Building the Life (The Dancing Wolf Book 3)

by Amy DeMeritt

  “Pick back up at the lift and let me make sure the sleeve won’t come unrolled and that you have room to easily take the shirt off now.”

  We follow her instruction and I’m able to get the shirt off easily and make the requested adjustment to the ending. As I’m lying her down, Symone presses her lips to mine and we start to kiss, but cut is called and Giz comes over again.

  “Where’s the heat? Get up and do it again. Kayla, get your shit together. I felt nothing from that.” I take a deep breath and help Symone off the ground. I shake my shirt out and put it back on, making sure my sleeves are still rolled properly. “Start from the top and make me believe you’re in love and you’re about to go down on her right here on this beach.”

  Symone and I walk back to get in position and she looks at me sympathetically before we separate to get into our starting positions. I run my fingers through my hair and look up at the sky taking a deep breath. I need to get this perfect this time. Symone and I are completely exhausted. We’ve already been out here for almost an hour doing the same two-minute dance over and over again – mostly due to issues out of our control, like cameras not being angled properly, the wind blowing our hair in our faces, or birds landing in the shots.

  We’re given the cue to start and I dance as hard as I possibly can and I put as much heat and passion into my dance with Symone as I would if I was dancing with one of my girls. I can feel a shift in Symone as well. I can feel that she’s giving me more than she was before. We get to the ending and Symone presses against me, pulling me into a hot passionate kiss that sends heat flooding my veins. She inhales deeply and digs her fingers into the back of my shoulder as she pulls me down on top of herself.

  We’re not allowed to stop till we hear them call cut, but this is lasting too long. I can feel Symone’s arousal growing and her breathing is becoming labored. One of her hands tangles in my hair and the other slides down my back, hesitating only for a moment, before she slides it over my ass and grips it hard, pulling me against her groin. She releases a small sound and arches up against me. A moment later, they call cut.

  I try to pull back, but Symone holds me tightly. I push into the sand next to her to lift up and she slowly pulls back.

  “Sorry.” Her eyes are glazed over and her cheeks are red. I smile and kiss her forehead. “It’s ok.” I help her up and Giz comes over with red cheeks. “That was the one. That was perfect. Give us a few minutes to review the footage, but I think we’re done.”

  She walks over to a canopy covered makeshift studio with a bunch of equipment and computers, so we walk over to the others and sit down. I lay my head in Awenasa’s lap and she looks down at me smiling.

  “That looked really good. Are you done?”

  “Maybe. They’re reviewing the footage.”

  I close my eyes and she runs her fingers through my hair while she holds me on her lap. Just as I’m starting to fall asleep, I’m startled awake and look up to see Giz and two of the producers walking over.

  “That’s a wrap. We got everything we need for this video. The crew will get to work on editing it and making it a real music video. It should be released in a few weeks. Thank you for all of your hard work and for putting up with my bullshit. All of you are incredibly talented and I can’t wait to work with you again. In fact,” she looks at her producers and they nod once and smile. “I know you’re all exhausted, but we want to film one more video today. I just need two dancers strong in couple’s dances. Something romantic and slow. We want the dance to be unrehearsed and made in the moment. We want it to feel real and not choreographed. Because we’re asking you to create brilliance in the moment, without time to bounce ideas off each other, we’re going to pay the same rate as we paid for the full week you put into this video. Any takers?”

  Everyone looks to Sara to answer and she looks between us and smiles, before looking up at Giz and the producers.

  “Do we get to hear the music first?”

  “You can hear it once right before we start to film, just to get a feel for the music and the lyrics, but I don’t want you mapping anything out in your heads before we shoot.”

  “Then you want Kayla and Jaime. Kayla is the strongest unscripted lead and Jaime has the strongest background in the kind of dance you’re looking for.”

