I’d just pulled my hair up into a high ponytail when an incessant knocking pounded on my door.
Solara had pressed an eye up to the tiny hole in the door. I teasingly asked, “Who is it?”
In a too deep voice, she responded, “Room service.”
She made me smile, and I swung the door open to her. “I’m almost ready.”
“We have time. Paxton’s on the phone screaming at the rigging crew. Did you eat breakfast yet?”
I’d gone back into the bathroom to finish getting ready and responded, “Just coffee.”
She put a L.O.V.E bag on my bed and then made herself comfortable at the tiny table in the corner. “You aren’t one of those ‘I don’t eat carbs’ kind of girls, are you?”
“I’m not; I just haven’t eaten yet.”
After my response, I heard her on the hotel room phone ordering breakfast. She ordered two cinnamon raisin bagels, three sides of bacon, two Denver omelets with hash browns, coffee, and juice.
“I may not be a carb-free girl, but that’s an awful lot of food.”
“Trust me, you’ve never worked so hard in your life as you will today. You’ll thank me later when it’s six and you realize you haven’t eaten all day.”
I stepped out of the bathroom, mascara wand in hand, and said skeptically, “But Paxton said we would get breaks for lunch.”
She looked at me with a dubious expression. “Paxton sits in the conference room or yells at the lighting crew. He doesn’t have a clue what’s going on with us.”
Loudly, while I was finishing my makeup, I said into the mirror, “I’m excited for today, for this weekend. You aren’t just going to turn me loose, are you?”
I heard her voice close by and turned to see her leaning up against the doorjamb. She was smiling at me, arms crossed.
“I won’t let you flounder, I promise.”
Letting out a sigh, I thanked her and finished with my makeup.
She kept watching me. “You and Paxton looked cozy last night.”
I blushed. Not making eye contact with her, I said, “We had a nice dinner. He was…” I searched for the right word. “He was pleasant.”
She laughed knowingly and turned back to the bed. “Come out here when you’re finished. I have some things for you.”
Turning off the light, I stepped out of the bathroom and joined her. “What’s up?”
“This is for you.” She handed me the L.O.V.E bag.
I took it from her and reached inside. It was a black, baby doll style, V-neck T-shirt with the L.O.V.E logo on the back and my name above the left breast. “Oh, I love it!”
Laughing, she said, “I’m so glad because there are three of them in there, and you need to wear one today.”
“Oh, of course. I’ll change right now.”
“Wait, there are a few more things.”
I reached in and pulled out a pair of black leggings. “For today?”
“Yes. I know you probably had jeans or yoga pants to wear, but these are so much more comfortable. And way cuter.
The leggings were ankle-length, but they had sheer black side panels that ran ankle to thigh. Sexy, yet not displaying too much.
I reached in a third time and pulled out a pair of red hot pants with the L.O.V.E logo on the butt.
When I raised my eyebrows at her, she shrugged. “For sleeping. I just thought you would like them.”
Holding them lovingly to my chest, I told her, “I love them. They are the best gifts I’ve ever received.” Then I sat on the bed and hugged her.
“You’re teasing me.”
“Kind of. But I do love them.”
I stood and put them in the dresser drawer where I’d put most of my things last night. As tired as I’d been, I knew that if I didn’t unpack after dinner, I’d be living out of a suitcase for the next three days.
Solara had made herself comfortable again at the table, waiting for breakfast to arrive, while I changed.
When I came out, room service was just being delivered. My stomach growled. Sitting down to join her at the table, I’d just taken a bite of bacon when there was another knock at the door.
I mumbled, “I’ll get it, you eat.”
I looked through the peephole and saw that it was Paxton. He was leaning on the doorframe and looking anxious. When I opened it, he looked down at my chest and then back at my face, grinning devilishly. “Good morning, Charlotte.”
“Hey.”
His eyebrows went up in surprise. Then he leaned in from the hallway, whispering in my ear, “One of these days, I’m going to get you to say, ‘Good morning, Paxton.’”
