Dance, Lust And Them

 “Don’t be ridiculous,” she said while laughing. “You know I’m nowhere near famous.”

 “Not true, or at least it’s not gonna be true now that you’re gonna be working with Vance Quick. I hear that he’s made women famous before.”

 “In what way?”

 “What?”

 “Nothing,” she said. “Listen I gotta get going. But let’s reschedule for tomorrow, okay?”

 “Sure thing baby girl,” he said. Click.

 The minute she hung up she felt a presence looming over her shoulder. It was Vance, staring down at her with a cigar in his mouth.

 “What are you giving me that look for?” she asked, placing her hands on her hips.

 “Oh nothing,” he responded. He reached deep into his pocket, jingling change and keys before taking out a bright red lighter. “Do you want a smoke?”

 She shook her head no. “I should probably get back,” she said. “You know, before anyone misses me.”

 “They won’t mind,” he said. “But you’re right, the choreographer might get angry.”

 “What’s her name again?” she asked.

 Vance burst out laughing. “I have no idea,” he admitted.

 He watched Janelle walk away, letting his eyes linger on her backside for a few extra seconds before heading towards his office.

*****

 Before Vance opened up his hip-hop studio, he had been working as a real estate agent selling houses to wealthy Californian families. It had been easy work, as all it took was a charismatic personality and the ability to work with any kind of property.

 He tried his best to ignore the unfair stereotypes that were attached to his background and upbringing, but oftentimes it became too hard to ignore. When he went home after a long day at work, his boys would holler at him to come smoke or drink with them. Vance would politely decline, explaining that he had to get up at five in the morning for work the next day. He liked rising early, because then he had the whole day ahead of him. His friends, on the other hand, thought he was a loser.

 “You’re still living in the slums but you’re acting like you’re royalty,” one of them had said.

 Vance just ignored them and went inside his house. It depressed him to no end that he didn’t fit in on either end of the spectrum. It wasn’t until his friend brought over a small switchboard and DJ equipment that he realized his true calling had been in the music and dance industry.

 He’d been interested in rap and R&B since his infancy, but had never thought about producing songs like that on his own. To Vance, it seemed like a dream he was incapable of achieving. Only the greats could rise to the top. One of his idols was Weezy. He’d listen to his albums on repeat for hours on end, bothering his parents and disturbing his neighbors.

 When he finally got sick of working as a real estate agent, he quit and started making music. It had been tough at first, securing an agent and an agency that would actually take him on as a young artist. He’d been twenty-four when his music first hit the scene. Luckily for Vance, he’d been a hit ever since. It was a breeze writing song lyrics about his background, and incorporating important aspects of his history alongside the lyrics. He’d learned from the greats, and believed he could continue making great music for the length of his career.

 His manager proposed that they start making high-class music videos, which were what gave Vance a lot of leg up in the industry. He accrued most of his money from the hits on his music videos and eventually he was able to open his own studio. He now had his own team of choreographers, songwriters, and managerial staff that helped guide him in the right direction. Though he was mostly in charge, it helped to have a team of supportive people assisting him along the way. But now things were shifting once more. Janelle had come into the picture, and she was throwing Vance off his game.

 He didn’t know what it was about her, but he couldn’t get her out of his mind. It was more than her body, and more than her moves. She was an intelligent young female, only a year or so younger than he was. He was attracted to her headstrong attitude, and the fact that she blushed whenever he teased her. He also loved the fact that she was covered in freckles, and wondered if they extended down her belly and around her back. Perhaps they wrapped around her body like messy constellations, an entire galaxy mapped over skin.

 He would be her human cartographer, navigating the rocky rough waves of her body until they reached smooth sailing again. When he thought about the fact that they were going out to eat that evening, he became excited and overjoyed. Even his staff sensed something different with him. When they asked what was up, he would just shrug and explain that it was nothing. Evelyn especially knew something was up from the way Vance had been acting. Though he’d once flirted with her quite a bit, his attitude was shifting.

 Janelle, on the other hand, felt her whole body electrified by dance. She’d almost forgotten she had a date later that night, and was focusing solely on mastering a new set of moves. She wanted to impress anyone who watched Vance’s videos, to show them that she wasn’t just some bimbo cheerleader or some girl from the poor side of town. She was a young woman with a set of curves and groove to accompany it. Throughout the rehearsal, she heard many shouts of praise thrown her way. The director told her afterwards that she was amazing, and even Lisa seemed impressed.

 “I’ve never seen the new girls move like that,” Lisa admitted. “Usually they’re too scared to let loose and they wind up messing up because they’re holding back. But you—you don’t hold back at all.”

 “Well thank you, that means a lot to me,” Janelle said. “You’re not so bad yourself. How long have you been dancing for again?”

 “Professionally? Only a few years. Outside of that, I’ve been attending dance competitions for years. I used to do double Dutch jump rope when I was younger and that helped me cement a lot of my confidence. It might not look it, but jumping through all those hoops takes some serious leg action.”

 “Oh I believe it. I tried double Dutch once when I was younger, and it was a complete failure,” Janelle admitted. “I tripped over the rope and almost fell flat on my face in front of the entire gymnasium.”

 Lisa leaned back her head and laughed. “I can see that happening,” she said.

 They finished up what they were doing and Janelle waited downstairs for Vance.