Dance All Night: A DANCE OFF HOLIDAY NOVELLA Read online

  He’d made a name for himself in this industry. He’d seen the world. He’d spent years searching for an elusive sense of fulfillment and purpose, and come up empty-handed.

  But when he’d seen Jess at that party, standing across the room in a cute Christmas shirt, it was like something shifted inside him, as if the missing piece he’d been looking for had magically appeared, right where it belonged.

  What the hell did it all mean?

  All he knew was he had a few local opportunities on the table—thanks to his kickass agent—no home to call his own, and a woman who didn’t believe he was willing to stay if she only gave him the word.

  In other words…not much.

  He was too worn out to contemplate such heavy thoughts any further. After changing into basketball shorts, he headed for Mitya’s home gym. Maybe sweating would help shut his brain off.

  This endeavor with Jess had to work. It had to. If it didn’t…well, he’d cross that bridge when he came to it. For now, he had a second date to plan.

  Chapter Four

  December 19th

  Jess woke to a slew of text messages, and her social media mentions had exploded overnight. Sure enough, the video of her dance with Nik had gone viral, and everyone had seen it.

  She squinted at her phone as she brewed a cup of coffee. Most of the texts were from Naomi, but Rhianne’s name was in there, too, along with messages from her mom and her sister. Fuckin’ fantastic. Those could wait.

  There was only one text from Rhianne and eight from Naomi, so she checked Rhianne’s first.

  God, she was never going to be able to look at Rhianne the same way after that Rudolph boob thing.

  Rhianne: Saw the video. Omg. Were you on a date with Nik? Did you KISS again? Are you with him now? Tell me everything.

  Jess groaned and set the phone down on the counter. A hit of caffeine was in order before she could read the rest, which would undoubtedly be worse. She doctored her coffee with a heavy pour of almond milk to cool it down and a dash of stevia for sweetness, guzzled half, then picked up her phone again. She checked Naomi’s first, not yet ready to see what her family had to say.

  Naomi: YOOOOOOO

  Naomi: THAT VIDEOOOOOO

  Naomi: ::three screaming face emojis, three heart-eyes emojis::

  Naomi: Are you going out with him???

  Naomi: Also you guys are amazing dancers, that goes without saying.

  Naomi: It was SO CUTE

  Naomi: But like

  Naomi: What does it meeeeeean??

  Naomi never said in one text what she could say in twenty, and with approximately ten times the correct number of vowels.

  Jess wished she had an answer for the last question. Clearly Nik liked her, but how much?

  I’ll stay, if you want me to.

  She wanted to believe him, she really did, but her track record—and his, for that matter—did not support his statement.

  Another text came through from her mom, so she checked those next.

  Mommy: Hi baby! I saw your video on TV!

  Mommy: You looked so beautiful, Jessie.

  Mommy: Daddy and I hope you can come visit soon!

  Jess shut her eyes against the subtle guilt trip. What her mother didn’t realize was that being home was incredibly stressful for her. Her parents had fought constantly when she was a kid, her dad even going so far as to leave for long stretches at a time. But now that she and Jaina had moved out and it was just the two of them? They were inseparable! What the fuck, guys, she wanted to say to them. You couldn’t have sorted out your shit earlier so you didn’t pass that baggage on to your kids?

  So no, she didn’t visit as often as she could, or should, but she still visited more than she wanted to. And if deep down she still worried that her presence would ruin their relationship again, well, who could blame her?

  She checked Jaina’s text last.

  Jaina: Sis! What’s up with you and that hottie in the video? You got something going on there? ::winky face emoji, eggplant emoji::

  Jaina used that damned eggplant emoji more than anyone else Jess knew.

  Before her eyes, texts from Joel Clarke—one of the other pros on The Dance Off—and two of her friends from rooftop yoga appeared. She didn’t even dare check her social media notifications.

  Everybody wanted to know what was up with her and Nik. And he seemed to be the only person in her life who hadn’t reached out this morning.

