Sunday 10 June 2012

Danse Avec Moi


Danse avec moi tout deux l'un contre l'autre
Laissons nos corps se parler
Danse avec moi ma tête sur ton épaule
Moins longue sera la nuit - Martine St. Clair

She had practiced her routine for three weeks to get it just right. Not only would she have a chance at being a feature, but this could also mean the money she needed to go to Europe and dance with the Royal Ballet in London or Académie Royale de la Danse in Paris. Either would be fine by her, as long as she got to dance on one of those stages.
She had two advantages over the other dancers; she was a trained ballet dancer, so she had more discipline, a stronger body and so she could perform sexier moves. She would be able to do difficult moves and have them be more erotic rather than sexy, and for this, she would be the best. Already she was good and the men always returned, some bringing their friends and the men who requested private viewings, hopefully, would increase in their numbers.
The other advantage was having a good friend like Kyle. He was a disc jockey at the Album Oriented Rock station in town and got all the records first. His station somehow received two copies of the latest Led Zeppelin record so he gave her one.
Right away she fell in love with The Rain Song and The Song Remains the Same from their newest record, Houses of the Holy. She had loved all their albums and had been lucky enough to see them back in 1971 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto and would be seeing them again this year a few times, again thanks to Kyle.
Tonight she would be dancing this routine for the first time. Kyle was going to be here, as always, reminding her she was the ‘best live theatre’ he’s ever seen. They had been friends for so long, she felt comfortable around him, even when she was dancing naked. Whenever she had a new routine, he was the first to see, the first to enjoy, even as seven-year olds they shared each other’s joys within their own artistic passions.
His passion and talents were on the musical side, writing, singing, playing while her passions were the dance and performance of classical art, with or without music. They met that first awkward day of school so many years ago. It was during lunch, they were hanging around the people they already knew and felt comfortable enough around to let loose as they did when they hear Led Zeppelin over some very loud speakers blaring from the back of an old Chevy van. He turned the guitar he had slung over his back and he started to play along, unplugged, and she closed her eyes and started to dance. and their friends all gathered around just as the pair opened their eyes staring back at each other, smiled and continued to ‘act out’ the song.

Most ‘exotic dancers’, as they were called in this club, would mix up their set by playing different bands with different sounds. They usually started out with something hard, heavy and fast and did their last song, the song where they would remove all their clothes, to something slower, sometimes the song was sexy, but most times not. For her and Kyle they could never figure out a reasons why the dancers chose the songs they did, other than they were all following the same pattern by both tempo and love-hate-love music but it was something she never did.
During her competitive years she would get his help on every step she took with the music he would arrange for her to tell a story. A story of joy-pain-grief-content-joy that always brought the judges to tears. They talked of writing musicals together and that was their goal. They were working on two when she met Robert.

Right now she was going to perform for a grateful audience that have paid to see her debut. Tonight she would do what she had always done at competitions; bring them to their knees and to tears. She would start with slow, graceful movements dancing to The Rain Song. This would be the same routine she would use when auditioning in a few months. This dance was mostly Pointe work, Pas de valse, and Grand Pas d'action and she would use the pole for balance. The stage was not build for jumping, so she wouldn’t jump, but everything else was adequate for her needs to get her featured.
Kyle knew she was so graceful and knew she could be one of the most famous ballet dancers ever, but that was not what she wanted, anymore, not since she lost Robert. She loved to dance. But she had loved Robert more. She just wanted to dance for a short while on the most famous stages in Europe, even if only as corps de ballet. But just to dance, and on just one stage, and she would fulfill his dying wish and she would do that and perhaps join him soon after because she could hardly live most days without him
And as wonderful as Adam was she just couldn’t give herself whole heartedly to him. and she doubted she ever could, for anyone. He was almost too perfect for her and that scared her more than death, more than a life without Robert. Alike in so many ways, and yet different. That scared her. So her decision was made simple. She would do as he asked, as she always did, then she would join him because a life without him, it wasn’t life at all. It would be existing, and Robert would quote Nietzsche saying, Existence really is an imperfect tense that never becomes a present.’
Yes, Robert was always quoting Nietzsche, and at times she found it annoying but most times she loved it because he was so profound. That was a turn on for her. Adam was profound and quoted Nietzsche but also quoted music and his favourite being ‘Mellow is the man who knows what he's been missing.’ From the Led Zeppelin song, Over The Hills And Far Away.

