Louise: A New Beginning (8 page)

I felt my body shudder in ecstasy.

“I love you, Louise,” I said breathless, feeling absolute release swallowing me.

She softly kissed my lips, as if drinking the last drops of the most delicious drink.

“Likewise,” she then said, smiling up at me.

And I would probably never be able to awake from that beautiful fantasy of mine, if it were not for the damn alarm clock going off on my bedside table.  . .

A dream. . . It was just a freaking dream!

I groaned desperately, feeling my body’s painful need pulsing beneath my skin. That was just too much. Louise was going to pay for the night from hell I had just experienced.

I tossed my blanket away and jumped from my bed, as fucking angry as ever. I didn’t even think about getting dressed. Wearing nothing but a pair of boxers, I opened the door, crossed the hall and without a knock, I let myself into the guest room where Louise was staying.

She was sitting in a chair, reading a book. She was still wearing her pajamas, her hair falling down her shoulders.

“Will?” She stared at me with an unspoken question frozen in her bewitching eyes. Ah, those eyes.

I moved forward until I stopped at the chair, saying, “You owe me at least this one thing for all the damn torture I had to endure because of you.”

“What are you talking about?” She asked, setting the book on a table next to her.

“This,” I said, pulling her out of the chair and into my embrace.

My lips crushed on hers without a warning. I was so fucking screwed, I knew I would probably not get what I really needed now, but at least a kiss I was fully intended to get from her.

My tongue parted her lips, sliding inside her sweet mouth in a silent demand. She couldn’t push me away, not again, not now, when I felt like I could lose control at any second. It was just too hard to stay away from her and keep pretending it was okay. It was
not
okay, and maybe it was too soon to ask her for something more than just a kiss, but I wanted her to know how much I needed her. I was so freaking tired of missing her.

Louise

Once our lips met, I couldn’t help but let out a small moan of delight and maybe even a little relief. It had been so long since the last time Will kissed me like that. I almost forgot what it was like to feel his demanding lips on mine. He slid his eager tongue against mine, sucking it with lustful enthusiasm. Sweet torture, it was simply impossible to neglect the burning need I could so clearly feel forming within. It didn’t matter how much time Will and I had spent apart, the things we felt for each other didn’t go away. And now, that we were so close again, they gained more and more force, breaking through the wall of my resistance with every slight move his lips made against mine.

Will’s hand went to my hair, sliding his fingers through it. With the other hand resting on my lower back, he pressed me harder against him, showing me just how aroused he was for me. Holy hell, I would have given almost anything just to feel him thrust his member deep inside me. And I was almost ready to tell him that. But Will had plans of his own. . .

He stepped back, saying, “Next time you decide to break into my dreams, be ready to repeat them all for real.” There was not a trace that he was joking in his tone or eyes. He was actually a little angry, and I guess I knew why.

“I can’t control your dreams,” I said, sitting down on the chair behind me.

“Oh yes, you can.” He stepped closer, bent down and put his hands on the arms of my chair, hovering over me. “In any other situation, you would be on your back, aching for me, even before you had a chance to realize what was going on. And maybe it was not such a brilliant idea to live under the same roof after all, but I intend to get full compensation for every damn second I have to keep my lips and hands away from you, Louise. Is that clear?”

I almost laughed. “Crystal.”

“Good. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to take a shower.” He turned to walk out of the room, but damn my inner demon, I couldn’t just let him go without saying something. . .

“Make sure it’s cold enough to cool you off,” I said after him. I picked up my book and pretended to read, even though I didn’t see a single word written in it.

“You are playing with fire, Louise. Aren’t you afraid it may decide to blow up?”

I didn’t look up at him, on purpose obviously. “I’m not afraid of anything, Mr. Blair. I would have thought that you have had enough time with me to figure that out by now.”

“That’s the problem, Miss Woods – no time with you will ever be enough.”

He then went out of the room, and shut the door behind him. For a moment, I thought the walls of my room shattered from the loud sound the door made when shutting.

Now that was interesting. . . How on earth were we going to keep coexisting in the same house, when neither of us were ready for it?

When I went downstairs to have breakfast about a half hour later, Will was already there, sitting at the dining room table, dressed and ready for the day.

