A/N Thank you for your amazing reviews! They actually inspired me to write faster :D

I absolutely adore Mid Night-Cougar and her beta'ing skills!

Chapter 10

"Dance first. Think later. It's the natural order." (Samuel Beckett)

~ B ~

Monday morning, I arrived at the studio on the third floor at six a.m. sharp. Letting my training bag fall to the floor, I began to undress slowly; quietly.

My mind kept playing out Saturday night's fiasco obsessively, and no matter what I did, I couldn't shake the feeling of helplessness rearing its ugly head each time I thought of Mr. Masen's reaction to my kiss.

I was miserable. I'd acted foolishly, recklessly, and now I was paying the price, tenfold.

I could've blamed the alcohol—part of me still did—but the other, more reasonable part of me, knew alcohol solely couldn't be blamed in this case. I'd wanted to kiss Mr. Masen... and I did. I just never imagined—or thoroughly considered—the magnitude of consequences my actions would generate.

I'd been racking my brain all day Sunday, trying to come up with a solution. I'd cried; paced the length of my room; gone out for a run in the park; even begged God for a miracle; all for nothing. I couldn't take back what I'd said and did, and neither could I erase Mr. Masen's memory of that night.

If I were completely honest with myself, I had to admit I was scared shitless. I'd pissed off Mr. Masen royally, and there was no way in hell I was getting away too easily. For Christ sake's I'd practically assaulted the man! What person in their state of right mind would do such a thing?

He was my boss…

… he could fire me…

… ruin me…

… give me a lesson to last me a lifetime…

Oh God.

Standing in the middle of the spacious studio, dressed accordingly for our private session and still alone, I realized my worst fear was about to come true. He wasn't going to show up.

When seven o'clock rolled around, and the shy October sun began to peek through the thick curtains, I had my confirmation.

Mr. Masen was avoiding me.

It took me all of half a minute to decide what to do. Abandoning my bag and other personal items, I exited the room, heading towards the elevators with large steps. Once on the first floor, I went straight for Mr. Masen's office.

I was going to apologize... again.

I was desperate; pretty much capable of anything to receive his forgiveness.

Taking a deep breath and lifting my trembling arm, I hesitated a few seconds before knocking twice.

"Come in," his muffled voice replied from behind the closed door.

So he was there.

I stepped in tentatively, my heart nearly stopping at the sight of him. He was sitting in his chair, hunched over some sort of magazine. When he saw me, his eyebrows drew together, and I could tell he wasn't pleased with my being there.

"Mr. Masen, I…" I started, uncertain, closing the door behind me softly. "I've come to apologize."

"You already did," he replied dryly, leaning back into his seat; jaw clenched as he looked towards the ceiling.

"I know, but—"

He cut me off sharply, his severe gaze fixing on me. "Isabella, my patience is very thin right now. You apologized. Now it's my turn." He sighed an exasperated breath, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry I behaved unprofessionally. While you were clearly not yourself that night, I have no excuse. I shouldn't have responded to your advances."

His words sent a jolt of pain through my very being.

"Do you regret it?" I almost whispered; my voice came out so weak.

He shook his head as if he couldn't believe what I was asking him. "Don't you?"

I refrained from responding, knowing it was only going to make him more agitated than he already was.

Honestly, I didn't exactly know whether I really regretted it or not. What I did know was that I had enjoyed it immensely.

"I see," he concluded, seeing my blank expression. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have been so… friendly. I've led you on, and for that I'm truly sorry."

I swallowed thickly. My throat felt parched. "Where does that leave us?"

"I think it's better that I keep my distance for a while," he answered more gently, his eyes now avoiding mine.

I nodded, feeling as if every cell in my body was turning to agonizing numbness. "Yes, of course." I heard myself say through the fog in my head. "You're right, Mr. Masen."

What I really wanted to do was scream and cry until there were no more tears left. I needed something to help me rid of the embarrassment, pain, and desolation. His rejection was worse than an actual punishment.

Suddenly, the reality of what I was feeling hit me like a freight train.

I was heartbroken, and worst of all, I was falling for him. Really, really hard.

"I... I should go," I mumbled, forcing the tears at bay. My job there was done. There was nothing more I could've said or done to repair the damage.

He didn't answer; just nodded, quietly returning to his magazine.

As soon as the door closed behind me, I couldn't hold it in anymore. The wetness staining my cheeks felt as alien as the emotion gripping my chest.

If this was what falling in love felt like; I wanted nothing to do with it.

~ B ~

"What's wrong?" Victoria inquired, mid-week, staring at me over her mug of green tea.

"What do you mean?" I feigned ignorance, swirling my food around aimlessly.

"I mean you've been acting strange for the past few days."

"Have I?"

Was I that obvious?

I sighed after a moment of silence, resting my cheek in my palm. "I'm fine."

"I don't think you are, Bella," she countered, watching me with genuine concern. "What happened on Saturday? Mr. Masen stormed out, and then you kind of... ran after him—which was weird. You left without even telling me."

Maybe it was the depressing weather, or maybe it was the burden of the feelings I carried inside. Whatever the reason, on a sudden whim, I decided to tell Victoria the truth.

