Secret Moves (Secret Dreams Contemporary Romance 3) (6 page)

Trey snorted. "As far as I'm concerned, it's better if she doesn't. I only see her because of Grandma."

He couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice. When he was eight and his sister was four, their mother had walked out on them to be with a wealthy Frenchman who promised to take her travelling around the world. They were left in the care of their maternal grandparents who had, for all intents and purposes, been the ones who raised him and Rebecca.

He had never known his own father, and their mother broke up with Rebecca's dad when Rebecca was only two years old.

Oh, his mum had moments when she was a doting mother, when she was between relationships and was with them at his grandparents' house. However, it was never long before she found yet another man who would take her travelling everywhere, and disappear again.

When his grandfather became gravely ill, his granddad asked him and Rebecca to do only two things after he passed. The first was to look after their grandmother, and the second was to never, ever close their doors on their own mother. He'd said that regardless of what their mum had done, they should still show some respect to the woman who gave birth to them.

Trey had loathed promising the latter, but out of love and appreciation for the man who had lovingly and painstakingly raised him and his sister, he'd agreed. That promise was the reason he could remain civil with his mother.

A few years ago he was prepared to think that not all women could be like his mum—a woman who declared her love for a man only to leave him for a new, better, richer one. After all, his own grandmother was proof of that. But then he was jilted at the altar by his then-fiancé, who'd said "sorry, but thank you for your generosity to me and my family" in a letter that was left with an altar boy at the church.

He let out a snicker. No wonder he was so distrustful of women spouting love for him.

"Sorry, bro," Adam said quietly.

Trey shrugged. "Whatever. Anyway, sorry for the interruption. Let's get back to work. We're running behind as it is."

"Okay, good," Dylan said, positioning himself near the screen to continue where they'd left off. "We have to finish this meeting on time today, if you don't mind, guys. I have an appointment with the jewellers."

Trey looked at Dylan in shock while Adam let out a loud whistle.

"You're getting a chain tied around your neck?" Trey asked his friend in disbelief.

"If by chain you mean Ari's arms, then yes," Dylan responded with a grin.

"Damn, Dyl. Are you sure about this?" Trey queried.

"Yeah. I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

"This is not your dick talking?"

Dylan laughed out loud. "No. This is my heart talking."

Trey groaned. "Oh, man. What's happened to you?"

"He fell," Adam said dryly.

"Come on, guys. I was hoping you'd be happy for me," Dylan said quietly.

"I am, Dyl," Adam said, giving Dylan a man-hug. "Seriously."

"Hey, I am too, bro." Trey also pulled Dylan in a manly embrace.

"Thanks, guys. But let's not get carried away. She might say no, you know."

Trey snorted. "I can't see that happening, seeing how into each other you two are."

Trey was truly glad that Dylan was so very happy with Ari. He felt a pang of envy, knowing that that kind of bliss was something he'd never get to experience—or more to the point, that he'd chosen not to experience. For him, all the pain and difficulties a relationship brought simply weren't worth whatever satisfaction it gave. He got enough pleasure from his casual liaisons to desire anything more. He was content with his life.

Content—except that he hadn't had Kris yet. For all his aversion to relationships, he was someone willing to pursue a woman he physically desired. In a way, he felt sorry for Dylan. His friend would never again experience the rush of having sex for the first time with someone new and hot. He enjoyed that feeling—one of the reasons why he loved being a bachelor.

And, oh, yeah, he couldn't wait to feel that rush with Kris.

"Hi, Kris. I'm Blake Garcia."

"Great to meet you, Blake." Kris grasped the proffered hand in front of her, gazing with wide eyes at the good-looking, dark-haired man who greeted her. "Thank you for agreeing to see me at such short notice."

"No problem," Blake said as he ushered her into his office. "Jill wouldn't have recommended that I see you if she didn't think it was worth my while. Has she seen you dance before?"

She blushed. "No. Jill's a friend of my cousin Samantha. Sam must have talked her ears off at how great she believed I am that Jill felt she had no choice but to call you just to shut my cousin up."

