Love's Dance (2 page)

"That'd be great!" Jaina swallowed her last bite of potatoes. She'd been hungrier than she'd thought. "While we're out, I'll need to look at cars. I sold mine in Sydney."

"That shouldn't be a problem. We can fit it in, I'm sure."

Chapter Two

"What are you thinking about doing, now that you're here?" Teniel asked as she and Jaina strolled down Queen Street, past several shops announcing summer sales.

Jaina shrugged. "I dunno. I can do pretty much anything right now, y'know? I've got waitressing experience..."

"What Los Angelino
doesn't
?" Teniel quipped.

Her sister-in-law laughed. "Funny. I've also got some chef experience, y'know, with Elaine's restaurant."

"Right." Teniel nodded.

"Ooh!" Jaina suddenly exc
laimed. "Shoes!"

An hour later, they’d made their way through most of the stores on the street. Teniel paused in front of a hole-in-the-wall café.

“Let's have lunch here, then look at car lots."

"That sounds good."

♥♥♥

"It's perfect!"

"Jaina, it's a piece of junk!" Jason said. He kicked the tire of the old red Honda.

"It will get me from point A to B, and cheaply as well!" his sister said defensively.

Her brother snorted. "That's if it doesn't break down on its way out of the parking lot!"

"Jason, shut up! I've bought other cars. This one will clearly make it out of the parking lot."

"Will it make it down the street, too?"

Jaina folded her arms across her chest. "I took it for a test drive earlier, anyway, and yes, it did. All the way around the block, no problems."

He looked at her with utter disbelief.

"I'm starting over, and I'd like to do that without a new car debt to pay," she argued.

Her older and much taller brother sighed, shoving a hand through his dark curls. "Well, this isn't the right car for that. You might as well buy a new one, because this one will have you paying as much in repairs."

"How would you know? You're judging it by appearances!"

"With a car, appearances are frequently telling." Jason gave the car a gimlet eye. "This one looks like it's older than Emily."

"Well, it's not. It's only six years old."

A short bark of derisive laughter burst out of Jason. "It's only six years old, and it looks like it's eighteen? That's
not
a good sign, Jay."

Her expression was unyielding. "I want
this
one. I feel I'm supposed to have it. So there."

Jason opened his mouth, stopped, and closed it again. Finally, he said grudgingly, "Fine, but don't come whining to me when it breaks down."

After a moment, Jaina nodded. "Thank you for seeing it my way. And I never complain."

"Ha!" Jason shook his head. "Okay, okay, we'll get the car. Can you pay for it?"

"Well, I've got the money, but I don't have a credit card or anything here yet."

"Okay. You'll have to pay me back. Let's go."

Jaina gave the car a loving pat, and skipped after her brother.

♥♥♥

The next few days, Jaina spent most of her time looking through the classifieds and wandering Auckland searching for a job. However, it just looked like no one wanted to hire an American with a background in... make-up.

After one particularly grueling
day, Jaina decided she needed to get out of the house. So she dressed in a black and red layered skirt, a dark red, glittery top, and black boots, and found a club in Ponsonby. She paid the cover fee and walked in, feeling vaguely uncomfortable under the scrutiny of half the men she walked past. She figured the other half were gay.

The club was low-lit, with a vague pink-purple glow, accented by neon blue designs on the walls. Patrons in various styles were dancing in one room to techno. Jaina stopped in the doorway and listened hard. There was a familiar beat somewhere nearby, drums and bass line that she knew well.

Following the pulse in the floor, she found her way through the club and down some stairs. Her foot touched down on the dance floor just as the singer's voice came out of the speakers. She smiled at the timing.

Besides the DJ, she didn't see anyone else in the room, which was lit by a mirror ball and several red lights that rotated and swiveled around. There was also one of those rotating, multi-colored balls. Jaina hadn't felt at home on the floor above, but this was perfect.

She threw herself into the music, letting it wrap around her like an ocean of rhythm. Jaina grooved and gyrated, eyes closed, head thrown back in delight.

Finally, she was free.

♥♥♥

Unbeknownst to the figure in the middle of the floor, swaying with abandon to the music, there
was
someone else in the room. That someone sat in the darkest corner, and until this point had just been listening to the music.

He'd come here to relax, an
d had been doing a fine job of it, preferring the music here to that of the techno room upstairs--really, music needed a good bass line--until the vision before him had walked in.

♥♥♥

Jaina knew the feeling of being watched too well to completely dismis
s the weight on her skin, but in that moment, didn't really care if anyone
was
watching her dance. She was used to people watching her, after all, watching her dance and sway her hips to the beat.

♥♥♥

He leaned forward, eyes intent on the woman, the fabric of her clothing clinging to her generous, well-distributed curves. Her eyes opened briefly, and looked straight at him, but he could tell they were unfocused, distant, as if she were somehow getting high on the music.

♥♥♥

She watched the colors refract off the mirror ball and spill like fragments across the floor and walls. One of the lights was keyed to the bass of the music, and it kept time with a bouncing shimmer against the walls. Her heart beat matched the percussion, as if she were part of it.

♥♥♥

He wanted to move to her, match his pulse to hers, time her hips with his... in more ways than one.

Instead, he sat silent, unmoving, watching her, scarcely breathing. He was far from relaxed now, but he didn't mind. He didn't mind at all.

