The Perfect Couple (8 page)

***

“We have to make this sexy. You heard Mike.”

Cara bit her lower lip as she looked at Daniel, her demeanor bordering on the edge of exhaustion. She and Daniel stood in the studio once more, their first few attempts at making a sexy routine failing miserably on all levels. Her roommate for the duration of the competition, Julie, was a snorer and Cara had been up half the night fighting the urge to stick something in the young woman’s mouth just to silence her. Then, to make matters worse with her roommate, Julie had gone on and on about how hot Daniel was when she was awake and how lucky Cara was to have him. Cara didn’t need to be reminded of that. She knew how lucky she was.

Instead of spending the day exploring the city like she had hoped, Daniel had dragged her into the studio, where they had discussed what they would like to accomplish out of the next routine and worked on some steps well into the night. Now, in the light of a new day, she had to say she was starting to regret being part of this competition. Daniel was living and breathing this thing and while she appreciated the dedication, she wanted some time for just them, without the stress of the next challenge. “Sexy. Got it.” She could do sexy. Ballet tended to be a graceful, sometimes sensual dance with the movements.

Daniel stepped before her and placed his hand on her hip, the heat of his skin seeping through her thin tap pants. “We have to learn to move together. This one will be different than last week. They will expect us to move in sync and we have to show them we can function as one entity.”

“Yeah, I remember the samba dance,” she shot back, placing a hand on his shoulder. Did he forget about her background? She had danced the samba a number of times in competitions in her teenage years. “I can do ballroom, remember?”

“Are you okay, Cara?” Daniel asked, his eyes searching hers. “You look like you could use a good nap.”

A nap and a good romp in the bed was more like it but she wasn’t going to tell him that. Ugh, where had that come from? Still, having that closeness with Daniel, relieving the tension of this competition, would be the perfect remedy. Would he go for it if she came out and asked? Or would he think her to be not focused on the competition? “I’m fine, Daniel,” she said instead, forcing the thoughts of sexual escapades aside. “Can we just get started?”

Daniel nodded and together they walked through the actual dance, Cara attempting to move her body to the rhythm of his. This was going to be difficult for a great deal of the couples if they weren’t used to dancing with a partner, she thought as they made a turn quickly. The key to the samba or any close dance was to connect with your partner, to move like one. You had to be convincing that you had been dancing together for years, all the while keeping the excitement and sexiness that was what the samba represented. Achieving that wasn’t any easy feat whatsoever and Cara imagined that this performance would separate the strong from the weak.

“Good, you are pretty good at the basic steps,” Daniel remarked as he halted them in the middle of the room. “Now we have to work on your sensuality.”

“My sensuality?” Cara asked, placing her hands on her hips as she glared at him. “What the hell is wrong with my sensuality? What about yours?”

Daniel’s eyes narrowed as he ran a hand through his hair, a wrinkle appearing on his brow. “It’s not that something is wrong with it. I can feel the tension in your body and that won’t appear as sexy if you are all uptight on stage with me.”

“I think I’m not the only one who needs to work on it,” Cara countered, crossing her arms over her chest. She could do sexy, hell, she had gotten him, right? He was being very arrogant and Cara wanted to knock him down a notch. She could dance just as well as he could!

Daniel muttered something under his breath as he took a step toward her, his hands drifting over her face like butterfly wings. “Okay, I will show you what I can do.”

Cara forced herself to stay still as his hands, more like the tips of his fingers, drifted down her face and to the sensitive part of her neck, causing Cara to shiver inwardly. She could barely feel his touch yet her body was on alert, wondering when he was going to increase the pressure.

Daniel’s eyes never left hers as his fingers drifted over the bared skin above her tank top, lightly touching her shoulder and down across her crossed arms. “This is how you become aware of your partner,” he said softly, pulling her arms apart and forcing them to her side. “You try to affect them with the slightest of touches.” Cara could feel every touch on her body as his fingers drifted over the exposed skin, taking his time to slide down one of the straps of her tank top over her shoulder before he placed a kiss in the hollow spot above her collarbone. Cara’s knees weakened slightly but she resisted grabbing his head as he traced her collarbone with his tongue.

