The offhand way he says it makes me think I haven’t heard him right. “A—a week? For our knife-throwing act? You throwing knives at me?”
“It’s only going to be simple. Two static poses, and then a moving one to finish off. I’ll show you the moving pose tonight. Unless you don’t want to?” he adds, noticing my open-mouthed stare.
Is this the same man who had to be dragged kicking and screaming toward the idea of hurling knives at me? Could it be that despite it being dangerous and scary, he enjoys this as much as I do? I feel my cheeks flush again, remembering how turned on I am after every practice session with Cale. All right, maybe he doesn’t enjoy it in the same way as I do, but he seems to be looking forward to our debut.
I quickly close my mouth. “No, I want to.”
“Great.” He holds up the suspenders. “I’ll go put these in my wagon.”
Elke spends the next three days devoting every spare minute she has to sewing the catsuit, and Anouk and I haunt the thrift shops in the village looking for red boots. It seems like finding any will be a long shot, because when we visit three stores we come up with nothing.
I do find a beautiful pair of wine red and gold cushions and a matching throw and use my wages to buy them. I’ve been earning money since my debut, and every two weeks Gorran presents me with an envelope of notes along with everyone else. Back in our wagon, I make up my bed with the new furnishings.
Stepping back, I admire how it looks. My very own space, and now I’ve even decorated. It feels more like home than anything has before.
The circus moves on, travelling southeast. The weather turns gray and cloudy, though it’s still warm. There are five thrift shops in the next village, and Anouk and I go hunting again. In the fourth store, we finally find exactly what we’re looking for. Shiny red high-heeled boots. They must have been donated from a closed-down factory or costume shop because there are six pairs, all in different sizes, including mine. I strut up and down the store in the boots, hand on hip, pretending I’m on a fashion runway, while Anouk clicks an imaginary camera.
“Faaaaabulous, darling,” she croons. Then she drops her hands. “God, I can’t wait to see Cale’s face.”
I, on the other hand, can wait. I don’t know what he’s going to make of this crazy idea of Elke’s.
I don’t have to wait long to find out. When we get back to the wagon, Elke proudly holds up the finished catsuit. She’s handsewn sequins along the sleeves and in a strip down the legs. The neckline is a high turtleneck and there are more sequins at the throat, too.
“I’m thinking a big, curly ponytail to go with it,” Elke says, holding it out to me to try on. “Should be easily enough to create after our horse act.”
When I try it on, the catsuit fits like a glove. A very tight, revealing glove. It covers everything, but shows everything, too. My breasts. My ass. My thighs. Paired with the boots, I feel more like a stripper than a performer.
“Are you sure it’s…appropriate?” I ask, biting my lip. He’s far away, but I can just imagine the names Dad would roar at me if he saw me like this. He never wanted me dating boys or wearing short or revealing clothes.
“It’s entirely appropriate. This is show business,” Anouk tells me.
“But it’s completely different to what everyone in the circus wears.”
“The act is completely different, too,” Elke points out. “You’re going to be what people talk about as they leave the circus and go to the pub. They’ll tell all their friends about you and Cale, and that they have to get tickets.”
I remember what I said to Cale. I want to do it because it will be the most wonderful thing I’ve ever done. I want to fill my life with wonderful things.
I take one last look in the narrow mirror, and then nod. “All right. Let’s go show him your hard work.”
We’re not performing tonight as we travelled most of the day. Night has fallen and most of the circus are clustered around the campfire. I balk at walking out in front of two dozen people.
Elke gives me a prod from behind. “Out or in?”
Soon it won’t be two dozen people. It’ll be several hundred. I take a deep breath and step out of the wagon, and then look around for Cale.
I don’t have to search long to see him standing to the right of the fire, and I don’t have to worry about how I’m going to get his attention, either.
He’s staring right at me, his mouth open.
Chapter Twelve
Cale
Ryah walks over the grass toward me in a skin-tight catsuit, shimmering with crimson sequins. I can’t take my eyes off her. The red fabric clings to her petite, slender form. Her thick blonde hair is in a ponytail that cascades around her shoulders. There’s something different about the way she’s walking. Her hips move from s
ide to side with each stride, and her breasts—
I swallow thickly, and drag my gaze back up to her face. She stops in front of me, chewing her lower lip nervously. She seems to be waiting for me to say something, but I have no idea what’s happening. I can’t think. All I can see is Ryah’s crimson-clad body.