Jezebel (29 page)

“
Hey!”
he objected, while rubbing his cheek with the back of hand. “Talking
about Cro-Magnon. You’ve been using me as a punching bag all
morning.”

“
It’s
the only way I could get your attention.” Celeste stuck her
tongue out at him and he grinned.

“
Next
time, try naked.” Before she could predict his next move, he
slid his hands inside her robe and cupped her breasts. Her nipples,
the traitors, jumped to attention almost immediately.

Celeste curled
her hand around his wrists, but did nothing else.

The heat
radiating from his palms coiled her body into an ever-tightening knot
that centered itself between her legs. Somehow, she found the
fortitude to ease off the bed and away from him.

“
Distracting?”
he asked as she started to pace.

“
More
like an obstacle.”

“
An
obstacle?” Shane’s grin faltered. “All I want is
your happiness.”

“
That’s
exactly it! My happiness isn’t between my thighs.”
Celeste stopped pacing to stare at him. “My overall happiness
shouldn’t revolve around a man.”

Shane’s
expression darkened and a muscle ticked in his jaw. “Who said
it had to?”

Exasperated,
Celeste slapped her thighs then jabbed her hands in his direction.
“You did, you big lug, when you offered to pay me to stay here
with you.”

Shane cocked
his head and he regarded her in silence. For some reason, his lack of
response set her on edge. Why did she care so much what was running
through that thick head of his? He was just a man like any other.

So why was she
letting herself get so upset?

As she resumed
her pacing, Celeste searched for a viable answer and ignored the one
that made the most sense. There was no way, no how he could’ve
made her feel something for him in such a short time. But the more
she denied it, the more rotten she realized she was lying to herself.

What a stupid
thing to think, she berated herself. In love with him? Ha!
Impossible. It was lust, not love! How could she be so stupid as to
confuse the two?

“
I don’t
want to be an obstacle.” Shane held out his hand, but Celeste
hesitated. Only when he wiggled them, did she relent. She walked
over and sat next to him. She even allowed him to take her hand in
his and twine their fingers together.

“
If it
isn’t me, what’ll make you happy?”

Afraid he might
laugh, Celeste held her tongue.

Shane wasn’t
having it because he nudged her with his shoulder.

“
It’s
a silly dream really.”

“
But big
enough you want to send me packing.” He nudged her again.
“Spill it,” he coaxed.

Horrified by
the idea of sharing something she’d held close to her heart for
so many years, Celeste bent over at the waist and hid her face in her
hands. Undeterred, Shane pried several of her fingers back and
squinted at her.

“
Come on,
tell me.”

“
Promise
you won’t laugh.” It wasn’t a question more like a
demand for services rendered.

True to form,
Shane crossed his heart.

“
I

”
Celeste gulped. Her mouth felt like she’d stuffed them with
cotton balls and she vacillated, torn between going forward and
holding back. And then a wave of longing, a desire to share a part
of her with someone, with Shane shook her, made the words tumble from
her lips, “I

I
don’t want to be one of those dreamers who just sits around and
does nothing, letting life pass them by. I want

I
want to be somebody

I
want to be a star.”

How
incredible this all seemed. Two weeks ago she wouldn’t have
even entertained the idea, let alone believed she would be sitting
here with him bearing her soul, divulging her most heart-felt
secrets.

“
I
want to make it happen now, while I have the chance, the talent

the
drive. For the first time in five years, I’m finally focused,
not floundering like some sorry sap who uses booze and men as a
crutch.”

Celeste paused
to catch her breath. In that brief respite everything seemed
suspended, even her breathing. Why didn’t he say something?
Where was the laughter, the censure that would dash her dream to
pieces?

Unable to take
his silence, she moved to stand, but he reached out, clasped the back
of her head and pulled her close. Forehead to forehead, it was
impossible to read his expression. Still, she could tell something
was off. The hand at her nape shook and he sniffled as if trying to
fight back tears.

“
You
and me, we’re all wrong,” he whispered, effectively
pulling the rug from under her. Humiliated and hurt, Celeste tried
push
ing
away from him, but he tightened his grip, holding her hostage. “But
I’m gonna make it right. I promise.”

Before she
could digest his cryptic words, he crushed his mouth against hers.

He
kissed her with a kind of fierce desperation as if imprint
ing
the texture, the shape of her lips and tongue to memory.

He kissed her
until her knees became weak and her morning rehearsal a miserable
endeavor.

She’d
never felt this way before. It was like being consumed, absorbed into
him. All feeling and no thought. And Celeste didn’t like it
one bit.

Kissing and
making love to him, yes.

Completely
losing her head, no.

There was a
time and place for fun and games. She needed to stay on course, stand
her ground and not crumple whenever he put his hands on her. If he
wanted to be in her life, he needed to realize that being on stage,
having a career was vital to her happiness even more so now that she
had a second chance.

