Page 19 of Dancing With Doubt

10

Roxie

Roxie’s gaze moved around the living room, watching the women that Lincoln somehow managed to invite over without her knowing. He was making too big of a deal out of the whole thing with Nathan showing up at her job, but he was right in some ways. If Nathan had found out where she worked that meant he’d followed her at some point.

And Roxie had to admit that she felt safe now. Over the last few weeks, the days had started to cool off but her coldness to Lincoln had started to thaw. Lincoln had relaxed over time, but he still didn’t want her going home. Even if he was the one that had pushed her to do that in the first place.

Roxie tried to hide the way she rolled her eyes at her thoughts and focused on Kitty in the middle of the room showing Keily the one move that would bring any man to his knees. She was at the bottom of a portable pole that Lincoln ordered so that Roxie could practice at home.

“Now what you do is when you get to the bottom and your feet are on the ground, you wrap your arms around the pole, with your head down in front of you. Then you bring your head up like this.” Kitty said, whipping her hair behind her head and bringing her eyes up in what was one of the sexiest pouts Roxie had ever seen her pull off.

Wendy, Emily, Keily, and Roxie all clapped and whistled in appreciation of the smoldering looks and the pose Kitty had taken. Kitty pulled herself up with a smile and pranced at the appreciation.

“I definitely want to see you on a proper stage,” Keily said to Kitty and sighed. “I really hope this all works out.”

“Are you going to have male dancers?” Emily asked, her eyes dancing between Keily and Roxie. “I’ve begged Dylan to take me to that Magic Mike show, but we haven’t been able to catch it anywhere.”

Roxie and Keily glanced at each other and laughed.

Roxie decided to answer her perplexed friend. “We had a conversation about that when we first talked about opening a new place. And yes, we want male dancers too.”

“I see,” Emily said innocently, but Roxie didn’t miss the huge grin she tried to hide.

Roxie laughed out loud, really loud, she was so pleased with that grin. She’d laughed so much that evening and it was just perfect. She needed this more than she’d thought. It wasn’t her I-have-to-laugh-at-your-awful-joke laugh for clients. It was her real laugh and she’d missed that.

She got up from the couch and wandered over to the pole. There was a song on; Love is a Bitch by Two Feet, and it brought out her inner dancer. At first, she swayed, waiting until she caught the rhythm before she started to climb the steel pole. She lost herself in the song, in the moves she twisted through effortlessly.

When she slid down to finish with that move of Kitty’s, her eyes caught on Lincoln, not anybody else. The other women were in the room, but Roxie didn’t see them. He was standing in the doorway, frozen in place. Something flared to life in her chest and she knew there was a promise in her eyes. One that he’d take her up on later if she let him, his eyes promised back.

He nodded with a faint smile when she pulled her chin up but didn’t break from his gaze. Later. Maybe.

There were a lot of maybes in her life lately, but that was okay. For the first time in a while, she had hope for a future with her career, and perhaps something more from Lincoln than either June or she had planned on. Maybe. Lots of maybes. And now she might keep the promise she’d just made.

Later, when everyone had gone home, the PAs were in bed, and Lincoln’s driver was wherever he went, Lincoln came into the living room. His walk was casual but there was something predatory in the way his eyes watched her. He was hungry for her, and she couldn’t lie - She wanted him.

That song always did something to her and with Lincoln in the house, well, it was inevitable that she’d want him, wasn’t it?

“Are you alright?” He asked, watching her closely as she walked over to the pole once more, a song playing softly in the background.

“I’m good, yeah. Thanks for that. I needed a night with my girls.” She looked up at him as he walked closer to her and then wrapped his arms around her waist.

She accepted the embrace and wrapped her arms around him. “Happy now?”

“I am.” She admitted and surprised herself when she put her head on his chest and relaxed. This was going to happen then.

Her heart started to race as they stood there, just absorbing the heat they each gave off. She took his heat and wasn’t surprised when it started to spread throughout her body, rushing to places that soon began to feel as if they would melt if he didn’t touch her.

Roxie clutched at his arms, wondering if she should really take this step, but the longer she stared into his brown eyes, the more she wanted to feel every part of him pressed against her. The world around them faded away and there was only her and Lincoln. All she could hear was his breath and hers, their bodies leaning together, wanting so much more.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Roxie?” He whispered the question softly.

“I don’t know, Lincoln, but I can’t stop it.” She paused to lick her hot lips, trying to cool them, but the slick feel of her tongue only made the heat worse. “I want you.”

She looked up at him, uncertain, but aching too much to deny herself anymore.

“And I want you too much to convince you that you should go to your room and lock your door. I think I might die if you say no.” His eyes were still on hers, that gold streak a warm invitation to fall into him, to let him take care of her worries and do nothing more than please her.

She wanted that, wanted him. “Then take me to your room, Lincoln.”