  Since she didn’t have an answer for any of them, she put the phone down again without looking at the new messages. A second later, it buzzed with an incoming call.

  She snatched it up, half-expecting to see Nik’s face on the screen. She’d already attached one of their dumb—but actually super cute—Christmas selfies from the night before to his number. But it wasn’t Nik. It was her agent, Lorena Malcolm.

  “Lorena? What’s up?”

  Lorena got right to the point. “I’m not going to ask you what’s going on with Nik Kovalenko because that’s your personal business, and you know I don’t get involved in that—unless of course you want to tell me, in which case I’m all ears—but the video of you two swing dancing at the Americana went viral overnight, and your professional life is my business. I’m calling to tell you to hurry up and get dressed because you have three—at least three, for now—talk show appearances lined up for today. This is great exposure for you and I’m already getting inquiries about other gigs.”

  Jess blinked, taking a second to sort all that out. Lorena was a middle-aged Italian woman from Long Island, and she talked a mile a fucking minute. Since Jess didn’t want to discuss Nik with her agent, she chose to focus on the most pressing issue. “When is the first show?”

  “In an hour! You’ve gotta get moving, sweetie. They’ll do hair and makeup for you.”

  Jess hurried into her bedroom. “They have someone on staff who can do my hair?”

  “Yes, I already asked.”

  “What should I wear?” She tore through her closet, shoving hangers aside to reach the fancier garments hidden in the back.

  “Blouse, nice jeans, and high heels should do the job. Wear that green and gold statement necklace. Don’t suppose you’ve got any Christmas-themed shirts?”

  Jess shuddered. “Hell no.”

  “Worth a shot. I’ll meet you there with some poinsettia earrings my kids got me a billion years ago. Wear a shirt that’ll match. And bring shoes you can swing dance in, just in case.”

  Poinsettia earrings. What was she getting herself into? But this was why Lorena was such a good agent—she thought of everything. Jess thanked her and disconnected. Then she took the fastest shower ever, grabbed the hangers with her on-screen outfit and the bag with her shoes, and ran out the door in yoga clothes and sneakers.

  She hoped Lorena was right about this video giving her career a boost. Since she had a pretty good deal at The Dance Off, she hadn’t been auditioning much, and this might send some new opportunities her way.

  If only she had some idea of what she wanted those to be. She loved competitive ballroom dance, and getting to do it on the biggest stage possible—The Dance Off literally had millions of viewers—was great, but she wouldn’t mind taking on something a little more…fulfilling.

  If she’d had a second to think since waking up, she might have guessed that Nik would also be called in for the morning show. But she hadn’t had a second, and she hadn’t guessed that he’d be there. So when she walked into the makeup room at LA Morning with Flip and Rashida to find Nik in one of the makeup chairs, she stopped short. A guy with the sharpest eyebrows she’d ever seen was combing Nik’s curls into a smooth, stylish ’do.

  “You’re here,” she blurted out. Damn, she needed more caffeine.

  Nik looked up from his phone and sent her a thousand-watt grin, like he was overjoyed to see her. “Of course. Been waiting for you.” He gestured at the counter, which was covered in trays of makeup. A lone to-go cup sat amidst the eyeshadow palettes. “Got
you a coffee. Had them put almond milk in it since that’s what you requested yesterday with the hot chocolate.”

  Still half asleep, she had no defenses against his sweetness. She slumped into the chair next to him and mumbled a thank you.

  What does it mean? Naomi had asked, albeit with an excessive number of vowels. The talk show hosts were likely to ask the same. God, what was she doing here? She didn’t have an answer for any of them. She just didn’t fucking know. There was nothing to tell, right? He was her former coworker’s brother. They’d hung out together one time. No big deal. Easy-peasy.

  The Nik Kovalenko she’d been checking up on—okay, fine, stalking—on social media on and off during the year had been in line with the Nik who’d kissed her in the kitchen on New Year’s Eve. He wanted adventure. He wanted to see the world. He didn’t want to be tied down. His Instagram and Snapchat showed clips and stills of a life in motion. In every shot, he was in a new place, often with new people. He was doing cool things, having those adventures he’d spoken of. Bungee jumping, cliff diving, skiing, riding a motorcycle, eating snails, posing with fans at stage doors in cities all over the world. The hashtag #lovemylife was prevalent. That Nik didn’t want to be tied down.

