Stardom

The Art of Temptation

I woke to a text from Charlie the following day, instructing me to meet Crystal at the club before lunch. Now that I was alone, I was becoming conscious of the bubbling nerves over performing in front of so many people. It was one thing to dance like that in private, but on a stage in front of a huge gathering of strangers, and my colleagues... it would take some getting used to, that's for sure. Even with that knowledge, I hadn't changed my mind. I was doing this for myself... and for Ross.

For the third time that morning, I glanced at the last text he'd sent me before I'd fallen asleep:

'I miss you xx'

He wasn't the only one. I missed him so hard that my heart ached with the loneliness. My mind and body were both pining for him, and still, we didn't have a time frame for when he could join me out here. I sighed as I shoved my phone into my purse and grabbed my keys. I didn't have time to dwell right now, I needed to show that I was serious about this job, and after the disasters of audition day, I wasn't taking any chances here.

The club was eerily quiet as I descended the stairs into the main room. I'd never been here whilst it was still closed, and it was an alien feeling to see the room so empty, no music blaring or lights glowing. There was a small thud up ahead, and rounding the last corner, I saw Davey, one of the barmen, placing a crate of drinks on the top of the bar. He turned as he heard my footsteps, arching a brow in confusion.

"You're here early," He said as I approached.

"Yeah, I'm meeting Crystal," I replied, hopping up onto a barstool and beginning to unload the bottles.

"She's not here yet," He told me briefly, lifting another crate up onto the bar and unloading that one, "What'cha doin' with Cris?" He asked.

"She's training me, I'm joining the dancers."

He was the first person that I'd told, other than Charlie, and I watched for his reaction intently, a little surprised when he seemed completely unsurprised by the revelation.

"I'm sure you'll do great," He smiled assuringly.

"Thanks."

The sound of more footsteps came from behind us and I turned to see Crystal walking down the stairs, her eyes glued to her phone as she navigated the steps from memory, never glancing up. She looked so different out of her work gear, I'd have been unlikely to even recognise her walking down the street like this, in a pair of worn jeans and gold, flat sandals, with a crisp white shirt that had long sleeves and was tied into a crop top at the front. Her short blonde hair was freshly washed and hung in subtle waves to her jawline, and the soft make-up gave her sunkissed skin a summery glow.

"Hey, Davey, can I get an orange and lemonade with lots of ice, please?" She called, finally looking up from her phone and then beaming at me as her shimmering blue eyes found me. "Hey!"

"Hi, you look gorgeous," I greeted her, hopping off the stool and gesturing at the pretty outfit, "I love those shoes."

She laughed and did a small twirl, tipping her foot to the side to let me see the shoes better.

"I got them at this small boutique by the beach, I can take you along sometime if you want, they have the cutest accessories."

"Absolutely," I agreed.

There was a clunk as Davey put the drink on the bar, Crystal thanked him and then picked it up, heading for the passageway out to the back and gesturing for me to follow her.

"I was surprised when Charlie told me that you were gonna do this," She said as we entered the staff room. "Not that you can't pull it off, I mean you're stunning and sexy so you have it covered," She laughed and plucked a bottle of water from the mini-fridge, throwing it to me, "Just seemed like you were happy enough with the waitressing."