Lovers' Dance

by Carr, K

  “Oh my God,” I squeaked, striding up to the brunette and grabbing at her hand like a freak. She shot Nathan a nervous glance, then beamed when she saw my intent.

  I squealed. Yes, it was a squeal. Embarrassing, but couldn’t be helped.

  “Are you guys engaged? Of course, you are. There’s a ring on your finger.” I was manhandling her hand, trying to get a good look at the rock. “Look at your ring. Oh my gosh. When did this happen? How did he propose? Did he go down on one knee? Matt. They’re engaged.”

  I pulled Bella into a hug. We barely knew each other, but she’d been nice at the charity ball and I was excited.

  “I know they are, poppet,” Matt drawled as he came down the stairs at a more sedate pace.

  “Congratulations,” I said, stepping away from Bella, then reaching out to hug Nathan, too.

  It was awkward. I shouldn’t have done it but sometimes I was over exuberant. Nathan stood stiffly, arms at his side as I thumped his shoulders. He uneasily patted me lightly on the lower back, to which Matt jokingly warned him to unhand his woman. Yeah, it was awkward.

  “Thank you,” he said when I stepped back.

  I turned my attention back to Bella. She held her hand out so I could fully appreciate the magnificent ring Nathan had shackled her with. I loved the thought of marriage, just didn’t see it happening with me. Come on, I was a tad neurotic. A man would need to have his own level of crazy to deal with my brand of madness. Matt definitely wasn’t that kind of crazy. Grumps’s words echoed in my head.

  “Shall we go now?” Nathan asked Matt, with a questioning eyebrow raised as Bella advised me of the colour and clarity of her ring. The carat—Nathan must be as rich as Matt. It seemed he’d gone all out on Bella’s engagement ring.

  Matt came over to ease me away from Bella. “Get your bag, poppet. We’re leaving.”

  Grinning at Bella, I went over to grab my everyday bag and take out my cell, wallet and Oyster card. Once I’d transferred the necessities into a black clutch that had been lying unused on my desk for weeks, I was ready.

  “What did you do with my keys?” I asked Matt, who was ushering Nathan and Bella to the front door.

  “They’re in the kitchen. I’ve got mine. Let’s go.”

  Biting back a retort, I went to get my keys. Couldn’t risk not being able to get in again.

  Matt was impatiently tapping his foot as I hurried to the front door. “You have no real sense of urgency, do you?” he asked dryly.

  I cocked an eyebrow at him. “Bearing in mind, I wasn’t planning on going out tonight and I don’t know where we’re going, I don’t think you should be complaining about my sense of urgency, Matt.”

  He watched me for a second, then sent me a boyish grin. “God, I love you, woman. You’re bloody cheeky and, for the life of me, I can’t understand why I absolutely enjoy that trait of yours. Something I wouldn’t tolerate with anyone else, mind you.”

  “Is it because I’m cute and chocolaty?” I teased as he locked up. I could start back being distant with him tomorrow. Tonight, I wanted to hold my boyfriend’s hand, maybe get to second base. He seemed serious about this dating thing again. A month? Seriously?

  Matt checked the door was secure, then slipped a hand around my waist as we walked towards his car where Bella and Nathan stood waiting.

  “You’re not cute,” Matt said firmly. “You’re exquisite, and the chocolaty comment makes me a bit uncomfortable, but it’s true nonetheless.”

  “You enjoy mixing your milk with my coffee, Mr Bradley?” I whispered as we drew nearer to the car.

  “Stop,” Matt said sharply. “I dislike you joking about this topic, Madison.”

  I stiffened next to him, suddenly feeling like a reprimanded school child. It was a joke. Maybe tasteless, but a simple joke.

  “Sorry,” I mumbled under my breath. He was like the wind. One moment playful, the next turbulent and cold. Might as well buy him panties and a box of tampons. Was he experiencing male PMS?

  His hand constricted on my waist as he felt my stiffness. We were almost at the car.

