Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 91507 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91507 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
“This mysterious shit is making my Spidey senses tingle,” Z said. “I don’t like it.”
“I’m sure it’s fine.” Tam, ever the calming influence, squeezed Z’s shoulder.
Hop wasn’t so confident. He felt ill and it had nothing to do with residual effects of his hangover.
The cryptic text from Mark, Switch’s general manager, had blinked at him ominously as he’d gotten out of the shower.
Two words: mandatory meeting.
Ever since, Hop’s curiosity had run amok. By the time Mark poked his head around the corner, Hop’s anxiety caused his fists to tighten. Roland Lockwood and his errand boy, Rafe, had already taken so much from him. He hated that they could take the Sassy Boyz away too.
“Let’s talk on stage, there’s more room,” Mark said before disappearing again.
The group of thirty or so performers all filed out, murmuring under their breath. Everyone was nervous, which wasn’t a comfort because some of them had been working at Switch since the beginning. If they were anxious it meant something was unusual.
On the way out, Jae glanced at him with troubled dark eyes and a questioning lift of his brow. As the two newest members of the Sassy Boyz, they’d formed a bond. Even though Hop still knew very little about Jae’s personal life, he felt closer to Jae than any of the others. He sent his friend a reassuring smile.
The club always looked weird during the day, like a skeleton of a monster that came to life after dark. Mark sat cross-legged in the center of the raised floor and gestured for everyone to do the same. They subconsciously made a half circle around him.
“What’s going on, Mark?” one of the aerialists asked. Hop didn’t know her name, but she’d been working at Switch for a year.
“Hi, Brooke, great show on Wednesday.” Mark smiled at her, then let his gaze travel over the rest of them. “Welcome, everyone. Thanks for coming on such short notice. I can see you’re all curious, but don’t worry. I called you here because I thought it’d be easier to make this announcement to everyone at once instead of tracking you down individually.”
“We’re getting a raise?” one of the acrobats joked with a fetching smile.
Mark laughed. “Not quite, but this is a good opportunity. We’re planning a themed event and we want to hold auditions at the end of next week.”
“What do you mean, auditions?”
“Come on, Teddy, you know what auditions are. You’ve probably been to a million.”
Teddy looked sheepish when everyone laughed, but Mark continued, “We could’ve arbitrarily decided which acts would get the gig but with this event we’re looking to push our own limits, and yours. We’re giving you the opportunity to stretch your boundaries and create something truly unique.”
“What kind of routines are you looking for?” Brooke asked.
“Something to blow our minds, something we weren’t expecting. Something hedonistic.”
Excitement rolled through the group. Tam and Ansel’s eyes lit up like fireworks as they turned to grin at the rest of them. Yeah, this was right up their alley. Hop felt the stirrings of enthusiasm. This could be fun.
“What’s the catch?” Teddy asked.
“You’ll have to impress the big boss.”
Hop’s burgeoning enthusiasm turned to stone. Shit. Shit. Shit.
There was no way he’d be able to hide from Rafe’s keen eyes. Even if he felt like a completely new person, even if he’d grown and dyed his hair, even though he wore makeup and heels these days, Rafe would recognize him.
* * *
Rafe stayed in the shadows on the balcony and watched Mark laugh with the talent like it was easy.
Hell, it was for Mark.
Rafe couldn’t quite understand it. Never had. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d held an easy conversation with anyone, let alone a group of people he barely knew. Even watching from the safety of his private catwalk in the rafters left him uneasy.
He hated crowds.
This made his choice of career pretty ridiculous if he stopped to think about it.
So he didn’t.
This was the path he’d chosen all those years ago. Now that he was walking it, he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to be the best, despite his weaknesses. For his family. And for himself.
He tried to put names to the faces below and cursed when he failed miserably. He should know them. He’d approved their auditions, even signed their contracts, but fuck if he could figure out who they were.
This was why he’d hired Mark. Mark was the social one. Mark remembered people.
Mark was good at everything Rafe wasn’t.
They made a good team. He should be thankful, not jealous. Still, he couldn’t help wishing he could be as open and casual with his own employees. But he stood in the shadows, listening intently to every concern the performers brought up and made notes for later when Mark would ask for input.
Rafe’s eyes caught on a flash of color. A woman in gorgeous four-inch blue suede Louboutin stilettos stood in one smooth move, all legs and ass. Her long wavy hair faded from baby pink at the roots to lavender at the tips. It brushed the curve of her lower back as it swung from side to side in soft ripples. Rafe had the unexplainable urge to sink his fingers into that cotton-candy hair and sniff it. Would it smell sweet like sugar?