Luna Tango (16 page)

‘Sorry, I cannot help. I bent the rules once, I cannot do it again.'

‘Yes you can! You made the deal! And anyway, don't Argentines pride themselves on bending rules?'

Carlos laughed. ‘I see you understand some of our culture. Just do as I ask and you will get what you want.'

‘Fine!' She smoothed down her ruffled shirt. Straightening her back, she held her chin in the air. ‘Teach me,
profesor.'

‘Walk.'

‘What? Walk to where?'

‘If you cannot walk, you cannot tango.'

‘I've been practising walking since I was one.' She hoped he got the sarcasm.

‘Then you should be good at this.' Carlos grinned. ‘Today you will learn the rock step,
la cadencia
. This you need to know for when the dance floor is crowded and you do not have the space to execute a traditional tango walk.'

‘Okay,' she said, wiggling her toes in her shoes. Even though she hated this situation, it could be a lot worse. Without Carlos's help she'd be drowning in murky waters, pushed under the waves of deadlines.

‘Start with
the paso basico
, the basic eight steps. Go.'

Dani puffed out her cheeks and concentrated on executing a perfect eight. She finished, slightly concerned it had come so naturally.

‘
Muy bien
, Daniela. Now, do it again, but on step five, transfer your weight from one leg to the other and keep doing so as you slowly turn in a circle. Keep on the balls of the feet.'

She gritted her teeth and started the
ocho
and on step five did exactly as he asked, rocking from one foot to the other.

‘Traffic on the dance floor is now clear. Continue!' He waved her on and she completed the
ocho
. ‘¡
Fin
!'

She stopped, astounded she'd mastered the rock step first go.

‘We will make a tango dancer out of you yet. This is why you should listen to me. Remember when I said no one leaves my tutelage without learning to dance?'

‘Yes,' she said with a slight hiss. His smugness irritated her but he was right, damn it.

‘I will admit the improvement in your dancing is not just from my teaching. You seem to possess something I do not normally see with the
gringos
. Your dancing, it is raw but ...' He shrugged. ‘You should stay in Argentina longer and learn tango. There is talent hidden under your reluctance.'

Dani froze.
Oh no, no, no. Not me
.

‘Are you serious? I've nearly put two men in hospital!' She forced out a laugh. ‘That was just a fluke.'

‘Fluke?'

‘Lucky chance. Don't worry, I'll return to squishing toes and cracking shins shortly. So ...'
Change the subject, change the subject!
‘Now for my question.'

‘You have earned it.'

‘Where do
you
believe tango started?'

‘Ah, Señorita McKenna, excellent question. I will tell you what I know. Tango started deep within, nowhere else.'

She nodded for him to continue.

‘Tango is not a combination of pretty steps. It is not the music. Tango is the journey of the soul. In one song, the dancer or musician can experience joy, heartache, jealousy, love, grief, desire, lust.' He stepped towards her and lightly brushed his fingers against the side of her face. Dani closed her eyes, breathing in his masculinity, wilting under his passion. ‘One touch can convey these emotions and reach the soul of your partner. One movement ...' Carlos grabbed her leg and wrapped it around his. His powerful arms held her against his body and a small gasp escaped her lips. ‘... Tells a story hidden within. Man and woman listened to their true selves and allowed their inner emotions to speak. That is how the tango started.'

‘Wow.' She breathed out. ‘Just—wow.'

‘That is all.' Carlos gently pushed her leg down and he backed away as if finishing a business transaction. ‘I need to get something. I will be one moment.'

He turned on his heels and Dani didn't blink, allowing her gaze to follow his muscular frame as he entered the office and shut the door.

Closing her eyes briefly, she tried to make sense of what had transpired. This man was hot, no denying the fact. Passion oozed out of his every pore, yet people said he'd lost his love for the dance. If this was Carlos being dispassionate about tango then she would give anything to have seen him when it was his first love.

