by Ellie Danes
“Well, I umm, I guess, then yeah, if it's really all right,” she replied uncertainly.
“Trust me, it's fine. I'll go pick her up from daycare now so I can get those classes set up.”
“You're sure that there's nothing crazy I'm gonna have to do down the line to repay you for this? No insane projects in the pipeline that are gonna stress me out so much I'm gonna wanna jump off a building?”
I laughed. “None, Carly, I promise.”
“Well, in that case, thank you very much, Colin. You're a very kind man. And my little Anna will be delighted that she'll be able to dance more than once a week. Thank you!”
“Not a problem!”
I left the office and drove straight to Anna's daycare in my “fast-fast car.” Anna was delighted to see me and very happy that she was able to ride in the “fast-fast car” again. I was pleased, too – but for a quite different reason.
As I pulled up and parked across the street, nervousness began spreading through my body – a feeling that was very alien to me. Usually, nothing bothered me, and I could remain calm, cool, and confident in even the most intense and stressful situations, but thinking about the brunette was enough to give me a mild case of butterflies in my stomach, and I wasn’t even sure if she’d be there. But, it was the only chance I had.
Anna and I walked in, and a surge of both nervousness and joy ripped through me as I saw the brunette again. This time, she was behind the counter – I guess she had gotten the job she had applied for.
“Hi,” she said, smiling warmly at me – and I could see that there was definitely more than mere polite friendliness in that smile. “I see you've brought your daughter back.”
“Oh, Anna—” I began, about to say that she wasn't my daughter, but the girl interrupted me.
“It's so amazing that you're doing this for her. God, how I wish my own father had done this for me when I was a kid. It's sweet... not to mention encouraging.”
Her smile made me weak in the knees, and I didn't want to disappoint her by telling her the truth.
“Well, every child deserves the chance to pursue their passion. That's what I believe. My name is Remington Colin West, by the way, but please, call me Colin. Everyone does.”
I reached over the counter, and she took my hand and shook it gently. I could have sworn electricity passed between us as we touched.
“Hi, Colin, it's lovely to meet you. My name is Skye. Skye Slade.”
We stared at each other for a moment, and I got lost in her eyes.
“She must have her mother's looks, huh?” Skye said suddenly, breaking the silence. “Your eyes are brown, but her’s are light blue.”
“Oh, uh, yes, she does look like her mother. But her mother, um, we're not together,” I said hastily.
“Oh, I see... Well, that's not an uncommon state of affairs in today's society. I grew up in a single parent household, too.”
I nodded but wanted to change the conversation topic before the lie blew up in my face. I noticed a poster on the wall advertising a fundraising auction.
“What's that about?” I asked, pointing at the poster.
“Oh, that's a fundraiser. It’s something for us staff members. We have to put together something to auction to raise funds, and the winner – the one whose auction item brings in the most funds – gets free tuition. I would love more than anything for that to be me because, like your daughter, I have an intense passion for dance... but I, um, I've been through a bit of a rough patch recently and don't really have anything to contribute to the auction.”
She seemed sad and disappointed. I wanted to say something, but right then the manager poked her head around the door and interrupted us.
“Skye, I'd like you to come in here for a moment. Check Anna in and then come here, please.”
“I have to go,” she said.
It was now or never – I had to make a move.
“Listen, Skye, I never do this... But I can't help feeling that we have some sort of connection. I think you're absolutely stunning, and that you're an interesting person, too, one that I would love to get to know better. Could I take you out to dinner sometime?”
She seemed shocked, but in a good way, and I was sure she was going to say yes. But then, her manager called out to her from in the office.
“Skye, hurry, please!”
“I'm sorry,” she said. “It's my first day here, and I can't risk losing this job by dating a client. I... I can't, I'm sorry.”
She hurried around to the front, took Anna's hand and led her to the studio, and then hurried into the manager's office.
Disappointed, I turned and left – but there was no way I was giving up yet.
CHAPTER 5
Skye
I was still in shock from what had just happened. The mysterious, handsome stranger I had been checking out the day before had not only come back, he had asked me out! It had come as such a surprise that I hadn't known what to say, and, under pressure, I panicked. It had simply seemed like too daunting a prospect, and I didn't know what company policy was on dating a client, and that had been a risk that I had not been willing to take. This job was a dream come true for me, a step toward finally getting back into dancing, and I couldn't afford to throw it away – not even for some wealthy, well-dressed and handsome man who seemed to want me.
“Skye, are you listening?” asked my manager.
Her voice snapped me back to reality.
“Oh, yes, yes, of course. Sorry, Gwen, I was just... thinking about something.”
“I see. Well, I just wanted to say that you've done a great job on your first day.”
“You really think so?”
She smiled. “Yes, I do. You've been polite and patient with the clients, and you've dealt with everything professionally. Well done!”
I was so happy I felt as if my heart would explode.
“Thank you, Gwen, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. I really, really appreciate it – and I promise you, I won't let you down.”
“I think you'll do well here, Skye. By the way, have you come up with anything to contribute to the auction?”
At once, my joy began to fade.
