Sofia did a thumbs up. They could barely hear each other over the noise.
The band, who’d played a series of low-key numbers to accompany the food, had upped the tempo and were now in full swing, belting it out, fiddles ablaze.
They just sat and watched people tackle the first few dances, which looked incredibly complicated, although Sofia couldn’t stop her body moving in time with the hypnotic beat. It was impossible to keep still as the music pulsed into her over and over again.
Sofia’s neighbour got up and held out his hand. She’d found out earlier the group were all doctors, on holiday from Athens, rather than locals, although one of their party had grown up here. He’d introduced himself as Apollo, another god, appropriately named if his physique outlined in black T-shirt and jeans was anything to go by.
‘Do you dance?’
‘I do, but not well.’
His seriously white teeth made Sofia wonder if he was really a dentist rather than a doctor.
‘I can teach you the basics.’
And I can probably teach you a thing or twoas well went through Sofia’s mind, but she stayed quiet. It had been tricky getting hold of Adonis yet again. There was a big wedding on at the hotel, which he needed to oversee, and he couldn’t speak to her until tomorrow. She had to be patient. Geographically speaking, she was getting closer to him. She’d see him again in a couple of days’ time.
‘Páme.Let’s go.’
Sofia smiled and waved back at the others as she was pulled onto the dance floor.
Charlotte poured some more wine into both her and Maddie’s cups.
‘Do you fancy cutting some moves?’
‘No, not really. I hate making a fool of myself.’
‘Maybe I’ll have a go later, when I’ve drunk a bit more.’
Maddie sat back and enjoyed watching the handsome young man dancing with her friend. There was lots of touching and laughter as he showed Sofia what to do. The dance involved a sort of conga line which wrapped round and got faster and faster in time with the music. As it reached its crescendo and the music faded out, the people dispersed.
Sofia returned to the table, laughing and breathless.
When the last person left the dance floor, Maddie caught the eye of a man sitting on the opposite side of the terrace and gasped.
Without breaking eye contact, he got up and moved slowly towards her. As he reached their table he smiled his slow smile, a small plaster on the side of his head the only sign anything had been wrong.
He put out his hand and bowed low.
‘Will you dance with me?’
Her first instinct was to say no. But Maddie realised she very much wanted to.
‘Yes, thank you.’
As she got to her feet, the tempo of the music changed yet again, and several couples made their way onto the dance floor. It was no fast wiggle this time, it was a slow dance number, not what she would have chosen at all. Her heart banged in her chest, but she couldn’t really back out now.
Thanassis held her close, and her body gradually relaxed against his, as the music made its way through her from her feet upwards and she gave in to the sensuous beat.
Maddie closed her eyes for a moment, the woody smell of his aftershave flooding her senses. The guilt fell away briefly. It was nice to be in a man’s arms again. Not the man that she would have wished for, but Thanassis was a more than adequate substitute.
His hot breath was in her ear, their faces an inch apart.
‘I did not dream you would be here. I was coming to see you tomorrow anyway, at the hotel, to say thank you.’
‘There’s really no need.’
Thanassis pulled his head back a moment and looked at her with the blue eyes that seemed capable of seeing into her soul.
