Winning Moves (Stepping Up 3)

Kat didn’t give her time to say no. She exited the bathroom, quickly heading out onto the stage. She was already walking toward the group standing in the center when she stopped dead in her tracks.

“Marcus,” Kat croaked at the sight of the tall, dark and good-looking, incredibly famous pop singer—the ex she hadn’t told Jason about.

“There’s my tigress,” Marcus said and then rolled his tongue. “Surprise, baby. Somebody had the flu so I’m filling in. I came to help give you a grand opening.”

The old saying “you could hear a pin drop” had never been so true. The room had just learned what she’d failed to tell Jason and what Marcus clearly assumed everyone already knew—that she and Marcus had dated. Everyone but Marcus understood the implications of Jason and Marcus standing there side by side. Kat’s gaze went to Jason’s and she saw the hurt in his face.

Someone called his name from below the stage. “Jason! We need you at the club. We have a problem.”

“Kat,” Jason said, and there was no mistaking the tightness in his voice. “Marcus is going to perform for us tonight. He says you know the number and he only needs one dancer. You. I’ll leave you all to talk this out.” He turned away without another word.

Kat’s gaze went to Marcus’s dark brown stare, the rest of the room fading away. “That, Marcus, would be my ex-husband I told you about.”

His eyes went wide. “Jason is your ex? Oh damn, Kat. You never told me his name. I’m sorry.”

“I know,” she said, already in motion to follow Jason. Marcus wasn’t the type of person to start trouble. In fact, he hated people who were. This was her fault for not telling Jason. It was past history, and it just hadn’t seemed important.

Kat caught up to him. “Jason, wait. Please.”

“Now is not a good time for this, Kat,” he said without looking at her.

“I love you, Jason.”

“Just not enough,” he said. “That’s the part I never seem to get.”

She grabbed his arm forcing him to stop walking. “That’s not true.”

He turned to her. “I get the math, Kat. You left Denver and went to him.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I hadn’t even met Marcus when we were in Denver.”

“Jason,” Kevin, one of the production assistants, shouted running down the hall toward them. “Camera one blew. I’m trying to move in another one but I’m having trouble with the club manager.”

Desperation expanded inside of Kat, tightening her throat. “I know now isn’t the time for this, but please tell me you’ll give me a chance to explain.”

He stared at her a hard two seconds and turned away without an answer. A vise tightened on her chest. Kat couldn’t watch him leave. Taking action was the only way to fix this.

She made a beeline to the bathroom and knocked. “Marissa, if you’re in there, open up now.”

Marissa appeared almost instantly. “Come with me,” Kat said. “You’re going to dance with Marcus tonight and I need you to learn the routine.”

“Marcus? As in the amazingly hot pop star Marcus?”

“I wouldn’t say amazingly hot,” came Marcus’s voice from behind Kat and she would have laughed if not for the fact that she wanted to cry. Marcus wasn’t conceited. In fact, he was as perfect a guy as anyone could want, minus one important detail. He wasn’t Jason.

14

AFTER SENDING MARISSA to the costume department and getting Marcus to the right person to fit him with a microphone, Kat headed to the stage where Ellie, Tabitha and the three other featured dancers were still congregating.

“Tabitha,” Kat said, already with a plan in mind. “You’re dancing for Marissa.” She glanced at Ellie. “Marissa will be dancing with Marcus, so I’m going to be working with them to get ready. Can you please make sure they have Marcus performing last?”

“Done,” Ellie said, her eyes alight with interest at the announcement. “He’s already set up to be the final guest so we can tease the audience with a surprise coming at the end of the show. So, you’re not dancing with Marcus?”

“No,” Kat confirmed. “I’m not dancing with Marcus.”

“Why is Marissa dancing with Marcus?” Tabitha demanded, her hands on her hips. “I’m the one the audience already knows.”

“Marcus is the one the audience already knows,” Kat corrected, hoping she was teaching Tabitha a lesson about how doing things wrong wasn’t going to get her to the top. “And why are you not in your costume yet?” Tabitha looked like she might argue, but decided against it and hightailed it off the stage.

Ellie motioned to the remaining dancers. “You three, go get on your Egyptian robes and make sure the others are lined up at the exit door.” The robes fit into the theme of their first pop star’s performance. It was the beginning of a big show with a grand entry. So big and intensive to put together that Kat was thankful Jason had given everyone the next day off. She glanced at her watch. “We have ten minutes until we do the dramatic walk across the hotel to the club in the west wing.”