Blake laughed. "Well, since you're here, I might as well see for myself, shouldn't I?"

"I'm really hoping you will."

"I'm looking for someone who's not only technically good at various styles, but is also strong in choreography. How would you rate yourself in those two aspects, Kris?"

She smiled. "I've been dancing since I was three. Even at that age, I knew it was what I wanted to do. My parents were supportive and enrolled me in various dance classes. I've worked as a back-up dancer for a few international acts for many years, and as a part-time dance teacher/choreographer when I wasn't touring."

She stopped, hesitating for a beat, before continuing. "When my mother died two and a half years ago, my dad encouraged me to set up my own studio. I did do that with a then-boyfriend who was also a back-up dancer. But things didn't work out between us and we sold the business last year when we parted ways. Currently, I have a full-time job in an office, but I work part-time at a dance studio in Melbourne three to four times a week. I'm itching to get back into this industry full-time."

Blake's eyebrows rose. "If you got a job as a dancer again, would you be interested? Only reason I ask is they are still looking to fill all roles for the musical I'm choreographing."

"To be honest, while I love to dance, I love being a teacher and choreographer more than being a performer."

Blake nodded and proceeded to ask her a few more questions that she answered candidly.
 
She was thrilled to learn that Blake regularly gave dance lessons to celebrities and other VIPs, and was often asked to choreograph entertainment for high-end private parties. Lately, he'd been getting offers to work on international musicals and movies. How exciting would it be to meet and work with famous people?

Finally, Blake said, "Okay. Are you ready to dance for me now? I have an empty room ready."

"Yes," she replied excitedly.

*******

Kris did what she had always done when she danced—lost herself in it. The majority of the time was a test of her technical skills, as Blake abruptly played different tunes and asked her to switch to different styles in the middle of steps. For the last music—one of her favourite love songs—she heart-connected with the lyrics and her body expressed fluidly the message of the words.

There were a few seconds of silence after the music stopped, then Blake's slow but loud clapping brought her back to the room. She smiled her thanks, breathing deeply as she waited for her heartbeat to return to normal.

"Wow," Blake said with awe. "You're amazing."

"Thank you."

Blake handed her a bottle of water as she patted herself with her towel. He'd just given her a good workout. She must have been dancing for almost half an hour.

"Are you up for one last dance?" he asked.

"Sure," she said, surprised that the 'test' wasn't over yet.

Blake put on tango music and took her in his arms. He was an excellent dancer, and so was she. If anyone was watching them at that moment, they'd be surprised to know they hadn't rehearsed together before.

When the music stopped, they were both laughing from the sheer exhilaration of an almost seamless performance.

"It looks like we make good dance together, Kris McCann," Blake said, his arms lingering on her body.

"Sure looks like it," she responded lightly, flushing a little at the huskiness of Blake's tone.

Blake released her and went for his water bottle. "Well," he drawled after he took several gulps. "I don't know if you've made my decision harder or easier. I was all ready to offer this job to someone else but…I think you've just forced me to have a re-think."

Her face split into a wide smile. Was she now somewhere at the top of his list?

Blake pursed his lips and sighed deeply. "I'd like to take my time on this, if you don't mind, Kris? I'll let you know in a few days what I've decided."

"Sure. No problem," she answered. "Thank you for even seeing me."

"I'm glad I did," Blake said softly. "Feel free to use the shower at the end of the hall before you go. I have to leave you as I have a phone call to make."

"Okay, thanks." She gathered her things and hastened to the door which Blake was holding open for her.

"I'll see you again soon," he said in a low voice as she passed him, his hand resting on her lower back—to escort her out, she presumed.

*******

"How did you do?"

Kris grinned at Sam who was already waiting for her at the restaurant. Jill hadn't arrived yet.

"I think it went well. Blake will let me know his decision in a few days," she responded.

"Does it look promising?" Sam pressed.

"Well, he said he was ready to offer the job to someone else but I just made his decision difficult after this morning, so I guess it does look promising."

