Authors: Olivia Jordan
Adam’s stomach knotted up as Taletha rushed over to put on some music. Despite knowing that he was a great dancer, he feared having to give his new boss any criticism. Especially when his new boss was so sexy.
Adam didn’t know how he was going to control himself the second he touched her warm skin. His hands felt like they were going to burst into flames, and his cock began fluttering to life as she settled in his arms. But he wasn’t about to lose control. Not on his first day. Keeping his eyes focused on hers, he led her through quick spins and twists, looking for any flaws in her technique. He knew he wouldn’t find much. There was a reason she was one of the most celebrated salsa dancers in the country. He struggled to find something wrong as he threw out more complicated patterns, sending her into backbends and splits. As she followed with ease and precision, he became more and more enthralled in her movements. When the music ended and she stepped away, he felt a little sad that the dance was over.
“So what did you think?” she asked.
Adam opened his mouth, but he was completely tongue-tied.
“That good, huh?” she said with a giggle. “I have to say, I’ve never rendered anyone speechless before.”
After swallowing, Adam managed to find his voice again. “You’re a beautiful dancer.”
She grinned. “You don’t have to flatter me just because I’m your boss.”
“It’s not that you’re my boss. I mean it. That dance was practically perfect.”
“The key word there is ‘practically.’ If it really had been perfect, you would have just said so.”
“Well—I—uh—”
“Hey,” she said, taking his hand. A jolt of electricity ran through his skin, but he took a deep breath and focused on what she had to say. “Don’t worry about it. You won’t hurt my feelings. I respect you as a dancer, and I want your feedback. I treat all of my instructors as equals, and I want them to tell me when they think I could improve. So please, don’t freak out. Just be honest.”
Adam gave her a small smile. “Well, on that triple spin, your balance was a little off. I think you were locking your knees out, because you pitched forward.”
Taletha laughed. “Thank you. That’s so good to hear.”
Adam raised an eyebrow. “It is?”
“Locking my knees out on spins has been my biggest downfall as a dancer. I’ve spent my life mastering it. But sometimes, it creeps back in. I need people to point it out, because I don’t really notice it. So see? You helped me.”
“I guess I did.”
“Now was that really so hard?”
Now it was Adam’s turn to laugh. “No, I guess not.”
“Good.” Her grin grew wider. “I’m glad. I want us to have a good working relationship. I want you to feel comfortable coming to me about anything.”
Too bad “anything” doesn’t refer to sex
, he thought. But he quickly banished the idea from his mind. There was no point in dwelling on something that wasn’t a possibility. Instead, he returned her smile.
“I will.”
Lynne poked her head in the studio. “Hey, we have a walk-in client interested in getting an introductory lesson. I was wondering if Adam was interested in taking her on.”
“What do you think?” Taletha asked. “Ready to have your first student a little early?”
“Definitely.”
“Knock ’em dead,” she said as Adam followed Lynne toward the front desk. He turned back to wave at her, and thought he noticed her eyes lingering on his ass. But he dismissed it as a fantasy, and went to meet his newest client.
Chapter Three
On Friday night, the studio closed early for its monthly staff outing. Taletha was fastidious about her belief in team bonding. On the second Friday of each month she took all of the teachers and support staff out to one of the many local dance clubs. She always picked a different dance genre to ensure that all the teachers felt included, no matter what their specialty. That month, she took them to the salsa club. Taletha relished the salsa outings not just because salsa was her favorite dance, but because it was one that almost everybody knew, and as a result, it seemed as though everyone got the most out of such excursions.
The staff all carpooled over to The Copa, splitting the high cost of downtown parking lots. Once inside, Taletha handed the company credit card over to the bartender.
“Start a tab for everyone who came in with me. I’ll kick the evening off with my usual.”
“You got it.” The bartender pulled down a martini glass and the top-shelf gin.
Taletha sat back against the bar and watched her staff members relax and mingle after a hectic week. One of the first things that caught her eye was Emily standing next to Adam and stroking his arm. She felt jealousy flare up inside her.
Calm down,
she thought.
They’re outside of the studio. They’re free to do what they please. Besides, it’s not like Adam is your boyfriend or anything. You don’t get involved with your employees. And he’s not interested in you, anyway.
Still, she couldn’t help but keep the two of them in her peripheral vision as she gazed around the club. Since Emily had such a loud voice, bits and pieces of their conversation started to seep over toward Taletha.
“So I was thinking, there’s this gallery opening tomorrow night. We should go.”
Taletha couldn’t hear what Adam said, but she could tell from the look on Emily’s face that she didn’t like his answer.
“Well, maybe we could meet up for a drink beforehand. I mean, I know this bar that’s pretty central to downtown, and you could go on to your thing, and I could go on to mine.”
Taletha studied their faces, wondering what Adam was saying, curious as to what sorts of plans he had for Saturday night.
“Well, maybe we could do Sunday brunch instead.”
Realizing that Emily was not going to take a subtle rejection, Taletha downed the rest of her drink and walked over to where they were standing.