  “Do you have any juice left? I don’t want a middle school slow dance. I want to feel like I’m watching stars romance each other.” Giz is looking down at me with a grin that tells me she couldn’t be more thrilled that she gets to boss me around a little while longer. “Then that’s what you’ll get.”

  “Good. Go back to the house and change into your formal clothes. The driver will bring you to the set. See you in two hours.” They turn to walk away, but she stops and turns back with a mischievous grin. “And don’t forget how I like these to end.”

  I narrow my eyes at her and her smile widens before turning and walking away. I sit up and turn to look at the group. Symone looks a little agitated and Jaime is blushing and looking at her feet.

  “Why don’t you and Keira do this one? Your couple style is very strong together.” Sara smiles and shrugs a shoulder. “We’re too fucking tired. I know you have enough left in you to make something epic. Your stamina is insane.”

  “You have no idea.” Everyone looks at Awenasa with a big smile and laughs. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that out loud.” Sara just laughs a little and shakes her head in amusement. “I guess we better go so you can get ready.”

  “I need to get my clothes.” Sara shakes her head and holds up a bag. “We got them. They said to just keep the clothes you have on if you want them.”

  We stand up and as we start walking back across the beach, Sara picks up my shirt from the dance that I had left in the sand after laying Symone on it. She hands it to me with a goofy grin, and says, “Here, a souvenir of surviving Giz wielding a knife.”

  I laugh a little and take the shirt. Symone is still in nothing but a bikini and a woven sarong that does almost nothing to cover her, so I shake out the shirt and step up behind her. She smiles affectionately at me as she slips her arms in the sleeves and pulls it around herself.

  “Thank you.”

  I smile and take hers and Awenasa’s hands to walk back to the van.

  When we get back to the house, I take a quick shower and have Awenasa braid my hair in a single long braid. I dress in my all black tux with a silver vest and bowtie and my nice shiny men’s dress shoes. Jaime is in a beautiful gold and cream dress with thin straps and a deep v-cut neckline that shows off some cleavage with the top of her back open. I really love when she wears gold. It really pairs perfectly with her hair, skin, and golden eyes. She looks absolutely stunning in gold.

  The van brings us to a luxurious hotel in Los Angeles and one of the crew members from the beach is waiting outside for us. He ushers us inside to a huge ballroom with ornate walls, tables fully dressed with table clothes, fine china, silver, and crystal goblets, and a beautiful shiny black baby grand piano next to a large wood dancefloor. There are cameras set up at various angels and the lighting is centered on the dancefloor, piano, and a couple tables around the edges that are made to look like they were dined at recently.

  The environment immediately starts inspiring how I want this dance to start off and what it will look like. Even though she didn’t want us to map anything out, my brain is already doing so, and it looks great in my head. I hope I can convey my intentions to Jaime well enough that it doesn’t look and feel sloppy.

  “You clean up nicely. You have full reign in all of the lighted spaces. Our cameras will catch you as long as you stay within the light. Ready?”

  “Can I hear the song once?”

  Giz smiles and nods. A moment later, the song comes on. I close my eyes and listen to the music and lyrics. It’s not her normal style, but it’s really nice. The song is about coming home to the love of your life at the end of the night after a long day at work. The song ends and I smile. The song fits wi
th the idea I had. I pull Jaime over to the piano.

  “Ok, I’m going to sit here. You come up behind me and lean over me and I’ll take it from there.” She smiles and squeezes my hand. “Ok.”

  She turns and walks several paces back while I take a seat at the piano. I lean over the keys like I’m exhausted. The director calls out some commands, action is called, and then the music starts.

  Jaime walks over, wraps an arm around the front of me, resting her hand on the opposite shoulder, and places her other hand on mine that’s resting on the piano. She gently kisses my cheek and I smile and lean into her. I take both of her hands, and as I stand up, I turn to face her. With her hands in mine held out in front of me, I guide her back a few paces, before pulling her in close to dance with her. We keep eye contact and keep smiling affectionately at each other. I twirl her and pull her into my embrace with her back against me. I nuzzle in her neck, making her smile and laugh a little, as she leans her head back. I smile and kiss her neck for a moment.

