Foul Pole by Tina Gallagher
Chapter Six
Leo
I clappedthroughout the last number with the rest of the audience, unable to keep the smile off my face. Each dance leading up to this finale was amazing and the best part is that all the performers looked like they were having a blast.
Anjannette and Keera had danced together wearing mile-high patent leather boots and I’m still not sure how they did what they did without kicking each other in the head or losing an eye. It was pretty impressive.
“This is spectacular,” Angie said then bumped me with her shoulder. “Seriously, are you watching this?”
“I’m wat–holy shit, did you see that?”
Instead of answering me, she let out a loud catcall and clapped harder.
I’ll admit that my initial reason for attending this recital had more to do with seeing Anjannette than watching the show, but I’ve really enjoyed myself. While they’re not my normal hangout, I have been in strip clubs, so I’ve seen women dance on poles. But not like this.
Half the time I had no idea how the dancers stayed on the pole. And other times, I thought for sure they were going to crash to the ground, but I’m happy to say that never happened. Any drops or tumbles were part of the choreography.
As the song came to an end, some of the dancers hung from the top of the poles and the others dropped to splits at the base. Everyone in the audience jumped out of their seats and gave them a standing ovation.
The dancers took their bows, then circled together into a group hug. Anjannette walked over with the microphone in her hand and joined in for a second before stepping into the middle of the floor. The room got quiet as she began to speak.
“I want to thank you all so much for coming tonight to support both the dancers and the studio. Peaches & Pole has been a dream of mine for a long time and I’m so happy to finally make it a reality. But I couldn’t have done that without all of you.” She looked over at all the students and smiled. “You’ve turned this studio into everything I’d hoped it would be. A positive environment where people can come to have fun, get fit, and feel empowered. It’s been a magnificent first year and I’m looking forward to seeing where we all go from here.”
Her blush was visible even in the dim lighting as Keera approached with a huge bouquet of peach roses and handed them to her. She fumbled with the microphone to thank everyone again, then Keera took it off of her.
“You made this place what it is. Thank you for being you.”
Anjannette clutched the flowers to her chest as Keera pulled her into a big hug. Tears streamed down her face as each of the students did the same.
“This was fun. You did good, Leo,” Angie said. “Even if we’re only here because you’re crushing on the sexy redhead,” she added with a snarky smirk.
That’s definitely not something I want to admit or discuss, especially with my little sister. So instead of answering, I changed the subject to food.
“What do you guys want to do for dinner?”
“What are our options?” Crispin asked.
“We could go to the diner if you’re in the mood for greasy food.” I looked at Trey. “Clay and I ate there a couple weeks ago and the food is exactly the same. The place hasn’t changed one bit.”
“Oh wow, I haven’t thought about that place in years.”
“But now that you have, you want a burger and gravy fries, right?”
“I’m more of a cheese fry guy.”
“How could I forget? I think you ate them every day for two years.”
“Not every day, but close,” he said. “I’d be up for that.”
I looked at Angie, Nori, and Crispin who seemed less than enthusiastic about the prospect of diner fare.
“Or we could go somewhere a little less casual.”
Keera approached before I could expand on that thought and offer suggestions.
“Hi Leo, thanks so much for coming, and for bringing your friends.”
The last part of the sentence was directed at Trey.
I introduced her to everyone and she congratulated Trey and Nori on their engagement, which surprised me at first. But she knew who I was, so it stands to reason she’d know him too. Plus Trey’s engagement was all over the news.
“Your dance was ah-mazing,” Crispin said.
She batted her eyelashes at him as her smile popped a dimple in her right cheek.
“Why thank you kind sir,” she said in a fake Southern accent as she curtsied. “I don’t want to be a total fangirl here, but I can’t believe Leo Marakis and Trey Youngman are in this building.”
Trey elbowed Crispin in the side.
“She sounds like you when we first met, using our full names.”
“Yeah, I totally fanboyed at first,” Crispin said, then looked at Keera and smiled. “Then I got to know them and realized they’re nothing special.”
“Burn,” Angie said and stood and leaned across me to give him a high five.
“Hey, you’re supposed to stick with family.”
She stuck her tongue out at me and sat back down.
“I didn’t come over here to start a family feud, just to see if you guys wanted to come out to eat with us. Some of us are going to Poor Richard’s.”
Her eyes shifted to me and she smirked and bobbed her eyebrows.
“Poor Richard's like on The Office?” Crispin asked.
“Well yeah, but it doesn’t look anything like it did on the show,” Keera said.
“Now I’ll fanboy.” He looked at Nori. “Remember they used to have that Office tour and I wanted to come but by the time we got our shit together to actually plan it, they stopped doing it?”
“I remember,” Nori said. “But now’s your chance.” She looked at us. “That is, if you guys all want to go there.”
“I’m game.” Angie pointed her index finger then shifted it between Trey and me. “That one will do whatever you want and this one definitely wants to go if a certain studio owner will be there.”
Keera and my sister shared a conspiratorial smile.
“She absolutely will be there.”
