Chicago

[underbrightlite]

Connor stepped onto the stage and headed towards center, looking at the group of students assembled in the house. The man smirked to himself before pointing at a set of scripts on the edge of the stage, his eyes sweeping the crowd. He noticed a blonde sitting just center and his smirk grew wider.

“Miss, if you please” he asked her, moving towards

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[allshowbusiness]

Her initial instinct had been to put down Roxie, the sweet blonde with a heart of gold that the audience rooted for. And while she could have pulled it off - audiences were far easier to deceive than people assumed - she wanted a role with a little more flash, a little more sex appeal. So she'd written down Velma Kelly, with promises to rouge her knees and snap her garters implied in every stroke of the pen, and sang her heart out to All That Jazz, sex and lust and jazz oozing from every word she trilled.

Now came the decidedly less thrilling part: waiting. She had no real worries that anyone would come in and steal her thunder, but she hadn't quite gotten this director on her payroll yet. There was a possibility he'd be looking for something a little less talent-based. Directors did have a tendency to cast for colors, after all.

So it was with a small, all-knowing smile that Charlotte made her way over to the man who claimed to be in charge. "Connor," she drawled, eying the stack of audition sheets curiously. "It's been a long time since I've had such a... competent director." It was fairly evident from the tone of her voice that competent wasn't the word she meant.

[underbrightlite]

Connor looked up at the girl in front of him, attempting to place a name to her face, however all he could come up with was either Roxie or Velma. He feigned a smiled and moved the paper he was looking at to the side, taking a quick glance at the name as he did so. "Charlotte correct?" he asked, her All That Jazz performance clicking as he did so. "That's a pity," the man shook his head, slowly eyeing the girl. "I would have been here sooner, however my other school needed me more."

Connor straightened up in his chair, casting a casual glance at Charlotte's chest before looking her in the eyes. "What can I do for you, my dear?"

[allshowbusiness]

If it bothered her (which it didn't, for the record) that he was objectifying her, she didn't let it show. Instead, she just smiled that much more, leaning forward to rest her palms on the table.

"I'm curious as to what you're looking at for roles. I'm sure a one-minute monologue isn't nearly enough to tell you the chemistry between some of the, shall I say, veteran performers?"

[underbrightlite]

Connor didn't drop his gaze from her eyes as she leaned forward. He would wait before he got hands on with his actors, or at least come up with a better way to keep them hushed up about his...techniques.

"Well" he began, tapping his chin in mock thought, "how you all interact with each other on and off the stage." He glanced at a girl a few rows in front of him, texting on her phone "she for instance, has a higher possibility for a part that doesn't take quite as much effort as say" he pointed at another girl "her, I believe her name has some kind of fruit involved, she would be perfect for a role that requires enough attention." Connor looked back at Charlotte with a smile "As for you, I'm debating between two roles for you, I'll just have to see how you fair in part of the cold reading before I make up my mind"

[allshowbusiness]

Charlotte just nodded, biting at the corner of her nail in mock attentiveness as he spoke. So he wanted to cast Rachel. She was completely supportive of this - in fact, she would rather he cast someone she knew, someone whose abilities she trusted, for her partner. And if he was considering her for two parts, it was practically guaranteed that she would have what she wanted. When didn't she get what she wanted?

"If I may?" It wasn't a question. "Berry is the girl I assume you're talking about. Cast her as Roxie. She's an ingénue if I ever met one. I'll be honored to take up Velma, provided you cast someone suitable for Billy Flynn." Her eyes raked over the audition sheets spread out, and she fell on one in particular. "I'd suggest him. I'm sure you noticed his... flair."

Her expression grew a little more mischievous. "And I can promise you I have no problems with any costume requirements you may have. I can even supply my own garters."

[underbrightlite]

Connor raised an eyebrow, looking back at the girl identified as "Berry" before taking another look at Charlotte. "She does have the ingenue part down. I think you're reading my mind" he watched as Charlotte looked over the sheets. "St. James or Wright? Both of them are going to be hard to place." he said, avoiding Charlotte's second suggestion and pulling their papers in front of him.

Both of Connor's eyebrows raised at this admission, a mental picture, as inappropriate as happened to be, entered his head. "Ah, well, costumes I happen to have a few that would possibly work." He shook his head, releasing the image. "But that is neither here nor there"

[allshowbusiness]

The look she gave him was almost pitiful. Almost being the distinguishing word there, since she didn't assume pitying her potential director before he had agreed to give her the part she wanted was a very good call. Plus, he was certainly attractive working, so if pure flirtation didn't work, there were always other, less wholesome alternatives. He may be a teacher, but he was still a man. And men were predictable.

"St James, of course, as Billy. We have remarkable chemistry, as I'm sure you'll see during our cold reading, and Oliver has the sincerity to portray Amos without the role becoming, shall we say, bland." It wasn't often that she waxed poetic about her peers to their faces - neither of them needed the ego boost - but she knew when to lay it on thick.

"Are you sure? Costumes are an integral part of understanding one's character. Perhaps you could tell me what's going on in that clever mind of yours?"

[underbrightlite]

Connor's gaze drifted once more to Charlotte's chest before snapping back up to see her expression. Connor knew her game, or so he assumed, flirt with the director, get what you want. It usually worked, especially in bars when picking up women.

"He reminded me of myself when I was his age, with much more hair however." Connor mused silently to himself, looking at the boys in the front. "I'll need to see them both again for sure though."

