She was the second one to dance this night. At least that meant she could get it over with quickly. That’s what she thought. Ignoring people wouldn’t be that hard as well. All that gave her hope.
Until she saw from behind the stage the Falcone brothers with Isaac and Drew sitting in one of the booths with the twins. What were they doing there? She had no clue but most certainly didn’t care for their justifications. She remembered damn well that none of them could be anywhere near her in public, and even their mandatory meetings were supposed to be carefully secured. To train with Nicodemo, she actually had to go into a building down the road and take one of Noah’s cars to get inside the penthouse building. That was how careful they had to be. So what could have possibly made them come to the Gastone’s nightclub on her first day?
Now, there was no way that she would be able to ignore everyone while dancing. The thought of her Capo so close, watching her was something she couldn’t easily overcome. She might as well forget the whole choreography just by imagining his gaze roaming her body. Not even Drew and Isaac affected her as much as Noah did. She could already see the whole performance going down the drain in a matter of seconds.
She made a face, her hands closing into fists.
"You’re going to do great." Amanda showed up right beside her, giving her a reassuring hug. But Inéz didn’t acknowledge her, as she was too occupied looking at the men in the booth.
"That’s something rare," began the blonde, following her gaze. "The older Falcone rarely shows up here anymore."
"Who is that?" asked Inéz still playing her role for some reason. Even though for all she knew, the men could already be ruining everything.
Amanda chuckled. "The hottest one. The blond guy who is drinkingfrom his beer right now. The one who looks kind ofpissed," she explained and the girl looked closer. She was right. Noah looked as if he was about to go berserk any minute.
Perfect. Because a rampage act is exactly what’s needed right now.
With another glance, she regarded him more carefully. He was dressed in a white dress shirt with rolled-up sleeves and black slacks. His blond hair were left messy, adding to the overall attraction. His words about being attracted to him filled her mind. It was hard at this point not to agree with him when she couldn't look away.
"It’s Noah Falcone. The boss of all these men. Including Gastone."
"And why did you say that he rarely shows up here?"
She shrugged. "Because it’s true. Unless he’s on business, he usually doesn’t party here. At least he hasn’t for as long as I’ve worked here. From what I know, he used to a few years ago. Flavio, his younger brother, is close friends with the twins so he is here from time to time. And I don’t know the other two guys."
Well, Inéz most certainly did as they were her best friends.
"Alright, I have to go back to work. You’re up in fifteen minutes. Stretch a little more before. Break a leg, girl." she drawled, smiling widely and made her way towards the men’s booth.
She felt as if she was going to throw up. Hearing the music pass, song after song, her performance was looming closer. As the lights went down she slowly walked up the stage, swallowing the anxiety coming from what she was wearing, how much makeup she had on and whether or not she would be able to pull off the choreography. Instead of allowing her mind to keep venturing down those dangerous paths, she decided to simply shut down everything around her for the next ten minutes.
Two deep breaths.
Two red strings of a laser shone from the downside of the stage on her. It outlined her figure perfectly, as she was standing by the pole with her high-heels on. Her legs were a little shaky and she promised herself to perform without heels the next time if all it did was make her even more stressed.
The first notes played.
Inéz gripped the pole and rounded it slowly. It prompted the first whistles from the men watching. Then she wrapped one leg around the pole, pulling up on it, arched her back and whirled around. As the music got a little louder, building up to the climax when it was supposed to switch to a faster beat, she climbed up, hanging upside down. She risked sneaking a peek at Noah. His hungry eyes were watching her every move and they clashed with hers. Inéz felt a wave of confidence that surely was the result of knowing herCapo’sway of being. It was impossible not to connect to that part of his character. Especially now when she so desperately needed it. The music died down for a second, and then with a strong sound, she quickly slid down the pole catching her weight with her calves still attached to the metal. She was only millimeters above the floor. Now she had everything she needed to make this performance happen. With a smile, she continued.
CHAPTER 22
"That was amazing!" shouted Amanda once Inéz walked off the stage.
Loud whistles saw her off, making her roll her eyes, disgust written all over her face. She was pleased with her performance; however, it wasn’t something she would ever get used to doing. Not her place, not her dream, not her life. But her task was still there hiding behind the curtains, waiting for her to get it over with.
She was to see Gastone soon and there were a million other things, she could come up with that were remotely more interesting. Even going back on stage and giving another performance was on that list, and frankly,
