Carly's Two-Stepping Temptations

Studio Seductions 2

Carly's Two-Stepping Temptations Carly Dunham has always avoided mixing business and pleasure, and her career has always come first, but now both her personal and professional life are in a rut. That all changes when she meets Jared Brooks, her newest colleague, who’s nursing a broken heart and looking for a dance partner. Sparks fly even faster when she meets Heath Taylor, a local millionaire businessman who is dancing with her for a studio fundraiser. While she resists at first, it only takes a few rounds on the dance floor before she’s head over heels for both of them. Soon, Carly is learning to relax and love two men at once, and even her career seems to be on the upswing. But when Jared gets involved in a major political scandal, both Carly’s heart and job are threatened. Can this triad overcome the obstacles and survive to love—and dance—another day? Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre Length: 35,702 words

Carly’s Two-Stepping Temptations Studio Seductions 2

Olivia Jordan

MENAGE EVERLASTING

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting

CARLY’S TWO-STEPPING TEMPTATIONS Copyright © 2011 by Olivia Jordan E-book ISBN: 1-61034-791-9 First E-book Publication: September 2011 Cover design by Les Byerley All art and logo copyright © 2011 by Siren Publishing, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers Dear Readers, If you have purchased this copy of Carly’s Two-Stepping Temptations by Olivia Jordan from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book. The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment. This is Olivia Jordan’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Jordan’s right to earn a living from her work. Amanda Hilton, Publisher www.SirenPublishing.com www.BookStrand.com

DEDICATION For Amanda, Bon, Lynn, and Reesa, who have supported my career every step of the way.

CARLY’S TWO-STEPPING TEMPTATIONS Studio Seductions 2 OLIVIA JORDAN Copyright © 2011

Chapter One “And last but not least, Carly will be dancing with Heath Taylor.” Carly Dunham shook herself out of her daydream as she heard Taletha Hendricks say her name. She should have been paying attention to the staff meeting, but she’d been focused on the sexy stranger hanging back in a corner. While Taletha had been discussing plans for the studio’s Dancing with the Stars-style fundraiser, Carly had been focused on the new guy’s hands and imagining all the ways they might slide and play along her body. “Carly, are you paying attention?” Taletha’s voice had a hint of irritation. “I’m dancing with Heath Taylor.” “And who is he?” “Someone rich, I’m assuming, if he’s putting up the money to participate in this event.” Carly hoped that sarcasm would conceal her embarrassment at getting caught daydreaming. Taletha rolled her eyes. “He’s a local tech entrepreneur who turned his startup into a Fortune 500 company in just three years. He’s a big deal in the local business community, and his participation is going to give this event a lot of desperately-needed publicity. He’s

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also the only local celebrity with any sort of dance experience, and so he already has a bit of an ego. We have to do our best to handle him so he has a great experience.” “Okay, I get it. I have to work with the spoiled rich dude who already thinks he’s hot shit.” “Well, Heath wants to dance two-step in the show, and I can’t very well give him a male instructor, now can I? The only other twostep specialist we have right now is our new hire. Speaking of which…” Taletha paused and gestured to the man leaning in the corner. “I’d like to introduce you all to Jared Brooks. He’s filling the position that opened when Emily, um, well, when Emily went to prison. Jared specializes in country-western dancing, and he’ll be taking some of the teaching load off of Carly. Welcome, Jared.” All of the instructors broke out into a polite round of clapping as Jared nodded and flashed a tiny smile. “Okay, meeting adjourned. Carly, I’d like to speak with you for a minute.” Carly kept her eyes focused on Jared’s tight ass as she watched him slip out of the room. She was so distracted that she didn’t hear anything until Taletha said her name for the fourth time. “Sorry, what?” “I just wanted to talk to you for a minute about the show. Heath is the kind of person who needs to be handled with care.” “He’s an inexperienced dancer who’s going to want to look good. I understand.” “Well, I worry that he’s going to be a little more difficult to manage than that. But I trust you to keep his attitude in check and create a great routine. His support means a lot to us. This fundraiser is going to help us pay off the repair expenses from Emily’s vandalism. We need this to go over well, or I’m afraid I won’t be able to make payroll.” Now Carly felt even worse for screwing around during the meeting. “I’m really sorry, Taletha. I wasn’t thinking. I promise, I’ll

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make sure Heath has a great experience and his colleagues give us buckets of money.” Taletha finally smiled. “That’s all I needed to hear. Which is good, because you have your first lesson with him right now.” Carly raised her eyebrows. “Right now?” “Yep!” Taletha hurried out of the staff lounge toward the reception area, and Carly followed. As they approached the front desk, a gorgeous man walked through the glass doors. His dirty-blond hair had been carefully sculpted to make it look perfectly mussed, and his skin glowed with a tan that reflected his high cheekbones. “Lovely to see you again, Taletha,” he said, placing a dry kiss on her cheek. “Likewise, Heath. I’m so glad you agreed to participate in our fundraiser.” “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to take my dancing skills to the next level.” “We can definitely help you do that. Speaking of which, I’d like you to meet your instructor, Carly Dunham.” Carly held out her hand. “Lovely to meet you.” Rather than offering the typical handshake, Heath took her hand and lifted it to his lips. “A pleasure, I’m sure.” Electricity raced through Carly’s body the second his lips touched her skin. Goose bumps rose up along her arms, and she was grateful that she was wearing a cardigan so he wouldn’t see the effect that such a friendly gesture had on her. “Well, shall we begin?” she asked when her heart returned to normal. “That sounds great.” Carly reluctantly pulled her hand away as she walked toward the main studio. “So I hear you have some dance experience.” “Yeah, I’m a regular at the country bars downtown. Started taking the free lessons there, and I occasionally do the odd contest. I’m not a pro, of course, but I do have a knack for winning those.”

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“So you want to learn something in the country genre?” Heath nodded. “Two-step is my favorite.” Carly grinned. “Well, you’re in luck. It’s my favorite as well. Do you have a particular song you’d like to use?” “I hadn’t thought much about it yet.” “Not a problem. Let’s just go over some of the basics of the dance today. We’ll figure out just how skilled you are, where your weaknesses lie, and that will help me to create a good dance for you.” Carly walked over to the stereo and put on a two-step, then hurried over to Heath and got into dance position. His touch, however, was just as electric as it had been a few minutes before. Carly struggled to turn her mind away from the heat forming on her skin and concentrate instead on paying attention to the weak frame that passed for good form at bars. It’s time to be a teacher. He is my student, and I need to critique him, not fuck him. Things only got worse as Heath began to move his feet. He shuffled his steps and bounced his knees up and down—more classic hallmarks of dancers who had been trained in bars from instructors who were only marginally qualified and marginally sober. But even as Carly missed his clumsy attempts at leading turns and stumbled when his feet got in her way, she had to fight the sparks shooting across her skin and resist the urge to drag him into one of the small, private studios for a more intimate lesson. “How was that?” he asked with a grin when the song came to an end. “I’m pretty good, right?” You’re not much of a dancer, but I’d be interested in learning about your more horizontal talents. Carly restrained herself from being crude, but knew that if she was going to get through to Heath, she had to give him the honest truth about his dancing. “You dance like you learned in a bar. We have a lot of work to do if you want to look good at the event.” ****

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Heath sputtered and felt his face go red. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “In case you’ve already forgotten, I was trained in a bar.” “And that means there are certain characteristics about your dancing that will not fly with me and will not fly in a performance, even if the audience knows that half of the dancers are not trained professionals.” “I win competitions all the time.” “Yeah, at bars. Where the winners are pretty much the ones who have had the least to drink and therefore manage to stay upright the longest. Look, you’re not a terrible dancer, and you know more than some of the people who have walked into the studio. But the fact remains that you have a weak frame and generally poor footwork, and it’s going to take a lot of practice and diligence if you want to stand out at the show.” Jared was no stranger to hard work. A self-made man, he’d worked his way up from humble beginnings, saved money to begin his own company, and turned the startup venture into a moneymaking machine in record time. Work didn’t frighten him. In fact, he relished it. However, it had been a long time since anybody had criticized him. When he’d been working for other people, he’d taken care to have impeccable job performance, ensuring that nobody could take him to task for mistakes. When he’d finally started his own company, he once again took care to be perfect in every decision and action. Failure was not an option, especially not failure by his own doing. Now, this dancer was telling him he wasn’t amazing. She wasn’t even remotely impressed with him. She was gorgeous, to be sure, with dark hair that she wore short. It complemented her green eyes and heart-shaped face perfectly. But as pretty as she was, he could not tolerate her criticizing him. Heath set his teeth in a rigid line. “Don’t you know who I am?”

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“Of course I know who you are. That doesn’t change the fact that if you want to dance well in the show, I’m going to have to get critical and nitpicky over your poor technique.” “I came here to do a fundraiser to keep your studio from going under. I’m here to help you keep your damn job. So you don’t get to me like I’m any guy who walks in off the street looking for dance lessons.” “You might be a billionaire, and you might be able to retire before you hit forty, but to me, you are just a regular guy who walked in off the street, because that’s the way you dance.” “Then maybe it was a bad idea for me to sign up for this. Or maybe I should ask Taletha to put me with another instructor.” He turned and began stalking out of the studio. “You said at the front desk that you wanted to take your dancing to the next level. Was that all a show for Taletha’s benefit? Were you pretending?” Heath stopped in his tracks. The fact that she called him out made him even angrier. However, she’d just issued him a challenge, and he was not about to back away from it. He turned around slowly. “I did mean it, yes.” “If you want to improve, you have to be willing to accept criticism about your weaknesses. I can make you a better dancer. I can make you a great dancer. But not if you’re going to get all upset when I make objective statements about the quality of your technique. Now, do you really want to leave, or do you actually want to learn to dance?” Heath stared at Carly for a few minutes before giving her an answer. He realized he wasn’t just attracted to her beauty. On some level, he was starting to like the way she talked to him. Even though he was used to getting his way, something about the edge in Carly’s voice as she challenged him made the blood in his body heat up a few degrees. He did want to be a better dancer—but he also wanted a

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chance to get to know the beautiful woman who wouldn’t put up with his crap. “I want to learn to dance.” His cock gave a flutter as she flashed him a perfect smile. “Excellent. Let’s get to work. First, I’m going to teach you a thing or two about proper dance frame.” Heath struggled to keep his erection at bay as Carly’s touch began to light up his body. **** Jared lured at the fringes of the main studio, watching Carly as she worked with Heath. Even though she struggled as she danced with her student, Jared could see the talent that had made her a champion. He couldn’t believe that she was still on the market for a new partner six months after the great Jake Cunningham had suffered a career-ending injury. Most people would be clamoring to dance with such a welldecorated champion, and competitors tried not to miss too many events after they’d lost a partner. Visibility was the key to enduring success. When he decided to take the job at Rhythm and Motion Dance Studio, Jared had entertained a brief hope that perhaps he could become Carly’s new dance partner. He’d competed against her and Jake on the country-western circuit until Jake had gotten injured and they’d both quit the scene. He’d always admired both her technique and her artistry, and every time Carly and Jake had won a competition, Jared knew they deserved it. When Jared’s girlfriend Lana decided to call their relationship quits, he’d thrown himself into dance. When she’d decided she wanted to start competing with her new boyfriend, he became desperate to find a new partner and get back on the circuit. The possibility of dancing with Carly seemed even more likely when his friend Adam had called and said the studio was looking for a new

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teacher. Adam had mentioned that Carly worked there and offered to give her Jared’s contact information. Jared, however, had chickened out. Carly had won five national titles and three international ones. He and Lana had only been able to scrape by with one national title. Jared knew he wasn’t worthy of Carly’s professional attention and decided not to make a fool of himself by seeking it. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. “Easy there,” Taletha said with a laugh. “It’s just me.” “Don’t worry about it. I guess I’m just nervous with it being my first day on the job and all.” “I understand. Can I see you in my office for a minute?” “Sure.” “I noticed you were watching Carly pretty closely,” Taletha said as she shut her office door. “She’s a beautiful dancer. I always loved watching her in competition, too. I’ve missed seeing her at all of the big events. It’s just not the same without her. She should be back, winning more titles.” Taletha shrugged. “She says she’ll never compete again. I guess that losing Jake really affected her. I hate to see her give up that side of their career, but a dance partnership really is like a marriage. After a divorce or a death, you don’t just pick up and find someone else right away. It’s not that easy. I can only hope that someday, she’ll move on and come back to competition.” “So do I.” “In fact, I was hoping that maybe you could be her inspiration to get back into it.” Jared felt himself blush. “Me? No way. I’m nowhere near as good as she is.” “You’ve won a national title.” “She’s won five.” “You and Lana had a terrible partnership. If the two of you could have gotten along, things probably would have been different. You’re

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a great dancer. There was just too much conflict between the two of you.” Jared sighed. “I never should have let our relationship get sexual.” Taletha shook her head. “I think your problem was that the two of you were completely incompatible. You would have fallen apart even if you’d never had sex.” “Are you sure?” “All I know is that every time I watched the two of you dance, you both looked miserable, and this was even before you got romantically involved. I think it was a bad match from the start, and it affected your dancing more than your technique.” “Maybe you’re right. Still, if Carly doesn’t want to dance with anyone else, she certainly won’t want to dance with me.” Taletha shrugged. “I guess we’ll see. Anyway, that wasn’t actually the reason I called you in here.” “It wasn’t?” “No. We’ve had a request for a late entry into our fundraisers. Melissa Roth decided she wanted to participate.” “I feel as though I’ve heard that name before, but I can’t remember who she is. Forgive me, I’m still new in town.” “Melissa Roth is the mayor.” Jared raised his eyebrows. “The mayor?” “The one and only. Now, the registration deadline passed five days ago, and all of the other instructors have their celebrity partners lined up. Since you’re new, you’re the only one who’s unencumbered. I know that this is last-minute, but I’d hate to turn the mayor away, even if she did blow off the registration deadline. We could really use the extra money it will bring in.” “Sure, I’ll dance with her.” Taletha smiled. “Are you sure? I don’t want to burden you with too much right away.” Jared shrugged. “It’s not as though I’m competing right now. I think this will be a great opportunity for me. And I’m glad to be a part

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of the show. It wouldn’t have been much fun sitting out on the action. I feel like I’ve been spent too much time on the sidelines lately.” “Then consider yourself back in the game. You’ll start rehearsing with her tomorrow.” Jared stood up and shook Taletha’s hand. “Thank you so much. I’m looking forward to it.” Stepping out of Taletha’s office, Jared saw a flushed-looking Heath leaving the studio. Gathering up his courage, he approached Carly as she finished up at the drinking fountain. “That looks like it wasn’t very much fun.” Carly shrugged and wiped her mouth. “It wasn’t great. He started off with a bad attitude. I think I set him straight, though. Still, he and I have a lot of work ahead of us.” “Let me know if you have any pointers. Apparently, I start rehearsing with the mayor tomorrow.” Carly grinned. “That should be fun. I’ve heard that the mayor is actually a pretty nice person.” She glanced at the clock. “My next lesson isn’t for ten minutes. Want to dance?” Jared couldn’t believe his ears. “What—dance with me?” She winked at him. “That’s what you’re paid to do here, isn’t it?” Jared tried to steady his hands as he took a spot on the studio floor. Carly turned on a lively two-step and settled herself in his arms. Taking a deep breath, Jared began to dance, throwing out his best moves as he escorted her around the floor. Halfway through the song, he realized that he was grinning uncontrollably. Carly wasn’t just a perfect dancer—she was also stunning. He never thought he’d have her in his arms, even for one song, and now he didn’t want to let her go. However, the song came to its inevitable end, and Carly stepped away. Jared thought he felt her hand linger on his, but he couldn’t quite be sure. “You’re a great dancer,” she said. “I can’t believe we’ve never been paired up before.”

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“Competitions are always hectic. It’s not surprising that we’ve missed each other.” Carly’s smile faded a bit. “I do miss the hustle and bustle of the scene.” Jared steeled his courage and placed a hand on her shoulder. She didn’t back away. “You could always come back, you know. There are people who would kill to be your dance partner.” Carly looked up at the clock. “Would you look at the time? Sorry, I need to go freshen up before my student gets here.” She hurried off the floor, and Jared was certain that he could see her brushing a tear from her eye as she walked away.

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Chapter Two Heath didn’t understand what had happened. He’d walked into the studio that afternoon completely confident about everything that Carly had taught him the day before. He’d practiced the patterns she’d taught him at home and was sure he’d absorbed all of her wisdom about proper dance technique. When he sauntered through the glass doors, he’d been sure that he was going to amaze her with his hard work. Yet after going through the warm-up, Carly had put on some music and started criticizing him from the first step. “It’s a heel lead, remember? Try it again.” “What?” “You led with your toe rather than your heel.” “But I worked on this so hard last night. How on earth am I doing it wrong today?” “Because you learned it just twenty-four hours ago, and you need more time than that to get everything settled in your body. Believe it or not, dancers spend years honing the basics. They don’t just expect to be perfect after their first day of lessons.” “Well, I do.” “Then you need to adjust your expectations.” There it was again—her attitude, the one that nobody else dared to take with him. The critical stance that simultaneously frustrated and attracted him. “Well? Why are you just standing there? Come on, start over, and this time do a proper heel lead.” Heath swallowed his pride and took a step forward.

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“Perfect,” Carly said with a smile. “Yeah?” “Yeah. There’s only one problem.” “What’s that?” Her grin got even bigger, and her cheerfulness started to dissolve his frustration. “You actually need to take more than one step if you intend to keep dancing.” “Oh, right.” Starting yet again, Heath allowed himself to relax as he guided Carly around the floor. He wasn’t living up to his perfectionist standards, but he found he liked dancing with her anyway. He especially enjoyed spinning her and seeing her eyes light up as she whipped her head around to keep her balance. He enjoyed the feeling of her soft hand in his and the way her breasts bounced if he accidentally led with just a little too much force. “Okay, I know we still have a lot of work to do on your technique, but I thought today would be a good day to begin working on the choreography. I haven’t finished the piece yet, but I have more than enough material for you to learn today.” “Sounds good.” “You, uh, you need to let go of me, first.” Carly looked down, indicating that he was still holding her. “Oh, right.” He backed away, shaking off his embarrassment. Heath found himself struggling to pay attention to Carly’s instructions. Unlike the day before, when he’d been intent on absorbing every bit of information so that she couldn’t criticize him again, this time, he was too distracted by her smile and the curve of her ass in her jeans to focus on any of the steps she was throwing at him. It didn’t take him long to realize that he was making more mistakes than he had the day before. He also noticed that the more he screwed up, the more she touched him—to adjust his posture, to fix his frame, or to guide his body into a difficult step. He began enjoying

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his mistakes because they inevitably yielded some sort of reward. As the lesson went on, he couldn’t help but notice that her hands seemed to linger for longer periods of time. He tried to chalk it up to his imagination, but by the end of the lesson, he was sure her fingers stayed on his shoulders and hips longer than necessary for a standard correction. “Wow, I’m sorry, Heath,” she said, when the hour was almost up. “I thought I’d gotten a good feel for your skills yesterday. But it seems like I’ve choreographed something that’s well beyond your abilities. You’ve been a trouper, though. I’ll go home and create something new for you tonight, okay?” “No, it’s fine. Don’t change a thing.” “Are you sure? You were really struggling today.” “Keep it, please. I want to work hard. I want to improve. And the only way I’m going to do that is if you really challenge me.” “If you insist.” “I do.” “Okay. So we’ll meet up again this weekend and work on it some more?” “I was hoping we could get together a little sooner than that.” “Oh. Well, I think my schedule is full for the rest of the week, but I could probably try to squeeze you in—” Heath couldn’t help but interrupt. “That’s not what I meant. I was thinking something a little less formal. There’s this great bar up the street, and I thought maybe we could get a drink when you’re done teaching tomorrow.” “Oh.” Carly’s face fell. “Heath, you’re a nice guy and all, but for one thing, you’re my student. For another thing, I barely know you.” Heath took a deep breath, trying to maintain his composure in the wake of rejection. He wasn’t about to let her know that her brush-off hurt him. That wasn’t how he worked, either in business or pleasure. “Okay, yeah, you’re probably right. I’m sorry.”