But that’s not what bothered her. It was his way of being so relaxed all the time, living a more carefree life. Not just because she was a ballet dancer who learned what it means to be disciplined student but also a disciplined lover under Robert. And she learned to love it, over time. But now, she missed it with a pain in her heart.
She just couldn’t let him get close. And this time as he felt pushed away again he had finally given up and quit trying, and now was her chance to get away for good, only he didn’t know just how ‘good’ she was planning. But he remembered what he was told by his mentor, ‘Have patience. She will  love you, in time, and she will love you very much. She just won’t know how much until she realises that she is so alone, so empty, so hollow and in love with you that she comes running back to you in a big way.
She’ll want you to know just how much she means it because she’ll show her true feelings to the world and you both break down and cry and fall in love all over again, together, at the exact same time. It’ll be the best orgasm you will ever have. Believe me I have been there with her twice and its mind blowing incredible. The first time she didn’t want to give in and I had to return to England and after 3 weeks, she couldn’t take it anymore. The next time, was after her accident, and she was in the hospital for a month. But a few days before she was released to go home, I again had to return to England. But, like all Capricorns, love has to be on our own terms, when we are ready, we give wholly and completely.’

Robert was his mentor and Adam missed him too. It was not a typical relationship, not quite friends but more. They shared a few common loves, kinky sex, beautiful women, experimental drugs and great music.
They met at a ‘key party’ years before when they were interested in the same girl at the party. Adam was younger but admired Robert for his grace and poise around large crowds without letting know of the dark secrets he held close to his heart. Robert was mysterious, lived a life style Adam was curious about. They both loved music and that was the common denominator but as the topic of sex came up one day, Robert explained what it was to be a ‘Master’ lover and dominator.
With Robert’s permission, Adam watched in secret when Robert was with women and studied his techniques. But when Robert met her, that all changed. Robert fell madly in love. Never had he loved so intensely before. A year had passed before Adam was allowed to watch and learn again. But she never knew. That was when Adam fell in love with her beauty and grace.
She would dance for Robert, sexy and dirty, naughty and nice but always graceful. When Robert found out he was sick, he wanted Adam to be her man for the rest of her life, knowing that they would be perfect together, but also knowing she had to fall in love with him and realize herself that he was the next best thing. He would give her what she craved and desired deep down. She would never know as long as he was alive that he taught Adam all he could about dominance.

When she first started dancing at Adam’s club, she was very private and came just before her shift and left right after. Kyle would bring her there most nights and always be there to pick her up. One night, Kyle had come early to watch her new routine. Adam knew they were close friends so that night Adam introduced himself and invited him to join him at his table.
Eventually Adam asked her out on a date and it was the start of something good. He continued to see other women, not making a commitment to her completely because he knew she wasn’t over Robert yet. But patience, he thought he could wait a life time for her, but still, he was a man and had needs.

Tonight though, she danced as if she was the prima ballerina performing in London for the queen and her court to see. Kyle helped her put the music together, so it would flow from one song to the next without any gaps. So in one continuous movement as if it was all the same musical piece. Kyle was a blues fan and had lots of great records. But he worked at a rock station and most people thought of Led Zeppelin as a rock band. But they were so much more. They were a heavy and hard-rock-with-a-touch-of-blues band that could really deliver an amazing acoustic sound.