Needing to cool down after Carlos's demonstration, Dani wandered over to the open window. Cars and buses whizzed by, zigzagging along the road. A breeze brushed her clammy skin as her eyes wandered over to the bookshelf next to the window. The shelves contained a plethora of books on tango—a researcher's dream. She ran her fingers over the spines, reading the titles in Spanish, English, French and languages she couldn't identify. No wonder he'd been part of the UNESCO team. When she spotted a photography book featuring her mother, Dani pulled her fingers away as if touched by fire. Small beads of sweat broke out on her forehead and she spun around, ready to dash to the sofa, but her hip collided with some books. A few crashed to the floor and she bent down, gathering them in her arms.

A slip of paper fell out and landed face up. As soon as she read
Querida Cecilia
—
Dear Cecilia
—Dani stuffed the letter between the covers and placed it on the shelf as quickly as she could. With a rapidly beating heart, she stood and turned.

She halted.

Carlos stood in the office doorway, arms folded, not moving a muscle. He stared at her for so long she considered freaking out.

‘I wasn't snooping, honest. It fell out and I put it back. I promise.' She didn't dare meet his eyes, scared his handsome face might be twisted into disdain or anger. God, after this dumb-ass incident, any chance of him trusting her had been shot to pieces. So much for catching a break.

She bit her lip and studied the indentations on the wooden floor. He remained quiet. Whatever the outcome, she was ready for it. Dani looked up to find a grinning Carlos, his dark eyes surrounded by smile lines.

‘Once again, I can see you are not like the others.' He sauntered past and picked the book from the shelf. ‘It was silly of me to leave it there. I must have forgotten. I must ...' He shook his head. ‘Never mind.'

He went into his office, placed the book with the letter on his desk, turned off the light and cocked his head towards the studio entrance. ‘We go.'

* * *

They sat at the same table at the
práctica
and Dani suspected this space was permanently reserved for Carlos. Since leaving the dance studio, Dani and Carlos had been shrouded in silence. Did he feel the stirring of attraction before, like she did, or had he just been demonstrating how tango arouses passion?

Dani snuck a glance at his long lashes, slicked back hair and strong jaw. No matter which angle she came from, Carlos Escudero was growing on her.
Oh no
. After Adam, she'd made a pact to bolt the minute she met a man with excess baggage. Given Carlos's history, he needed a few trolleys to wheel around the bags containing his woes. Then again, she couldn't get away with just one carry-on.

‘Dani!' Gualberto rushed over, gave her a bear hug and kissed her on each cheek. ‘It is good to see you!'

‘You too, Gualberto.' She looked up to find Diego Alonso hovering beside their table.

‘Diego! Please! Sit down!' Gualberto grinned broadly.

Crap.

A slow, sleazy smile crept across Diego's lips as soon as he spotted her.

‘Señorita Dani.' He leant in to kiss her on the cheeks. Her skin crawled at his touch but she remained composed on the outside, even though she was in turmoil.

‘¡
Che
Diego!' Carlos slapped the older man on the back and they took a seat.

‘Your stories, how are they?' Diego asked, leaning in a fraction too close.

‘Getting there,' she said, studying the couples milling on the dance floor, waiting for the music to start.

‘If you want a spectacular story, you should find
La Gringa Magnifica
,' Diego said with an innocent air, but she didn't buy it for a second.

‘No one knows where she is, right?' Dani pulled in her stomach as if protecting it from being punched. Did he think she'd fall for his ruse? The only reason he wanted her to write the story was so she could find Iris for him to go and haunt. She hoped other people didn't think she was as naïve as he did.

‘Why would you not write about the most famous female tango dancer in history? Imagine what your boss would say if you interviewed the reclusive
Gringa Magnifica
.'

He was good, she had to give him that. It would indeed be a massive coup. Adam would shout from the rooftops if she scored an interview with Iris. The only problem being, Dani had no intention of seeing her mother.
Ever
. Not even if she finally understood why Iris did what she did. In this moment, distance was Dani's best friend.

‘Carlos and Gualberto are helping me write my articles.'

‘Ah,' said Diego, ‘but to have an exclusive with the woman who changed the face of tango as we know it. Imagine

She could imagine many things but Diego being without motive was not one of them.