It seems there’s going to be some matchmaking going on tonight. I guess that’s karma biting me after all the behind-the-scenes planning I helped Crispin with to put Trey and Nori in each other’s company.
Honestly, I don’t mind. Anything that puts me in Anjannette’s immediate vicinity is fine with me. I just don’t know how she’ll feel about it.
Anjannette
“So how sorewill I be after class Monday?” Angie asked.
“I’m guessing at least a little bit, even if you are in decent shape since you’ll be using different muscles. If nothing else, you’ll probably get some pole kisses from trying to climb.”
“What are they?”
“Oh sorry. Bruises. Until your skin gets used to being smooshed against a pole, they’re bound to happen.”
I answered more questions from both Angie and Nori about the class and what kinds of things they’ll be doing. Which is fine by me because it gives me something to focus on besides the hot guy sitting beside me. And when I say hot, I mean it literally and figuratively.
He’s throwing so much body heat, I feel like I’m sitting next to a radiator. Not that I’m complaining. I’m always freezing, so it’s definitely welcome. It’s his magnetism that’s unsettling.
I didn’t know Keera had invited him to join us until he walked into the restaurant. I’d managed to sit far away from him, but as people left and our party dwindled from twenty to seven, we consolidated to one table and now he’s next to me.
“So Leo,” Keera said. “How did you end up taking yoga classes with Clay?”
“I had some lower back tightness last season that was causing issues everywhere else. The team trainer recommended I take up yoga to see if I could loosen things up. Since I was moving here and I knew Clay had a studio, I gave him a call.”
“Is it working?”
“Yeah.”
The single word sounded more like a question and before I could stop myself, I commented.
“You don’t sound too convinced.”
“Have you ever taken one of Clay’s yoga classes?” His sexy smirk left me speechless, so I just nodded. “Then you know what I’m talking about. They’re not easy, but I’m happy to say, I do feel better afterwards.”
“Isn’t it weird taking a class by yourself?” Keera asked. “I like the energy of other people around me.”
“Not really. I’m used to working with personal trainers, so the one-on-one thing doesn’t bother me.” He took a drink of water then added. “The only thing that did freak me out was the fact that he was sitting there during Savasana. I felt like he was staring at me.”
I’d stare at him too, especially if he had his eyes closed and I could look my fill.
“Yeah, that’d bother me too.” Keera scrunched her nose. “I’d probably just skip it.”
“There’s no way in hell I’d skip it. Savasana is the best part of yoga class as far as I’m concerned.”
“So you just deal with it?”
“After the first couple sessions, I told Clay he was giving me the wiggins so now he goes into his office.”
Holy shit, the man speaks Buffy.
I gasped then reached over and squeezed Keera’s wrist.
“You okay?” she asked.
I nodded and loosened my grip before slowly releasing her.
“I’m gonna go to the ladies’ room.”
I stared at her, conveying with every fiber of my being that I wanted her to join me.
“Okay.” Keera blinked. “I’ll go with you.”
She looked over at Angie and Nori, but thankfully they didn’t want to come along.
I power-walked across the restaurant and let out a sigh of relief when I burst through the bathroom door and found it empty.
Keera walked in behind me and rested her hip against the sink.
“What are you freaking out about?”
“The man speaks Buffy!”
Folding her arms over her chest, she raised her brow.
“Isn’t that a good thing?” I shook my head. “Why?”
“Because.” I searched for a rational explanation but came up short. “He’s too sexy and charming and nice.”
“Yeah, I can see how those things would be problematic.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Based on what you told me about your past, I get why you’re less than thrilled about being attracted to Leo. But honestly, my gut is telling me he’s a good one.”
I turned to check my makeup in the mirror. Running my pinky under my right eye, I cleared away a tiny smudge of eyeliner.
“He can’t be as perfect as he seems. There’s just no way.”
“Well, he’s definitely all the things you said and the way he interacts with his sister is sweet. Plus he’s ridiculously good-looking.”
I turned to face her again.
“I’ll admit he’s a snack, but is it possible he’s really that nice?”
“First of all he’s not a snack, he’s a whole freaking buffet,” she said. “And he speaks Buffy. How much better could he get?” I didn’t have an answer, so I just shrugged. “I know you’re gun-shy, but it’s not like you have to move in together tomorrow. Just go out for coffee when he asks you again and take it from there.”
I tilted my head back and focused on the ceiling and mentally formed my sentence before looking at Keera and speaking it out loud.
“I don’t date well. I always end up going from zero to inseparable in the blink of an eye.”
“But you’re older and wiser now.”
“As much as I’d like to believe that, I don’t trust myself.”
“You’re so different than you were even a couple years ago. Stronger. More confident.”
“It took me three years to find myself. What if I’m like an addict and just one date knocks me off the man wagon? Or puts me back on it?” I frowned. “I’m not sure which is right.”
“You’ll be fine.” Keera put her arm around my shoulders and pulled me into a side hug. “Besides, you’ve got to get back out there sometime and Leo really does seem sweet.”
She released me and opened the door. I preceded her out of the bathroom and we made our way back to the table. Leo’s eyes locked on me when I was halfway there and my entire body broke out in goosebumps.
