Chapter 11: FIRST DANCE

"May I have this dance?"

She sputtered, expecting this but still not prepared to shake her 'stuff' on the dance floor with people watching. "Guys usually say that when there is something slow playing..." The current song had a funky, hiphop beat and the band members were chanting something in a foreign language. The crowd had picked up the chorus and was chanting along. She placed her hand in his and came to her feet.

"What are they saying?" She asked as she led them to the dance floor.

"I...uh...better not say."

"Oh my goodness." She stopped when she found a place where she hoped they wouldn't get trampled. "Watch me." He brought his arms up, clapped his hands repeatedly and began gyrating to the beat...just like everyone else. His hips moved seductively, yet to the tempo of the music. Then he slowed his movements down a bit and reached out for her. She placed her hand in his and he put his other hand on her hips.

"Do what I do!" He yelled above the music.

She watched the way his feet moved, shuffling and stomping and mimicked it. Once she stopped, worrying about how she looked, but before too long she felt the music guide her movements and then the steps became more natural.

His hands on her hips monitored her movements and he smiled. "That's it! You're doing great, Tory!"

"She laughed. The sangria, the music and the closeness of Lee's body made everything feel dreamlike. Watching him move so confidently and effortlessly loosened her up, allowing her to express herself in a way that she'd never felt comfortable doing before—not even in the privacy of her home.

They danced and as the music moved from one song to another, so did his movements. He pulled her gently into his arms and she discovered that two people could also dance to a fast song in perfect synch. He slowed his movements and made them simple and repetitious until she was dancing in his arms.

"I'm going to spin you."

"Not in these heels!"

"To late..." He spun her and when she stumbled he saved her easily with his strong arms around her waist. "When I'm done with you Tory, you will be doing three spins effortlessly."

"Not tonight, I won't...unless you want me to get sick on you."

All amusement left his face. "Oh, I don't intend to be done with you in just one night."

Instead of being shy and embarrassed, Tory slid her hand up to his shoulders. "I'm glad. I think I'd like to learn to spin three times."

"I can teach you that, and more. Like how to dip. Shall I?"

"Ok."

He suddenly clutched her to him. One hand stayed around her waist, the other slid down the side of her body, over her rear end, down her thigh. He tilted her backward just as his hand on her leg lifted it enough that her inner knee now straddled his thigh.

She gasped and put her arms around his neck, clinging to him before she went crashing to the floor.

"I got you. You're not going to fall." He held her firmly in his grip for a few moments before he righted her. Tory's breath came in excited gusts. His hard body had been flush against hers...and he felt so good. She had never wanted to kiss someone so badly in all of her life. When his face had been inches from hers and his hooded eyes were on her; his attention on her and no one else...she had felt that they were the only two people in the world.

"Getting tired?" He asked.

"Can we sit down for a while? I can use some of that water."

"Let's go to the bar and get fresh drinks. I don't want anyone slipping you a roofie." She wondered who would want to slip her a roofie with all of these gorgeous women in the room...half of which was looking at her man. If anyone needed to be careful of a roofie it was him!

They got their water and sat down at their table. Their plates had been whisked away leaving them room for their bottled water. He put his arm around her again and unconsciously she leaned into his body.

"I hope I didn't tire you out too much."

"No. I've been missing my workouts, so I needed it." He didn't comment and after a lengthy pause she decided to ask him a question that she'd been curious about.

"Lee, what is Azores?"

He seemed happy about the question. His thumb stroked her shoulder lightly, where it touched his arm as it rested along the back of her chair.

"Do you know what an archipelago is?"

"Uhm...no."

He smiled. "It's basically a cluster of islands. The Azores is a Portuguese archipelago made up of volcanic islands in the North Atlantic Ocean. I grew up on the Flores Island. There are others; nine major ones in all. I grew up on Flores; named this because of the many beautiful flowers."

"That sounds beautiful."

"It's small and it is beautiful. There are not even five thousand people on the entire island. And because the Islands are volcanic, there are hot springs."

"Oh you can bathe in them!"

"There are some very nice bathing spots called termas. But there are also some springs that are so hot that they are only used for cooking; furnas. My family would travel to the spring in the morning and put a pot of stew in the earth and six hours later there was lunch. Azoreans are very proud Portuguese, just as there are proud Brazilian Portuguese. But we see ourselves as very uniquely different. We're as proud of our culture as we are of our islands. We have some of the tallest mountains in the entire world, which means we also have some of the best waterfalls. Everything is either volcanic rock or lush green."

He spoke with so much pride that Tory found herself smiling.

"So why did you leave such a beautiful place?"