Bedding the Wrong Brother(51)
She moved back to her chair and sat down. “So when does this contract start?”
“We have to get it first, but then it's supposed to start immediately.”
She waved her hand, indicating it was practically a done deal. “They'll recognize your talent when they see it,” she said brightly. “But what about the rest of your tour?”
“We have one more gig lined up in Vegas, and then we'd planned to take some time off. Our availability is a huge factor in our favor. Their cruises last from seven to twenty-one nights, depending on the itinerary.”
“Wow. And you'd be performing every night?”
“That's the plan.” He shrugged. “There's one sticking point. They want an act for their family show, too. I'm not sure we can give them that.”
“Why not?”
“The act's taken a turn since you last saw it. To compete with others, we've upped the adult nature of our shows.”
She'd been about to take a bite of her salad, but her fork froze in front of her face. “Adult nature?” she echoed.
“Nothing vulgar,” he said quickly. “Skimpy outfits. Sexual humor.” His voice remained steady, but a slight blush had risen on his cheeks.
“Just how skimpy are the outfits?” she asked suspiciously.
“There's one or two tricks where the assistant goes topless.”
Her fork dropped to her plate. “Seriously?” she squeaked.
“Yeah.”
“But that's…that's objectifying, don't you think?”
“There's nothing objectifying about nudity.” His lips pressed together. “It's entertainment.”
“I beg your pardon, but if the nudity is just for titillation, which is what you're talking about, then it objectifies the woman who is nude. All she becomes is a pair of tits.”
“So I take it you don't approve.”
“I-I—” Aside from her gut reaction, she couldn't say with certainty whether she did or not. She'd never given it much thought. Plus, she couldn't say for sure whether it was the topless assistants she really objected to, or if it was the idea of them prancing around in front of Rhys one night after the other. “Whether I approve or not is irrelevant. It's not my act. I guess I just thought your act was good the way it was.”
“It was good, but it wasn't taking us where we wanted to go.”
“To the top,” she verified.
“Yeah.”
Melina nodded. It looked like things were lining up for the Dalton family. Although she was happy for them, she couldn't quite picture Rhys living on a cruise ship. Not for very long. But then again, what did she know? After several attempts at eating, she pushed her plate away, no longer having to pretend her stomach hurt.
“Melina, maybe this isn't the best time to ask, but I want to know if—”
“I have to go,” she said abruptly.
Rhys's mouth snapped shut. He frowned. “What?”
She raised a shaky hand to her forehead. “I guess I'm feeling worse than I thought. I'd like you to go home now.”
“You mean back to the cabin?”
“No. I mean back to Sacramento.”
“But the weekend's not over. What about—”
She shook her head. “No worries. You're a genius. I didn't need to learn about technique, I just needed to get my confidence up and be willing to try different things. You made me realize that, and I'll always, always appreciate it. But I think I can take it from here.”
He stared at her, his face darkening with something close to anger. “What if I don't want you to go home?”
Her heart began to race. “What do you mean?”
Leaning over, he took her hands in his. “I mean, I've really enjoyed our time together.”
“I have to. I suppose Max's plan worked, after all.” It had worked too well.
“Come to Reno with me.”
Melina blinked. “What?”
“I know you're supposed to work, but I was hoping you could take some time off.”
Whoa. The world seemed to be spinning out of control. He didn't want their time to end either? “Wouldn't I just get in the way?”
“I'd be busy. I have to set up for the show and do rehearsals, but you could hang out. See what it's like. You could visit with Mom and Dad. Then, whenever I could get away…”