He then blew on the spot that he had wetted with his tongue and Cara sighed happily, her body on fire. She wanted Daniel to kiss her, touch her, and even throw her on the ground and have his way with her. She really didn’t care what he did to her as long as he didn’t stop. Cara had never been so turned on.

Daniel picked up Cara’s hands and placed them on his shoulders, his eyes boring into hers. “Now move with me, Cara. Take the heat and turn it into steps.”

Cara swallowed hard as she moved against Daniel, feeling his hard body pressing into hers, desperately wanting to kiss him as she looked into his intense eyes. This was an altogether different feeling between them, more like it should be and Cara knew that if he didn’t kiss her, she was going to combust on the spot. She was on fire and he hadn’t even really touched her that intimately yet! Maybe the man really did know sensuality. “Daniel,” she whispered. “Please kiss me.” She was on fire.

A faint grin stole across his lips before they descended on hers, hot and furious, causing Cara to whimper against his assault. Cara clung to his shoulders, feeling the tension under her fingers as he ravaged her mouth. Oh god, she wanted so much more. She wanted to feel his skin under her fingers, taste him with her lips. She wanted all of him and she would readily give him all of her in return.

“Now that’s how a samba should end.”

Cara tore away from Daniel, a blush stealing across her face as she realized they had company in the form of the camera guy, the bright light shining in their faces.

“Don’t stop on my account,” he grinned from behind the camera, winking at them. “This is hot TV. Smile, you two.”

“Now that is what I am talking about! I think you have managed to set this place on fire with that performance! Lord almighty, I think I need a cold shower.”

Cara blushed under the praise coming from John as she and Daniel stood together on the stage, knowing that they had just thrown down the gauntlet with their performance. This was their best performance, she could feel it in her bones. She had known the minute they had started that they were going to blow the judges away and with every sure step, the feeling had grown.

Daniel grabbed her hand and together they walked off stage before he grabbed her up in a hug, swinging her around in a circle. “There is no doubt in my mind we are in the top this week. You were so sexy out there. I could barely concentrate on my steps.”

“You really think so?” Cara laughed, kissing him soundly on the lips. “It was amazing. You were amazing.” Daniel’s sexy tutorial had given her the fuel she needed and Cara was able to make her moves much sexier than she normally did, half hoping he would have them practice something sexy again. Even Mike had commented that he had liked what he had seen when he had spent time with them just yesterday, stating that they had more chemistry than any other couple he had visited.

“You know we have a free day tomorrow,” Cara said as they made their way back to the room to await their fate. She wanted them to spend time outside of this competition, to expand what had been reignited this week, and she hoped that he felt the same. The challenge hadn’t been just to find her sensuality, it had been to reignite their relationship and he definitely had her attention now.

“It might be a busy day for us depending on what the challenge is,” Daniel responded, sending Cara a sidelong glance. She frowned and he laughed, pulling her close. “I know what you mean but we are doing this to win, Cara, remember? Your livelihood depends on how well we do in this competition so the fun times will have to wait, babe. We can’t afford to fail now because we are preoccupied.”

Cara blew out a frustrated breath, knowing that Daniel was right in every regard. Still, her hormones were begging to have some private time with him. After they had been busted by the camera crew Daniel had turned back into all business. What Cara wanted to know was that their relationship still existed outside of this competition. She appreciated everything he had done for her, of course, she was just frustrated. Was preoccupation when it involved hot, steamy sex such a bad thing?

***

“Congratulations. You have made it another week. Now only ten teams remain and we want to see how well you work with each other under pressure and stress. Tomorrow we will start this competition right off the bat, no need for practice days and once you find out what it is, you will be inclined to agree. Rest up, enjoy your win. You will need it.”

Cara watched as Mike gave them a final salute as he exited the room before everyone started talking at once. This was going to be a challenge that didn’t center on a dance routine and for once, Cara was glad to have the reprieve but it sounded difficult. No practice days? Were they going to have to dance on a beam or something?

