“That’s the music you want?” she asked.
“That’s it,” he told her.
“Excuse me, then…?”
Bobby and Giselle moved out, allowing Shannon to slip from the booth. She brushed past Quinn, who excused himself, moving backward again to allow her more room.
“Sit, bro,” Doug said, as the others slid back in. “So how did you like your lesson?”
“It was…great,” Quinn said. He watched as Shannon took the floor with Richard Long. A moment later, they were moving with astonishing grace, taking up the floor, entwined in seemingly impossible ways, and doing it so well that many of the people on the floor moved back, cheering.
“That’s salsa?” Quinn said.
“Samba,” Gordon told him.
He looked across the table at Mina. “And do you dance, too, Dr. Long?”
“Oh, yes.” She laughed pleasantly. “But not like Shannon.” She grinned. “Richard and I dance together at social functions, of course. But frankly, he prefers Shannon—and I prefer Sam. Sam Railey. He’s my teacher. Two amateurs naturally dance better with two professionals.” She leaned closer across the table. “I’m afraid Richard is showing off tonight. We have to join a few of his professional associates in a minute.”
“Ah, I see,” Quinn said.
She smiled again. It would have been a great smile—if it hadn’t appeared that her entire face might shatter. “You will see. Wait until you get into it more. Hey, have you seen your brother dance?”
“Believe it or not, I haven’t.”
Mina Long looked at Doug. “I’m not exactly Jane or Shannon, but we can give your big brother a bit of show, if you like?”
“Absolutely,” Doug agreed. “Sorry,” he said apologetically to the others again.
“Hey, we might as well dance, too,” Bobby told his bride.
“Might as well?” Giselle said with a groan. “See, Bobby, it is as if we’ve been married forever.”
Bobby laughed. “Sorry. My beloved wife, would you do me the honor of dancing with me?”
“Good save,” Doug muttered, and they all laughed.
“Pretty darned good, yes,” Mina agreed, and she took his hand, heading for the dance floor.
“How did you enjoy your lesson?” Gordon Henson asked Quinn.
“You know, quite frankly, I went because Doug bought me the guest passes and he was so into it himself. But I was surprised. I did enjoy it,” Quinn said, his eyes on his brother and Mina.
His brother, he noted, was good. Bobby and Giselle, both beginners, weren’t as smooth but obviously enjoyed themselves.
“Those two only came in to take some classes before their wedding. They keep coming back,” Gordon told him. Then he leaned against the table. “So, what do you do, Mr. O’Casey?”
Quinn didn’t have a chance to answer him. A man approached the table, calling out cheerfully, “Gordon! I’ll be damned. They actually got you in here?”
The man was tall, dark, good-looking, casually dressed in an open-neck black silk shirt, tan trousers and a dark jacket. His eyes were dark, too, his face deeply bronzed.
“Yeah, they dragged me down,” Gordon said, half rising to shake the newcomer’s hand.
“Gabe, this is Quinn O’Casey, Doug’s brother, a new student. Quinn, meet Gabriel Lopez, entrepreneur extraordinaire! Suede is his club.”
“How do you do?” Quinn said, shaking hands with Lopez.
“Great, thanks. And welcome. You ever been in here before?”
Quinn shook his head. “Never. I’m a total novice.”
“You’ll like it. I get the best musicians, even during the week. We keep up the floor, and our kitchen turns out amazing food.”
“So far, so good,” Quinn said.
“You haven’t been on the dance floor yet?”
Quinn grinned. “No. And you won’t see me on it for a very long time, I assure you.”
Lopez had slid into the booth next to him. “My friend, you’ll be surprised, don’t you think, Gordon?”
Gordon nodded. “Dancing gets in your blood. You hear the music, you have to move.” He shrugged, staring at the floor. “Maybe you don’t get to be a Shannon Mackay right away, but look at Doug. Six months, and he’s quite impressive. Most importantly, he’s having fun.”
“Yeah, he really enjoys it. And hey, what a setup you two have here,” Quinn said, including Lopez. “You learn upstairs, you dance downstairs. Couldn’t have been planned better.”
“True,” Gordon agreed. “And it wasn’t even planned.”
“This wasn’t a club before?”
“It’s always been a restaurant—with an excuse for a dance floor,” Lopez said. He shrugged. “When I came down, a year or so ago now, I saw the potential in the place. The other owners weren’t making use of the gold mine they had.”
“We have a great relationship,” Gordon explained. “We have the same people come in to take care of the floors, and we both get a deal that way.”
“They send me their students all the time,” Lopez said.
“And we have a place to send our students, so that they have a good time and want to take more lessons,” Gordon said, then pointed toward the ceiling. “The other tenant in the building is a designer and costumer. She’s great, too. Katarina. When someone is looking for a dress—for a night out on the town, or for a competition—they just go right across the hall. You couldn’t get a better setup.”
Lopez nodded and stood. “Well, back to business. Welcome, Mr. O’Casey.” He cocked his head, smiling. “Are you a cop, too? With your brother and his friends around now, we feel safe all the time.”
Quinn shook his head. “No, sorry, I’m not a cop. I’m into boats. Charters, diving, fishing,” Quinn said. Absolutely true, just not the whole story.
“Ah, I see. Well, then, you’re a lucky man, too. There’s nothing in the world like the sea.”
“Nothing like it,” Quinn agreed.
“Enjoy your night,” Lopez said.
“See you, Gabe,” Gordon said.
Lopez walked away, toward the kitchen.
“He’s a great guy,” Gordon said.