♥♥♥

As th
e music evolved into the next song, Jaina opened her eyes. She could have sworn something, some
one
had brushed their hand against her hair. But when she looked around the room, into the deepest shadows... she was alone.

♥♥♥

He was sitting in his car, watching as she came out of the club, looking disheveled and flushed. If he hadn't seen her before, in the throes of passion with the music, he'd have thought she'd been in a different set of arms. He didn't know her name, didn't have the courage to ask for it, but the sight of her made his pulse race. He swallowed hard, wishing he weren't such a bloody coward.

Sighing, he gazed at her as she went past, completely oblivious to him. He watched her get into a battered, old car, one decorated with red paint and rust, and sighed again when she drove out of sight.

Cursing himself for a fool, he started the ignition.

A male, almost soprano voice burst out of the radio. It was ear-shattering and beyond irritating.

"Gah!"

Stabbing recklessly at the radio buttons, shuddering involuntarily, he searched for something,
anything
other than that.

Then something eerily familiar reached his ears, and he paused.

It was the song
she
had been dancing to.

He grinned all the way home.

♥♥♥

"Hey, J, you still looking for work?" Jason called into the kitchen from the dining room.

"Yeah, why?"

Jaina didn't take her eyes off the blade in her hands, even as she wondered what Jason was up to. She'd been in Auckland two weeks, and nothing had
come of her search for employment.

Teniel rolled her eyes. “
I
was gonna do that, Jase!"

"Do what?" Jaina asked with vague amusement.

"Well, my cousin's a hairstylist on a program for TV One. She said they're looking for a new makeup artist before they start filming the new season," Teniel said.

"Really? What show?" Jaina abandoned all pretense of slicing bread and set down the knife.

Jason looked at Teniel, and smirked. Teniel gave him a sly look.

"We'd keep it a secret to torment you, but you're pretty sma
rt. And obsessive," Jason said.

"So what is it?"

Teniel grinned. "It's set in a little town called Waybridge."

Jaina's mouth dropped open. "No! You're kidding!"

"Not kidding," Teniel laughed. "We can see about it tomorrow, eh?"

♥♥♥

Two days later, Jaina showed up on the set of Waybridge Health Centre, her makeup kit in hand. Her brown hair was braided, the stray hairs held with tiny barrettes. She'd tried to dress in something nice, but that she wouldn't mind getting makeup on. It had been a difficult decision.

She'd ended up in black pants and a forest green knit shirt with a draped neck. She felt a little odd, showing up here, dressed like this. Jaina had the vague thought that it was like something Nora Stevens would wear. She had the briefest of temptations to turn around, run home, and change into something less dressy.

"You look like a doctor."

Jaina shrieked and jumped, dropping the makeup kit. It hit the linoleum, popped open, and makeup scattered in every direction. Cursing, she dropped to her knees and began gathering containers of every size and shape.

The man who'd spoken also knelt. He dropped several lipsticks into the case. Jaina spared him the briefest of glances- then did a double-take.

The man held out a tube of mascara. It was too bad his dark hair was too short to fall in his blue eyes. The effect would have, maybe, been weak-knee inducing. More than this, she amended mentally.

Jaina hoped she wasn't flushing. She was afraid that she was. Her skin felt hot. Of all the people to do something stupid in front of... "Uh, thank you."

She straightened, brushing at her pants. Without looking at him, she gathered the remaining escapees.

"I take it you're the new makeup artist."

Jaina nodded. "I am. I think. Yeah."

'Brilliant!' she thought to herself. 'So articulate and eloquent! IDIOT!'

She noticed he held her case. When she met his gaze, he was grinning. For an instant, her heart stopped. Jaina took the case from him, put all the makeup in, and set it on a nearby chair.

The man cleared his throat. Finally, Jaina turned to him.

He stuck out his hand. "Colin Pierce. I play-"

"I know who you are. Dr. Alex Noble. And Hedridan in
Sea Of Swords
." She took a deep breath and put her hand in his. "Jaina McGregor. Late of Sydney, Australia, and before that, Los Angeles."

"Sydney, hmm? And what were you doing there?"

"Production on a movie. I'm not at liberty to discuss it. Confidentiality clause and all that."

"Ah. Intriguing. Like spies."

"Sure."

Colin looked at something in his hand. "'Brazen Temptress'," he read.

Jaina held out her hand. "It's a bright red, wet look finish, with gold and silver glitter, best on medium to dark complexions, and has a matching polish."

Amused, he handed her the lipstick. "Do you know all your lipsticks that well?"

"Have to." Jaina set to making sense of the mess.

"Jaina is an interesting name," he observed. "What does it mean?"

"'God has been merciful'." She closed the case with a snap. "Where can I find Rachel-"

"Right here." A woman had appeared out of nowhere. She held out her hand. "Rachel Lake. I take it you're Jaina McGregor?"

Jaina shook her hand. "That's me."

"I see you've already met Colin. Oh, here's Jacob. Jaina, this is Jacob Thomas. He plays Dr. Walter Noble. This is Jaina McGregor, our new makeup artist."

"You haven't even seen me do anything," Jaina pointed out.

Rachel smiled mysteriously. "I've seen some of your work. But demonstrate for us, if that makes you feel more comfortable."