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“Don’t be sorry. I’m flattered. I just—I can’t see my students. It’s a strict personal policy.” “I understand. I’ll see you Saturday?” “See you then.” Heath hurried out of the studio without even saying good-bye to Taletha. He had an image to maintain, and he wasn’t about to risk anyone seeing it fade, even for a moment. **** Carly’s body and mind were both buzzing when she left the studio. She didn’t want to be attracted to Heath. He was technically her student, even if only for a short time, and she wasn’t entirely sure their personalities would click off the dance floor. His dancing was riddled with bad habits from inadequate training, and his stubbornness made him difficult to train. Yet she couldn’t deny that her pussy was still wet, and her skin was still tingling even after she’d taken a cold shower in the locker room. Pulling into Jake’s driveway, Carly pushed all thoughts of Heath from her mind. These weekly visits never got easier, and she needed to be completely focused. “Hey, Jake,” she called, letting herself in. “I’m in the living room.” Even after six months, Carly wanted to cry whenever she saw Jake. She still couldn’t believe that he wouldn’t dance again. But Jake was wearing shorts, and the scars that still crossed over his knee and around his calf proved yet again that he’d never compete, and he was lucky that he could walk at all. “How was work today?” she asked, kissing his cheek. “Oh, you know. It’s not—it’s definitely not the same.” Jake’s voice trembled as he spoke, and Carly tried to ignore the quiver, because she knew she’d start crying, too. “But it’s a good job. The

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people are great. I’m good at it, too. I never saw myself in politics, but who knows? Maybe I’ll take over my boss’s job someday.” Carly forced a laugh. “I think you’d make a great mayor.” “Thanks.” An awkward silence fell between them. Carly felt guilty. They had less to talk about now that they didn’t share a common career. However, she couldn’t help but feel bored by politics, so it was hard for her to stay interested when Jake talked about his job at the mayor’s office. Nor could she really bring up life at the studio, because she couldn’t stand the pain in his eyes when she talked about the life he’d been forced to give up when his knee gave out. Finally, though, Jake cleared his throat. “I see that Taletha brought a new instructor on board.” Carly nodded. “To replace Emily.” “I’m surprised she had the funds. I know things have been shaky ever since the vandalism a few months ago.” “The Dancing with the Stars fundraiser we’re doing is going to keep us afloat.” “So even Taletha decided to capitalize on the trend of having local pseudo-celebrities prance around and make fools of themselves in order to make a little money.” He rolled his eyes. “I never expected that of her.” “Don’t be bitter. You know that if you—” she paused, unsure of what to say. Jake was not easy to talk to anymore. Carly found that she always had to be careful with her words. But even when she took her time speaking, it was still likely that whatever she had to say was going to make Jake upset. Finally, though, she found words that she knew would work. “If you were still there, you’d be all-in for the chance to show off, and maybe get to dance with some hot local model or something.” She held her breath, hoping he wouldn’t find a way to be upset by what she said.

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Jake just shrugged. “You’re right. It’s just—it’s easier to pretend that I think the whole thing is stupid rather than admit how much I miss it.” “I’m sorry.” “No, it’s fine. I shouldn’t have brought it up. So the new guy, he’s a country dancer?” “I thought you regretted bringing it up.” “Yeah, but it’s too late to undo that. Might as well talk about it a little more, get it all over with.” “In that case, yeah, he’s a country dancer. I’m sure you’ve seen him before. His name is Jared Brooks. He and his ex-partner won the national championship a year before we did.” “I remember, yes. I also remember kicking their asses every year after that. So what, they split up?” Carly nodded. “Yeah. Apparently, mixing sex and competition didn’t work out so well for the two of them.” “It rarely works out for anyone. I’m glad we never let that happen.” “Me too. Not that this is any easier.” Jake sighed. “No, it isn’t. So, have you danced with him?” “Just once, while I was waiting for a student to arrive. He’s good, obviously. I mean, he did win a championship once.” Not to mention the way my body heats up in his arms. My skin feels like it’s on fire when he touches me. Jake’s expression turned sour. “So you danced with him, and you liked it.” “I like dancing with everyone who knows how to lead. Heck, I might even enjoy dancing with my new student, if he ever gets his attitude in check. It doesn’t mean anything that I danced with Jared.” Though I wish it did. “Is he better than I was?” “This from the guy with five times as many national titles?” Jake sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

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“No, it won’t. I wish there was something I could do to change that, believe me. I miss you around the studio.” “You’re–you’re not going to start competing with him are you?” “With who? Jared? Don’t be silly.” Carly rushed the words out, worried that Jake had somehow been able to read the wish that had been flickering across her consciousness for the past two days. “Are you sure you’re not going to make him your new dance partner?” “Jake, I danced with him once. Once. If dancing with somebody one time meant that I was about to make him my new dance partner, I’d never even be able to sleep, because my whole life would be wrapped up in rehearsal after rehearsal.” “So you’re not going to compete with him.” “I just said that I wasn’t.” “Good. Remember your promise.” “I do. Every single day.” “Are you sure you remember?” “Of course.” “What did you promise me?” “Jake, is this really necessary?” “What did you promise me?” Carly sighed. “I promised I’d never compete again. I promised you’d be my only dance partner, and that if you were sidelined forever, so was I.” Jake nodded. “Good. Promise me you won’t dance with Jared.” “I promise that I won’t compete with Jared, just like I haven’t competed with anybody else.” “I didn’t ask you to promise not to compete with him. I asked you to promise not to dance with him. Not even social dancing.” Carly tried to maintain her composure, but a tear slid down her cheek. “Jake, you’re being ridiculous. I can’t just blow him off. That’s rude.” And I don’t think I could deal with never touching him ever again.

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“Promise, damn it.” “I don’t understand.” “I know you, Carly. I know that you can’t stay away from the competition spotlight forever. Jared still has a number of years ahead of him. If you dance with him, even just for fun, you won’t be able to stop. You’ll be competing before you know it. And then, I don’t know what I’d do. You know it would kill me to know you’d moved on without me, that you’d be living the life that was stolen from me.” “Jake─” “Please, Carly. Promise you won’t dance with him. Promise you’ll never hurt me.” All Carly wanted was to get out of Jake’s house. She didn’t care that she was saying something stupid, uttering words she didn’t really mean. “I promise.” “Thank you.” “Okay, I need to go. I have to do my laundry tonight.” “I’m sorry I made you cry.” “It’s okay. I’m just a little emotional, is all. It’s been a long day.” “I’ll see you next week?” “Same time, same place. Just like always.” **** Jared paced around the main studio, waiting for the mayor to walk in the door. He couldn’t believe how nervous he already was. Even though Carly and Taletha had both reassured him that Melissa Roth was a nice person, he couldn’t help feeling overwhelmed at the challenge he was about to take on. The whole studio atmosphere changed when a short woman with dark, curly hair walked in the door. Lynne, the front desk attendant, suddenly sat with better posture. The instructors who were milling around between lessons started acting as though they had purpose. Even Taletha walked out of her office looking excessively formal.

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Jared watched as she shook the mayor’s hand and led her toward the studio. He cracked his neck and bounced on his toes a few times to shake off the jitters, then took a deep breath and walked toward them. “Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Mayor,” he said. “I’m Jared Brooks, and I’ll be your instructor.” “Nice to meet you, too. And thank you both for allowing me to join at the last second. I meant to sign up sooner, but things at the office just got so, well, complicated.” The smile she had been wearing fell to a frown. “Not to worry,” Taletha said. “A politician’s life is always hectic, I’m sure. Now, I’ll leave the two of you to your dancing. Have a good afternoon.” “So,” Jared said, trying to keep his voice steady, “have you had much dance experience?” “Oh, well, I used to go out to the country bars all the time when I was younger. But then, my political career took off, and it just wouldn’t do to spend my weekends dancing and drinking. I mean, people want their elected officials to be relatable, but that was just a little too relatable, according to my advisors.” “Even local politicians don’t get to have much fun, do they?” “No, they don’t. Not that I’m complaining. I knew what I was getting into when I signed up for this life.” “So would you like to get back to your country roots or try something else?” “I think I’d like to do a two-step, actually. If that’s okay, that is. I mean, if someone else is already dancing one—” “Not a problem. There are definitely going to be some overlapping dances. Two-step it is.” Jared put on some music and took Melissa in his arms. It was obvious from her lackadaisical footwork that she was both poorly trained and out of practice, but Jared could tell that she knew how to follow.

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“So?” she asked as the song ended. Jared couldn’t believe it, but she looked a little nervous. “I can tell you haven’t danced in a while. I can also tell that you didn’t have the greatest teachers in the world. But the good news is, since you’re so out of practice, it won’t be too difficult to break those bad habits and get you going with new ones. That is, if you want to work that hard.” Melissa smiled. “I do. I need to throw myself into something, to get my mind off of this—well, let’s just say I need to get my mind off my job sometimes.” “Then let’s distract you.” Jared started by teaching Melissa some basic patterns, but he soon realized that her job was distracting her from dance more than dance was distracting her from her job. She couldn’t remember more than three steps of a pattern, and she forgot his technique pointers moments after he gave them. “Melissa—I mean, may I call you Melissa?” “You may.” “Melissa, what’s wrong? You’re obviously upset about something, and whatever it is, this dance lesson is clearly not a good distraction.” She sighed. “I was hoping it would be, but I guess things at the office are weighing on me more heavily than I thought.” “I don’t mean to pry. I’m just trying to figure out the best way to proceed. Do you need to get back to your office and take care of whatever is going on? Do we need to stop and reschedule for a time when you’re able to give a little more focus?” “I’m fine, really.” “Pardon my forwardness, but I’ve been teaching dance since I graduated from high school, and I can tell when a student is too distracted to really get anything useful out of the lesson.” “No, no, I can do it. Really.”

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Jared smiled, hoping to help her relax. “I know your type. So many of my students like to try and power through. That’s not always the most effective way to learn, though. Are you sure you don’t just want to reschedule for a more convenient time? I won’t even bill you for the hour.” Melissa looked as though she was going to burst into tears. Jared was certain he saw faint glimmers of tears creeping out the corners of her eyes. But, like any trained politician, she maintained her composure. “You don’t understand. Things are very stressful down at City Hall.” “I know they are, and I can’t imagine how much pressure you have to encounter.” “I—Well, I’m in some legal trouble.” Melissa slapped her hands over her mouth, as though she couldn’t believe she’d just spoken the words. “What?” She sighed, as though resigned to the truth now that she’d uttered it. “I’m in some legal trouble. And that’s an understatement.” “What happened?” Melissa shook her head. “I shouldn’t be discussing things with you. The walls have ears, and all that.” Jared put a two-step on the stereo, took Melissa in his arms, and started leading her in a basic step. “There, we’re hidden in plain sight. Lots of people talk and dance at the same time, you know. What’s going on?” Melissa frowned. “I really can’t reveal what’s going on. For one thing, I barely know you. For another thing, I need to keep this hidden as long as possible.” As they rounded a corner, Melissa’s cell phone started buzzing. “I’m sorry. Whatever this is, I probably have to take it,” she said. She broke their connection and headed off the floor. “I think you’re right, we should probably reschedule. I’ll have my administrative assistant call later this afternoon to set something up.”

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“Of course,” Jared said, but she rushed out the front doors without paying him attention. He sighed and headed out the employee-only door to get some fresh air. Leaning against the sturdy brick walls, he enjoyed the fresh breeze on his face. He started letting his mind wander toward thoughts of Carly. Then the breeze died down, and he heard Melissa’s voice from around the corner. “I know I screwed up, but how else was I going to cover his gambling debts? What, should I have let my husband get beaten up by a bookie? Is that what you would have done?” Jared knew he should have gone back inside, that Melissa had enough to worry about without him eavesdropping. But he also couldn’t overcome his curiosity. “No, I could not get a bank loan. Do you think I want to get a bank teller involved in all this? How do I know who I can trust? I’ve already paid off five would-be blackmailers. I can’t even trust members of my own staff.” Damn. And here I was just hoping she’d given an intern a blow job. “Yes, I did think I could get it all paid back before anybody noticed. Otherwise I wouldn’t have done it. I’d already started putting money back into the system. But we just couldn’t sneak it in fast enough. Fine, yes, it was a dumb idea, but I think we have bigger issues at the moment than my embezzlement techniques.” Jared stood rooted to his spot. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “No, the person who keeps sending me messages about what he or she knows is still anonymous. What’s really freaking me out is that this person isn’t asking for any blackmail money. Whoever this is wants me out of office. It’s only a matter of time before I lose control of the situation. No, I don’t know. Okay, yes, three o’clock. I’ll see you then.”

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Jared hurried to get back inside but didn’t move as gracefully as he would have liked. He moved so quickly that he tripped over a rock, his body smacking the pavement. Instantly, Melissa was around the corner. “How long have you been standing there?” Jared stood up and brushed himself off. “I–I just stepped outside for a moment.” “How much of that did you hear?” Jared took a deep breath. “How much of what did I hear?” Melissa nodded slowly, looking him up and down. “You really didn’t happen to overhear any part of my phone conversation?” “I thought you’d gone back to your office once that call came in.” Finally, Melissa gave a small smile. “Okay then. I am sorry about earlier. I do look forward to working with you. We’ll set something up for later in the week.” Jared tried not to shake as Melissa walked back around the corner and headed for her car. His mind was reeling as he tried to figure out what to do. Taletha would probably want to know. But he couldn’t bear the thought of ratting Melissa out. Even though she had done something wrong, he couldn’t bring himself to spread the information around. He knew it would be all over the news soon enough. Melissa didn’t need him interfering.

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Chapter Three “Done for the day?” Carly jumped at the sound of Jared’s voice behind her. She’d spent more effort trying not to think about him than she had actually dancing. She didn’t appreciate him breaking her concentration as she was trying to not imagine him in her shower. “Yeah, finally. I can’t believe how booked I’ve been. I thought that once you showed up, my schedule would ease up a little, but apparently, students keep enrolling, most of them in hopes of getting to take lessons from you. I’m not really complaining, though. It’s always nice to have money.” “It’s even nicer to have a good way to spend it. What are your plans for the night? Do you want to head out to the Golden Cattle Club instead?” “No, thanks. The last thing I want to do after dealing with students all day is go social dancing at a club where I’m never going to get the chance to relax.” “I never pegged you as such a snob.” “It’s not that I’m a snob. Sometimes, professional dancers just get tired. I teach dance eight hours a day, and sometimes ten or twelve if there have been scheduling snafus and Taletha needs me to fill in for someone. There are times when I’ve gone social dancing and been tied up all night without even a moment to sit. And sometimes, I just want to hang out, enjoy a beer, and not be on my feet.” “Why don’t you just refuse people who ask you to dance?”

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Carly gave a small smile. “You know how it works—there aren’t many acceptable reasons to reject people who ask you. If I go out to the Golden Cattle Club, I’m not going to have a chance to unwind.” “But if you’re there with someone, people might leave you alone a little more than they would otherwise. You know, if they think there’s something going on between us. Carly resisted blushing. “That’s true, but…” She trailed off, struggling to find the right words. There wasn’t anything between them—yet. She didn’t want to say anything that would ruin the possibility. “I’ll buy you a drink.” “What if I don’t drink?” “Then I’ll buy you a soda. Do you really not drink?” “No, I do. I was just, um…” “You were testing me.” “Maybe.” Carly was half worried she’d offended him and halfhoped that she had, so he’d storm off and leave her alone and she wouldn’t have to struggle with her feelings in his presence. Instead, he stepped closer to her, so near that she could smell his natural musk beneath the cologne he’d splashed on his neck. “So did I pass?” Carly raised her eyebrows. “You’re not mad?” “We all have standards. Nothing wrong with making sure I meet yours before you agree to go out with me. So, did I pass the test, and may I buy you a drink?” “Only because you used ‘may’ instead of ‘can.’ I happen to be a bit of a stickler for good grammar.” Carly couldn’t help but grin. He was getting more irresistible by the second. Just one drink, she told herself as they left the studio. Just one drink, and then you’ll go home. You don’t even need to dance with him. They bumped hands as they walked side by side on the way to the Golden Cattle Club, and Carly pulled hers away, stuffing it into her

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front pocket. Just one drink, she repeated, like a mantra, in time to the throb that had started pulsing deep in her pussy. Glancing to the side, she noted that he’d shoved his hand into his pocket as well. Sitting down at the bar, Carly ordered a gin and tonic. “You like to keep it simple, I see,” Jared said, flashing a smile that made her pussy feel even hotter. “Yes, both in my drink choices and in the rest of my life. It seems to reduce my stress levels.” “Imagine that. So, do you want to dance while we wait for the bartender to bring us our drinks? I mean, I know you’re probably exhausted after a long day of work, but I wouldn’t mind another spin around the floor with you.” Carly hesitated for a moment. She heard Jake’s pleading from a few days before echoing in her ear. But she could also hear the insistent demands of her heart’s desire, and as Jared extended his hand, she couldn’t resist reaching her own out and allowing him to escort her onto the dance floor. As she settled into his arms and looked into his eyes, her body started to hum with electricity. When Jared took the first step of the dance, she felt the last of her resolve start to crumble away. She’d spent all week ignoring him so she wouldn’t have to dance with him and wouldn’t have to lust after him, but now the foundations of her strength were collapsing. They twirled and wove around the other couples still struggling with basic patterns, and Carly was so lost in Jared’s eyes and touch that she didn’t notice them beginning to clear the floor to watch. As Jared led more and more complicated patterns, Carly began to have visions of the future. Not just the two of them in bed or in the shower, but also in the grand ballroom at the national championships, or gliding across the floor at the European championships to thunderous applause. She saw so many avenues to happiness. She saw a chance at love, and a chance at competition. As the song ended, Jared spun Carly out into a bow, and the entire room burst into applause. Carly looked up, startled, to see all of the

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bar patrons cheering at the unexpected professional exhibition. She blushed, took a second bow, and then hurried away to the bar, where her drink was waiting. Picking up the glass, she knocked back half the cocktail at once, looking to steady the nerves that were reeling from the dance floor revelation. “Dancing makes you thirsty, doesn’t it?” Jared whispered into her ear. “You could say that, yeah.” “Did the drink take care of that?” “I’m not thirsty anymore. But you could say there’s something I’m hungry for.” A hand clapped over her shoulder, and Carly jumped. Turning around, she saw Heath standing behind her, a smirk on his face. “I thought you didn’t social dance,” he said. “Especially not at bars, with the common people like me who don’t know how to lead.” “That wasn’t a social dance. That was an exhibition.” “It looked awfully spontaneous to me.” “Exhibitions can be spontaneous. Nothing wrong with a little unplanned dancing.” “So I guess asking you to dance would be a waste of my breath.” Carly felt guilty, but she didn’t want to have to deal with the hassle of mixing work and play. “I’m sorry, but Jared and I were in the middle of something.” “Go,” Jared said, giving her a playful shove and a wink. “We can finish our discussion after this song.” Carly put a fake smile on her face as Heath took her in his arms. But after just a few bars of the music, her facial expression became more genuine. “You’ve been practicing.” Heath beamed. “Every night. I wanted to prove to you that I could learn such difficult choreography and become a better dancer. I know you probably think I’m some wealthy jackass, but I got where I am today due to my own hard work, and I approach every project with that same sense of commitment. Even my dancing.”