The other dancers knew she was doing something different, she mentioned it in passing last week, but they had no idea. Tonight all eyes were on her, even the girls that were supposed to be entertaining men at their tables or even had a night off were there, because everyone really wanted to see.
She knew Adam was watching and judging them all tonight, along with a few of his most important clients and she knew this. She didn’t want him to treat her differently because of their relationship, and knowing he dated some of the other dancers, she knew how he sometimes played favourites. It made her a bit nervous but, she couldn’t see the audience because the spot light was too bright. The next song, Tangerine was her favourite and was perfect to song to go into as it started off slow and acoustic, but then picked up. This would be the song she used for teasing and exposing parts of body to the audience.
Then to take it down a notch, a dirty notch, The Lemon Song and You Shook Me of course this was a sexy song, and the way Led Zeppelin did it, it was even better than the original. Of course all of their blues covers were better than the original.
Throughout this song, she was pouty, touching herself, down on her knees to get closer to the front row, or perverts row as it was called, teasing the men. She was mostly naked by the time the song ended and used the pole to “make love” to as song ended and the next began.
The fourth and final song in her routine was Black Dog. With the opening riff and lyrics:
Hey, hey, mama, said the way you move,
Gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove.
Ah, ah, child, way you shake that thing,
Gonna make you burn, gonna make you sting
It was the perfect song to end with. Once she became the feature, she would add another song or two. The feature could have up to forty five minutes on stage, and everyone else had up to twenty five minutes.
This song she hoped would be the one that proved she was not only better, but could really make money. During this song, on her hands, she did a few simple moves with her legs in the air and the splits before getting back to her feet. Using the pole as the song faded out, she would come to a sitting position and the spot lights would dim or fade to blue, if they remembered to replace the gel on the overhead lamp.
They did remember. Yay, she was happy. She sat still for the count of five in the soft blue light. They started to applaud her, some even standing to do so. She was happier now. She took a quick bow and headed to the dressing room.
For the past four nights Adam had been in to watch, not just the show, but the interactions with the customers at their tables. Most nights he was there, but not really watching the show, except for a few of the girls, but always when she was on. Adam had taken over his father’s business two years ago. Not what he wanted, but the girls were nice to look at. But he was a business man above all else and this was a profitable business.
If the men weren’t interested in watching a girl dance or didn’t like a girl for whatever reason, it could mean a loss of a customer, “losing a customer doesn’t pay,” he would say. He was very picky about the girls who worked for him, too.
She had to be pretty, not gorgeous or beautiful, pretty was good enough because the real beauty was how she behaved. If she walked and talked well, respected him and the patrons, and were not vulgar in anyway, she would be beautiful, gorgeous to any man.
He also didn’t think all men wanted to see the same body and face. Some girls were tall others short, some thin while others were plump, big breasts, small breasts, all colours, all shapes and all sizes. They had to move well on stage, have a nice smile and above everything else, be well liked.
Prudence was all that and so much more. Adam knew this and liked her from the second he finally met her. before Robert passed, he briefly introduced them, and Adam let her know if she ever wanted a job, perhaps waiting on tables, she could come see him and he would take care of her.  While she lived with Robert, she didn’t work, she didn’t need to. But family issues and his health took its toll on them both mentally and financially. He passed and left her very little to live on, but he did give her two important things; the greatest love and his vast music collection.

 She walked in looking for a job over a year ago. ‘Temporary’ is what she called it when he interviewed her. She was saving her money to go to Europe. She needed to do something ‘important’ was how she explained it. Robert’s  final wish was for her to dance on at least one famous European ballet stage. It took her over a year to get over his death. Now she was ready to interact with the world again.
They had talked about it all the time. And twice had tried to fulfill her dream but both times failed. He made her promise she would dance on a European ballet stage. This was her dream. She told him about it one night, he was teaching her how to be submissive. She explained in detail of her dream to dance on one, two, three and more of the old renown stages that so many great have also once danced.
She was to go in five years time with her best friend Gina. But then she met him, the love of her life, literally. And Gina thought she needed to wait too, with her mother being sick twice that same year. So they waited, and Pru fell deeper in love, after she promised herself she wouldn’t let anything come between her and the stage, absolutely nothing!
Pru experimented, dated, dated while experimenting, and had lived a wild life before she met him. Because of him, she slowed down. Not because he was older, but because he taught her how to enjoy things, savour things, appreciate everything. ‘Like a fine spirit, cheese, wine, he would say the more it ages, the better it is,’ just like him.
She still experimented, not with drugs, but with pain, torture, and even pleasure. He showed her who she was to the world, and who she was to herself. She preferred the latter but could only see that when she was with him.
They promised to focus on her career. He would travel with her. He would manage her and she would dance on every European ballet stage. They made up a business plan and that included meeting the right people, inviting the right people and interacting with the right people. But, there’s always a ‘but’, when she was with him, she would be with one very ‘wrong’ person doing very bad things, and no one would ever know just how ‘wrong’ because it was their secret.
She had danced on three prominent stages in Canada and two in New York. She had the connections now, the routine was perfect, and they had arranged to live in London for one year. But then of all the luck, something bad happened. Her leg broke in three places during a car accident one long weekend.
Moose. They have signs posted, but still you can’t react quickly enough. The transport truck driver panicked and jack-knifed his cab and cargo. This of course causes a chain reaction and in snowy weather, and everyone knows, when a transport and moose hit head on, there are no winners, but luckily there was only one loser, the moose.
The driver should have just hit the moose, but instead, tried to avoid, swerved too hard too fast and jack-knifed. They were about four or five cars behind. But when you are travelling at 110 kilometers per hour and other cars around you are sliding and crashing, well, she was lucky to only have broken the one leg. A year later, she was able to dance again.
She practiced every day and it was painful. She would scream and cry and he would force her to go just another minute longer each time, until finally, she could dance without the tears and could finally lose herself in the music. He watched her every day, encouraging her to never give up, and then when she was finally told to stop for the day, he would make love to her, her reward for obeying him. 
They made plans again, everything arranged, and two days before they were to leave for London, the worst news of all. He was dying. Cancer. It was stage III of Exocrine pancreatic cancer. He was given less than a year. They would return to his home, near London. He said she could still dance there, for him. He arranged for it, a private dance just for him at the Royal Opera House. She came up with a dance just for him and practiced every day for weeks. All the right moves, she had lots of time for practice because he mostly slept.
She had one night only, and the stage was not being used so he rented it out, for her performance. But the afternoon of, he became weaker. He couldn’t travel. That’s when he made her promise. Promise to dance on at least one stage. He would not be able to see his love dance on the most royal of all stages in London. Less than 24 hours later, he was gone. She wanted to be with him. Wanted to end her life, there wasn’t anything else to live for.
She returned home a month later, stayed with family, then with Kyle, then eventually a job and place of her own. Now, she was about to complete his wish, her dream, the promise she gave him.


