He leads us back up the hall and past the reception desk, turning down another hall and leading us down past several closed doors before stopping in front of one and digging in his pocket for a set of keys.
Unlocking the door, he opens it to a simple, empty room. It’s lacking all of the mirrors that decorate the walls of the dance studio, but I can’t help but feel like that’s a bonus, rather than a detriment. Even if Chip’s class had made me feel less uncoordinated than my usual self, I’d still avoided watching myself much.
“All right guys, ready to get started?” he asks, clapping each of us on the shoulder.
It’s not super forceful, but Brendon winces anyway, the contact stinging his irritated skin. “You okay, man?” Chip asks.
Stifling a giggle, I explain, “He got a little too much sun on our boat tour yesterday.”
Chip grimaces and chuckles. “Ooh, yikes, been there. Sorry about that.”
He tells us we can choose a spot while he gets the music and stuff cued up, and we get ourselves settled. I feel almost like I’m full of bubbles, the excitement turning into energy that my body is itching to release.
I bounce a little and Brendon looks at me with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. “How much caffeine did you have at breakfast this morning?” he asks with a laugh.
“Less than you, so what’s your excuse?” I shoot back playfully.
“Okay, guys, you ready for me?” Chip asks.
We both turn to him, and he walks us through the same stretching routine as before. Although the vibe is definitely different with just the three of us in the room, rather than a crowd. The excitement that’s been running through me gives way to some nerves.
But with the stretches, I try and let the nervous energy out, so by the time we’re ready to start working on moves again, I’ve got it largely under control. Like he’d done in the first class, he starts out by demonstrating the moves himself and talking us through them, then having us mimic him.
But this time, he’s not watching a dozen other people, his eyes are only on us, and I feel that self-consciousness creeping in. I focus as hard as I can on the moves in an attempt to forget I’m being watched.
“That was really good, guys, but you’re both looking a little stiff, loosen up, okay?” Chip instructs, “Let’s try it again.”
Turning on the music, he walks us through the steps once more, and I keep my focus on where my feet and hands are supposed to go. Once we’ve completed the bit again, Chip approaches us. “Here, I’m gonna show you both a little bit more firsthand, may I?”
Brendon and I part, and Chip takes hold of me. I feel little shocks rippling through me at the touch, but I attribute it to the unusual feeling of hands other than my boyfriend’s on me. “Just like this,” Chip says, walking me through the steps, “Good, yes, and twirl…perfect, there you go!”
I beam under his praise, my traitorous heart skipping a beat. Okay, I can admit that I find him attractive, and maybe I have a tiny little schoolgirl kind of crush on him, but it’s nothing more than that. Or at least I think it is until he switches partners and starts dancing with Brendon.
I have no idea why the sight affects me the way it does, but watching the two men dance together stirs up a whole host of emotions in me. The strongest and most startling of which is arousal.
The sight of my boyfriend in the arms of another man turns me on.
It’s a weird thought to wrap my head around, but it’s undeniable. I watch the two of them move together and the sight strikes me as so sensual, I’m almost jealous for a moment.
I get the distinct feeling Chip swings that way, although I can’t be sure and I feel guilty, like I’m just stereotyping him because he’s a dancer. But I also get the impression that while he may swing that way, but he still swings right back, too.
It’s not something I’d ever given much thought about to with Brendon, though. I mean, he’s only ever talked about ex-girlfriends, and while I’ve never directly asked him if he was straight, I feel like it was something that might possibly have come up in the last three years if he weren’t. But then again, maybe not.
Not that I care, either way. Honestly, if Brendon is bi, truthfully, it’s only that much more of an ego boost. He could have any woman OR man he wants, and still, he picks me.
“Hazel?” Brendon waves a hand in front of my face, and I blink, snapping back to reality.
Apparently, I’d gone pretty deep down the rabbit hole, because I’d completely lost track of the room and the men around me in my speculations. “Um, sorry, what did you say?”
“I was just saying we were gonna try again. You okay?” Chip asks.
“Yeah, sorry, just spaced out,” I say, shaking my head, “Let’s go again.”
Brendon takes my hand, and we work our way through the bit once more. And apparently, working one-on-one with Chip did the trick for us both, because this time goes significantly more smoothly than the previous attempts.
“Excellent!” Chip crows, “That was fantastic, you guys. Now, I want you to see what you remember from your first class and then I want you to incorporate these steps, you think you can do that?”
“Uh…can I maybe just get a little crash course reminder?” Brendon asks hesitantly.