“You can see for yourself tonight. The first class starts in about thirty minutes. Do you want to have a beer?”
“Yes. I’ll catch you up on the team news. There’s a rumor that O’Neill is going to be traded.”
Nate led his friend to the bar and they chatted about baseball and the players they both knew. It was still early and the club wasn’t open to guests yet. But Nate wanted some private time with T.J.
Nate tried to concentrate on the conversation, but his mind kept drifting back to Jen. He didn’t attribute much to it, though. Sure she was sexy and spunky—two things he’d always been attracted to. And talking about baseball and his glory days always made him want to go on the prowl.
“Let’s go. Don’t want you to be late to your class.”
“Are you coming with me?”
“Yeah, why not? I haven’t been to a salsa class yet and as you mentioned, the teacher is…well-qualified.”
T.J. tipped his head back and laughed. Then they finished their beers and headed upstairs. There was no reason for Nate to be in this class except that he wanted to see Jen again. And that was all it took, he thought. That was a perk to being his own boss—he could do whatever the hell he wanted.
He walked in the door of the rehearsal room and Jen glanced up from a turn she was doing. Her hips were swaying and the pulsing sensual beat of the salsa music echoed in the background. He felt the rhythm of it down deep in his soul, and his shoulder started to throb the way it did when something big was about to happen. That old injury was like a dowsing rod for spotting trouble.
Two
The music swelled around her and for once a man distracted her. Well, that wasn’t true—she’d been distracted by men before but not like this. Nate Stern was making her conscious of each sway of her hips. She felt the material of her long skirt against her legs and when the side slit parted to reveal her thigh, she felt his gaze on her.
His gaze.
Not another single person in the room was registering for her. Just him.
Why?
Why Nate Stern? This had disaster written all over it. She couldn’t be attracted to her boss. The last time she had been attracted to someone with authority over her it had ended badly.
Her sister Marcia would roll her eyes and say that Jen never learned. She had to learn, she thought. She couldn’t start over again.
To add to her troubles, Nate’s friend T.J. might be a rocking third-base player but he couldn’t find the rhythm of the songs she’d played to save his life. It shouldn’t be that hard. The strong Latin beat was easy to hear.
Alison was working with some students at the back of the classroom as Lou Bega’s “Mambo No. 5” came on. She used her remote to pause the music. This was the song that the class danced to every evening to open the club. Then Alison and Jen would go into the back and come out twenty minutes later to do a flamenco routine.
“Okay. Is everyone ready to show us what you’ve learned?” Jen asked. “When you signed up for this lesson you probably didn’t realize it but you are going to be the stars of the opening number tonight.”
There were a few good-hearted groans from the men in the room and a smattering of applause.
“The important thing to remember about the music is that it is sensual. It reflects the rhythm of the night. You should feel it pulsing through you. And don’t worry about looking silly, you all look wonderful when you are dancing together.”
“I don’t think I can feel anything except when someone is going to try to steal third,” T.J. said.
“I have to agree, Mr. Martinez.”
“Call me T.J.,” he said with a charming grin that revealed his perfect white teeth.
“I will. Since you are our celebrity tonight we would like to invite you to lead the conga line into the room and then, of course, have the first dance.”
It was their standard procedure to ensure that the classes got the utmost attention. According to Nate Stern, it was a nice way to drive business to the lessons. Everyone wanted to be in a class with a celebrity.
“I don’t think I’m the right guy for that.”
Jen smiled at him. “I will make sure you are.”
She hit the button to turn the music back on and walked over to T.J. Nate was watching every move she made and she felt as if she had a spotlight on her body.
She gave him a pointed stare and he just grinned back at her. That was when she decided to show the annoyingly handsome man that she was made of tougher stuff than he thought she was.
She’d been dancing since she was thirteen. Let’s face it, she thought, there wasn’t a time in her life when men hadn’t been staring at her body. And tonight…well, tonight she wanted Nate to see her and to want her. She knew she was an okay-looking woman most of the time, but when she danced…she was beautiful.