“I, umm, no, not yet, I'm still trying to think of something,” I mumbled.
“Well, don’t stress yourself. You still have a bit of time left. Just don't leave it too long or you'll miss the deadline.”
“I'll get on it, don't worry.”
“All right, well, that's all I have to say for the moment. You can go back out there and finish your shift.”
“Thank you again, Gwen. It really means a lot to me, working here. It really does.”
I went back out and finished my shift.
When I was done, I called my friend, Tessa, who also worked at the diner where I was a waitress. She and I both had a free evening tonight, so I asked if she wanted to go out to have a drink. I really wanted to celebrate my first day at the dance studio being a success. She was happy to hear I had done so well and was eager to go out for a drink, so I ate a quick dinner at a cheap takeout place, and then met her at her apartment, which was nearby.
I knocked on her door, and when she opened it, she gave me a big hug right away.
“Congratulations, Skye!” she said with a sincere smile on her face. “I'm so happy to hear that your first day was a success! Come on in, I've got a tall glass of red wine with your name on it.”
I didn't drink very often – not after a lifetime of seeing what alcohol abuse had done to my father – but once in a while, I allowed myself to indulge. I walked into Tessa's apartment, which was small but warm and cozy, and took a seat on her nice, comfy sofa across from her. She handed me a glass of wine, and then we clinked our glasses together.
“To a bright future at The Hanover School of Dance!” she said.
“To a bright future there,” I echoed.
We each took a big sip of wine after that, and I immediately started to feel more relaxed as it spread a comfo
rting warmth through my body.
“So, besides this job, what else is new in your life?” asked Tessa.
“Oh, not much really,” I said. I considered telling her about the handsome guy who had asked me out, but decided against that for now.
“Still staying at the shelter?” she asked.
I nodded. “Yeah, unfortunately. I've been back there for almost eight months now.”
“Wow, that long, huh?”
“Yeah...”
“You wouldn't consider going back to that apartment you were sharing with those immigrants?”
I shook my head. “They were really nice people, but honestly, it was so crowded that keeping the place clean was a nightmare, and someone was always sick and passing germs on to everyone else. And, of course, the rent, even for a place like that, was just too much. As much as I dislike staying at the shelter, it's the only way I could avoid losing all my money. But now with this job at the dance studio, I'll hopefully be able to move out of the shelter in a couple months.”
“That would be great for you. I don't know how you managed to survive so long in that shelter.”
“It's not that bad a place, and I made some great friends there. It's just that, you know, it could never be a permanent home, and I have no privacy there. I'm definitely looking forward to moving out when I can.”
We talked for another hour or so, and in that time, we each had two more glasses of wine. I found that I was feeling pretty tipsy... Hell, I was past tipsy and into drunk territory.
“Let's play truth or dare,” suggested Tessa, who also seemed to be well on her way to drunkenness.
“Ha-ha, all right,” I said. “Who's gonna go first?”
She picked up a quarter off her coffee table.
“I'll flip a coin. You call. Loser goes first.”
She flipped the coin.
“Heads,” I said.
She revealed the quarter on the back of her hand and grinned.
“Sorry, Skye, it's tails, so you're going first. Truth or dare?”
I thought about it for a while.
“Hmm... all right, truth.”
“Okay. Tell me, Skye... when did you last have an orgasm?” she asked with a mischievous grin.
I blushed – normally I would have lied about this subject, but the alcohol flowing through my veins emboldened me, and I felt that I should tell the truth.
“I've... I've um, I've never had one.”
Tessa's jaw dropped with surprise. “Wait, what? You've never had one? Ever?”
I shook my head. “No. I haven't.”
“But you've had boyfriends before, I know this. You mean to say you never...”
“Not with any of them, no. I know it must seem... like totally unbelievable, but it's the truth, Tessa. I've never had an orgasm.”
“You poor thing! You don't know what you're missing.”
“Don't rub it in,” I grumbled. I was starting to feel uncomfortable talking about this and was beginning to regret answering it truthfully.
“Have you, uh... have you ever had sex?” she asked. “I mean, you know, gone all the way with a guy?”
I was feeling seriously uncomfortable talking about this now, but I answered nonetheless. “I... I haven't ever gone all the way. I've done a lot of fooling around but I've never done it.”
She seemed quite shocked but then her expression morphed into one of sympathy and gentle compassion. “Well, you know what, Skye, there's nothing wrong with that. Seriously. Don't feel bad about it or anything. Hell, when I think of the jerk who I gave my V-card to, I kinda wish that I hadn't done it. It would have been way better if I'd waited for the right guy.”
I appreciated her saying that, but really didn't want to talk about this anymore.
“Look, can we please get onto something else?” I asked, my tone sharp and frustrated. “It's your turn.”
“All right,” she said, realizing I was serious. “I'll, uh, I'll take a dare.”
“I dare you to go onto the balcony and flash your boobs at the apartments across the street.”
She giggled, and immediately the whole tone of our conversation lightened, thankfully.
“Okay! I'm down for that!”
The evening went on and we drank more and had some fun. Thankfully, Tessa didn't bring up the orgasm thing again. Eventually it was time to go – but when I tried to get up, I found that the world seemed to be spinning around my head. I’d had way too much to drink.
