Fiction/Young Adult/Betrayal
Worth The Risk — Chapter Nineteen
Are you willing to lose it all
I paced back and forth in the rehearsal room so much that I probably walked ten miles.
I was a nervous wreck, tonight was the night. It was our last performance of the year for dance.
Our group had talent scouts coming from all over, and it was a packed house. My parents couldn’t attend, of course, as they had some holiday dinner to attend for one of my dad’s work clients.
Oh well, Rowena, Marcus, Amber, and Ricky were here, what more did I need, right?
“Chelsey.” Ms. Birkshire’s yell for me brought me back to the moment. “It’s almost time. Get your team of dancers ready.”
‘Oh shit.”
‘Oh, shit.’
‘Oh, shit.’
I’m freaking out right about now.
This is it.
This is happening.
I’ve done many other performances before, but this one was different.
Not only am I afraid of screwing up for the judges and the scouts, but this one has Marcus here.
“One minute to show time.” Ms. Birkshire announced my worst fear.
“Okay guys,” I waved for my dancers to come circle me. “We can do this. You guys are great. I’m so blessed to have you all part of my dance crew.” We all circled in for a group hug.
“Now, let’s go show them how to kick ass in dancing.”
We all put our hands in a pile and shouted, ‘We rock.’ Then, it was game time.
“Chelsey.” Ms. Birkshire called out my name as she weaved through the dancers and their families that had made it backstage.
My crew got done with the dance number about fifteen minutes ago. It was an exciting thirty minutes of being center stage, a time I wouldn’t forget for the rest of my life.
I was born to dance.
I was me when I danced.
I felt free when I danced.
Sadly, this would be my last dance.
I wouldn’t be able to construct another dance routine for the spring showcase. My father was having me do some internships with a department within his company right after spring break.
“Chelsey,” Ms. Birkshire said, touching my arm to capture my attention. “This is Ms. Diedra, she is with Steps on Broadway.”
My hands started to shake. This was one of the scouts Ms. Birkshire had told me about. The one who had been interested in seeing me dance and how well I could train others. I wanted to jump around doing a happy dance.
I tried to hold out my hand without it flapping around as my nerves set into overdrive. “It’s an honor to meet you.”
“Likewise, Ms. Winters.” Ms. Diedra shook my hand and smiled politely. “I was very impressed with your talent, in both your dancing ability and how well you trained the others. I would love for you to come down to my office when you have a spare moment and maybe discuss coming on board with our company after graduation.”
Oh. My. God.
Oh. My. God.
I can’t believe this is happening.
“I would love to.” I tried to act as casual as I could but my broad smile and the excitement in my tone gave away how I felt.
"Excellent." Ms. Diedra patted my shoulder. “Have Ms. Birkshire set up an appointment with my secretary.” She turned to my dance instructor. “She was everything that you said she would be.” On that note, she walked away.
“You did wonderful, Chelsey. You should be so proud of yourself.” Ms. Birkshire gave me an air kiss on each cheek, then went to talk with the other dancers and family members.
“Chelsey,” Brant, one of my male dancers, waved me over to the stage door. “You have fans over here, should I let them in?”
I peeked around the corner of the open door and saw Marcus, Amber, and Ricky standing outside. “Yes, let them in.” I pushed open the door further so they could come inside.
Amber gave out a shrill yell and wrapped me up in a hug. “You were perfect. Oh my God, I wish I had half your talent.”
“Thank you. My dancers made it look good.” I had to give credit where credit was due. If it weren’t for my team, I wouldn’t have made half as far as I did for this showcase.
Amber let me go, and Marcus took her place. His arms circled me and I was home. I breathed in his scent, the one that relaxed me to the core, and laid my head on his chest.
“I am so proud of you. Your dancing this evening was flawless.” Marcus kissed me on each cheek, and then his lips found mine. It was a simple kiss, but still one that made me know I was his.
“There were a couple of mess-ups, but we covered them pretty quickly so no one else would figure it out.” I had to be honest, I wasn’t as perfect in dance as they made me out to be.
Ricky wrapped his arms around both me and Marcus. “Dude, that flexibility has got to pay off in bed.”
Amber slapped Ricky upside the head.