“Coffee?” Christopher asked, entering the room with a silver tray in his hands.

“Yes, please.” I took the seat opposite from Will, which made Christopher smile.

“Trouble in paradise?” He asked quietly, while pouring coffee into my cup.

Will’s expression was as dark as ever, which only made him look even more gorgeous. He was wearing a dark-blue suit, with a matching tie and a show-white shirt. As bossy as always.

“I guess Mr. Blair had trouble sleeping last night,” I said.

“I’m right here, you know?” Will barked. “I can hear everything you two are saying.”

“We are well aware of that, Sir,” Christopher said, trying to hide his smile.

I giggled. “Do we have ice-cream in the house?”

“Yes, why?”

“It’s getting really hot in here...”

Will gave me a warning look, but I ignored it.

“Shall I turn the air conditioner on?” Christopher asked, pretending he didn’t know what the whole ‘
this-mean’s-war
’ thing was about.

“Maybe later. I’m leaving for class.”

“How many do you have today?” Will asked, as indifferent as ever.

Poker face professional.

“Three. And I have a meeting with the school's headmistress in the afternoon.”

Will and Christopher shared a look. They probably thought I wouldn’t notice it, but I did.

“Is everything all right?” I asked, looking from one to the other.

“Let Christopher take you to school and back,” Will said, ignoring my question. “I don’t want any stalkers to follow you again.” Then he wiped his lips with a napkin, put it on the table, and rose to his feet to leave.

“Will?” I called.             

He stopped at the door. “Yes?”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For your patience.” It was not supposed to sound like a scoff, but he obviously misinterpreted my words.

“It is not infinite,” he said and quickly left the room.

I sighed. “Do you think he hates me?”

Christopher poured a cup of coffee for himself and took a seat on my right, saying, “I’m sure he hates himself more right now.”

“I didn’t want to come here and complicate his life.”

“I know, Louise. Your arrival didn’t complicate anything. It’s just that Will loves you too much to stay out of your life and pretend he doesn’t care.”

I didn’t have anything to say to that. So I asked about something else instead.

“Do you think we still have a chance to find Rea?”

“Why do you want to find her?”

“Well, first of all, to make sure that she’s okay. And secondly. . .she can help me find my mother.”

“If you want my opinion, Louise, I think you should wait for your father’s elections to be over. Personally, I don’t think he will be the next president, but if he does, you’ll have to be even more careful with anything that might threaten his reputation, including finding your mother and telling her the truth about yourself.”

“Do you think she might try to tell everyone about what he did years ago, when he took me away from her?”

“We don’t know how she might react to the news about her daughter being alive.”

“Sometimes I wonder if she had other children after me. . .”

“Would you like to have siblings?”

“Technically, I already have two sisters, even though they probably will never know I even exist.”

“But I’m sure your mom, whoever she is, will be more than happy to know about you. Now, how soon shall we leave?”

“I’ll be ready in ten,” I said, looking down at my watch.

“Okay. I’ll be waiting outside.”

Christopher put the dishes on a tray and left.

I stayed sitting at the table, thinking about all the secrets my life consisted of. Drew didn’t call me back, apparently he didn’t have any information to share with me. But I still hoped he would be able to find out more about the mysterious Debora Griffin.

I stood up, grabbed an apple from a platter on the table, and went to get changed. I didn’t want to be late for my classes. Besides, I needed to grab a few things just in case Mrs. Cormac wanted to see one of my dances. For today, meeting with her was the most important thing to focus on.

***

“Louise, can you come help me with these costumes?” Leslie, one of my groupmates said, trying to pull a huge rack filled with clothes into the classroom.

“What are all these for?” I asked, running to help her.

“We need to choose the costumes for our ballroom dance competition on Friday. Do you have anything to wear?”

“Shoot, I totally forgot about the competition.” With all the crazy things going on around me, it wasn't surprising that I didn't remember. “Can I borrow one of these?”

“Yep, but don’t forget to return it. Mrs. Henderson will be pissed if even one of her precious dresses disappears.”

I looked through the dresses and found one that reminded me of my show in
Le Papillon
. It was bright red, with small shining crystals decorating its sleeves and skirt. And there was a matching mask to go with the dress.” 

