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The sound of their drinks being clinked down on the glass table in front of them had them springing apart and giggling.
“Let’s get out of here,” Harri threw down a note. “Which flat’s closest?”
“Mine,” Julia said and grabbed her coat. They went out into the icy December night where the white Christmas lights turned them monochrome.
“Islington, please,” she said to the taxi driver as they got into the cab. She was shivering violently but it wasn’t with cold.
“Might take a while love,” he replied, “traffic’s terrible tonight. Crowds out to see the lights, I expect.”
Julia and Harri didn’t notice how long the journey home was, nor did they notice the spectacular Christmas lights; they were too busy kissing. They broke off just long enough to unlock Julia’s front door and then it slammed behind them as Harri shoved her, none too gently, up against it. He took her hands in his and Julia felt open and vulnerable and incredibly turned on.
“I can’t stop kissing you,” he murmured, “I just can’t stop kissing you.” He tore her scarf away and kissed her neck, leaving a trail of fire. His knee nudged her legs apart and she felt him hard and demanding as he pressed against her. She’d never felt this sexually charged she thought incoherently, she was going to explode if she didn’t have him. He searched under her heavy coat, and then slid two fingers into a gap in the front of her shirt. A button tore but neither noticed as Harri tugged the delicate lace of Julia’s bra away and cupped her breast with his hand. Julia felt her knees give way, his hand was cold and the shock of it had her nipple zinging to life. Another button shot off and he took his burning mouth to her breast. The door rattled on its hinges under their combined weight and Julia would have been quite happy for him to take her there and then.
But Harri had other ideas, at heart he was a gentleman and it didn’t seem right to be doing what they doing up against the cold glass of Julia’s front door. And besides, he’d wanted her for so long that he was worried he wouldn’t last much longer. He backed off, his dark eyes veiled with lust. “Bed,” he managed, “where’s the bed?”
Julia nodded wordlessly, took him by the hand and led him to her bedroom. As they stumbled along clutching one another, unable to let go, they paused to kiss frantically. They ripped off some more clothes and left a trail of winter coats, scarves, bags. Then they fell onto the bed and wrestled with one another’s remaining clothes until they were skin on skin at long last. Julia was aware only of the erotic tickle of the soft hair on Harri’s chest against her breasts and the feel of his needy erection pressing against her stomach. She gasped as Harri almost immediately rolled her onto her back and slid into her.
“Sorry, cariad, can’t wait,” he muttered. “Oh Duw, I’ve wanted this for so long!”
Julia’s head arched back. She couldn’t believe it, she was beginning to come already. Wave after wave of ecstasy spiralled through her, around her, over her. She felt Harri tense, hang over her for a long second and then collapse onto her, crushing her with his weight. “Rwyn dy garu di,” he breathed. “I love you,” He added, in his head.
Julia woke first in the morning. It was still dark outside but she’d grown accustomed to waking early to get to Jan’s demanding rehearsals and today would be no different. She poked her nose above the duvet, shivered and pulled it round her again. She’d have to brace herself to go and turn on the heating. Funny how they’d not noticed the cold last night.
She twisted and gazed at Harri lying on his side facing her. He was frowning slightly in his sleep and had the quilt tucked up around his shoulders as if cold. His hair was sticking up any old how and he looked like a little boy. Julia smiled and remembered that he’d definitely not been the little boy last night. She giggled as she recalled how he’d woken her in the middle of the night and made love to her again, this time with a tender gentleness and at an agonisingly slow pace which had had her crying out in relief when he’d finally entered her.
She’d been right about him she thought with yet another giggle; he was a man of hearty appetites. He shifted slightly and gave a little snuffle. Julia got out of bed, loathe to leave him but desperate for some heat and a shower.
He was awake when she returned and greeted her with a huge grin on his face.
“You look very smug,” she said but softened the comment with a smile and got back onto the bed.
“And you look gorgeous,” he replied and tugged at the towel wrapped around her hair.
“Oh yes, I’m sure I do,” she said as her hair fell down and flapped damply against her face. “I’m sure I’d win the public vote if I went on tonight looking like this.”
“You get my vote every time.”
“Corny.”
“But true.” Harri’s eyebrows quirked wickedly in that expressive way they had. “Come here, I’ve got something to show you.”
“We’ll be late for training, Harri!”
He pulled at her dressing gown belt and the robe fell apart, revealing her breasts. He grinned at the sight. “For once, I’ve got something worth being late for. Come and see what I’ve got for you.”
As the duvet was tented up dramatically around the area of his groin, Julia had a pretty good idea what he had in mind to show her but she played along. “What is it?”
He grinned again and flipped back the duvet. “Dyma un a nes i’n gynharach!”
“What?” she said as he tumbled her into bed and covered her with his warm body.
“It’s one I made earlier!” he said and he kissed her through their laughter.
“God Harri,” she moaned a little later. “I think you’ve finally found your hip action!”
Step Nine.
In the car on the way to the studio, Julia snuggled up to Harri and whispered, “So, are you finally going to tell me what you said to me in Welsh?”