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“I’m glad to know that.” “I just want you to respect me. I know I can be difficult at times. I’m not used to hearing criticism from anybody. The first two days of rehearsal with you were a bit of a culture shock.” “It’s okay, really. All is forgiven. Just keep practicing, and you and I are going to get along very well.” “What about when I asked you out at the end of the last session? Are you sure you’re not upset about that?” “What? Oh! Don’t worry about it.” Carly didn’t want to admit that she’d actually spent an inordinate amount of time rehashing that moment in her mind. She especially didn’t want to admit that the only thing that kept her from fantasizing about Jared was to indulge in similar fantasies with Heath. On more than one occasion, however, her fantasies of Jared refused to go away, and she’d found herself thinking about both of them. “So we’re cool?” “Yeah, we’re cool.” “Good. That means I can do this.” He stopped in the middle of the dance floor and pressed Carly into a kiss. For two blissful seconds, Carly was caught up in the explosion of electricity that came from Heath’s lips pressed against hers. But then, another couple collided into them, knocking them off balance. Carly pulled Heath off the floor, embarrassment starting to burn on her cheeks. “What were you thinking?” “I was thinking that I’d finally shown you that I was capable of being a good dancer, and that now I was worthy of kissing you.” “Yeah, but you don’t stop in the middle of a crowded dance floor to do so.” “Never mind. Forget I did anything. I thought you’d enjoy it.” “I did, it’s just that─” “It’s just that what? You don’t get involved with students? Or you’re such a stickler for etiquette that you don’t recognize a romantic gesture when you see it?”

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“Yes, but—” “Yes but what?” “But there’s something else, too. Though I guess I should say someone else.” Heath sighed. “What? Come on, don’t leave me hanging here.” “You’re not the only man I’m interested in.” **** First, she criticizes me. Then, she rejects me. Then, she rejects me again, claiming there’s some other guy. What sort of parallel universe have I stumbled into? “So you’re not interested. Okay, I get it. You like someone else. You could have just told me that on Tuesday, rather than giving me all that crap about not dating your students.” “First of all, that wasn’t crap. Second of all, I didn’t say I wasn’t interested.” “Yes, you did.” “No, I didn’t. I said that you’re not the only man I’m interested in.” Heath paused a moment to parse Carly’s words. “Not the only man. So you’re interested in someone else, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re interested in me?” Carly nodded. “Pretty much.” “Well, it’s obvious you’re just going to have to make a choice, then.” Carly shook her head and gave him a seductive smile. “I don’t know that I do. I mean, if you had two women you were interested in, would you want to just pick one over the other?” “Fine, then don’t choose,” Heath said, without giving his words much thought. He immediately clasped his hands over his mouth. Did I just say what I think I said? Carly raised an eyebrow. “So you see things my way?”

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“I–I guess so. Don’t choose.” “You actually would be willing to share me with another man?” Although Heath never thought he’d ever be having such a conversation, he couldn’t help but agree. “I guess so.” “You guess so?” “Hey, cut me a break. I’m just as shocked by my own admission as you are. All I know is that I think you’re really attractive, I want to get close to you, and if that means sharing you with another guy, then so be it.” “What about the fact that I don’t date students?” “I was hoping you might make an exception, just this once. I mean, I won’t be your student forever. Just for a few weeks, until after the fundraiser. Then I go back to dancing in bars.” Carly looked pensive. “I still haven’t told the other guy how I feel about him.” “Well, what are you waiting for?” “I was trying to say something. Then you interrupted and asked me to dance.” “Well, don’t let me distract you any longer.” Carly turned and walked toward the bar, and Heath followed close behind her. The guy she had been talking to smiled as she approached. “I see you caused a bit of a traffic jam out on the floor,” he said. “I’m telling you, Mr. Taylor, you might be one of the richest men in town, but you could stand to learn a thing or two about floor control.” The man turned toward Carly. “I believe we were in the middle of a discussion about something, yes?” “You could say that,” Carly said. “I’m trying to remember—oh yeah, I know where I left off.” With that, he leaned in and kissed her. Heath watched Carly’s knees buckle and her hands grip his biceps. To his surprise, he didn’t feel jealousy. Instead, he just felt

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irritated that her fellow dancer had deigned to talk to him in such a way. “See that?” the dancer said as he pulled away. “All the passion, none of the collisions.” “I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve been introduced,” Heath said, ignoring the commentary. “Of course you know my name, but I most definitely do not know yours.” “I’m Jared Brooks. I just started with the studio this week. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He offered his hand, and Heath shook it, begrudging him all the while. “What, do you have a problem with me kissing your woman or something?” “I’m not his woman,” Carly interjected. “And I don’t have a problem. Well, not with that, anyway. I’m just used to being treated with a little more respect.” Jared shrugged. “I don’t exactly take money seriously.” Heath felt himself go red. “Nobody at your studio really seems to, except for Taletha.” “And even she doesn’t care quite so much when her studio isn’t in massive debt,” Jared retorted. “Hey, guys, if you’re going to have a verbal pissing contest, I’m going to go home and chill out in peace and quiet. I don’t need the two of you sparring. I’d rather just turn in early than deal with bullshit all night.” Heath grabbed Carly by the hand, spun her around, and kissed her. He let her tart-yet-savory taste fill his mouth, let the curves of her hips fill his hands, let his teeth scrape her bottom lip as he pulled away. “No more arguing,” he said. Jared grabbed Carly’s ass and pulled her against him, placing light kisses up and down her neck. Heath seized the opportunity to bury his face in her breasts, relishing the way the soft flesh curved around him. “Carly? What the hell are you doing?” The three of them all looked up. Heath found himself staring at a man who was leaning on a cane, staring at Carly with a fury he’d

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never seen in his life. Carly was still pressed against his body, and he could feel her start to tremble. Rather than stepping back and leaving her to the confrontation, he pulled her in a little tighter, trying to absorb her fear. “Carly, I asked you a question,” the man said. “W–what are you doing here, Jake?” “Let’s skip the small talk and cut to the chase, shall we?” Jake’s fake smile turned Heath’s stomach. “You broke your promise.” “I did not.” Carly’s voice stayed strong, but Heath could feel the tremors increasing. “Yes, you did.” “Prove it.” “You’re in his arms, aren’t you?” “That doesn’t mean I danced with him.” “Carly.” Even Heath couldn’t suppress a shudder. The man’s tone was so angry and menacing that even he felt intimidated, and the guy clearly didn’t have any sort of trouble with him. Carly pushed out from between Jared and Heath to confront her antagonist directly. “Okay, fine. I danced with him. I broke my stupid promise. So what? What do you plan to do about it? I danced with him, and it made me happy, and nothing is going to change that.” “You’re going to regret what you’ve done.” “Oh, come on, Jake. We just danced.” “I also saw you kissing, so pardon me for thinking that something else might be going on between the two of you.” “Well, I’m not saying one way or the other. It’s none of your business.” Something inside of Heath snapped. “Come on, man, don’t be a prick. If you get off on watching other people make out, do it from the privacy of your own home. Don’t bug your ex-girlfriend.” “I’m not his ex-girlfriend,” Carly said. “I’m his ex-dance partner.”

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**** Jared couldn’t believe it. He’d always thought that if he came face-to-face with the great Jake Cunningham, it would be a happy time, one involving some modicum of respect and awe. Instead, Jared was confronted with the shell of a broken man, who looked halfway drunk to boot. Nor did he understand why Carly wasn’t supposed to dance with him. Though this probably explains why she didn’t want to go out with me. “She promised she wouldn’t dance with Jared,” Jake said, his speech tinged with anger. “She swore to me she’d never dance with him again.” “What the hell is going on?” Jared snapped. “Seriously, Carly, what is going on here?” “I–I promised I’d never dance with you because Jake said he wouldn’t be able to handle it if he knew that you and I were happy dancing together, and he’d never be able to live if we started competing together.” Jake nodded. “And now she’s broken that promise.” “We’re not competing together,” Carly said. “Maybe not, but you promised you wouldn’t dance with him at all. How could you do this to me?” “Look, Jake,” Jared said, trying to sound deferential. “I know the thought of Carly moving on must be impossibly hard for you. But Carly and I aren’t competing together, and there might be better ways to treat your problems, like perhaps getting some therapy.” “I don’t need therapy,” Jake snapped. “I need for Carly to keep her promises. If she doesn’t, she will regret breaking them.” He turned, and hobbled his way out of the bar. Jared was half tempted to run after Jake, to make him sorry for the hateful things he said. But he also knew it wasn’t fair to go after a guy who was already down-and-out. Instead, he put a hand on Carly’s shoulder.

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“Are you okay? Do you want another drink?” Carly looked at him, then back over at Heath. “I’m sorry, guys, but I think I need to go. And I don’t think we should have another night like this. It’s just going to lead to trouble.” She turned away from them and started shoving her way out of the crowded bar.

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Chapter Four It didn’t take long for Carly to catch up with Jake. He hadn’t had much of a head start, and since he still needed the cane, he didn’t move very fast. “Jake, wait!” she called. He stopped for a moment, acknowledged her with a glare, and then continued walking, hobbling along as quickly as his knee would allow. Carly was undeterred. “Jake, let’s just talk, please.” “There’s nothing to talk about,” he said as he continued to walk. “You broke your promise, you broke my heart, and now I’m so upset, I don’t know what I’m going to do.” “What do you mean?” “I don’t know.” “Are you going to hurt yourself?” Finally, Jake stopped walking. “I don’t know why you suddenly care. You didn’t seem to give two shits about me earlier this evening when you were dancing with that guy.” “He has a name.” “I’m not going to acknowledge it.” “You know what? I don’t know why I suddenly care, either. I know you’re miserable because your dance life is over. I know it’s going to take you a long time to move on. But you’re not even attempting to deal with it in a healthy way. You’re not in therapy, and you’re trying to keep me from moving my own career forward.” Jake started to cry. “We were supposed to be a team.” “We were a team. But we’re not a team anymore.”

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“No! That’s not acceptable! Once a team, always a team, and if one person can’t compete anymore, neither of you do.” “You’re being completely unreasonable. You know that’s not how it works. Give me an example of one professional couple who has chosen that route.” “Just because nobody has doesn’t mean they shouldn’t. It’s wrong to leave your partner behind.” “It’s also wrong to hold your partner back.” “Well, I clearly can’t stop you. I guess you never really valued our partnership the way you said you did. I guess you never really cared about me.” “Jake, stop it. You know I always valued you as a dance partner. You know I cared about you then, and that I still care about you now. Otherwise, why would I come visit you every single week? Why would I ever have allowed you to stop me from competing again with a new partner?” “Maybe you did care, once. I just seems like some shiny new men have turned your head.” “You’re acting like I cheated on you.” “It feels like you did. It feels like you’re my wife, who was supposed to stick by me in sickness and in health. Only instead, I find out you’re screwing not one but two new guys.” “First of all, I’m not your wife. I’m not your girlfriend. I never even was your girlfriend. And second of all, why bring Heath into this? I thought your only problem was with Jared.” “My problem is with anyone who takes you away from me.” Carly gasped. “You think you’re in love with me, don’t you?” “I don’t think. I know I’m in love with you.” “Now you’re just being ridiculous. You told me on Monday that you’re glad you never let romantic entanglements screw up our dance partnership.” “What’s the point of being honest if you just know you’re going to be rejected?”

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“Jake, I’m sorry, but first of all, I don’t have those kinds of feelings for you. I care about you very much, but I don’t have romantic thoughts for you.” “See?” he snapped. “I knew that you were going to say that.” Carly ignored him and continued talking. She knew she had to speak her piece before she lost her nerve. “Second of all, I have to say that I doubt your sincerity. You’ve changed, Jake. You’re not the person I used to know. The man I used to dance with would never have placed such unreasonable demands on me. The man I used to know would never have used our friendship to manipulate me. It pains me to say it, but it’s not clear to me whether or not your feelings are genuine, or if they’re just a ploy to keep me in line.” Jake stared at her as though he was in shock. “I can’t believe you’d ever doubt me.” “I can’t believe I would, either.” “You—you bitch,” he snapped and raised his hand. Carly flinched and then moved out of the way. Never in her life had she imagined him as the violent type, but all of a sudden, she felt she was in danger. “That’s it,” she said, taking a few more steps back. “I can’t deal with this anymore. I’m going home. Our friendship is officially over. I am not going to be coming to visit you anymore, and I’m not going to let myself get emotionally blackmailed. I will dance with whomever I want to dance with, I will kiss whomever I want to kiss, and I will compete with whomever I want to compete.” She started to storm off toward the studio. “Fine, I just hope that you can live with the consequences.” Carly froze. The emotional edge in Jake’s voice scared her. “What do you mean?” she asked, refusing to turn around and meet his gaze. “I mean, you’re really toying with me here, and there’s only so much I can handle in my fragile emotional state. You lie to me, you break your promises, and when I finally reveal my love for you, you reject me. I’m not sure what’s going to happen when I get home tonight.”

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As Jake finished speaking, he broke down crying, sobbing so hard that Carly thought his legs might collapse underneath him. “Jake, you’re not going to hurt yourself, are you?” “I–I don’t know,” he wailed through his tears. Carly’s own legs started to shake. As furious as she felt, she couldn’t deny that she still cared about Jake’s well-being. They had so much shared history, and no matter how deeply he hurt her, she still didn’t want any harm to befall him. I’ll make a deal. I’ll make it just this once. Then, I’ll convince him to get therapy. Once he starts seeing someone, he’ll stop acting this way, and we can both move on. “Jake? What if I promise not to dance with him again?” “What’s the point?” he asked, looking up at her with a bitter stare. “You’ll just break the promise again. I can’t trust you.” “That was—that was before I realized just how much it was going to hurt you. I swear, I didn’t realize just how awful you were going to feel. I’d never hurt you like that, Jake, not intentionally. Give me another chance. I promise, I’ll never dance with him again.” “What about the other guy?” “Heath? He’s my student. I have to dance with him.” “But he’ll just be your student, right?” “Jake, are you seriously telling me who I can and cannot date?” The tears started to flow again. “Even if you don’t want me, please don’t force me to suffer by knowing you’re seeing guys like him. Please. I don’t—I don’t know what I’ll do if I have to deal with that sort of thing. I might—things might get out of control.” Carly sighed. I just need to get him into therapy. That’s all I need to do. If this is what it takes, that’s what I have to do. “Okay,” she said. “Now, do you want a ride home?” “That would be great, thank you. Thank you for everything, Carly. You mean so much to me, and I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

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They were silent on the walk back to Carly’s vehicle and stayed that way for the drive home. “Will I see you tomorrow?” Jake finally asked as Carly pulled into the driveway. “Monday, as usual.” “Okay, if you insist. You’ve already been so great to me tonight. I won’t try to be an inconvenience.” He placed a kiss on her cheek before exiting the car. Carly couldn’t stop the shudder that crawled across her skin. **** Heath stood in shock as he watched Carly leave the bar. “Are you sure we shouldn’t go after her?” he asked. “I thought chicks liked it when you ran after them. That’s what’s supposed to happen in the movies, anyway.” “She’s not a chick, she’s a woman, and movies don’t always get it right. Besides, how many times do you see a guy go after the woman he loves, only to have her get even madder and push him away?” “I never really thought about that.” “Plus, put yourself in her shoes. Would you really want someone to chase you down right now?” Heath shrugged. “I guess not.” “So let’s just leave her alone. She’ll approach us when she’s ready.” “But what if she’s never ready?” “Are you kidding? Did you and I kiss the same woman? Even if she only kissed you with half the intensity with which she kissed me, that kind of passion means something. She’s interested. She’ll be back. I know it.” “I hope you’re right.” “Trust me, I am.” “How do you know so much about women?”

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Jared laughed. “I’m a dance instructor. Nearly my entire day is focused on women, whether they’re my students or, if I ever compete again, my dance partner. I’ve been dancing since I was fourteen. That means I’ve spent twelve years of my life surrounded by women during all of my work hours and, if I’m lucky, in my free hours as well.” “I guess I’m in the wrong field. We don’t get too many women in my industry.” “Too bad for you. Can I buy you a drink to help you ease the sting of this temporary rejection?” Heath shook his head. “Thanks, but my ego has taken several beatings this week. I think I’m just going to go home and lick my wounds.” “Suit yourself.” Jared shrugged, then pulled a slightly wrinkled business card out of his pocket. “I’m probably going to be out pretty late tonight, making the rounds, exploring the city. This is my first exposure to the nightlife, after all. Call my cell if you change your mind.” Heath nodded. “I’ll think about it. Have a good night.” “You, too.” Feeling too dejected to try to make any more fun out of the night, Heath got up from the bar and headed out to his car. He scanned the parking lot in hopes that Carly would for some odd reason be there waiting for him, then shook his head when he realized how foolish he was acting. Knowing he was being ridiculous still didn’t stop him from slowly driving past the studio on his way home in hopes that he’d catch a glimpse of her or her car. But the only vehicle there wasn’t hers. He sighed and continued the long drive back to his mansion. I must be losing it. I’ve never let a woman have this kind of hold on me. As he pulled into the driveway, Heath realized that his mind wasn’t the only thing that was going crazy. Carly’s body, her curves

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filling his hands, the way her breasts had felt pressed against his face, had left him completely horny. Even though Jake’s intrusion had killed the moment, it hadn’t completely squelched his desire, and by the time he reached his house, the erection that had faded during the confrontation was back full force and demanding some sort of attention if Heath had any hope of sleeping. He briefly entertained the notion of trying to wash it away with a cold shower, but as he stripped off his clothes and felt the way his cock pulsed as it was freed from the confines of jeans and boxer shorts, he knew the only way to quell his desire was to actually have an orgasm. Settling back on his bed, Heath grabbed the small bottle of lube and slicked up his cock. The lube was cool on his skin, but his body was so hot, he didn’t wince. In fact, the gel felt good as it coated the skin of his shaft. Once he was ready, he started slow, first teasing his balls with his fingertip, until his cock started throbbing with even more intensity, and he had no choice but to slowly inch his fingers up his shaft. His knees started to spasm as the tease frustrated his body, but he didn’t want to rush as he let images of Carly float into his mind. As he grasped his cock and started to stroke, he pictured her perfect ass and the way it always filled out her tight jeans. He imagined the way it would feel cupped in his palms and wished he’d seized the opportunity to squeeze it back at the bar, when she’d seemed ready and willing for anything. Gradually increasing the pace of his strokes, Heath began to fantasize about her naked, creating the most accurate picture his mind would allow. He envisioned her naked breasts settled in the palms of his hands, pictured rubbing his fingers around her nipples until they went pebble-hard. With his free hand, he imagined he was tracing the curve of her waist and sliding down one of her perfect thighs. He remembered how her lips were soft and firm at the same time, and the sparks that had rushed through his body each time that he kissed her. He thought about her sprawled out on his bed, a come-hither look on her face. He could see the slickness of her pussy, smell the musky

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scent, could taste the way her cunt was savory and sweet at the same time. He fantasized that he was standing over her, and she spread her legs for him, then slid her own hand down to her clit, started playing with herself with one hand, fondling her breast with another. As he pictured her reaching her own apex, his body climaxed, his whole body going rigid before the release. “Carly,” he whispered, wishing she was there to hear him say her name. **** Some first Friday night out in my new town. Jared sighed and turned back to the bar. He thought about ordering another drink, but then decided he felt too dejected to get drunk. Looking out at the crowd on the dance floor, he realized he wasn’t especially excited about a night of social dancing, either. He’d expected to spend some time with Carly, and at least have a chance to flirt with her. He hadn’t been expecting it to go anywhere, but he just wanted to have fun with her. Now, he was completely alone in a town that was still largely unfamiliar. None of his other colleagues were at the bar, and he hadn’t yet made friends with anybody not connected to his job. Not feeling up to making new friends when he was already feeling rejected, he paid his bar tab and walked out into the cool night air. As Jared walked back toward the dance studio, his mind returned to the kisses he’d shared with Carly, and his frustration began to dissipate. The tense moments at the club slid out of his consciousness as he began picturing the body he’d held and caressed. Instead, lust began creeping through his body, and a whole new sort of frustration set in. As he dwelled on the softness of her lips and the sensation of her body writhing against his, his whole body began demanding that he finish what he started. He didn’t dare call Carly, though. He didn’t think she’d appreciate fresh advances. By the time he reached his car, though, he knew he would need to do something. His cock had grown

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so stiff that he was struggling to walk, and keeping his mind focused on driving home required monumental effort. Jared was relieved when he finally alone in his apartment. He immediately hurried over to his bed, then he unzipped his fly and pulled out his cock, which was so hard it ached. Despite his arousal, though, he wanted to enjoy himself, and so he started slowly, tracing his fingertip around the head of his cock before drawing it up and down his ready shaft. Then he circled his thumb and forefinger around his cock, not allowing himself the sensation of the full palm just yet. He stroked the circle up and down so slowly that his cock throbbed even harder, and he squeezed down to intensify the pulses. Finally, he wrapped all of his fingers around his cock and began thrusting with more intensity. As he stroked, he imagined getting more kisses from Carly, imagined her lips making their way down his body and sliding over his cock, then making the same thrusts he was making now with his hand. He pictured her hands gripping his ass as she sucked, bringing him close to the edge before backing off, before pulling away, leaving him desperate to finish. He imagined her then stripping for him, slowly pulling away her clothes to finally reveal her soft curves, then lying back on the bed, parting her legs, and begging him to fuck her. He imagined sliding into her hot, wet cunt, imagined how it would feel as her muscles squeezed around him. The thought of finally fucking her, of plunging into her hot, tight pussy and slamming back and forth until she screamed his name, finally sent him over the edge. He could barely keep control of his cock as it gave one final throb and then released, spilling cum all over his clothes as spasms of electricity ricocheted through his body. “Carly,” he groaned as the pleasure began to dissipate. Although he still wished to have her next to him, he had to admit that he was at least temporarily stated. But he still couldn’t get Carly out of his mind, and even though he’d worn his body out for a little while, his mind was still racing with images of her. He fell into a restless sleep, the desire to kiss her still on his lips, the desire to touch her making his palms itch.

