Page 33 of Dance With Me
“Actually, if you’re free Wednesday evening, we could take him out.” Seb added quickly, “Only if you wanted to.” What the fuck was he thinking? This had disaster written all over it, but Seb couldn’t have stopped the words if he’d tried.
“That would be great. Are you sure? I know Clare’s working. She’s got so many night shifts in at the moment; they’re so short-staffed. I could pick you up; we could take a ride to the beach.”
“How about we chat about this on Wednesday lunchtime at your lesson? We can arrange something then. The beach sounds great; Rocco loves the sea.”
“OK, it’s a date then. Shit, not a date. You know what I mean.” Joe seemed to be trying to dig himself out of a hole here, and Seb just laughed.
“I know what you mean. It’s a non-date date. I’ll see you tomorrow?” It sounded more like a question than a statement.
“Of course.” Joe’s voice was gentle. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“Yeah, me too. Goodnight, Joe,” Seb replied softly. He was reluctant to end the conversation. The call had been nice, even if it hadn’t been as free and easy as before.
“Goodnight, Seb.”
The line went dead, and Seb held the phone to his chest. What had just happened? Had he just planned a date with Joe?
* * *
Six o’clock Tuesday evening and Joe arrived looking as edible as ever. His charcoal grey trousers with matching waistcoat, white shirt and vivid blue tie did nothing to make Seb not want this man. He was a walking wet dream. Joe had his shirt sleeves rolled up, and Seb nearly groaned at the forearms he was displaying. Fucking hell, his attraction to Joe was becoming all-consuming.
Seb wanted those arms around him, holding him close, pinning him down as Joe moved over him, raining kisses down on his upturned face. Shit! He had to turn away, his thoughts bringing a blush to his cheeks and a twitch in his shorts. He knew that pursuing anything with this man was foolish, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself from fantasising about it. He felt a tinge of guilt at having these thoughts about an engaged man, but the way he looked tonight. Just, fuck!
Five minutes after Joe, Clare walked in, looking a little worse for wear.
“Hi, sorry I’m late. I slept most of the day after working last night and a busy weekend at the spa.” She breezed over to Joe, placing a kiss on his cheek. “I had a fantastic time; it was so relaxing.”
Seb was surprised when Joe didn’t say anything to her. He knew he hadn’t seen her since Friday, so his silence was puzzling.
“So, some great news. Natalia and Louis, who, as you know, are fantastic tango dancers, have put some new moves together for you, which are simple to do but will look amazing on the day. We have some ‘ochos’ and ‘ganchos’ to add in today. Let’s start with a quick warm-up, then we’ll go through what we’ve already learnt and add on the new steps. That good with you both?”
Joe nodded and Clare clapped her hands. “We are going to look so good, Joe. Aren’t you excited?”
“It’s going to be great. Just hope the steps aren’t too difficult. You know I’m not the best dancer.”
“Where’s your sense of adventure, Joe? This is going to be so fantastic.” Seb grinned at him. “Let’s make a start.”
For the next hour or so, they worked through the routine that they’d already put together, then added on the new steps Natalia had done for them. Seb had to admit it looked amazing already, and once they’d perfected it, the dance would be stunning.
Both Clare and Joe seemed happy with it, but Joe seemed a little off, not quite as enthusiastic as he might have been. Seb wasn’t sure what was going on with him, but he was determined to be the friend he’d agreed to be. After their talk last night, Seb thought that Joe had something on his mind. He’d sounded almost sad and lonely, and Seb was determined to find out what was wrong.
After the lesson had ended, though, he was disappointed when Clare and Joe said their goodbyes and left Seb alone in the studio. He’d not had time to speak to Joe, and he became nervous, thinking of the stalker being out there somewhere and him being all alone. He hadn’t thought this through. He should have asked them to at least wait until he’d closed up before leaving.
Packing up quickly, he left the studio, locking the doors behind him. He made sure his phone was in his hand and was reminded of Dom’s and the police’s advice to be more aware. Seb glanced around him anxiously. Fortunately, the nights were light now, as it was the beginning of June. There were people still around, but it didn’t make him any less tense.
He ran to his car and pressed the button to unlock it as he neared. He quickly opened the door and got in, activating the mechanism to lock the doors. Breathing a sigh of relief, he reached to put his bags in the back of the car. As he turned back to start up the car, he saw a lone figure in jeans and a hoodie lurking in the shadows, just outside the studio. It was impossible to see their face, but Seb didn’t hang around to find out who it was. As he looked in his rear mirror, the figure raised their hand, forming the shape of a gun. They mimicked a shooting motion, and Seb accelerated away, terrified.
He drove home, his heart pounding and tears blurring his vision, but he managed to get home without incident. He ran to the flat and fumbled the key in the lock. Rationally, he knew there was no way his stalker could have got to the apartment before him, but he didn’t stop to think. He slammed the door behind him and leaned against it, his chest heaving from the effort.
Rocco ran to him, and he whined and pawed at him as he slid down the door. He buried his head in his fur as his heartbeat and breathing gradually settled. He sat there for what seemed like hours but knew it was only minutes. He stood up and called the police to give a statement—again. It was getting frustrating, so many interactions, but they still were no further forward in identifying who was behind all this. Although he knew it couldn’t logically be Daniel, the thought continued to form in his mind.
At the suggestion of the police, he’d started a journal, detailing all the times he’d been contacted by his stalker, either by phone, photograph, or in person. Looking at it now, he realised he needed to swap out his routine more, and maybe he should ask Dom to accompany him to the studio. It meant changes to his life, but he couldn’t go on the way he was, always on edge, second-guessing everyone he met. It was starting to affect his life more than he wanted to admit.
His second call was to Dom. Whilst he felt safer at the apartment, Natalia had started to stay over with Louis most evenings now, and Seb felt like he needed the company.
Half an hour later, Dom arrived, Mexican food in hand and a case of beer.
“I know, I know. We’re not going to drink all this tonight, but I don’t think one or two will hurt now, will they? What did the police say this time?”
