He's the Boss (Dance with Me #1): Boss-Employee Romance

Chapter 16: Dance with Me

Brooke

By the time Linc finally emerges from his office with his parents, the bar team rehearsal is more than halfway over. I'm so busy watching Linc walk Lindsay and Lois out of the club that I nearly misstep. It wouldn't be the first time I've messed up the choreography today. So much for Linc's assumption that I'm great at picking up routines.

I'm hardly the only person off my game this afternoon, however. Jemma and Nate have argued several times over the moves in the routine, and the tension between them is awkward for all of us. Not to mention confusing, as they're not clear about what we're supposed to be doing half the time. The entire bar team is making mistakes.

When Linc walks over to us and pulls Nate aside to talk to him, I'm so busy studying his expression for an indication of his mood that I stumble and screw up for what feels like the billionth time in a row.

Jemma frowns at me, shakes her head, then holds up a hand to halt us. "I think we should call it a day. We'll continue with rehearsals next week. Is everyone still okay with Wednesdays and Fridays?"

All of us are. The mid-afternoon time slot isn't ideal because it leaves us with hours to kill before our shifts at the bar start, but Tease needs to rehearse after us, leaving us with limited time for practising. Rehearsal cuts into my time with Belle more than I'd like, but she wants her independence, so I'm trying not to let it worry me.

"How long until we're ready to go public?" Saxon asks Jemma.

"You need a lot more than one rehearsal before you start performing." Her frustration over our session is obvious to me, and probably to everyone else, as well. "How many depends on how quickly all of you get the hang of it."

"We'll play it by ear," Nate says, strolling back to our group now that he's finished talking to Linc. "See you at rehearsal next Wednesday."

Damn it, Linc's walking away. Casting a quick glance at Jemma, I see that she's talking to Nate, much to Savannah's annoyance, and decide I'll catch up with her after I've spoken to Linc.

I'm on my way to follow my boss when a hand on my arm stops me. Turning around, I see Saxon smiling at me. "Hey, can we continue our conversation from earlier?"

I cast one more futile glance in Linc's direction, watching him walk through the large metal door, probably heading back to his office. Which is where my handbag still is. I turn back to Saxon, ready to tell him I can't talk right now, but one look at his hopeful expression and I just can't without feeling guilty about disappointing my friend. I'll grab my bag and talk to Linc in a moment.

"Of course," I say to Saxon. "What's up?"

He takes a deep breath. "I wanted to know if you'll go with me to see Dance with Me at Queen's Theatre. I have tickets for closing night. I thought you might be interested."

I've seen the ads for the production on TV and heard them on the radio. Several times, I've thought about how amazing it would be to go. Before I started working here, I'd never seen live dancing and I'd always wanted to. I'm sure the Dance with Me troupe won't top Tease, but if the reviews are anything to go by, the dancing is more than worth the ticket price.

"So," Saxon says, rubbing his arm absently. "Are you interested? Closing night is kind of a big deal. There's even supposed to be a big celebrity turnout that night."

The hopefulness in his voice catches me off guard. I really, really want to go. But is he talking about us going on a date?

"I'm talking about us going as friends," he says, answering my silent question. "I know..." he glances away and looks at me again, breathing out and lowering his voice. "I know you're into the boss-man. I'm just talking about us doing something fun together. I even bought a third ticket because I know you don't like leaving your sister alone." His eyes glint with mischief. "So, we can all go together. No getting handsy, I promise. I just thought you could use a breather, especially after everything that happened with Patricia."