“Want to dance?” she asked, extending her hand toward Adam
“Of course.” He gave Emily a polite nod, and then wrapped his hand around Taletha’s. Taletha ignored the frown that settled on Emily’s features as she watched the two of them make their way toward the dance floor.
The electricity that sparked through Taletha’s body when flesh met flesh made her knees tremble, and for the second time that week, she had to fight to maintain her balance in Adam’s presence. But she made her way onto the dance floor with confidence, striking an elegant pose as the band began to play its first few notes and Adam got the music into his muscles.
“Thank you,” he said, leading her through some simple moves so they could chat and dance at the same time. “She just doesn’t know how to take a hint.”
Normally, Taletha hated it when men were boring social dancers. She didn’t go out for small talk. She went out to move her body, enjoy the music, and toss back a few drinks. But when it came to Adam, she found herself willing to put aside her usual pet peeve in order to give him attention. She allowed herself to lean in closer to him, ostensibly to hear the conversation better, but mostly so she could feel his hot breath on her ear.
“Emily is the kind of person who needs people to be obvious. You’re a sweet guy, but as a result, you’re way too subtle. You’re just going to have to be a little more aggressive with brushing her off. I can talk to her again if you need me to. I don’t want any drama between my instructors.”
Adam flushed a little. “You think I’m sweet?”
Now it was Taletha’s turn to blush. “Maybe.”
“There’s a big difference between maybe and yes.”
Taletha knew when she had been bested. She tried to keep her voice from shaking. He might have cornered her, but she didn’t want him to know she was nervous. “Yes, I think you’re sweet.”
“And I think you’re single and deserve a sweet guy like me.”
Taletha almost stopped dancing when she heard his confession, but she merely pulled back a little, so she wasn’t in danger of losing control and kissing him. “And I think it’s a bad idea to get romantically involved with one of my employees.”
“So you like me?”
Taletha wanted to say yes, but she couldn’t find the courage to speak. To her frustration, she just stood there, letting the awkwardness build between them.
“Maybe I should resign, then.”
Taletha actually did stop dancing when she heard his words. “Please don’t. This studio needs you. You’ve been here only four days, and already I have students raving about how wonderful you are.”
Adam laughed, grabbed her hand, and started dancing again. This time, he started putting her through more complex patterns, and it was all Taletha could do to follow the conversation and the dance while keeping her raging hormones in check. “I promise, I won’t leave. For one thing, I don’t want to move back to California. For another thing, I enjoy teaching here.”
“I’m glad.”
“But I know I’d also enjoy you.”
Taletha couldn’t help but blush. She searched for words, but nothing came out.
Adam leaned in close again. She could feel his lips brush against her ear. “I also don’t think teaching and fucking have to be mutually exclusive.”
As he spoke, the band started playing the closing notes of the song, and Adam threw her into a deep backbend. Bringing her up to standing, he placed a deep kiss on her lips.
Taletha was already so horny that she thought she was going to come just from the sensation of his tongue exploring hers. But he pulled away too quickly.
“More,” she found herself gasping.
Adam laughed. “I knew you wanted me.”
“I said I wasn’t going to get involved with employees.”
Adam leaned forward, so that his breath rushed against her ear as she spoke. “No, you said you thought it was a bad idea. You never said anything about not wanting it.”
Taletha felt her cunt start to throb with desire. “It’s a bad idea.”
“When was the last time someone bought you a drink?”
Taletha didn’t answer. Instead, she turned and started to walk off the dance floor, searching the room for Morris.
Adam grabbed her hand. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“It’s none of your business.”
“It’s been too long, hasn’t it?”
“Running a dance studio and competing take up all of my time. I’m too busy for a boyfriend. My career comes before my love life.”
“And you’re really satisfied?”
“A career doesn’t break your heart. I’m happy this way.”
“I don’t know who hurt you, but whatever he did, I’m not like that. I promise.” Adam leaned in and kissed her again. Taletha had to actively resist the urge to moan as his teeth nibbled at her lower lip, sending sparks out all over her skin.
“More,” she whispered involuntarily when he pulled away.
Adam grinned. “That’s what I thought.”
Taletha’s stomach clenched as she realized what she had done. She didn’t want to encourage Adam, didn’t want to be so tempted by her newest employee. But two kisses in, she knew there was no hope for her.
Adam led her over to a dark corner of the bar, near the emergency exit. He shoved her against the wall with such heated desire that made her whole body quiver with excitement, grabbed her head in his hands, and pressed his mouth to hers with even more force than before. Her pussy started pounding even harder, desperate for a hand to brush against her clit, or even better, for a cock to fill her. Finally, she let herself give in to the pleasure and started to reciprocate, letting her hands explore his body. She snaked her fingers down his arms, feeling the trim, sinewy muscles that flexed beneath his skin. From there, she moved on to his back, then down to his ass, which she gripped with all the force she had in her. She felt his cock harden with each lick of her tongue, each nibble of her teeth, until it pressed full force into her pelvis, and she couldn’t bear to only imagine how it would feel to have him inside of her. When he raked his own hands down her arms, she began pondering leaving her credit card at the bar overnight so they could make an escape back to her bed.