  Matt leaned down to whisper in my ear. “Forgive me, poppet. I’m being an arse again. Joke all you want—”

  “No, you’re right,” I interrupted quietly as he pulled his car keys out. I gave him a small smile, then stepped away. We never talked about our differences in race. Not really. I’d make a joke and he would frown and tell me to stop showing my racist tendencies. Then I would laugh, and he would smile at me before changing the subject. It obviously made Matt uncomfortable. I made him uncomfortable. Grumps was right in a way: Matt was in a situation he’d never been in before. Grumps had said, once the novelty wore off, Matt would no doubt resume his old life with his old companions. Grumps was well aware of Matt’s prolific love life. He’d sounded—dare I say—impressed when advising me someone as experienced as Matt would eventually yearn for more than I could give him. It had grossed me out, having Matt’s granddad talking about sex with me. Eurgh.

  Watching me like a hawk, Matt opened his car and we filed in, the exaggerated clearing of his throat reminding me to buckle up. Nathan and Bella were cosy in the backseat. I was stressing over Matt’s reaction to my teasing comment. We’d been on the road for about ten minutes before hitting red lights. Matt reached across to grab my hand and bring it to his lips. He winked at me as he pressed a soft kiss on my palm, willing me with his eyes to smile.

  I did. My mood improved considerably by his tender action. Nathan made a comment from the back about Matt needing both hands to drive and we all laughed.

  “Where are we going?” I asked Matt as he rested my hand over his firm leg and resumed driving.

  “A private auction, poppet,” Matt advised, malevolently cutting off a car that was trying to undercut him. He was as aggressive as me behind the wheel.

  “What? Now?” I asked in surprise, glancing at the dashboard. “It’s gone ten pm. What sort of auction starts this late? I hope it’s not anything illegal, Matt. I will turn you into the cops if you’re involved in anything shady.” I yanked my hand from his thigh and twisted in my seat to peer at Bella and Nathan who were chuckling in amusement. “You guys, too. What is it you Brits say? Ah, yes,—I’ll shop you.”

  Nathan’s chuckles turned into a loud uncivilized bray of laughter before he said to Matt, “Some girlfriend, mate. Whatever happened to loyalty between couples?”

  Observing Nathan and Bella, I snorted in derision. “Loyalty, my ass. I’m not doing time for anyone, not even a cutie like Matt.”

  It was Bella’s turn to let out a loud exclamation of amusement. Nathan shook his head as he corrected my pronunciation. “The word is arse, not ass, Madi. How long have you been living over here?”

  “I’ve tried to tell her, mate.” Matt said lightly. “But her Americanisms are entrenched. You should hear the way she pronounces ‘Salisbury.’”

  “Don’t you guys read the Bible?” I jumped to my own defence. “King James version. Check the spelling.”

  Nathan regarded me with trepidation. “You’re not one of those Christian fundamentalists, are you?”

  Matt choked on his breath before sending me a mischievous sidelong glance with the corner of his mouth curling up. “If, by fundamentalist, you’re alluding to someone who has no qualms about—”

  “Shut up,” I squeaked, certain he was going to say something completely embarrassing and smutty. He twisted his head to grin at me. The gleam in his eyes confirmed my suspicions.

  “Let’s just say Madi makes me feel close to heaven.” The lewd way Matt wagged his eyebrows at me had my cheeks blazing.

  “Matt,” Bella chastised, herself looking a bit embarrassed. “Behave.”

  Both men laughed at us while Bella and I huffed with righteous, ladylike indignation.

  “Are we heading into Central London, Matt?” I asked to staunch his sexy chuckles.

  “It’s a secret location, poppet,” was all he would say. When I asked Bella and Nathan, t
hey, too, repeated his answer. Crazy ass. I hoped tonight wasn’t going to be some weird—

  “You’re not going to auction me off, are you?” I could hear how ridiculous the words sounded as they left my mouth. Matt turned his head to give me an intense look. We had hit a red light. His grey eyes observed me clinically for a moment, and I tried my best not to freak. Why was he looking at me like that? Shit. He wouldn’t dare take me to some illegal flesh trade, would he? Would I fetch a good price? What the hell was I thinking?

  “Poppet,” he finally said as the lights changed. Amusement started to leak into his grey orbs, replacing that clinical look. “Sometimes I wonder what goes through that head of yours. Auction you off? How utterly ridiculous.”

