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  “Yeah... I can do that.”

  “Can you bend and straighten your leg?”

  She attempted to stretch out her leg, and her face looked pained. She bent it again, and at a certain point, she could bend no further, letting us know by sucking in a sharp gasp of pain.

  “That’s enough. I’m sorry. But we had to check. I don’t think it’s broken,” I said, grabbing her ankle tenderly, a safe spot that seemed like it wouldn’t cause her pain. My thumb rubbed reassuring circles on her ankle as she returned her breathing to normal.

  “Your knee is swelling up,” Lucas said, kissing her sweetly on the temple. “I’m so sorry, baby. I’m so, so sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault, it was an accident,” she said. “But... what are we going to do?”

  “Don’t you think you’ll recover before the competition?” I asked.

  “I’m not sure, but... Lucas! What are we going to do?” she clutched at his arm, looking tortured. It was awful to see her in this state. She was normally so sunny and optimistic.

  “There’s always next year,” I reassured her.

  “No, there’s not,” Lucas said. “We aren’t getting enough students. Our space desperately needs renovations. This competition is our last chance. We have to boost our studio’s profile. And the prize money would help us renovate the space.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Stephanie said. “I can do it.”

  “No, you can’t. Look at how swollen it is. We need to take you to the doctor. I won’t have you risk your dancing career so you can get through one competition.”

  “Do it with Jessica,” Stephanie said, wincing through the pain. “Have her take my spot.”

  I was flabbergasted. Me? I had only begun lessons with them a few weeks ago. I had never danced in front of strangers before -- not even for fun. Their routine was brilliant and emotional. I would never live up.

  “No. No, I’m not good enough,” I shook my head. It was impossible.

  “You’re a natural,” Lucas said. “You can be good enough in time. If we’re diligent. Please,” he begged, grabbing my hand tenderly. “I need you.”

  He looked in my eyes, earnest and pleading. He was such a sweet man. I wanted so much to please him. I didn’t want to be the one to let him down. I couldn’t be the one to lose this for him. But at the same time, I couldn’t deny his request. I couldn’t disappoint him that way. I didn’t know if I could do it. I only knew that I had to.

  “I... if you need me. If you need me to do it, of course. But we’ll need to practice a lot!”

  He pulled my hand to his mouth and kissed it warmly. “We’ll do it and we’ll win. Thank you. Thank you, Jessica.” He bent down and kissed Stephanie passionately on the forehead, the cheek, the mouth, before scooping her up and carrying her to the car to take her to the hospital.

  Chapter 4

  Stephanie was diagnosed with a mildly torn ligament. She was told to stay off her leg for six weeks, but she said it was more like three --the doctors were just being overly cautious. As a dancer, she was used to dancing through pain (though it worried me that she would disregard doctor’s orders. Her legs were her life). Even still, the competition was only a couple of weeks away, so she would be knocked out of the competition. It was official. She was out, and I was in.

  Lucas and I worked like mad during our every spare minute. Stephanie was usually there, giving me corrections and notes, though she was always incredibly encouraging. Sometimes she’d hobble over on her crutches and touch my back or torso, lift my arm or move my leg, showing me how to be more precise. I could feel myself making progress with each exhausting day.

  Still, it was strange to perform such an intimate dance with Lucas right in front of Stephanie, though, professional that she was, she seemed unphased, watching his hands trail down my body, pull me close, touch me in ways that are usually reserved for a lover. We danced so closely, I could feel the details of his body. In certain positions, the impressive bulge in his pants would press into me, making me blush. I’d check to see if Stephanie was upset by looking over at her. She’d only say, “It looks beautiful,” with an encouraging smile.

  But today, Stephanie came in with a strange look on her face. She sat down like someone who has a secret, giddy and cryptic, all at once.

  “We’re going to do things a little differently, today,” she explained. “It’s time to bring this to the next level.”

  “What can I do differently?” I said. I was still worried about my performance. I was dizzy with all that I’d learned, and had been panicking that I’d never remember all and execute all that they’d taught me. But I was determined.

  “You’re perfect,” she said. “In fact, perhaps a little too perfect. It’s time things got a little messy, and a little more personal. We need to bring the passion.”

  “How do we do that?” I asked. It all seemed a bit too vague for me. I needed to know exactly what to do.

  “How you do that,” she began, “is to not worry about anything else we’ve told you -- the moves are already in your body -- and to just do exactly as I say without question.” She leaned back in her chair and smiled big. “You up for it?”

  “Absolutely,” I said. “Happy to be told what to do.”

  Lucas looked in my eyes and extended his hand to me. His gaze always made me blush and smile, which I did as I took his hand, letting him pull me in. We were face to face, so close our noses were nearly touching.

  “Let’s dance,” he said with a wink.

  We began the dance as usual but were immediately stopped by Stephanie with notes.

  “Don’t feel constrained, let your hands roam free,” she said. Lucas was standing behind me and already had his hands on my hips, which sent a thrill through me every time he touched me there. But at Stephanie’s command, his hands moved closer to my pussy, his fingers grazing the outer edges of my mound as he walked me across the room. He pressed down into my flesh with the tips of his fingers as he lowered his head down so that his mouth grazed my neck, sending tingles throughout my whole body.

