Jordan, Olivia - Carly's Two-Stepping Temptations [Studio Seductions 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (6 page)

“What the hell is going on?” Jared snapped. “Seriously, Carly, what is going on here?”

“I–I promised I’d never dance with you because Jake said he wouldn’t be able to handle it if he knew that you and I were happy dancing together, and he’d never be able to live if we started competing together.”

Jake nodded. “And now she’s broken that promise.”

“We’re not competing together,” Carly said.

“Maybe not, but you promised you wouldn’t dance with him at all. How could you do this to me?”

“Look, Jake,” Jared said, trying to sound deferential. “I know the thought of Carly moving on must be impossibly hard for you. But Carly and I aren’t competing together, and there might be better ways to treat your problems, like perhaps getting some therapy.”

“I don’t need therapy,” Jake snapped. “I need for Carly to keep her promises. If she doesn’t, she will regret breaking them.” He turned, and hobbled his way out of the bar.

Jared was half tempted to run after Jake, to make him sorry for the hateful things he said. But he also knew it wasn’t fair to go after a guy who was already down-and-out. Instead, he put a hand on Carly’s shoulder.

“Are you okay? Do you want another drink?”

Carly looked at him, then back over at Heath. “I’m sorry, guys, but I think I need to go. And I don’t think we should have another night like this. It’s just going to lead to trouble.” She turned away from them and started shoving her way out of the crowded bar.

Chapter Four

It didn’t take long for Carly to catch up with Jake. He hadn’t had much of a head start, and since he still needed the cane, he didn’t move very fast.

“Jake, wait!” she called. He stopped for a moment, acknowledged her with a glare, and then continued walking, hobbling along as quickly as his knee would allow.

Carly was undeterred. “Jake, let’s just talk, please.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” he said as he continued to walk. “You broke your promise, you broke my heart, and now I’m so upset, I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are you going to hurt yourself?”

Finally, Jake stopped walking. “I don’t know why you suddenly care. You didn’t seem to give two shits about me earlier this evening when you were dancing with that guy.”

“He has a name.”

“I’m not going to acknowledge it.”

“You know what? I don’t know why I suddenly care, either. I know you’re miserable because your dance life is over. I know it’s going to take you a long time to move on. But you’re not even attempting to deal with it in a healthy way. You’re not in therapy, and you’re trying to keep me from moving my own career forward.”

Jake started to cry. “We were supposed to be a team.”

“We were a team. But we’re not a team anymore.”

“No! That’s not acceptable! Once a team, always a team, and if one person can’t compete anymore, neither of you do.”

“You’re being completely unreasonable. You know that’s not how it works. Give me an example of one professional couple who has chosen that route.”

“Just because nobody has doesn’t mean they shouldn’t. It’s wrong to leave your partner behind.”

“It’s also wrong to hold your partner back.”

“Well, I clearly can’t stop you. I guess you never really valued our partnership the way you said you did. I guess you never really cared about me.”

“Jake, stop it. You know I always valued you as a dance partner. You know I cared about you then, and that I still care about you now. Otherwise, why would I come visit you every single week? Why would I ever have allowed you to stop me from competing again with a new partner?”

“Maybe you did care, once. I just seems like some shiny new men have turned your head.”

“You’re acting like I cheated on you.”

“It feels like you did. It feels like you’re my wife, who was supposed to stick by me in sickness and in health. Only instead, I find out you’re screwing not one but two new guys.”

“First of all, I’m not your wife. I’m not your girlfriend. I never even
was
your girlfriend. And second of all, why bring Heath into this? I thought your only problem was with Jared.”

“My problem is with anyone who takes you away from me.”

Carly gasped. “You think you’re in love with me, don’t you?”

“I don’t
think
. I know I’m in love with you.”

“Now you’re just being ridiculous. You told me on Monday that you’re glad you never let romantic entanglements screw up our dance partnership.”

“What’s the point of being honest if you just know you’re going to be rejected?”

“Jake, I’m sorry, but first of all, I don’t have those kinds of feelings for you. I care about you very much, but I don’t have romantic thoughts for you.”

“See?” he snapped. “I knew that you were going to say that.”

Carly ignored him and continued talking. She knew she had to speak her piece before she lost her nerve. “Second of all, I have to say that I doubt your sincerity. You’ve changed, Jake. You’re not the person I used to know. The man I used to dance with would never have placed such unreasonable demands on me. The man I used to know would never have used our friendship to manipulate me. It pains me to say it, but it’s not clear to me whether or not your feelings are genuine, or if they’re just a ploy to keep me in line.”

Jake stared at her as though he was in shock. “I can’t believe you’d ever doubt me.”

“I can’t believe I would, either.”