The fresh scent of soap and laundry detergent was sharp, and I think I visibly trembled. “Do you want to come in?”
“Is my sister here?”
“Yes.”
He teased. “Then no.”
Solara shouted from inside the room. “Paxton, there’s breakfast.”
He responded, only loud enough for me to hear, “In that case, I never refuse the opportunity to eat.” He leaned in, put his lips to my ear lobe, sucked on it gently before releasing it, and then ignored my squeal as he passed into the room.
Taking a few calming breaths, I slowly shut the door and then joined them at the table.
Solara pulled her feet up onto the chair and wrapped her arms around her knees. “Did Story make it?”
Making himself comfortable at the table, Paxton poured himself a cup of coffee and leaned back in the chair. “She’s on her way. She got in late last night and went to her friend’s house. She’ll meet us at the venue.”
I jumped into the conversation. “Where is Story? I thought she left earlier this week to come here.”
Paxton looked down into his coffee, and Solara looked at me solemnly, then said, “She did, but she had to go back home for a family event.”
I so desperately wanted to ask, but the look Paxton shot her kept me from speaking.
Solara looked back and forth between us and asked Paxton, “Did you tell her about Myla?”
“I told her she was Story’s sister. And yes, I told her she was my ex-wife.”
As only I imagined siblings could do, they were communicating without speaking the actual words. Was I missing something? I was about to ask when Paxton stood from the chair and slugged back the rest of his coffee.
“You two almost ready?” he asked as he headed to the door.
Solara forked a few more pieces of fruit into her mouth and mumbled, “I am.”
I responded, “Yes, I just need to slip on my shoes and grab my bag.”
The door locked behind me, and the three of us left together.
The SUV was parked out front of the hotel. Solara immediately jumped in the back seat. I gave her a little glare, and she simply smiled.
The drive to the venue was quick, and from the time I stepped out of the truck, it was a non-stop blur.
Paxton immediately disappeared backstage, and I went off with Solara.
I tried to remember everything Paxton had told me yesterday and listened intently to Solara as she showed me how to check everyone in.
“We have cool new headsets, so you don’t need to wear that bulky pilot headset.”
She clipped a transmitter to a belt that she wrapped around my waist. As she clipped, I held my arms up. “The downside to these sexy leggings? No place to put the transmitter.”
When it was resting on my hip, I lowered my arms, and she handed me a headset with a small microphone. She talked while she slipped them over my ears, and adjusted the band where it rested at the back of my head. “You’ll be on channel eight and talking primarily with the sound booth when stage monitoring. If Paxton or I need you, we’ll just switch to your channel. You don’t change your channel; we’ll come to you. For now, we’re all on channel two until the show starts.”
My head was spinning, and my eyes were wide as she talked.
“Breathe, Charlotte. You’ll be fine.”
The vendors were starting to arrive, setting up booths of shoes and sexy outfits, costumes, stickers, poles for home use, makeup, and hair extensions.
Employees from the local and regional studios started to arrive, and I knew I wouldn’t remember all their names. They were all so normal, and I nodded and smiled as I was introduced to them. I started to feel like a bobblehead.
Story arrived. Even though I didn’t know her very well, and thought briefly that she probably didn’t like me, I almost hugged her when she handed me a venti coffee from Starbucks.
“You’ll need it, doll.” She winked at me. “Glad you’re here.”
“Thank you so much.” I took a tentative sip of the hot liquid and saw Paxton come out from the hall that led up to the conference room.
Story handed him a coffee. “Everything okay this morning?”
“Yeah. The riggers lost the key to the spin pole, so I’m going to run to the studio and get another one.”
“Want company?” Story was already handing Solara the coffee tray, and I felt a pang of jealousy.
“Sure. Let me grab my bag. Sol, you got this?”
He looked directly at Solara, and she nodded. Then he gave me a look that was tender and apologetic.
“You ready?” He asked me and sounded like he cared.
I nodded and took a deep breath, exhaling audibly. My chest rose, and I noticed he saw it too. With a quick glance and a sweet smile to me, he turned and addressed Story.
