Page 122 of Lovers' Dance: Vol. 2

I heard his haughty snort from all the way across the room. I swear he’d be the death of me. This was one of our major problems. Matt’s continued disregard for my feelings on certain topics. I mean, he was older than me, probably smarter in certain areas; but still. He wouldn’t appreciate me making a decision that drastically affected our lives without his input.

Then I remembered the baby issue. Shit. That was completely different, I reasoned to myself as I went about my morning ablutions. That would have a direct effect on my physical state of being, not to mention my emotional state. It was a woman’s right to choose what happened to her body, and I chose to not have a parasitic foreign life form stretching me from the inside out before busting through my vagina. I shuddered under the heat of the water, chilled at the thought. At least Matt seemed to have accepted it. We hadn’t discussed it any further. I think we were both unwilling to face the issue again. Who said hiding from reality was a bad thing?

When Matt dropped me off at work he surprised me by walking me in. Gloria almost fell off her seat in her haste to offer himmycup of coffee that she usually got. If Dante was shocked to see my husband, he didn’t show it. Instead they shook hands and conversed about nothing important. Was it weird? Dante and Matt didn’t really hang out much, considering one was my best friend and the other my husband. Maybe Dante should come around the house for dinner one of these days. He hardly came over to the house.

“I’ll send a car to pick you up around six?” Matt asked during a lull in his conversation with Dante.

Dante bit his lips while trying not to look at me.

“Ah, ten sounds more reasonable, hon.” I smiled sweetly.

Matt didn’t verbalize his discontent but his eyes let me know he wasn’t pleased with my answer. My smile widened to maximum dazzle capacity. He nodded once before leaning over to kiss me goodbye.

“I wish someone would kiss me like that.” Gloria said dreamily after he left. It had been a good kiss, all tongues and lips and a tiny bit of teeth at the end which made it smouldering hot. It was a damned good kiss.

Dante scoffed out loud. “Come here then, Gloria. I’ll show you how it’s done.”

I ignored them, fingers pressed to my throbbing lips as I staredout the glass door and watched Matt drive away. Dante and Gloria continued to tease each other until I made them stop. There was work to be done, intermediate and advanced classes to run, preparation for the younger kids this afternoon, and of course my personal favourite of hiding from the film crew when they arrived. Crap. I hoped the decision to let them into our world wouldn’t bite me in the ass down the line. The thought of Matt self-righteously saying ‘I told you so’ gave me the willies. He would never let me forget it.

“Alright people,” I grabbed Dante’s arm and started herding him towards the corridor. “Tempus neminem manet.”

“What?” Gloria called out. She was eyeing me as if I had a few screws loose.

“Latin, Gloria,” Dante replied quickly while I dragged him along. “Time waits for no one. Don’t you Brits read?”

We left an infuriated Gloria in the reception, her loud insults about Yanks and exactly where they should get off bounced along the walls.

CHAPTER 13

Another fancy balltonight. Another 5-6 hours of my life lost, wasted, consigned to no man’s land. I should be in the studio right now, not staring at my reflection in the mirror.

“Umm, what was that, Aunt Cleo?” The phone was balanced between my shoulder and ear as I threw the bra that matched my panties back into the drawer. The dress I planned on wearing tonight required a bra-less state. Matt sauntered into the closet, stopping to let his gaze drift over my half naked body. Then he tapped his wrist watch impatiently. I must be losing my touch, sexy undies with nothing else on and he wasn’t mauling me?

“He’s right here,” I said into the phone. Matt immediately started backing out the walk-in closet. “Why don’t you talk to him?”

I held the phone out to Matt, ignoring his grimace.‘Take it.’I mouthed silently.

With a heavy sigh he reluctantly took the phone. “Hello, Cleo. How are you?”

I turned away from him and continued getting dress as he dealt with my Aunt’s demands for us to visit. The seemingly never-ending cycle of parties was driving me insane. Completely bonkers. And Matt would simply explain we had to attend. Why? Why did we have to go to another party? Networking of course. Don’t be fooled, not all business deals took place across the table in boardrooms. It was on the golf course, in exclusive clubs, at freaking parties sipping champagne. I was so tired of it all. Practising my fake smile in the ceiling to floor mirror, I pulled up the dress.

“I have to go now, Cleo.” Matt said before hanging up the call.

I gave him incredulous eyes. “Did you just hang up on my aunt?”

“You look,” Matt put the phone down and came over to stand right next to me. “Bloody hell, poppet. You look amazing.”

I did, but that was neither here nor there. Snapping my fingers in front his face. “Forget that, Matt. You can’t just hang up on-”

The ringing phone interrupted my words and I gave Matt an eloquent stare. He raised his hand then ran his fingers down the exposed skin of my chest. The dress had a plunging neckline as well as a low back.

“Beautiful,” he murmured as he bent his head to mine. The touchof his lips across my own came with the expected rush of adrenaline. The instantaneous flood of desire.

“How did I get so lucky?” he whispered when he released my lips from that explosive kiss.

The way Matt gazed at me. God. If I could bottle that look I’d make a fortune. He looked at me as if there was nothing more beautiful in this world. His eyes were an open doorway to his soul. Unguarded.

“I’m the lucky one.” And I meant it.

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