Jin Yung regaled her with a warm smile. “Ah! Leila am I correct? You are eager to begin I see."
“The train seemed to be moving extra fast today.”
“Well now, you're in the best standing with the boss,” the older man winked as Kwan, Boom and Young approached her with welcoming grins.
***
Why are they standing so close to her?
G.K. tamped down his irrational urge to walk over and pull them away by the hair. His cousin noticed the angry glare.
"Why are you just standing here looking like you want to kill," he teased. "Go over there and say hello."
"There's no room," he said sourly.
Kai grabbed G.K. by the hand and led him to where Leila was chatting with the rest of the group. Her eyes fell on the two of them and she smiled.
"Nice to see you again Leila," Kai said. While G.K. just stood there looking star struck.
“You too, Kai.”
G.K.'s eyes roamed over her face and he gulped. She was just as beautiful as she had been yesterday, and just as alluring as she had been in his dreams last night.
Kai subtly elbowed him in his side to get his attention. “Ow! I mean, um, hi Leila.”
While he spoke a few other dancers walked into the studio and Jin Yung made his way over to greet them. It didn't matter, all G.K. could do was stare at the gorgeous woman in front of him.
"Hi, G.K." Leila breathed out. Her eyes widened slightly, did she just husk out his name like some overgrown sex kitten? She cringed at the thought. Leila lightly cleared her throat "So how are you this morning? Did you sleep well? Are you enjoying New York?" She rambled.
G.K. smiled,
oh that smile is going to be the death of me
, Leila mused. "I'm fine, slept good. And yeah, I like New York. I've been here before, but it’s always nice." Leila smiled, enjoying hearing the rumble of his voice. "Happy to hear New York is treating you well."
At that moment the choreographer entered the studio pulling their attention away from each other. He was a tall and slender man of obvious Asian descent whose long dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail. His muscular arms sported several tribal tattoos.
“Good morning everyone," he greeted with a surprising Brooklyn accent. "My name’s Michael and we've got a lot of work to do, so let's get ready to do the damn thing!"
"Damn girl, that one is
fine
," Leila heard one of the female dancers say as they stepped into place.
"The rest of them ain't bad either," one of the male dancers added. "I'm like that sista on those Ikea commercials--I don't judge and a man‘s a man.."
They stretched as Michael and the members of T4L warmed up.
“By the end of this week you should have seven out of the nine routines memorized.” There were some groans but the young man took them in stride. “This ain’t no joke folks. You’re gonna work and it’s gonna hurt but y’all gonna be tight.”
Leila chuckled as the choreographer stood in front of them, the band members next to him.
"Okay y'all, we're gonna show you the first routine that you need to learn.” The music began, and the group started moving.
She felt eagerness run through her as she watched them run through the tightly synchronized hip-hop moves. Her eyes settled on G.K. whose movements were so fluid and flawless. Her mouth went dry when G.K. seductively ran a hand from across his lips, then trailed that hand down his chest and slightly lifted the hem of his shirt.
"Ooh, it's gettin' hot in here," someone said and Leila felt a little light headed from the quick flash of rippled tan skin.
The music faded and Michael faced them again. Not a one of them even looked to be winded.
The choreographer clapped his hands for attention. “Okay, there will be some modifications for the women but y’all get the idea right? We're going for sexy here, so y‘all need to drop it like it‘s hot.”
“Yes sir,” another dancer chimed in. “Watch me drop it and pick it up again.”
“All right spread, yourselves out. Okay let's go!”
***
Practice,
more like hell,
Leila thought as they ran through the routine for felt like the hundredth time. Michael was a perfectionist and the dancing intense. He didn’t yell nor berate the way some choreographers she’d worked with and heard about. He just made them do it all over again. To be fair, he was just as tough on the guys in T4L as well.
While all of the male dancers seemed to have an easier time with the routine, some of the female dancers struggled with a few of the steps. In theory the moves were simple, but in practice were far harder than they looked.
After a few more run-throughs, Michael stopped in the middle of the routine and pointed to Leila.
“You seem to have caught on pretty well. I need you to come up here and help me show everyone how to do this.” Here saw her grimace and smiled. “Yeah I know, teacher’s pet and all that, but it ain’t about that.” He craned his head over his shoulder. “Yo G.K. get up here!”
Leila tried not to panic as G.K., who looked even less enthused than she, came up next to her.
Once again Michael clapped his hands for attention. “A’ight,, I’ll have these two start from the chorus which seems to be givin‘ y‘all fits, so everyone pay attention to what it should look like.”
Leila tried not to feel anything as G.K. rested his hand on her hip while facing him, but the touch sizzled and it took every drop of professionalism she possessed to keep her mind and body squarely on what she was supposed to be doing.
She dropped down, pivoted, and then slid sensuously back up G.K.’s lithe frame. Even though they were separated by clothing, the heat between them flared and she hoped that it was just one-sided even though a quick glance at his face told her it wasn’t.
***
G.K. was having the worst inner battle with himself.
