His Dancing Star

Chapter 6

The only thing that made sitting through his hour-long meeting with Michael Knight the next day was knowing he needed to ask the CEO about Lina. These meetings were always painful – a root canal combined with a prostate check - but today he'd sat there with a small smile, yes-ing and no-ing when required, Lina's elated face in his mind to keep him going.

There was something almost magical about watching her with Angel the day before. He'd seen the angst on her face when she was trying to choose whether or not to be daring, and when she'd decided, the raw determination she exuded was powerful. Not only had she stood on the horse, she'd looked like a Cirque Du Solei performer – something more than mortal as she balanced on one leg and soared above him.

He saw the contained fire within her, and he sensed that she was like a candle in a box, deprived of enough oxygen to burn properly. If she popped of the lid, she could ignite into flame. But no one could let her loose; only Lina could do that. He only hoped he'd get to be a small part of her journey towards realising her power.

"Ed? Ed. Edward!"

"What?" He realised from the look on Knight's face, he'd been talking for a while.

"That's everything for today. I know you hate these meetings, so you can go-"

"Actually, I have a question..." His throat tightened, as if he was a shy kid about to ask his daddy for a favour. "Lina- Galina Nobel, she had a request to attend the staff luau tonight."

"The ballerina wants to slum with the staff? Why?"

"She wants to party." Switching to sarcasm, Ed said, "I know you don't get out much, Mr Knight, so I'll break it down for you. A party is an event where normal people mingle, drink socially, and move their bodies in time with music, also known as dancing-"

"Is this a thinly veiled attempt for you to pursue romantic intentions with a guest?"

"What? Of course not!"

Knight cocked his head knowingly. "Because if she wants to party, I'll arrange to have her flown to Key West for an evening. I'm sure Rocky would be happy to escort her-"

"No!" Ed was on his feet and shouting before his common sense had the chance to kick in. "Not Rocky, no freaking way."

"That was a joke," said the CEO dryly. "You know I can't deny a guest request; she's welcome to go along to the event."

"Thank you," said Ed, sitting down, still bristling.

"Your reaction is interesting."

"No it's not."

"Do you have feelings for the ballerina?"

"No. I mean, she doesn't have feelings for me. I don't think. Like, she laughed in my face at the thought of it, but then there's been a few times when I thought that maybe she might have been interested in me. But she's leaving soon anyway, so it's a moot point, isn't it? And I don't want to push anything because I get the feeling like she's pushed around so much in her life already. So there's that."

"Also, the fact that romantic liaisons with guests are grounds for dismissal."

"Sure, that too," said Ed casually.

Knight eyed him carefully. "You know, I don't have much grounding to offer dating advice. Relationships aren't really my thing-"

"Don't sell yourself short, Mikey. You're very pretty, and one day, someone will come along and sweep you off your feet."

"-But I hear that they're founded on principles like honesty. Perhaps you could reveal to her some pertinent facts about your past."

"Knight..."