Lead and Follow(79)

Dima laughed, clapping him on the back. “Thanks, my friend.”

Lizzie appeared at Dima’s side, tucking under his arm. God, she belonged there. With her arm looped around his back, tracing little patterns down his spine, she stretched up on her toes to kiss Paul. The exchange was less intense than he’d seen them trade before, but they still lingered like lovers. Such a pretty picture they made, two sunshine people. Dima didn’t mind at all because once she was done, Lizzie snuggled back along his side. Her free hand spread flat over his stomach.

“Really, thank you,” she said. “I’m not even sure I can list all the awesome.”

Paul shook his head. “I’d have done it all over again in a nanosecond. There’s just something good about the two of you together. And something really good about what you did to me.” His grin was a beautiful thing. Tiny lines fanned out from his eyes. “You’re out of time, though. Declan came by, said you have five minutes to get out there and talk to him.”

“I’m surprised he didn’t run upstairs to check his screens,” Lizzie said with a grin. “Now, let’s go wow ’em all.”

“That’s your job.” Christ, how good did that sound? Because they were right again, the pieces of the puzzle finally snapping together in truth.

Dima followed her out to the main area of the club, Paul in turn behind him. His little one tossed up her hands at the entrance, striking quite a pose. Applause started in a wash and slammed upwards into a roar. From the back of the room came a rolling stomp of feet. Dima knew what he was supposed to do—cross his arms and look intimidating and solid—so he did so. Let her take this one on. She played up to the crowd, blowing kisses and doing a couple hip shimmies.

Eventually she pranced to where Declan held court. The man reclined with one of his usual girls at his side.

They didn’t quite get there before Svetlana planted herself in their path. She sniffed down her nose. “You are not the man I thought you were, Dmitri. That dance…” She shuddered. “Completely crass.” She skewed Lizzie with a glare made of daggers. “I am unsurprised considering your choice in partners.”

Dima folded an arm over Lizzie’s shoulders. “I’m unsurprised you think so, but I’ve everything I need.”

“Broadway,” she practically shrieked. “My backers are not going to stick around if I can’t bring them Dmitri Turgenev.”

Lizzie chuckled. “Oh, that’s priceless. Nice one, Sveti. Well done.”

Dmitri couldn’t find it in himself to wish the woman ill, not after two years together. “I hope you find what you’re looking for, Sveta. It isn’t going to be me.”

She shot Lizzie another evil look. “I hope you ruin your other knee,” she hissed. “Idi na fig.”

With that, she flounced off through the crowd, a mass of fake hair fluttering behind her.

Lizzie flipped her off. “Does she think I don’t know what she said? Go fuck yourself? Really? And she called you crass. Silly cow.”

“Come on, little one.” He took her hand. “This is a happy night.”

She smiled up at him. “Hell yes, it is. Let’s go make it even better.” On she pushed toward Declan’s table.

The man wore a pale pink button-down shirt open to his abs. “Quite the show. Congratulations on your reunion  .” The smirk on his mouth said he meant it in every sense.

Dima smirked right back. “It’s about time,” he agreed.

Declan snapped his fingers and someone stuck a clipboard in his hand. “You know what these are, right?”

Lizzie laughed. “I’m assuming they’re contracts?”

He nodded, grinning like a maniac. He held them out, along with a pen. “Same terms as before for Dima, plus same for you.”

She grabbed the clipboard. “I’m good with that. Dima?”

His mouth opened. Closed. He put his hand over hers. She came away from the main crowd with a tiny tug on her wrist, following easily. He bent his head so that she could hear him in the press of people and talk and noise.

Damn, this was still harder than he’d expected. His chest pulled shut on a rush of nervousness greater even than when he’d taken to the stage. “We’ll sign, but with both of us on the line we can get more out of him.”

“God, I love you.” She beamed. “Plans?”

He nodded. Laughed a little. Because maybe this wasn’t so tough. “I want enough for us to stick around, a year maybe? For both of us together, we’ll get more money too. It’ll be enough to take us through to audition season.”