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Chapter Five She’ll approach us when she’s ready. What a naïve idiot, Heath thought. It had been a week since they’d kissed Carly in the bar, and she still hadn’t done anything to indicate that she was interested in having an encore performance. She’d kept aloof during their lessons, and drilled technique exercises and choreography patterns without any sense of passion or fun. Yet every time he saw her at the studio, his cock would bulge and strain against his pants. He was sure Carly noticed his constant state of arousal, but he also knew her excessive professionalism would not allow her to even joke about it, much less act on it. As he walked into the studio on Friday afternoon, Heath realized he was starting to regret participating in the event. He wanted to support the studio, but he wished he’d just written a sponsorship check instead of agreeing to dance. Not only were the lessons not any fun, but he thought he would lose his mind if he kept waiting on Carly. After checking in with Lynne and waving hello to Taletha, Heath spotted Jared coming out of the staff lounge. Heath grabbed his arm and pulled him around a corner. “What the hell, dude? I thought you said she’d come to us when she was ready.” “She’s not ready yet, then.” “Are you out of your mind? If she’s taking this long, she’s clearly not interested. I’ve spent this whole week horny as hell, with nothing to show for it.”

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Jared shrugged. “I’ve been suffering, too, but what can you do? I don’t want to push her.” “Seriously, dude, do you approach your entire life with this same amount of passivity?” “Don’t make this about me. I’m just trying to be a gentleman.” “And look where it’s gotten us. Look, you can be gentlemanly and suffer from constant horniness all you want. But I’m going to try things my way.” He stormed off and hurried to put on his dance shoes. “Okay, let’s warm up,” Carly said, looking even more stern than she usually did. Heath dutifully went through the exercises, striving for perfection even more so than usual. He never lost hope that if she saw his dancing improve, she might start warming up to him again. Despite his hard work, though, Carly’s rigid expression went unchanged yet again. “Okay, on Wednesday we managed to run through the choreography in its entirety,” she said. “I know you’re not going to be able to dance it perfectly only forty-eight hour later, but let’s try to run through the entire thing, shall we?” Heath nodded. “That sounds good.” Carly turned the music on, and Heath took her in his arms. No matter how cold she was to him, he still relished the feeling of wrapping his left hand around her back, of touching her, of preparing to guide her around the floor. As the music started, he threw his mind, body, and soul into the dance, not caring whether or not it was completely perfect, just enjoying the two minutes he had to touch the woman he was craving with such intensity. Everything felt perfect—not just Carly in his arms, but his footwork, his energy, the connection in his lead. As the music started to fade, he became acutely aware that this might have been the best he’d ever danced. When the song finally ended, he broke from the

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established chorography, dropped Carly into a dip, and placed a long, hard kiss on her lips. Carly struggled to get out of the pose. “What the hell are you doing?” she snapped when he finally let her free. “I’ve been wanting to do that for an entire week. I was holding back in hopes that you’d make the first move, but I realized that just wasn’t going to happen. It just felt right to kiss you, especially after the connection I felt while we were dancing.” “You really did a great job with the choreography,” she admitted. “I was amazed by how quickly you managed to memorize it. But— but we’re working here. This is my job. We have to be discreet.” Heath looked around. All the other couples on the dance floor were lost in their own little dance worlds, and not paying any mind to them. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem,” he said, and kissed her again. This time, Carly let him stay, and slid her tongue between his lips, allowing him an even better taste. They both jumped when they realized that someone was slowly applauding. Jared stood in front of them, a smirk on his face. “You win, Heath. You’re right. My attempts at being a gentleman weren’t getting me anywhere. I’m sorry I put a delay on things.” “Wait a second,” Carly said, “have the two of you been plotting the best way to get in my pants?” Heath cleared his throat. “I wouldn’t say plotting.” “We definitely weren’t plotting. I’d say it was more like strategizing. And Heath here clearly had the better strategy. Now that we know that, I’m going to make use of this new information.” He walked onto the floor and gave her a deep kiss. Carly pulled away. “What are people going to think?” “People are hardly paying us any attention whatsoever.” “What would Taletha think if she walked out of her office right now and saw us?”

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Jared chuckled. “I might be a new guy, but I’ve heard rumors that lead me to believe she wouldn’t care all that much.” Carly blushed. “Those are rumors, not facts. Besides, if she actually did anything at the studio, it certainly wasn’t while people were trying to have lessons and rehearsals.” “So you’re saying you’ll keep this up, but only after-hours?” Heath grinned. Carly couldn’t keep herself from smiling. “Kissing both of you feels completely right, but at the same time, I don’t feel like I really know what I’m doing.” “Are you sure we couldn’t talk you into a little workplace sex anyway?” Jared asked. “If afterwards, you decide you don’t want this to be a regular thing, at least we go to have some fun while you were making up your mind. And I bet the three of us naked in those mirrors would make a damn fine sight.” Carly blushed. “No way. I might want you both but definitely not here.” Heath turned toward Jared. “Then I guess our only option is for us to go somewhere else. Shall we all go back to my place?” “Heath, we’re in the middle of a lesson. And just because I haven’t decided one way or the other doesn’t mean we should be having casual sex.” “We’ve worked really hard this week, and you already said you were amazed at how well I danced the choreography. I say we can afford to take tonight off and have a little fun. Besides, I want to throw caution to the wind. I don’t get to do it often enough in my daily life.” “Well, we can’t leave together,” Carly said. “Why not?” “People might—people might suspect things.” Jared laughed. “Honey, are you always this uptight?” “I just happen to like discretion.”

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“Fine.” Heath pulled a business card and a pen out of his pocket and scrawled out his address. “I’ll go first. The two of you can leave at your leisure, and meet up with me at my place.” He slammed his mouth up against Carly’s one last time before leaving the studio. “I look forward to finding out how good the rest of you tastes.” “Everything okay?” Lynne called as Heath hurried toward the doors. He turned to her and grinned. “I don’t think my life has ever been better.” **** Carly stood in shock as she watched Heath leave the studio. “I can’t believe he just took off like that.” “What? You don’t believe a guy would be excited at the thought of taking you home?” “I just—we were having a lesson.” “And then you said that if we left the studio, we could fool around. What do you think he’d choose? Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I go need to head out to his place.” “Don’t you have to teach this afternoon?” “No, my last lesson was an hour ago. I was going to stay and do some drills, but I don’t think I’ll be able to concentrate. I think I’m just going to drive over there now and wait for you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll see you at Heath’s place in a little bit.” Carly remained frozen on the studio floor as she watched Jared hurry out of the studio and head toward the parking lot. As hard as her pussy throbbed, as much as her body tingled, as ready as she was to finish what they’d started a week before, she couldn’t bring herself to move. “Hey, are you okay?” Taletha walked up and put her hand on Carly’s shoulder.

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“I don’t know what to do,” she whispered, as a tear rolled down her cheek. “What? Okay, come sit down in my office. We’ll figure this out.” Taletha dragged her out of the studio and settled her on a couch. “Now, tell me what’s going on.” “I want Heath and Jared both so much. I just can’t. You wouldn’t understand.” “You feel wrong about having two guys at once?” Carly shook her head. “No, that’s not it. I thought it would be weird, but when I was kissing them both at the bar last week, nothing felt so natural. Everything felt completely perfect. It’s not them.” “So what is it?” Carly took a deep breath. “It’s Jake.” “What about Jake?” “He—he made me promise—” Carly couldn’t finish her sentence. The tears were starting to flow faster, and she hated crying and talking at the same time. “What did he make you promise? Wait, does this have something to do with why you haven’t gotten back into competition, even though it’s been six months?” “He’s—he’s really jealous. He can’t stand to see me moving on with my life professionally. It’s also why he’s also jealous of my love life. He made me promise not to get involved with either of them.” “Oh, Carly, that’s not fair of him. You can’t let him do that. You two can always stay friends, but he can’t keep you from living your life. What happened to his career was a tragedy, but you shouldn’t have to give yours up because of his bad luck.” “I know, I know. I just—you wouldn’t believe the hurt in his eyes when he knows I’m happy.” Carly omitted the part about Jake’s thinly veiled threats. She could barely admit to herself how scary he had become. It was impossible to admit it to anyone else. She hadn’t even made good on her plan to get him in therapy. Just the thought of

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having a phone conversation with Jake was enough to give her goose bumps. “If he really cared about you, he wouldn’t let that sadness get in the way of your happiness. He wouldn’t prevent you from finding satisfaction and joy. You can’t let him do that to you. It won’t do either of you any good. You’ll never be really happy, and he’ll never figure out how to move on.” Carly nodded. “Deep down, I know all that. I just can’t make myself hurt him. Do you have any idea how hard it is to make yourself do that?” “I can’t say I have any first-hand knowledge of that, but I can imagine how difficult it must be for you. Still, you can’t let him control your life. Just go. Dance with Jared all you want, and for goodness sake, have a good time with both of them.” Carly smiled. “I never thought I’d have the kind of job where my boss encouraged my sex life.” “Well, maybe you should do a better job of hiding it during business hours. By the way, you did violate company policy today.” Carly felt herself blush. “I knew people were watching.” “It’s okay. Consider this a warning.” “No problem. It won’t happen again.” “Good. Now go have some fun, please. You deserve it.” Carly hurried out of the studio and didn’t slow down when she got in her car. She navigated the light afternoon traffic, driving too fast, but she was too excited to care. Her whole body was on fire as she anticipated being sandwiched between both men. Her breasts tickled, her clit pulsed, and her pussy throbbed as she sped through the streets, running yellow lights and taking sharp turns. Soon, she found herself in a part of town she hardly thought about and rarely visited, the part of town where houses cost more than she expected to earn in her entire lifetime. She drove down the expanse that was Heath’s driveway and gasped when she finally stopped in

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front of his elegant stone mansion, surrounded by lush, well-sculpted landscaping. Carly’s hands started to shake as she approached the front door and rang the bell. “There you are,” Heath said with a grin as he opened the door. “We were beginning to think you weren’t going to show up.” “Taletha grabbed me just as I was heading out. She needed to talk with me for a minute.” “Well, you’re here now.” He pulled her inside, slammed the door shut, and pressed her up against the wall, locking his lips against hers, sliding his tongue between her teeth. She never realized her cunt could throb so hard, that it could be so needy for attention. “My turn,” Jared said, playfully shoving Heath aside. He took Carly’s face in his hands and kissed her gently, pressing deeper and harder as time elapsed. When he finally pulled away, Carly was gasping for breath. “I think I need to sit down,” she said, a smile forming on her lips. “I have an even better idea.” Heath grabbed her hand and started leading her up the staircase. Jared followed close behind them. Carly marveled briefly at the simple yet elegant furniture, but did not have much time to focus on her surroundings before the weight of the two men against her body crashed her into the soft mattress. One set of hands pulled at her skirt, and the other worked on pulling off her tank top. She sent each of her hands pawing at their belts, but found it was difficult to undo a buckle with one hand, especially when she had both men distracting her, caressing the skin of her breasts just above her bra line, teasing the flesh of her inner thighs. “I think she needs a little help,” Jared said, standing up and unbuckling his belt. He made a show of pulling it off, sliding it slowly through the loops before flinging it off to the side. Heath followed suit, then moved on to his jeans, sliding his zipper up and down several times before sliding them off his legs. Jared one-upped him,

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taking his boxer shorts down along with his pants, making Heath rush to slide out of his own underwear, his rigid cock bouncing with the sudden freedom. As both men pulled their shirts over their heads, Carly wiggled out of the last of her clothing and sprawled out on the bed, legs slightly apart, striking the most alluring pose she could think of. Once her men were free of their clothing, they both stepped back, their eyes growing wide. “Oh my god,” Heath gasped, bringing his hand up to his throat, as though he actually couldn’t breathe. “What?” she asked. “You’re beautiful,” he said. “I mean, you’re really beautiful. I’ve been fantasizing about you naked all week, and you’re even more gorgeous than I ever could have imagined.” He jumped back on the mattress and pressed Carly back into the pillows as he kissed her. Carly felt herself blush. Nobody had ever said something so sweet to her before. Nobody had ever seemed overwhelmed by her beauty before. Although she didn’t have much time to dwell on the compliment before she was overwhelmed by the sensation of four hands running all over her. Jared eased one finger around her clit, sending her entire body into spasms of pleasure. Then he plunged two fingers into her wet pussy, finding her swollen G-spot. Heath turned his attention to her clit so that both pleasure points were being stimulated at once. Carly sank back into the pillows as pleasure overwhelmed her. She closed her eyes, blocking out the world, allowing herself to focus only on the way they touched her and the electricity it was sending through her body. She allowed her mind to wander to thoughts of herself sandwiched between the three of them, one man’s hands raking down her back, the other set playing with her breasts and scratching along her arms, leaving marks as proof of the lust they had shared. She saw a vision of both men filling her at once, one man taking her cunt and the other taking her ass, both of them riding her

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until she lost all sense of space and time. She envisioned herself coming while both of them gripped and filled her, and as she imagined them reaching the apex together, her pussy seized up with pleasure, her whole body trembling with the energy of the orgasm racing through every nerve with a fire-like intensity. She collapsed on the bed, but only momentarily, before springing up to enjoy more of the fun. She planted a deep kiss on Jared’s lips and gripped Heath’s cock, starting to stroke him slowly. She moved to kiss Heath and brought her other hand to Jared’s cock, then pulled away to watch both of them groan and struggle to maintain balance. But as much as she enjoyed teasing them, Carly couldn’t get the image of both of them taking her at once out of her mind. There was only one thing that was going to satisfy her. She bent down and slowly took each cock in her mouth, sliding up at a snail’s pace. Then, she looked up at Heath. “Where’s your lube?” Jared swirled a finger in and out of her slick cunt. “Baby, I don’t think you need any. I can’t believe how wet you are.” “I know I don’t need lube for my pussy.” Heath raised an eyebrow. “So what do you mean?” “I mean that I want both of you at the same time.” Heath hurried off the bed and raced toward his dresser, where he quickly located a bottle of lube and tossed it on the bed before bouncing back on, making sure to land so his cock rubbed against her back as he bounced. “Just when I thought you couldn’t get any hotter,” he said, giving her another deep kiss and nibbling on her bottom lip before he pulled away. Carly noticed that Jared looked uncomfortable. “What is it, baby? Do you not want to share me that way?” “No, that’s not it. I’ve just—I admit, I’ve never done this before.” Carly kissed him. “No worries. Just let me take over.” She shot a smoldering glance over to Heath. “Do you know what you’re doing?” “Yes.”

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“Then stretch me. Jared, you lie down for me.” Jared complied, and Carly crawled on top of him, nibbling along his neck and collarbone and reaching down to stroke his shaft with aggression. She kissed him as she felt the first pressure of Heath’s lubed-up finger against her asshole. Continuing to kiss and stroke Jared as Heath worked, she hoped the vibrations from her mouth were sending even more pleasure through Jared’s lips. When he worked a first, and then a second, finger inside her tight hole, she pulled away and gasped. “Yes. I’m ready. Oh fuck, I’m so ready.” Before she let Heath enter her, she positioned the tip of Jared’s cock against her cunt and slid down slowly, feeling his legs jerk with arousal, watching his body writhe beneath her. When she was finally situated, she leaned forward to make her ass as accessible as possible. She felt Heath’s hands grip her hips as he slid into her, moving even slower than she had. She thought she might come just from the feeling of being stretched, of being filled by two cocks at once. When Heath finished sliding into her, Carly began to move, setting a brisk pace for them. She was too horny to take it slow and loved the feeling of slamming into Jared’s pelvis as Heath’s cock rammed into her ass. Jared reached his hands up and began to fondle her nipples, pinching them, rotating the tight beads between his fingertips. She felt the orgasm start to build deep within her body, but it wasn’t until Heath delivered a sharp smack across her ass that she began to lose control of her body. “More,” she gasped, reveling in the sweet burn that spread across her skin. Heath delivered three more smacks in rapid succession, and Jared pinched her nipples with even harder pressure. As Carly felt the last smack come in contact with her skin, she stopped moving, her entire body locked up in orgasmic ecstasy.

