“Got it,” Aimee agreed.
Nadia made a sweeping gesture at the front counter and everything on it. “And that pretty much wraps up the basics for running the front. Other than that, smile at the customers and wipe down the tables when there’s a lull. Any questions?”
“Sure. Hypothetical situation…”
“Yes?”
“Say I drop a scone or something on the floor but pick it up before any customers see it. Do you guys believe in the five-second rule, or not?”
Nadia stared at her. “Oh, honey, please tell me you’re joking.”
Aimee grinned.
“Yeah, you’ll fit in just fine here,” Nadia told the girl wryly just as her cell phone rang. “Trish, can you show Aimee how to work the alarm?” she called out as she pulled her phone from her pocket and pressed the talk button. “Hello?”
“You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?”
The sound of Benji’s voice on her phone sent a small thrill of pleasure through her. “Hi,” she returned. “What’s this about trying to kill you? I remember everyone I issue death threats to, and you’re not on my list for today.”
“No? That’s pretty much what your note amounted to. Salsa dancing? Really?”
Nadia smiled. “Nobody dies from salsa dancing, Benji.”
“What about the ones who die from shame?”
“Every man should learn a few dance steps to keep in his back pocket—especially if he’s trying to learn how to sweep women off their feet.”
“I might trip a few on the dance floor. Does that count as sweeping?”
“I’m sure you’ll do better than that. Besides, you know what they say, Benji. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I promise I’ll walk you through the steps. But women love a man who can dance, plus dance clubs are great places to meet new people, so will you at least try it?”
There was faint mumbling on the other end.
Nadia strained to hear. “What?”
“Nothing, I was just trying to bargain with God. Didn’t work.”
She bit back a laugh. “Pick me up at eight. I’ll text you the address.”
“You’re a cruel woman, Nadia Normandy.”
“Me? I’m as sweet as pumpkin pie. See you tonight, Benji.”
“Fine. Eight o’clock.”
Ending the call, Nadia shoved the phone back in her pocket with the unwavering feeling that—despite the fact that she always enjoyed dancing anyway—tonight was going to be a particularly interesting night.
* * *
Nadia glanced at the clock on her wall and then returned her attention to her reflection in the mirror so she could finish putting on her lipstick. Knowing Benji, he would probably be early, so she was quick to apply the finishing touches before taking a step back and giving herself a final appraisal. Red was a good color for her, especially when it belonged to a flirty little dress that was perfect for salsa dancing. She’d chosen it after at least fifteen minutes of combing through her clothes, which was far more time than she usually spent picking out an outfit these days.
But after all, it was Benji’s first time salsa dancing. Surely that warranted a little extra effort on her part?
There was a knock on her door, and she felt a flicker of anticipation. Benji Garner on a dance floor. This was going to truly be something to see.
She opened the door to find him standing out in the hallway, in the process of wiping his glasses on the hem of his shirt that he had, to his credit, remembered to leave untucked. “Hi,” he greeted her as he started to put his glasses back on. “I know I’m a little early, but—” Then he stopped talking altogether as said glasses settled back onto the bridge of his nose and he caught sight of her.
Well, making a man speechless was as good a way as any to start off an evening, Nadia thought. “Hi.”
Benji shook himself out of his apparent daze, but his expression was one of unabashed admiration. “Sorry, I swallowed my tongue for a minute there, but I’m better now. You look…stunning.”
Yes, the red dress had been a good choice. “And you are getting better with small talk and flattery,” she told him, pleased by his reaction. “You can never really go wrong with ‘stunning’.”
“It’s only flattery if it isn’t true, isn’t it?”
“I think you’re going to turn a few heads yourself tonight. You look good.”
And he did. His coat was open at the front to reveal that Benji had taken her fashion advice to heart last night, because she recognized the shirt and slacks he had on as one combination she had shown him. They fit him well. Very well.
And his hair—it was ruffled and mussed just right, much as she had made it look that day at the bookstore. About the only thing he could have done to improve further on his look was to throw in the stubble that she’d admired on him last night. Or was it in the wee hours of the morning? In any case…
“Come on,” she told Benji, slipping on her coat and reaching for her beaded clutch. “We look too good to waste another minute standing here. Let’s go dance.”
* * *
Luna Bailando was a popular hangout on any night, but with New Year’s Eve as close as it was, there seemed to be even more revelers out than usual. Dancers already crowded the dance floor in the club, and virtually every seat in the place had already been claimed.
Benji said something from beside Nadia as they stood just inside the entrance, but his voice was drowned out by the DJ’s music.
“What?” Nadia asked, struggling to hear him.
“I said, is it always this loud?” he asked, cupping his mouth with one hand and leaning closer to speak more directly into her ear.
The warmth of his breath on her earlobe created a pleasant sensation that momentarily distracted her. “Pretty much. You’ll get used to it, though, and it’ll make it easier to stay on the beat when you’re dancing.”
“If you say so.” He smiled wryly as if he didn’t believe anything could help him that much and turned fascinated eyes on the dancers who were already on the floor.
“So you’ll at least try it?”
“That depends. Do they serve alcohol here?”
“Yes.”
“Then maybe.”
