Page 19 of Lovers' Dance

Nathan rubbed his chin, a reflective look on his face. “It sounds like you’ve already made peace with it.”

Matt nodded slowly, eyes falling once again to Madi’s picture. “I have but, until I propose, I’m planning to enjoy myself immensely.” He flashed Nathan a lecherous grin. “You know how much I relish new challenges.”

“You’re sick,” Nathan joked. “I feel sorry for that poor girl. Make sure you get her something nice when you’re finished with her and, for God’s sake, don’t let anyone find out about it.”

“Woman, not girl, and stop worrying. No one’s going to know.” Matt stood up and walked his friend out.

He hurried back to his study, wanting to go over the file in a more detailed fashion. He understood why Nathan was deeply concerned about him pursuing Madison, but once Matt saw something he wanted. He always got what he wanted. That wasn’t about to change any time soon. He held her picture in his hand, staring at it intently. He would shag her, a lot. Then, he would be able to get over this unusual fixation he had about her. Sex. That was all it was. She was deliciously hot and he wanted her.

Why then did he feel a fraud for letting Nathan assume sexual conquest was the main factor pushing him? Yes, he wanted her desperately, but he remembered how she’d felt in his arms, making those weird snoring noises as she slept. He remembered the way his heart had twisted when she had cried in his arms. He’d never felt that way before, never experienced the urge to protect someone so completely. Her petite frame didn’t help. It only served to make him feel manlier, like he should use his brawn to keep her safe. What in the bloody hell was wrong with him?

He put the photo down and picked up the file, starting from the beginning. He couldn’t help but approach this as he would any business deal. He needed to be fully informed. The file wouldn’t give a complete picture of the woman he was unable to push out of his mind, but it was a start. He hadn’t planned on looking for her but now, because of Nathan’s interference, Matt decided it was fate’s way of telling him to go for it. Fate was never something he put much stock into before but, in this instance, he was willing to believe. The promise he had made to himself not to find her was negligible now. He felt another unexpected spurt of sympathy as he read in detail about her parents, imagining a terrified little girl coming to term with the loss of the world as she knew it. To have survived and then grown up into a determined young woman capable of accomplishing her goals…his intrigue mounted. The file, in his opinion, lacked the layers of her character that he wanted to peel back to reveal the very centre of what made her who she was. But there was only one way to learn those details. Madison DuMont intrigued him. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt an interest in anything outside of work. He wouldn’t stop until his desire to know everything about her was sated. Matt grinned. With his good looks and vast wealth, she didn’t stand a chance. No woman could resist his charms. He pushed aside the niggling voice in his head reminding him of all the conceptions he had over black women. Did it matter the colour of her skin? Women were all the same; white, black and all the varying shades in between. He simply needed to ensure this strange preoccupation he had with her remained secret.

FIVE

WE WERE ALMOST ready for the snap dance. I was not so sure about this event. Instead of Hyde Park, which we’d originally planned for, the location had been changed to outside Buckingham Palace. Dante was crazy. The flag was up, signifying the queen was in residence. We would get into trouble. He said no, we wouldn’t, thousands of tourists flocked outside those regal gates every day. I agreed with that, but those tourists didn’t set off small fireworks. They weren’t really pyrotechnics, just confetti-loaded compressed canisters. I was anxious, the others weren’t. We numbered twelve in total, excluding Dante’s two friends, one who would film the whole thing and the other on music/confetti duty.Shit.

“Stop worrying about it, Madi.” Dante loosened his long coat. We had earned curious glances from the people milling about. It was mid-July and unseasonably hot for a British summer. I was sure a couple of coppers were following us. Who would wear coats on a sunny day like this? Bomb-strapped terrorists, that’s who. Oh, God. I was going to get arrested. My black tutu itched against my thighs under my coat. Lisa was grinning like a loon. She loved our snap dances. The girl got off on danger. We had once done an event at Tate Modern and security hadn’t been pleased.