Ricky held up his hands. “I’m just sayin.” He put his arm around Amber and kissed her on the cheek. They were such a cute couple, they were perfect for one another. "Seriously, Chels, you were awesome.”
“Thank you for coming. I appreciate it.” I was so thankful for my friends, ones I would’ve never thought would’ve shown me support and were the only ones that cared about my passion.
“No parents?” Amber gave me the look that she knew her assumption was correct.
I shook my head. “I did see Rowena, though.”
She told me she had to go back home and start on the catering preparations for my parent’s big holiday dinner, which they always did for the company.
“That’s bullshit, Chelsey. My mom might be a bitch sometimes, but she does come to most of my auditions. You have to rely on your housekeeper for support.” Amber was more upset by my parent's no-show than I was.
“No biggie. Rowena has been coming to watch me dance since I was a toddler.” I had to cover up my disappointment with my parents.
I couldn’t let anyone know I was affected by their absence, if I did, it would show in my dance, and I couldn’t allow that to happen.
“Still sucks, baby.” Marcus tenderly caressed my cheek.
“Well, we have an early flight tomorrow. So, I’m gonna get going.” Amber gave me another hug. “You did great, Chels, make sure you call me during the break.” She took Ricky’s hand and led him to the exit. “Love you, see you guys later.”
Both Amber and Ricky gave a final wave and disappeared into the crowd.
I took Marcus by the hand. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone.”
He’d seen my dance crew almost every day since I’d been bringing him to practice, but he’d never been fully introduced to the girls and guys.
“Then it will be party time for a bit, and then." I leaned into him and ran my hand over his chest, making sure to lightly caress his nipples. “Our time alone will finally begin.”
A low growl sounded from Marcus’s chest. “Can’t we do that now?” His hand gripped my ass and squeezed tightly.
I giggled and moved away from his touch. “Soon, baby, soon.”
I couldn’t believe it. The whole Marcus scheme went off without any complications. I took the company plane to Aspen, and Marcus’s flight from JFK came in thirty minutes after I landed.
Amber was brilliant at putting this all together. She even told my parents I was staying at her house last night so she could take me to the airport. Of course, they believed her and also thanked her for taking the time to see me off.
Ha, if only they knew I spent the night with Marcus in a hotel room all on my dad’s money.
So, there we were, both heading to Trista’s family’s ski lodge in Aspen. Marcus hadn’t spoken too much, he just marveled at the mountainous scenery and the breathtaking views.
“Chelsey, we’re not actually going to be going down any of those hills, are we?” Marcus’s eyes darted back and forth from me to the snow-peaked mountains we were heading towards.
I patted him on the thigh. “No, hun.” Marcus sighed with a breath of relief.
“We will start you on the bunny slope, then you can try those mountains.” I had to laugh at the look of panic scrawled across his face.
Thirty minutes later, and after several discussions concerning the fact that there was no way in hell he was going that far up and skiing down without dying in the process, we began our drive down the driveway leading to Trista’s winter home.
“Holy shit, Chels, we’re staying there?” Marcus’s eyes almost bugged out of his head when he caught sight of the mini-estate.
“Yeah, her dad is on the board of directors at Apple Computers mid-west division.”
I’d known Trista since we were little girls. My dad and her dad went to the same college, studied business together, belonged to the same fraternity, and all the other happy-horse shit that kept them friends for years and years.
“Wow, this is like..." It appeared Marcus couldn’t even find a word to describe what he thought about his new home for the next two weeks.
The log cabin was three stories high with floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out the half-mile driveway that came up to the front and circled the heated water fountain in the front yard. All the lights were on, indicating Trista and whoever else she brought along were already there.
Before I could get out of our rental Bentley Bentayga, the front doors opened, and Trista ran down the front steps. She looked so different from the last time I’d seen her.
Her once shoulder-length, sun-bleached hair was now jet black and reached down to her mid-back. She’d gotten a boob job since her bust seemed to have increased by three cup sizes. She looked almost too Barbie-like, plastic, and fake.
“Chelsey, baby. Oh. My. God. You’re here.” Trista yanked me into a hug and spun me around in circles. She took me by surprise when she planted a big kiss on my lips, tongue, and all.
