“You look really nice,” he said with a small smile. Sacha shot him a dirty look.

  “Well, Jessie is my new dance partner,” she said, drawing the attention away from Maddi. “We’re going to compete this year.”

  “That so?” Dane asked. “Well, isn’t that a coincidence? So are we,” he announced, glancing sideways at Maddi to see her reaction.

  “You two?” Sacha scoffed. “Good luck!” She laughed mockingly, looking Maddi up and down.

  Determined not to let her get to her, Maddi simply said, “Same to you.”

  “May the best man win then,” Jessie said, offering his hand to Dane with a smile.

  “Is that meant to be some kind of joke?”

  “No, I… I didn’t mean it like that, man,” Jessie stammered, dropping his hand to his side. “Forget I said anything.”

  “Don’t worry, I plan to,” Dane spat.

  “Come on, babe,” Sacha said, looking up at Jessie. “Let’s go have a dance. I’m tired of this now.” She grabbed his hand and dragged him to the dancefloor. Jessie gave Maddi an apologetic look before turning away.

  “Well, that sure was fun,” Rory commented from behind them.

  “You can say that again,” Maddi said, slumping down in her seat.

  “Sorry I kinda threw you in it back there. I totally understand if you don’t wanna be my dance partner. I just couldn’t let her have something else over me,” Dane said.

  “It’s fine. I’d love to be your dance partner.” Maddi’s face reddened as she added, “I was kinda hoping you would ask.”

  “Really? Great!” He beamed. “And the comps too?” he asked with hope.

  “Sure. Why not? May as well go the whole hog.” She shrugged. She knew it was childish, but she really wanted to wipe that smug smile off Sacha’s face. Beating her at the comps would hit her where it hurt the most – her ego.

  Chapter 19

  “Can you believe those two?” Rory asked, disgusted. “Get a room!” she yelled across the crowded floor.

  Sacha had straddled Jessie’s lap and was giving him an impromptu lap dance. To his credit, Jessie appeared a little embarrassed by the display and kept trying to get her to stop. Sacha clearly had other ideas though.

  “How can she be such a bitch? This must be killing Dane,” Maddi said with a sigh. She glanced over at the bar, hoping he hadn’t noticed the little show Sacha was putting on. He had.

  He stood with his drink in hand, watching with a look of pure hatred in his eyes. If looks could kill, those two would be dust.

  Tearing his eyes away from the scene before him, he walked back to the table where they waited.

  “You okay?” Maddi asked gently. She reached out and put her hand over his.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” he grimaced. It was obvious he was trying to hold his composure, but it was getting harder to keep his cool. And rightly so. Dane had every right to be mad. He had not said one wrong word against them even though they had hurt him deeply with their betrayal. Now he was having to endure it in public too. How could they be so cruel?

  “We can go if you want. I don’t mind,” Maddi offered.

  “No, it’s fine,” he said through his teeth. “Let’s just have a dance.”

  “Whatever you need.” She allowed herself to be led to the centre of the dancefloor. It was a bachata playing. Maddi recognised the beat, but hadn’t actually tried it before. “I’m not sure how the steps go,” she admitted.

  “That’s okay. Just listen to the music and let it flow through you. You’ll pick it up easily. We don’t have to do anything fancy.” He smiled, pulling her in close. “Wrap your hands around my neck. Just follow my lead.”

  They began swaying to the music. Maddi closed her eyes, letting it flood over her. It had such a beautiful melody that she found herself getting caught up in it. Dane leaned forward, leading her through a slow, circular dip. He held her against his body and slowly went through the steps with her. As predicted, she followed without too many hiccups.

  “That felt wonderful,” she said dreamily. “The music just begs to be danced to,” she gushed.

  Dane smiled. “It’s my favourite style of dance.”

  “I can see why.”

  They went back to the table, and this time, Dane pulled Rory up for a salsa.

  “Wish me luck!” she called back.

  “Luck!” Maddi laughed. She took a quick mouthful of her drink before heading to the bathroom to freshen up. It was pretty hot out on the floor.

  She splashed some water on her face and was dabbing it dry with a paper towel when the door swung open and in sauntered Sacha.

