A.N - Hey guys, I realise it's been a while. I'm getting into a routine. I'm pretty sure the next story I update will be my Twilight one and then back to Next Please and it can be like that. I'm determined to wrap these up as soon as possible so that I can start on a few more for other boards.

I'm really wanting to write either a Mortal Instruments or a Wicked Lovely story at the moment. :)

Hope your still with me on this. I love it. Some Jesse/Paul tension is always good, in my opinion. I apologise for the length though.

Three

If there was one thing to be said about Paul Slater it's that he makes his dancers work. Hard.

It seemed to Susannah that Paul Slater took sadistic pleasure in watching his girls, as he referred to them, stretching and pushing themselves to their limits. Striving for attention, to have him notice them above all others. Having been on the receiving end of it a few times in the past week she'd been a part of his company, Susannah could vouch for the fact that it was flattering but she simply could not see the appeal of this man. He was handsome, sure enough, but not even close to competing with the beautiful sculpted features of Jesse.

Each night as she returned to the tavern owned by Jesse's mother, exhausted and aching, he was there, waiting for her. She blushed every time he flashed his wide smile at her or when his strong, tanned arms encompassed her in his embrace. His kisses, also, set her cheeks flaming.

"SIMON!"

The sharp bark of her name had her stumbling into reality, catching herself just before she threw herself off balance. She glanced around at the wide-eyed gazes of the other girls before turning her own emerald eyes to look up at the piercing blue of their choreographer's.

His eyes stared at her for an extended pause, the moment stretching and dragging as Susannah was frozen into a position that caused her legs to burn as they struggled to support her much longer.

"Alright, relax," Paul smirked to himself as the girls came out of their finishing poses and stretched. "Susannah, a word, please."

He excused himself to his office, Susannah following dutifully behind him with her head hung low as she thought of what was to come. He'd been speaking to her and she'd been too wrapped up in her thoughts of Jesse to respond, to listen.

The silence she was being forced to endure struck her harshly and was almost worse than the knowledge that she was going to be asked to leave his company. Almost.

"Susannah," Paul's speech was sudden, but she contained her gasp. Instead, she stood mutely, arms folded and her feet settled into the third position. Her long chestnut waves fell forward to hide her face. Looking at the sight she made, Paul relented his anger. "Susannah," he repeated more softly, ducking his head and brushing her hair behind her ears, cupping her cheek as he finished. "I need you to focus, okay dear? You're my lead dancer, ma étoile. I can't have you drifting off during rehearsals – you might hurt yourself, darling. Then your career will be over."

This time, Susannah did gasp. "I'm sorry, Mr. Slater. It won't happen again, I promise you. Only, I …" She trailed off as his words hit her. "You really mean it? I'm your … your … étoile? Your star?"

Paul chuckled, low and deep, his fingers trailing along her jaw as he dropped his hand away, reluctantly. "Oui."

Susannah couldn't help but compare the two: Paul's French against Jesse's Spanish. She found herself preferring the soft, natural lilt that was present in Jesse's speech. Between being an étoile or a querida, Susannah favoured the latter, even if she had yet to determine what it meant.

"There you've gone again," Paul muttered. "Where do you keep disappearing to, inside your mind?"

Her blush was instantaneous and she flustered for words, noticing, for the first time the lack of other people in the rehearsal space. "Oh, I must go," She informed him. "It's past dark already and I've got a way to walk."

Rushing, she gathered her things and threw on clothes on top of her dancing leotard.

"How far a way?" Paul insisted. "I can drive you."

She knew of the animosity Jesse felt towards Paul and was shaking her head before he'd finished his sentence. "No," she spoke determinedly. "No, the walk will do me good. Thank you anyway though, for everything."

Susannah was just walking away, leaving Paul behind her gritting his teeth with barely restrained temper when she heard it. It was one of the most beautiful sounds in her world: Jesse's voice.

"Susannah, querida, are you in here?"

She must have been here longer than she thought, for Jesse to come and find her. His voice was laced with worry and she mentally berated herself for causing him to feel that.

"I'm here, Jesse!" She called back, racing towards the door quickly. He never came into the town centre if it could be helped. In the one week they'd spent in close quarters they'd learned a lot about each other. One of the first things Susannah had figured out was that no one in Jesse's family – not him, his mother or his sisters – liked to leave the comfort of their own area of land on the outskirts of town.

"Jesse?" Paul's interested tone floated from behind her as she finally found Jesse, whose shoulders were tense and stiff at the sound of his voice. When she looked behind her, Paul's cerulean eyes were sparkling with delight. "How long has it been? About two years?"

Jesse grit his teeth, extending an arm to capture Susannah's hand and tug her in closer to him before he kissed her temple territorially, not taking his eyes off Paul. Susannah felt her eyes shut in bliss and the omnipresent blush grace her cheeks. "About that, yes."

Jesse's arm snaked around her waist and the heat of his skin burned her through her thin layer of clothing. Shocks ran along her nerves, setting her body alight with fire. Involuntarily, she shivered and Paul's smirk disappeared, replaced with a sharp glare, as Jesse fought to keep the smug smile off his face.

"So, Susannah, I appreciated you staying behind to talk to me," Paul directed his attention to the most beautiful of his dancers once again, "and I wish to discuss with you about taking on the lead role in the upcoming show."

Susannah's excitement was palpable as she squealed and wrapped her arms around Jesse's neck in happiness. "Jesse!" She exclaimed. "Did you hear that? Me? The lead role!" Her laughter sounded like music in both men's ears.

"I heard," he smiled at her, kissing her softly on the lips. "Congratulations." He crushed her to him again, his arms banding around her waist as he raised an eyebrow at Paul over her shoulder. Challenging him.

"Join me for dinner – say, tomorrow? – so we can discuss it in further detail."

Jesse froze as Susannah pulled out of his arms and smiled one of her brilliant smiles at Paul, sending a jolt of something Jesse couldn't put a name to through his stomach, as Paul regarded him with a triumphant expression.

"Yes," Susannah smiled, unaware of the competition going on between the two men. "Sure. After rehearsal?"

"Sounds perfect," he smiled at her before casting a cool glance over at Jesse. "Don't worry, friend. I'll make sure she gets home safely afterwards. I know that Susannah can't walk home, who knows how late we'll finish?"