The Charleston. Georgia Hill

jeans?”

      Merry raised herself, slightly drunkenly, to look over the table between them and made a show of scrutinising his crotch. “Now that,” she said and held his gaze with wide eyes, “would be worth tuning in for!”

      Step Four.

      Merry was fortunate that one of the show’s assigned rehearsal rooms was in a dance studio within walking distance of Venetia’s flat. The other advantage was the cameras rarely bothered to venture out of the television studios. It meant she and Daniel could practise undisturbed. Hurrying into it, one evening, for an extra coaching session, she was taken completely by surprise by Bob Dandry jumping out at her. He was at his smarmiest best.

      “Meredith, how lovely to see you and looking extra gorgeous, may I add?” He took both her hands in his clammy ones. “I thought I’d pop in to see how you’re finding your practice space. Must keep the members of our family happy, you know!”

      “Bob, hello. Must dash, don’t want to be late for my rehearsal, do I?” Merry replied, through clenched teeth, and tugged her hands away. “After all, I’ve got some catching up to do.”

      “Oh, not so hasty, my dear. I’m sure Daniel will wait a little longer for his beautiful partner. I just wanted to make sure you’ve settled into our little community and are being looked after.”

      “I’m fine, Bob,” Merry said firmly. “Now if I could just get on.”

      Bob was not to be deflected. “You know, if there’s anything, anything at all I can help you with, I’d be only too delighted. And I do mean anything, Meredith.”

      To Merry’s utter disgust, he sidled closer.

      “Here’s my card,” he said, with loose lips and a hint of drool. “I’ve written my personal mobile number on it too. Especially for you, I don’t give it out to simply anyone. Just call me, Meredith. I’m at your service. Can’t let the niece of my old friend Venetia go lonely.”

      With that, he pressed his body against hers and slid a hand round Merry’s back, where it dropped to cup her bottom. He squeezed hard.

      Merry jumped a foot. “Take your hands off me!” she yelped.

      “Oh, come now Meredith. Producer’s perks and all that.” Bob’s mouth flapped open like a just landed cod.

      Merry gave the man a hard shove, so that he rocked away from her. “As you quite rightly say, my aunt – Dame Venetia Denning is known to you. Or, should I say, you’re known to her.” Merry pulled herself up to her full five feet ten inches and towered over him. “Take my advice, steer clear of me and never ever try anything like that again. Venetia has lots of friends in this business; she’s a very influential woman. She could make life very unpleasant for you, if she ever heard about this.”

      Obviously, the mention of her aunt’s name had resonance. Bob paled and put his hands up in mock surrender. He backed off further. “I’m sorry. Just a bit of fun, you know,” he huffed, sounding not the least bit apologetic.

      Merry stared him down. She didn’t think she’d ever met a more unpleasant individual. “And now, if you don’t mind, I need to get to my rehearsal.”

      Bob, still with his hands in the air turned and beat a hasty retreat, shaking his head as he did so.

      Fuming, Merry stood, hands on hips and muttered, “Odious little man.”

      Suni, passing by, overheard. “He is indeed,” she agreed. She looked up at Merry. “But be careful, my dear. He’s a powerful one too.”

      “Well, this time he may just have bitten off more than he can chew!” With that, she turned on her heel and strode purposefully to where Daniel was waiting.

      Step Five.

      A pattern was quickly established. After they’d done any necessary group practices or filming in the television studios, Merry and Daniel would hurry off to the rehearsal rooms, near Venetia’s flat, and continue to dance into the night.

      During these one to one sessions, Daniel gave nothing but encouragement and positivity, something that Merry really liked about him. She sensed a preoccupation, though, and she thought she knew what or rather who caused it. Once, on an energy high from all the dancing, she’d gone out with Harri, Julia and Daniel. It became very apparent that Daniel was besotted with Julia Cooper. Over some shared tapas and far too much bubbly, Merry watched as Daniel hung on Julia’s every word, laughed at all her jokes and kissed and hugged her whenever an opportunity arose. Harri seemed impervious to it, or maybe he was confident in his fiancée’s feelings for him? Whatever the truth, it made for great people watching and Merry started forming material about the agony of unrequited love in her head. It never made it onto paper, though, for as soon as she hit the Egyptian cotton in Venetia’s spare room, after the novelty of all the physical exertion, she was sound asleep.

      Merry and Daniel started later than usual at the Maida Vale dance studios one night. The place was eerily deserted. And cold. They were going over the moves for the group dance for the umpteenth time before concentrating on their first dance for the competition proper: a waltz.

      The merengue was still proving a challenge and Merry was tired tonight, her usual energy having been used up. She could manage the basic marching type steps, it was co-ordinating her hips and knees into the required sexy dip and sway that defeated her, especially after a long day’s rehearsing with the group. School dancing lessons had never seemed so long ago.

      “Focus Meredith, you’re drifting.” Daniel’s voice pierced the fog of her exhaustion. “Pull into me on the beat. No, more than that, you should be right into my groin.”

      “Any further in and we’d be committing an illegal act,” she grumbled in response.

      “Well, that’s the idea, lovie. It’s got to look absolutely filthy.”

      “And this goes out on primetime television?” Merry said between gasping for air, “it’s obscene.”

      “Oh, the obscener the better.”

      “Is that grammatical?” Merry frowned as Daniel took her arm and twisted it over his shoulder.

      “You’re the one with the expensive education, babe.”

      “I must’ve missed the tutorial on Dirty Dancing,”

      Daniel laughed. “Now, let’s do those first few steps again. Your timing’s really good but you need to push up from the floor more to give it some bounce.”

      “If I bounce much more, I’ll give myself a black eye,” Merry said, as she attempted to shove her breasts back down into her leotard.

      Daniel watched with interest. “They are rather large aren’t they?”

      “Everything about me is large,” Merry replied, with asperity but wasn’t displeased by the gleam in Daniel’s eyes. It was the first time he’d shown interest in her as a woman and not just a dance partner.

      “But perfectly proportioned,” he added, with a charming smile, as if realising how ungallant his remark was. “No, keep your arm there so I can take my hand and - oh not again!” he cried as Merry dissolved into giggles at his touch. It was the third time she’d done so tonight.

      “I can’t help it, I’m really ticklish there. Ooh,” she sighed, as Daniel increased the pressure and rubbed his hand down her side rather than lightly caressing. “That’s better.” She melted into him for a moment as the hand searched downwards. “Mmm. That’s so much better.”

      “Then perhaps we’ll do it like this,” was the only reply he made.

      Merry found she enjoyed looking Daniel over as, having declared a break, he strolled to the water cooler to get a drink. He was wearing his white jeans again and they showed off his long legs and tight behind to perfection. Until she’d started her training, Merry had never realised how fit you had to be as a dancer. Daniel was in about as good