  We two step, samba, and twist and twirl together in a beautiful happy romantic dance. I twirl her over and over again to form a circle around me and when she gets behind me, I stop and pull both of her arms out to the sides like she’s going to fly. I bend slightly and lift her up to soar on my back like an angel. I spin once, slowly lower her, and as she touches back down on the floor, I turn to face her, lift her leg to my hip, wrap an arm around her back and lift her a few inches. I sway and two-step with her in my arms for several steps before I set her down again.

  Her golden eyes are mesmerizing and her genuine brilliant white smile has me buzzing with happiness inside. I grab her hips, pulling her in close, and she wraps her arms around the back of my neck. I lean in to kiss her and she giggles and swings away from me in a low dip, rotating from one hip to my other. I smile and run a hand up her back, guiding her back to an upright position. We do a few two-steps and twirl together and then she moves in close again, gently caresses my cheeks, and lets her hands rest on my bowtie.

  While she loosens my tie, I reach up and pull her hair out of the fancy bun she put it up in, letting her golden wheat hair fall to her shoulders. After my bowtie is loose, and she has unbuttoned the first few buttons of my shirt, she wraps her arms around my neck and she leans in to kiss me.

  Our lips press together and she smiles against my lips before allowing me access to kiss her. Our tongues slide together in a slow sweet dance, while our bodies continue to slowly dance around the floor in perfect sync with each other. The kiss is wonderful and causes emotion and heat to rise inside me. Everything about this moment feels good.

  The song is starting to come to a close, so Jaime slowly pulls back from the kiss smiling. She looks in my eyes, gently kisses my lips again, wraps her arms around my back, holding the backs of my shoulders, and then lays her head on my chest. I rest the side of my face against hers, close my eyes, and continue to gently sway and step with her in my arms.

  The music stops and is replaced by clapping behind us. Jaime lifts her head and we slowly pull apart and look at the sidelines where everyone is watching with big smiles on their faces. I take Jaime’s hand and we walk back over to everyone.

  “That definitely was not a middle school slow dance. Damn, that was good. It was so real. Your skill was the shit, but your actual happiness and affection for each other was beautiful. I loved how playful you were together. That was so fucking perfect.”

  Giz is smiling so big and talking with her hands and keeps putting her hands on her head, as if she just can’t figure out how to say what she’s feeling.

  “Jerry, we need to fucking sign them. All of them. I want these girls on tour with me next year.”

  “Wait, what?” Giz laughs a little and shoots her fists up in the air like she just won something or was given great news. “Tour, baby! Next summer. Eighteen cities in thirty days.”

  Sara steps forward and looks between Giz and Jerry, the bearded slick dressing producer, and asks, “Is this a serious offer?” Jerry nods and pulls his phone out. “Yes, your group has been a pleasure to work with. It’s very hard to find dancers with the wide range of skill that all of you have, and that can actually create choreography, especially on the fly like Kayla and Jaime just did. We don’t want to have to hire a choreographer as well as dancers. If we can get that in one package, that’s what we want. I’m emailing you a contract and details on the tour. Review it with your lawyer and get back to us within a month.”

  He slips his phone back in his pocket and looks up at me with a smile.

  “How old are you?”

  “Nineteen. I’ll be twenty in December.”

  “Do you remember a white-haired man at the first party you went to with a woman on his arm that could have been his daughter?” I laugh a little and nod. “I noticed him, but we didn’t speak.”

  “His name is Russel Stone and he’s a huge producer of dance shows and contests. He’s looking for new faces to be the couple to beat for a ballroom dance competition TV show next fall. He saw your history making performance on TV last month and he’s very interested in contracting you both. He loves the idea of a same gender dance couple being his winning couple. He also thinks you’ll help draw in a younger audience and increase the popularity of the show. He’s a close friend and asked me to report back to him if I think you have what it takes. Do you think you have what it takes to go up against the nation’s best ballroom dancers? Most of whom probably have been training for ten to twenty years, if not longer.”

