Kissing the Debutant (The Dangers of Dating a Diva Book 3) Read online

  “Your mother wants you ready to compete by the end of the year.” He began to pace in front of the desk.

  “My competition is in a few weeks,” Lillian said in a small voice. “But it’s—" She flinched when Claude’s fist slammed against the counter.

  “It is a waste of your time. Your mother wants all new choreography for you to compete for your place among the best companies. Of course, your audition for the American Ballet Company is set, but we will schedule auditions for the Royal Ballet in London and the New York City Ballet among several others. Your auditions are the competitions you should be focused on. Not this Northeast Regional Scholarship for the Dramatic Arts nonsense.”

  “I know, but—"

  “Yes, yes, your mother and I recognize your desire to explore your secular college options. We are prepared to meet you halfway. You may enter this silly little competition, and we will treat it as practice for what matters. And if you wish to attend a college, you may audition for Julliard.”

  “That is hardly the secular college experience.” Lillian managed to interject.

  “That is why it’s a compromise.” Claude steered her toward the mirrored wall, pushing, turning and pulling her body until she stood in first position to his satisfaction. “Hold your pose.” He moved, circling around her like predator stalking its prey.

  Lillian felt her choices slipping further away. With Claude and her mother on the same team, she’d never have an opportunity to voice her own desires.

  “You will lose five pounds of fat immediately.” Claude eyed her figure. “We will put you on a strict diet, low in carbohydrates and not to exceed seven hundred calories per day.”

  “That’s insane, I—”

  “You will also follow a regimen of diuretics and laxatives that will help you achieve your goal.”

  “No.” Lillian relaxed her pose, folding her arms across her chest. She drew the line at harming her body just for a few pounds. She was thin enough. With his diet she would do much more harm than good.

  “Excuse me?” He turned his glare on her. “Did I give you permission to move, much less speak?” Spittle flew from his mouth as he raised his voice.

  Lillian lifted her chin. “I think you’ve been misinformed, Mr. Mallery. I have no need of a new choreographer.”

  “You don’t?” He sneered. “I think your mother would have something to say about that. If you refuse me, no other choreographer will touch you.”

  “I will take it up with my mother. Th-thank you for your time.” She took a nervous step away from Claude. Her mother would never forgive her for this, but she refused to work with this man. He gave off such a sinister vibe, it left her much too aware of their solitude in the empty studio.

  “Lil, you okay?” Jack stepped through the curtain, frowning at her would-be instructor.

  “This doesn’t concern you, boy,” Claude snapped at him. “Go clean something.” He eyed Jack’s dust mop.

  “This is my cousin’s studio, sir, if someone is mistreating one of her dancers, it is my business.” He took another step into the room.

  Lillian’s heart pounded a little less with Jack there beside her.

  “Her dancers?” Claude scoffed. “Go back to your mopping.”

  “He’s my new choreographer.” Lillian reached out to grab Jack’s hand.

  “What?” Jack looked at her in surprise.

  “The janitor is your new choreographer?" Claude mocked. “You think this small-town boy is going to help you win some silly scholarship competition? You’re done, girl. You may as well quit.”

  Lillian choked back the tears that burned her eyes and throat. Maybe he was right. Maybe she should quit before she sacrificed her whole life to a career she wasn’t sure she even wanted.

  “That’s right. I’m her new choreographer, and I think it’s time for you to leave.” Jack pointed toward the door.

  “You’re under contract, little girl. You better hope your mother has a good lawyer.” Claude marched to the exit and slammed the door behind him.

  Lillian let out a shaky breath. Her mother really was going to kill her this time, but for once, she was certain of her decision. Claude Mallery represented everything Lillian knew she didn’t want.

  “So… what just happened?” Jack turned to her, scratching his head. “Seriously, that guy was a jerk.”

  “He’s some expensive choreographer my mom hired, but he’s an awful human being. I just couldn’t stomach him for another second.”

  “When do you want to start?” Jack asked.

  “What?” Lillian gave him a startled look.

  “I have some time later this week if you want to schedule our first practice.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “Jack, no, I wasn’t actually serious. I just needed to get rid of him.”

  “Oh no, you can’t go back on your word now, Lil.” A wicked-charming smile spread across his face. “You said I was your choreographer, which means we have a deal. You dance in my documentary, and I help choreograph your dance for the scholarship competition.”

  “Really, Jack, that’s not necessary.” Lillian turned to gather her bag and wet clothes from the back room. She didn’t want to be rude after Jack had stepped up and helped her send Claude on his way, but Claude was right, she needed so much more than a small-town guy to help her win this competition. Even if that boy was an incredible dancer on his own. It just wasn’t the level of professionalism she was accustomed to. She’d have to find someone on her own if her mother refused to find a replacement for Claude.

  “I think it is.” Jack moved to follow her. “One lesson?”

  “Lesson?” She whirled on him. Did he really think he could teach her?

  “No, no. Bad word choice. Clearly, you’re leaps and bounds more talented than me. I’m not a real dancer and don’t claim to be, but I can choreograph this routine for you if you’ll give me a shot. Give me one afternoon to prove to you I can do this?”

