Where was she—Oh.
At last, she entered in a green leotard. Even with no makeup and her hair pulled back rigidly tight, she was still so, so beautiful.
Once I'd done all the things an owner would do, I made my way to the balcony, where I watched them practice. She was so graceful, and it was easy to see why she'd been chosen as Prima Ballerina. She was the only one not being scolded. Her moves were perfect, and she was able to adjust to each partner she was asked to try out.
It was all so fascinating, watching her at work. Her face was so focused, and her silly, normal self was placed aside in favor of getting her job done and showing her Madame herbest work. It only made me love her more, seeing her so passionate about ballet.
When they had a break, I hurried down to try to sneak some time with her, but Madame De La Rosa caught me to ask me my thoughts on their rehearsal thus far. I tried to focus and engage, but Daisy was on my mind, and the ticking clock was ringing loudly in my ears. I managed to get away and as I started toward the dressing rooms, I saw a group of dancers huddled around one of their friends. I recognized the hair and leotard before anything else, and as much as I wanted to comfort her, it would seem odd that I, a stranger, would do so. I paused and stepped behind a large column.
"What's wrong, Lilly?" a woman asked.
Lilly? It wasn't Daisy?
Oh, Lilly was Max's mistress, I remembered..
"Clarke just got fired again." The Daisy look-alike lifted her head, and I saw her up close for the first time. Sure, there were some resemblances, but only from a distance. She wailed again and threw her head back down. "He's going to get put on a list."
"Why? What happened?" a concerned friend asked as they all moved closer to comfort the crying ballerina.
"They were all out after work at the bar, and he got into a fight with someone else. And of course, my stupid husband had to escalate it. He pulled out his gun and everyone freaked out. I told him I hate when he drinks."
Her problems, while sad, didn't concern me. I slid through the darkness to Daisy's room. I knocked, but there was no answer. I tried the handle and found it unlocked. Opening it, I was disappointed to see she wasn't inside. Rehearsal restarted a moment later, and I had to decide whether to go watch or sit and wait. Not wanting to missher again, I opted to stay inside her dressing room until she was done.
The moment she opened the door, I flew to her, lifting her up in the air and spinning her.
"Oh, did you want to become a dancer now, too?" she teased after I put her down.
"I could never in a million years do what you do. You are incredible out there, Daisy." I kissed her, my tongue finding hers and gently caressing it. I pressed my body against her so she could feel how hard I was when suddenly a knock came followed by the door opening.
"Daisy—Oh!"
Our bodies froze, but our heads turned to see Lilly, of all people, at the door. She stared at us in a full embrace and blinked.
"I see."
Daisy yanked herself from me, and Lilly quickly shut the door. I rushed after the ballerina.
"Lilly!" I reached my arm out as I followed. She speed-walked through the backstage, past all of the dressing rooms, bathrooms, and other places she should have gone. I called her name again and she spun around.
"Don't come near me." She pointed and glared.
I stopped, hands raised, and looked around, realizing she’d dragged us into a dark corner.
"I just want to talk," I said calmly.
"There's nothing to talk about. I saw you with Daisy. Are you wanting to know if I'll tell Max or not? Your secret is safe with me as long as you do me a favor."
"Anything," I answered. While I knew eventually the truth would all be laid out, Max needed to hear it from Daisy, not anyone else.
"My husband needs a job. I was coming to ask Daisy to talk to you about it because she was the reason we bookedthis place, anyway. Now I see how she did it." She smirked and crossed her arms. "What a little hypocrite."
"Your husband needs a job," I redirected.
"Yes. A good paying one. He just got fired by the construction company working on this building."
I nodded. "Done. Bring him tomorrow; I'll put him to work somewhere else."
She stared at me for a long moment, and I opened my mouth to ask if we were done, but she spoke instead.