He brought her to life. She was more than twenty-five years younger, there’s a lot an older man can teach a young lady. Like how he would punish her without leaving any lasting mark that someone might see it as something other than what it truly was.
He showed her an entirely new but very secretive world filled with pain but with so much more pleasure. They were together for more than six years, and every bit of it the happiest of her entire life. But they both knew he would not be around forever. Six years later, she was aging fast in the ballet world, but she could still pull it off. She only looked 22 or 24 at the most. No one had to know she was really on the edge of 30.

So now, to make the money she would need to audition she would need to work. What other work was there for a dancer, but to dance on a stage. So she would be naked, it’s ok, she could do this, because he taught her how.  And in a year or so, she and Gina would be off to audition and to dance on the elite stages of Europe.

Prudence practiced at the studio, at home and at Kyle’s place. Kyle had helped her with a pole in her own apartment so she could practice using it without having to be seen by anyone at the club. Most of the other girls would rehearse here, during the day before the club was opened. But this also meant anyone could “steal” your moves.
When the girls would ask when Pru would be coming in to rehearse, she would say she didn’t have a lot of time, she had another part time job. This was true, of course, but that job was twice a month and it involved cleaning Kyle’s apartment.
If and when she became a feature, she might change her name for good. The name is a medieval form of the Latin Prudentia, meaning prudence, i.e. good judgment. Her mother always told her that since she never made the right choices or had good judgment herself, she sure hoped her only daughter would.
Adam came back to the dressing room, something he rarely did, and asked the other girls to leave; he wanted to speak to Pru alone. He pulled up a chair beside her as she tried cooling down by sitting in front of the fan, drinking a large glass of ice water.
Adam was a tall, handsome man who was quite funny actually. About six months ago things got a bit serious between them. The club was closed for a month for renovations. They talked and teased of going down to Brownsville, Texas, rent a car and drive into Mexico. From there, ‘who knows what might happen’ was all they would say for weeks. Then a few days before the club was to close, they planned their trip.
They flew down to El Paso, Texas, because she loved the song. There, they stayed for two days and then rented a car and drove to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.  Margaritas, Piña Coladas, tequila and lime, and lots of dancing. They danced and danced. They made love in between their dancing; they played, laughed, enjoyed and made love.
She could picture herself with a man like Adam. Safe, secure, smart, funny, normal. God, he was so normal. Why? Everything else was all there, except that. Why couldn’t he be abnormal, strange, freaky, kinky, perverted, anything, but normal?
But when they came back, Pru walked into his office, without knocking and found another dancer on her knees in front of him. Pru couldn’t see everything, Adam said it was nothing really, nothing at all. Nothing happened, it might have looked that way, but he swore up and down he was honest.
Pru didn’t know if she could believe him. So she left it at that. They now kept their relationship professional. Every now and then, there would be a moment where there might still be a spark … but she needed to remind herself of her promise.
She knew she could never be ‘in love’ with Adam, but she could love him. Love him moment by moment. When you add up all those moments you have a life time of moments to look back on. She only ever loved one man, her man, Robert. There were men, boys really, before him, and a few after, but none where anything like him. He was a real man. He knew what he liked, what he wanted, what to do to get it and he knew exactly who was in control.