  Lillian studied him for a moment, reminding herself what she’d seen when she’d spied on him earlier. “Fine. You get one practice session.”

  “Perfect. I promise, this is going to work out beautifully for both of us. You’ll see.”

  Lillian wasn’t so sure about that. Something told her she’d regret this whole thing once her mother got wind of her plans.

  8

  Lillian

  “Can you just drop me off at the Main?” Lillian asked her Uber driver.

  “I’m not supposed to take you anywhere but the dance studio, miss.”

  Lillian rolled her eyes. Most of the Uber drivers didn’t give a crap about the rules, but this one was eager to follow them. “I’m early. I promise I’ll walk to the studio after a quick bite at the Main. I do it all the time.”

  “I don’t know.” The young guy ran a hand through his hair.

  “Come on, give a girl a break. Do you even know how stuffy Defiance Academy is behind those huge stone walls?”

  He looked back at her over the seat. “I bet it sucks never getting to leave except for your dance lessons.”

  “Yeah, it really does.” She leaned back against the seat.

  “Okay, just this once.” The driver pulled into the Main parking lot. “Get a milkshake and a burger, will ya? You’re too skinny.”

  Lillian flashed a friendly smile as she slid out of the car, grateful for the sunny afternoon. She was supposed to meet Jack in a half hour for their trial practice session, but she wasn’t in the mood. This whole thing was turning into a disaster. She still hadn’t heard from her mother, and that was a bad sign. She would pay the consequences for her actions, and it would be ten times worse if her mother showed up to find her practicing with an untrained townie.

  “Back again?” Cara met her at the diner entrance, all smiles like she was genuinely happy to see Lillian again.

  “Yeah, I have some time to kill.” Lillian followed her to the same booth she’d sat in last time.

  “Order a peanut butter choco
late banana milkshake.” Cara winked. “It will chase any worries from your mind, and you look like you could use it.

  “Lord, that sounds like it has ten thousand calories in it.” Lillian smiled as she perused the menu.

  “It’s totally fat free and guilt free.” Cara stood with her order pad at the ready. “Even better with a side of low-fat french fries.”

  “I wish.” Lillian glanced at the vegan menu, surprised to see several extremely healthy options.

  “Got something on your mind, sweetie?”

  “Avoiding my mother, actually.” Lillian didn’t know why she told Cara these things. She had such a caring nature, it just tumbled out of her mouth before she realized it.

  “Moms can be tough.” Cara nodded sympathetically. “But milkshakes can make it better.”

  Lillian laughed. In her world milkshakes would make this situation a whole lot worse. She was about to order a water and side salad when her phone chirped with a text from her mother.

  Mom: You’re grounded for a month. You’ll be lucky if Claude doesn’t sue us.

  “You know what, I think I will have that milkshake and fries.” Lillian closed the menu and slid it across the table to Cara.

  “Coming right up.”

  Lillian stared at her phone wondering how her mother intended to ground her when they didn’t live together.

  Lillian: I’m sorry, Mom. I just couldn’t work with that guy.

  Mom: We’ll talk about that later. Right now you’re to go to class, ballet practice, and straight back to your dorm room. No hanging out with your friends. Homework and then bed. That’s it.

  Lillian: So, same as my normal routine? No problem.

  Lillian tossed her phone back in her bag, letting out a disgusted snort. She had bigger problems than lack of a suitable choreographer. Her own mother didn’t know her at all.

  “Here you go, sweetie. Enjoy.” Cara placed an enormous milkshake in front of her along with a plate of fries. “My little ones discovered the fries are better dipped in the milkshake. It sounds awful, but it’s actually really good. You should try it.”

  “Thanks, Cara. This looks yummy.” Lillian picked up a fry like she was going to eat it, but she dropped it back on the plate as soon as Cara left to seat an older couple waiting at the hostess stand.

  Leaning forward, Lillian sniffed the plate of hot fries.

  “Oh, that smells heavenly.” Her stomach growled in anticipation. “One won’t kill me.” She selected the largest fry on the plate and popped it into her mouth. It melted on her tongue, the burst of salt sent her taste buds into orbit. She enjoyed every moment of that one fry before she turned to her milkshake with chunks of fresh banana and ribbons of chocolate and peanut butter. She had to taste it. She took a small sip and couldn’t help the groan of satisfaction.

  Her mother would probably send her to fat camp if she could see her indulging right now, but she didn’t care. There was more to life than ballet, right? There had to be, and Lillian was determined to experience everything she could before she decided to choose ballet… or reject it.

  “One more fry.” She chose a smaller one this time, not thinking about the calories before she dipped the fry into her milkshake.

  Cara’s kids were right, that was the best thing she’d ever tasted. She wanted to keep stuffing her face, but she had to meet with Jack. At least that was the excuse she was using to pull herself away from the food in front of her.

  Lillian dropped a ten on the table for Cara and slid out of the booth.

  “Look at that smile. See I told you milkshakes can cure anything. See you next time, honey,” Cara called as Lillian left the diner feeling better than she had when she went in.