“Give me five minutes.”
When he was gone, I avoided looking at Story and stepped behind the check-in desk. Solara started explaining how to use the computer system and that each girl would get a gift bag.
Paxton came jogging back out. He and Story left through the front door of the theatre.
Solara gently pulled on my elbow. “C’mon, I’ll show you where the bags are, and we’ll start bringing some of them out.”
Solara and I spent most of the morning packing gift bags and getting the lobby ready. At noon, lunch was delivered, and we all went over the schedule for the day in the conference room.
There were about ten of us working, and I could feel the excitement building for the day. The girls that knew each other were friendly and happy. All of them were very respectful of Paxton and Solara.
Both of them intrigued me. They were so focused on their business and yet so patient and accepting of their employees.
Paxton never once indicated any overt flirtation, and I thought back to that day when I first met him. It seemed so long ago.
Tapping his knuckles on the table, he smiled at everyone. “Okay, let’s have a great day. Let Solara or me know if you need any help.”
We all stood, most of us cleaning up our lunch wrappers and walking back downstairs.
The girls checking in ranged from first-time competitors to professionals. Feeling bubbly and joyful, I couldn’t stop grinning and welcoming them all to the event.
Some of them disregarded me. I wanted to tell them, “I’m a vice president,” but I wasn’t. Not anymore. I was staff, and that made me grin even more. Gaining more confidence in my abilities, I started to realize I didn’t need the title.
When there was a break in the check ins, Solara turned and asked, “Why are you grinning so big?”
I shrugged. “I’m just happy.”
Her grin grew, and she hugged me. “I’m glad.”
When one of the local girls showed up to relieve me from the desk, I glanced at my watch, shocked to see that it was 6:00 p.m. Solara had been right: I was starving. “Solara, I’m going to run upstairs and get a bottle of water. I’m going backstage next, right?”
“Yes, and you’ll do great!”
I nodded at her encouragement and ran quickly up the stairs to the conference room. Paxton was working on his laptop, and I tried to grab a power bar and a water without interrupting him.
Not looking up, he asked softly as he continued to type. “You doing okay?”
It was peaceful and quiet up here. I unscrewed the top to the water bottle and took a small sip. “I’m doing good. Thank you.”
He lifted his head and smiled at me. “I’m glad.”
We stared at each other goofily, my smile growing. “I have to, I have to go stage monitor now.”
“Have fun.”
Butterflies danced in my belly, and I practically bounced down the stairs. Almost skipping down the dark hall, I entered a dark backstage area filled with the next group of dancers. I was momentarily taken aback at not only how many girls were there but the adornments on their outfits.
The stage monitor I was relieving waved me over. “Charlotte, right?”
“Hi. Yes.”
She handed me a clipboard. “The next six groups are all the exotic dancers. Each group is a different level and has three to four girls in each one. The last group should be finished by eight o’clock. Make sure you get their starting position and make some notes here on the side, so you don’t forget.” She pointed to the earlier schedule. “See how I just made some comments in the margins?”
I nodded at her and tried not to get distracted by the dancers. The crystals and sequins kept pulling at my attention.
“The girls know to check in with you, but if you get to the next group and you don’t have any dancers, send one of the pole cleaners to the dressing room to find them. Have them enter from the back of the stage unless they tell you differently. Then when they are in their starting position, cue up your mic and say ‘Texas, Texas, Texas.’”
I was confused by the use of the word. “Is that for me?”
“No, it’s for the music guys to cue up the dancer’s program.”
“But why Texas?”
She looked at me. “Try saying Colorado three times fast.”
I said it in my head and then said, “Yeah, that doesn’t work.”
She laughed. “We use Texas regardless of city or state. It’s easy.”
She left me to manage the stage, and I was caught up in a whirlwind of dancers and glitter.
The music selections ranged from techno to sultry, and I was entranced. The girls were confident and happy. Some of them were so ethereal, I found myself completely distracted by their bodies, their fluidity, and their every move’s perfection.
