Page 5 of The Dance Deception
All too quickly, it reaches closing time at the studio, and once again I don’t want to have to say goodbye to Merle yet. While I won’t be sad to slip my aching feet out of my dance shoes and into my trainers, I want to get to know him better and I definitely want to kiss him again. There’d be nothing accidental about it this time round – not on my part, anyway.
But I can’t quite find the courage to broach the subjectdirectly, in case he doesn’t feel the same way, so I settle for asking if he fancies grabbing a bite to eat before we head home. I’ve secretly got it all mapped out in my head – the two of us chatting over a pint and some dinner at the pub next door, then heading back to mine afterwards for ‘dessert’.
‘Ah, but I can’t, I’m sorry,’ Merle says, crushing my little fantasy. ‘I have an arrangement already.’
I know I must look disappointed, because he puts his hands on my shoulders and says, ‘But we’ll make up for it tomorrow.’
He massages me gently and once again I can feel the warmth of his hands through my T-shirt. ‘We’ll work on loosening more of this tenseness, so you can really relax into the dance.’
Then he pulls me into an embrace and I can’t stop a moan escaping from my throat as his lips find mine. Never before have I been so turned on by just a kiss. It certainly wasn’t like this with Ed.
I press myself into him and run my hands up his back. He slides his down to my bum and pulls me tighter against him so I can feel him stirring. Then he moves them to my breasts and rubs my nipples through my T-shirt with his thumbs, which makes me want to rip it off and feel him skin on skin.
As if he can read my mind, he reaches up underneath and pushes his fingers inside my bra, making me groan with pleasure. It’s like it’s the first time anyone has ever touched me there.
‘I’m so sorry I have to run off this evening,’ he says between kisses.
It’s some time after that before he withdraws his hand.
‘I have to go,’ he says eventually, stepping away and reaching for his bag. ‘I’m sorry,’ he says again, as he walks backwards to the door. ‘À demain, Kate.’
Until tomorrow. I’m already counting down the minutes.
Chapter 3
That evening, after I’ve delighted Lucy with all the details of my day, she persuades me to go to our local pub, Balham Bowls Club. A guy she likes from work is going to be there and she’s hoping they’ll get talking away from the prying eyes of her colleagues.
We find a table in the main bar and I’m determined to go easy on the alcohol, what with rehearsals tomorrow, but Lucy has other ideas. She buys a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and sloshes a large measure into each of our glasses.
‘Steady on!’ I hold my hand out to stop her pouring me any more.
‘I need the Dutch courage,’ she says. ‘If I feel brave enough, I might ask Aiden out tonight. If you’re going to get all loved-up with Merle, I need to find myself a man quick, before I’ve got no one left to hang out with.’
‘I wouldn’t say loved-up, more like in lust. But you’ve had a crush on Aiden for ages, so you should definitely go for it.’
As for Merle, it’s true that I can’t stop thinking about him. I keep imagining us glammed up on a night out at a fancy wine bar, snuggled up in a booth together while all the other girls look on with envy. Or at my flat, him padding round the kitchen in his boxers as we make breakfast together after a night of steamy sex – like Ed used to do when we first got together.
Even better, we could skip breakfast altogether and just stay in bed, naked, for a whole weekend, doing nothing but enjoying each other’s bodies. Ed and I never did that. Could it happen?
‘Here he is.’ Lucy grips my arm and nods at the door as her colleague walks in. I can see straight away why she likes him. His whole face lights up with a beaming smile when he spots the friend he’s meeting. They bump fists, then the friend waggles his half-empty glass at Aiden, who turns and makes his way to the bar.
‘Go!’ I urge Lucy. ‘Go and talk to him.’
She nudges in beside him and I watch ten minutes of hair swinging and exaggerated laughter before she returns to our table with another bottle of wine.
‘Well?’ I ask.
‘Well, I couldn’t go to the bar then not buy anything, could I?’
I roll my eyes. ‘But did you ask him?’
‘No! It’s too early for that.’
‘But you really like him?’ I don’t really need to check – it’s so obvious. She never usually loses her cool around guys.
‘I do,’ she admits.
So before she has time to stop me, I walk over to Aiden and his friend and invite them to join us. They don’t hesitate and pull up chairs, Aiden squeezing in next to Lucy and saying ‘Hello again,’ as he flashes his infectious smile.