  She couldn’t help but focus on the disconnect between the person in those pictures and the one who sat next to her, smiling. The one who’d thought to bring her coffee with her preferred choice of non-dairy milk substitute.

  It was the most romantic fucking thing she could imagine.

  Lorena bustled into the makeup room then, saving Jess from the awkwardness of having to rehash the date with Nik. “I’ve got the earrings!” she trilled.

  Oh, joy.

  “So, are you guys dating?”

  The talk show co-host—Elena—had an expectant, almost maniacal gleam in her eyes, identical to the hosts Nik had been interviewed by earlier in the day. Hungry for news, for a scoop. As much as he wanted to know the answer to that question, too, he had no interest in fueling the gossip mill. And by now, he and Jess had their answer down pat.

  “We’re just friends,” Jess was quick to reply, dismissing the rumor with an almost negligent hand wave. “Besides, Nik doesn’t even live in Los Angeles.”

  Nik just smiled through it. When the interview turned to their personal holiday traditions, that was his cue to take over.

  “We love the winter holidays in my family,” he began, to the delight of the host. “My family celebrates Christmas on both December 25th and on January 7th, according to the Eastern Orthodox calendar, and the extended family on my father’s side celebrates Hanukkah.”

  The other host—Giovanni—introduced the next segment. “Now we’re going to have Nik and Jess tell us a little about the dance style in their viral video and show us some moves.”

  Nik, Jess, and the two hosts got up from their chairs and moved to a clear section of the stage.

  “Now, what’s the dance called?” Elena asked, even though she knew perfectly well since it was written in her notes.

  “The Lindy hop,” Jess answered.

  Giovanni jumped in. “And that’s a type of swing dance?” Again, it was in his notes. This was part of the game.

  Nik’s turn. “If you go to a studio to learn swing dance, there are three main types they’ll probably teach: East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, and Lindy hop.”

  They’d done this enough times now that Jess picked up the thread of explanation right on cue.

  “The Lindy hop, as a dance style, originated in Harlem at the Savoy Ballroom in 1928,” Jess explained. “It’s a fusion dance that evolved over time with jazz music, and it’s known for its basic step, the swing out.”

  Every time she talked about it, her demeanor brightened. With her eyes shining and her dimple flashing, she was a joy to watch. Nik hoped his open admiration wasn’t clear on his face, but if it was, well…so be it.

  “And that’s what we’re going to learn today?” Giovanni asked, and Jess nodded.

  Nik paired up with Elena, a petite woman with a sleek red bob and too much bronzer. “This is the hold,” he said for the cameras. “I hold Elena’s right hand lightly with my left—no thumbs.”

  “Oh, sorry.” Elena giggled and blushed under the makeup.

  He smiled to put her at ease. “No worries. This is a learning environment.”

  A few feet away, Jess did the same with Giovanni. “I put my left hand on Giovanni’s arm, just below his shoulder, and he should put his right hand on my left shoulder blade.” When Giovanni didn’t move, she gave him an encouraging nod. “Come on, man. Do it.”

  “Whoops.” Giovanni laughed and completed the hold. “I got caught up in the explanation.”

  Nik explained the eight-count pattern, and Jess gave instructions on the stance. Once they’d guided the hosts through the swing out steps a few times to music, Elena and Giovanni moved aside to let Nik and Jess take center stage.

  Jess stepped close to Nik and got in hold.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  Her eyes held a glint of humor. “Always.”

  The song’s bassline started, and they flew into the dance.

  This, by far, was Nik’s favorite part of the whole media circus—getting to dance with Jess again, to hold her in his arms without anyone wondering what it meant, and just letting the music carry them away.

