prepared her for the way heads turned in the restaurant when she and Sean were seated.

  A delicate gold light shed a warm glow across the white tablecloth. Coupled with the soft salsa music playing in the background, she found herself swept into just the right mood. She even got off on the woman who came over to ask for a photo of herself with Sean on her mobile phone. What did Jenna expect? His face was on the TV every week.

  At first, the hostess tried to stop the woman, saying that restaurant policy did not condone customers bothering their celebrity clientele. Sean interceded by thanking the hostess for looking out for his privacy, but then graciously consented not only to having his picture taken with several fans, but he signed autographs as well.

  “Hey, comes with the turf,” Sean said, after the final woman walked off elated. “I see it this way. If it weren’t for people like these, I wouldn’t be sitting here with you now. Fans are what keep working actors afloat.”

  How sweet. Jenna almost cooed. Maybe her wariness was unfounded. Maybe Sean was really a good guy.

  She ordered only vegetarian empanadas, but Sean insisted on adding a few more dishes from the menu. “Don’t ask me who’s going to eat all this.”

  “You need it.”

  “Are you trying to say I’m too thin?” Hadn’t he just complimented her on the way she looked onstage in Chang’s dance, implying she had a great body?

  “You’re perfect. I just want to sit here and watch you put things into that sexy mouth.” He reached across the table and stroked a finger down her cheek.

  She tried to think of a comeback, but his touch sent every coherent thought out of her head. To cover her nervousness, she took a gulp from her glass of wine (that she’d sworn she was not going to drink).

  But that did not make him pull his hand away. Instead, he gently lifted her chin. “Do you know you have a face that could hold a camera?” The question came out like a purr. She could almost feel his voice caressing her.

  Jenna clenched her teeth, trying to keep herself grounded. “So tell me, Sean. What is this ‘strictly business and legitimate’ proposal that you wanted to discuss with me?”

  He sat back. “As you may or may not already know, I’m one of the producers of Sunrise Lane. And we need a dancer to play a key role for the rest of the season. The dancer will be having an affair with me.” He let out a sultry chuckle. “Well, not with me, but with my character, Justin Grant. We’ve kicked around hiring an actress and using a double to do the dance sections. Pretty standard approach. But since ballerinas are so popular I thought I’d go take a firsthand look with the possibility of using a real dancer. Of course, my decision would have to be agreed to by a few other key people, but that shouldn’t be a problem. Not once they see you.”

  “Me?” Was he saying what she thought?

  “Lots of people tend to think that TV shows like Sunrise Lane are tossed together with casual abandon, trite constructions of some crafty Hollywood screenwriters who are only interested in putting together a slick product that will appeal to the most mundane senses of the mass public. Not true. We take pride in our work. When considering someone for a role, I want an actor who’s not merely playing a part, but embodying it. Your character would be Cassandra Dawson, an ambitious and ruthless ballerina who moonlights as a high-class prostitute and knows how to capture men’s hearts so all they can think about is her.”

  So not me. But Jenna wasn’t about to reveal that she was not only a small town girl at heart, but also the biggest pushover in the world, falling in love way too easily with the wrong men. Handsome and seductive top dogs like Sean. She couldn’t seem to help getting all starry-eyed over them. Then they reveal their true identity, going from Prince Charming to Prince Vlad The Impaler of women’s hearts. “Tall order.”

  “And you can fill it. You’re all mousey in person, but on stage you were a lioness.”

  “I’m not sure if that’s an insult or the biggest compliment I’ve ever had.”

  “Will you give it a shot?”

  What a night. Tossed adrift by Broadway biggie Chang Mulligan, only to be rescued by Hollywood heartthrob Sean Risk. Add in her growing discontentment with her life in the ballet and Sean’s unbelievable offer couldn’t be more serendipitous. It seemed too good to be true.

  And maybe it was. Maybe this smooth talking hunk was just playing her. “There’s a part of me that would love to make a change. But I’ve got a contract with the ballet company, and I don’t take it lightly. Are you actually offering me a job?”

  “Sure am.” He raised an eyebrow. “I’ll help you get out of your contract. My agent can handle all that. Say yes, and I’ll have him draw up papers tomorrow.”

  “I don’t know. Scary decision. Once I quit the ballet company there’s little chance they would ever take me back. Do you know how many thousands of ballerinas want my job?” She downed another gulp of cabernet sauvignon. “Maybe I can get a leave of absence. The season just ended so it’s not a bad time to ask for one.”

  “How do you know you won’t like this better? I could help you get other acting work. I know a lot of people in the business.”

  “It all sounds fantastic and exciting but…”

  He touched her hand. “I won’t ask you how much they pay you as a dancer. But something tells me you’d be shocked at what your rate of pay would be as an actor. Especially once you get rolling.”

  “Nobody goes into dance to make money. You have to really love it. The trouble is I’m not so
sure I do anymore.” Jenna’s mind raced. There was no denying it was a big decision. But then there was no denying her deep need for a drastic change. Sean was giving her the opportunity of a lifetime. One she’d probably never be offered again.

  After another sip of wine, followed by the longest, deepest inhale she’d taken since before going onstage as the Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty, she said, “I accept.”

  As they toasted her decision, Jenna wondered if this was a dream come true, or if she was about to walk into the biggest setup of all?

  Chapter Two

  At two a.m. Aiden Flynn stood on the narrow second-story deck outside his room at Richardson’s Bed & Breakfast. He estimated the temperature to be somewhere in the high forties, making it a relatively balmy night for mid-January. The sky was crystal clear this time of year, particularly here on this rural strip of land that reached over a hundred miles out into the Atlantic on the North Fork of eastern Long Island.

  When he first heard a door click and saw a shadowed figure step from the room next-door onto the deck, he’d been annoyed at the intrusion, reluctant to leave his view of the Orion Nebula. Now his Celestron telescope sat on its tripod in the dark corner near the railing, his gaze locked instead on a sight even more beautiful than the night sky.

  She looked like a magical fairy. A sleek and graceful figure flitting about in the soft light that radiated from the window behind her.

  The full sleeves of her white kimono-style robe billowed out like gauzy wings as she flapped her arms and pivoted about, her long dark hair dancing against her shoulders. The waist-high fence dividing his deck from the adjoining one hid her legs from him, making her appear to be flying.

  A sudden urge seized him. He had to see the rest of her. He told himself it was only to know if her feet touched the ground.

  The moment he took a step forward, she gasped and stopped moving. She looked directly at him, her face a perfect pale oval in the near dark. Something in her wide, brown eyes touched a part of him that he’d thought was long gone. And brought home the weight of his loneliness.