Demetrius
“Sunday meeting, pay attention!” I called out to the pack. Everyone seemed to be full of energy as they laughed and teased each other. “Next week is tech week. Are we all ready to move into the theater?”
Everyone’s heads nodded affirmatively.
“How about the two funders’ shows?” I asked, eyeing each of them.
Lukas gave me a thumbs up before returning his hand to play with Ivy’s. “I’ve got two scheduled this week—a thirty-minute presentation on Tuesday and Thursday after our rehearsals in the theater are finished.”
“My new duet is ready to go,” Isaac shared his approval. They’d been working on getting the duet up to his level since Wednesday. I couldn’t help but notice the studio smelled like sex every time I passed by.
“Programs ready?”
“Sent to the printers last Friday. I’ll pick them up on Tuesday,” Lukas confirmed as he moved to play with Ivy’s hair.
“Is the guest bedroom cleaned and ready for the weekend?”
“Yes,” Ivy said. “Thank you for letting my parents stay here next week. My mom can’t wait to meet all of you. My dad is still recovering from the news.”
“Of course, love, it’s your house too. What day do your parents arrive?” Isaac asked as he pulled Ivy to his lap and rubbed his neck against her.
She giggled slightly before replying. “Friday morning. I’ll pick them up at the airport. Can someone come with me to help with luggage?”
“I will,” Lukas, Preston, and Isaac all answered at the same time. Ivy gave me a look to please choose one.
“Let’s have Preston go. He and Ivy have the morning off. The three of us might have to work if a production element isn’t ready.”
Isaac and Lukas grumbled as Preston giddily smiled.
“Also…” Ivy pointed at each of us. “My parents are betas. Actually, my entire family line is full of betas. They still don’t really understand omega dynamics, so this will be interesting. Please, just a bit of restraint around them.”
“Are you suggesting we might behave inappropriately in front of your parents?” Isaac asked as he gently kissed her neck.
“This would be inappropriate to them, yes,” Ivy pointed at Isaac. “There’s a small part of me that still can’t believe I let you do this.”
I cleared my throat to get everyone’s attention again. “We should all stay focused on the production next week anyway. I have tickets for your parents to join me in the audience for the Saturday matinee performance.”
“Thank you. They’re very excited to see me perform and understand all of this better.” Ivy gestured to us.
“We promise to be on our best behavior…but until then…” Lukas pulled Ivy off Isaac’s lap and onto his own. “Extra cuddles for denying us next weekend.”
“We haven’t done anything as a group yet. How’s your nest coming?” Isaac leaned over and whispered in Ivy’s ear. We all started to laugh as she turned visibly red while her perfume permeated the dining room.
“Oh god, please don’t say these things in front of my parents,” Ivy shrieked as she buried her head in her hands.
I chuckled as I watched her squirm on Lukas’s lap. “We’ve embarrassed Ivy enough. Sunday's meeting concluded!”
Chapter twenty-six
Funders
Ivy
Tech week—the week the company moved into the theater to prepare for the upcoming show—was always the highlight of the season for me. Standing in front of a live audience and feeling the stage lights warm my body while I moved through the choreography—just the thought alone made me excited to perform.
On Monday, all the dancers loaded in their gear and relocated to the theater, finding their dressing rooms and preparing their space for the week's needs. Not thinking twice about it, I made my way down to the large corps dressing room shared by the twelve corps girls and sat down at one of the mirror spots still available. As I unpacked my pointe shoes, I glanced in the mirror to see half the room staring at me.
"Ivy, there's no way you're supposed to be here," Susan said, putting her hands on her hips. "You probably have one of the star dressing rooms down the hall."