  I’m speechless. I don’t know what to think or say. I look at Jaime and she looks just as shocked and speechless. I rub the back of my neck and take a deep breath.

  “What would we do?”

  “I don’t know all of the details, but my understanding is that you’ll have some promo photoshoots, commercials, and probably a few TV interviews sometime in the winter or spring to start building awareness and buzz for the show. The show will be in August. Have you ever watched those singing competitions on TV?” We nod and he smiles. “It will be similar to that in the beginning till couples are narrowed down to however many couples they decide you’ll be up against. I don’t have the full details on how the competition will work and what the rules will be, and I don’t want to explain it incorrectly, so I’d rather not say more. If you honestly feel confident that you have a chance of winning at that level, I’ll have his people contact you to set something up so you can talk.”

  “Jaime’s supposed to fly home tomorrow. Do you know how soon they’d be able to talk?” He smiles really big and pulls his phone out. “I’ll find out and let you know. Look, I’ll warn you now. If Giz pissed you off with her little antics, you better buy a poncho for all the shit that’s going to rain on you by taking this offer. You play by their rules, period. You best believe that contract will be written in a way that makes it virtually impossible for you to quit. If they want you to go topless for a photoshoot, no is not an option.”

  “Topless?” He smiles in a sympathetic way. “It’s possible. Not likely, but it’s possible. It’s a family channel, so you’d at least have your nipples covered if they do ask.”

  I look at Jaime and she looks excited and terrified. I look around and everyone has the same look, including Awenasa. My eyes lock with hers and she gives me an encouraging smile. I squeeze Jaime’s hand and turn to look at her.

  “What do you think? Is it worth talking to them?” She turns to look at me and her eyes lock with mine, but she doesn’t say anything for a moment. She swallows hard and takes a deep breath. “Yes. We’ll talk to them.”

  “Great, I’ll be in touch with you. Jaime, you may need to change your travel plans. I know we’ve given you a lot to think about, so we’ll let you go back to the house now. We’d like to take all of you out to dinner tonight to celebrate. Semi-formal attire please. We’ll have you picked up at six o’clock.”

  We walk out of the hotel and pile into the van in silence. I have Awenasa on one side of me and Jaime
on my other and I’m clinging to both of their hands in my lap. I don’t understand how all of this is happening so quickly. Sara and the others have been working for years to get somewhere in their dancing careers. I’m just starting mine and already have all of this attention and people wanting me for projects. Is it my skill gaining me the attention or is it my controversial lifestyle?

  No one says anything till we get to the house, but as soon as we’re all sitting down in the living room, everyone bursts with comments about the two huge pieces of news we just received. I lean my head on Awenasa’s shoulder and she kisses my head.

  “What are you thinking, puppy?”

  “I feel kind of like I was just offered a job by the mafia and if I don’t take it and do well that I’ll never work another day in this industry.”

  “That’s pretty accurate, actually.” I look up at Keira and she suddenly looks stressed. “Kayla, I’m sorry if we got you into something you’re not ready for. Telling Russel Stone, no, is like telling the president of the United States, no, when he says your services are needed. He’s one of the biggest tycoons in the dance world and has his nose in everything from Broadway to Hollywood. With one word, he could completely end a dancer’s career.”

  “So, basically, I have to accept this or my career is over before it even really starts? How are we supposed to do this and the concert tour?”

  “We need to look at the schedules and expectations to see if you’d be able to do both, but the Russel Stone project is more important. If you have to do one or the other, then you need to do the TV show. We’ll just have to find alternates to temporarily fill in for you.”

  “Giz won’t be happy about that.”

  “Look, I need to go talk to my girls about all of this.”