At one point, I found myself moving rhythmically along with one of them until I was interrupted by a young girl trying to check herself in.
“Excuse me, I was told I needed to check in with you.”
She was timid and shy. I spoke kindly to her, “Hi, yes, what’s your name?”
“Ember Lynn. I’m Exotic Level 1.” Moving beside me, she looked at the clipboard and pointed to her name.
“Is this your first competition?”
“Yes, and I’m really nervous.”
“You’ll be fine. You look beautiful. Just take a deep breath. I’ve been there before, and I know how you feel.”
She nodded and shook out her hands at her sides. I asked, “Okay, Ember, what’s your starting position?”
She told me, and I made notes in the margin of the paper. When her group was called, I walked with her to the back of the stage and waited until the pole cleaners finished wiping down the poles.
The announcer called her name, and I smiled gently at her, telling her she would do great. She teetered out onto the stage and stood in her standing position. Clicking on the microphone, I said, “Texas, Texas, Texas,” and her music started.
Once again, I was captivated by the dance. This was not the nervous, shy girl I’d just talked to; this dancer was gorgeous and seductive. My mind shifted, and I thought, I can do this. I’m going to do this.
A feeling of calm settled over me. I finished the shift exhausted and yet oddly invigorated.
Ending the day was a flurry of boxing things up and locking them in the conference room until tomorrow. Paxton had ordered catering for dinner. By the time I reached the upstairs conference room, all the girls were stuffing their faces with breadsticks, salad, pasta, and grilled shrimp.
I filled a plate, took a seat at the end of the table next to Paxton, and inhaled my food. He was twirling side to side in his chair, talking with the studio manager from Denver. He gave me a brief, sexy smile before turning back to his conversation.
Now that I’d stopped moving, a deep tiredness snuck in. My eyes started to close, heavy from the long day.
“Wake up!” Solara said exuberantly as she plopped down in the chair on the other side of me.
“I. Am. So. Tired.”
“You’ll get used to it. And you’ll learn to eat breakfast. You almost ready to go?”
I looked at my watch and saw it was past nine. “Wow, this day flew by!”
“And we have two more, so we need to get back and get to sleep.” She put her palms together against her cheek, closed her eyes, and started to snore.
I chortled and sat back in my seat.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the manager get up to leave. Paxton rolled his chair closer to Solara and me. Leaning over, elbows on his knees, hands clasped in front of him, he asked, “You two ready to go?”
My belly tightened. I wanted to reach out and ruffle his hair. Instead, I simply nodded.
Solara stood, grabbed her bag, and swiped two more cookies off the catering tray. “Ready.”
The three of us were the last to leave. The theatre was eerily quiet, except for the cleaning crew. Once again, Solara rode in the back, and we were quiet on the ride to the hotel.
After Paxton gave the valet the keys, he told us both to be downstairs tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. “First event is at noon. We need to be ready.”
Solara looped her arm through mine and then saluted him. “We’ll be here.”
He gave us one last glance, holding my eyes as he spoke. “You did good today, Charlotte. I’ll see you in the morning.”
I tried to speak, and my words got stuck. I cleared my throat and tried again. “Thank you. See you in the morning.”
Solara pulled me toward the elevators. “I’ll ride up with you.”
I was physically exhausted. I wanted a bath and bed.
“You really did do a good job today, Charlotte. You just fit right in.”
She hugged me at my door. I felt safe and… oddly, loved.
“Thank you. I had a good time.”
She squeezed me again and turned toward her room.
I stopped her. “Solara?”
“Yes?”
“I was thinking—” I stopped, and she raised her eyebrows. “I was thinking I might do an exotic. For Irvine? If you think I could.” I stuttered a bit. “I mean, I would still work the show, but maybe I could practice when I’m not working. “
Her grin grew wide. “I think that’s a great idea. You should talk to Story; she can choreograph an amazing routine for you.”
“Okay.” I nodded assuredly. “Okay, I will.”
“Good night, Charlotte.”
“Good night.”
I let myself into my room and fist-bumped the air.