He rolled his eyes heavenwards and tutted in mock despair. “I told you, it means it’s one I made earlier. It’s a sort of a pun you know on … but honestly, if I have to explain my jokes all the time, this relationship is doomed.” He stopped as she hit him.
“Not that! What you said last night, you know, as you erm –”
“Oh that!” He looked at her with amusement lighting his dark eyes. “You’re not brilliant with languages, are you, cariad? Have you forgotten? I’ve told you what it means, already!”
Julia shook her head and grinned. “I’m about as good at languages as I am at dancing!”
“That bad, eh?”
She gave him another playful punch.
“And another thing, you’ve got to stop hitting me!”
“Tell me!”
“I will – but another time.” He glanced at the driver who was obviously intrigued as to why he was picking up both Harri and Julia from the same address that morning. “Another time when we’re alone, see.”
And for the moment Julia had to be content with that.
Jan had been furious with her for being late but it hadn’t broken into the bubble of happiness that she existed in throughout the day. She came across Harri often as he rehearsed with Eva and they made stupid little signs and gestures to one another.
“Me, I am to be sick!” announced Eva at the final dress rehearsal later that afternoon, as a comment on their behaviour.
“Tsk. Unprofessional,” agreed Jan but he was secretly delighted that Julia, finally, was showing signs that she could actually dance.
The atmosphere in the quarter-final show was electric. The judges went wild over Harri’s newfound confidence and, to Julia’s amusement, declared that he had finally found his hip action. She’d caught his eye at that point and they’d had hysterics. Julia sobered up quickly when she found herself in the dance off, competing against Callum. Despite being the bookies’ favourite, he’d performed abysmally in his quickstep; it just hadn’t been a dance suited to big man like him.
The four of them stood breathlessly in front of the judges after the exertion of dancing yet again. Julia tried to console herself with the thought that getting as far as this was as good as it could get, to get to the semi-final would be a miracle too far.
As Charlie announced that the judges were about to declare the result, based on the best performance in the dance off, there seemed to be a buzzing in her ears and it was proving hard to concentrate. An ominous silence fell on the studio and after a wait of what seemed like three days the announcement was made.
A resounding cheer sounded around the studio and the entire crowd rose to their feet. In contrast, Jan fell to his knees beside her and appeared to be praying. Even for a Russian this seemed a bit of an over emotional response thought Julia and then Callum, gripping her in a bear hug, squeezed all rational thought out of her.
“Good on you,” he yelled in his gruff Scottish accent and then took advantage of her confusion to give her a disgustingly sloppy kiss.
“Wha-what?”
He put her back on the floor and peered down at her. “Did you not hear? You’ve got through. You’re in the semi-final!”
To Julia, it seemed as if everything exploded in a deafening riot of noise and colour. The other competitors, who hugged and kissed them with lavish excess, surrounded her and Jan. Then the crowd parted and Julia saw the person she really wanted: Harri, standing slightly apart, as he always did. She shot into his arms like an arrow finding its target and hung on.
“Da iawn, cariad bach,” he whispered into her ear. “Well done!”
Step Ten.
Julia opened her front door at the first knock. She knew it would be Harri. After the celebrations in the studio, he’d gone home to get some fresh clothes with the promise to come back with the papers and to enjoy a lazy Sunday with her. She had coffee perking, croissants warming in the oven and was looking forward to spending some time with him. But as soon as she saw his face, she knew something was very wrong.
Harri stared around him cautiously, shut the door and grabbed Julia by the arm. He took her into her kitchen at the back of the flat, pulled the blind shut and threw his collection of papers onto the table. He sank into a chair.
“Harri, what’s wrong?”
He looked up at Julia’s worried face, she already knew him so well, he thought and there was little point hiding the news, she’d find out soon enough. He flipped open a red top and pushed it over to her.
“The heat is on as Who Dares Dances stars rumba to love!” screamed one headline.
With a sinking heart, Julia sat down and read on:
“Who Dares Dances stars Harri Morgan and Julia Cooper are getting some hot love action off the dance floor. Training to perfect their passionate rumba, has spilled into their private life. ‘I could see them getting more and more intimate,’ said one source, close to the couple.”
Feeling sick, Julia pulled another newspaper over and opened it. Pictures of her and Harri were splashed all over the second page. There was one of them practising the rumba – a still from training footage and a photograph of them hugging one another after the quarter-final result. She read the beginning of the attached article:
“Harri, thirty one and Julia, twenty seven, have become increasingly friendly. An insider on the show said: ‘They were seen getting very cosy at an after show party. They couldn’t keep their hands off one another!’
“The couple have also been spotted sharing intimate late night dinners designed strictly for two. Our source added, ‘It’s become obvious they have strong feelings for one another and I think it’s getting in the way of their training.’”
“Cheek!” exclaimed Julia, “we’ve both got so much better. Casey?” she looked questioningly at Harri, “Eva?”
He shrugged. “It could be anyone. It could even be Abi from the pizza place. Have you seen this one?” He passed her yet another tabloid.
She took it wordlessly and then gasped at the photos of her and Harri kissing passionately while they waited for the taxi home the other night. She got distracted for a minute thinking how gorgeous he was, in his long leather coat and black jeans and then realised just what the press coverage would mean. She looked at him, dismay on her face. “Oh, I’m so sorry Harri!”