Adam was still good to her. He knew he messed up, he could have left the office door open, he could have insisted that the girl speak to him at the bar, a table, anything different. It was too late and now he didn’t know how to fix it. There was so much he wanted to tell her. But for now, it would have to wait. He needed to be somewhere for the next two weeks and didn’t want to strain the relationship. He was in love with her, but didn’t know how to tell her.
His best friend was getting married and there was to be some fun and ‘serious stuff’ to be addressed. For this he would need a house sitter, someone to watch and care for the dog and of course his house. He trusted Pru, so he asked her. She agreed and everything was set.
But that’s when she found the movies. The dirty movies of bondage. Of domination. Of discipline and of submission. And she like what she found. Maybe Adam was someone like her lover. Who would have thought? Maybe he could be the lover she wanted, maybe …..
But she couldn’t ask him about the movies, she would have to admit she was snooping. Was he really interested or was it one of those ‘gag gifts’ the patrons would sometimes give him. But it didn’t matter now she needed to stay focused on getting to Europe.

For the next several months Pru was the feature at the club. She was also a special feature at a few other clubs around the city and even a few in Montreal. Months went by pretty fast as September was approaching as she was finalizing her travel arrangements. She would be going over with her friend Gina and they would do this together, like always. Since that first day in ballet class so many years ago, they became quick friends and lots of trouble at times. But they grew up, realized some dreams, found some hope and now, they were so close to reaching the ultimate dream, and they did just about everything together.
They had arranged to rent a small flat not too far from the Royal Opera House in London. They promised each other six months and if nothing happens, they’d travel to France and try there. They had their documents, work visas and lots of money to see them through.
They would also be working at one of the best exotic dance clubs in London, thanks to Kyle. He knew a guy, a friend of a friend, so hopefully, it would be a fairly smooth transition. They were to arrive in London on a Wednesday and meet the club owner, get settled in, catch up on sleep and be ready for work on Monday.

Before she knew it, a month had passed and they were in London. Work was really good for both of them, not just because they had great routines, but because the men found them to be exotic, it’s the accent really, that’s all.
Gina had her audition with the Royal Ballet and she made it in. She would not start training for a show until the New Year; it would then run for eight months adding four more months, if the demand was there. Pru auditioned and also made it, but she would be starting in a two weeks, for The Nutcracker. A shorter run, but still, it’s all she really wanted, it was all she thought she could handle. The memories of being in London were overwhelming at times.
She would still have to work a few nights at the club to earn money to live. But until then, she would work as much as possible, for as many hours as possible. She would save everything she made only buying what she needed. She would be paid from the ballet, but not until it was over, on December 28.
It was cold and raining out and there were only a few men left in the club. It was sometime after midnight when he arrived. He heard there was someone dancing to his music. It wasn’t just any strip dance, it was art. “Spectacular erotic art,” he was told.
He sat in a dark corner with his hat on and pulled down to shadow his face. She was scheduled to be on stage for midnight, the shows were running behind. He ordered a drink, flirted with the waitress and lit a cigarette. He looked around, seemed like any other club he had been to, but he hoped no one would recognize him; he didn’t want her to know he was watching.
The DJ announced her with a special introduction, one that Kyle had made for her before she left town. The first fifteen seconds of The Battle of Evermore playing under his voice, “Gentlemen, visiting us from The Great White North, the beautiful and graceful Sabrina.”
The lights were dimmed and glowing pink as the music started playing. She started her routine as graceful as a swan. The stage was bigger and stronger so she could do more jumps and Arabesques and Pirouettes. Most dancers wore high heels, stilettos, and sexy thigh high boots with a heel. She wore her ballet shoes, pink with a satin tie going up her naked calves.
She was dancing as if Robert was watching her, like he should have been that one night so long ago.  Bending, twisting, and turning, as if it were as easy as brushing one’s teeth, so natural, so perfect, so elegant.
He was quite impressed and never expected that anyone would be dancing to this song. At the crescendo, he sat up straighter as her moves became edgier, bolder, and tighter. But it was a beautiful dance. As the song flowed smoothly into the next, the dancing, her steps he noticed, they were in line with his guitar playing. She was dancing to his notes, his musical words. It was SPECTACULAR, and very erotic.
The way she arched back, and never faltering, it was something he knew he had to see again, but closer and in private. He also couldn’t help but notice her beautiful breasts. Her costume was different, as it revealed a lot of skin but she still looked so classy. He could tell she was not just any exotic dancer, she was a true artist. He also knew he had to meet her.           
He had the waitress bring him another drink and asked that one be taken to Pru when she was done and to let her know that he wanted to meet her. As Tangerine ended and You Shook Me started, she started to dance more like a striper did, bending this way and that, touching herself, actually getting herself aroused, but that she couldn’t help, that’s just what the music did to her, it turned her on.
She slowly, teasing and very sexy removed her ballet shoes, and then her top, and finally her skirt. She wore just a g-string and continued to dance, letting her curly hair down and that’s when he noticed it, the tattoo.   
The waitress brought him the drink and let him know she did as he asked. As Pru danced to the final song, Black Dog, he became aroused. This is why he was told he had to see it for himself. It wasn’t just her sexy body and her moves, but it’s how she danced, different than anything he had ever seen before. As she left the stage, he looked around to see the reaction from the men and the other women. Not surprising, but a few stood to give her an ovation.

