He walks forwards bending his knees to the beat with each stride, tugging down on the hem of his T-shirt as he does. It’s not dancing but he’s got presence.
Then, he tears the T-shirt down the front exposing his smooth, tanned chest then throws the tattered tee to the ground. I almost gasp. I don’t know why; I watch the guys do this every night. I suppose I just wasn’t expecting it. Then he jumps down into a one-armed push up and turns it into a humping action, then he leaps in the air and does a backflip – all in time to the music. It definitely grabs my attention and I thought I was immune to all things hot-guy.
When he finishes, he picks up the tattered remains of his T-shirt and dabs the sheen from his forehead and neck before looking at me sheepishly.
‘That’s pretty much it,’ he says.
‘Have you danced like this before?’ I ask.
He shakes his head. ‘No, I did gymnastics as a kid and a bit of street dancing when I was a teenager but mostly, I just watched a load of YouTube videos this morning.’
I smile at his honesty. ‘Well, you pulled it off. You did well.’
He breathes a sigh of relief and his body visibly relaxes. ‘So, did I make the all-famous Heavenly Hunks?’
I ponder this. A few minutes ago I was certain he wasn’t right for us, but now I’m on the verge of sacking the guys and having him as a solo act. I have to be sure that it’s my brain and not my very distracted eyes that wants this guy. I’ve calculated the costs – we can afford him and it will give us a new edge. His brow is furrowed; I’m torturing him here. ‘How about a month’s trial to see how you get on?’
He smiles and I notice a clean, straight set of teeth and those dimples again. ‘Sounds good.’
‘Great, I’ll go over all the details with you, contracts and whatnot, and then you might as well stay on and rehearse. We’ll introduce you into the show tonight if you’re up for it?’
The rest of the Hunks start to pile in and Andrea breezes over in a multi-coloured, floor-length kaftan and hugs me. Her musky perfume envelops me as her long, wavy blonde hair tickles my face. ‘Kat, my dear, it’s so good to see you.’
‘You too, Andri.’
I turn to Jay. ‘If you want to stay for the rehearsal, we can try and squeeze you into a small part of the show in Playa de las Americas tonight if you like?’
‘I’d love to.’ He’s visibility excited.
‘Grab a drink and you can meet the guys,’ I say, and he walks over to a table where Andrea has placed some iced water.
‘So, a private show hey?’ she says, giving me a wink. ‘Does he do them for all the girls?’
‘It was an audition,’ I say drily. ‘I’m thinking about expanding the group and making the Heavenly Hunks even bigger and better than we already are.’
‘Well the more hot guys you want to bring into my bar, the better.’ She flashes me a grin. ‘I actually thought he might have been your date.’
‘What, in the middle of the afternoon to a bar that isn’t open yet? Give me some credit. Besides, you know I don’t date.’
She shrugs. ‘I thought perhaps you’d changed your mind – that’s all.’
I roll my eyes. ‘No, I haven’t.’
‘Noted. I’ll feel less guilty about ogling the new guy then.’ She grins.
‘You’re still married,’ I remind her, laughing.
‘And I’ve done nothing wrong.’ With that, she disappears.
‘Okay,’ I shout to the Hunks who are in the process of welcoming Jay. ‘Let’s get this show on the road.’
Chapter 4
On stage, each dancer is honed to perfection, but something about Jay catches my eye. Obviously, he had the full-body appraisal in his audition earlier, but to my shame, I’d taken little notice of his face other than a fleeting acknowledgement of his celebrity doppelgänger. His flawless tanned skin looks like caramel under the light and his jaw is chiselled to perfection. Even from a distance, you can see a depth in his eyes. As he dances, I’m drawn to him. I can’t tear my eyes away no matter how hard I try. There’s a tattoo, a quote of some sort, on his inner bicep that wraps itself around and emphasises his muscles. I wish I could read it.
He’s a bit older than the rest; maybe that is what’s making me feel so captivated. There’s a maturity in him that I don’t see in the others – like each fine line on his face tells a story of something deeper. It makes me feel weird. I don’t look at the dancers this way; it’s wrong. In the end, I convince myself that I’m watching in a professional capacity – I have to see how the new guy gets on and get a feel for the audience perception; nothing more.
The cameraman I’ve hired to get some new promotional shots of the Hunks stays behind to give me a flavour of what he’s captured. He’s taken reportage-style shots so they’re not posed. Instead, he’s captured the Hunks doing what they do best – showcasing their talents on stage whilst looking good. Ignoring the hideous photos of me (think shiny face and hair plastered to my head), I think we’ve got some great material. I’m excited about making the Hunks an even bigger name in the Canaries.
***
‘Jay!’ I exhale, loudly. ‘For fuck’s sake stop sneaking up on me in the early hours.’ After Jay’s first show, we’d gone for a drink not far from where we live to celebrate but now I’m ready for home.
‘Sorry, Kat, I didn’t mean to scare you. I found these in the dressing room and thought they might be important.’
I glance at the clear squidgy things in his hands and almost drop dead with embarrassment.
‘Thanks,’ I say, as heat floods my cheeks.
‘What even are they?’
I swallow hard and croak, ‘Chicken fillets.’
His brow furrows with confusion. Seriously, what person has never seen these before and why are my cheeks hot? The guys all know I wear these on stage.
‘You put them in your bra and they give you a bit of extra va-va-voom. It’s part of my stage persona.’
‘Ahh.’ He glances away and I think the awkwardness is over.
‘But why?’
Okay, the awkwardness is not over.
‘Just to give me a bit of shape while I’m on stage.’ I can’t believe I’m explaining gel breast enhancers to one of my employees whom I barely know. I look at the sky, wishing a giant meteorite would hurtle down from space and land on me.
‘Ahh.’ He nods. ‘Well, you don’t need them. You have a great figure.’
Seriously, a meteorite, please!
I swallow hard and it takes me a second or two to compose myself. In future, I’m booking a taxi to take me home after a show to avoid any more run-ins like this.
‘At least one of you is heading home,’ I say changing the subject. ‘Where are the others?’
‘Hugo left with a couple of older women, and Pauw went home with his partner, Phil. Ant was with Sammy drinking cocktails in the bar with an attractive brunette, and I haven’t seen Marcus since the hotel foyer.’
I roll my eyes. ‘Typical. So how come you’re heading home? It sounds like the night is just getting started for the others.’