He chuckled. “You know, you’re not exactly the dainty chick everyone thinks you are, are you?”
She grinned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now, no more nonsense from you otherwise you’ll need to drop and give me twenty.”
He dropped to the floor and did five quick push-ups, which instantly drew a squeal from Ella. “Oh my gosh! Okay, I don’t know what just happened, but we need to record it. So Luc, can you get back up, then you two go through that interaction again, then you do the push-ups, okay?”
Luc’s nose wrinkled, but he obeyed, and stood close as Bailey tried to remember what she’d said before. Hmm, talking about using the toilet wasn’t the vibe she was going for…
“I said, ‘You’re not as dainty as everyone thinks you are, are you?’”
That’s right. She smiled. “You know it. Now don’t forget, I’m your drill sergeant, so you better behave otherwise you’ll need to drop and give me twenty.”
He winked and dropped to the floor and did a series of quick push-ups, as Ben drew close to film.
Then Ella gestured for Bailey to get closer. “Hey Luc, would you mind if Bailey sat on you? That’d be a fun visual.”
“No! I don’t—”
“Sure.”
Bailey peered down at him. “Are you sure?”
“Come on, Bailey. It’d be like a flea sitting on an elephant.”
“Are you calling me a flea?”
“A butterfly then.”
Oh. She smiled, and perched herself precariously on his back as Ben filmed. Then Luc lowered, drawing her gasp, which made him chuckle as he pushed higher, then lowered and completed another push-up again.
“See? I’m not feeling a thing. Are you sure you’re even sitting there?” he teased.
She laughed, but couldn’t help notice how his muscles were sculpted, his sleeveless top revealing some of his back muscles as well. He was… built. She bet wardrobe would have a field day showcasing his body in those costumes.
He did another drop, and she slid off, laughing. He glanced at her quickly, but she waved off concern as she got to her feet. “Okay, enough messing around. We need to get focused if we’re going to nail this routine.”
Bailey held out a hand and he grasped it and she pulled him up. He was standing close to her, so she gently pushed him back. There was something rather intoxicating about being a small skinny woman who could order around a big man and have him do her bidding.
She blinked, refocused. “Now, let’s talk about that lift from yesterday.”
She demonstrated again, saying this time she wanted to add in a new lift, an extension on the twirl that would see her lifted onto his back then onto his shoulder.
His eyes enlarged. “I don’t want to drop you.”
“I don’t want that either. And that’s what practice is about.” Although a crash mat might not be a bad idea… “Let’s start with what we did yesterday. Remember the plié?”
He nodded. “That’s when you bend your knees, right?”
She demonstrated, he copied her. She nodded and turned. “Now, grab me here.” She moved, her back to his front, and gestured in the mirror to her armpits.
His hands moved, his fingers brushing the side of her chest, which saw him instantly withdraw, the mirror reflecting his shocked expression. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.”
She glanced across, saw the cameras were still rolling, then switched off her microphone pack and gestured he do the same.
“What are you doing?” Ella called.
“I’m sorry. I just need to have a word with Luc about something and I’d rather it not be on film.”
“About what?”
“About an accidental boob brush.”
“Oh my gosh,” Luc muttered behind her. “It really was an accident.”
“Exactly.” Bailey turned to face him. “And you know what? It’ll likely happen again. Just as I might accidentally kick you, or hit you in the face, or you might drop me. Accidents happen, but if you’re going to get all hung up about it, then you won’t try, and I need you to try.”
His lips twisted. “You’re not saying you want me to accidentally touch your, um—”
“No. Nor intentionally either.”
He went red.
“But stuff happens in dance. Just like I’m sure it happens in hockey. I’ve had partners in dance where I’ve accidentally kicked them in the privates and they’ve had to keep on dancing. Stuff happens. So I need you to know that this,” she gestured to her body, “is just a body. You’re not hung up on the fact I’ve been touching your hips and legs, are you?”
His lips pressed together. Then he muttered “No”.
Hmm. Did that hesitation mean he was? Still, he couldn’t afford to think like that. And neither could she. “If we make it through this round, then there will be dances that could get a lot more up close and personal, if you know what I mean. And you’ve got to be okay with that.”
He exhaled heavily, and threw his hands in his hair. “Look, I just don’t, ah, do that kind of thing with anyone. Not anymore. And I’m trying to be careful, to, um,” he glanced over at where Ella and the crew were watching, but not filming, praise the Lord, “to not do anything that disrespects a woman, or stirs up things in me anymore.”