I can’t deny the chemistry between us. He’s been watching me all night, both at the recital and at dinner and his gaze feels like a caress. It amazes me that the man hasn’t laid a hand on me, yet every erogenous zone is on full alert. I’d like to say it’s because I haven’t had sex in three years, but I’d be lying. It’s just him.
As we sat back down, Keera asked Crispin about his salon down in Myrtle Beach. Trey and Nori were quietly talking, caught up in their little love bubble. I pretended to be interested in what Crispin was saying, but didn’t hear a word. All my senses were too focused on the man sitting next to me.
“Anjannette.”
Leo said my name so softly, I thought I’d imagined it. But he repeated it a little louder
and I turned to face him. I felt like my eyes were open too wide, but when I tried to correct that, it seemed like I was squinting.
The corners of Leo’s mouth curled into an adorable smile as he watched me essentially trying to figure out how to look at him. I blinked repeatedly to reset my look and rested my elbow on the table before meeting his gaze.
“Congratulations on your first recital and your first year in business.”
“Thank you.”
Leo opened his mouth to speak, but before the words came out, Angie said, “I hate to break up this party, but I think I’m gonna head back to the house. I’m exhausted.”
“We’ll catch a ride with you,” Trey said.
Everyone besides Leo and me stood, ready to leave. I have a feeling they’re all conspiring to give the two of us time alone.
I looked around the table then my eyes scanned our party.
“Don’t we have to wait for the check?”
“I took care of it while you and Keera were in the restroom,” Leo said.
“What do I owe you?”
“It’s my treat,” he said.
“Oh, I can’t–”
“Consider it a thank you for a fun night. I really had a great time.”
Leo’s leg brushed against mine as he stood and again, my traitorous body broke out in goosebumps. At least he’d actually touched me this time.
“Thank you,” I said as I stood.
“I’m looking forward to class on Monday,” Nori said as we walked out of the restaurant. “I was so fascinated watching all the performers tonight. I can’t wait to get started.”
“If you like it, we’ll have to get a pole at the house.” Trey’s bobbing eyebrows punctuated his lusty smile.
“Let’s take it one step at a time,” she said. “You know how uncoordinated I can be. I’ll probably end up looking like Carrie on The King of Queens when she took pole dance lessons.”
“You climb up and down ladders all day,” Crispin said. “You can’t be that uncoordinated or you would have broken your neck by now.”
“Thanks for putting that out into the universe,” she said.
Leo held the door open and Nori and Crispin paused their banter as we all filed out of the restaurant.
“Where are you parked?” When I pointed to my car at the opposite end of the lot, he said, “I’ll walk you to your car.”
“I’ll see you Monday,” Keera said as she pulled me into a hug. “Stop overthinking,” she whispered in my ear before releasing me.
“We’ll just catch a ride with Angie,” Trey said.
Leo nodded and looked down at me. “Ready?”
I nodded and led the way to my SUV. As we approached, I fished my keys out of my
purse. The lights flicked as I pressed the button to unlock the doors.
“Thank you for a great night,” Leo said.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
He tucked his hands into his pockets and watched as Angie pulled out of the parking lot before turning that dark gaze back to me.
“Now that it’s all over, I was wondering if you’d want to grab that cup of coffee we discussed,” he said. My eyes widened again and he added, “I’m also open to lunch or dinner if you are.”
Despite my conversation with Keera, my first inclination is to say no, but when I opened my mouth to speak, that’s not what came out.
“I’d like that.”
He looked as surprised by those words as I felt. But he also looked pleased, which made me inexplicably happy.
“Great. How about lunch on Monday?”
“Sounds good.”
He pulled his phone out of his back pocket.
“What’s your number?”
I watched his thumbs tap against the screen with each number I spoke. My phone vibrated and I pulled it out of my purse.
“Got it,” I said as I added him to my contacts.
“How about if I pick you up at twelve-thirty?”
“That works for me.”
“Text me your address when you get a chance.”
“Oh uh…” I nibbled at my bottom lip as I chose my next words.
“Or I can pick you up at the studio if you’d prefer.”
I smiled.
“That sounds great.”
“So, Monday at twelve-thirty at the studio?” I nodded. “Great. It’s a date.”
I opened my door and sat behind the wheel.
“I’ll see you Monday,” I said.
He waited until I clicked my seatbelt into place before resting his hand against the door and leaned down just enough to look me in the eye.
Flashing a sexy smile, he said, “I’m really looking forward to it.”
That said, he closed the door and I watched as he walked toward his car. And I have to
say, the man has a specular ass. Must be from all that time he spends squatting behind home plate.
I squeezed my thighs together to curb the tingling his mere presence had generated. It’s amazing how alive my body feels around him. I can’t imagine what it will be like when he actually touches me.
I shook my head to clear that last thought, but it wouldn’t budge from my mind. After years of not feeling anything, now I feel too much. But also not enough.
As I pulled out of my parking spot, my mind wandered to my bedside table and took a mental inventory. It might be time to dust off a toy or two.