Nathan was reaching for the wine bottle when he uttered a low curse instead. “Aw, hell. Now she’s dragging Julia out to the dance floor. And that’s never a good thing.”
The trendy Peruvian restaurant in Greenwich Village also featured live music and dancing in the evenings, and it hadn’t taken long at all for the action to get started tonight. The smallish dance floor was packed with bodies writhing to the salsa band who was featured tonight. But all eyes seemed to be glued on the gorgeous, sexy twins who were putting on quite a show smack in the middle of the floor.
Julia seemed less than thrilled to be out there, her dance moves – not to mention her clothing – much more subdued than her sister’s. Lauren, on the other hand, was shimmying and shaking to the tropical beat with wild, uninhibited abandon, as if deliberately calling attention to herself.
Ben’s jaw clenched angrily as he watched her smile flirtatiously in response to the numerous cat calls and whistles she received. She might as well, he thought furiously, have the words “do me” stamped on her forehead, given the way she was dancing and what she had chosen to wear tonight.
She’d “cleaned up nicely”, as she had put it once, abandoning her usual jeans and T-shirts for a much more provocative outfit. She wore a black dress that seemed to expose more skin than it covered with its deeply slashed halter neckline, cut out side panels, and short, flared skirt. And with those damned lace ankle boots, Ben wondered how in the world she could dance so exuberantly without falling flat on her face – especially given the amount of alcohol she’d consumed tonight.
Nathan had a worried look on his face. “Lauren’s not a good influence on Julia,” he told Ben. “The few times they’ve gone out partying together Julia usually winds up with a hellish hangover the next day. And of course Lauren can never let me forget the time she tried to entice me into having a twin sandwich.”
Ben choked and sputtered on the sip of wine he’d just swallowed, reaching for his water glass. His eyes were watering as he croaked out, “A – what? That’s not really what it sounds like, is it?”
“’Fraid so,” Nathan muttered. “Though Julia swears up and down she never even considered doing something like that – whether with me or some other guy. Lauren was just trying to stir things up when she said that. But, damn her, she likes to forget that Julia is married now and shouldn’t be out there shaking all of her worldly goods in front of a bunch of horny guys. I’d better go and rescue my bride.”
“I’ll do it.” Ben stood and placed a hand on Nathan’s shoulder. “After all, you and Julia are here to celebrate, not play nursemaid to the Dancing Queen out there. Besides, considering the fact that she has a pre-dawn flight out of JFK in the morning, she might even thank me for dragging her out of here. I’ll grab a taxi, make sure she gets home okay.”
Nathan grinned. “Hey, now you’re really the bravest guy I’ve ever met. And it was good to meet you, Ben. I’m glad you decided to join us for dinner after all. I’m just sorry that Lauren seemed to go out of her way to ruin everything.”
“Forget it. Like I said, my presence here probably made it all ten times worse. She’s pissed off at me – for a lot of reasons – and when Lauren gets angry she usually winds up acting out like a naughty child. Nothing I can’t handle. And here.” He took out his wallet, extracted several bills, and placed them on the table. “I know you kept insisting that dinner was on you, but this is for the tip. God knows that poor waiter deserves it tonight.”
Nathan was chuckling as he rose to shake Ben’s hand. “Thanks, man. And I hope to see you again sometime. I’m not sure when we’ll be in New York again, though. Do you ever make it out to the West coast?”
It was on the tip of Ben’s tongue to confess that he had avoided traveling to California very intentionally since that fateful summer six years ago. “Not for a long time,” was all he said. “But it’s one of my favorite places in the whole world, so maybe one of these days.”
Ben cursed beneath his breath as he gingerly maneuvered his way through the crush of people on the dance floor until he reached his target. Lauren’s back was to him, her lithe body moving to the rhythm of the music, and she was more or less oblivious to everyone else around her. Ben caught Julia’s eye and jerked his head in the direction of their table. Wide-eyed, she merely nodded and began to walk away.
He placed both of his hands on Lauren’s bare shoulders, bending down to murmur in her ear, “Time to put away your dancing shoes for the night, Cinderella. You’ve got a very early day tomorrow, after all. And I doubt you want to get on the first of four flights with a nasty hangover.”
Lauren’s leanly muscled shoulders stiffened beneath his grip, and then she spun around to face him, her eyes spitting angrily. “Get lost,” she hissed. “Who the hell do you think you are anyway, Ben Rafferty? Nobody tells me when I’ve had too much to drink, or when it’s time to call it a night. Especially you!”
“Really?” He arched a brow at her in amusement as he took hold of her arm. “Because the way I see it, I’ve done both tonight. Come on, sweetheart, time to find your carriage and get you home.”
She tried in vain to wrest her arm out of his grasp, and swore in frustration when he continued to dodge her somewhat unsteady attempts to kick him. “Leave me alone,” she muttered sullenly. “How come you’re too goddamned busy to talk to me earlier today, and now all of a sudden you seem to have all this time on your hands?”
“Ah. So that’s what this little hissy fit you’ve been having all evening is about,” he observed. “Tell you what. If you want to talk to me now, I’m all ears. Except not here. Somewhere a little less noisy and way more private.”
“Forget it,” she spat. “I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to talk to you anymore. Maybe not ever again. So, go on – leave me alone. And why are you here anyway? Shouldn’t you be at home with your precious Elle?”
“Elle’s out of town right now. And to answer your first question, I have no idea why I’m here,” he replied wearily. “In fact, I’ve been asking myself that same question all night. Now, come on. Time for you to leave, Lauren. You can either walk out of here on your own, or I swear I’ll throw you over my shoulder again.”
She gasped and gave him a little shove. “There is no way you’d dare to try that little stunt again,” she declared. “And no way I’d let you get away with it.”
Ben struggled valiantly to keep his slowly simmering temper under control. He had never known anyone – male or female – as infuriating as Lauren, and he half-seriously wished he had some rope on him at the moment so he could show her just how much he was willing to dare.
“I would dare,” he whispered against her ear. “And if my guess is correct, you’re wearing very, very little under that short skirt. Little enough that you’d give everyone in this place a very interesting peep show if I have to carry you out. And while you are many things, Lauren, I don’t believe an exhibitionist is one of them. So, come along now, okay?”
She stuck her tongue out at him, just like the six year old child she’d been behaving like all night, but otherwise didn’t protest when he took her by the arm and steered her outside. He bundled her into a taxi after she sullenly gave the driver her aunt’s address, and then he slid in beside her.
She stared out her window for almost five minutes, obviously pissed at him, before she finally mumbled, “You didn’t have to see me home, for God’s sake. I can take care of myself, you know.”
The impact of her dignified little protest was spoiled when she hiccupped – quite loudly – and Ben couldn’t help laughing despite the truly evil glare she directed his way.