About fifteen minutes later she came out from the dressing rooms, carrying her small purse in one hand, which contained her wallet and her keys, and in the other, a glass of 7up with grenadine, with a cherry and an umbrella, it looked exotic, but because she rarely drank, this made it seem as though she did. She was stopped a few times by a few patrons, mostly just saying she was a great dancer, some even saying she shouldn’t be doing this because she was so much better that she should be with the ballet.
She would just smile and thank them. She made her way to table in the dark corner, and as she approached he smiled and stood up to greet her. She was no ordinary dancer in a club, as he had met many times before, where the girls would come to him and just wanted one thing, him.
“Hello, Sabrina, I’m glad you came over. Have a seat,” he offered. She sat down, still holding her purse in one hand, placing her drink on the table. “Wow! I have to say, you are fantastic. Actually more than fantastic, incredible, spectacular, out of this world.”
She shyly smiled, “thank you.”
“My name is James, by the way. Can I get you anything more to drink? A cigarette?” he offered as he took one for himself.
“No thank you, I don’t smoke.”
“I was told about your show. Told that I had to come and see it for two reasons. And the first reason was obvious, but the second reason, well, let me just say, the words my friend used to describe your dancing didn’t do you justice. But I can see why. It’s hard to explain your dance, your movements, it’s just….mind blowing. Did you study dance?”
“Yes, I did ballet.”
“I have to ask though, why Led Zeppelin? Why not anyone else, or as all the other girls do, a mix of different bands?”
“Well, my favourite band is Led Zeppelin. They just move me, it’s hard to explain, but the music turns me on. Not just sexually, but emotionally. And I don’t want to be like the other girls. I want to be different, to be noticed, to be … well to be me, and it pays more to be me because I never mess up my lines,” she said with a smile.
Even the way she spoke was graceful. So confident, so articulate, and so unique. “I know this might sound crazy, but I would like to play for you. See, I play the guitar and I would love to play for you while you dance.”
She had a perplexed look on her face. Who was this guy and why would I want to do anything with or for you? He could see this and offered, “It would be totally professional, I promise. I know you might not believe me if I say so, but….” He removed the fake moustache and glasses, “I’m Jimmy Page, and to watch you dance to our music was really cool. And I know the other guys would be impressed. And they would love to see it. Not removing any clothes, but just watching you dance like that.”
She just stared at him. It is Jimmy Page. It’s fuckin’ Jimmy Page!! Her mouth opened and closed a few times in shock and pleasure. She didn’t know what to say. Is this a dream? Am I sleeping?, she thought.
“I can have it all arranged, have a car pick you up and take you to a dance studio, totally private, very discrete and professional just see how it goes. What do you say?”
She nodded, without looking picked up her glass and put the straw in her mouth to take a drink. I could really be talking to Jimmy Page. I could really meet Led Zeppelin. Think here Pru, think.
“Tuesday. I don’t work on Tuesday or Wednesday,” was all she could say.
He smiled, “Perfect. Give me your number and I will call you tomorrow with details. Would you like another drink?” he asked indicating with his head as she sipped the glass dry.
“Yes, thank you.”
He called the waitress and ordered each of them another drink, and they continued to talk. They talked about music, not just Led Zeppelin, but other music as well. Talked about why she was in London, what she wanted to do, and what she thought of the new album.
He offered to take her home, she accepted because of the crap weather, rain again. In the car, she wrote down her number along with her real name. It was a short drive and when they pulled up in front of her place, he got out with her and walked her to the door. He kissed her cheek, a soft, sweet lingering kiss. She inhaled his scent. A mix of cigarettes, alcohol and something she couldn’t quite put her finger on, but it was sweet, manly.
She thanked him and went inside. Gina was home and watching TV. Pru walked in with a big smile on her face and told her everything. She was so excited, she couldn’t sleep. So she stayed up after Gina went to bed and read a few magazines.
The phone rang late in the afternoon as she was preparing to go to the club. It was him, just as he promised. He gave her information about what time the driver would arrive and where he would be taking her. She wrote down the information.      
They continued to talk and she eventually asked if he would be coming to see her tonight. He would love to, but he had other plans, but he would see her tomorrow afternoon at the dance studio. That night she made very good money, the club was packed, and it was well known that they had come to see her. Without her knowing, it was all thanks to Jimmy, as he spread the word. 
The very next morning she woke up, made a pot of coffee and gathered her things for the day. Gina woke up while she was in the shower and asked what time she was leaving. “In about an hour, why?”
“Nothing really, just wanted to talk before you leave. The coffee is ready, so I will meet you in the kitchen when you are done,” Gina said as she shut the bathroom door to let Pru finish her shower.
“What did you want to talk about?” Pru asked as she filled a cup with coffee.
“Are you sure this guy is really Jimmy Page? Are you going to be safe? I am just worried because, you know, we are so new here and what if something happened to you. How would I know where you are?”
Pru smiled, “Yes, it’s really him. Or his twin. And since he doesn’t have any siblings, I am pretty sure it is really him. And you left before he called yesterday. Here’s where I’ll be,” she said as she handed her the paper with the address and other information on it.
They talked as Pru got dressed. The phone rang and Gina answered. She was told to let Pru know the car would be there in twenty minutes and that it would be waiting downstairs for her when she was ready. Excitedly she finished getting ready while they talked about what she might do, what dance steps she might try.
Gina walked her to the car, wished her a good day and went back upstairs. Once inside the car, the driver told Pru that he had a message, “Mr. Page said he was running a bit late, but for you to warm up and he shan’t be more than a half hour behind.”