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As the electric rush pulsed through her veins, she slowly began to move again, this time leaning forward to bite Jared’s neck as she pushed into him. Heath moved his hand away from her ass and began raking his nails down her back, making her whole body shudder with delight. She felt his cock the most, the way he throbbed each time she pressed her ass back into his body. “Oh fuck, yes,” Heath groaned. Suddenly, he stopped scratching and delivered one final smack against her body as his cock gave one last throb. The sensation of him emptying inside her sent her into orgasm again, her muscles clenching both of the cocks that filled her. Below her, Jared’s face contorted into a look that was almost pained. He moaned and dug his fingernails into her arms, the force of the orgasm sending him slightly upright before he fell back on the bed, gasping for breath. Carly’s body gave one more shudder as Heath exited her. She carefully slid off of Jared’s cock and collapsed on top of him. “Fuck, that was amazing,” she murmured. “I’m ready to go again whenever you are.” Jared laughed. “I think I’m going to need just a bit longer to recuperate.” Heath suddenly looked somber. “I think before we have any more fun, we should talk about what happened last week, and why Carly spent so much time avoiding us.” “That’s not very fun pillow talk,” Carly said. “Still, don’t you think we should address it before we move forward with whatever this is?” “How about we take a nap first?” Jared asked. “I want to talk this stuff out, too, but I’m not in any position to have a serious discussion at the moment.” “Okay, nap first,” Heath said with a sigh. “But then we need to talk about this.” “And then we’ll fuck again?” Carly asked. Heath smiled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

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Chapter Six Jared knew they should have made time for discussion that evening, but it never worked out. He was just as guilty as the rest of them in avoiding the important conversation. As soon as they woke up from their nap, refreshed and relaxed, the allure of Carly’s naked, warm body had proven too distracting for anything resembling a serious discussion. Heath had tried to bring things up, and Jared had tried to keep a discussion going, but he had been completely entranced by Carly’s gorgeous curves, and as a result, the discussion didn’t go very far before he steered them away from conversation and toward kisses, caresses, and more sex. The problem had repeated throughout the night. Every time they tried to settle down and talk things over, talk had turned into casual flirtation, and then heavy teasing, and before they knew it, they were all back in Heath’s king-size bed. At one point, it occurred to Jared that if they would just put on clothes and sit down somewhere neutral, the discussion would go much easier, but he was so enjoying the sight of Carly’s naked body, and so enjoying the way she touched his, that he couldn’t bring himself to break the spell and turn to serious matters. Before he finally drifted off to sleep for the night, he reassured himself that they would talk everything over in the morning, especially because he was sure they would all be too sore to fool around again when they woke up. Yet when he opened his eyes the next morning and found Carly cuddled up against him, his cock immediately stirred to life. His arms were tired and his legs ached, but he was horny before he was fully conscious. He tried to think away his arousal, tried to concentrate on

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work, on bills, anything that would distract him from the beautiful woman in his arms, but his cock refused to relent. “I can feel that, you know,” Carly murmured. “Don’t worry about it. I know you’re probably sore from last night.” “Parts of me are sure, yeah. But there are definitely ways to work around it.” “What do you mean?” Rather than answering his question, Carly slid beneath the covers. Jared felt her tongue ease around the head of his cock, and then slide up and down the shaft before her lips surrounded his length completely. He groaned softly, trying not to wake Heath, as she began to thrust up and down along his dick. Jared gripped the sheet, twisting the covers around as his body was shot through with sparks of pleasure. Carly traced one finger along his thighs, making his aching legs tremble. Then she cupped his balls in her palm, rolling them around in her fingers as she increased the pace of her sucking. Jared felt the orgasm building, and as he rolled his head around on the pillow, trying to hold back release for as long as possible, his eyes fell on Heath, who had his eyes closed, and yet his cock made an obvious tent in the sheets. Jared could see the fabric moving, and realized that Heath had been watching them. The realization that he’d been watched while getting a blow job was all that Jared needed to go over the edge. In a matter of seconds, he’d lost control of his body, the electric pulses sending cum deep into Carly’s mouth. After swallowing him down, Carly emerged from under the sheets with a smile on her face. She looked over at Heath. “Hey, slow down. Let me finish you off.” “That’s the best idea I’ve heard so far today,” he said with a laugh. Carly slid over to the other side of the bed, pulled the covers away, and took Heath all the way into her mouth. Jared wished he

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wasn’t completely spent and exhausted already, because watching Carly suck off another guy was one of the hottest things he had ever seen in his life. He loved watching the way her hands made their way around Heath’s body, adding to the pleasure he was experiencing. He was fascinated by how expressive her eyes were as she sucked, and how deep down her throat she was able to take Heath. What excited him most of all, though, was the way she jerked her head back and swallowed as he cried out with orgasm, the way she swallowed him down and licked him clean. It was always enjoyable to receive such treatment, but Jared realized it was also fascinating to watch. “Someday, you’re going to have to do that again when I haven’t just gotten off, so I can really enjoy watching,” he said as Carly pulled away from Heath. “I don’t think anybody will complain about that.” She grinned, but her expression changed quickly when she saw the clock. “Crap, I need to be at the studio in twenty minutes.” “Should we all use the shower at the same time for the sake of efficiency?” Jared saw the mischief dancing in Heath’s eyes. “Sorry, but if I do that, I’ll never get out the door on time. I’m running late, too.” Heath sighed. “Fair enough. There are two guest showers down the hall if you want to use them.” Jared hurried to get clean, then he and Carly raced out the door. Just as he was getting into his car, his phone went off. He checked the caller ID. Taletha was on the line. “Hey, I’m running a little late, and I don’t want to talk and drive. Can this wait until I get to the studio?” Taletha ignored his question. “What do you know about Melissa Roth?” “What do you mean? Other than the fact that my lesson with her starts in ten minutes, and I’m going to be late if I can’t get off the phone right now.”

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“Dammit, I don’t have time for this. Just get your ass to the studio. We’ll talk when you get here.” Jared didn’t have time to think about what Taletha was upset about. He turned on the ignition and peeled out of Heath’s driveway, barely paying attention to the talk radio that was perpetually running in the background. Cursing the first red light he hit, Jared was finally pulled out of his panic when he heard Melissa Roth’s name on the radio. “Governor Charles Merwin has filed articles of impeachment against Mayor Melissa Roth,” the newscaster said. Jared immediately turned up the volume. He had a feeling it didn’t matter that he was running late. He didn’t imagine Melissa would be at the studio that day. He didn’t think he’d be dancing with her in the show, either. The light turned green, and Jared did his best to stay focused on the road while sopping up as much information as possible from the news. “Impeachment of a local-level government official is extremely rare, and it is only the second time such action has been taken in the entire history of this state. While in most cases, a simple recall vote is put into effect, the severity of Mayor Roth’s transgressions has left the governor, quote, ‘feeling forced into taking such harsh action.’” Jared squealed into the first available parking spot, shut off the ignition, and raced into the studio. Sure enough, he didn’t see any sign of Melissa as he looked in through the glass doors. He did, however, find Taletha pacing around the front desk with such fury that he thought she was going to wear a hole in the carpet. “This has to do with what I just heard on the news, doesn’t it?” Jared asked as Taletha rushed toward him. “Did you know about this?” The edge in her voice was unmistakable. She was clearly trying to keep her temper, but it was a tough battle. “Well, yes. After Melissa left our first rehearsal early, I went outside, and accidentally overheard her talking on her cell phone. I

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know I probably should have told you, but I couldn’t bring myself to rat her out. I just didn’t want to be the guy who made all of her problems worse. She didn’t need any help with that one.” “I’m surprised she managed to keep it quiet as long as she did. Even so, though, you should have told me.” “What good would have that done?” Taletha looked around. “Let’s go into my office. I will not have you questioning my authority in front of the rest of the staff. Is that clear?” Jared nodded and followed her into the office. “Now, why didn’t you tell me about all this right when you found out?” Taletha asked, the patience in her voice slipping away. “What good would it have done?” “It would have been nice to have been prepared for this.” “What would you have done differently?” “I certainly would have thought long and hard about whether or not she should actually participate in the show.” Jared couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You’d actually take her out of the lineup for an event designed to help us?” “Exactly. Her presence won’t be a help to us if it causes all of our other participants to pull out or if it lowers attendance rates. Supporting her could be a politically and fiscally dangerous move right now.” “I can’t believe you. Look, she did something completely wrong, but she’s sorry for what she did, and willing to accept the consequences.” “If she was so willing to accept the consequences, then why did she wait until someone else ratted her out? Why didn’t she come clean?” “Would you dig your own grave so readily?” Taletha shrugged and averted her eyes. “I guess not. Still, she shouldn’t have done that, and I’m not sure the studio should show implicit support in allowing her to be in the performance, assuming she doesn’t have the decency to quit.”

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“I don’t understand why you’re so worried about her participation.” “I want my studio to stay financially solvent. The bad publicity that might get generated by allowing her to participate is too much to risk. ” “Come on, Taletha. Don’t tell me you’ve never done anything crazy for love. And don’t tell me that if Morris and Adam had somehow gotten themselves into such trouble, you wouldn’t do something just as reckless and illegal to try and save them.” Taletha’s expression hardened again. “I wouldn’t do that.” “Really? Are you honestly that much of a cold, calculating businesswoman that you’d leave either of your lovers at the mercy of a loan shark rather than break some laws to keep them safe?” Taletha glared at Jared. “Okay, okay, I’d probably break the law for them.” “Look, she made a mistake, she got caught, and she’s going to face the consequences. Let’s put a positive spin on this. Let’s show that we’re willing to forgive her transgressions as long as she pays her debt to society, both literally and figuratively.” “I’m still skeptical. Though I suppose that it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to show support if she’s repentant. Besides, being affiliated with a major political scandal might even be good for business, in a weird way.” “It could easily drive attendance up rather than pushing people away.” “Okay, we’ll try it your way. But if I get uncomfortable with the way things are going, I’m reserving the right to actually make the final decisions about the studio I own.” Jared nodded. “Thank you for giving her a chance. I really appreciate it.” “Not that it’s going to matter much. She’ll probably back out.” The intercom buzzed. “Taletha?” Lynne’s voice came through the speaker, weak and scratchy.

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Taletha pressed the intercom button. “What’s up?” “Melissa Roth is here.” “Send her in.” After she released the intercom button, she turned back to Jared. “I hope you’re right and this all works out.” A few seconds later, Melissa tentatively opened the door to Taletha’s office, her eyes red and puffy. “I–I’m so sorry I’m late,” she said, sniffling back tears. “Things have been—well, it’s been a stressful morning, as I’m sure you can imagine.” “How are you holding up?” Jared asked. “As well as could be expected, I supposed. They’re moving the hearing along quickly. I have about a week left before everything begins.” “I’m sorry you have to deal with all of this.” “So am I, but it’s my own fault. I’ll hold myself accountable for my actions and face whatever consequences result from them. I don’t expect to be in office much longer.” She paused for a moment, looking from Jared to Taletha and back again. “You were talking about me, weren’t you?” “We were actually wondering whether you planned on staying in the show or not,” Taletha said. Jared appreciated her tact. He couldn’t help feeling sympathy for Melissa, and he didn’t want her to feel any worse than she already did. “So you don’t want me to step down?” “The choice is entirely up to you,” Taletha said. “I was assuming you would probably feel obligated to leave the show due to recent demands on your professional life, but if you want to continue in the performance, you’re welcome to stay. The official policy of this studio is that we love the sinner and hate the sin.” A small smile cracked through Melissa’s sorrowful exterior. “Thank you. I’m grateful that someone in this town isn’t shunning me. Even—” Her voice cracked again. “Even my husband has

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decided to cut and run, and I did this all for him.” A lone tear trickled down her cheek. Jared took her hand. “Well, let’s get your mind off of your troubles for a little bit.” Giving Taletha a grateful smile, he took Melissa’s hand and led her out toward one of the smaller studios where they could have more privacy. He shut the door, turned on a loud two-step, took Melissa in his arms, and began dancing as though his life depended on it. He could tell that her focus wasn’t in the present moment, that the weight of her problems was distracting her, but he didn’t fault her. He couldn’t even imagine what she was thinking at the moment. As the music went on, though, he could feel her start to relax, and turn her thoughts to the dance itself. “Feeling better?” he asked when the music came to an end. Melissa finally gave a truly genuine smile. “Yes, actually. Thank you for that.” “Good. Now let’s get to work. Shall we run the choreography from the beginning?” Jared was glad to see that Melissa truly threw herself into the dance. She wasn’t just going through the steps. She was dancing with more emotion than he’d ever seen. For once, he wasn’t nervous about how they would look together on stage. While she wouldn’t achieve professional-quality dancing in the next few weeks, he knew she was going to look gorgeous on the floor. They were both drenched in sweat by the time the practice ended an hour later. “Thanks for rehearsing with me, even though I was late,” she said. “Don’t worry about it. Things happen, and I had the hour off, anyway.” She sighed as she walked toward the door. “I don’t want to go out there. I can only imagine who might be lurking out there, trying to give me a sound bite. I always wanted to go into local politics, because I knew I could maintain some sense of my own life. It’s not like at the federal level, where you’re watched every second of the

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day. All of a sudden, I can’t escape anybody. Even national papers are reporting on this case. I guess mayoral impeachments are rare enough that people across the country care about them.” “Let me walk you to your car,” Jared said. “You shouldn’t have to brave them alone.” “Good luck, Melissa,” Lynne called as they walked out the door. “Thanks.” As the door shut, Melissa turned to Jared with a surprised look. “I can’t believe how nice everyone is being to me around here. After the morning I’ve had, you have no idea how wonderful this is.” “I’m glad we could make this all a little bit easier for you.” The crowd outside the studio was not as bad as Jared had been anticipating. Still, the small gaggle of reporters clustered around the main entrance was intimidating as the journalists swarmed around them, desperate for a scoop. “Mayor Roth will not be answering any questions,” Jared snapped. Melissa took his hand and squeezed. He squeezed back, hoping to provide even a modicum of comfort. Hurrying past the crowd, he rushed to her car, opening the door for her. “Thank you, Jared. You have no idea how much your support means to me.” She placed a kiss on his cheek, then tried to move in toward his lips. “Woah, woah woah.” Jared jumped back. “What are you doing?” “Just trying to express my gratitude.” She moved in again, and this time Jared ducked so fast that she nearly fell over. Unable to not be a gentleman, he grabbed her arm and steadied her, but broke away as soon as she was steady on her feet again. “No, really, stop. Look at those reporters over there. Are you trying to add fuel to the fire?” Melissa sighed. “Damn, I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I’m not thinking clearly right now.”

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“It’s okay,” Jared said. He wanted to give her a reassuring hug, but decided it would be best to keep his distance. “I know everything is a little out of whack right now. Let’s just keep our relationship professional, okay?” “Of course. I’ll see you for rehearsal on Monday, right?” “Right. Good luck, Melissa.” “Thanks.” Jared watched her drive off before heading back into the studio. As he approached the doors, the gaggle of reporters tried to approach. “Buzz off,” he snapped, wishing he could have been more vulgar, but knew perfectly well that anything he said could be used not just against him, but the studio. He gave the reporters a glare before shutting the door and hurried back into the main studio to teach his next lesson.

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Chapter Seven Carly was glad she hadn’t had a full teaching schedule that day. She and Heath weren’t slated to practice again until later in the week, and she hadn’t had any group classes. Her few private lessons she’d had to teach had flown by quickly, and she’d been able to hurry home to prepare for company. She straightened up her house and began to cook an elegant dinner for the three of them to share, to celebrate the fact that things were finally coming together. She heard a knock on the door sooner than she’d anticipated. When she opened it, she found Jared, looking exhausted. “Hey, beautiful,” she said, giving him a kiss. “You’re a little early. I hope you don’t mind waiting.” She hurried into the kitchen, took out the bottle of wine she’d been saving for a special occasion, and poured a glass for him. He took it and chugged down half the contents. “I take it you didn’t have a good day,” she said. “Certainly you’ve heard the news.” “About the mayor? Yeah. I was amazed that you stood up for her. I don’t know anyone else who would do that.” Jared shrugged. “She did something wrong, but she’s sorry. I don’t see the point in continuing to tear her down.” “Well, I admire you for sticking to your principles, and for managing to convince Taletha to take your side. Now, just relax. I’m preparing the three of us a really nice dinner. We can spend the rest of the evening chilling out. “Thank you for not giving more crap about it. I took enough flak from Taletha about it this morning.”

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Carly shrugged. “I can’t say I feel quite as charitable to the mayor as you do, but I’m not going to fault you for doing what you think is right.” “I love you,” Jared said as he plopped himself down at the table. He’d said the words with such simplicity and casualness that at first, Carly didn’t quite register what had passed through his lips. Suddenly, though, the implication hit her full force. She stopped cooking and turned to stare at him, her eyes getting wider with each second. It didn’t seem that Jared could believe what he’d just said, either. His jaw dropped, and he stared at Carly as though she were the one who had just said something life-changing. They stayed that way for a few minutes. Carly didn’t have the courage to ask whether or not he meant it, because she was afraid he regretting saying the words. She didn’t want him to regret them, though. She wanted him to mean them, just like she meant the words she had been hiding until she was sure it was the right time. “What’s going on?” Heath asked, coming through the door. He looked from Carly to Jared and back again. “Did the two of you start talking without me?” “You could say that, yeah,” Carly said. “Really? What the hell? I thought we were going to finally sit down and figure things out together.” “Oh, we weren’t talking about that,” Jared said. “Would the two of you quit being so damn vague? What the heck is going on here?” Carly swallowed. She was going to have to get the truth sooner or later. “Jared was just telling me that he loves me.” Heath looked shocked. “Really.” Carly nodded. “Really. I’m just not sure if he meant it or not.” Jared finally closed his mouth and swallowed. “I did mean it. I just didn’t realize it until I said it. I surprised myself for a moment

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there. The words just slipped out, but they felt so right. I love you, Carly.” Carly smiled, half out of joy and half out of relief. “I love you, too, Jared.” She turned to her other lover, standing in the doorway. “And I love you, Heath.” Again, a sense of fear settled over her. She knew she had Jared’s love, but she had no clue what was racing through Heath’s head or heart at that moment. Fortunately, a grin burst across his face. “I love you, too.” Carly poured more wine and handed Heath a glass. “A toast to us.” They clinked their glasses. “Now that we’ve gotten through the tricky declaration of love, I suppose we should really have that talk now,” Heath said with a laugh. “Let’s go over to the couch and get comfortable.” As soon as they were settled, Heath launched right in. “So why did you spend a week avoiding us?” Carly sighed. “My dance partner and I have a pretty dysfunctional relationship. And that’s an understatement. We’ve had an extremely dysfunctional relationship ever since he got injured and had to quit dancing entirely.” “But what does that have to do with us?” Jared asked. “Jake made me promise that since he couldn’t compete, I wouldn’t compete, either. I could still teach to earn a living, but I would sideline myself so he wouldn’t have to watch me move on without him.” “That’s ridiculous,” Jared said. “I can’t believe that he’d demand that of you.” “You went along with it, didn’t you?” Heath asked. Carly nodded. “I couldn’t stand seeing him in so much pain. Quitting the competition circuit hurt like hell, but it was still easier than seeing him in so much misery. Then, though, he got even more demanding.”

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“How so?” Heath asked. “When he found out that Jared had gotten hired at the studio, he got very jealous very quickly. He thought I’d try to start competing again, and Jake made me swear that I wouldn’t dance with Jared.” “You went along with that, too, I take it,” Jared said. “For a while, yes. That’s why I was so distant that first week, too. I had to avoid you at all costs, because that was really the only way I could get away with not dancing.” “So what changed at the club?” “I lost my ability to be miserable. I just wanted to have fun. So I let myself enjoy dancing with both of you, and kissing both of you.” “Until he happened to walk up on all of us.” Carly nodded. “I chased after him to apologize and—and he hinted that he might hurt himself over my betrayal. He made me reaffirm my promise not to dance with Jared and made me swear I wouldn’t date either of you.” “I just don’t understand why you kept giving into his demands,” Heath said. “He’d already been through so much suffering. His entire career was taken away from him. If someone you cared about was in that much pain, you’d do anything to make them feel better, even if you had to make some personal sacrifices.” He sighed. “I suppose you’re right. But I still wouldn’t put someone I loved through so much agony, the way he did with you.” “I know you wouldn’t, but you’re not him. I’m not saying what he did was right, but please keep in mind the hell that he’s been through.” Heath nodded. “I guess maybe if my life as I knew it ended, I’d make unreasonable demands, too. I don’t like to think so, but anything is possible.” “Well, Jake was great at making such demands. That’s why I avoided both of you for a week. Again, total avoidance was the only

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way I could keep my promise. I almost thought about not coming over that first night, when Heath suggested going back to his place.” Heath raised an eyebrow. “What changed your mind?” “Taletha talked some sense into me. She finally made me realize that I couldn’t put my life on hold for Jake, and that he was never going to move on if I let him keep pushing me around.” “Well, you clearly broke your promise again, and big time. Has he found out?” Carly shook her head. “Not that I know of. It’s not like I plan on telling him, either. I think it would be best if I cut him out of my life completely, starting now. Any confrontation we have will just turn ugly. I think this is for the best.” “Seconded,” Jared said. “Thirded,” Heath said, pressing his mouth against hers. Carly leaned back on the couch, yielding to Heath’s lips. He pulled away and Jared rushed to take his place, sliding his tongue between her teeth. As he moved away, Heath began to move toward her again, when they were interrupted by the shrill squeal of the smoke alarm. “Shit! I completely forgot about dinner!” Carly rushed to the kitchen, pulled the charred soufflé out of the oven, and dumped it into the sink. Then, she opened the kitchen windows to air the room out and shut off the alarm. “Well, I think we’re going to have to order a pizza,” she said, flopping back down on the couch. “The meal I made has been completely destroyed. I’m sorry about that. I really should have set a timer before we sat down to talk.” She picked up her wineglass and, in her frustration, chugged the rest of the contents. “Don’t worry,” Heath said. “I’m sure we can find a way to take our minds off of this little tragedy.” He winked at Jared. Suddenly, Carly was overwhelmed by the sensation of two sets of hands running up and down her body.