  “What do you expect me to think?” I rallied, feeling a tad foolish. Speaking without thinking was a bad trait to have. “A late night auction? Whereabouts unknown? Crazy gazillionaire? I read the news, you know. Stuff like that could happen. Nathan could keep it out of the news, keep my disappearance secret.” I continued to explain my previous silly comment. Should I stop digging the hole now?

  Matt shook his head and sent me a sidelong amused glance. “Why don’t we have quiet time, poppet? Just don’t speak for a while.”

  I shot him a glare as the back of the car erupted into laughter, then the corners of my mouth curled in a smile. He grabbed my hand and rested it on his leg. It was a strange thing between us, strange and comforting. The constant need to touch whenever we were in close proximity.

  “Okay, Mr Bradley,” I teased. “I’ll keep my big mouth shut until we get wherever we’re going.”

  “Wise choice, poppet,” Matt agreed, then licked his lips as I stroked his thigh lightly.

  The car descended into a relaxed silence as Matt drove. It didn’t take us long to hit Central London. I lived in Greenwich, Zone 2. Central London was Zone 1, and I loved being close to where the action was.

  There was traffic on the road, even at this time, and Matt peered at his watch.

  “What time are you going in to the studio tomorrow, poppet?” Matt asked, breaking the silence with his casual question.

  “Seven-ish.” I replied. “Why?”

  “After the auction, I’ve arranged for a boat ride on the Thames. I don’t want to keep you out too late.”

  Boat ride on the Thames at night? I could live with the lack of sleep. I beamed like a kid who found out Santa was their long-lost great-uncle, and he was coming for a visit with his sack of toys.

  “It’s safe to assume from your expression that you’re okay with that,” Matt said dryly.

  I nodded. This was going to be a great date as long as I didn’t get injured on the boat, and Matt wasn’t planning on selling me to the highest bidder at this secret auction.

  To hell with Grumps and his five C’s personality. I was riding the Matt train for as long as my ticket allowed...

  <><><>

  “This is cool, Matt,” I whispered as he gripped my waist to ensure I didn’t fall in my heels. I could’ve mentioned that I was a ballerina, balance was my business, but it was nice having him hold me close.

  “Why are you whispering, poppet?” Matt asked as we followed Nathan and Bella down the stairs.

  “Because…I don’t know. It’s all Bond-like.”

  Matt shook his head as we made our way down. He had made only one request of me on arrival: that I keep the location secret. I promised I would, feeling like a spy. All I needed was a change of clothes…mmm, leather, perhaps. And hidden weapons. Madison DuMont, secret agent extraordinaire.

  “It’s like we work for the CIA or MI5,” I continued in a hushed voice. “Can you imagine meeting here for secret missions? I wonder if this area was ever used for something like that. Is it MI5 or MI6?”

  Matt shook his head again and tightened his grip on my waist. “Doubtful, poppet, and MI5 deals with protecting the UK, its citizens and interests at home or oversees against threats to national security, while MI6 gathers intelligence outside the UK in support of the government’s security, defence and foreign and economic policies. Trust me, there have been no secret meetings down here.”

  “How do you know?” I scoffed.

  Matt smiled at me. “Because I have connections. Be careful on the last few steps, please.”

  I paused in my descent, eyeing him suspiciously. An image of my mantle clock flashed before my eyes—an image of a surveillance camera hidden inside it.

  “What do you mean?” One hand on my hip. “You have connections? What sort of connections?”

  He chuckled and tugged me lightly. “I can’t talk about it, and I can’t tell you why,” he responded, with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

  Idiot. But I eyed him with slight caution as we took the last few steps down.

  “For a man of your age, you are full of shit, Matt,” I finally said, then fell silent as my eyes wandered around the disused tube station in awe. I’d been to Aldwych Underground Station once, a branch of the Piccadilly Line. It was a great tourist spot, although not open most of the time. This particular secret, disused station had been remodelled. How on earth had they done this without people knowing about it? What about building permits? Didn’t TfL own all of London’s underground travel systems? I mean, we travellers paid for around ninety percent of their operational expenditures, damned expensive Travelcards and Oyster. Had they sold this area to some wealthy eccentric? Made a quick buck while us average Joes got a teeth-grinding increase in fares every year? Damn it. I was going to boycott the Underground.

