“No, I don’t—”
“I’ll pay for your dinner tonight then,” Julia said. “And buy a bottle of Champagne. The good stuff. You have to wait for us to finish at the club anyway. We can’t leave until after nine. It doesn’t get really busy until later than that, so you wouldn’t have to perform for a full house, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Yvonne, you did great.” Nolan kept his gaze on her face. “Please, I’d really like to see you dance.”
“Maggie, Christina and I are dancing tonight,” Susan said. “Julia too. Dance with us. It’ll be fun.”
“What about costumes?”
“No problem,” Julia said. “We have heaps of different sizes.”
“I… Are you sure I’m good enough?”
“Yes,” Julia said. “I’m the boss, so I should know.”
“Good, you’re here,” Connor said to Nolan from behind them. He set his briefcase on the floor. “We have rugby training in about an hour. Can you come?”
“We’ll have to stop by the hotel so I can pick up my training gear.” Nolan turned to Yvonne. “Is that okay with you? We could meet back at the hotel, grab a quick snack then come back here.”
“We’ll drop you back at your hotel,” Julia said. “After we sort out your costumes.”
Nolan almost smiled when Yvonne hesitated. He tilted up her head to kiss her. It ended too quickly for his liking, when he wanted to drag her to a private place and fuck her stupid.
Later that night, Yvonne found herself standing on stage beside nine other dancers, her courage dipping, diving, knees knocking while they waited for the curtains to open. The temptation to dance again and embrace a part of her old life had been too much for her to resist.
Her husband hadn’t liked her dancing, had said she was making a spectacle of herself and really, she was too big for her partner to lift. Her chin tilted and determination started to pump through her veins. Well, she’d dance tonight. Besides, not even her mother would recognize her in the skimpy red-and-black costume and stage makeup—the pouting red lips, the glittering black mask that screened half her face.
The music started, soft and flirty, and the din of the crowd muted. The curtains swished aside and experience kicked in, the beat flowing through her body. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and she intended to squeeze every bit of enjoyment from her Mum-vacation.
Her legs kicked high as she found the seductive rhythm of the music and fell into the pattern of the steps she’d learned earlier that day. Her stage smile slipped into place, and she felt the gazes of the men and women in the audience stroking her body.
She sought Nolan in the crowd and found him smiling, his attention on her, rapt. Her steps faltered before she snapped back into professionalism. Her arms stretched, and she displayed the line of her body. The music segued into faster, sexy.
Yvonne flirted with the crowd, her lips curling into a playful pout. The dancers formed into a line and performed a series of high kicks. Yvonne managed to kick as high as the others and quiet satisfaction flowed through her. She’d feel her muscles tomorrow, pay for the steps into the past. But, oh, it was worth it.
This heady feeling, the buzz of excitement and the taste of success lifting her head high with pride. She bowed with the others, her gaze seeking Nolan again. He was on his feet with the rest of the crowd, clapping with a full-out grin on his face.
“Great job, Yvonne,” Susan said once the curtains swished back into place. “I don’t suppose you’d consider shifting to Auckland and dancing permanently here at the club?”
“Good try, Suzy,” Nolan said, striding onto the stage from the rear and skirting the other dancers as they headed for the dressing room. “Yvonne can dance any time she wants while we’re visiting, but I intend to keep her with me in Clare.”
A possessive hand landed on her hip, heat burning through her skimpy bathing suit-size costume. Part of her wanted to argue, to tell him he had no right to speak for her, but the truth was she liked living in Clare. The boys were settled, and she owed Gina for extending a hand when she’d been homeless and desperate after her divorce.
“Well,” said Susan. “We’ll have to entice you to visit often. Bring the boys next time. My cousin is Julia’s nanny. She’s going to look after Katey as well as Alex. She’s really good and won’t mind a couple of extra kids now and then.” Susan checked on the time. “Julia’s doing her fan dance next. Get changed and go out front to watch. It’s really something.”
“Yvonne.” Nolan stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. “You were breathtaking.”
Heat stole into her cheeks along with pleasure, his former highhandedness consigned to the back of her mind. “Thanks.”
He drew her closer and nuzzled her neck. “And very, very sexy.”
“Nolan, stop manhandling my dancers,” Julia said in a crisp voice, seconds after she appeared from the direction of the dressing room. Her grin negated her order. “I don’t suppose you’d like to move to Auckland?”
“Susan has already tried that,” Nolan said.
Yvonne scowled at him and poked her finger into the middle of his chest for emphasis. “Hey, I can speak for myself, mister.” She dialed down her frown into a genuine smile for Julia. “Thanks for the offer, but I love living in Clare.”
Julia tossed her head and her blonde hair flowed across her shoulders. “Pity. My friends have a knack for finding great dancers.”