‘I don't think so,' she said, praying this damn conversation would curl into a ball and die.

‘I guess you are not the journalist I thought,' said Diego. The challenge landed with a thud in the middle of the table. ‘Your friend Señor Escudero could help you find her and introduce you.
La Gringa Magnifica
choreographed some shows you danced in, yes?' He turned to Carlos. A flicker of apprehension sparked in Carlos's eyes.

Dani's stomach dropped. ‘Thank you for the idea but I need to concentrate on the stories I have underway. Perhaps another time.' Time was exactly what she needed.

‘Maybe Diego is right, Daniela. It would help your articles to talk with one of Argentina's best dancers and choreographers. Yes.' Carlos's eyes lit up. ‘We should do this.'

‘I ...' Her clammy hands gripped the edge of the table. If she was too scared to dig for information about Iris with Carlos, how the hell would she could cope with seeing her face to face?

‘Daniela, are you all right?'

‘Too hot. Need air.'

‘Please excuse us, Diego.' Carlos placed a hand under her elbow and helped her stand. Her legs wobbled and she collapsed onto the chair again.

‘Water,' Dani gasped.

The three men reached for the water jug, Carlos grabbing it first. He filled a glass and passed it to Dani, watching her intently as she gulped it down. The ice-cold liquid helped her gain control and she placed the empty glass on the table.

‘Thanks.'

‘It is no problem,' said Carlos. ‘You are ready to dance now?'

She stared at him with incredulity. ‘I don't feel much like dancing.'

‘Sometimes when we force ourselves to do something we don't want, it can be a positive experience.' He punctuated his statement with a self-satisfied smile.

‘And sometimes doing something we don't want causes more grief than if we'd left it alone in the first place,' said Dani.

Carlos tilted his head to the side.

Sighing, she said, ‘Don't worry about me. I'm fine. Let's do it.'

She stood and waited for Carlos to join her. He didn't move a muscle.

‘You're not dancing with me or do I have to wait for you to do
el cabeceo
?'

‘My leg ...' He rubbed it with the palm of his hand.

Who was she to argue? She'd been blessed with health and had no idea if Carlos's pain was real or imagined. If it was as bad as he said, she didn't want to call him out for being a wuss.

‘Daniela, please sit. We will talk about some moves then you can try them with my cousin.'

‘Looks like it is you and me again,
bonita
.' Gualberto grinned, chivalrous as always.

‘You keep doing this and your wife will hunt me down and beat me up.' Dani laughed but was a tad concerned, as she'd heard about Argentine women's reputation for jealousy.

‘Oh, do not worry. My wife, she does not know this green-eyed monster.'

‘I'm glad.'

‘Let us get to the business,' Carlos said. ‘First, your posture, it is all wrong.'

‘Well, gee, thanks.'

‘Do you want to learn? Do you want help with these articles?' Surprisingly, his tone sounded light.

‘Of course I do.'

He stood and leant slightly, favouring his damaged leg. ‘You need to keep the weight on the toes. It gives you control for when you are dancing. Pull up from your lower abdomen and pretend your back is a stretching band that is being pulled up, up, up.' He demonstrated and Dani stood, imitating his every move. ‘Remember, connect the hearts, and the energy of you and your dance partner will ignite.'

Carlos stepped forwards, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her so close his warm breath grazed her collarbone. This time, when her knees went weak, it was from Carlos's nearness not from freaking out about Iris or Stella. Standing straight, with her chest close to his, Dani concentrated on being in the moment, something that came easily, especially after experiencing his nearness only an hour before. His intoxicating cologne floated through the air. She desperately wanted to lean in for a better whiff but wasn't game.

‘Stand straight!' he said.

Without realising, Dani had angled her body forwards and her nose was dangerously close to his neck. Pulling away, she tried to hide her shock at being wrenched out of her momentary lapse of reason.

‘Sorry,' she mumbled.

His body shook with laughter. ‘It is all right.'

She hoped he hadn't cottoned on to what she'd been doing but his reaction told her he probably had. How embarrassing. Gualberto and Diego looked on, amusement on their lips and in their eyes.