  “What do you think you’re playing at?” she demanded, coming up behind Maddi.

  “Excuse me?” Maddi turned to face her.

  “Don’t act dumb. Swooping in, taking my sloppy seconds. You think you actually have a shot at the comps?” She smirked, folding her arms across her chest and jutting her hip out.

  “Yeah. I do,” Maddi said.

  “He’s going nowhere. Jessie is where it’s at. We will win,” she spat.

  “Who’re you trying to convince? Me or you?” Maddi asked, smiling.

  “Sweetheart, I can out-dance you with my eyes closed,” Sacha snarled, leaning in close. “You haven’t got a hope in hell.” She turned on her heel and stalked out.

  Maddi shook her head. She really couldn’t stand that girl. She was going to have to up her game if she was going to beat her.

  She left the bathroom and joined Dane and Rory at the table.

  “We are going to have to start training. There is no way I’m letting her beat us,” she said.

  “Did she jump you in the bathroom?” Rory asked, leaping to her feet, ready for a fight. Maddi calmly gestured for her to take a seat.

  “Not quite. She did come and tell me that she was better than me,” Maddi said.

  “Right. That’s it.” Dane stood and marched over to Sacha, tapping her on the shoulder. “You can’t bear the fact that I found a better dancer than you, can you?” he demanded.

  “Who? Her?” Sacha pointed at Maddi. “Don’t make me laugh!” she scoffed.

  “Look, I’ve held my tongue so far, but not anymore. You’re so sure you can beat us? Put your money where your mouth is,” Dane said.

  “Alright then. If we win,” she pointed a finger to his chest, “you have to find another dance partner.” She raised her brows with a wicked grin.

  Dane barely batted an eye. “Deal. And when we win – and we will win – you two,” he pointed between her and Jessie, “have to stay away from Feeney’s.”

  “Deal.” They shook hands. “Good luck finding another partner!” Sacha called out as he walked away. He didn’t bother biting back.

  “What was that all about?” Maddi asked when he sat back down.

  “We have to beat her,” Dane said.

  “Okay.”

  “No, we really have to beat her. Otherwise,” he paused, looking sheepish, “I have to find another dance partner.”

  “Oh.”

  “You didn’t seriously bet on it did you?” Rory asked.

  “Don’t worry. We got this. One thing I know about Sacha – she’s no good at choreography. That was always my job.” He grinned.

  “So, what do you get if we win?”

  “Those two are not to step foot in Feeney’s again.” He took a sip of his drink.

  “You didn’t wanna try and split them up too?” Rory questioned.

  “Nah. They can have each other as far as I’m concerned. I’m done with them.”

  Chapter 20

  The next day, Dane showed up on Maddi’s doorstep with three takeaway coffees and a bag of croissants.

  “I brought breakfast.” He grinned goofily. “Thought if you didn’t have any plans, we could get straight into training.”

  “You certainly are determined.” Maddi smiled, taking one of the warm cups from him and inhaling. “Mmmm coffee,” she sighed, taking a gulp. “Rory! Dane brought coffee!” she called over her shoulder. She stepped aside, ushering Dane into their home.

  “Did someone say coffee?” Rory mumbled as she shuffled out of her room, bleary eyed and dishevelled.

  “Uh-huh. And croissants.” Maddi held the bag and cup out enticingly.

  “Gimme.” Rory reached for them. “Oh, sweet coffee, how I love thee.” She settled on the couch, her hands wrapped around the warm cup. “To what do we owe the pleasure?” she asked.

  “Sorry, I came too early, didn’t I?” Dane said apologetically. “I just wanted to get a jump on the training.”

  “Geez you’re eager.”

  “I think it’s a great idea.” Maddi beamed. “I’m going to need a lot of work to get up to Sacha’s standard.”

  “You need to stop doing that,” Dane said with a frown.

  “What?”

  “Putting yourself down. You’re just as good as she is.”

  “Hardly!” Maddi scoffed. “She’s been doing this style a lot longer than I have.”

  “So? It’s obvious you’ve danced before.”