I took a step back and put my hand to my mouth. I was shocked—well, beyond that as a matter of fact.
“Oh, Chels, get with the times. Girls are as good as guys nowadays.” Trista took my hand, held it with her own, and winked at me. “Stay with me, and I’ll show you all the ropes.”
It was then that she noticed Marcus standing behind us.
“Holy, fuck, Chelsey. Who’s this?” Trista left my side and went over to Marcus. She slipped her arm through his and pressed her body close to his. “I think he might be mine before the night is through.”
Okay. Okay. Now she was pushing it.
I walked over and stepped between Trista and Marcus. “Trista, this is Marcus, my boyfriend.” I hoped I made it clear she didn’t have any claim to him just because we were staying at her parent’s house.
Trista backed off Marcus and held up her hands. “Just checkin out the goods, Chels, no harm done, right, Marcus.” She looked over at Marcus for confirmation that all was good.
Marcus cupped my ass and drew me closer. “We all good.”
"Chels." Trista motioned for us to follow as she walked back up to the house. “Your parents never said you were bringing your boyfriend with you.”
“Because they don’t know.”
Hopefully, Trista will keep it that way.
A sneaky smile spread across Trista’s face. “Chelsey, Chelsey, Chelsey, did you let loose the bad girl in you?” She took hold of my other hand as we walked through the door. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”
About fifteen other people were standing around the main room when we entered the house. They all looked stoned, drunk, or maybe a mix of both. I knew Trista liked to party but I didn’t know she ventured this far into the scene.
“Don’t mind them,” Trista glanced back at the group passing around a bong. “Just some friends that will be crashing here with us this week.” Marcus and I followed her down the hallway and up the first set of stairs. “You have secrets, and I have some of my own. I’m sure we can keep this between us, right, Chelsey.” She looked over at me to make sure I got the reference not to say anything to the parents.
“We’re cool.”
Trista smiled and continued to lead us up the second set of stairs.
Marcus gave me a look of like ‘what the fuck was going on.’ I shrugged and continued to follow Trista.
“I’ll put you two on the third floor. No one else will be staying up there.” Trista opened the first door and motioned for us to go on in.
I’d forgotten how luxuriously the rooms were set up. This particular room was the size of four bedrooms put together. It had sitting quarters, a bathroom, a hot tub with a wet bar situated beside it, a full kitchen, and the bed itself was a monstrous, kingsize, that looked like it could fit five people comfortably.
“Enjoy.” Trista put her arms around both mine and Marcus’s waists. “Come back downstairs once you get all situated. I’ll have one of the caretakers bring up your luggage.” She gave both Marcus and me a kiss on the cheek and disappeared back downstairs.
“Wow.” Marcus walked around the room, looking at all the different gadgets set up. There were two 65-inch flat-screen TVs, a new X-box, Playstation Four, everything controlled by Alexa, and only me and Marcus for the next two weeks alone, well, except for Trista and her guests.
“Yeah, they have it set up pretty nicely here.” I tugged on Marcus’s hand and led him over to the bed.
I gently pushed on his chest so he would fall backward. He landed on the mass of pillows that stretched along the headboard.
“We, have” I crawled on top of him and straddled his waist. “No parents.” I lifted his shirt so he would take it off. “No school.” I licked his nipples until I heard a low moan of excitement. "There is nothin to stop us from doing what we want.” I unbuttoned his jeans.
In less than a second, Marcus had flipped me on my backside and hovered over me. “We may never come out of this room.”
A knock on the door interrupted our moment of foreplay. I heard an older guy’s voice announce that our baggage would be sitting outside the door and Ms. Trista requested we come back downstairs. The sound of footsteps disappearing indicated the caretaker’s work here was complete.
Marcus rolled off me and fixed up his clothing. I helped him pull his shirt back on, making sure to slide my fingers down every inch of his chest. He let out a groan and pulled my body to his.
“You are so mine tonight." His lips found mine for a brief moment.
I let out a pent-up sigh. “For now, we have to go interact with everyone else.”
Marcus put his arm around my shoulders, making sure whoever saw us knew we were an item.
He led us both back down the stairs.
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