  Money. You can do anything if you have enough money.

  “Poppet?” Matt leaned down, a concerned look on his face. “What’s wrong? Why are you scowling?”

  I smoothed my face into a pleasant mask and shrugged as I observed numerous well-dressed people socializing, laughing, drinking.

  “I’m fine, hon,” I murmured as he was spotted by a small group of people who immediately started in our direction. “This is something. Really something.”

  He beamed at me. “I’m glad you like it, poppet. We hold these auctions every few months—”

  “Is it illegal?” I interrupted. What happened to Sotheby’s? Or Christies? And Bonham’s? Or the other top auction houses where people with too much money purchased ridiculously expensive things you’d normally find in museums? Why were we under the streets of London in an architecturally redone disused tube station? Oh God.

  “Matt, I swear if you auction me off, I’ll kick you in the balls.” My crazy assumption didn’t seem that crazy now.

  Matt burst out in laughter, so loud quite a few heads swivelled around to check out what the fuss was about.

  “You’re insane,” he managed to wheeze out, face red and eyes watering a bit. “Oh, sweetheart, you do make me laugh. Everything is above board, just a small gathering of like-minded people who wish to add to their private collections.”

  The group of people were almost upon us. Nathan and Bella were exchanging handshakes and air kisses with them.

  “Just so you know,” I whispered self-righteously. “If I see stolen artwork, I’m reporting it. There’s a register, you know, you can check these things. I was raised to do the right thing. I don’t want to turn you and your rich friends in, but I will.”

  My warning didn’t have the effect I was hoping for. Matt’s gaze softened and he reached up to tuck one of my curls tenderly behind my ear. He saw the group approaching us and he leaned in to whisper, “You’re crazy, poppet, and I love every single thing about you. Even the fact you’re willing to give me up to the police.”

  I leaned back, eyes narrowed warily. Matt had that mushy look on his face and my heart went into overdrive.

  “I would try my best to leave you out of it.” I glanced over at the group. “You and Bella. Nathan’s getting told on.”

  Matt straightened up and an aloof mask slid over his face as he slipped his large hand over mine. The group of people were in front of us.

  “Matt Bradley.”
A tall, thin man dressed in tweed—seriously, tweed—held a hand out as his eyes travelled over me. “Glad you could make it tonight.”

  “Richard.” Matt pumped the man’s hand up and down a few times. “I wouldn’t miss any of your auction nights. This is my date, Madison DuMont.”

  Richard, tweedy Richard, turned to me and held his hand out. I shook his unnaturally soft hand with a distracted smile on my face.

  Date? I was just a date? Why hadn’t Matt introduce me as his girlfriend?

  “Charmed,” Richard said as I dropped his hand. He motioned to Matt and stepped closer to my date. What was that about? Had I been demoted for tonight? Matt and his stupid dating rules. The man made no sense, no sense at all.

  “I’ve managed to find the items you were interested in, Matt.”

  Matt arched an eyebrow at Richard. His thumb had begun a slow caress over the skin on my hand. Nice.

  “And instead of arranging a private sale for me, you decided to put it up for auction?” Matt’s arched eyebrow indicated annoyance, but his tone was amused.

  Richard must have heard the amusement in Matt’s voice, and he must have known him well, because he shrugged with a devilish look on his face and said, “Not me, personally, but the seller.”

  Matt didn’t laugh, even though I knew he wanted to. I knew him pretty well. But why was I only a date? Maybe I didn’t know the inner workings of Matt’s mind as well as I thought I did.

  “Ah, of course,” Matt agreed with a smirk. “The fault lies with the seller.”

  Richard nodded, a deadpan expression on his features, but his eyes screamed slyness. “The best price is being sought, Matt, and you are well-known for your impressive negotiation skills. If the seller knew you were interested, I’m sure no matter what figure was agreed for the item, they would’ve felt as if you got one over on them.”

  “True,” Matt mused, eyes scanning the crowds, while I fidgeted by his side. I should’ve wrapped bandages around my toes. Throbbing with pain was a good explanation of what was currently taking place in my heels.

  “Looks like things are about to kick off.” Matt tilted his head at me. “Shall we find seats?”