  “Well, yeah, but it’s not the same, is it?”

  “No, it’s not. It’s better.” He winked. “Sacha’s all about the attention. Believe me, if she didn’t think you were a threat, she wouldn’t be getting this worked up about it.”

  “Listen to the man, he has a point,” Rory agreed. Maddi rolled her eyes.

  “Trust you to take his side.” She finished her coffee and grabbed a croissant from the bag, peeling a chunk off and popping it in her mouth. “I guess I should go change so we can get started,” she said around her mouthful, bounding back down the hall.

  Sweeping her hair up into a ponytail, she rummaged through her drawer for something comfortable to wear. She settled on a pair of grey yoga pants and a baby pink singlet. After pulling on a pair of ankle tights, she grabbed her old jazz shoes down from the wardrobe shelf. They would do for training, but she was going to have to invest in some proper dance heels now that it had gotten so serious.

  Serious was an understatement. The National Salsa Competition was a big deal. Add their wager into the mix, and it’s even more so.

  “Okay, I’m ready,” she said as she breezed back into the lounge. “Where shall we start?”

  “Okay, well, I thought maybe we could use this song.” He pushed play on his iPod, and a beautiful guitar solo filled the room. “We could start off with a shine, and when the beat comes in, go into some combos. How are you with lifts?” His eyes shone with an excitement Maddi had never seen before.

  “Ah, good I guess. I’ve never really done them before, but I’ve always wanted to try.”

  “Great! We can try a few out, see what feels comfortable, and then incorporate those into the choreography. What do you think of the song?”

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “Yeah, it is,” Dane said with a smile. “You wanna see what I have planned so far?”

  “You’ve already got moves worked out?” She shook her head with a laugh. “That’s impressive.”

  “Yeah, well…” Dane shrugged his shoulders. “I couldn’t sleep last night,” he admitted. “After we decided on entering, I just had all these ideas floating around in my head. Couldn’t shut my brain off until I got up and started working through some steps.”

  “The curse of an artist,” Maddi said. “Better show me what you’ve got then.”

  Dane handed his iPod to Rory and got into position. She hit play once again and he began moving his feet to the strum of the guitar. He danced with such grace, almost as if he was floating on air. His fancy footwork was flawless, his spins sharp. Maddi could hardly believe he had only just come up with this stuff.

  “The guy sure can move,” Rory whistled from her perch on the couch.

  “He certainly can. Dane, that was amazing!” Maddi beamed. “Can you break it down for me?”

  “Of course. You really like it?”

  “I really do.” She put her hand on his arm. “It’s fantastic.”

  “Thanks.” He smiled, running his hand through his hair. “Okay so we’ll have to come up with a starting pose, but basically, it starts like this.” He popped his chest back and forth before crossing his feet one in front of the other with a twist. “This is called a Suzy-Q step. You wanna make sure you are twisting your hips to do it, rather than taking big steps. Like this.” He demonstrated again. This time, Maddi did it alongside him. “Good.”

  They continued popping, stepping and spinning until they were both drenched in sweat. Dane had broken down the entire guitar solo for her and the more they practiced, the more polished they became.

  Rory had filmed them a few times so they could see how it looked and what needed work. Other than a few minor changes to make Maddi’s moves more feminine, they were pretty impressed with their work so far.

  “Not bad for our first day of training,” Dane said with a smile. “You regretting it yet?” he joked.

  “Not a chance!” Maddi grinned, dabbing her neck with a towel. “That was so much fun! I haven’t danced like that in years.”

  “I find that hard to believe. You’re a natural.”

  Maddi felt her face going red at the compliment. She wiped the towel across her face to try and hide it. Dane chuckled.

  “You’re gonna have to face it one of these days. You keep dancing like that and people are going to notice you.” He pulled the towel from her hands. “I think you’re pretty great, ya know?”

  “I… um. You wanna drink?” she asked, trying to change the subject. His close proximity made her feel a little awkward.

  Dane dropped his hands to his side, a small smile on his face. “Sure, a drink would be nice.”

  “Water? Juice? Coffee?” she asked, walking through to the kitchen, avoiding eye contact. She didn’t want him to think they were more than just friends.

