Page 5 of Sway

I sit in my chair and clutch my good luck charm—my stuffed bear, Misha. My mom gave him to me before my baba and I left Odessa. Without her. She remarried after my dad died and her new husband couldn’t get a visa to come here because he wasn’t Jewish. My mom decided to send me here so I could have a better life. I wish she could be here to see me win this title. She would be so proud.

Nicole gently glues on my mink fur eyelashes and Marina puts on a final coat of Pro-Tan to make my skin gleam. Then she starts on my Mac makeup.

“Okay, Vika. You look beautiful as usual,” Nicole says. “I have to get out there. Good luck, luv.” She gives me a big hug.

“Sbacibo, Nikita.”

Marina helps me squeeze into my dress. “Take a deep breath, Vika.”

I hold my breath as the rhinestones scratch my skin. Marina takes out some thread and sews me in. My Latin gown is smoking hot—it is completely nude underneath with a shear slip and has hand-sewn rhinestones that adorn my body, with pink Swarovski crystals covering my ta-tas and, as Benny would say, my “map of Tasmania.” From a distance it looks like I’m dancing naked. Iza and I get our costumes free from the Dancing under the Stars set. Salomé’s fluorescent orange gown looks like she made it herself. I feel bad for her.

“Will the couples in heat one of the Closed Professional United States Latin Championship please take the floor?” a voice beckons over the intercom.

I fluff out my platinum blonde extensions and run out.

I nearly bowl over my stepson Jared outside of the dressing room. Not that he’d notice with his lips all over one of his sixteen-year-old students.

“Excuse me, lyubovnik. I hate to interrupt you or anything...”

The student ducks away shyly. Jared merely leans on the pillar next to him and smiles slyly. “Care for an escort, Ms. Goddess?”

I can’t remember why I ever fucked him, before Benny and I got married. Arrogant as he is, the boy can dance. Luckily, Benny forced him to dance with me. I offer my arm. “Let’s go.”

Jared takes my hand and leads me to the floor. I see Benny winking at me on the sidelines, holding his judging clipboard. Nicole, Eric, both of his parents, and Jared’s mother also secure their posts, ready to judge. The eleven judges are placed around the floor in formation like Marines in boot camp. The lady judges display no emotion, a result of their Botox addictions. The sweat-filled room reeks of fake tanning spray and smelly feet.

Jared and I get corralled with the other one hundred ninety-two competitors in the waiting area. Heat one has twelve couples.

Three hours, three rounds, and a costume change later, we are ready for the final.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer says. “We are now going to proceed with the final round of the Closed Professional United States Latin Championship. The judges have recalled the following six couples to the final round. From New York: Couple 187—Ricardo Mancini and Salomé Sanchez.”

Gross. Salomé is still wearing the monstrosity that she wore from the first round.

“From California: Couple 201—Evgeny Pavlov and Izabella Jasinski.”

Genya leads Iza to the opposite end of the floor from Salomé. He carefully avoids all eye contact with Salomé.

“From California: Couple 216: Jared Brooks and Viktoria Brooks,” the announcer says.

We take our place on the floor directly in front of Benny as the announcer calls three more couples.

“Ladies and gentlemen. Let’s put those hands together for our Closed Professional United States Latin Championship Finalists. Congratulations, competitors. And places for your first dance. The cha-cha. Music, please.”

I hear the entrancing beat of a great cha-cha song: The Blackout Allstars “I Like It Like That.” The music pulsates through my veins. My stepson’s jaw goes firm; his back straightens like a pole. He is wearing his tight black dance pants and black lace Latin shirt, which is ripped open from his navel. His perfectly chiseled pumpkin-tinted chest and dark brown happy trail almost make me drool, then and there. He gives me a fierce animalistic look, grabs my hand, and we glide into our routine.

I start with a simple cha-cha lock, into fan, as I playfully flirt with the audience. I embrace Jared and drape my arms around his neck, then glide my hands slowly up and down his chest as I do lightning fast swivels. Jared violently throws me down into a deep split while caressing my smooth legs.

Now I remember why I fucked him.

The energy between us is electrifying, I can feel it. Who needs your family on the judges’ panel when you dance like this?

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Genya and Iza dancing their routine in the corner. Jared powers over to their side of the floor and directs our dance near them, thus boxing Genya and Iza in, shielding them from the view of the judges and ensuring our win. He throws me into another deep split.

“Cha-cha. Thank you competitors.”

Jared presents me to the audience and judges. The crowd erupts.

“Who’s your favorite couple out there, ladies and gentlemen?”