The dance studios were impressive. There were six studios and she was told she would be in the studio on the third floor. The receptionist showed her the dressing rooms, where the lights, change room, showers and everything else was. There was also a lunch room at the end of the hall with a coffee maker and a kettle for tea.
Pru prepared herself and walked over to the barre to stretch. She noticed a record player in the corner of the room as she stretched out. She walked over and turned the record player on. It was Chopin, Prelude in E-Minor (op.28 no. 4) and she started dancing. She didn’t see him watching her at the door, she was lost in the music.
He was impressed. She was so elegant. When she was done, he applauded and walked in. she blushed, “Oh, I didn’t see you there.”
“I know, and that’s what made it so beautiful. Because you were free and it’s the not knowing you were performing, thinking you are dancing by yourself, that allows you to really shine, you know.” She smiled, remembering how Robert would secretly watch her, she never knew when or how, but he would always tell her later what he saw, what he liked and how it turned him on because she was so free, so graceful and so enchanting. Oh how she still missed Robert so much, his touch, his scent, his body next to hers, whether sleeping or dancing, it was something she suddenly craved.
A moment later another man came into the room with some gear and started setting up and she snapped back to the present. They continued to talk and discussed what he would like to do. She was intrigued by his ideas and thought she could do what he was asking.
She wanted to get something to drink before she started, so she excused herself and went to the lunch room while they finished setting up. She was excited and nervous; like she was the first time she danced for Robert in the privacy of his home.
When she opened the door to the studio, he was sitting in a chair tuning his guitar. He was alone. She quietly watched him in the mirror, watched him like he watched her. He knew she was watching him, he saw her in the mirror too. But he didn’t let on, but just let her go on watching.
She quietly walked over to him, her reflection she couldn’t hide as she neared. He turned to look at her and asked if she was ready. She nodded yes and walked over to him. He had his favourite electric guitar on and started playing. She listened at first. Music she had never heard before, but she liked it, closed her eyes and let the music take over. He didn’t tell her how to dance, just what he was going to do, to get her to dance the way he saw it in his mind, but it was all up to her on how she was to interpret it.
She started moving, and his playing slowed down, like a beautiful ballad. She kept moving, graceful turns and plies and he just watched.
After about thirty minutes she stopped dancing. She needed a little break and a drink. He needed a cigarette. She sat in front of him on the floor as hit lit a cigarette and inhaled slowly. They didn’t talk right away, but as he picked up another guitar and started tuning it, he spoke to her about the music. She told him about her love of music, mostly rock and blues, but also some of the classical pieces, about how they were written.
“You really are a beautiful dancer.”
“Thank you. I would say you are a great guitarist, but you already know that, or you wouldn’t be so famous,” she smiled coyly.
He laughed, “Would you like to try something different now?”
She stood up indicating she was ready to go again. He again didn’t play anything she had heard before. But she moved to the music, parts where it got heavier, so did she, the lighter parts, she glided on air. It was wonderful. She had never felt so inspired.
They continued like that throughout the day. Breaking after a few minutes then starting all over. Beautiful new music to her, creating visions in her head as to how the music would move if it could. A few hours had passed and he asked if she would join him for dinner. She would, but only if she could shower and change first.
He laughed as he packed up his gear, saying “of course. Anything you desire. I will just call to have my stuff taken back home, and I will meet you downstairs in the lobby.” She entered the change room, taking a deep breath, counted to five. Did this day just happen? Did I just dance for Jimmy Page, the sexiest and greatest guitarist ever? She couldn’t tell if she was dreaming or not, but as she undressed to shower she thought of Robert and what he might have said, dancing for the only other man to turn her on so intensely.