"I have something to tell you," I confessed, stealing a quick glance around us to make sure no one could hear us.

"Okay," she replied tentatively, realizing what I was about to say wasn't exactly going to lighten her day.

"I kissed him," I told her in a low voice. "I kissed Mr. Masen."

"You what!" she exclaimed, attracting the unwanted attention of a group of boys nearby.

"I know, I know." I motioned with my hand that she should tone it down.

"Are you serious?" she whisper-yelled, the circumference of her eyes reaching gigantic proportions. "Why would you do that? That's crazy, Bella. Professional suicide!"

"Trust me, I know." I mimicked her expression, trying to rein in my emotions as I leaned over the table so I was closer to her. "I've been a mess ever since Saturday."

She groaned, covering her mouth with her hand. "It was the alcohol, wasn't it?" she mumbled, shaking her head.

"Partly," I admitted guiltily.

"What do you mean partly?" she hissed, suddenly leaning over the table as well, so our faces were mere inches apart.

"I mean, I wanted to do it... for a while now; the alcohol just gave me enough courage to go through with it."

She stared at me for a moment, incredulously. "Oh, sweet mother of Jesus, please tell me you're not falling for him."

I let out a shaky breath. "I think I already did."

"Oh, Bella." Victoria's expression contorted to one of pity. "I don't even know what to say. He's really handsome; I'll give you that, but I don't think starting an affair with the artistic director is a wise idea."

"I don't want to start an affair with him, Vic," I protested softly.

"Then you've lost me. You don't really think he's looking for a relationship with you, do you?" The concept seemed absurd to her, and I had to admit it stung.

"Of course I don't think that. He's already told me he doesn't want anything to do with me—that we should keep our distance. He freaked out when I kissed him, that's why he stormed out of the house that night. I ran after him to apologize."

"And?"

I shrugged. "And he said he wasn't mad. He even apologized back for leading me on. What I don't get is why he sent me flowers."

"What flowers?" she asked, now confused.

"On my birthday," I explained, figuring I might as well tell her everything. "The flowers were from him."

"Oh, my God," she whispered, completely blown away. "Really? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I saw him tipping the delivery guy." I sighed and shook my head. "I don't know, but he's been acting strange around me ever since I entered the company. I don't know what to think anymore."

"Wow," she breathed. "I'm speechless." Then, almost to herself, "Who would've thought?"

"Please don't tell anyone." I squeezed her hand to make my point. "I trusted you with this because you're my friend, and I needed to vent out."

"You don't even have to ask; of course I won't tell anyone. Just... be careful. In our world, he's a very powerful man; he can ruin you just as fast as he promoted you. Keep your distance as much as you can, and try not to upset him again," she advised. "You might have feelings for him, but he's always been very adamant about keeping a strictly professional relationship with the dancers. It's for your own good, Bella."

"Yeah," I mumbled, knowing I had no other choice.

Passing by our table, were Rosalie and one of her stuck-up friends. She looked so happy and carefree; I couldn't deflect the bitterness poisoning every corner of my soul at the sight of her joy. At that moment, I couldn't have found her any more unpleasant and annoying.

I hated her and every other happy person on the planet.

~ B ~

About two weeks later, I was descending the stairs linking the second floor to the first one, when Laurent's voice rang out behind me.

"Hey, Bee, wait up!"

"Hi, Laurent." I gave him a brief smile when he caught up to me.

"Hi." He smiled widely, placing his long arm around my shoulders. "How's it going? I haven't seen much of you, lately."

"I'm just stressed with the part and everything, you know?" I lied.

I was stressed alright, just for an entirely different reason. Ever since that Monday morning in his office, Mr. Masen had done everything in his power to avoid me. Even when we accidentally ran into each other in the hallways, he would simply nod in my direction; his expression stoic and devoid of emotion.

I missed our training sessions, but more than anything, I missed him. It sounded crazy even to me, that I'd managed to get so involved and invested so many feelings in such a toxic relationship with a man I barely knew.

In other words, I was screwed.

Laurent looked sympathetic. "I can only imagine. Listen, you feel like grabbing a cup of coffee?"

"Sure," I agreed with a shrug, unexcited. I had nothing better to do anyway. Except maybe mope around the rest of the day, until I could get home and continue drowning in self-pity till sleep dragged me to the land of oblivion.

Sometimes, I could feel his presence even there, in my dreams. Some dreams were happy memories of our past time together; others were nightmares of a gloomy future. Either way, they were just so heavy; each time I woke up with an unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Cool." Laurent grinned down at me, leading me towards the main exit.

Fifteen minutes later, with our coffees in front of us, he nudged me playfully.

"So, I've been meaning to ask..." He paused for effect, holding my gaze. "Would you like to go see a movie, sometime?"

I chewed on my bottom lip as I pondered an answer. "You mean like a date?"

"Yeah." He nodded, trying to look nonchalant and failing miserably.

I sighed, knowing that sooner or later something like this was bound to happen. "Look, I'll go, but only if it's not a date. I'm really not emotionally available right now. You're a good friend, and I'd like it if you stayed that way."

