The company party was in full swing as I entered through the front door. Lukas had agreed to let me arrive first while he waited outside to avoid the appearance of entering together. Inside the main studio, fun music and the smell of delicious food hovered in the air. The room was crowded—many of the company dancers and support staff had brought their families and significant others.
Before I could even search the crowd, a few of the girls I’d met at the beginning of the week rushed up to me, all smiles, but likely hungry for gossip of my absence.
Susan, one of the older corps girls, gushed as she gently pulled a hair off my shoulder. “Ivy, right? We’ve missed you this week! Steven said you were sick. That was one hell of a bug you had!”
“Yeah, it was pretty awful,” I lied, feeling a little tense from the deception. “I plan to be back tomorrow. Hopefully, I’ll catch up quickly.”
“Of course, we’ll help you!” Millie, another one of the older corps girls, said. In the brief time I’d known her, Millie seemed to always radiate upbeat energy. “We’ll get you back into action. Come in, have some fun, and meet some people!”
I followed Millie into the room, relaxing more the farther I walked in. She led me around to meet various dancers, and most of the corps dancers were funny and open to knowing me. On the opposite end, most of the principal and soloist dancers offered only the bare minimum of politeness. I’d bet they saw a handful of corps dancers rotate in and out of the company every year, and probably didn’t bother to get to know those who might not stick around.
“Come here and meet another principal,” Millie said as she pulled my hand to her. As soon as I maneuvered around a few people, I found myself face-to-face with Preston, who was trying to suppress a smile as his eyes scanned me up and down.
“Hello, I’m Preston Maleric,” he said, holding out his hand to shake mine. His piercing green eyes drilled into me, daring me to respond. I inhaled sharply, unable to speak as I took his hand and shook it. He looked so good in his casual attire, and I caught the faintest hint of his scent—chili chocolate and burnt caramel. I had a strange urge to run my hands through his hair and bury my nose in his neck.Suppress the urge, suppress the urge…
Millie looked back and forth between us, adding a little laugh. “She’s Ivy Turin, one of the new corps girls.”
“Ah, very nice. I look forward to working with you,” he said, subtly squeezing my fingertips before gently letting my hand go. His hand landed casually on my shoulder—but the way his fingers flexed, I could sense how badly he wanted to touch me. “I always seem to be on food duty, so I should go back to manning the drinks and supplies. Let me know if you want anything to eat. Don’t want you going hungry.”
I nodded with a smile stuck to my face as heat crept up my neck. His eyes glanced over me once more before turning back to the table of food.
“Preston’s always very intense, especially when he locks his eyes on you,” she laughed, no doubt sensing the awkwardness between us. She reached for my hand and continued leading me around the room. “He’s an amazing partner if you ever get the chance to dance with him. Very caring and considerate, doesn’t rush the lines. Also, in case you didn’t know, he’s one of the Arco pack members.”
She introduced me to a few more staff before leading me to Isaac. My stomach flipped the moment I connected with his gaze. That glint in his eyes told me he was mentally undressing me. My eyes grew wide as the softest hint of raspberry coulis and vanilla reached my nose.
“This is Isaac Senders, resident choreographer and one of the Arco pack members as well,” Millie introduced us.
“Ivy, was it?” Isaac reached for my hand and gently rubbed my thumb with his.
“Yes, it’s…um…a pleasure to meet you,” I said, trying to sound casual. The attempt failed.
I could see him hold back a chuckle as his eyes narrowed to mine. “You’re the new girl with the contemporary background, right?”
“That’s me. I spent the last three years as the lead contemporary artist for Ballet Trope in California,” I replied very fast. Another inhale pulled in more of his delicious scent, and more thoughts of licking his neck dominated my mind. Why licking?
“Excellent. I find dancers with both contemporary and ballet training to have a unique, fluid movement to their style,” he said casually, his eyes anything but. “I look forward to working with you.”
Millie again glanced between Isaac and me curiously. We must have looked so awkward to her. “Well, more people to meet! Come on, Ivy.”
I was very grateful when she pulled me away. I could sense Isaac’s eyes staring at me as we left. I shot a glance backwards at him, and sure enough, he smiled at me with a wink. If the beta blockers hadn't been in effect, I would have burst with perfume just then.
Next, I met the staff who worked in the administration office. Among them was Lukas, who greeted me with a warm smile.
“This is Sarah, Jeff, Ullie, and over there is Lukas, another member of the Arco pack.” Millie gestured to each person. “Everyone, this is Ivy, one of our new corps girls.”
“Ivy, hey!” Lukas stepped forward. “I happened to get a lot of pictures of you this past Monday during class. You should stop by my office and take a look.”
“I remember you with your camera. I’d love to see them sometime,” I replied, feeling a bit more relaxed around Lukas's easygoing humor.
“I have a photoshoot on the schedule soon for all the new dancers. Looking forward to it,” he said innocently enough, but a moment later, when Millie started talking to Ullie, I caught Lukas’s gaze taking in my body. Another blush—I must have been as red as a summer rose.
I exchanged pleasantries with the rest of the administration team before returning my attention to Lukas.
“Look,” he pointed to a few people out on the studio floor, casually dancing. “Want to dance?”
“Millie was introducing me to everyone…”
She chuckled softly. “Go for it, don’t let me stop you.”