He took her to a nice restaurant for a real nice dinner. They talked about her dreams and why she was here. They talked about their families, friends, music, and yes, the Led Zeppelin concerts she had been to. After dinner, they walked around, looking in shop windows, even holding hands every now and then, and still talking. He asked her a few personal questions and she answered. He had an idea and wondered if she would be up for it, so he explained, told her to think about it before she answered and answer didn’t have to be given right away.
She liked the idea and was up for it. But it would have to happen soon, since she would soon be dancing for the Royal Ballet. “Yes, when and where?” was her reply.
He stopped in his tracks, turned to look at her, and asked, “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure. I’m very sure, but it would have to be soon. I told you I’ll be dancing for the Royal Ballet in two weeks. I need to focus then and won’t have another opportunity. So, yes, when and where?” she smiled at him.
He looked in her eyes, he knew very well that she would do more than just dance for him and suggested a date of two days from now and said he would take care of everything else, even if she was scheduled to work, he would take care of that, too. As they continued to walk, he stopped at a pay phone and made a call.
After about 10 minutes on the phone, he stepped out of the box and told her everything was now taken care of and that a car would pick her up in two days in the late morning, some time before eleven, for now, he would take her home so she could get some sleep and get ready for the following four days.

When she woke up the next morning, she crawled into bed with Gina and told her all about her day. She also told her she would be gone for a few days and not to worry. They agreed Gina would make breakfast as Pru showered and then together they would start packing for Pru’s adventure. This would include an afternoon of shopping, flirting, and having plain old-fashioned girl fun. They would finish packing until the very early morning.
Falling asleep on the couch, Gina woke up suddenly when a pain suddenly grabbed her neck, she stood thinking, how could Pru do it? sleeping the way she was, on this couch. She went pee then straight to her bed, having set the alarm to be sure one of them was up before the driver arrived.
The alarm went off, Gina jumped alive, singing as she went and woke up Pru to reminded her why they were so happy. Coffee had been made, final repacking and a quick shower all done so fast, she was ready before she needed to be. With additional time, she double checked her suitcase and dance bag. Admired her new pointe shoes, thought about dancing for Jimmy Page, closed her eyes and smiled.
The driver picked her up on time, just like Jimmy said he would. He would take her to a house somewhere outside of London and Jimmy would be there waiting for her. The drive was over an hour long, so she napped on the way.
She arrived at a cottage in the country. It was surrounded by bushes that in the spring would be lilacs. She knew this because lilacs and their scent were her favourite. The driver left her at the small gate at the edge of the road. She walked up and knocked on the door.
He answered and welcomed her inside. It was bigger inside than it looked. Maybe it was because there was hardly any furniture. The floor was hard wood and it looked ancient. She noticed a few of his guitars, some amps and some other gear she didn’t recognize. There was also a couch and a small coffee table. She couldn’t see the kitchen but she knew there was one because she could smell fresh coffee brewing.
He showed her around, poured her some coffee then sat at the kitchen table. They talked while they drank their coffee. He had arrived last night, to set the furnace, and played a bit to check out the sound. He liked it; the hollowness provided a true soft echo, reverb. He told her, when she was ready she just had to say so and they would get started.

The windows were open in the living room, allowing the cool breeze to come in and she knew that would be good for dancing, but still she brought her pants just incase. She went up stairs to the small room to change while he finished setting up his gear down stairs. She stretched up stairs, using the window sill as her barre. While she stretched, she realized there was only the one room and this room only had one bed. There was a bathroom at the end of the hall and a half door, leading to the attic she assumed. Where did he expect she’d sleep? With him? Do I play it out, to my advantage and get what I want or do I just give in because it’s Jimmy Page? Tough question, she thought.