  “Coffee would be great, thanks,” he said. “Milk and two please.”

  “Sweet. I’ll put the jug on. Rory! You want another coffee?” she called down the hall.

  “Uh-huh!”

  Maddi sighed quietly in relief. If anyone could diffuse the situation, it was Rory. A long time ago, they had come up with a code for such times as these. After one too many persistent guys who couldn’t take a hint, they had devised a plan to help each other out. They had decided on a few different phrases for different situations, so that they would always have an escape if need be.

  Maddi locked eyes with Rory when she walked in. “Is that a new top?” she asked, brows raised. Rory frowned, looking over at Dane.

  “This old thing?” she asked. “Nope, just haven’t worn it in a while. Hey, can you still help me at work today?” She took a seat next to Dane, watching Maddi curiously. “We’ll need to leave soon.”

  They hadn’t used the code in years and she couldn’t see why Maddi would need it now. Dane seemed nice enough, he was a good-looking guy, and he could dance, what more could she want?

  “Yeah sure, thanks for reminding me, I’d forgotten.” Maddi smiled, grateful that her friend had come to her rescue. “Sorry, we’ll have to cut the training short,” she said apologetically. “Do you mind?”

  “No, of course not. I should’ve checked first anyway.” Dane gathered his things together.

  “You can stay for that coffee, if you want. I’m sure I have time for a quick drink before I have to get ready.” She looked at Rory, who gave a quizzical look.

  “Ah, yeah, sure,” she muttered, shaking her head. Talk about mixed messages, she thought.

  Chapter 21

  Jessie adjusted his stance, ready to try the lift again. They had been at it for an hour and he still couldn’t quite get it mastered.

  “Okay, ready?” he asked a flustered Sacha.

  “Of course I am!” she snapped. She hadn’t anticipated it being so hard to teach a lift. She and Dane had learned together, and it had been a lot easier. Admittedly, they had been watching an instructional DVD – which belonged to Dane. Doing it from memory was proving to be difficult.

  “Sorry, I’ve never done anything like this before. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “I’m not as fragile as you think. Just throw me over your shoulder like a sack of potatoes.”

  Jessie laughed at the image. “Okay then, if that’s what you want.” He bent his knees into a high squat before grabbing her underneath her thigh. Sacha wrapped one arm around his neck and held the other out for balance. “One, two, three!” He did as she asked and flung her like a sack of potatoes until she was perched across his shoulder. “It worked!” he hooted.

  “Easy! Don’t wiggle too much or I’ll lose my balance!” she said, concentrating on keeping her body straight.

  “How do we get out of this?” Jessie asked, realising they hadn’t discussed that part yet.

  “Grab my hands and lower me down behind you.” She slid gracefully down his back. “I knew you could do it!” She grinned, bounding into his arms and planting a kiss on his lips. “You just have to stop treating me like a dainty flower, cos baby – I ain’t that soft.”

  “Yeah, I’m starting to realise that.” Jessie chuckled. “You wanna try it again?”

  “Sure.” She unwrapped her legs from his waist and dropped to the ground. “Better make sure it wasn’t just a fluke.” She winked, getting herself into position. “Ready when you are.”

  ***

  After another hour, they had perfected both the lift and the dismount. With the comps looming, Sacha was eager to push on through with their routine. There was still a lot to cover before the big day, and she was determined to beat Dane at all costs.

  So far, they had about a third of their routine done. Jessie had picked up all the combos with no problems, but the tricks were proving to be hard work. Now that he had accomplished the main lift though, she felt a slight release of pressure.

  There was still so much to do; the other two thirds of the choreography for starters, and then there were costumes to organise, dance shoes to buy. All in a matter of weeks.

  Sacha wasn’t worried though. Things always worked out for her. It hadn’t taken long for Jessie to learn the first part, and she didn’t doubt he would pick up the rest without a hitch. The costumes would be easy; if there was one thing she was better at than dancing and seduction, it was shopping. She had visions of a skin tight, leaving-nothing-to-the-imagination, dress. She was going to drop jaws.

 

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