Free July (Calendar Girl #7) by Audrey Carlan Page A

set in a forest of dead trees. “I’m getting past it, but I’m having a little trouble with being touched. It’s weird. I don’t get it.”
    Maria came over to me and sat down on the desk in the center of the room where I leaned. “It’s not weird. Once your trust has been broken by the opposite sex, it can be hard to get it back. Does Anton know?” I nodded. “Then he shouldn’t have kissed you or held you that way.”
    I let out a frustrated breath. “Anton and I have been working on it. The dancing has been okay, even when he holds on to me, but the second he bent me over him in that way and kissed me, I-I went back there. To that night.”
    She nodded and put her arm around me. “For one, Anton shouldn’t have done what he did.” I tried to interrupt her but she held up her hand. “No, he knew your issue, and then threw you over his body in a way that put you in a vulnerable sexual position. That wasn’t smart. I’ll talk to him about his improvisation. That little scene was not part of the choreography. As a matter of fact, that cabron isn’t supposed to have gotten the seductress. The whole point is she’s off limits!” Her indignation was high. Her perfectly sculpted, black eyebrows narrowed, and her pretty mouth moved into a pout.
    “He probably just got lost in the moment,” I offered with a small smile.
    She squinted. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll deal with handsy.” Once more, she squeezed my shoulder. “You will be okay. It’s going to take time. You should probably find a professional to talk to about it. I will say, telling me, Anton, and others who care for you will help.”
    That made me think of Ginelle. I needed to talk to her about it. Really talk to her about it, not sweep it under the rug and pretend it was nothing. I needed to lay it out so that I had her to bounce things off of. She’d be angry. More than angry. Downright homicidal, but she’d listen, let me vent, help me get past it. That’s what I’d do. Later this evening I’d give her a call and hash it out.
    “Now, we have this scene down. You’re off tomorrow. Why don’t you go to your apartment. Do you want to do dinner tonight?”
    I shook my head. “Sorry, Maria. I’m beat. I’d like to take a bath, make a PB & J, and veg out in front of the TV before passing out. Do you have any idea how hard you worked us? And physically, I didn’t have a crazy involved part like the other guys!”
    Her eyes gleamed, the previous ire cooling, bringing back her normal silver-blue eyes that I swear you could stare at for days and never tire of.
    “Hard work is good for you. Makes you appreciate the end product more.”
    We stood and she led me back to the room.
    Anton had been pacing the floor, almost wearing a hole in it. “ Lucita !” His shoulders slumped. “I got caught up. Lo siento. Please, forgive me.” He looked immensely sad, heartbroken, as if he’d done something horribly wrong. He didn’t. Sure he might have lost sight for a moment, but his response to the mood of the room and the way the routine was going perfectly was natural. If I weren’t so screwed up, it would have been fun, well received even.
    “Anton, seriously, it’s fine.” I walked over to him and opened my arms. He walked into them and stood there letting me hug him. When his hands weren’t clasping me, it was easy to be near him. Comfortable. “You can hug me.”
    He lifted his arms and pulled me into his chest harder. The niggling fear and anxiety started up, but I pushed it down. Anton was a good man with a huge heart. He made a mistake that wouldn’t have even been a mistake if I hadn’t been the victim of an assault. “I’m sorry, Mia. It won’t happen again,” he whispered in my ear and released me.
    Maria clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “That’s all for today folks. Go on home. Tomorrow you get a day off and then it’s back to a couple of days for rehearsal where we’ll perfect the routines. Then we tape!”