"Oh, okay." He looked deflated as he seemed to weigh in my words. "I won't lie to you; I'm disappointed. I like you a lot, Bella."

"I know you do." I offered him my sincerest smile. "I like you, too, just not that way."

After a moment of heavy silence, he shrugged, already putting a positive spin on it. "Someday, maybe?"

"I don't know." I chuckled at the way his eyes sparkled as they danced across my face. I couldn't help but admire that positive confidence he always carried with him. "Let's just stick to friendship for now."

"That's not a 'hell no'." He grinned, whipping out his phone. "So, which movie?"

~ B ~

That weekend, after grabbing tickets to the movie we wanted to see, Laurent leaned over to kiss my hair like it had become his habit.

"I'm going to grab us a small popcorn to share and something to drink," he announced, ruffling my hair gently. "Wait here."

I stood right where I was, watching as he headed towards the snack bar. The mall was packed with people, like every other Saturday afternoon, causing the lines at the concession stand to extend to alarming size.

Laurent turned to me and made a face. I chuckled, gesturing that he should be more patient.

My phone buzzed in my jeans pocket, and I pulled it out to see I had a text from Victoria.

You can never guess what I just overheard! Call me, ASAP!

Confused, and quite frankly intrigued, I set out to call her.

"What are you doing here?" a deep, familiar voice whispered in my ear, causing me to drop the phone and whirl around at breakneck speed.

"Mr. Masen," I gasped, staring at him. He was wearing all dark grays: jeans, shoes, sports shirt, and for a moment I allowed myself to bask in all his gloriousness.

He leaned down to pick up my phone, and I noticed he was carrying a couple of brand name shopping bags.

"What are you doing here?" he repeated the question, holding out my phone.

I took it from him with shaky hands. "I- I came to see a movie," I stuttered, gawking at him as if he'd just landed from a spaceship.

"With Laurent?" he inquired, his green eyes staring over my shoulder in the direction of the snack bar.

"Yes," I breathed, crossing my arms over my chest, and willing my heart to stop beating so fast.

He looked at me then, his expression telling me he was not to be messed with today. "Are you two dating?" he demanded.

"What? No!" I replied, indignant.

"You seemed very cozy with him," he argued, stepping closer.

Suddenly, I was getting angry. I had the right to date whomever the fuck I pleased. He had no claim over me. He hadn't even spoken to me in weeks!

"I don't mean to be rude, but it's really none of your business, and also, why do you even care, Mr. Masen?" I gritted, sick and tired of his stupid games. He might've been my boss, but he had no right to mess with my head or my feelings. "Dating inside the company is allowed."

His head jerked back as if I'd just slapped him.

"Come here," he hissed, grabbing my arm and pulling me behind a large movie standee promoting some sort of comedy. "I don't like the way he looks at you. He's up to no good."

"Laurent is a great friend," I protested, wondering what the hell was going on with him. First he told me it was better he kept his distance, and now there he was, questioning me about my personal life. "I trust him."

His attempt at smiling came out as a grimace. "You're very trusting."

"I guess I am," I retorted, taking a step back. His presence was pure Heroine. I wanted more and more with each agonizing second. Never in my life had I wanted someone as badly.

He was making me lose my mind and myself with it. I had to get away before something else happened.

Mr. Masen took a step forward, swiftly changing the subject. "How's practice going?"

"Fine," I replied tightly, looking for a way out of this situation. "Practice is just peachy."

His eyes narrowed menacingly. "I don't like your tone."

"I have to go," I said abruptly, practically squirming to free myself from his overwhelming nearness. "Laurent must be wondering where I am."

I made a move to leave, but he immediately placed his hand on my waist, stopping me.

"Don't go," he pleaded; so quiet it was merely a whisper.

The change in his voice caught me off guard, and I froze on spot, unable to look at him. The warmth emanating from his hand felt like a blazing fire on my clothed skin. I couldn't take it. Everything about him, and the conversation we were carrying, was just too much.

After a few tense moments, his other hand dropped the bags to the floor with a loud whoosh before coming to rest on my cheek.

I was so shocked by his gesture, I inhaled sharply and turned to him with wide eyes. "Mr. Masen, what's going on? I don't understand—"

He cut me off with a kiss so bold and energetic, I had to clutch the front of his shirt to stop myself from passing out. His hand that had slipped towards my hipbone, circled my waist, bringing my body flush to his; while the hand that was on my cheek, sunk into my loose hair as he held me impossibly close.

My only reaction was closing my eyes and letting him take charge. His lips were soft but purposeful, his body hard as rock, and his hands… they were gentle and firm at the same time, touching my body like there was nowhere else they belonged.

As long as the kiss lasted, everything around us ceased to exist.

Unlike the first time, this actually felt right. There was no rush; no drunken haze; no unwilling party.

I let myself get lost in the moment, along with him, not caring who could've seen us.

When he eventually broke the kiss and pulled back, I could tell something had shifted in his eyes.

"Monday morning," he said, softly yet determined. "Same place; same hour."

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~Andreea~