Page 22 of Dance Dirty With Me

I spin round and see her in the doorway.

“Not at all,” I reply. “I’ve just been very busy.”

She looks round the obviously empty studio. “You don’t look busy now.”

She’s right. I’ve no need to practice the dance with Baby anymore, and I’m not scheduled to be on duty until later.

“Can I have a dance lesson?” she asks.

“Now?”

“Seems like as good a time as any.” She saunters into the room, and for the next hour I dance with her. She’s already proficient, but I know her husband Mo doesn’t dance. I’mpretty sure she’s never in want of partners at the resorts she stays at and on the cruises she’s always bragging about.

“I could come by your cabin later,” she says as she takes her leave.

“No, I’m busy,” I reply bluntly.

“I’ll make it worth your while.” She drops her voice, trying to sound sexy and seductive. I know exactly what she means, and there would’ve been a time I’d be tempted by her offer, but no longer.

“No, thank you.” I try to remain polite so she can’t complain about rudeness. She gives me a long stare, before she flicks her head as if she’s not bothered and leaves.

I walk back to my cabin and look around, trying to see it with fresh eyes, like Baby must have seen it last night. It’s untidy for sure, and I make a decision to put things away so when he comes back it doesn’t look so bad. I laugh at myself.When he comes back. But he did agree to return tonight, and if there’s one thing I know about him it’s that he keeps his word. Somehow it makes a difference to me that he sees it tidy. I start putting clothes away, including those I’d flung across the chairs. As I’m picking others up from the floor, I see a flash of pink half under the bed and pick up the lace knickers baby was wearing. I sit down on the bed, running them through my fingers, my mind flitting to last night and how sexy he looked wearing them. I lift them to my face and inhale the scent of him still on them. I finish tidying everything else away, but the knickers I tuck under my pillow.

I knock on Penny’s door and she shouts for me to come in. I open it and the first person I see is Baby sitting on the edge of Penny’s bed. I didn’t know he’d be here, so I hover just inside the door. He sees me and says something to Penny, then he stands. As he walks past me he gives me a small,almost shy smile, and I can’t help my lips twitching in response. He closes the door behind him and I turn back to Penny.

“How are you doing?”

“Johnny?” Her voice is stern but also full of concern.

“What?” I walk over to the bed, pretending I have no idea what she’s on about.

“What have you done?”

I don’t answer her. She knows me too well and can guess the rest.

“Damn it, Johnny! How many times have we said to never get involved with the guests?”

“I know what I’m doing.”

“How old is he?”

“Eighteen.”

“You could get into real trouble. He’s not old enough.” I don’t respond. I know the law as well as anyone, and until recently it was illegal for men of any age to be together. That they’ve now made the legal age twenty-one seems arbitrary. It being against the law hasn’t stopped me in the past, though. It doesn’t stop anyone, they just know how to be careful, as do I.

She lets out a big sigh and shakes her head, letting it be for now.

“The doc was here a little while ago.”

“What did he say?”

“That I’m going to make a full recovery. I should also still be able to have children someday, when I’m ready.”

“That’s great news.” I smile, genuinely pleased for her. We talk a little longer, and she tells me how she should be able to get back to work the next day. I stay with her until I need to get ready for my shift, going back to my room and putting on my blue blazer, looking once again like a Poplin’s employee.

My nerves are on edge as I wait for the cabin to go quiet, and it feels like forever until Lisa goes to sleep. Only then do I slip out and run as quickly as I can towards the staff quarters. What if Johnny is regretting what happened last night? What if he doesn’t want to see me again? I knock softly on his cabin door, and it quickly opens so I slip inside. Still keyed up, with my insides twisting like a washing machine, I pace his room.

“What’s the matter?” he asks, after he shuts the door and turns around.

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