Celeste pulled
back, extracting herself from his arms.

“
No more
distractions?” He reached out and ran his thumb across her
cheek and she felt him all the way down to her toes.

Stay on course.
Don’t let him have that kind of power over you. Be your own
woman!

“
No more
distractions,” she said. She turned off the water, then
stepped around him.

To her relief
he followed her out of the room and down the stairs. It was easy to
craft a pretty speech than actually following with it, especially
when crawling back in bed with him was so much more desirable.

Even though her
decision felt like a heavy stone around her neck, Celeste kept the
conversation light. “Well, that was fun,” she said
opening the door for him.

“
Fun?”
Shane leaned against the door frame, partially blocking the morning
sun. “It was more than fun and you know it.”

Before she
could guess his next move, he grabbed the back of her neck and kissed
her. So hard, she felt like her was neck was going to break.

“
No more
lies,” he said against her lips.

“
No more
lies.” Celeste groaned in defeat. Her mind and body were no
longer attuned, falling out sync by a tempest of emotions she’d
never felt before. Not even with Ralph. At that moment she would’ve
given him anything if asked, even her heart.

“
Then I
have to make things right,” he said cryptically before suddenly
releasing her.

Celeste
believed there was more going on than he was letting on. He didn’t
give her the chance to dig deeper because he closed the door quietly
behind him.

CHAPTER
TWENTY TWO

An
hour into rehearsals, Celeste realized her day wasn’t going to
improve. With her mind solidly on the morning’s events and
Shane, she consistently missed her queues, her feet
couldn’t
execute
the easiest
of
combinations
and her poor dancing partner, Samuel George, a young hoofer from
Baltimore, became her perpetual door mat.

“
That’s
it for today you two…chorus line you’re up!”

Grateful for
the respite, Celeste hustled off the dance floor. Outside of
operating hours and with only the performers in residence, the
Roseland Ballroom seemed cavernous like the mouth of the whale that
swallowed Jonah.

“
You’re
off your game today, sister.”

Celeste
reached out and touched his arm.
His
eyes followed her hand and he smiled.

“
I’m
sorry about that out there. My mind is someplace else.”

“
No
problem. I like it when you make me look good.” Chuckling, he
ran his fingers over his pencil-thin mustache.

“
You
don’t need me to make you look good. You’re an
exceptional dancer.” Celeste pick
ed
up her back and out of nowhere his hand captured hers.

“
Hey,
what are you getting into later?”

Celeste took in
the other dancer’s matinee idol looks and she felt absolutely
nothing. His lean physique, chiseled cheekbones, wavy hair and
mocha-colored skin didn’t ignite the usual charge whenever she
was around a good-looking man. Of course, disinterest never kept her
from accepting a man’s attentions in the past.

That was before
she met Shane. Ever since, every other man paled in comparison.
Celeste found herself in a unique conundrum.

She’d
never turned down a man’s advances. She didn’t even
k
no
w
how to say no. She’d always been up for any and everything
because she’d always found something to like about the opposite
sex, even though she couldn’t say the same thing about herself.

Fortunately,
she didn’t have to
come
up with a polite rejection
excuse because Elsa Purdy, the chief wardrobe designer, came
barreling toward them.

“
Are
you gonna come and see me, young lady? I’ve asked you twice to
come
see me
for
your fitting.”

In all honesty,
Celeste had purposefully avoided the other woman. The fact that she
had a legitimate job on Broadway hadn’t fully sunk in yet.
Plus, if she fell of the wagon she wouldn’t have wasted
anyone’s time or money.

“
I—”

The dresser
grasped Celeste’s wrist. “Oh, no you don’t! You’re
coming with me.” Elsa shooed Samuel aside. “I have to fit
you for an entire wardrobe and several pairs of tap shoes. Of course,
you’ll have the requisite pair in black patent leather, but
I’ve got my mind wrapped around a pair in yellow kid.”

Flabbergasted
by the news, Celeste eyes widened. In all the shows she’d
performed on the circuit and in local nightclubs, not one provided
her with tap shoes. “You’re providing the shoes?”

“
Didn’t
you read your contract? Along with your weekly salary, all dancers
receive dance apparel free of charge.”

“
I–I
just assumed that pertained to only costumes.”

Elsa shook her
head and her pin curls wiggled in unison. “You’ve moved
up, kiddo. You’re on Broadway now and we do things
differently.”

Unable to help
herself or the natural high coursing through her veins, Celeste
smiled from ear to ear. “How many shoes will I get?”

Elsa
reached into the utility belt at her waist. She pulled out a small
notebook and pencil. “The producers plan to use you in four
different numbers with five costume changes. I’d say
three
pairs should be sufficient.”