  “Feel his touch, Jessica. Let it affect you.”

  I barely needed her to tell me to let it affect me -- my body was vibrating head to foot as I felt him press into my backside. What I had a harder time with was expressing it with Stephanie watching. But with her permission, I laid my head back against his chest and rolled my shoulders as my back arched.

  “The two of you are making love,” Stephanie instructed. “That’s what this dance is all about. Feel his rhythms. Feel it in the core of you. Don’t be afraid.”

  He spun me around so I was facing him, our faces so close I wondered if he would kiss me. I felt his body press into mine and my pussy opened up to receive him, as though we really were making love. Our bodies moved in perfect synchronicity as we worked our way through the steps.

  “Make him want you,” Stephanie said. “You have the power to make him do anything you want. Your body is everything he could ever hope for, tease him with it.”

  For the first time in my life, I felt powerful in my body. The way he reacted to me confirmed to me my new goddess status, but he was seducing me as well, making it impossible to resist him. By the time we got to the lift, I knew I belonged to him. I let him cradle and hold me, trusting him completely as I went limp in his arms. The fall happened naturally and he caught me with sure hands, laying me down on the ground and lowering himself down on top of me. I don’t know what came over me -- I reached toward him and pulled him down, a move Stephanie had never done -- and came up to meet him in a deep, passionate kiss, which he welcomed with his soft, wet, lips. I arched my back, pressing my breasts into him as I pulled and sucked at his tongue. At last, our lips came apart and he looked down at me, panting and smiling. I smiled back up at him, dreamily.

  “Fucking fantastic!” Stephanie cried out as she clapped her hands wildly. “That’s it! That was amazing!”

  I was suddenly brought back
to reality as Lucas pulled me to my feet. I was blushing and red, and not just from dancing. What had I done? I had simply decided that I had permission to kiss Lucas. And my God, it was the best kiss of my entire life. How could I have done that with Stephanie watching?

  “Did that feel good to you, Jessica?” Lucas asked, smiling.

  “Uh... yeah... I mean…” I didn’t know how to respond. “It... I think so.”

  “You think so? Well, it looked very authentic,” Stephanie said, and I began to panic. “I loved it.”

  “Good. Good. That’s good,” I stammered, dumbly.

  “I think you guys could win!” she squealed. Stephanie was overjoyed. I decided to forgive myself for my little transgression --apparently, she viewed it only as art.

  Which, of course, is all it was, I told myself. You weren’t really trying to seduce Stephanie’s boyfriend right in front of her. You would never… I looked at the two of them talking giddily about the competition, holding hands, and felt a tremendous sense of guilt. It was just a dance, my voice shouted at me from within. Get a grip.

  Chapter 5

  “I’m just going to grab a drink of water, okay?” I said as Stephanie and Lucas talked.

  Stephanie turned, an enormous grin on her face. “Sure thing. And then we can do the whole thing again.”

  Great, I thought. I went down the hall to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face. How on earth was I supposed to do all that again? What was wrong with me? I was usually so shy -- going after Lucas like that was totally out of character. But the dance made me feel so empowered -- like I could have anything or anyone I wanted. I patted my face dry and took a good long look at myself in the mirror. There was nothing for it but to go back out there and keep practicing.

  “Okay, Jessica,” Stephanie smiled when I rejoined them. “How about we scale it back a bit and just go over each move one at a time. We can really get into the details. Tonight we can run through the whole thing from top to bottom again.”

  I nodded, relieved that I wouldn’t have to do the entire, overwhelming routine again. The way Lucas made me feel as he pressed me to his body -- I didn’t trust myself to get through another dance without throwing my clothes off right then and there.

  The morning went quickly. Stephanie drilled us on every turn, dip, and, of course, lift, until we could have done them in our sleep. By the time lunch rolled around Lucas and I were both exhausted, sweat dripping everywhere. I could feel the heat on my cheeks, but it wasn’t just from the workout. Lucas’s sweat made his already tight shirt cling to his muscular chest in all the right places and it was all too easy to look at him and imagine pressing myself against him, our tongues coming together as he lifted me onto his narrow waist.

  “Where do you want to go for lunch?” Stephanie asked, breaking me out of my daydream.

  Embarrassed, I shook my head to clear it. “How about that salad bar around the corner? I don’t want anything too heavy if we’re going to keep practicing after.”

  “Perfect,” said Stephanie, but Lucas made a face.

  “You Americans and your salads. What I would do for a real, Argentinian steak. We make amazing meat, you know, Jessica. We’re masters of the grill.”

  “It’s true,” Stephanie laughed, putting her arm around her partner. “Last time we were there I ate so much beef I couldn’t touch the stuff for weeks when we got home.”

  Lucas shook his head in mock disappointment. “You just need to practice. Beef is a necessity for life -- just like tango.”

  “If you say so, honey,” said Stephanie. “For now, let’s get some salad, okay?”