She laughed. “Come on, let’s find a spot to stash our coats.” Leading the way around the outskirts of the dance space and waving to a few familiar faces, Nadia wound her way toward an empty seat by the bar.
“Nadia! Over here!”
The sound of her name being called made Nadia look over at a table in the corner where a voluptuous woman with a cloud of blond hair was wiggling her fingers at her to get her attention.
Karen. No, wait…Karina. That was it. A regular on the dance club scene.
“Who’s that?” Benji asked from behind her.
“Someone I know from clubbing. We should say hi.”
Her gaze landed on another pair of ladies at Karina’s table as she led the way over. She knew neither by name, but they looked vaguely familiar. Most likely regulars, too. They nodded at her as she approached, but she didn’t miss the way their eyes almost immediately settled on Benji, sizing him up.
Or the unexpected flicker of displeasure she felt at the sight.
Smothering it, she plastered a smile onto her face. “Karina,” Nadia greeted the blonde, and the other woman hopped up from the table to give her a quick hug. It wasn’t something she normally did, and somehow it seemed as if it was meant more for Benji’s benefit than Nadia’s, particularly since the hopping motion emphasized Karina’s generous assets.
“Sweetie, it’s so good to see you! Where have you been hiding yourself lately?” Karina asked, reproach obvious in her tone and her eyes flitting between Benji and Nadia.
“Just been busy with the holidays and everything. You know how it is.”
“Do I,” the other woman returned knowingly as she turned a coy little smile in Benji’s direction. “Is this what’s been keeping your holidays so busy? Hi, I’m Karina.” She offe
red her hand.
Benji took it.
It was only polite that he do so, but somehow the sight didn’t sit well with Nadia. “We were just going to grab a seat at the bar, so…” she started to say.
“The bar? No, sit with us! We’ll make room,” Karina said, motioning for her two friends to scoot their chairs a little closer together.
“That’s really not necessary—”
But Karina had already pulled an unused chair from a neighboring table and added it to theirs. She patted the seat, obviously directing the invitation more towards Benji than Nadia.
Benji only adjusted his glasses and smiled politely before turning to speak to Nadia instead. “Maybe I should get us some drinks first?”
“Perfect,” she said, hoping her satisfaction didn’t show too much on her face. “Margarita?”
“Anyone else?” he asked, ever the gentleman, and there was a chorus of drink orders from the other ladies.
“Coming right up.” He disappeared in the direction of the bar, and Nadia—rather reluctantly—draped her coat over a chair and sat down.
Karina leaned in. “He’s a cutie pie, Nadia. Is he yours?”
For a split second, Nadia wasn’t sure how she wanted to answer that. It was silly, because the whole purpose of taking Benji out dancing was to provide him with a new venue for meeting women. “No, he’s just a friend,” she said finally. “We’re here tonight so I can give him a salsa lesson. He’s never danced before.”
All three women at the table perked up as if she’d just announced the sale of the century. “Well, we’ll be happy to help him practice, won’t we, ladies?” Then Karina frowned and gestured at the dance floor. “There are, like, three women for every guy tonight. You were smart to bring your own.”
Funny, but Nadia was beginning to question the brilliance of her idea to bring Benji here tonight.
He reappeared behind her then, unfortunately without the drink that Nadia suddenly felt she could really use right about now. “They’re going to bring the drinks over,” he said as he set his coat down, and then before he could sit, Karina sprang up and wrapped her arm around his as she smiled up at him.
“So I hear this is your first time salsa dancing,” she all but cooed. “This is going to be fun.”
He blinked. “Oh. Yes, well, let’s hope so.”
Karina opened her mouth to say something else, and instinct told Nadia that it was going to be an invitation to dance. It was a perfectly normal thing for her to say, especially after Nadia had already told her that she and Benji were merely friends—
—and yet Nadia found herself standing up and stepping in between them to wrap the fingers of her hand around Benji’s, breaking the contact between Karina and him. “Yes, it is going to be fun,” she agreed with a smile that she hoped looked perfectly pleasant. “Would you excuse us, Karina?”
“Huh? Oh, sure, of course.” The blonde’s smile faltered momentarily, but she quickly restored it as she took a step back. “But save me a dance!”
Benji’s fingers curled around Nadia’s in return as she started to pull him toward the crowded dance floor, a perfectly innocent form of contact of which Nadia was far more aware than she had reason to be. It was the lights, she told herself, and the effect of the music, or maybe it was the drinks making her lightheaded. Then she realized she hadn’t had any yet.
“She seems…friendly,” Benji said, hard to hear over the music, and all Nadia could seem to do was nod wordlessly in reply and try to ignore the way his comment left a sour taste in her mouth.
Turning to face him on the dance floor, she felt a moment’s hesitation before stepping closer to him in the natural dance embrace, which was ridiculous since she had danced like this with countless other men before. If anything, it was far less intimate than the dance frames of most of the other dancers on the floor, and yet she was acutely aware of the warmth his body radiated this close to hers.
Nadia forced her attention onto the dance. “Now,” she told Benji, her face inches from his and her eyes locked onto his vivid blue ones, “you put your other arm around me and remember to keep a little tension in both arms, okay?”