“You—you bitch,” he snapped and raised his hand. Carly flinched and then moved out of the way. Never in her life had she imagined him as the violent type, but all of a sudden, she felt she was in danger.

“That’s it,” she said, taking a few more steps back. “I can’t deal with this anymore. I’m going home. Our friendship is officially over. I am not going to be coming to visit you anymore, and I’m not going to let myself get emotionally blackmailed. I will dance with whomever I want to dance with, I will kiss whomever I want to kiss, and I will compete with whomever I want to compete.” She started to storm off toward the studio.

“Fine, I just hope that you can live with the consequences.”

Carly froze. The emotional edge in Jake’s voice scared her. “What do you mean?” she asked, refusing to turn around and meet his gaze.

“I mean, you’re really toying with me here, and there’s only so much I can handle in my fragile emotional state. You lie to me, you break your promises, and when I finally reveal my love for you, you reject me. I’m not sure what’s going to happen when I get home tonight.”

As Jake finished speaking, he broke down crying, sobbing so hard that Carly thought his legs might collapse underneath him.

“Jake, you’re not going to hurt yourself, are you?”

“I–I don’t know,” he wailed through his tears.

Carly’s own legs started to shake. As furious as she felt, she couldn’t deny that she still cared about Jake’s well-being. They had so much shared history, and no matter how deeply he hurt her, she still didn’t want any harm to befall him.

I’ll make a deal. I’ll make it just this once. Then, I’ll convince him to get therapy. Once he starts seeing someone, he’ll stop acting this way, and we can both move on.

“Jake? What if I promise not to dance with him again?”

“What’s the point?” he asked, looking up at her with a bitter stare. “You’ll just break the promise again. I can’t trust you.”

“That was—that was before I realized just how much it was going to hurt you. I swear, I didn’t realize just how awful you were going to feel. I’d never hurt you like that, Jake, not intentionally. Give me another chance. I promise, I’ll never dance with him again.”

“What about the other guy?”

“Heath? He’s my student. I have to dance with him.”

“But he’ll just be your student, right?”

“Jake, are you seriously telling me who I can and cannot date?”

The tears started to flow again. “Even if you don’t want me, please don’t force me to suffer by knowing you’re seeing guys like him. Please. I don’t—I don’t know what I’ll do if I have to deal with that sort of thing. I might—things might get out of control.”

Carly sighed.
I just need to get him into therapy. That’s all I need to do. If this is what it takes, that’s what I have to do
.

“Okay,” she said. “Now, do you want a ride home?”

“That would be great, thank you. Thank you for everything, Carly. You mean so much to me, and I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

They were silent on the walk back to Carly’s vehicle and stayed that way for the drive home.

“Will I see you tomorrow?” Jake finally asked as Carly pulled into the driveway.

“Monday, as usual.”

“Okay, if you insist. You’ve already been so great to me tonight. I won’t try to be an inconvenience.” He placed a kiss on her cheek before exiting the car. Carly couldn’t stop the shudder that crawled across her skin.

* * * *

Heath stood in shock as he watched Carly leave the bar.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t go after her?” he asked. “I thought chicks liked it when you ran after them. That’s what’s supposed to happen in the movies, anyway.”

“She’s not a
chick
, she’s a woman, and movies don’t always get it right. Besides, how many times do you see a guy go after the woman he loves, only to have her get even madder and push him away?”

“I never really thought about that.”

“Plus, put yourself in her shoes. Would you really want someone to chase you down right now?”

Heath shrugged. “I guess not.”

“So let’s just leave her alone. She’ll approach us when she’s ready.”

“But what if she’s never ready?”

“Are you kidding? Did you and I kiss the same woman? Even if she only kissed you with half the intensity with which she kissed me, that kind of passion means something. She’s interested. She’ll be back. I know it.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Trust me, I am.”

“How do you know so much about women?”

Jared laughed. “I’m a dance instructor. Nearly my entire day is focused on women, whether they’re my students or, if I ever compete again, my dance partner. I’ve been dancing since I was fourteen. That means I’ve spent twelve years of my life surrounded by women during all of my work hours and, if I’m lucky, in my free hours as well.”

“I guess I’m in the wrong field. We don’t get too many women in my industry.”

“Too bad for you. Can I buy you a drink to help you ease the sting of this temporary rejection?”

Heath shook his head. “Thanks, but my ego has taken several beatings this week. I think I’m just going to go home and lick my wounds.”

“Suit yourself.” Jared shrugged, then pulled a slightly wrinkled business card out of his pocket. “I’m probably going to be out pretty late tonight, making the rounds, exploring the city. This is my first exposure to the nightlife, after all. Call my cell if you change your mind.”