Jaime, who tried to manage a shrug under his own load as Aleksandra closed the trunk and walked around them to lead the way.
“I can take something.” Alana offered Jaime, whose load seemed more awkward than Sean’s own.
“Oh, don’t let him,” Aleksandra interrupted. “He needs the workout to keep up with your boy if he’s going to kick me out of the apartment for hours on the weekend.”
“See! Other people talk to their friends.” Alana glared at Sean before moving around him to walk in front with Aleksandra. “Seriously. Help. We can’t get details out of him. If I hadn’t seen Jaime with my own eyes, I wouldn’t even know what he looked like.”
“I was hoping Alana would cancel out Lexi. They’re just going to multiply each other, aren’t they?” Jaime whispered.
“Probably.”
“T HIS IS awesome. This is ten times cooler than go-go dancing in stupid cages,” Alana whispered. She was sitting next to Sean on the floor in the corner of the studio where Aleksandra was taking pictures of various dancers. The studio wasn’t too different from the one where they’d had class earlier. Mirrors lined every wall, but instead of barres bracketed to the walls, six shiny metal poles stretched from floor to ceiling around the room.
“Which is already something Travis does not want you doing for extra money,” Sean pointed out. Travis was going to kill him when he found out Sean had taken Alana to a pole-dancing studio. “And I’m pretty sure his argument that you can’t do it because you might get injured and end your career actually applies in this case.”
“Hey.” Jaime sat down next to him close enough that their shoulders pressed together. “She’s good without me until she finishes the group shots. Sorry that she’s extra intense today. I should have remembered not to introduce her to people when she’s working. Bored yet?”
“Bored?” Sean watched as a dancer climbed up a pole and flipped upside down into a pose. “I’m not sure how you were impressed with us. We can do that, but not while hanging upside down.”
Jaime laughed and gestured around the room of women with his hand.
“Not exactly my type. But if you want to try and get up there, I’m sure Lexi would help you for me when she’s done, if there’s time.”
“I’ll do it,” Alana said.
“Travis would kill me for the injury risk first, and then he’d kill me again for letting you do it.” Sean turned to Jaime. “Travis doesn’t actually hate you. Let her get on a pole, and he will hate us both.”
“Seriously? I think she scares me more than him,” Jaime said as he took in Alana’s glare.
“It’s cute how you think it’s about letting me do anything. You know I can just come here and take classes if I want. My contract does not actually ban outside classes,” Alana answered.
“It would be like encouraging Lupe to do it,” Sean said. Jaime cringed.
“Understood. Not letting either of you pole dance.” Jaime ignored Alana’s groan and leaned closer to whisper, “But if you want, I could set something up later for you. She has her own pole at the apartment.”
Sean couldn’t help letting a shiver go through him as Jaime grazed the back of his hand down Sean’s arm. Jaime leaned in to brush their lips together for just a moment before Aleksandra motioned for him.
“Fine. Because you are cute, and I don’t actually want Travis to kill your boyfriend, I will wait and do this behind your backs. I do so much for you,” Alana said as soon as Jaime was out of earshot.
Jaime didn’t make it back to them until he was finished with his own shots and Aleksandra was working with the last remaining dancer. Jaime had packed up the equipment they were finished using, and sat down next to Sean with one of the digital cameras. It was fancier than anything Sean had used, but he took most of his pictures with his phone. Jaime tilted the camera so Sean could see one of the pictures on the small