“Stop selling it so badly!” Maddie shouted, standing on the dance floor with her newlywed husband. “It’s going to be fun! The winning couple gets a trophy and everything. So come on down and dance.”
“Oh, yes!” Hazel said immediately, grinning. “I want a trophy! Are you coming, Austin?”
Fox snorted. “Of course not.”
“Why not? It’ll be fun.”
“No game with you is fun,” he replied, unfazed, and Gareth hid a smirk behind his orange juice. That hadn’t changed in the last decade. Hazel was a sore loser, but an even more terrible winner.
“That’s not true!” Hazel said indignantly. “Come on, for me?”
“No.”
“That’s not a problem,” Penny interrupted. “Gareth can freeze dance with you!”
Gareth choked on his orange juice and bent over, coughing. His sister was going too far.
“What? No,” Hazel said, giving Penny a stunned look.
Yes, that was the correct reaction.
“Why not?” She batted her eyelashes innocently. “Gareth is so driven in everything he does — he’s the perfect partner. Or is there some reason you two can’t be on a dance floor together for five minutes?”
With her mouth gaping, Hazel stared at her — and her expression would have been funny if Gareth hadn’t been distracted by how incredibly angry he was at his sister.
“That’s a trick question, isn’t it?” Leon whispered loudly in Fox’s direction.
“I think it’s a fantastic idea,” the center replied seriously. “Then you can use the time to finalize my contract.”
Gareth gave a dry laugh. “I’ve been explicitly forbidden from working here, so unfortunately, that’s not going to happen,” he said, glaring icily at Penny.
“Oh, I’m fine with that,” she replied lightly. “Let’s go!” She gestured toward the dance floor down on the beach, where the first couples were gathering.
Gareth turned slowly and Hazel’s eyes met his.
It was a challenge. They both knew it.
And Hazel had never been able to resist a challenge. “Okay. All right. Sure. Let’s play freeze dance, Gareth.” She jutted out her chin and smiled sweetly.
Please... Gareth wasn’t successful because he'd made stupid decisions.
“No,” he replied calmly. “I don’t play games.”
“You will,” Penny whispered in his ear, barely audibly. “This is your chance to prove to me you can handle it. Five minutes on the dance floor, Gareth…and if you both get out of there alive, I might reconsider banning you from negotiating with the agents any further.”
Fuck.
Chapter Six
Social conduct for hate-free inter-colleague teamwork
For short: SCHIT
Paragraph 6:
Physical contact is not prohibited, but it is strongly discouraged.
What the hell was she doing?