“You can, uh, you can sleep on my sofa,” slurred Tessa as she stumbled off to bed.
I didn't need to be told twice. I lay down on the sofa and passed out almost immediately.
CHAPTER 6
Colin
I sat up all night thinking about Skye. I had the feeling that she hadn't turned me down because she didn't want to go out with me. No, rather, I was convinced she’d turned me down because she was really afraid of losing her job.
I didn't want to get her in trouble, of course – and I figured that if I came clean about Anna not actually being my daughter, that would mean I wasn't a client – just some guy off the street who wanted a date with her. Perhaps that would change her perspective, and then she would be allowed to go out with me without getting into trouble.
It was worth a shot. I didn't want to give up my chance to take this stunning girl out on a date. After all, she had awoken something in me that had not been active for quite some time... a deep, burning desire. I really hadn't felt this sort of intense, magnetic attraction toward anyone for a very, very long time. Many years, in fact – and when fate hands you something like this, you'd be a fool not to do your best to grasp it.
The next morning, I called Carly to say I'd be a little late coming in to the office. After thinking about Skye all night, I knew that there was no way I could wait until the end of the day to go back to talk to her – I had to do it right now. I knew that the studio opened at nine, so I planned to walk in at around a quarter after nine, or maybe twenty after – I wanted to give her a few minutes to get settled in and didn't want to totally overwhelm her.
So, at twenty after nine, I walked in – only to see that she wasn't there. I sighed with disappointment, but as I turned around to leave, she came rushing through the door, looking terribly stressed and worried.
Her manager stepped out of her office at this very moment, and she did not look happy.
“Skye!” she snapped. “What the hell is going on? You were supposed to be here almost an hour ago!”
“I'm sorry, Gwen, I'm so sorry, there was just, I was—”
“I don't care about your excuses, Skye,” said the woman coldly. “I told you how many people applied for this job, didn't I? And I turned them all down and took a chance on you. And now you do this to me? I should fire you right now.”
“No, no, please, Gwen, please. I need this job more than anything,” begged Skye. “I swear on everything I hold dear that it will never happen again. Please just give me one more chance, please.”
Gwen stared coldly at Skye for a few moments. “One more chance,” she said eventually. “But this is the one and only time you ever get to slip up. One more mistake and you're gone. Do you understand me?”
Skye nodded, her face clouded over with shame and guilt. “I understand, Gwen. Thank you. Thank you so much.”
Gwen turned around and walked stiffly back into her office, and Skye scrambled to get things together behind the counter. It was only then that she noticed me.
“Oh, uh, Colin, was it?”
“That's right, Skye.”
“There aren't any kid's classes right now... And anyway, I mean, shouldn't your daughter be in school right now? I know that you're a really great dad, so I assume that you aren't lax about making sure your daughter is at a good school, right?”
Damn it. I had wanted to tell her that I wasn't Anna's father, but now she was making it difficult for me to confess. Feeling cornered, I kept on lying.
“Oh, she is in school. I just w
anted to say that um, her mother is going to have custody of her for a while, and she'll be bringing her to classes. And since everything is paid for and settled, and with her mother bringing her here for a few weeks, well, that technically means I'm no longer a client, so you won't get in trouble if you go on a date with me.”
She sighed. “Look, Colin, I'll be honest with you – you're really good-looking and I have to admit that you're pretty charming, but I just don't have time in my life to get involved with a guy right now. I'm working two jobs just to get by, and I'm doing my best to put a few dollars aside every week to save up so that I can actually take classes here at the studio. I just don't have time, and I'm so exhausted from all of this. I'm sorry, it's not you, it's just the situation I'm in right now.”
I nodded. “Well, what if I helped you out with some of that?”
She looked up at me. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I'll pay for your dance classes. That'll be one less thing for you to worry about, so then you'll be free to go on a date with me,” I said with a smile.
She chuckled, somewhat awkwardly. “I don't think you realize how much classes cost at this school.”
“I do. I paid for Anna's classes yesterday.”
“And you'd pay that much money for someone you don't even know?” she asked, looking somewhat shocked.
“It's a couple of dollars,” I said with a shrug. “It's nothing.”
“It might be nothing to you, but to some people that's a fortune,” she said defiantly. “And I'm not a charity case. I'm sorry, but I don't take handouts – even if it is 'just a couple of dollars' to you. I mean, I don't even know you! How can I accept that kind of money from someone I don't even know? Look Colin, it's a kind gesture, and I appreciate that, but... but no, I can't. I can't accept it.”
I nodded. I could understand why she was turning me down.
“All right, fair enough,” I conceded. “But I'm not giving up just yet. You told me before that you wanted to enter this fundraising auction, but that you couldn't think of what to enter, right?”
“Yeah, kind of,” she admitted.
“Well, how about this – I'll put together a little something for you to enter into the auction. I promise you it won't be extravagant, and it won't cost a lot of money. If it wins the most money at the auction, your end of the bargain is that you allow me to take you out on a date. How about that?”