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“Wait, somebody take my glass before I drop it,” she gasped. “I don’t want glass shards all over the floor.” “I can help with that.” Heath took her glass and placed it on the end table. “Now, where were we?” “I believe your hands were right there,” Jared said, nodding at Carly’s breasts. “Oh, of course. Thank you for reminding me.” He pushed the straps of Carly’s tank top off her shoulders, leaving her breasts precariously hidden behind the fabric. Gripping the seams, he pulled the last of the fabric off of her breasts. They bounced with the amount of force that he used, but Jared made sure to catch them both in his strong hands. He pinched her nipples, rolling them between her thumb and her forefinger. Carly threw her head back against the couch, letting the sensations wash all over her. Heath reached up her skirt, pulled aside her panties, and slid a finger into her pussy, which had been getting wetter and wetter since they had settled on the couch. Even though she had mentally focused on the conversation at hand, her body had wanted only one thing, and she was relieved that her men were finally meeting those needs. “Should we move up to the bedroom?” Carly asked. “I think the bed might be a little more comfortable.” “But that would involve moving,” Heath murmured. “And I don’t want to get up, not even for a minute. I want to stay here and fuck you.” “Same here,” Jared whispered. “I’m sure we can figure out a way to fit on this couch.” “Or maybe we’ll just have to take you on the floor. That carpet looks nice and plush. I bet it would be comfortable, and I bet you’d look amazing sprawled out on it.” Carly struggled up from the couch and out of their touch. “Well, as much as it pains me to pull away even for a second, I have to run

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upstairs for just a moment, because we’re going to need some lube, and I keep that in my bedroom.” “We’re going to need lube again, are we?” Heath asked, a smirk on his face. “I like having both men at once. I’m greedy like that.” Carly raced up to her room, grabbed her lube, and hurried back down the stairs. She was gone less than a minute, but by the time she returned, Jared and Heath were both completely naked, settled comfortably on the couch, and stroking their cocks. “Maybe I shouldn’t let either of you fuck me,” she said, her pussy clenching at the sight of both men touching themselves. “Maybe I should just make you put on a show for me, just jerk off and let me watch.” “We all know that’s not what you really want,” Jared said. “We all know that you want two cocks in you at once. So the only question is, how long are you going to torture yourself, and us, by making everyone wait?” Carly grinned. “You sound a little desperate.” “Maybe I am, at least just a little bit.” “Desperation isn’t sexy.” “It is, and you know it,” Heath said. “Don’t pretend that you’re not getting turned on knowing just how much we both want you. You practically get off on the fact that we’re going crazy here, wondering when you’re finally going to fuck us.” Carly couldn’t deny that they were right, and that she was just as desperate as they were. Watching them stroke their cocks was hot, but it wasn’t enough for her. She tossed the bottle of lube to Jared. “I think you need to be in my ass this time. Heath already had a turn. Now I want to try you out.” As Jared picked up the bottle and started to slick up his finger, Carly straddled Heath. “Are you ready for me?” she asked. “Yes,” he gasped. “Are you sure? Don’t you want me to tease you first?”

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“I don’t want you to tease me, ever. Fuck me right now, please. I’m begging you, Carly. I’ll do anything if you just fuck me right now.” Carly slid herself down on Heath’s cock, watching his face contort with pleasure as her cunt muscles enveloped his rigid dick. “I’m ready for you to stretch me,” she said to Jared. He knelt down behind her and gently brought his slick fingertip against her tight hole. He eased it around in a circle, giving enough pleasure to send sparks through her body, but not quite enough to get her ready to accommodate his cock. “You’re going to have to give me a little more than that,” she said. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll tell you if I need to stop.” Jared continued moving his fingertip around in a circle, pressing harder and harder, and then finally slid a finger in, loosening the tight muscles just enough for entry. “Fuck!” Carly gasped. “That feels amazing.” “Just wait until it’s my cock,” Jared said. Carly began to move slowly, giving Heath some stimulation and allowing Jared to work his finger in and out of her slowly. As her muscles spasmed, adjusting to the presence of his finger, small jolts of electricity shot up her spine. “Another finger,” she gasped as the pleasure started to build in her body. She paused again, letting Jared lube himself up a little more before slipping the finger into her. Her ass loosened, then clenched tighter around him. Carly began to ride Heath again, slowly still, allowing her body to adjust to the sensations. The bolts of energy flew faster now, infusing every nerve. Orgasmic pressure began building deep in her cunt, but they were going too slow for her to find release. While she relished the teasing at first, it wasn’t long before her hungry body demanded more. “I’m ready,” she said when she couldn’t take any more of the teasing that Jared’s fingers offered her. She paused for the last time, waiting for Jared to lube up his cock. As he slid into her, she leaned over and sank her teeth into Heath’s neck, relishing the way his flesh

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yielded to her mouth and the way her own body yielded to both of their cocks. Heath groaned and his dick pulsed inside her, sending her cunt into even deeper spasms. As soon as Jared was ready, Carly started riding faster and faster, slamming her body against both of her men. Jared snaked one hand around her front and started fondling her breasts, pinching at the nipples in a way that drove Carly wild. With his other hand, he scratched his nails down her back, which make her legs go weak. She refused to collapse, though, loving the way it felt to be between them, not wanting to pull away for a different position. She reached up and grabbed a fistful of Heath’s hair, pulled his head back, and ran the tip of her tongue along his neck, savoring the salty taste of his flesh. Heath dug his nails into her ass and used his arms to pull her even harder and harder against him as she continually increased the pace. “Fuck, yes!” Jared cried. Carly felt his cock give one last huge throb, and she felt his teeth sink into her shoulder as his orgasm sent such heavy tremors through his body that she felt every wave. The sensation of Jared’s orgasm, combined with his teeth against her flesh, set Carly off, her ass and cunt muscles both seizing up before pleasure ripped through the rest of her body. Taking a cue from Jared, she bit Heath again, and as she did she heard him cry out with his own orgasm and felt him empty into her. As she pulled away from both men, Carly collapsed to the floor. Both men immediately reached down to pick her up. “You okay?” Heath asked, brushing her hair out of her eyes. Carly grinned. “I can honestly say that I’ve never felt better” “You’re all we need.” Jared said before dotting her neck with kisses. “Now maybe we should do something about dinner.” “I’ll order a pizza,” Heath said, pulling out his cell phone. “And then, I want to see how many times we can make Carly come before it arrives.” “Let’s see if you can make it ten.” She giggled as Jared dropped to his knees and spread her legs. When he began licking her clit, she

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stopped caring whether or not they had any dinner at all. The pizza didn’t need to arrive, as long as she had men to love and pleasure her all night, every night.

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Chapter Eight “What are you thinking about?” Carly asked one morning as she started waking up. Jared had been lying awake, thinking about how lucky he was to get to wake up next to her, and those thoughts were intensified when her hands started stroking his thighs and fluttering around his cock. He felt his dick start sputtering to life, and suddenly, he found himself struggling to keep the most basic thoughts in his head. “I’m thinking about the future.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, savoring the sensation of her skin on his. “Oh? What about it?” Her hands moved up to his chest, fingertips spiraling around his nipples and raking down his toned abs. He gasped, trying to keep his thoughts together and form coherent sentences. “I’m just picturing the three of us together, that’s all. Considering where we might live if we moved in together.” Carly reached up and pinched one of his earlobes, then leaned in to whisper directly into his ear. “Do you want to move in together?” Jared’s train of thought completely vanished. “Oh, damn, you make me feel amazing.” “You didn’t answer my question.” She placed a series of kisses along his collarbone, which only served to further distract him from the conversation at hand. “What did you want to know? I can’t remember” “I asked you if you wanted to move in together.” She started running her fingers through his hair.

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“Not right this second. Still, the thought of it is nice. I’d like if it happened sooner rather than later, but I want the two of you to be sure you’re ready for it.” “What are we talking about?” Heath asked, rolling over and running his hand up and down Carly’s arm. “Living in sin,” Jared said. “The three of us sharing the same house and the same bed, and Carly waking us up with sex every morning.” “I don’t think I said I’d seduce you every morning. The two of you have to wake me up with sex at least three times a week.” “I guess we’ll have to negotiate,” Jared said with a laugh. “Regardless of how we sort things out, I do like the sound of sin as a general concept,” Heath said, and gave Carly a deep kiss. Jared’s cock sprang fully into action at the sight of them, with Carly pressed into the pillows as Heath nibbled her lips and pulled her hair. Jared started to stroke himself as he watched them continue to kiss, saw Carly’s nails rake along Heath’s back, heard him moan with the stimulation. “Do you plan to keep watching?” Carly asked him when they finally pulled apart. “Or do you want to join in?” “As fun as it can be to watch, I think I’d rather participate.” He crawled toward Carly and straddled her chest. “What do you think about giving me one of those blow jobs that are so amazing?” Rather than respond, Carly lifted her head, sliding her lips down Jared’s rigid shaft. She pulled back slowly, pulling her mouth off him completely, and he gasped as the cool air hit his cock. “Fuck, yes, that’s exactly what I want. Please, give me more.” “Not yet. I’m not much of a morning person. I’m just going to have to go slow with you until I wake up a little more.” She took the tip of her tongue and swirled it around his head, taking her time. Jared was already trembling so fiercely that he had to grip the bedpost for support. He wanted to beg her to speed up, but he

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also knew that if he rushed her, she’d find ways to torture and tease him even more. As Carly slid her mouth back down his cock, she gave a deep moan that reverberated all the way through his body and nearly set him off before he was ready. Jared looked over his shoulder, curious to see what Heath was doing to cause her such excitement. He saw him kneeling down, slowly sliding his tongue along her wet slit, and then darting it against her clit. He watched as her knees twitched in response to the stimulus and felt himself getting harder as he realized how much she was enjoying herself. “Go faster,” he said, not sure which person would listen to him. Fortunately, Carly decided to pay attention, and started sliding her mouth over his cock at a steady clip. Jared looked back over his shoulder and saw that Heath had also decided to take his suggestion, and was eating Carly out with a frenetic speed. Still, Carly was moving too slowly to match his horniness. When he tried to increase the pace, though, he found that he was completely powerless to Carly’s whims. As he tried to move faster, she took her hands and scratched her nails all the way down his back, then repeated the scratching all the way down his chest. The pleasure that started running through him made him stop moving completely. He was paralyzed with the delicious, almost painful sensation, leaving him entirely at her mercy. Just when Jared thought he was going to explode, she pulled her hands away completely, which had him reeling with the desire for more. “Please, do that again,” he gasped. Carly paused, shook her head, and then began sucking his cock again, going slightly faster this time. “Please, Carly, scratch me again. I’ll do absolutely anything. I’m begging you.” She looked up at him with mischief in her eyes, shook her head again, and resumed the quick thrusts.

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“Please, love, don’t leave me hanging like this. I want to come, and I want to come now.” He waited for Carly’s response, but before he got one, she began to scream in muffled tones and struggled to keep sucking him. But Jared didn’t care that she was struggling to keep her mouth gripping his cock, because the sight and sensation of her orgasm was the sexiest thing he had ever seen. The vibrations from her muted groans brought his own body to climax, the waves of pleasure running through him. As he emptied into her mouth, he gripped the bedpost so hard that his knuckles went white. As soon as Jared caught his breath, he eased off of Carly, and watched as Heath came up for air, grinning. “Ready for me?” Heath asked. “Of course I am,” Carly said, still panting from her own orgasm. Jared watched Heath plunge his cock into Carly’s wet pussy and wished he didn’t need time to recover. He couldn’t bring himself to sit out if he couldn’t play with himself, so he leaned over and brought his mouth to Carly’s breasts, sliding the tip of his tongue slowly around each nipple, making her moan. As Heath increased his thrusts, Jared started using his teeth, first biting one nipple and then another. Carly writhed and thrashed so hard that Jared struggled to keep her breasts in his mouth, but he held on, intent on giving her the best pleasure he could. “Fuck, you’re amazing,” Heath moaned. “I know,” Carly gasped, and then let out a scream as her body contorted with extreme pleasure. Jared twisted both nipples around in his fingers, hoping to intensify the pleasure even more. “Fuck, yes,” Heath groaned, and froze all movement as his orgasm hit. He pulled away slowly, trembling as he moved, and collapsed down on the mattress. “Now I want to go back to sleep,” Carly murmured, settling herself between them.

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Jared glanced at the clock. “Unfortunately, that’s not really an option. We don’t even have time for showers. You and I need to be at the studio in ten minutes.” “Shit!” Carly yelled, jumping off the bed and rushing to her overnight bag. “I cannot believe this happened again. Why doesn’t anybody set an alarm clock?” “Would we really listen to it?” Heath asked. “No, I guess not.” The three of them raced into their clothes, and then raced out of the house. Heath jumped into his car and peeled out of the driveway at high speed before Jared and Carly had opened the door to Jared’s car. “If this keeps up, we’re going to get fired,” Jared said as he and Carly buckled up. “Relax, this is only the second time it’s happened.” “Yeah, but the first time was just last week. I don’t think Taletha’s going to be okay with us rushing in late on a weekly basis.” “Well, if we hurry, we won’t actually be late. So step on it.” As soon as Jared turned on the ignition, his cell phone went off. Glancing at the display, he saw that it was Taletha. “Can you answer that?” he asked, handing the phone over to her. “She’s probably wondering where we are. Just tell her we’re on the way.” “Hey, Taletha,” Carly said. “Jared and I are running late, but— what? No, I can’t put him on, he’s driving the car. What? Okay, okay, we’re almost there. Yes, I’ll send him right over to you.” She hung up the phone. “What did I do now?” Carly flipped on the radio. “I think the news will tell us.” Jared noticed iciness in her voice that made him nervous, but he decided it wasn’t the time to bring it up. “Mayor Roth’s legal issues seem to be getting worse,” the newscaster said. “And a local business seems to be embroiled in the

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battle. An anonymous source has implicated an instructor at the Rhythm and Motion Dance Studio as being involved in trying to cover up Mayor Roth’s crimes and trying to prevent the news from being leaked to the local media.” “Shit!” Jared cried, trying to maintain control of the car as a sense of panic set in. He wanted to shut the radio off and pretend that nothing was happening, but he forced himself to listen to every untrue rumor that was being spouted. “Dancer Jared Brooks has been working with Mayor Roth on a regular basis. Mayor Roth is slated to take part in the studio’s local Dancing With the Stars fundraiser, which is taking place to help pay for studio renovations after vandalism that occurred last month. Our source indicates that Mayor Roth frequently confided in Mr. Brooks, and that he fought to help conceal what she’d done.” Although he knew he needed to listen to the broadcast, Jared couldn’t stand listening to another second of lies. He mashed the power button into the console and the car went silent. “Carly, they’re making shit up.” “Are they?” “Of course they are.” “So the mayor never confided in you?” “Well, she did, but I didn’t do anything to cover it up. I just didn’t go leaking it everywhere, either.” “How long did you know about this?” “About two weeks before the media did.” “Yet you didn’t see fit to tell anyone.” “Why would I?” “Because she broke the law and stole taxpayer money to pay gambling debts!” Jared winced at the irritation in Carly’s voice. “I found out by eavesdropping on a phone conversation. It’s bad enough that I was listening in. It would have been pretty nasty for me to rat her out when she didn’t offer that information to me.”

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“Well, maybe if you had, you wouldn’t be in this mess now.” “Come on, that’s not fair. Think about what she’s going through. Not only is she about to lose her job, but her husband, the person she risked everything to help, has abandoned her.” “The losing her job part is her own damn fault.” “Still, have a little pity on her. How would you feel if the person you’d just destroyed your career to help completely walked out on you once the shit hit the fan?” Carly sighed. “I guess you’re right. Still, you should have said something.” “No, I shouldn’t have. I shouldn’t have been listening in on her phone conversation in the first place. I just didn’t feel right blabbing information I wasn’t supposed to have had.” “Fine.” Jared could tell by the edge in Carly’s voice that everything wasn’t fine. “Okay, what else is wrong?” “You didn’t—you didn’t fool around with her or anything, did you?” Jared briefly considered the awkward almost-kiss that Melissa had tried to foist upon him but decided it wasn’t relevant. They hadn’t technically kissed, and he’d make sure to set up strict boundaries after that. His relationship with Melissa had been purely professional ever since. “No, I never fooled around with her.” “Not even in your first weeks here, before we got together?” “Of course not!” “She’s pretty.” “Why would I get involved with a married woman?” Carly shrugged. “I don’t know. You’re right, though. I’m sorry. This news has thrown me for a loop, and I’m not thinking clearly.” “It’s okay. I know, this is confusing. But I would never get involved with a married woman. And even if she’d been single, I wouldn’t have done anything.” “Why is that?”

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“Because I was carrying a torch for you.” “You’d tell me if something did happen between the two of you, right?” “Of course I would. Why are you asking?” “I don’t care what you did before we were together. But if anything happened, it’s probably going to come to light at some point in the near future, and I just want to be prepared.” “I promise, nothing else happened, but if something had, I would have told you. You won’t be blindsided again.” “I love you,” Carly said, finally smiling. Jared grinned. “I love you, too.” The brief moment of relief that Carly’s smile brought him vanished as he pulled into the studio parking lot. He didn’t want to think about the anger that Taletha was probably going to unleash the second he walked in the door. Carly squeezed his hand as they rushed into the building. “Don’t worry. No matter what happens, it will all work out, and I believe in you.” As Jared walked through the front door, he froze in place. Taletha was standing at the front desk, waiting with a glare that sent chills through him. Carly gave his hand one more squeeze, and then rushed off to the locker room to finish getting ready. “Give me one good reason not to fire you right now,” she snapped as soon as Carly was out of earshot. Lynne, who was famous for her sense of discretion, put on a pair of headphones and went on with her work as though drama wasn’t unfolding right before her eyes. “Taletha, please, just let me explain. None of what they’re saying is true. Melissa never confided in me. I stood up for her yesterday when the crowds outside the studio were getting rough, but that’s it.” “Then how did they come to that conclusion?” “I don’t know! It’s a political-scandal feeding frenzy. Are you really expecting accurate reporting?” “How did they know you were her teacher?”

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“They knew she was doing the event, and I walked her to her car last week in order to protect her from those obnoxious reporters. I suppose it wouldn’t be unreasonable that some reporter put two and two together.” Taletha started shaking. “Jared, this is completely unacceptable. Do you understand how bad this is for us? It’s one thing to try to get some publicity out of the scandal and try to look a little bit daring. It’s another thing entirely if we’re being implicated in that scandal.” “I already told you that the stuff on the radio isn’t true! I never attempted to cover anything up. I might not have run to the press about it, but I didn’t try to keep the information back, either.” “That doesn’t matter! Who cares if they’re lying? Who cares if you’re telling me the truth? My opinion of you doesn’t even factor in right now. It’s all about what the public thinks. And I’m willing to bet my entire business on the possibility that the entire public is believing you did try to help her cover things up.” “Then I’ll just say it’s not true.” “And why in the world would they believe you?” Jared hung his head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen.” Taletha’s expression finally softened. “I know you didn’t. But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s happening. We tried it your way, but that doesn’t seem to have done us any good. In fact, it’s only made things worse.” Jared nodded. “I understand. I won’t try to contradict you anymore.” Taletha walked up and gave Jared a gentle hug. “Try to cheer up. Yes, this is bad, and yes, I’m in a bad mood about it. But I realize that you had good intentions. Things are going to suck for a little while, but I promise that it will all get figured out sooner or later.” Just then, a miserable-looking Melissa Roth walked in the door. “Taletha, Jared…” Her voice trailed off, too shaky to complete the sentence.