“We haven’t exactly been discreet, have we?” He rubbed a weary hand over his face and managed a weak grin. “I suppose it was inevitable that it would come out.”
“Have you … has anyone contacted you from Red Pepper?”
“No, not yet. No doubt I’ll get a call tomorrow.”
“What will they do?”
Harri searched for her hand and found it. “I don’t know,” he frowned deeply, “they might not renew my contract, or give me the sack straight away.” He shrugged again. “Who knows?”
“What, just for going out with me?”
He managed a grin at her outrage. “It’s not so much that.” He took an enormous breath, realising he’d have to tell her the truth. “I have this clause in my contract, see. They made me sign it.” He searched for the right words. “I’m not supposed to form any personal relationships with anyone else on the show.” He rushed on, ignoring her stricken expression. “I suppose it’s really more of a case of being seen doing stuff like that, see.” He nodded to the photograph of them kissing in public. “They don’t usually mind me having a private life just as long as it’s not seen happening – and doesn’t get into the papers. Then they added this bit in the contract, just for this show.”
“Oh my God,” Julia said, as the truth of what he was saying dawned. “But that’s so hypocritical!”
“You said it, cariad.” He rose and came behind her, put his arms round her and kissed the top of her head.
Now it had happened, just how did he feel about it? Anxious and insecure for the future, yes but he also felt strangely relieved. There would be no more stumbling along until they tired of him; He’d have to find another career now. It was peculiarly freeing.
“You sound so calm about it all!” Julia twisted so she could see his face.
He kissed her quickly and laughed. “I suppose I’ve had a whole two hours more to get used to the idea. And in a way it might be a good thing. It’s going to force me into action, it’s going to get me out there and find out what I really want to do.”
Julia nuzzled his stubbled cheek and wanted to cry. He risked losing so much. For her. Just to be with her.“But Harri, you’ve risked your job to be with me. Do you, do you regret - ?”
“What?” His voice reverberated against her skin and his breath was warm.
“Do you regret,” Julia took a deep breath, “us?”
Harri went very still. “Do you?”
“No!” she said a little wildly, “of course not! But it’s not my career that’s been ruined.”
“Bit dramatic, bach!”
Julia giggled weakly, despite herself. “I am an actor,” she pointed out.
“True enough.” Harri breathed in the scent of her hair and thought. He did feel calm. Would it scare her off, he wondered, if he said what he wanted to? That he had what he most wanted here, in this little kitchen, held in his arms. His career? Well, that would take care of itself; something was bound to turn up.
“I don’t regret anything I’ve, I mean that we’ve done.” He tightened his arms round her and kissed the only part of her he could get at – her neck. “You’re the best thing,” when she began to protest, he shushed her and went on, “the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I wanted you from the very first moment I saw you at the Still Life party. And now I’ve got you I’m not letting you go.”
Julia relaxed against him. She loved him, she knew that now. She loved his dark eyes and his wicked grin, she loved his beautiful body with its honed muscles. But most of all she loved his cheerful determination, his optimism, the steady way in which he tackled life’s problems, whether it was mastering the tricky steps to a paso doble, or simply a fan asking for his autograph at an inconvenient moment. And she was confident that he’d face this crisis in his usual way - with steady fortitude. “So, you’re not going to let me go, are you?”
“Not a chance, you have this habit of swanning off with tall good looking blond men every time my back’s turned.”
Julia giggled again, this time with more conviction and then frowned at a burning smell. “You’re going to have to let me go I’m afraid,” she said, with mock seriousness.
“Why?” Harri’s voice was muffled; he was busy nibbling her ear.
“Because our breakfast’s burning!” Julia leapt up and rescued the croissants. They’d been burned black and were beyond hope. She said as much to Harri, coughing and laughing and flapping a tea towel around the room so that the smoke alarm wouldn’t go off.
He came up behind her and put his arms about her again. “Cariad,” he said into the nape of her neck as his hands caressed her breasts. “Don’t worry, I’ve got another sort of breakfast on my mind. Come to bed …”
Step Eleven.
Monday morning brought sheepish grins from the team at Who Dares Dances. Harri didn’t know for sure just who had sold them to the press but didn’t overly care; the way he and Julia had been carrying on it would’ve got into the papers somehow. The press loved Julia, they loved Who Dares Dances and they seemed to love him; they’d smelt a story and wanted more.
He’d rung his neighbour from the car on the way to the television studios. Apparently, there had been a few reporters sniffing around his flat all night. He was going to have to find another way of getting into it, he thought with a grin. He smiled at Suni and Scott as his mobile went off. He closed the door to his dressing room and, with his heart beating faster, answered the call from Red Pepper.
Still at home, Julia had picked up her mobile on its first ring, thinking it would be Harri with more news.
“Julia?” It was Bibi, her agent. “Julia? I’ve had the Cabaret people on the phone.”
“And?” Julia tried not to hold her breath and failed.
“They want you, darling. Can you meet them later today? They’re going to offer you Sally Bowles!”
