Dancer's Body

Chapter 32

The dancers suspected nothing, though jealousy began to simmer again. By the time they came back from New York the next day, it's all the company was talking about.

"Have a good time in New York, did you?" Brigitte asked coolly between rehearsal breaks. Roman cleared his throat from the apron and gave her a look.

Yet others seemed to accept Olivia's place as the golden child—largely because none of them could come close to evoking the passion she managed on stage. She lagged behind only with experience and some aspects of movement quality, which the board assured her in an email she would gain quickly.

Thank God for no summer classes, she thought. Olivia didn't know how she managed the trying days and hours of rehearsal while still having the strength and energy left over for their constant trysts.

But they were getting messier. Sloppy. There was an exhibitionist in both of them that commanded attention.

Two weeks after returning from New York, he took her on his desk again, this time before rehearsals. Roman held a hand over her mouth to quiet her when they heard the reception door open and the first of the morning's administrative team arrive.

"Olivia! You're here early," the receptionist said cheerily when she emerged from his office. "Everything all right?"

Olivia resisted the urge to smooth her hair or tug at her clothes, giving any indication of what they'd been doing.

"Yes, fine," she said, smiling sweetly. "Just some last-minute paperwork from spring term to take care of."

"To have the energy of youth again," the receptionist sighed, booting up her computer.

She tried Hannah again on a lunch break, claiming a bench in the Park Blocks and soaking up what little offering of summer sun the city would offer.

"Hey! Hi!" Hannah said on the other end. "I was going to call you, we just got back to civilization yesterday." How can she sound so close?

"It's good to hear your voice," Olivia said. Hannah, a semblance of stability.

"What's going on? You sound weird," she said.

"Have you—have you heard anything down there?" she asked.

"About? Apparently not, I don't know what you're talking about."

Olivia pulled in her breath. Not many local papers had picked up the news about the trip to New York, though it was a mini hit on the east coast. Just a mention here and there locally, sans pictures thank God, had made the rounds. "I, wow, a lot has happened since you've been gone. I don't know where to start. I broke up with Wyatt, for starters."

"What! That's crazy," she said, munching on something at the other end. "But, honestly, I kind of saw it coming."

"Yeah. I walked in on him screwing Ava."

"What? Oh, my God, are you okay? All right, that I didn't see coming. I thought he was—"

"I'm fine. And, uh, I got fired from the summer internship."

"Olivia, what's going on up there? Do you need me to—"

"I was fired because I'm sleeping with Roman."

Hannah was silent on the other end.

"Hannah?"

"I'm here, I'm just ... processing ... are you still sleeping with him? He fired you for that? I think that's illegal—"