Off Broadway Read Free Page B

like?”
    “It’s pretty simple. Masculine. Tight pants at first, and heels, but then it’s sort of just this body suit with a man’s tie.” Her cheeks burned and she looked to the music sitting on the piano to hide her flush.
    “Yeah, that’ll work.”
    Avery snorted and looked up. “Of course, it’ll work. I’ve been doing this a long time.”
    He grinned. “I just wanted to make sure that we were all going to finally get to see those legs. You’ll need to shop the merchandise a bit if we’re going to draw them in.”
    She shouldn’t say it. She knew she shouldn’t say it. But her mouth-brain connection refused to work. “You want to know what my legs look like?”
    He chuckled and a dark hunger crossed his face. “Sweetheart, you’re a woman, I’m a man. I’d have to be dead not to want to see what your legs look like.”
    Avery flushed. “Nothing special. Just legs.”
    Dan ran his thumb over his bottom lip. “Uh huh.”
    Avery stared at him for too long. Heat sizzled throughout her body. Images of her legs wrapped around his naked body assaulted her. The way his rough finger rubbed on his lips assaulted her again. She took a steadying breath. This could not happen. He was too talented and she couldn’t lose him as a piano player. He’d inched his way into being a creative partner to her and her career was too important to mess things up.
    “I’m gonna go,” she whispered.
    He nodded. “Yeah, you better.”
    She bent to gather her things and she heard a small groan escape his lips. She lifted her gaze to meet his.
    “Go,” he said. “We’ll meet here tomorrow at ten to do a dry run of the show. We’ll just work on choreography and the last song so you don’t have to strain your voice.”
    Avery hitched her bag over her shoulders and shook the fogginess from her head. “Yeah. Sounds good. I’ll see you.”
    She slipped out the door, shutting it behind her. He felt the same. No doubt. How the hell were they going to get through this without fucking it all up? She leaned against the outside wall and smiled when she heard Dan start to pluck out the Darth Vadar theme song on the piano. Dum dum de dum, indeed.
    ***
    “I need a favor,” she said to her brother the minute she’d walked into the diner.
    He stood and kissed her on the cheek. “Hello to you too, sis.”
    She signaled him to sit and slid into the booth across from him. “Rich, this is serious. I never ask for favors.”
    Rich folded his meaty hands in front of him and nodded to the waitress. The waify girl with over-bleached blonde hair rushed over in a matter of seconds.
    “What can I get for you?” She didn’t look at Avery at all.
    Rich winked at her. “Your number.”
    Avery snorted, but the girl ignored her and handed him a slip of paper. “I already had it written down for you.”
    Of course she did. Rich collected phone numbers like the Yankees collected World Series Championships. Avery chided him about it all the time, but Rich thought it was funny. Probably because he’d never been on the end of an unreturned text.
    “He’s gay,” she told the waitress. “And been living with the same guy for years. You’re not bringing him over to our side. Trust me on this one.”
    The waitress squinted at Rich. He offered a charming grin and handed the slip of paper back to her. “What can I say?” He shrugged. “My guy’s big dick has ruined me for women.”
    The waitress opened and shut her mouth several times. Finally, she turned to Avery. “Coffee?”
    “Two chocolate milk shakes and an order of fries, please.”
    The waitress scratched the order onto her pad and stalked away.
    Rich grabbed Avery’s hand between his. “Chocolate milk shakes? It must be serious. What’s up?”
    “I need you to come to my show tomorrow. Can you get off work?”
    “I don’t know, A. It’s a Saturday night. Why didn’t you tell me earlier you were performing? I would have asked off.”
    Avery’s shoulders slumped.