  “You’re here?” Jack’s face paled when Lillian entered the studio. “I mean.” He cleared his throat. “You’re here, we should get started.”

  “I know, I’m surprised I showed up too.” Lillian followed him to the smallest studio in the back.

  “I promise, this is going to be great.” Jack walked backward into the room, his eyes dancing with excitement.

  “Just this once.” Lillian felt like she owed him that much after his help with the Claude situation the other day, but she was convinced this whole thing was a joke. She really needed to find her own choreographer if she had prayer of competing in a few weeks.

  “Right, right,” Jack said, sounding like he didn’t believe her.

  “Who’s this?” Lillian stopped at the center of the mirrored room, eyeing the girl with the curly brown hair.

  “Oh don’t mind me, I’m just the camera girl,” she said.

  “Mia, Lillian. Lillian, Mia,” Jack said by way of introduction.

  “Oh, you’re the girlfriend.” Lillian nodded. “I’m just going to warm up while you two do whatever.” She dropped her bag in an empty chair, not bothering to change from her workout clothes.

  Lillian went through her stretch routine, bending and flexing her long limbs in front of the mirrors. Running through each pose on autopilot, she let her mind wander. She moved on light feet, skimming the floor on her tiptoes before she ended with several jumps and leaps.

  “That was beautiful,” Mia whispered in awe.

  Lillian was used to people looking at her like that when they first saw her dance.

  “Right. Okay.” Jack clapped his hands eagerly. “This is going to be fun, Lil. My documentary is not going to be some classical ballet showcase, and neither is your routine for the competition.” He pointed at her with a grin. His enthusiasm was kind of adorable. “We’re not choreographing anything stuffy and old school—”

  “Wait.” Lillian held up her hand. “I gotta stop you right there, Jack. If this works out—which I highly doubt—I will dance whatever you choreograph for your documentary, but I am a classically trained ballerina. A good one, with a bright future. My routine has to reflect that. I can’t deviate from my training too much. Not even for a scholarship competition.” She sounded rude and full of herself, but she needed Jack to understand she could not compromise on this.

  “Of course. I understand, I do, but I think we should combine elements from several other types of dance. This is an opportunity for you to deviate from your tried-and-true routines. Not too much, of course.” He held up his hands to stall her protests. “But just a tiny bit to show potential colleges that you have range. You want to see what your options are to have the real college experience, right? That’s what this competition is about for you.”

  “I suppose.” Lillian sighed. “Show me what you’ve got.” She waved him to the dance floor.

  “Today I just want to experiment with some moves and see what happens. This should be fun, so loosen up. It’s not rocket science. It’s dancing.”

  This was a very bad idea. Lillian took her place beside him as he demonstrated a complicated sequence that involved a few familiar ballet inspired moves but with a faster pace and more casual footwork than she was used to.

  “Mind if I put my own spin on that?” She moved to repeat the sequence.

  “Go for it.” Jack stepped back to watch her.

  Lillian lifted her arms in a graceful arc as she followed his example, keeping the same pace, but bringing a little more elegance to it.

  “No, not quite like that, Lil.” Jack frowned.

  “Excuse me?” She’d spent her whole life perfecting her skills, and this janitor boy was telling her she got it all wrong? What was she thinking? “I don’t think this is going to work.”

  “You just need to loosen up. Shake off some of the rigid form ballet demands.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” She rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. “And stop telling me to loosen up. I am not uptight.”

  Jack lifted an eyebrow as if to say otherwise. “Let’s run through it one more time, and then we’ll move on to something else.”

  “Fine.” Lillian gave him the floor. She watched as he leapt and kicked his way through the sequence, lifting his
arms and tapping his feet. It looked so cool when he did it, but she wasn’t sure she had those kinds of moves within her.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” Jack groaned. “I’m not a monster trying to butcher everything you know. You are a beautiful dancer, Lil. Flawless. But you never look like you’re having any fun. That’s all I’m asking you to do today. Have some fun.”

  “You know,” Mia interjected. “Just to break the ice, maybe you two should just have a dance party? You know, throw down some moves and kind of teach each other.”

  Jack shot her a look that told her to shut up.

  “Or not.” Mia went back to tinkering with her camera.

  Lillian frowned as she prepared to give it one more try. She followed his footsteps, leaping and kicking her way across the room. Her footwork wasn’t as accurate as she would have liked, but the pace of the movement was invigorating. It felt good when she landed the last jump.

  Jack clapped. “Better, much better. Try it again, but this time let your hips relax. You’re still too stiff.”

  “Stiff?” She glared at him. Who was the trained dancer here?

  “Oh my gosh, stop trying to kill me with your glare.” Jack’s own irritation began to show. “I know I could never compare to your crazy expensive ballet instructors, but I’m not trying to be a ballet instructor. I’m just an untrained choreographer who thinks he can help you do something cool for a change.”

  “You’re right.” Lillian shook her head. “You are untrained, and this is a huge mistake. I’m sorry I’ve wasted your time.”

  9

  Jack

  “Hey, Mom.” Jack pressed a kiss to his mom’s cheek before sliding into the booth at the Main.