‘I liked it.’ He held me close as our bodies moved to the cha-cha rhythm, his heartbeat next to mine. If Brooke or Zach looked over, they’d instantly know there was something going on. It was impossible to hide it while clinched together like this and I ached for us to be alone, feeling almost dizzy with desire as he held me up. My breathing grew shallow as I looked everywhere but in his eyes to try and distract myself.
Catarina clapped loudly, breaking our moment. ‘Now we do the conga! Everyone in a line.’
‘Thank fuck for that,’ Leo murmured as he held my waist. ‘You’ll have to go in front of me I’m afraid.’ I grabbed the nearest person to join the human chain, running to catch up with the others who were concertinaed together. Leo crashed into my back, his grip strong and firm on my hips and it felt even more intimate him holding me from behind. I was having a hot flush.
‘Take it to the floor!’ Chico cried, once we’d circled the room, kicking out our legs in awkward unison. The Latina version of ‘Oops Upside Your Head’ started blaring from the loudspeakers and we sat in two lines. I was mortifyingly conscious of sitting so snugly against Leo’s crotch in public as two exuberant Irish sisters led the moves. This was the weirdest dance class I’d ever been to. They chose side-to-side floor slapping to start with, followed by the front to back wiggle and I had to use every muscle in my inner core (of which there were none) to stop myself lying back in Leo’s lap. And I was sure he was shuffling himself forward –
he felt so close.
The music eventually stopped, and the public torture was over.
‘Let’s get out of here,’ I whispered in his ear and he nodded.
A sweaty Brooke came over, out of breath, with Zach in tow, but Leo and I were a different kind of hot and bothered.
‘Wow-weeee! That was more like a spin class than a dance class,’ she said. ‘I haven’t crawled around on the floor like that in years!’
Leo laughed. ‘This is what all the activities have been like. You’ve had us jumping through all sorts of hoops.’
‘The ultimate test of resilience,’ I said with a grin. ‘Not that we can’t handle it, of course.’
‘Well, I can’t deny it, I do like to be entertained – it’s the only child in me, I reckon.’
Leo gave me a knowing look. He was good at this people thing.
‘Nothing wrong with checking how much we want your business,’ Zach said, pointedly.
‘There’s no doubting any of you in that regard,’ Brooke said, dabbing her sweaty brow with a tissue. ‘Excuse me while I run to the little ladies’ room and freshen up.’
‘You still want their business then, huh?’ Zach pushed, his tone suddenly much less professional. ‘After all these years?’
‘We’ve already got it, remember?’ I replied, good-naturedly. ‘Which is why it’s impossible for Heidi and me to compete with your level of—’
‘Client service?’ Leo interjected.
‘No.’
‘Creative excellence? Financial acumen?’ he tried again.
‘No and no,’ I said with a smile. ‘Your level ofdesperation. It’s difficult for us to be hungry for something we’ve been eating every day for years.’
‘I’d rather be a pick-me than past my sell-by date,’ Zach snapped, walking off.
‘Did I hit a nerve?’
‘Possibly, but I back Zach entirely – we are both proud to be desperate and getting Brooke’s sympathy is key to our pitch plan.’
I rolled my eyes.Idiot. ‘Good luck with that strategy. I’ve been waiting to get you on your own to talk about thismorning – what on God’s green earth were you thinking bowling up for breakfast at the hotel?’
‘Oh yeah, sorry about that. I saw Zach on my way back and panicked, then had to pretend I was up early, on the hunt for custard tarts.’
I laughed. ‘Obviously – what else would you be doing?’
‘It was the best I could do on the spot – my sleep-deprived brain wasn’t the sharpest – and it was the only hotel I could think of to suggest.’
‘Hmm. I suppose it almost sounds plausible,’ I said, chuckling at the thought of him bumping into Zach on his walk of shame. ‘I’ll miss that big hotel bed tonight.’
‘So will I,’ he said, wistfully. ‘Among other things.’
