Page 31 of Easy Rumba

Chapter 14

Leo

After a full day of practice, I send Elise home for a rest while I tidy up the studio. We’ve nailed the dance completely, and I’m beyond happy. The rumba is one of the hardest dances for a celebrity to score good marks on, and after two tens last week and finishing top of the leaderboard again, I really want to make sure we stay in that position. Having stacked the chairs, I place my water bottle and towel into my bag. I’ll shower later when I get home.

Coming four times in one day has left me a little tired. I’m not the young man I once was. Yawning, I swing the bag up over my shoulder and prepare to leave the studio, but as I head for the door, I’m stopped by the appearance of a smartly dressed man. He has designer sunglasses over his eyes, and when he pulls them up, something seems vaguely familiar about him, but I can’t place it.

“Can I help you?” I question politely and place my bag back down on the floor.

“Are you Leo Westwood?”

I nod my head,

“Sí, that’s me.” I can’t help the Spanish that creeps into my speech sometimes. It’s normally when I’m tired. It’s the language I always use when speaking to my mamá, but I use English with Elise and her family. “How can I help you?”

“You can stay the fuck away from my wife and daughter. That’s what you can do.”

The man bears down on me with an angry expression on his face.

“Woah.” I hold my hands up in the air. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I can assure you whoever your wife and daughter are I’m being nothing but a gentleman with them.”

“Like hell you are. I know your type.” The man is getting really irate now, and I’m still none the wiser as to who he is. “They aren’t yours, and you’ll stay away from them. Nobody has a say in their lives except me.”

“I think you’ve got the wrong person,” I tell him. I’ve still got my hands where he can see them. In my head, though, I’m trying to remember where I left my phone in my bag and wondering how quickly I can get to it if needed. Is this guy on drugs or something? He’s certainly got a case of mistaken identity. “Why don’t we go to the café over the road and have a chat about this?”

The man laughs and comes closer to me. I take a few steps back. I don’t want to get in a fight with him. We’d be a good match for each other. He looks pretty muscular. However, I want to avoid a physical confrontation as much as possible.

“Do you know who I am? I’ll squash you like a fly if you try to make an imbecile of me,” the man growls at me. “Elise certainly is slumming it with a fool like you. Stupid whore.”

“What the fuck?” Ok, maybe I’ve changed my mind about smashing this guy’s face in. It suddenly dawns on me who he is—he’s Elise’s ex-husband. I thought he looked familiar. I’ve seen him in the films the other dance professionals watch. As much as I want to give him a taste of his own medicine and beat him into submission, I need to stay in control. “Now I know exactly who you are, and I rescind my offer of having a talk over coffee. Get out of here now before I call the cops.”

“You don’t get to speak to me that way. I’m warning you little man, stay away from my wife and child.”

“Little man? I think you need to take a look in the mirror. Elise is no longer your wife, and you signed all rights away to Izzy. So get out and leave them the fuck alone.” My words leave no room for discussion. I’m done speaking to him. He’s an abusive, stuck up asshole with far too much self-importance. It’s a waste of my time trying to talk to him. He won’t listen to me.

Simon steps back and folds his arms across his chest.

“You seem to know a lot about me. Far too much for just a dance partner. Whatever Elise has been telling you is all lies. She has an illness, and she needs help.” I bend down and pick up my bag before barging past him. I’m not going to listen to anything else he has to say. “My daughter is in danger, and what you’re doing is making it worse. You need to throw the dance this weekend and get her chucked out of the show. Then I can get my wife the help she needs,” Simon continues to shout at me as I walk down the corridor. His footsteps hurrying to keep up with me. “She hits our daughter. Do you want to be responsible for Elise harming her?”

I slam to a halt. Rage boils within me. I need to calm down.

Be sensible, Leo.

He’s doing this on purpose.

You know Elise.

You don’t doubt her for one minute.

If you reveal that you know about his abusive behavior, Elise could lose Izzy.

I’m almost at the main door to the building when I turn around slowly and drop my bag back down on the floor.

“You know what. Elise wouldn’t harm a single hair on Izzy’s head. I’ve seen them interact together, and they worship each other. You, on the other hand, I’ve serious doubts about. I’m not convinced you’re anything but an asshole. You’ve just proved to me you’re a liar who can’t leave his ex-wife alone. I know Elise a lot better than you because I grew up with her. I knew her for eighteen years, and despite a period of time apart, during which you somehow managed to destroy her confidence, she hasn’t changed at all. She hates lying and if she does feel the need to lie, she starts playing with her hair. She’s always been the same. She twists the strands around her fingers because she’s too honest and doesn’t like having to deceive anyone. I bet she did it loads around you just to keep you happy. Now, I’m telling you one final time to leave, or I’ll call the police and have you charged with trespassing. This is not a public studio. It’s open only to those who’ve rented it, so unless you’ve got a booking, get out!”

Maybe I let my temper loose a little bit too much, but I’m seriously pissed he would even dare to suggest Elise could hit Izzy. Her heart is the biggest I know, and she’s passed that overwhelming kindness onto her daughter.

My hands are shaking now. I’m on the verge of losing it, and I know I can’t. Simon is the sort of man who’ll twist it around for his benefit. He mustn’t know Elise has told me about how he abused her. I need to stay calm. I’ve said my piece. I just need him to leave.

“Idiot. You’re a complete fool to believe anything that bitch says. She doesn’t like sharing the limelight as you’ll see soon enough. She’ll eclipse you on this show, and you’ll lose everything. That’s what she was trying to do to me. She may be an Oscar nominated actress, but the truth is she’s a nobody from nowhere with no discernible talent at all. She only made it famous because she married me. I’m the real star, and I’ll prove it when I see her rotting back down in the gutter where she came from.” Simon leans into me. The heavy scent of too much aftershave wafts in my nose—it distracts me from the rage threatening to erupt in the form of a punch, which would no doubt shatter his perfect, plastic surgeon enhanced, nose. “You’ve had your warning. You’ve become fair game now and can join her in the gutter.”

Simon barges past me and out of the front door of the studio. The door slams back and hits me. I know I need to stay here, rooted to the spot, or I’ll hurt him. I’ve got so much anger coursing through my veins it feels like I’m on fire. What right has he got to say those things? Who does he think he is? He’s nothing but an abusive asshole with a bank balance that gives him an overinflated opinion of himself.

I take a few deep breaths before reaching down and picking up my bag once again. I have to get out of here. I need to go home and take a cold shower. Actually, no, I need to go to the gym for a while and lift weights, lots of heavy ones…no, scrap that, I wonder if there is a boxing facility near here where I can punch the hell out of a bag. I’ve got to do something. Anything to get rid of all this aggression.

I turn to leave when an ashen faced Elise appears at the door. She takes one look at me and runs.

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