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“Aren’t you supposed to be in your impeachment hearings?” Jared asked. He immediately felt stupid for asking what was probably a painful question, but he’d been so shocked when she walked through the door that he hadn’t bothered to think before speaking. “Not until afternoon today,” she gulped out through her tears. “Why don’t the three of us all sit down in my office, where we can have a little more privacy?” Taletha escorted them both in and shut the door. “I just—I just wanted to let you know how sorry I am,” Melissa said as soon as they had all settled in chairs. “I never meant for Jared, or the studio, to be implicated in all of this.” “Melissa, it’s okay,” Jared said. “I know you never would have wanted this to happen. I’ll survive. The studio will survive. We’ve dealt with worse.” “However,” Taletha said, “just because we’ve dealt with worse does not mean that this is an ideal solution.” Melissa nodded. “I understand. If you’d like for me to make a statement to the media, I’d be glad to do it, if you think that will help.” “No offense, Mayor Roth, but I’m not sure the public is going to consider you a credible source of information right now.” Melissa sighed. “I know.” “As much as it pains me to say this, I think you should step down from the show. I know Jared was looking forward to performing with you. We were all excited to have you on board, and I wish we could have remained an ally for you during your impeachment. I have a business to think about, though, and I can’t do anything that is going to put said business in harm’s way.” Jared opened his mouth to object, but quickly snapped it shut. He knew better than to argue with Taletha. He’d already caused enough trouble and figured he was probably lucky he still had a job at all. Melissa nodded. “I’m sad about that, too, but I understand where you’re coming from. I’d probably do the exact same thing if I was in

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your shoes. Hell, I probably would have kicked me out the day the scandal broke last week.” Taletha smiled. “Well, you have Jared to thank for that not happening. For the record, I don’t regret listening to him, but I think now I have to take a hard line on this issue.” “Of course.” “I also think it would be best if we completely refunded your participation fee.” Jared hadn’t thought it was possible for Melissa to look more dejected, but her face fell even further. “Of course it would. You shouldn’t be handling tainted money.” “I really am sorry. I wish it didn’t have to be this way.” “No, no, I understand completely. I appreciate you giving me this chance at all. And I really am sorry to have brought this upon you.” “We appreciate your understanding. Now, Jared, if you want to walk Mayor Roth out to the front desk, Lynne will be sure to handle her refund.” She turned to her computer and began busying herself in work. At first, Jared thought she was being rude, but then he saw her struggling not to cry and realized she was just as upset as anyone else. Jared put his arm around Melissa as they walked out of Taletha’s office. “I wish there was something I could have done to change her mind.” “Don’t worry about it,” she said, wiping fresh tears from her eyes. “Let’s just get this refund taken care of so I can get out of here and face another round of hearings. I don’t know why they’re bothering. Hell, I don’t know why I’m bothering. I think I’m just going to resign.” “You’re still going to have to face criminal prosecution.” “Yeah, I know. Thanks for reminding me, though.” Jared winced. “Sorry.” He waited by the door as Lynne processed the refund and handed Melissa a check. Then, smiling as best he could, he walked her out to

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her car. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized he didn’t see any reporters. “Are those media hounds finally starting to back off?” Melissa shrugged. “Not exactly. They’ve just parked outside of City Hall, for the most part. That doesn’t mean we’re alone, though. Just because you can’t see any reporters doesn’t mean they’re not hiding somewhere.” Jared scooped her into a strong hug when they arrived at her car. “I hope we have a chance to dance together again in the future. Maybe once everything settles down you can keep taking dance lessons.” “We’ll see about that.” She broke away from the hug. “Aren’t you concerned about being noticed? I just told you that there could be cameras lurking about in the bushes and behind trees.” “I don’t care. You deserve some comfort.” He gave her another hug. “Sometimes I think you’re my only friend in all of this.” “I wish there were more people who supported you.” An awkward silence fell between them. “Well,” Melissa finally said, brushing tears out of her eyes, “I really do need to be off.” “Good luck.” “Thanks.” “I’ll keep in touch.” “You probably shouldn’t. Why don’t you make things easy on yourself for a little while? You’re new in town. Try not to ruin your reputation before everyone has the chance to realize how great you are. If it’s not already too late, that is.” She got into her car and sped off. Jared gave a small wave as her car disappeared into the busy street. He stood for a while before turning and walking back into the studio. Taletha greeted him at the door again. “I’m sorry things had to go down that way. Thank you, though, for being so strong about it.”

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Jared nodded. “You’re welcome. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I need to go be alone for a while before my next student shows up.” He hurried away from the front desk and flopped down on a couch in the staff lounge, trying to will away the guilty feelings that kept filling his mind. Eventually, though, a sense of relief began to take over. He felt bad for Melissa, but he was sure everything would blow over. He was simply glad to still have his job and grateful for the love he’d found. The first few weeks at the studio had been rocky, but he was sure that everything was about to get much simpler.

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Chapter Nine Carly woke up feeling slightly unsettled. She knew that part of the problem was coming from the fact that they slept at a different house every night, and waking up in a different bed every morning was interfering with her sense of stability. But that wasn’t the only problem. Her faith in Jared had suddenly been shaken by the previous day’s news. Although he’d told her repeatedly that the newspapers were spreading vicious rumors, she had the sense that he hadn’t been completely honest with her. There was a look in his eyes and a tone in his voice that made her think the worst wasn’t over. She hadn’t pushed the issue, because she knew he wasn’t going to admit anything. She hated waiting, though. All of a suddenly Carly felt as though her life was in limbo, and she was waiting to hit rock bottom. She just wanted to get it over with. Still, she tried to push her negative thoughts aside as she looked over at his sleeping form. He looked so calm and content as he slept, and she couldn’t help running her hands over his well-muscled arms and chest. Maybe he really was being honest with me, she thought. I don’t think a guilty conscience would be able to sleep that well. She continued stroking him and moved her hands down around his hips and thighs before brushing up against his cock. She smiled as it fluttered, wondering how hard she could get him before his arousal forced him into consciousness. However, she barely had time to finishing the thought before the rest of his body began to stir as well. “Now this is a good way to wake up,” he murmured, rolling over to give her a kiss. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

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“The fact that I love you.” As unsettled and worried as she felt, Carly couldn’t deny the fact that he made her heart melt, and that she cared for him and Heath in a way she’d never cared for anyone else. His face broke out in a huge grin. “I love you, too.” As though to thank her for the way she had brought him out of sleep, he began to ease his fingers along her thighs. She could tell that he was already eager to get to play with her pussy, but she wanted to hold off just a bit longer. “Don’t leave me out,” Heath said, rolling over and easing his hands down Carly’s back. “I never would,” she said, craning her neck to accept the kiss he offered her. “I love, you, too.” Carly felt her pussy start to heat up as her men stroked her. She opened her legs wide enough that both men could have access, so that one could play with her clit while the other slid two fingers inside of her and toyed with her G-spot. They both eased their fingers around her thighs and her tender lips, making her writhe, but they refused to actually slide into her pussy, to touch and tempt the one spot that most yearned for their attention. “Please, more,” she whispered, desperate to get her release. “What do you think?” Jared asked, looking at Heath. “Should we give her more?” “I don’t know,” Heath said. He snaked his hand up her hip and the curve in her waist, then spiraled a finger around her breast before delivering a hard pinch to the nipple. “On the one hand, we both know how much she’ll enjoy it.” “Yes, I’ll enjoy it.” Carly gasped. “I’ll enjoy it even more than I did last night, more than I did the day before. Every time I’m with you two, it gets even better.” Heath smiled and then continued speaking. “There’s no denying that it will make you happy, love.” He pinched the other nipple and then turned his attention from her and focused back on Jared. “However, she can be such a tease to us. Maybe she deserves a little

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retribution for all the times she’s left us begging for even the lightest touch. Turnabout is fair play, after all.” “Please, please don’t tease me like this. Don’t keep me waiting. I’ll do anything if you just let me get off.” “Well, if you’re going to say please, I don’t see why not,” Jared said, and slid two fingers into her waiting cunt. Heath pressed a finger up against her clit before slowly moving it in circles, matching the pace that Jared had started. Just when Carly was getting close to orgasm, Jared’s cell phone went off. “Ignore it,” he whispered, and kept pressing against her G-spot, but the harsh ringtone had killed her mood for the moment. She closed her eyes and let her men continue pleasuring her, and it wasn’t long before she felt the orgasm building back up in her body. But as her body was about to peak again, Jared’s phone rang a second time. “I, uh, I guess this is an emergency,” he said as he pulled away. “I’m sorry, let me just check this.” He pulled away and ran for his phone. “Goddamnit,” Carly snapped. Heath pulled his hand away. “Not in the mood anymore?” “That damn phone is just really distracting, and yeah, it upset me a bit that he went to answer it instead of letting me finish.” “Taletha, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Jared’s panicked voice wafted in from the hallway. “It’s not my fault. I can explain. Please, just give me a chance to give you my side of the story. Taletha, please. Hello? Hello?” Carly wished she could ignore the sudden sinking feeling in her stomach. The uneasiness she’d woken up with had returned full force. She got out of bed and started picking up her clothes and throwing them on.

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“Hey, you don’t have to get dressed. It sucks that Jared got distracted, but I bet I could cheer you up. When he’s done talking with Taletha, he might even want to join us.” “Don’t you hear what he’s saying?” Carly snapped. “Something is very, very wrong.” Heath sighed. “You’re right. But I hope you’re wrong.” “I think he might have been cheating,” Carly said, trying to keep her voice steady. “Why on earth would you think that?” “He didn’t tell us that he knew about Melissa’s legal troubles until they were being broadcast all over the news. I know that’s just one thing, but to me, it’s a big deal. I just don’t quite trust him right now, and that phone call is only adding to my insecurity.” “You believe he wasn’t trying to cover anything up, right?” Carly shook her head. “I want to, but something is holding me back from really being sure that he’s not lying. I know there’s something wrong with me if I can’t trust somebody I love, but his behavior is just setting me off.” “Well, let’s hope that whatever he’s arguing with Taletha about, it’s not as bad as you think it is, and maybe we can go back to having some fun.” Carly sighed. “I wish I could have your faith in people.” Jared walked back into the bedroom, looking like he was about to cry. “So, um, I don’t really know how to explain this. You—you might just want to turn on the news, let the reporters give you the story. It’s not true, what they’re saying, but if Taletha won’t give me the chance to explain myself, I don’t know why anybody else would.” Heath leaned over for the remote control and turned on the television, flipping over to a news station. The first thing Carly saw was the studio, with throngs of protestors surrounding it, and one of the windows broken. “Shit, not again,” Carly moaned. “We haven’t even paid for the repairs from the last act of vandalism.”

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“It’s just one broken window,” Heath said, taking her hand. “It won’t be that bad.” “That’s not the point. Now, shh, let me listen to the broadcast.” “Local citizens are protesting Rhythm and Motion Dance Studio today in light of recent photographs that have surfaced of Mayor Roth and a dance instructor. These photographs suggest that Mayor Roth and the instructor, one Jared Brooks, were having an affair.” An image of Melissa Roth leaning in toward Jared for a kiss filled the screen. Carly’s stomach sank as she realized that perhaps her mistrust in Jared had not been completely misguided. “These new photographs have only added fuel to the allegations that Mr. Brooks attempted to help Mayor Roth cover up her crimes. Studio owner Taletha Hendricks has released a statement saying that Mr. Brooks has been put on unpaid leave until this matter is investigated and settled. Stay tuned for further updates as they develop.” Carly grabbed the remote out of Heath’s hand and turned off the television. She was so angry that she wanted to throw the remote through the screen. If she’d been in her own home, with her own property, she probably would have smashed it, as well as a number of other things. “You lied to me,” she said through clenched teeth. “Carly, please just give me a chance to explain,” Jared begged. “Those photos—those are lies. Melissa tried to kiss me, but I wouldn’t let her. I told her she had to keep our relationship professional. She never tried a thing after that. It was a one-time mistake, and it never went anywhere.” “And yet, you never saw fit to mention it. Clearly, it meant something to you, or you wouldn’t have kept it a secret.” “I didn’t mention it because I didn’t think it mattered.” “Well, you thought wrong. Incriminating pictures of you with someone else do matter. Especially when they’re part and parcel of serious criminal allegations.”

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Jared dropped his head and rubbed his temples. “Carly, I’m sorry. I know I screwed up. But I already need to look for a new job. Do you really need to make me feel worse?” “As far as I’m concerned, you have nobody to blame but yourself for how you feel.” “I think you should get out of my house,” Heath said. Jared dropped his hands and snapped his head up to attention. “What?” “I think you should get out of my house.” Jared looked back at Carly. “Do you want that, too? Do you want me to get out and never come back?” “I don’t know, Jared. All I know is that you’ve hurt me, and I don’t want to see you right now. Why don’t you go shack up with your other girlfriend for a while?” “If I leave, I’m still not going to go see her. You know that, right?” “I don’t know if I can believe a word you say anymore.” “I love you. You believe that, don’t you?” “I’m not sure that I do.” Carly wanted to cry as she saw Jared get dressed and slump out of the house, but she refused to let her guard down. She didn’t want him to know the depth of her pain. The second she stopped hearing his footsteps on the stairs, she fell in to Heath’s arms and began sobbing. **** Jared didn’t know where to go. His lovers had kicked him out, and Taletha had told him not to come within five hundred feet of the studio until further notice. He considered going back to his apartment, but it was still a mess from having his lovers over two nights prior. The sheets were still in a jumble on the bed. An empty bottle of lube was still sitting on the dresser. The dishes from the dinner he’d prepared were still in the sink, waiting to be washed. A few articles of

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clothing still littered the floor. Going back to his apartment would just remind him of the love that had collapsed right before his eyes. Unfortunately for Jared, going to a coffee shop was not a much better idea than returning to his lonely home. Now that his photograph had been plastered on every news outlet in town, he was incapable of being anonymous. Everyone in the line at the coffee shop was staring at him, as though they were shocked that he had the nerve to go out in public after the accusations leveled against him. The shop was crowded, and he didn’t even manage to wait for a full minute before he realized that the stares were too much to handle. I’m sure the barista will just spit in my drink anyway, he thought as he turned to leave. Jared resigned himself to going home and confronting his sad apartment. First, though, he decided to swing by the grocery store to buy coffee grounds. He wasn’t looking forward to the stares he knew he was going to receive, but he needed caffeine, and his fridge was almost empty. Braving the leers of the shoppers, he hurried through the aisles, picking up what he needed to survive. He avoided eye contact with the cashier, and thought he was safe, when all of a sudden someone spit in his direction as he was exiting through the automatic door. The phlegmy blob of liquid landed square on his shoe. He looked up to see who it was, but realized the stranger who had spit on him meant absolutely nothing to him. Jared didn’t know the guy, and didn’t really care. Still, he wasn’t going to let himself get bullied. Jared walked over to the stranger and set down his groceries. “Did you have something you wanted to say to me?” he asked in a low voice. The stranger seemed shocked that Jared approached him. He swallowed hard. “No.” “Are you sure?” “Yeah, man, yeah.”

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“Good. Because I have a lot to do today, and I really didn’t want to have to deal with people like you.” Without another word, he picked up his bag of groceries and walked off. At home, he put on a pot of coffee and began cleaning up the evidence of his nights with Carly and Heath. As much as it pained him, he even folded up the clothes and put them in a box, planning to mail them back to their owners. He decided it was best to simply assume that things were over between them. If Carly didn’t trust him, there was no point in even trying to go back to the love triangle they’d tried to make. As Jared busied himself with cleaning, he found he dwelled less and less on his troubles. Soon, he moved on from picking up the remains of his love affair to deep-cleaning the entire place. He was scrubbing out the tub when he heard a knock at the door. At first, he was tempted to ignore the visitor. With all the hostility he faced by everyone he encountered, he thought it would be best if he pretended to not be home. The knock came again a few minutes later, and Jared still ignored it. When it happened a third time, though, he decided it might be important and hurried to check out the peephole. Standing on the doorstep was a man who looked oddly familiar, but was not somebody that Jared actually recognized. The odd angle of the peephole further distorted the man’s features, so he didn’t get a good look at the visitor until he opened the door. The second he saw the cane, though, he knew that he had made a terrible mistake. “You’re—you’re Carly’s old dance partner, aren’t you?” “I prefer the word ‘former’ rather than ‘old,’ thank you very much. After all, I’m only thirty-five.” “Strange, from what I’ve heard, you have a tendency to act like you’re fifteen.”

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“You’re not one to talk about maturity. Don’t you have the decency to invite me in and offer me a seat? Standing isn’t exactly easy for me these days.” “Sorry, I only invite people in that I trust. I don’t think you and I have anything to say to each other. Rumor has it that you don’t like me very much.” “No, I don’t.” Suddenly, Jared found himself looking down the barrel of a gun. His heart started pounding so hard that he was certain Jake could hear it, but he tried not to betray any fear. “For someone who claims to have trouble standing up, you sure do move fast. I didn’t even see that gun coming.” “You don’t notice many things I do. For example, you weren’t really paying attention to me in the crowd the day that the mayor tried to kiss you. There were a lot of people taking pictures, but I happened to get a few nice ones.” Jared felt himself starting to shake and gripped the doorframe to stay steady. “So your whole life involves spying on people you don’t like and taking incriminating photos?” “Well, I have a job, but it was easy to get the time off from work, of course. Most of the people who work in the mayor’s office aren’t being very productive right now, and nobody really notices. Of course, my position in City Hall made me a credible source to all the newspapers looking for a good scoop on the story.” “You decided you wanted to run me out of town by creating false allegations about me.” “Not quite. I did want to ruin your reputation. But I also didn’t want to give you the chance to clear your name. Even if you left town, there was always the possibility that you would come back and manage to prove your innocence. We can’t have any of that. So now that I’ve ruined your reputation, I’m going to kill you. And disguise it as a suicide, of course.” He pulled back the hammer, and Jared felt sick as he heard the click. His mind raced as he tried to come up with

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a way to save himself without running the risk of getting shot. Talking his way out hadn’t worked, but he wasn’t sure that running into his closed-off apartment would be effective, either. Out of the corner of his eye, Jared saw one of his neighbors step out of her apartment and freeze at the sight of Jake. Jared tried to gesture to her that he was fine, but she screamed before he could make eye contact. Jake jumped at the sound, and Jared’s heart stopped for a moment, worried that his attacker was going to pull the trigger out of surprise. Instead, Jake dropped the gun. Jared saw it fall and jumped forward to tackle Jake. The gun shot into the apartment, blasted the leg off of a chair, and then lay inert. Jared barely had time to think before the cops started running through the hallway. The next thing he knew, someone had pulled him off Jake and both men were in handcuffs. “Mr. Brooks, you are under arrest for obstruction of justice,” one of the officers said. “No! I’m innocent! I swear! The guy you found holding a gun to my face framed me! He made up lies and then came to my apartment to shoot me in the face!” The officer didn’t seem to care. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be held against you in the court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?” Jared hung his head, realizing there was no point in trying to argue his way out of his predicament. “Yes, officer.” A minute later, he found himself unceremoniously shoved into a squad car and on his way to the police station. Jake was receiving somewhat gentler treatment as he was placed into a separate vehicle. Jared leaned back and stared out at the town that vilified him, wishing he’d stayed in California. ****

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Heath had kept his eye on the news all day. He’d comforted Carly and allowed her to express her rage and frustration, but deep in his gut, he was sure something wasn’t right. Whenever he could snag a break at work, he was checking for news updates, hoping for any update that might give him more information. When he saw reports saying that Jared had been arrested and was in jail, he immediately sprang into action. Bailing him out would at least give him a chance to hear Jared’s side of the story without worrying about upsetting Carly. Heath was at the police station within thirty minutes. “I’m here to post bail for Mr. Jared Brooks,” he said to the clerk. “Bail has been set at ten thousand dollars, sir.” Heath pulled out a credit card and tossed it in front of the clerk. “That should take care of it.” The clerk raised an eyebrow. “Sir, most people typically pay with cash or a certified check.” “Most people also don’t have cards with a fifty thousand dollar limit. Just run it.” “Are you sure?” “Do you know who I am?” Heath glared. He tried to avoid using his social status to get what he wanted, but this was an emergency, and he was going to pull out all the stops to get Jared free. The clerk rolled her eyes. “No, but I’m sure if I don’t run this card, you’re going to make a big deal out of telling me.” She swiped the card and then handed him a stack of paperwork. “Fill all this out, and Mr. Brooks will be released to you soon.” Heath paced around the station for another half an hour before Jared finally emerged. The television in the waiting room was on a local station, which was continually broadcasting developments on the impeachment hearings and Jared’s arrest. Heath stopped moving when he heard the news anchor say Jake’s name.

