Adam dropped his gaze and rubbed at his neck. "He wasn't very keen on the idea."
That wasn't what Luc had wanted to hear, but he was enjoying watching Adam squirm. He only hoped their parents didn't notice the unspoken exchange of desire going on between them.
"But he talked to his Artistic Director and got permission for us to use a couple of company photos. I've got a USB stick with electronic copies in my bag. He, err... Thinks I should be the poster boy instead."
Luc wasn't disagreeable to that idea, especially if it meant he got to watch Adam dancing in tights for the purposes of taking photos.
"I like that idea," their mum said. "Don't you think that would be lovely, Ken? To have Adam on some of our publicity?"
"It might attract more boys," Ken mused. "And Adam is a beautiful dancer. But how much would it cost to get photos taken?"
Luc hissed in a breath. More than his parents could afford. "I could try taking some," he offered. "Or maybe I can convince one of my contacts to do me a favour." He tipped his head in Adam's direction. "If you don't mind coming home with me for a few days when I go back?"
Adam looked up and their gazes locked, making Luc want him even more.
"I guess I could manage that," Adam said grumpily.
Luc hoped that was purely for show. It wasn't like they could go from animosity to best friends in front of their parents in a heartbeat.
"Let me try taking photos first," Luc said. "Maybe we could use the studio out of hours?" Preferably just the two of them, alone.
"If you could, that would be lovely," his mum said, frowning. "I don't think we could afford a professional photographer."
"Did you decide about taking on younger pupils?" Luc asked. The question was aimed at Ken, but he made sure to look at them both as he spoke.
Ken and his mum exchanged a glance.
"Yes," Ken said. "We'll give it a go."
Adam grinned.
"Great," Luc said. "The best way to kick them off is to arrange to do free workshops at the local nurseries." He'd suggested it already, but figured it was worth repeating. "I can make arrangements for that. Do them in the afternoon, so that at pick-up time, the kids can put on a little presentation for their parents. Hand out flyers to them all, offering a free trial lesson."
"Free lessons," Ken grumbled.
"I think it'll work," Adam said. "It's a great hook. If we can get a full class of fifteen kids out of it, we could bring in around an extra three hundred pounds each month."
Luc nodded. "And you never know, you might get more demand and have to put ontwoclasses."
"Let's see how this goes," Ken said in a reserved manner. "No point in getting ahead of ourselves."
"I'll start talking to the nurseries closest to the dance school," Luc said. "See how many I can get lined up in one week, with the free lesson on the Saturday. I'm pretty sure Adam has a free hour on the timetable."
"Yeah, for lunch," Adam said in a short tone. He glared at Luc, but his lips were curled up into a sly smile. "But I guess I can give that up to help Mum and Dad."
"Adam..." their mum began, reaching out to touch his hand.
"It's fine," Adam said. "I want these new lessons to be a success." He stood and started to clear their plates away. "I might go out tonight," he said, once he'd taken one load over to the dishwasher.
"Oh?" Their mum asked.
"Yeah, to Magenta or somewhere."
"Not the Vibe?" Luc asked, raising an eyebrow.
Adam stared at him. "No. The atmosphere isn't great there. Magenta is much more fun." He sauntered back over to the table and picked up the empty vegetable dishes. "Do you want to come?"
"Are you sure you want me hanging out with you?" Luc asked. He was more than capable of sounding tetchy too. "You ditched me last time."