Sam patted her hand. "I hope you get it, Kris. It'll open more doors for you. Although I'll miss you while you're here."

"Oh, I know, darl. But if I do get it, it'll only be three months or so that I'm away from home. Think about it, you'll have our apartment all to yourself while I'm gone. You can check out all these different men and see if they know their way around your body. You won't have to worry about me hearing what's coming out of your bedroom."

Sam rolled her eyes. "You and your hormones! Speaking of men, I take it you haven't found a fling partner yet?"

Kris' lips tugged up. "I have plenty of time. It's only been a few days."

"Oh, here's Jill and…her husband, I think," Sam said, looking toward the restaurant entrance.

Kris twisted to have a look. "That's not her husband. That's Blake!"

"Oh, your future boss," Sam whispered.

"Hopefully," she whispered back.

"Hi, girls," Jill greeted. "I hope you don't mind me bringing Blake along. He rang me after he saw you, Kris, and invited himself to join us when he learned I was having lunch with you."

"No, of course we don't mind," Kris replied. "Gives me a chance to suck up to him," she joked with her usual brashness then bit her tongue.
That was terribly unprofessional, Kris.

To her relief, Blake laughed out loud. "I can't wait to see how you're going to do that," he replied.

Jill was introducing Blake to Sam when Kris spotted new patrons going into the restaurant. Her heart thudded in her chest. It was Trey with two women. One was older, but no less striking.

Her brows furrowed at Trey's stony, unsmiling expression. She hadn't seen him like that before. He'd always been friendly and relaxed. She wondered who his two beautiful companions were.

"So have you girls decided on what to order?" Blake asked as he consulted the menu.

"We were here the other night with some friends, and I really loved the spicy fish we had," Sam responded.

"Good choice. That's one of my favourites here, too," Blake said. "Kris?"

"Oh, I like the chicken dish that's in the House Specials list," she answered, forced to take her attention away from Trey's party who were being ushered to their table by a server.

They were discussing various other dishes they were going to share when Blake's phone rang.

He groaned. "I'm so sorry, ladies. I have to get this," he apologised and started to get up.

"You don't have to leave the table," Jill said. "Unless, of course, you want to have some privacy."

Blake grinned. "No, it's not private. Thanks." He sat back down to answer the phone and spoke softly to the caller.

While Sam was giving their orders to the server, Kris felt her phone vibrate inside her handbag which was leaning against her leg on the floor. She pulled it out and her eyes flickered in surprise to where Trey was sitting. He sat facing her direction, but he was in deep conversation with the young woman sitting next to him.

A sensation, which she recognised as jealousy, prickled her. She shushed it away and glanced back at the message on her phone.

*Great view from where I'm sitting.*

Hiding a smile, she tapped back a response to him.

*Same here. Pity it's not close-up.*

She'd just sent her message to Trey when Blake ended his phone call and Sam finished ordering their dishes. She tucked the phone back in her bag, disappointed that she now had to be polite and pay attention to the people at her table. Flirt-texting with Trey would have been fun.

"So, Kris," Blake said. "I didn't ask you this earlier, but if I do hire you, would that mean you'll resign from your current job? What will you do after this contract is up?"

"Well," she said with a slow exhale, "I heard through the grapevine that you're planning to open a Melbourne studio. I'm hoping that if you give me the three-month contract, I could prove myself enough in that time for you to offer me a permanent role in Melbourne."

"I see," Blake responded, casting a glance at his sister-in-law.

"Hey, you've asked a few of us to keep an eye out for suitable people for your studios. I had it on good authority that Kris might fit the bill," Jill said.

"Of course, I only want to get the job if the decision is based purely on my own merits and not because of personal connections," Kris declared.

Blake nodded, an enigmatic smile playing on his face. "Where does the sucking up to me come into play then?"

Kris laughed. "Oh, that! This lunch is on me."

"What?" Blake asked in feigned horror. "That would be such a slight to my chivalry."