“What do you think this is about?” she asked Daniel as they gathered their belongings and exited the room with the rest of the competitors, everyone talking about what the challenge could possibly be.

“I don’t know but I bet there are still some dance elements in it somewhere,” he replied as they walked out into the fading sunlight. Their routine had become monotonous, practicing or dancing until dusk, sometimes later, only to grab a bite to eat and then collapse into bed. Cara didn’t dread the sleeping that much anymore. Her roommate had been kicked off in week one and now she didn’t struggle to sleep, but she did yearn for a long, relaxing weekend once this was over. Whether she would be celebrating a win or drowning her sorrows, relaxation it would be. “I’m so over this, just in case you wanted to know that.”

“We have got to continue on this win streak, Cara,” Daniel added as they walked into the lobby, heading directly for the dining area. “We can’t afford to mess up now. The competition is getting tight and we have to stay in the running or we might as well pack up and go home.”

“Of course, I’m in it to win it,” she answered with a sigh, though her voice lacked conviction. Mostly she wanted it to be over. They were eight spots away from making the tour, which would guarantee work for a year and a higher chance of winning this thing. That was her main objective. Then she could focus on more important things like the rest of her life and starting her career. Not to mention furthering her relationship with Daniel.

***

“This will be your biggest test yet. We need to see that you can keep each other going in the midst of stress and that you won’t give up on each other. We want to see your endurance and this is a test for the ages.”

“What do you think we are going to do?” Cara whispered to Daniel as they stood in the auditorium along with the rest of the couples. “Tie us together?”

“Now wouldn’t that be fun?” Daniel whispered back, his eyes on Marie on stage. Cara didn’t respond but was half inclined to agree.

“You are going to have an endurance competition between the couples this time, of sorts,” Marie continued. “This is akin to the all-night danceathons from college but in this instance we will pick your dance style. When the music starts, you and your partner will adhere to whatever dancing style we call out for however long we choose for you to dance. The top six couples that not only can dance the correct style but also outlast their competitors will be in the tour. Only the top six couples that last the longest will move on to the finale. Both partners must continue to move however they get that to happen. We will continue to throw out styles until only one couple remains. That couple will have the advantage to choose the dancing style for the last challenge.”

“That’s huge,” Cara said softly, thinking of how the final team could use it to their advantage and play to their strengths or their opponents’ weaknesses. An endurance test, she felt like she had been doing one of those from day one of the competition. She and Daniel had both been practicing all genres before flying out to join the competition so she wasn’t worried so much about the styles. What she was worried about was outlasting some of the stronger couples.

“Pick a spot and get ready to start,” Marie announced. “Good luck, this is going to be a difficult challenge for some of you.”

“Let’s pick a spot somewhere away from the others,” Daniel said, grabbing her hand. He led them over to a corner on the stage, placing his hands on her shoulders and forcing her to look at him. She saw concern in his eyes and knew that he wasn’t so sure they could pull this one off. “We will be fine, Daniel, even if we don’t win,” she said softly, reaching up to brush a lock of his hair off his forehead. “All we have to do is be in the top five to ensure we get to the finale. Winning isn’t something we have to do.”

“I know but I want to,” he grinned, kissing her fingers. Cara smiled, knowing that ultimately whatever happened she was grateful. They had tackled this together and he wasn’t going to let her settle for the ordinary. “You are pretty amazing, you know that?” she said softly. “Thank you for this.”

Daniel just smiled as they took their place, awaiting the first music selection. When the first strains of the popular hip-hop song started, Cara had to smile. At least she was prepared for that one. Some of the couples started out strong with their dancing, but Cara picked one of the simpler moves, not wanting to wear herself out. Apparently it was the correct thing to do because Daniel joined in, his smile infectious as he showed off his talents. He was amazing to watch dance and Cara didn’t think she would ever grow tired of watching him. “We got this,” he said as they spun around together.

Cara just nodded as she let her mind free of everything else, knowing she would need all of her strength to get through this. She would not let Daniel down. They would make it to the top five.