Free Dance Like Nobody's Watching by Luxie Ryder

 
    Dance
Like Nobody's Watching
     
    Luxie
Ryder
     
    Copyright ©
2010
     
    Chapter One
     
    Sherrie Alveston held her breath as the seam on the trousers
she’d spent the morning sewing and adjusting threatened to give way. It was
hardly her fault. The athletic body of the male dancer wearing them was
subjecting her needlework to undue strain.
    Tyrone Webster’s impressive thighs parted as he straddled
the actress paired with him during a spirited Samba. Sherrie winced again, her
stomach tying in knots. A patch of white appeared suddenly in the crotch of the
black sequin pants and her worst fears were realized—the damn thing split.
    The production band fell silent and embarrassed giggles echoed
around the interior of the studio. Shocked gazes from the audience focused on
the front of Ty’s gaping trousers. Sherrie wanted to run and hide but she
couldn’t, and not just because of her disability.
    As the new wardrobe assistant for the top rated show, Strictly Dancing, all last minute
alterations and repairs to the costumes were Sherrie’s sole responsibility.
She’d jumped on the prospect of working with celebrities, who raised money for
their charities by dancing with famed ballroom stars. Despite the inflated egos,
chaos and stress of working on a busy production set, she loved her job. When
Sherrie resigned from her position as an office clerk two years earlier, to
enroll on a fashion design course with the compensation from her accident, she
knew life would be much more exciting. But sometimes she questioned the sanity
of her decision to join Chelwood Studios.  
    “Sherrie!” The director’s booming voice cut short her
escape. She turned back slowly, unwilling to lift her gaze from the floor. “I
thought you fixed Ty’s pants?” he barked, pinning her to the spot with his
demanding tone.
    “Um, I did. At least, I thought I did,” Sherrie spluttered,
desperate to not be the center of attention. Dancers, musicians, tech staff and
the entire audience all stared at her, awaiting her response. She’d only had
the job with the production company for a month and she couldn’t believe she’d
made a mistake so soon. “You want me to do it again, Baz?”
    “Yes, of course I want you to do it again, but properly this
time,” the director answered, his gaze frenzied.
    “Arrogant jerk,” Sherrie mumbled. When he turned as if he’d
heard her, she dropped her gaze and hid behind the blanket of her long curly
black hair. His tone made her feel like a teenager with a new and exciting job,
rather than a woman in her mid thirties with vital skills. If her frazzled
libido hadn’t been the reason for the stupid stitching mistake, she’d have
given him attitude as good as she got.
    “I’ve got a short fuse and a very long memory,” he warned, loud enough for the entire studio to
hear. “It might do you good to remember that.” Sherrie’s toes curled in
embarrassment and her cheeks stung with a blush. She cursed the ground below
her feet for not swallowing her up during moments like this. Thank God the studio
taped the show rather than transmitting it live.
    “Hey, Baz, give her a break.”
    Sherrie looked behind Baz and smiled when her gaze landed on
Ty. He winked and the gesture calmed her frazzled nerves a small degree, until Baz
turned to stare at her, as if daring her to enjoy the moment. Ty didn’t seem to
care how angry Baz acted. “It’s not her fault. I told the designer this fabric
wouldn’t take the punishment.”
    A snort escaped before she could stop it. Punishment? That was a funny way to
describe the strain Ty put on the crotch of his pants. He laughed and her gaze
wandered over him again, feeling the blush crawl up her cheeks as she realized
he must’ve known what she’d been laughing at.
    Sherrie’s heart pounded as the warmth from his eyes seeped
into her. She had a major crush on him even before she’d ever joined the show. Discovering
he was a nice guy in person only intensified the