He nodded silently, his eyes never leaving her face, and then he slid his free arm very carefully around her waist as if concerned about pulling her too close. His hesitation made her forget her own, and she squeezed his fingers in hers where they joined hands before pulling him just a little bit closer.
“Just follow my lead,” she told him, curiously breathless. “And hold on tight.”
Then she let the music take over.
Chapter Eight
“You’re doing great,” Nadia encouraged him sometime later, laughing and with any awkwardness forgotten while they danced. “Really, you’ve got the basic step, you’re keeping good time with the music—”
Benji wore a frown of concentration, but at her words, his lips momentarily twitched as if he wanted to smile but couldn’t coordinate both smiling and dancing at the same time. “Thanks.”
“But you should try not to look at your feet all the time.”
“Okay.” He raised his head obediently and then two seconds later sent a furtive glance downward.
She grinned at him, feeling a wave of affection. “Fun, huh?”
“You tell me,” he said. “You’re the one whose feet I’ve stepped on twenty times.”
“Happens to everybody when they first learn. Don’t worry about it. Hey, if you’re up for it, why don’t we try an underarm turn next?”
“Sure.”
“And maybe a little hip action.”
“Absolutely not.”
Nadia did a double take. “What? Why?”
“I’ll stick to the footwork and leave the hip action to you.”
“But it’s salsa,” she said reasonably. “You’re supposed to move your hips.”
“But you see, when you move your hips like that, you look good. If I try to do it, I’ll just look like my underwear’s creeping up on me.”
A startled laugh escaped her. “I beg your pardon?”
“Hey, you got me on the dance floor. I’d call that a major win for you. Save the rest for another day.”
The song came to an end and faded into another, slower number that was better suited to a rhumba than a salsa, or even to the ever-popular seventh-grade slow dance style that was more commonly seen on the dance floor.
After a moment’s hesitation, Benji drew Nadia in closer. She let him, although she couldn’t seem to look him in the eye and averted her gaze to look over his shoulder instead. It was still a casual dance frame, but she felt a subtle change as they settled into it that was less a shift in style and more a shift in mood.
Her free hand slid very naturally up higher on his arm until it came to rest behind his neck, almost of its own accord, and she felt his hand tighten on her waist in response. It felt good to have it there—maybe too good—and she felt an inexplicable urge to bolt.
What on earth was wrong with her?
“Nadia,” he started to say, his voice low and his mouth close to her ear, and her strange need to flee increased.
“You know what?” she interrupted a little too brightly as she pulled back from him, her heart thumping unusually fast. “I’m not really a slow dance kind of girl. Besides, my feet could use a break. Why don’t you ask Karina to dance instead? She’s been eyeing us this whole time, and I think she’s dying to get out on the dance floor with you.”
“Oh.” Confusion flickered through his eyes. She felt a pang of guilt for having put it there, but her rising anxiety—peculiar as it was—overruled it.
“It’s a share-the-wealth kind of thing,” she told him, aware that she wasn’t really being honest about her reasons but with the words still tumbling from her mouth. “There are so few guys to go around here that it wouldn’t be fair to keep you all to myself. Besides, you play your cards right, and you could walk out of here with Karina’s number. That’s the kind of thing we came here for, rig
ht?”
Benji didn’t answer her right away. After a moment, he shrugged, his expression unreadable. “If that’s what you think is best.”
She wasn’t so sure that she did, but she turned anyway to gesture for Karina only to discover that the blonde had already appeared right behind her.
“Taking a break?” she said to Nadia while smiling at Benji. “I’d love to take him for a spin.”
I’ll bet you would, Nadia thought, and then immediately wondered again what was wrong with her. Was that jealousy? That was ridiculous, especially considering how eager she’d been a moment ago to put some distance between herself and Benji—literally. “Absolutely,” she said, taking a step back to clear a path for Karina. “He’s all yours. Have fun.”
And then she gave Benji a quick smile before turning away to leave the dance floor behind her, resisting the urge to look back because she realized she didn’t really care to watch Karina wrap her arms around him.
Her margarita had been delivered to the table at some point while she was on the dance floor, and she drank down half of it before realizing what she was doing. Karina’s two friends stared at her. “Thirsty,” she lied curtly, and one of them nodded politely.
Abandoning the drink, Nadia turned around again to watch the dancers on the floor, her eyes repeatedly drawn back to Benji and Karina. They looked good together, and while Benji moved a trifle stiffly, Karina didn’t seem to mind in the least. No, the blonde looked very happy, and—
Oh, come on, woman. Play a little hard to get, Nadia thought irritably as Karina pressed herself even closer to Benji.
“Hey there, gorgeous.”
Startled by the new voice, Nadia turned her head to see the speaker and recognized the personal trainer who had given her his number last week. Tall, broad-shouldered, and with gleaming white teeth that probably cost him a small fortune, he grinned down at her with his arms folded across his chest in such a way as to emphasize his melon-sized biceps. “Oh,” she said, struggling to remember his name. It began with a D, didn’t it? “Hi… Dan, right?”
The Heavenly Bites Novella Collection Page 11