“You can’t complain when you’re not touching me either. When’s the last time you’ve been with a man, huh, Vivienne?” I taunt low enough for her to hear.
A flush spreads over her cheeks, and she turns her face to the side as though it’ll do anything to hide it from me. Out of spite, I allow my hands to rest, pinching her waist enough to bring her attention back to me.
“What was that about?” Vivienne frowns.
“Too afraid to answer the question?” I smirk.
“It’s been a while, okay? Just like I’m sure it has for you.”
“And what makes you say that?” I quirk a brow.
“Easy, your awful personality. Women run in the other direction before you get the chance to say hi.”
I dip my head, lips brushing above her ear. “Trust me, they’re not complaining when they scream my name. I may not catch them, but God, do they love the fall.”
Vivienne jerks back, shock written all over her face, while a wide smile spreads on mine.
I could have told her we fall in the same boat—that I also have a lack of genuine connections with the opposite gender. But where would the fun be in that?
“Great!” Gloria’s cheery voice catches us off guard. “Now that we’ve sorted that out, let’s do some breathing exercises to find our heart chakra. Dance is rooted in emotional openness, not awkwardness…or whatever that was.” Gloria circles a hand in our general direction. “So deep breath in”—she closes her eyes, the lines in her face melting away—“and deep breath out.”
Neither one of us follows her command—only look defiantly into each other’s eyes.
Vivienne’s lips curl into an amused smile before getting on the tips of her toes to reach my ear. “You heard that, Nate. No need to be awkward. Always knew you weren’t as slick as you claimed to be.”
The warmth of her breath. The citrus scent of her shampoo. The way her chest presses against mine. It’s all too much to take in. So, I do what I do best—pull away from her with a smirk and act like nothing about her affects me.
After another deep breath, one of Gloria’s eyelids pops open with the graceless flutter of a malfunctioning doll.Open. Close. Open. Close.“Isaid, take a deep breath in,” she snaps, her words dripping with aggression.
Without another glance, Vivienne and I follow her instructions, earning us a slow, satisfied sigh of relief.
“Beautiful.That’s it. You just need to relax. Performance anxiety is prevalent among couples the first time they do it together, but it’scompletelynormal. It might be a bit awkward at first, but once you get into the rhythm of it, it becomes more intense and enjoyable.”
Vivienne’s eyes widen at the obvious sexual innuendo. And my mind floods with a thousand dirty thoughts I shouldn’t entertain when the woman is completely off-limits.
Whatever it is that changes in our demeanor has Gloria jumping with joy.
“Wonderful! Now that you’re in the proper position, Nate, take a step forward with your left foot, and Vivienne, step back with the right.”
I do as the woman asks, putting my left foot forward, only to be met with a pained groan. Vivienne glares at me as though I purposely stepped on her toes.
“Don’t start with me now,” she retorts.
I don’t bother responding when it isn’t my fault. She’s simply too slow.
“Let’s try that again.” Gloria chuckles nervously. “At the same time…if that’s possible. Moving in sync, as the youngsters like to call it. Do we know the meaning of that word?Sync?”
I chuckle. “Vivienne is great at definitions. It’s my future wife’s strong suit.”
That was apparently the wrong thing to say, as during our next attempt at dancing, Vivienne stomps on my toes. I wince in pain, glancing down to see a mischievous smile on her lips.
“Now,thatwas on purpose,” I mutter.
She shrugs. “No clue what you’re talking about.”
Two can play at this game.
“Let’s do that one more time. Justonemore time.Properly. Please.” Gloria’s head tilts to the side, the corner of her lips twitching along with that same eye.