“Madi’s going to cry,” Gerrard teased, stretching his muscular thighs. We wore leotards and ballet shoes, another thing that brought attention to us.

“I’m not, you idiot. I’m sweating like a pig, that’s all.”

“We all are,” Eddie groaned, wiping beads of perspiration off his forehead. “I would’ve preferred doing this at Hyde Park to be honest.”

“I like Dante’s change of venue,” said Brianna. Her Irish accent sounded like musical bells to my ears.

“Masks, everyone,” Dante ordered.

I pulled out my mask from under the coat, complaining as I put it on like the others. “We should’ve had these masks on before. Do you know how many CCTV cameras we passed to get here from the station? The cops will be on us in minutes. I can feel it. For the record, I am not putting up bail for anyone.”

We fixed our masks and shrugged off our coats as Dante gave the signal. The piece of music we had chosen for our dance blasted out, startling people. I stopped worrying and fell into position, going through our choreographed moves without a second thought. Dance was my life. When I danced, it was the only time I felt at peace. Complete and utter peace. There was a small crowd gathering around, progressively getting larger. People were taking pictures and laughing at our impromptu performance. The noise of the crowd fell away as I danced, revelling in Dante’s hands around my waist as he lifted me up high, then brought me down before Ijete’dinto Gerrard’s waiting hands. The choreography was one which Dante and I had worked on together for the past three weeks. Our latest baby. The twelve of us danced with wild abandon, egged on by the applause. We were bringing dance to the people, creating a moment of beauty in these strangers’ lives. It was the best buzz ever.

“Where are you going? We have that meeting with Carl from accounting.”

Matt grimaced at Nathan. Not only was he his closest friend, but also his right-hand man. After graduating from university, Nathan had been under pressure to join his father’s business. The Walthamstows made their coin in media. Nathan despised the thought of working at his family’s company. As the only child, not only was it expected that he assumed his executive position, but also that he excelled in expanding their hold on the British media. When Matt had offered him a position at his side in the oil business all those years ago, Nathan had grabbed it with two hands.

“I’m leaving early today,” Matt answered, eyeing his watch. He was late, delayed because of that issue with HR, which his elder brother should have dealt with but hadn’t. Adam would be getting an irate email from him soon.

“You never leave before nine on a Friday, it’s barely gone five thirty,” Nathan quipped, falling into step with Matt as he hurried towards his office.

“I am today,” Matt replied. His secretary spotted him and was coming over with papers in her hand. “Whatever it is, Rachel, it can wait until Monday. I’m going home.”

“But, Mr Bradley,” she began. Matt narrowed his eyes at her and she nodded before returning to her desk and picking up the phone. Probably to cancel meetings. Matt entered his office with Nathan on his heels. He didn’t care about any bloody meeting. His whole week had been spent in conference rooms, on private planes and in cars being driven from one meeting to the next. He was tired and annoyed he hadn’t had a chance to contact Madi all week. Monday morning, he and Adam had been called into their father’s office and ordered to fly to Germany, then Stockholm, to find out why their normally steady stocks were fluctuating on those markets. He’d flown back into London last night and, today, he’d been behind closed doors with the executive board briefing them on everything they had learned.

“I’m going with you,” Nathan said firmly, as Matt shoved paperwork into his briefcase. He would find time this weekend to read up on the next potential takeover target.

Matt’s head snapped up. “Going where with me?”

“Don’t be coy, Matt. It’s Friday.”

“I know it’s Friday, Nathan. What I don’t understand is why you feel the need to accompany me home. Don’t you have that charity function tonight?”

Nathan shook his head at Matt, a patronizing smirk on his face. “You’re not going home. You’re going to Hyde Park. Snap dance at six. Ring any bells?”

Matt didn’t bother denying it. He closed his briefcase and shrugged. “You only have yourself to blame. Bringing me that file only served to pique my interest.”

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