“What part of the competition are you going to participate in on Friday?” Leslie asked, looking at my choice.

“The tango.” It was one of my favorite dances, sexy and full of passion.

“But you can’t perform it alone. You know that, right?”

“I am hoping I can get one of the guys to agree to dance with me.” Unlike trainings, during competitions, we always needed to dance with a partner, and fortunately, there were a few guys in our group who were really good at ballroom dancing.

“Ask Gale to help you. He loves the Latin-American program.”

“I’ll keep him in mind.” I thanked Leslie for the dress and went to the headmistress's waiting room. It was almost two, which meant it was time to meet the famous Sabine Cormac.

“Louise Woods, right?” The secretary asked.

I nodded in response. I was a little nervous about meeting Mrs. Cormac, I wasn't sure how to act in her presence. It was going to be the worst fangirl moment ever.

“Follow me, please. Mrs. Cormac is ready to see you.”

Wordlessly, I followed the secretary into a spacious room, decorated in shades of ivory and blue. One of the walls was covered with mirrors, reflecting everything in the room – I would have expected nothing less from a world famous dancer.

I walked over to one of the chairs across from the headmistress’s desk and took a seat.

A few moments later, I saw a door on my right that I hadn’t noticed before, as it opened. Sabine entered the room, smiling brightly at me and saying, “Well, hello, Louise Woods. I finally get the chance to meet one of our best students.” She looked exactly like she did on all those pictures I could stare at for hours, imagining myself being as professional as she was one day. Sabine was around forty, with short sandy hair, and big blue eyes that I could swear could see right through me. She was wearing a knee-length, dark-green dress, with a thin golden belt outlining her small waist. The woman was in perfect shape. No doubt, she spent a lot of time training and dancing.

I was so taken aback by her words, I could hardly make myself say anything in response.

“It’s an honor to be here and meet you in person, Mrs. Cormac.”

“Oh, the pleasure is all mine, Louise. I have heard so many great things about you. Your teachers are very happy to see that even a first year student, like you, can be so well-trained and talented.”

“There are students who dance much better than I do,” I said, feeling my cheeks reddening.

Sabine took a seat in her leather chair, and smiled at me. “I saw a video with one of your performances. Very impressive, I must say. Was it your idea to combine cabaret and ballet styles in one dance?”

“Yes. I used to work in a cabaret club. I’ve learned a lot from there.” I was not ashamed to tell her about my previous work. It was not like I danced for money or slept with the men watching my shows. Besides, I was too grateful to Kate for everything she had taught me to ever belittle her lessons.

“I really loved your dance. We should include it in the program of our Spring show next year.”

“Oh, my God! I don’t know what to say. . . Thank you!”

“Thank your parents for raising such a talented daughter, not me. I only help talents shine.”

I smiled sadly. “I wish I could do that. But I don’t have parents.”

Her face suddenly saddened. “Oh. . . I’m sorry, Louise. I didn’t know that.”

“It’s okay, I have never had a family. I grew up in an orphanage.”

“It must have been hard for you.”

“I try to not think about it. I’m still young, and I have a whole life to live and make new memories.”

“I’m happy to hear that you don’t look back, Louise. Sometimes it’s better to focus on your future than to let your past bring you down.” More sadness crossed her beautiful face. I wondered if there was something in her past that she wished she could change too.

“I couldn’t agree with you more, Mrs. Cormac. I bet your children love dancing more than anything else in the world.”

She shook her head, lowering her eyes. “I wish…but  my husband and I don’t have children.”

“Oh. . . Sorry, I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay. We all have something that we prefer to not talk about, right?”

I nodded, feeling as silly as ever. I should have thought twice before saying anything about her family. After all, I had never read anything about her personal life, most of the articles talked about her dancing career and the things she’d managed to achieve as a professional dancer.

“Why don’t we talk about something more pleasant, instead?” Sabine said. “Do you like your classes with the kids?”

“I do, a lot.”

“I hope they don’t make you regret becoming a dancer.” She laughed.

“No, not at all. Rather on the contrary – I look at them and remember being their age. I always loved dancing. Don’t know why. Maybe one of my nonexistent relatives was a dancer, who knows?”