With Leila’s face and body pressed up against him, it took every ounce of strength not to give in, lean down and kiss her. As she slid up his body, he had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep his body under control. The fact that they were in front of a room full of people also made the struggle a little easier, but not by much.
The light floral scent she wore lodged itself in his brain, ensuring that he’d never forget it.
His hands settled again on her slender waist before sliding up to grab her hands. G.K. spun her outward then reeled her back towards him until they were face to face once more.
Michael’s applause brought him back to the present. “That’s what I’m talkin’ bout. They brought the sexy back and so can you! Let’s do this.”
G.K. barely caught his breath but it had nothing to do with the strenuousness of the routine. He made his way back to where the rest of the guys were, Young and Boom fixing him with weird grins. Kwan noticed too and smiled.
Six hours later including an hour long lunch, Michael held his hand up as he grabbed a towel.
“That’s it for now y’all. We’ll pick it up tomorrow. Same time, same place. Don’t be late.”
***
Everyone groaned from various aches and pains. Leila grabbed her water bottle and chugged it.
“Damn, check this out.” One of the male dancers, a tall afro-sporting black man was looking at his phone. They all gathered around. “Our choreographer ain’t no joke. He’s worked with damn near everyone who’s anyone in hip-hop. These guys must have a lot of pull to get him.”
Leila was impressed. And tired. No wonder the guy was in demand if he worked folks like this.
“I think I’m gonna have to start listening to some K-Pop,” another dancer with black and red streaks in her hair chimed in. “When did Koreans get flow?”
A black woman dancer gave her a high five. “I know right? They got more soul than some brothas I know. And that tall one, Kai, ooh girl I’d hit that!”
Afro-guy tsked. “Sorry Selena but he’s taken. Don’t feel too bad though. His girl is a sista.”
Selena rolled her eyes. “Yeah, probably some Halle Berry-looking gal.”
When he showed them all the picture he’d found of Kai and his Noel, the dancer’s eyes widened and she chortled.
“My bad. He likes ‘em thick and chocolaty. You go boy!”
The banter continued as Leila rubbed herself down with a towel and put her sweatpants on.
She had never been so turned by a partner in her life and that was not good. It was a miracle that she managed the damn steps when all she wanted to do was put her hands on places her hands didn’t belong.
Just the brush of his hands on her hips, her back, and his skin under her fingertips had her whole body humming.
“Keep it professional,” she muttered under her breath. “This is your big chance and getting all messed up over a guy isn’t gonna work.”
G.K. kept sneaking what he thought were surreptitious glances Leila’s way, as he wiped the sweat from his body.
Should I go over there?
He really wanted to talk to her, to redeem himself from having acted like a love-struck schoolboy earlier. But before he could make up his mind, Kwan and Young came up beside him with mischief clearly on their faces.
“Wow, that Leila sure is cute,” Kwan started as if discussing the dancer was no big deal.
“She definitely is,” Young added. “And she’s a great dancer too. She picked up the steps right away.”
Kwan pursed his lips. “You know, I may just ask her out. I know it’s probably against the rules but that didn’t stop Kai, right?”
“And look what happened with him,” Young said. “She could be your ‘Noel’. How cool is that?”
G.K. had finally had enough of their teasing. He faced them with brows narrowed.
“You two had better not go anywhere
near
her, understand?”
Kwan made an exaggerated expression of confusion "What? Why?" G.K. rolled his eyes, "I don't even know why you're doing this.” He said with a scowl.
For a moment, Kwan and Young said nothing then fell out laughing as they pointed to a still-angry G.K.
“You should see your face, it’s priceless,” Young hiccupped.
Kwan cut in "What I wanna know is why you haven't gone to talk to her, say something, anything. Only felt her up in front of a room full of people."
The look of shock that crossed G.K.’s face had them laughing even harder.
After catching their breaths, Young put his arm around G.K.’s shoulder. “Kwan’s just teasing but really, why are you standing here? At least go talk to her like she’s a human being.”
Before he could protest, the two practically shoved him in Leila’s direction.
***
Leila was tying her sneakers when she looked up to see a chagrinned G.K. standing above her looking nervous.
“Uh, you’re really good. It took me weeks to get some of those steps down.”
Heart racing a mile a minute, she smiled. “Thanks. I actually really like the routine which makes it a lot easier to learn.”
An awkward silence fell over them. She panicked, unable to think of anything witty to say. It certainly didn’t help matters when she noticed the rest of his band mates watching the two of them.
She took her jacket from her duffle bag to give her hands something to do. She’d never been this nervous around any man.
“Well,” she stood up and grabbed the strap of her bag, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah like Michael said,
same time, same place
.” G.K. said with a smile that did interesting things to her insides.
As she headed for the door still feeling his eyes on her back, she turned around and called to him.
“Hey G.K.” Leila gave him a shy smile. “I like your hair. It's cute.”
She saw his hand instantly reach up to touch the tuft of hair that had worked its way slightly off center, but she quickly turned and walked out the studio before he could verbally respond.
***
As she stood on the platform waiting for her train Leila wondered what the Sam hell made her say such a crazy thing.