Balance (Off Balance Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

knowing more about my training, but then again, he liked reading the small print and knowing exactly what he was paying for. It was why he’d done so well with his own company. No one could nickel and dime him. He loved money and made sure he knew where every penny he made went. And it didn’t matter this was a friend he should probably be able to trust, he’d still cover his bases. However, I wasn’t stupid. I knew this was more about the business side of things for him than giving me something I loved and was passionate about. This was just another deal for him to analyze and negotiate over, rather than my future.
    In the midst of explaining the forms and going over my strict training regimen, I heard the words ‘dance class’ and my attention snapped back to the conversation.
    “Dance class?” I butted in.
    Konstantin lifted a perfectly arched brow, his eyes narrowing as if just realizing I was in the room.
    “I was mentioning to Frank that you will be taking ballet class, along with jazz.”
    My mouth gaped open. “Ballet?” I asked, annoyance thick in my tone. Please tell me this was a joke. There was no way in hell I’d take ballet. I hated ballet.
    “Yes, Adrianna. Ballet. It helps with posture and grace on the floor. Not to mention, flexibility and core strengthening.”
    “I have grace and fluidity on the floor already. I don’t need extra dance classes.”
    I never had to take ballet back home, so I was certain I didn’t need to take it here. All these extra classes would take away from the one thing I came here to do, and I refused to let that happen.
    Konstantin slowly placed his expensive looking, shiny pen down. It was unnerving how he stared at me and I wanted to look away, but I held strong. I kept my eyes trained on him, focusing on the black flecks glittering in his eyes, showing him I wasn’t weak.
    “I am going to make it easy for you. You play by my rules here. You either take the classes or you will not train at World Cup.”
    Easy. As if I was some moron who didn’t comprehend complex words. My parents hadn’t spent thousands of dollars a year on a private tutor for nothing. I’d had straight A’s since the fifth grade, I was already taking Pre-Cal and college level courses, and he was treating me like I couldn’t spell D-I-C-K.
    Slapping on a fake smile, I said in a sugary voice, “Ballet really isn’t necessary. It’d be a complete waste of time. I’ve never needed it before and I don’t need it now.” I finished with a few rapid blinks and waited for his response. This was what I liked to call my “social event face”, a skill my mom taught me. Sweet, innocent, and full of shit, and if you lived in Palm Beach it was considered a standard fashion accessory.
    Konstantin paused and simply stared at me for a few heartbeats. Just when I thought I’d won, he pulled back the papers my dad had in his grip. Looking to my dad, he said, “I can see Ana is not ready for this kind of commitment, Frank. It takes dedication, hard work, and most importantly, listening skills. And until she understands it is my way—”
    My chest heaved, blood pumping rapidly through my heart. He was rejecting me, saying I couldn’t train here, but I refused to let that be an option. So I cut in before he could speak another word in that stupid Russian accent of his I loved only moments earlier.
    “How many of these classes do I have to take?”
    He looked back at me. “As many as you need.”
    I clenched my teeth and dipped my head slowly in surrender. Despite his good looks, he acted like a total ass, and that was something I wasn’t used to.
    Konstantin slid the papers back to Dad, but his gaze never wavered from mine. “I spoke with your old coach and asked about your current training, where you could use improvement. He said you lacked flexibility, which is where ballet comes into play—it helps open your hips, stretch your legs, and gives long lean body lines gymnastics often hardens.