Set Loose by Isabel Morin

Lisa’s earnest expression. He sighed, all of his anger draining away. “I’ll think about it. Now get inside. It’s late.”
    He watched as she dug in her bag for her keys and then let herself in. Not until she’d waved from inside did he pull away.
    He spent the whole drive home examining his actions and motivations, wondering if he had some sort of complex. But it wasn’t like he was some martyr pining for the dancers and denying himself anyway. He really did want to look out for them the way he wished someone had done for Lisa. No one had tempted him in all this time, maybe because a lot of them had some complicated shit going on in their lives, but also because he’d been kind off women since Amy.
    Then Emily came along.
    The first time he saw her he’d felt like he had as a teenager, watching the blond girls at school like they were exotic animals. Which they were to him. He’d just switched high schools to live with his father, and it was his first time going to school off the reservation. He’d felt like an alien and was sure he’d never make friends.
    He used to try to imagine what their lives were like, their houses and bedrooms, but he came up completely empty. He knew one thing, though. They weren’t in run-down shacks on land so barren and undesirable the government happily gave it to the Washoe.
    It had been ages since he’d thought about high school, and lord knew he’d slept with enough blonds since then. But Emily pushed his buttons for some reason. He felt a touch of what he had as a teenager when he was around her, like she was part of another world and maybe he’d get a taste but he couldn’t really have her. Now that they’d kissed, it was even worse.
    If she hadn’t confessed that she’d be leaving soon, he’d probably be on his way back to her hotel room right now. But he already liked her way more than he should for something that could only be brief and casual. The last thing he wanted was to be some guy she slummed with during her adventure in Las Vegas.
    So maybe it was his protective instinct that was getting in the way, only it wasn’t like Lisa thought. This time it was himself he was protecting.
    ***
    Emily swatted desperately at her alarm the next morning, groaning with fatigue, only to realize the sound that woke her was her phone ringing.
    “Hello?” she croaked, sounding like she’d smoked several packs of cigarettes.
    “Did I wake you, honey? I’m sorry. I was sure you’d be up by now.”
    It was ten o’clock, the usual time she got up now that she worked so late, though her mother assumed she still got up early like most working adults. She’d tossed and turned all night, her thoughts stuck on Cutter, so even the late hour hadn’t left her rested.
    She sat up and tried to clear her head.
    “It’s fine, Mom,” she said, forcing cheer into her voice. “I guess I just overslept. What’s up?”
    “Not too much. I hadn’t heard from you for a few days so I wanted to see how the ballet is coming along.”
    She’d told her mother she was working with the Nevada Ballet Theater on the staging of a ballet she’d once starred in. Now every time she talked to her it meant telling more lies, so she’d been avoiding it. Which wasn’t fair and only ratcheted up her daily dose of guilt.
    “It’s going great. They seem to like what I’m contributing.”
    “That’s great, honey.”
    They talked for a few more minutes before Emily hung up, relieved her mom didn’t ask too many questions. The money was really going to come in handy, but she didn’t want her mom to know just how much she needed it, or what she was doing to get it.
    Forcing herself out of bed, she started a pot of coffee and ate a protein bar. As soon as the caffeine had taken hold she dressed in her old practice clothes and headed for the club. Steve had agreed to let her practice when the club was closed, as she wasn’t in anyone’s way. There was always someone else there – the janitor, the