Rich (Benson Security #5) - Janet Elizabeth Henderson Page 0,40

darling. You promised me a fun night out.”

His eyes sparkled at her, as though he was getting a kick out of everything she said and did. “Gotta go,” he told Jenny. “A promise is a promise.”

Once they were out of earshot, Rachel smacked those same muscles. “Why are you introducing me as your fiancée?”

“Rachel,” he purred, “a good spy knows you never break cover once you’re established. Now, stop asking questions and try to relax.”

He threw open the double doors and led her into a large, dimly lit room. Dotted around the area nearest her was an odd assortment of wooden tables and chairs. Faded posters covered the walls, advertising everything from soap to tequila in Spanish. In the corner stood a well-stocked bar, with orange and pink neon signs above it that read Dance, Love, Live. And on the far side of the room was a packed dance floor.

Rachel gaped at it. “We’re salsa dancing?” Did he not know her at all?

“No, Rachel, we’re Bachata dancing. It’s like salsa, only a whole lot slower, and a whole lot sexier. You ready to have some fun?”

She looked at the people rubbing up against each other on the dance floor. They all seemed to know what they were doing and moved like professional dancers. The club was for people in the know. And that definitely didn’t describe her.

She frowned at the man who was deliberately elbowing his way into her life. “No,” she said. “No, I’m not ready.”

“Don’t worry.” He took her hand and dragged her toward the dancers. “I promise you; this won’t hurt at all.” When they reached the edge of the dance floor, he asked, “Do you want a drink first, or do you want to dance?”

“I don’t want to do anything here. What I do want is to go home. I can’t believe you thought this would help us with our cover. It’s a stupid idea.”

“No, it’s a great idea. By the end of the night, we’ll be so comfortable with each other it will be obvious to anyone who sees us. Gotta stop that gossip, Rachel.”

She wasn’t buying that ‘we’ rubbish. He meant her. She was the one who jerked away every time he moved to touch her. It wasn’t deliberate. She just wasn’t comfortable with public displays of affection, especially ones coming from colleagues. And as much as he might want things to be different between them, she couldn’t get past seeing him as purely a colleague.

No, that wasn’t true.

She definitely noticed Harvard as a man. But she didn’t want to. Because every instinct told her that if she were to give the man an inch, he’d take everything. And Rachel couldn’t allow herself to be that vulnerable with anyone. She’d been vulnerable once, and it had been devastating.

“What will it be?” he said. “Drink or dance?”

Oh, she wanted the drink. But if she asked for one, it would only extend their time in the club. How bad could this be, really? She’d survived formal dancing in high school; she could get through this. Right?

“Dance,” she said determinedly. “Let’s get this over with.”

“That’s the spirit,” he said as he nodded to a few faces he recognized and dragged her onto the floor.

The music thrummed through Harvard’s veins, the vibrations and rhythm making him sway. He loved to dance. He loved the darkness of the clubs, the beat of the music, the mass of bodies on the dance floor. It was his happy place, and he’d relaxed as soon as they’d walked through the door. Rachel, on the other hand, looked like a rock at the edge of the ocean with waves crashing over it.

“This isn’t going to work.” She raised her voice to be heard over the music. “I studied ballet as a child, and I can waltz. But I don’t know how to do this. I don’t even know what they’re doing.” She pointed to a couple in the middle of the dance floor. “I think they might be having sex.”

Trying not to laugh, he held out his hands for her to take. “Don’t panic; I’ll teach you.”

“I never panic.” Her eyebrow arched. “Do you actually know how to dance like this?”

He reached forward and took her hands in his. “Why would I bring you here if I didn’t?”

She looked genuinely perplexed. “I did wonder.”

“I think this evening will go much better if you don’t talk. Now watch my feet. We’re gonna go left to right in a straight line. Two small steps, keeping