Page 33 of Forbidden Romeo
Katherine's eyes lit up at my offer. "I'll have whatever you're having," she said with a playful smile.
“Are you sure about that? I take my drinks pretty damn strong.”
She pinched her fingers together. “Maybe a mini version of what you’re having, then. We don’t want a repeat of our last party.”
I leaned in and whispered into her ear. “You mean the party where I fingered you in the alley after?”
Katherine hid her laugh, her cheeks flushing scarlet. “Well, maybe we want a little repeat of that.”
“You little voyeur you,” I said with a tug to her hair. “Is it the thrill that someone might catch you that you like?”
Her cheeks turned a shade of scarlet I’d never seen on her before. “I’m an actress,” she whispered. “I always like people watching me.”
Well goddamn. I wasn’t expecting that. My brows drew higher. “So you really are a voyeur.”
She shrugged, but the flush of her cheeks betrayed the nonchalance of the movement. “It might be a little fantasy of mine. To have sex on stage… with an audience.” Slowly, her eyes lifted to mine, blazing bright blue like the center of a flame. “But I don’t want them to know I’m having sex. Like a little secret.”
Noted. Fucking noted.
That didn’t seem like the easiest thing to arrange, but holy shit. Maybe someday.
I squeezed her hand and led her through the crowd to the makeshift bar in my kitchen. My teammates cheered when they saw us, raising their drinks in celebration.
"To the best Romeo and Juliet this school has ever seen!" Duncan yelled, eliciting more cheers from the group.
I rolled my eyes but couldn't help smiling. Their enthusiasm was infectious. I poured Katherine and myself two glasses of rum and coke, handing her the weaker one.
"To an amazing opening night," I said, clinking my plastic cup against hers. “And to you going on to Broadway.”
She snorted, fiddling with the strap of her black character shoe. It was worn and faded, the elastic near the buckle so frayed, it looked like it might snap.
“Yes, to Romeo and Juliet, the star-crossed lovers,” Addison said from where she hung onto Ross’s arm. “But we all know how that story ends, don’t we?”
I glared at her from the other side of the counter. “Good thing that’s fiction. And Katherine and I are real life.”
Katherine smiled shyly and took a sip of her drink. As she did, Addison's gaze zeroed in on Katherine's worn shoes.
"Are those your character shoes?”
“You’ve seen me wear them at rehearsal for a few weeks.”
“Yeah,” Addison snorted, “I thought they were your rehearsal shoes… not your performance shoes. Fucking hell, they’re knock offs of Capezio?!” Addison said through a shrill laugh as she reached across the counter and yanked one out of Katherine’s grasp. Though she was smiling, her eyes glinted sharply as she passed the shoe to Bailey to see, too.
“Seriously,” Bailey said. “You don’t have a pair of LaDucas?”
Katherine gave a little snort. “I’m a freshman here on scholarships and student loans. Buying a pair of LaDucas might be a tad cart before the horse considering we need to make it through freshman cuts to be invited back to the program next year… wouldn’t you say, Bailey? Besides, my parents got those for me a few years ago for Christmas. They're my lucky shoes."
"Lucky? They look one step away from the trash," Addison said with a cruel little laugh that Bailey snickered right along with.
I tensed, anger rising hotly in my chest. But before I could say anything, Katherine lifted her chin.
"Maybe so," she said evenly. "But they helped me land this role, didn’t they? A role that you and your LaDucas didn’t get cast in.”
Addison’s eyes narrowed in an angry glare. “Only because I didn’t join the class until later.”
“You can tell yourself that,” Katherine whispered, snatching her shoe back from Addison’s hands.
I squeezed Katherine's hand, pride and admiration warming me. "Couldn't have said it better myself," I said, then guided Katherine away from the kitchen so we could get away from them. After we were out of earshot, I leaned in and whispered, “What the hell are DaDoncas?”