  “Only because it’s Jessica’s choice and she’s saving the day for us,” Lucas replied, holding out his free arm to me. Trying not to blush, I grabbed my purse and slid under his arm, so that we were walking three in a row. Stephanie smiled and winked at me from across Lucas’s chest. I smiled back and tried to push all my confused thoughts out of my mind.

  Focus, I told myself. There’s only one day to go before the championship. Just stay focused.

  The salad bar was a sunny little café that we went to a lot between practices. They let you build your own salad and even had grilled chicken, which pacified Lucas at least a little, though he maintained that chicken was basically a vegetable. I liked it because it didn’t make me feel heavy after eating.

  Stephanie and Lucas got to the table before I did. As I crossed from the cash register, tray in hand, I saw them slide into the booth together. Stephanie’s hand disappeared under the table and she leaned forward, kissing Lucas passionately. I could see their tongues come together, their lips fervent and wet against each other’s. Their eyes slid closed and Lucas reached up, taking Stephanie’s face in his strong, square hands, tipping her head back to kiss her neck. Although I’d seen them kiss a thousand times, all of the sudden, jealousy like I’d never felt before was rushing through me. My tray shook in my hands and I quickly set it down on the table. It landed hard and some of my water sloshed out of my glass.

  Stephanie and Lucas looked up, moving slightly apart. “I’ll be right back,” I stuttered. “Just… call of nature,” I lied. Turning, I made a beeline for the ladies’ room.

  For the second time that day I stood in front of a bathroom mirror and took a good long look at myself. What was wrong with me today? First I basically fucked Lucas on the dance floor in front of his girlfriend and now all of a sudden I was angry because they were making out? They were always making out -- they were madly in love. It had never bothered me before.

  I thought back to how I’d felt after that morning’s dance. How it had made me feel so powerful -- like I could have anything or anyone I wanted. I’d always thought that what I wanted was to dance and to be admired for my skill. But now I was realizing that it wasn’t just that I wanted to dance and dance well: I wanted Lucas. And, what’s more, I wanted him to want me in return. I was jealous! I was jealous of Stephanie and of their relationship. That was why I’d been so forward this morning. I really had been attempting to seduce Stephanie’s boyfriend right in front of her. And judging by the scene they’d just put on at the table it clearly hadn’t worked.

  But why would it? Why would Lucas endanger a perfect relationship with someone as talented, friendly, and beautiful as Stephanie for a girl he just met? Anyone who saw them could tell that they were head over heels for each other. Not to mention, Stephanie had never been anything but encouraging to me. She had taught me so much and been so generous with her time and talent -- even before they’d asked me to take her place in the competition. What kind of person would I be if I turned around and thanked her by trying to steal her boyfriend right from under her nose? Not one I’d be very proud of.

  Dabbing my face with a damp paper towel, I knew what I had to do. I had to stop teasing Lucas with my dance moves and behave. He was with Stephanie and would never be with me. I was already getting my dream: I would be performing at the world championships, and everyone would see what a brilliant tango dancer I was. I didn’t need to have Lucas too, did I? No, I didn’t.

  Decision made, I head back out to the table where Lucas and Stephanie had begun eating.

  “You feeling okay, Jessica?” Stephanie asked, concern in her eyes.

  “Yeah,” I answered, poking my salad with my fork. “Just nerves, I think.”

  Stephanie reached across the table, covering my hand with her own. “Don’t worry, honey,” she said. “You two are going to knock them dead. I’m so impressed by how far you’ve come so quickly. And after this morning’s practice, there’s no way we can lose. Right, Lucas?” She smiled at her boyfriend.

  Lucas put his hand on top of Stephanie’s, his thumb brushing my wrist. “I absolutely agree,” he said. “Don’t scare yourself, Jessica. We’ll be unstoppable.”

  “Thanks, guys,” I said, giving them a weak smile. If only nerves were all it was.

  When we got back to the studio, Stephanie wanted to run thro
ugh the entire routine again. It was my nightmare. I knew I had to make it passionate, but I knew that if I let myself get carried away again it would be unfair to both Lucas and Stephanie. I could feel sweat break out on my forehead.

  “Just like this morning, okay?” Stephanie grinned, settling herself in her chair. “I want to get burned by the sparks flying between you two from all the way over here.”

  “Sure thing, boss,” Lucas joked. He turned, holding out his hands to me. I swallowed. Here went nothing.

  Lucas drew me back against him, his fingers once more brushing my most sensitive skin and that bulge in his pants straining against my ass. All I wanted was to press myself against him, my body undulating against his. But then I caught sight of Stephanie, watching us eagerly, her face aglow with anticipation, and I froze. I felt my body stiffen and I remembered what was really going on. This was just a dance. This was not a foreplay.

  The music began and we started dancing. I executed my moves perfectly but I couldn’t relax. Every moment of the dance all I wanted to do was throw myself at Lucas and take him there on the dance floor. Since actually doing that was obviously out of the questions, I felt like I had to control every movement to keep my body from misbehaving. The passion and sensuality of this morning’s dance were gone. Instead of feeling bold and empowered, I was a stiff, jerky mess, constantly second-guessing myself: had I been to forward? Had I pressed my breasts against his chest too hard? Had my body done something to betray my feelings?