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“We are now getting reports that one Jake Barrett is in custody and is being charged with making an attempt on Mr. Brooks’s life. Stay tuned for more updates after this commercial break.” Just then, Jared emerged in the doorway, escorted by two officers. Heath gestured toward the television screen. “How much of that did you see?” “All of it.” “I have the feeling that’s a little truer than the stuff they were blasting before I kicked you out this morning.” Jared nodded. “I got a gun right to the face and everything.” “I’m so sorry, man. I should have stuck up for you. But I wasn’t thinking rationally, wasn’t listening to my gut, and it just seemed like, I don’t know…” Heath trailed off, unable to come up with a remotely convincing explanation. “It’s okay, man. I probably would have done the same in your situation. Let’s just get out of here and get me a lawyer. If Jake doesn’t confess, I’m going to need help clearing my name, and if he does confess, I’m going to need some help suing his ass for damages.” As they left the station, Heath found himself suddenly face-to-face with Carly. “I–I just saw the news,” she said, her lower lip trembling. “Oh my god, I’m so glad you’re okay.” She threw herself against Jared, who gave her a gentle hug. “You believe me now?” he asked, a hint of irritation in his voice. “Jake couldn’t hurt me anymore, so he decided to hurt you. I should have figured it out days ago. I even knew he worked for the mayor. I don’t know why that wasn’t the first thought that crossed my mind. I’m so sorry, Jared. Can you forgive me?” Heath held his breath. He wanted Jared to forgive Carly so the three of them could go back to being happy together, but he also knew that Jared had every reason to continue feeling betrayed and angry.

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To his relief, Jared broke into a smile. “I definitely forgive you. There’s no way I could stay angry at someone I love so much.” Carly jumped up to give Jared a deep kiss, and then gave one to Heath as well. “We need to celebrate you not getting killed,” she said. “We should get dinner somewhere fancy.” “For now, though, let’s go have a meeting with my attorney,” Heath said. “Jared’s probably going to need a little legal help over the next few weeks.” “First, let’s see if Taletha will give me my job back.”

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Chapter Ten Three weeks later, Jared stood backstage at the Dartmond Hotel, one of the fanciest establishments in town. They had generously donated the space to the studio to host the fundraiser, and when he hadn’t been watching the elegant numbers or warming up, he found himself staring at the classical architecture and elegant furnishings and wishing he’d thought to buy Carly, Heath, and himself an evening there. He’d let himself get so caught up in helping Taletha get ready for the show that he hadn’t given much attention to how the three of them would celebrate afterwards. Jared turned his attention to the ballroom floor, where Carly and Heath were beginning their two-step. He felt a slight pang of sadness, wishing that Melissa had been able to come back to the show. Taletha had given Jared his job back on the spot, and he’d thrown himself into helping with behind-the-scenes work for the performance. Helping Taletha with all the required backstage work had been good for him. He enjoyed having tasks to do that helped him still participate in the show. Still, as he watched the rest of the couples performing, he wished he could be out on the floor as well. He was, however, proud of the progress Heath had made in his dancing. Carly had recruited Jared to give Heath extra coaching, and it was obvious he had benefitted from the extra instruction. Although Heath didn’t look like a professional yet, his technique was smooth and his footwork was polished. He was a far cry from the bar-trained dancer who had graced the studio doors just six weeks before. “You two were amazing,” he said as they came off the stage.

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“Thanks,” Heath said, still trying to catch his breath. “Still, I think I’m going to leave that up to the professionals.” Jared fanned Carly down, and then took her hand as Taletha walked to the front of the room. “Ladies and gentlemen, tonight has been about celebrating local leaders who have taken it upon themselves to learn to dance and put themselves out there for a good cause.” She paused as applause filled the room. “However, I would like to close tonight with a special performance. Six weeks ago, we were fortunate enough to hire Jared Brooks out from California. I’m thrilled to announce that Jared and Carly will begin competing together. I’d like you all to please welcome Jared and Carly to the floor for their first dance as a professional couple.” The audience burst into applause as Jared escorted Carly onto the dance floor. As they took their places on the floor, he tried not to think about his nerves. Although he rarely got stage fright, he wasn’t used to performing a new routine with so little advanced preparation. After they’d formally announced their intention to compete together, Taletha hadn’t suggested they do a routine at the show until a week before the event. Jared had tried to beg off, wanting more time to put choreography together, but Taletha couldn’t wait to introduce her newest professional couple to the world. Carly also didn’t want to wait. Jared quickly realized that she was never one to shy away from a performance opportunity, no matter how little time she had to prepare. Recognizing he was outnumbered, Jared gave in, and he and Carly spent every spare minute at the studio putting together a new two-step routine. As the music started, Jared finally forgot about his worries and about all the stress he’d endured in the past few weeks. Completely absorbed in the song they’d chosen, he smiled at Carly and realized how lucky he was to have a partner with whom he connected on every single level. Leading her around the floor in complex weave patterns, he let his passion for both his lover and his dancing take over. Soon,

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he was lost in the lyrics and the rhythm of the instruments, his body moving with perfect precision as he poured his soul into the dance. While he stayed focused on his footwork, he also couldn’t help stealing glances at Carly’s tight ass when her skirt spun during the complex triple and quadruple turns down the floor. As he dropped her into precarious-looking splits and slides, he admired her perfect legs, with taught muscles honed from years of dancing. He realized then that his cock was starting to flutter and pulse, and he quickly looked out at the audience for a moment to settle himself down before putting his attention back on Carly. He focused on looking her in the eye when he wasn’t looking out at the crowd. It took all of his resolve to not look at her breasts during the final few moments of the dance. He knew that if he dared to look at her cleavage in the rhinestonestudded, low-cut dress, he’d no longer be in control of his body, and he wasn’t about to fumble through this performance with an incurable erection. As the music came to an end, they hit their final poses, and the entire room burst into applause. Leading Carly into a bow, he felt his grin stretch wider than he ever thought possible. He couldn’t believe it when the crowd gave them a standing ovation. Although he’d always been a good dancer, he’d never once moved a roomful of people to their feet before. He finally stopped wishing for his old life back. He had a new life now, and it was better than anything he ever could have imagined. **** Carly breathed a sigh of relief as the audience members and other dancers filed out of the ballroom. After their triumphant performance, a swarm of people had gathered to congratulate her and Jared and wish them well on the competition circuit. As much as Carly loved performing and being in the spotlight, it had already been a long day, and the extra social interaction had left her feeling completely

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drained. Still, she had plans for the rest of the evening, and she wasn’t about to give up just because her body was a little tired. “I’m not going to lie,” she said. “I had a great time dancing with you, Heath, but it’s been an exhausting few weeks, and I’m glad this event is over.” “You’ve definitely earned some much-needed rest and relaxation,” Heath said. “Hardly,” Jared said with a laugh. “Carly and I have our first competition in three weeks. That’s not much time at all. We’re going to start rehearsals first thing tomorrow morning. Two hours before teaching, two hours after teaching, and six hours on days when we don’t have to teach.” Heath’s eyes widened. “I think I’ll stick to being a CEO. The hours are still pretty demanding, but it’s less physically taxing. I can’t believe you’ll have the energy for all that right after such an intense few weeks. Don’t you want a nice, long vacation before you move on to the next big thing?” Jared shrugged. “That’s a dancer’s life. If we take too much time off, we get out of shape and we lose our inspiration. We have to work hard, and we have to work every day, but I don’t think either of us would have it any other way. If we weren’t happy with how demanding the life is, we’d both have completely different jobs.” “But maybe we won’t start first thing tomorrow,” Carly said. “I do need some time to relax, and I figured with the night I had planned, we probably weren’t going to make it to the studio especially early tomorrow morning. The things I have in mind are not actually all that restful.” “What do you mean?” Heath asked, a mischievous look in his eyes. “I took the liberty of booking the three of us a room,” Carly said. “I figured that after such a long night of dancing and performing, nobody would really want to drive home. Besides, I’ve always had a fondness for hotel sex.”

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Heath grinned. “I’m feeling inspired just imagining what I’m going to do to you in one of those luxurious bedrooms.” “I’m surprised you managed to book a room,” Jared said, and gave a low whistle. “Don’t you have to book three months in advance?” “The owner owed me a favor. I choreographed the dances for his daughter’s wedding at the last minute due to a falling out with the original choreographer. I called him directly and discovered there just so happened to be a luxury suite available for tonight.” She flashed a keycard. “Shall we head up?” They hurried to the elevators, and Carly keyed in the special code for the honeymoon suite. The ride up to the top was smooth, and the elevator opened right into their room. Carly was relieved to see that the suite was much classier than the honeymoon suites shown on television. There was no heart-shaped rotating bed or cheesy decorations. Everything was elaborate, yet tasteful. It was all done in bridal white, with a four-poster bed that had chiffon drapery. The light from several votive candles danced along the walls, and a bottle of champagne chilled in a bucket on a table near the bed. Per her instructions, there were three flutes instead of two. “Carly, what is all this?” Jared asked. “Just something a little more special than your typical hotel room. I told you, I’m good with the owner of this place. Why not pull a few strings if you have control over them?” “I’d say so,” Heath said, and gave a low whistle. He paused and looked around the room a bit more closely. “Wait a second. This is a honeymoon suite, isn’t it?” Carly nodded, suddenly worried that they wouldn’t like it, that they’d be scared off. Maybe I’m rushing things, she thought. Maybe this is too much, too soon. “I didn’t realize we’d gotten married at some point during the night,” Jared said. A small smile played at his lips, and Carly felt a

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small burst of relief when she realized he wasn’t completely intimidated by the implications of the room. “Well, we didn’t, but I like what this room symbolizes. I love both of you so much. I know things have been moving really fast, but ever since the two of you came into my life, being with you has always felt completely right.” Jared held up his hand. “Wait a second. What about when you couldn’t decide whether or not you wanted to trust me?” “When I was afraid I couldn’t trust you, I pushed you out of my life because I was afraid of the feelings that were already there. I was terrified of getting my heart broken. But now I know I don’t need to be afraid. I want to be with both of the men I love.” “What about when you spent a week avoiding us for the sake of Jake?” “I regret that, too. I was struggling to reconcile the feelings that were developing for both of you with my fears of what would happen if I took the risk and went against what Jake wanted. But I’ve learned that I need to follow my heart.” She dropped to one knee. “Jared Brooks and Heath Taylor, will you marry me? Symbolically, at least. I mean, if I can’t marry both of you legally, I don’t want to pick one over the other. But I want us to make a public commitment to each other, even if it’s not recognized by the government.” For a moment, both men stared at her, looking shocked. Then, they smiled simultaneously. “Of course,” Jared said. Heath laughed. “Nothing would make me happier.” Carly could finally relax. “In that case, let’s have a little champagne.” Jared grinned “I have a better idea.” He lifted Carly into his arms, crossed the room, and tossed her on the bed. Heath followed close behind, landing beside her on the mattress and moving to unbuckle her boots.

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“No,” Carly whispered. “Leave them on.” “Then how am I going to get these off?” he asked, tugging at her stockings. “I think you’re just going to need to get creative.” “Follow my lead,” Jared said. He flipped Carly over on the bed and tugged at her skirt, sliding it down partway. The waist was so narrow, however, that it got caught on the tops of her thighs. Carly reached back in an attempt to unzip the garment and slide out of it, but Jared was too fast for her. Gripping the waistband with his strong hands, he ripped the smooth black fabric, not all the way, but just enough that he could pull it off of her legs without having to bother to unzip anything. Rather than being upset that her skirt was ruined, Carly found herself shivering with pleasure as she felt him ease the torn fabric down past her knees. Before the skirt was even free of her ankles, she felt Heath’s hands grab at the nylon material and tug at it until it ripped apart. He began to tear faster and harder, and Carly felt her cunt get wetter and wetter with each ripping seam. Finally, her stockings were in tatters. She knew Jared probably could have eased her panties off over her boots, but when he grabbed them and tore them off, she was elated. She suddenly realized what a turn-on it was to have her clothes pawed at and ripped, enjoyed the sense of desperation she felt in her men as they struggled to tear off her clothing. When Heath jerked her shirt off so hard that some of the beads broke loose and spilled onto the bed, she almost climaxed. In the back of her mind, she wondered whether or not she should be upset that her clothing was getting destroyed. Ultimately, though, she knew she couldn’t deny that her heart beat faster and her cunt throbbed harder with every tug, every rip, every tear. Jared didn’t even attempt to unbuckle her bra, just ripped the straps, snapped the tiny metal pieces holding them together. She felt the buckles give as Heath tore at the cups, and as her breasts bounced free, she noted how hard her nipples had become with arousal.

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“I want your ass,” Jared whispered. “I want to feel your tight hole squeezing my dick.” The reverberations of his voice sent jolts of electricity all the way through her body. “My lube is in my dance bag,” she gasped, grateful that she’d remembered to pack it that morning. Jared hurried over to the bag, stripping his clothes off as he walked. By the time he pulled the lube out, he was completely naked, and Carly shuddered with pleasure at the thought of him taking her ass. Carly rolled back over, shaking with excitement as Jared spread lube around her asshole. As he pressed a finger against her tight ring of muscles and began to slide it in, Heath began to strip, giving her a show as Jared prepared her. She could feel her cunt get even wetter as he took his time unbuttoning his shirt, even buttoning it back up again when she thought he was almost near the end. “Why do you have to tease me like that,” she asked, desperate to see him naked. He grinned. “Because it’s fun. Don’t pretend you aren’t enjoying every minute of it.” “Maybe I’m not.” “Don’t lie, or I won’t get naked.” “I’m enjoying it,” she gasped as Jared worked his fingers even faster inside her ass. “That’s what I thought.” Heath finally unbuttoned his shirt for good, shrugging it off and letting it fall into a small heap on the floor. “Yes,” she murmured as he eased his belt off his hips and swung it over his head a few times before tossing it across the room. “Yeah, just like that.” She lost her ability to speak as he went painstakingly slow in taking his pants off. She just lay there, overwhelmed by the sensation of Jared’s fingers in her ass, thirsting for the sight of Heath’s sexy legs and perfect cock. “Goddamn,” she murmured when he finally took his pants off. Despite having seen his long, thick cock several times a day since

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they’d been together, she never got tired of looking at its smooth perfection. She let Jared continue to stretch her just a little longer while Heath walked in a slow circle, showing off his entire body. “Stop,” she said when she felt the tip of Jared’s cock against her tight hole. “Sit on the edge of the bed.” Jared complied, and Carly settled herself gently over his hard cock, easing him into her ass. She groaned as he filled her, stopping as she reached the hilt. “Heath, I want you to lick my pussy.” “My pleasure,” he said, coming around the bed and kneeling in front of her. Carly gasped as he eased his tongue up her slit slowly, and then delved in to find her clit. Gradually, she started to move up and down on Jared’s cock. Once she settled on a pace, Heath slid two fingers into her cunt, and immediately began playing with her G-spot as his tongue continued caressing her clit. “Fuck, your ass feels amazing,” Jared whispered in her ear. The vibration of his voice against her ear sent shivers running all the way down her spine, causing her cunt to tighten and pulse even harder. Gripping her hands into his thighs, she began to increase her pace, riding faster as her ass adjusted to Jared’s girth. Heath kept up perfectly, delving his tongue deeper and deeper into her cunt, fingering her G-spot with increased speed and pressure, stroking his fingertips up and down her thighs. Soon, her legs were shaking from stimulation. She moaned as goose bumps popped up along her skin and shivers raced up and down her spine. Jared kept one hand gripping her hips, but lifted the other one up to stroke her breasts, gently at first, but then with more pressure, pinching and pulling on her nipples. She threw her head back against his chest, completely overwhelmed by the sensations filling her body. She felt the release building faster and faster. When Jared leaned down and bit her neck, her body finally released, the pleasure spilling out into every muscle. Her whole body locked up for a moment,

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paralyzed by the nearly-painful intensity before the release washed through her. “Goddamn, Carly,” Jared cried out as her muscles tightened even further around his cock. She felt the last, large throb, and then the beautiful release of him emptying out inside of her. He bit down on her neck one more time as the orgasm raced though him, and for a moment, she thought she was going to come again. Heath, however, pulled away, and she couldn’t finish. Her cunt felt cold without Heath’s warm mouth pressed against it, without his slick tongue gliding in and out of her folds. She immediately started fondling her throbbing pussy lips, trying to provide herself with some sense of warmth and relief. “Don’t go!” she cried out. “I need you. I need to come again.” Heath grabbed her arms and gently pulled her off of Jared. “And I need to come for the first time. He guided her toward the desk, turned the chair around, and sat down. Carly straddled him and slowly slid her throbbing cunt down his cock. Grabbing a fistful of his hair, she pulled his head back and placed several soft kisses along his jawline. Then she pulled him into a deep kiss. When she felt Jared’s hands cup her breasts, she started to ride him. Carly shuddered with pleasure as Heath’s cock pressed against her swollen G-spot, then retreated, then slammed against it even more forcefully. Between the sensation deep in her cunt and Jared’s hands playing with her nipples, she knew she wasn’t going to last very long. But after a few minutes of what was already amazing pleasure, she noticed that something she wanted was missing. “What about playing with my clit?” she asked Heath. “Of course. I just got distracted by how beautiful you are.” He immediately began running a finger in slow circles around her clit, pressing lightly at first, but quickly increasing the strength of his caress. Carly picked up the pace as Jared circled her nipples around with his fingers. A few minutes later, she’d lost all sense of space and time as the pleasure overwhelmed her body.

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“Oh, fuck, yes!” Heath cried. She felt his cock spasm with orgasm, which set her own climax off. They rocked together, slamming back into Jared as their mutual pleasure threatened to throw them off balance. As their bodies relaxed, Carly collapsed against Heath, pinning him to the chair. “That was amazing,” she murmured into the crook of his neck. “I don’t think I can move. You’re just going to be stuck there for a while.” “Here, let me help,” Jared said, lifting her up. He carried her to the bed, set her gently in the middle, and helped her pull off her boots before curling up on her left side. As soon as Heath caught his breath, he joined them as well. “You’re right. I don’t think we’ll be making it to the studio first thing in the morning,” Jared said with a satisfied sigh. “And I should probably think about postponing that early conference call I have scheduled, because I guarantee you I won’t be up in time.” “Oh, I think you’ll be up,” Carly said with a giggle, running her fingers up and down his thigh. Heath grinned. “Fine. I’ll be up, but I won’t be in any position to discuss advertising strategies for the coming fiscal year.” “Maybe we should all just play hooky tomorrow,” Carly said. “I know Jared and I really need to start practicing, but it would be nice to have one day to just completely relax and enjoy each other. Besides, we need to investigate moving companies. I know I can’t move my stuff to Heath’s house in my tiny little Toyota.” “We have a ceremony and reception to plan as well,” Jared said. “Wait a second, when did we decide to all move to my house?” Heath asked. “If you want to go to the trouble of house-hunting for a new place, be my guest,” Carly said. “But the three of us cannot fit in my tiny house or in Jared’s one-bedroom apartment. So it’s either your place or find something else entirely.”

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“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. It’s an honor knowing that the two of you want to make my home your home as well.” “This isn’t exactly the way I pictured my life,” Carly mused. “A year ago, I never would have imagined things would have turned out this way. But now, I can’t picture anything better.” “Then start picturing us with a couple of first-place trophies on our mantelpiece,” Jared said. Heath laughed. “You can put them alongside my business awards.” “No, I want my own display case,” Carly said as sleep started to overtake her. She heard Jared say something and laugh, but she was already halfway into a dream. As she retreated into a deep slumber, she saw herself dancing with both lovers in a beautiful ballroom that went on to infinity, full of excitement and possibility.

THE END

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Olivia Jordan was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Her librarian mother made sure Olivia had regular access to a wide range of books, which instilled a love of good stories at a young age. With an attorney for a father, Olivia learned early on about the ways that language can be used to entertain, enlighten, and manipulate. Although Olivia initially dreamed of being a ballerina, she realized in her teen years that her talent was for the written word, and her path to the writing life began before she even had a driver’s license. After finishing her formal education, Olivia decided that it was time to get away from any and all states that got more than an inch of snow a year. She now makes her home in Austin, Texas, with her husband and a small menagerie. Although a city girl at heart, she also loves taking her convertible out to the country. Nothing inspires her more than the wind in her hair, the sun on her face, and the open road in front of her.

Also by Olivia Jordan Ménage Everlasting: The Male Order, Texas Collection: A Bride for Two Studs Ménage Everlasting: The Male Order, Texas Collection: A Bride for Two Hotshots Ménage Everlasting: Studio Seductions 1: Taletha’s Salsa Sweethearts

Available at BOOKSTRAND.COM

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com