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“I messed up the first step sequence after getting off the chair,” he said, chagrinned.
“No one noticed and even if they did, the criteria this week wasn’t on the steps as Judge Sour Face reminded us. Five ‘10’ scores—can you believe it? Did you know the show lore says the first couple to score all tens usually wins the whole thing?”
“Let’s don’t get ahead of ourselves,” he said with a laugh. “You were right—I did need to put in the practice time. I’d couldn’t have managed this performance otherwise. And you were also right, it’s much better to be competitive than to end up in the loser’s circle.”
“It’s going to depend on the audience votes,” she said. “They can be unpredictable. Thank you for agreeing to let me rip off your shirt. I know you didn’t care for the idea but the audience here on the ship sure loved it.”
“You’re the pro. The boss on the dance floor. My brothers will give me shit and I’ll never hear the end of it but the teasing is a small price to pay if we beat Kumisarc, right?” He turned her toward the monitors, where Andrus and his partner were executing their folk dance. Even to his utterly untrained eye, they were dancing at a high level and Andrus was executing a series of truly impressive kicks from a squatting position.
“Athletic,” Micki said, eyes narrowed. “But no fire. Not like we brought tonight.”
“Remember to rehydrate,” said one of the cast dancers as she brushed past. “Nice performance by the way. I heard the show choreographer say she might like to license it from you for a future group number, in another season.”
Josh went to procure them cups of the special fluids and Micki pumped her fist. “Yes! This is the kind of thing I was hoping would happen as a result of my being on this show.”
“Having them buy the rights to your dances?” He handed her a drink.
“Not exactly. More getting my name out there as a choreographer.” She took a sip and gave him a merry look. “Of course no one will ever dance it as well as you did.”
He raised his drink. “To us.”
She touched his cup with hers and echoed him. “To us.”
They drank and he opened his mouth to ask her the question on the tip of his tongue when the AD bustled through the area, getting everyone ready to go back onstage for the big reveal of who won and who was eliminated. The celebrity cast was getting better at hitting their marks and following the cues and shortly Josh was onstage with Micki by his side, standing in the line, waiting for the verdict. He hoped for her sake they might have won the night.
“With an overwhelming audience vote, tonight’s winners are Micki and Josh,” the co-hosts announced in unison.
Micki led him forward and they made their bow and curtsey to the cameras, waving as they retreated to the line.
The social influencer was eliminated. She’d been annoying, trying to take surreptitious vids of her fellow contestants in candid moments and posting catty remarks and veiled gossip on her various platforms so Josh was glad to see her go. She’d also made a pass at him, which he’d shut down with cold disdain the instant it started. The rumor according to Micki was her professional partner couldn’t stand her and might even have sabotaged her performance in subtle ways.
Weeping noisily, she and the partner were wafted away in the antigrav bubble and as the show closed the spotlight shone on Josh and Micki again as the host teased the next episode.
Then it was all over. “Let’s celebrate,” Josh said. “Have a late dinner and drinks with me.”
Micki was startled and clearly torn. “I don’t have anything appropriate to wear. You saw me come in tonight—the usual sweatpants and leotard.”
He leaned closer and the electricity between them was palpable. The effect of the dance hadn’t worn off yet, feeding off the attraction Josh knew was there from the first time they’d met in his office. “I’ll have dinner ordered in to my suite on Level A and the best bottle of whatever this ship has to offer.” Josh watched her think and decided to press his advantage. She hadn’t said an immediate no after all. “We haven’t spent any time together that wasn’t relating to this damn show in some way. I’d like to know you better in your non dancing persona.”
Micki stared at him and he was lost in her beautiful eyes. He couldn’t ever remember a woman having this much effect on him and it wasn’t all the arousing dance they’d just completed in front of the entire galaxy. Although as foreplay went, the dance was pretty spectacular. “I want you all to myself for a little while,” he added, giving voice to what was uppermost in his mind.
She laced her fingers through his. “All right, I’ll meet you at the stage door in ten minutes.”
He hung on as she pulled away. “Don’t change your mind. Promise?”
“I promise.”
Josh watched her walk away and then headed for the men’s dressing room, where he took the fastest refresher session on record and dressed in his own casual clothes. He couldn’t decide if Micki would show up or not. Her reluctance to cross the line into a more personal relationship with him was obvious and he respected her caution, especially given his well-documented past history when it came to dating.
She was leaning on the bulkhead as he walked up and her smile was enough to set his cock pulsing again. The woman was beautiful, everything about her enhanced by her amazingly determined personality.
“You’re late,” she said. “I nearly left.”
“I’m glad you waited.” He took her hand again and they exited into the corridor on Level C, which wasn’t too busy, aside from stagehands, prop and costume managers tearing down the sets the ISD had used this evening for the performances. A few people called out greetings to them and congratulations on the routine and the win but for the most part they were ignored.
“We’re just the talent,” Micki said with a giggle. “And we’re as temporary as those props. The crew is the real backbone of the show, just like this ship.” She paused at a well disguised door he’d never noticed before. “Crew gravlift. We can avoid having to walk through most of Level A if we go this way.”
“I’m all for that.” He followed her into the silvery stream and as the powerful force took them upwards, he drew her closer, lowered his head to hers and stole a kiss. It wasn’t the caress he’d been longing for all evening but it would do for an appetizer. She melted into his embrace and her response was everything he’d hoped for, passionate and playful.