Connor looked up at Charlotte and looked past her ear, thinking quickly. His first instinct was to say she, or whoever his Velma was, would be in just the garters, but he refrained. "Something just risque enough for the production, but not enough to get me fired." he chuckled

[allshowbusiness]

For what it was worth, Charlotte had expected him to be a little more direct. She wasn't entirely surprised - he was a teacher, after all, and a new one, so it would make sense for him to take time to feel the waters - but he was young, and younger teachers had a tendency to slip up. Even just make remarks that might be a little risque, something. She liked those teachers.

"Talent recognizes its own, of course. You'll see that I'm right, Connor, I know my boys." She bit her bottom lip, not out of nervousness, and scooped up his audition sheets, settling them into an orderly pile on the far side of the desk in order to pull herself up to sit on the edge, legs dangling off the side. "If it would help your directing process, I'm sure we could put together a few costumes. If only just to show the other girls what sort of visual you'd like on your stage."

She gave him a meaningful look, lips curving into close to a smirk. "I make it a point to come prepared to auditions. Garter belt and all."

[underbrightlite]

Connor nodded slightly, watching the girl ease herself onto the table. "You feel confident enough that St. James could handle Billy and Wright as Oliver? You wouldn't steer me wrong now would you?" He leaned closer to Charlotte, possibly to close, but Connor didn't care. "That I will save for another day" he glanced up at the stage where the students he had sent out were quietly performing their scene.

"If I were to, say, ask you to put on the outfit I have planned for Cell Block Tango you would?" he eyed her, the mental image he had just erased reappearing once more.

[allshowbusiness]

"Would I do such a thing?" She schooled her features in a look of pure innocence, but it wasn't one she held for very long. "Like I said, I know my boys." As far as she was concerned, he could do whatever he wanted with the other students; she needed supporting roles and cell block girls but as long as they didn't try to infringe on the triangle of raw talent that was her and Jesse and Oliver, it didn't matter to her.

If he was trying to push her boundaries, he was going to try harder than that. Her smile went firmly into the territory of purely wicked as she bit down on the tip of her tongue. "Is there an outfit for me to wear? That's the real question."

[underbrightlite]

"I'll trust you on this one since I am new an all. Perhaps you three could be my... creative input and assistant directors?" he suggested in an airy tone. She was working him and he was enjoying it.

"I might actually" he thought quickly, scooting ever-so-closer to Charlotte, cursing and praising that the desk was in the way. "I, we can find out after auditions."

[allshowbusiness]

If Charlotte was even remotely skittish about sex at all, she might have backed down. She might have taken his blatant invitation and stopped right there. But she wasn't. She had a healthy sexual appetite (and history) and saw no real need to limit herself when she took all the necessary precautions and enjoyed herself along the way.

Besides, he was attractive, and she had always flirted with the fantasy of hooking up with one of her teachers. So Charlotte just smiled that same knowingly wicked smile, her teeth biting down gently on her index finger as she pretended to think about it. (Rule: always lead their attentions to their mouth. Men have insatiable connections to anything that reminds them of oral sex.)

"That does sound like it could be... mutually beneficial. I'm sure you won't mind if I alter the costume a little? It's important to make sure a dancer can breathe and move, after all."

[underbrightlite]

Connor smirked, history knocking on his door about to repeat itself once more. However, he didn't care and from the way Charlotte had bit down on her finger, she sure as hell didn't either.

"Indeed." He straightened up once more, glancing at the group of students. "I assume you know where my office is?" He took the stack of papers and found Charlotte's before taking his pen and putting a star next to her name. "I think that will be the end of auditions. If you don't mind hanging around for," Connor looked Charlotte over, "about two hours, I will have made my decision." he told the students. No shame Connor thought to himself. None at all. She can have whatever part she wants and I will be satisfied for the mean time. Its a fair trade

[allshowbusiness]

If she was in the mood to soothe his worries, she might have told him that she was discrete. She didn't see a reason to publicize something that might not only backfire on her, but on the production itself. She'd heard horror stories, after all, of schools losing funding after indiscretions were made public. So if she did anything, Charlotte was going to be slick about it.

"I'm sure I can find my way, Connor." One last flash of her pearly whites, and she slid off the table, making her way to gather her things. She wasn't about to blatantly walk off with him. Now that would just be stupid.

[underbrightlite]

Connor watched her walk off before he started to slowly gather his papers. He tucked them into his briefcase and walked out of the auditorium. Connor's phone rang as he grew closer to the teacher's lounge, glancing down on it, a smile appeared on his face. It was his former roommate/ex-girlfriend, most likely calling to check up on him.

"Cynthia" he ducked into the teachers lounge and pulled out a blank sheet of paper to write out his cast list and speak to his friend in privacy. Their phone call finished naturally about thirty seconds after he realized that he had a student in his office. Connor picked up the fresh sheet of paper, heading over to the laminating machiene to protect it from anyone who wanted to fix the part they got. If it wasn't for the fact that he had his four stars in mind, he wouldn't have to worry, though he expected at least one girl that auditioned for Roxie to cry when she didn't get the part. With the brand new cast list, Connor proceeded back to his office, Cynthia's words swimming in his mind Don't go slutting it up like you did at your last school and get fired.. Connor scoffed and stood outside his office door.

She was right, in one aspect, he didn't know if Charlotte was the type to keep it quiet or go broadcasting to everyone at how much of a skeez he really was. Making up his mind to not give into temptation (well, for today at least), he opened his door and stopped in his footsteps. Oh Hell