Dean needed to put a stop to it, and simply banning him from backstage wouldn’t cut it. He’d handle it, but that was a tomorrow problem.
Now that Bayside Grooves was behind him, Dean could proceed with his next project. He showered and dressed hurriedly before happily bouncing down to the second floor to meet his staff for brunch.
As he stepped off the elevator and rounded the corner toward the kitchen and dining area, Dean noticed he was the last to arrive. The office staff and dancers had all assembled, helping themselves to coffee and the catered brunch buffet setup on the counter.
The smell was amazing and Dean’s stomach growled in response.
David was last in line and Dean sidled up behind him. “Good morning, David.”
He turned with a start. “Oh! Good morning, Dean. You scared me.”
Dean chuckled. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you before you’ve had your caffeine.”
David smiled and moved ahead as the line progressed.
“You did great last night. How are you liking the job so far?” Dean asked as he poured his coffee.
David smiled ear to ear. “Last night was fantastic! It was the most fun I’ve ever had in my life.” Then David’s smile turned timid. “This is my dream job. I’m definitely enjoying it. I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.”
Dean hummed in approval as he doctored his coffee with cream and sugar.
After filling his plate from the buffet, Dean sat next to David at the end of the table and quickly scarfed down a bagel and some fruit.
He could feel David’s tension as he sat beside him. Did he make David nervous?
Dean paused. He wasn’t sure he should approach the topic with the kid, but his paternal instinct kicked in and he proceeded. “Look, David, I want you to know you can always talk to me about anything. I may only be a few years older than you, and I may be ‘the boss’,” Dean said with air quotes. “But I’m a pretty good listener if you ever need advice.” Dean shifted slightly and put his hand on David’s forearm. “No pressure. Just know, my door is always open. Well…you should probably knock first…but you know what I mean.” Dean winked and smiled.
David looked on the verge of tears. “Thank you, Dean,” he said with a cracked voice and weak smile. “I think I might just take you up on your offer…one day soon.”
“I hope you do. I look forward to it.“
Dean patted his arm, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and stood.
“Everyone. Can I have your attention?” Dean stepped to the front of the room to position himself next to the PowerPoint presentation that Jordan had set up earlier. “Please continue to eat if you’re not finished. And of course, help yourself to more. As always, any leftover food will be taken to the local LBGTQ shelter.” That comment earned a round of applause from the room.
Dean swept his gaze over the gathered staff, finding all the dancers sitting together as usual. “First, I want to say how proud I am of you. You did an incredible job last night. Did you guys have fun at Bayside Grooves?”
“Hell Yeah!” Jax exclaimed. “It was amazing.”
The other dancers nodded in unison as they chewed their food.
“Great.” Dean smiled. “I was extremely happy with the performance. Now…I have another question for you,” Dean said with a devilish look in his eyes. “Would you like to do it again?”
“Absolutely!” Sean responded as the guys nodded energetically.
Dean bit his bottom lip with a little smirk. “How would you like to do it again, twelve weeks in a row?”
That question earned puzzled looks from the dancers as they all looked at each other in confusion.
Dean continued, “Bayside Grooves was sort of a test run. If it went well, I intended to move forward with my master plan.” Dean tented his fingers together like a movie villain and Jordan giggled off to the side.
“Obviously, Bayside Grooves was a huge success.” Dean picked up the clicker with a flourish for the video presentation. “So, now…we…are going on a world tour!” Dean clicked the first slide of the presentation to display…
DJ DVLN
LIGHTS UP – WORLD TOUR
The dancers all gasped, then clapped and whooped…