  They’d put together a short, fast routine backstage before the first interview of the day, dancing to a recent electro-funk pop hit they’d been able to quickly get permission to use. The objective was to go full out, as fast as they could, no holding back. So, even though Jess was the one doing most of the jumps, that meant Nik had to put in equal energy to balance her.

  Starting with a swing out, they shook it up with swivels, kick steps, and spins. Their spirited intensity matched the bubbly vocals and bouncy beat, and at each turn, they found the camera with grins and winks. The vibe was flirtatious, a courtship between him, Jess, and the viewers.

  When the heavy horn section kicked in, they shifted into the bigger tricks. Nik always took dance seriously, but especially when he was dancing with a partner. The moves could be dangerous if he didn’t stay focused, attuned to Jess’s energy and his own strength.

  First a push out, where Jess used the tension of their joined hands to leap at him. Nik caught her hip and pushed her back out, admiring the force of her jump. When she landed, they circled each other with a series of deep swivels, throwing their knees side to side and showing off for the audience. Jess even stuck her tongue out at him as she improvised with a twirl.

  A vision floated through Nik’s mind, of pulling Jess close for the next move and planting a kiss right on that sarcastic mouth. It would interrupt the dance, but her sexy little smiles and flirty winks were driving him wild with need. But he filed it away for later. If he had anything to do with it, they’d have more opportunities to dance together in the future. Without an audience.

  Catching her hand again, they launched into a Frankie pop, jumping away from each other on one foot, coming back together with a small hop, and then rotating in the air—with Jess doing a full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree spin before landing again.

  The studio audience murmured in awe, then cheered as Nik and Jess swung out into their last move.

  The flash of pleasure in Jess’s eyes probably matched his own. There was nothing like dancing in front of a live audience. As professional dancers, they spent every moment practicing, but still, anything could go wrong. So when things went right? There was a rush of satisfaction, even after all this time.

  And the crowd was going to love the next move.

  The Kaye Dip wasn’t a particularly sexy finish, but there was body contact, and ending in a dip was always a crowd pleaser. Besides, he’d take any excuse to hold Jess in his arms.

  Nik stepped his leg around Jess, popped her up onto his back, then swung her legs outward, bringing her to rest on his opposite hip in their ending pose. The music faded, and the hosts rushed them, clap
ping and gushing praise.

  Nik swung Jess out from the aerial, and after she was steady on her feet, he released her hand, even though all he wanted to do was hold on. She turned away to smile and wave for the camera, and he reminded himself to be patient. After all, he still had two more dates with her.

  The show broke for commercial, and they were ushered backstage while the next activity was set up.

  “In the next segment, you’re going to decorate wreaths with the hosts,” a production assistant explained as the makeup crew hurried over to pat the sweat off their faces and reapply powder. “Any pine allergies?”

  Jess balked. “Any what?”

  “We’re fine,” Nik assured the PA.

  When they were alone, she muttered, “I didn’t realize pine allergies were a thing. I’m so using that next year to get out of doing this kind of shit. From now on, yes, I do have pine allergies.”

  He laughed, and it took everything in him not to hug her right then. Holding her while they danced had been wonderful, but it wasn’t enough.

  Jess’s agent, Lorena, bustled over then. She was five feet if she was an inch, and carried a shoulder bag approximately the size of a small car.

  “Jess, honey, I have some great news.” Lorena brandished her phone, but the screen was off. “I just got a call from the Heartflix Channel—you know, the ones who make all those romantic holiday movies?”

  Nik had a feeling he knew where this was going. He smothered a smile as Jess rolled her eyes.

  “I’ve heard of them,” she said. “But I definitely don’t watch those movies.”

  Lorena waved that away with a flick of her hand. “They saw the video of you two dancing in the mall and they think you’re perfect for a guest spot in one of the movies they have coming out next year. They’re even willing to fit you in before the next season of The Dance Off starts.”

  Jess’s eyes went wide with horror. “Wait, they want me to be in one of their Christmas movies?”

  Nik turned his laugh into a cough. When Jess glared at him, he schooled his features into an expression of solemnity. No laughing over here.