Chapter 30

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” Constantin rubs the back of his neck.

“It’s fine. You weren’t asleep long.”

“I know.” He yawns and stretches. I yawn too.

“Do you need a break?” His mouth quirks up at one corner. I look back at the pile of diaries. We’ve barely scratched the surface, and there is so much to do, but I was starting to lose concentration. Flo’s comment earlier about starting immediately springs to mind. Am I being boring by working all the time? Loretta’s taunt echoes round my head.

“I could do with one.” I yawn again. The tiredness has crept up on me.

“C’mon.” He stands and pulls me up, too. He leads me out of the room and up the stairs.

He opens the door to his room and I stall on the threshold.

“Are we doing anything we need to ask Flo about?” I ask, and he turns to face me .

“Well, I was planning to have a nap.” He steps forward into my space. “What did you have in mind?” His voice is deep.

“Sleep?” My own voice sounds high and squeaky.

He cups my cheek and presses a soft, warm kiss on my lips. My stomach flips. If he’s going to do that, I might not be able to sleep. He smiles, his dark eyes crinkling at the corners. He walks backwards to the bed, and I allow myself to be pulled along with him. He kicks off his shoes and climbs onto the bed, lying down. I lie down next to him, facing him. He scoots a little closer and kisses me again.

“Turn over,” he instructs. When I do, he puts an arm round me and pulls me in close.

“I’ve never done this before?” I say.

“Done what?” he mumbles into the back of my neck.

“Been the little spoon.”

He chuckles and wraps his arm a little tighter. He’s warm, and I feel safe with him curled around me. I’m already starting to drift off.

“Well! Is this what happens when I leave you alone for five minutes?”

I blink awake to the sight of Florencio standing over us, his hands on his hips.

“Hey, Flo.” I’m still groggy and can’t manage more words right now.

“There I am, working hard on dinner when I think, ‘I’ll make the guys a coffee as I know they’re working hard, too.’ But then I find the room empty, and when I eventually track you down, you’re asleep! ”

His mouth is smiling, and his eyes are dancing, though, so I think he’s just teasing.

“You brought coffee?” I feel Constantin’s low rumble against my back as he peels himself away and sits up, pushing himself back to lean against the headboard. I do the same.

Florencio sits on the side of the bed and hands Constantin a mug, which he clasps in both hands. He takes a long swig and then sighs, tipping his head back and closing his eyes. “That’s perfect. You’re like an angel, a coffee-bringing angel.” He opens his eyes and takes another gulp. “Thanks, Cio.”

I look between them and see the smile on Florencio’s face.

“Cio?” I ask.

“He said that as you had taken Flo, I had to come up with another name for him.”

I don’t remember when I started calling him Flo, or even asking him if it was all right. I can be a blundering klutz sometimes. But if he asked Constantin to choose something else, I guess he’s fine with it.

“Cio, I like that. But I remember my words were, ‘Florencio is a mouthful.’ Though from what I’ve seen, I don’t think I’m the mouthful here.” He pointedly looks down at Constantin’s groin, deliberately licking his lips. The action and look in his eyes make my own cock twitch in memory of those lips round it yesterday. I want more of that... much more.

“You can just call me Con. Both of you,” Constantin answers, chuckling.

“Can you stay for a while?” I ask, noticing he’d brought three cups with him.

“Yes, I have about half an hour before I need to get back to the kitchen.” He climbs onto the bed and wriggles his way to sit between us. I shift over a little to make room. Then he holds his hands out for his coffee, which I dutifully pass to him and then reach for my own.

The dinner is absolutely incredible. Sofia and Florencio did an amazing job. Everything, from the vine tomato gazpacho to start, followed by roasted sea bass, to the merlot poached pears with cinnamon and vanilla for dessert. Everything was accompanied by the perfect wines. Constantin enquired what the red with the main course was, which started a conversation with Sofia in Spanish that I couldn’t follow well, though I managed to understand more than I would’ve a month ago. I heard Constantin mention his family, and Sofia kept up a volley of questions. I liked that the conversation was in both languages. I didn’t want them having to keep to English just for me, it would have made the dinner stilted and awkward. As it was, I was able to sit and enjoy listening to the cadence of the language, picking up words and trying to give them a context. When Florencio and Constantin talk Spanish with me, they take it slowly, which I appreciate. But trying my skills where there are multiple voices, all speaking naturally, is a challenge I enjoy.

I’m still at the stage where I have to take a phrase and translate it back into English in my head, which is what happens when Senora Bernat asks me a question.

“He oído que eres escritor . ? Qué libros escribes?” I stall for a minute, working out how to describe the types of books I write in Spanish. I must look puzzled as she follows up with, “I’m sorry. Should I have asked in English?”

“I understood the question,” I reply. “But I’m not sure I have the words for the answer.”

She laughs a little, and I warm to her. Switching to English, which she is very proficient at speaking, we talk about books. I learn her name is Dominica, and she and Senor Berat have three children all around my age. She’s a good dinner companion and I’m pleased to have the opportunity to talk to her. She doesn’t mind when I ask if I can try out some more Spanish with her, and is very gracious with my clumsy pronunciations.

I step back, cross, pivot, step, then glance over at where Senor Bernat and his wife are also dancing, and stumble. Florencio’s hands tighten and he doesn’t let me fall.

“What is it?” he whispers.

“Look at them. They’re so good.” They are very impressive dancers.

“They’re like sixty years old. They’ve probably been dancing for forty years. Of course they’re going to be good.”

He has a point. He puts his hand on my cheek, dragging my gaze back to him, and he gently strokes his fingers down my face. He leans closer, his lips almost touching my ear.

“The tango is a dance of passion. You shouldn’t have eyes for anyone else.”

I shiver and see a smile play across his lips.

“Shall we start again?” he murmurs.

“Please.”

We dance another song before taking a break. I sink into one of the comfortable chairs that have been arranged around low tables at one end of the ballroom, near the grand piano. Estrella is already ensconced in one, and Constantin leaves the piano, claiming the other one. Senor and Senora Bernat sit across from us. Florencio has disappeared, saying he’ll be right back.

Florencio reappears after a few minutes with Sofia and Juana. He’s carrying a tray of coffee cups and a cafetière. Juana goes to a cupboard in the corner and brings out some bottles of spirits and liqueurs, as well as some glasses, in case people want to try them outside of their coffee. I try a shot of whisky in mine. After the wine at dinner, the hit of alcohol with the caffeine shot makes me a little lightheaded, in a good way, where everything seems to be in slightly sharper focus.

Florencio asks Dominica to dance, and I watch them, becoming mesmerised by their movements. He looks in his element, and I feel a pang of guilt that he’s so talented and the only person he’s had to dance with for the last few weeks is a slow beginner like me. It’s good to see him really enjoying dancing. Senor Berat asks Sophia to dance, and she readily accepts.

Florencio and Dominica stop, and he offers a dance to Juana. She protests at first, but between his persuasion and Estrella’s encouragement, she relents, though she is hesitant at first. I watch Florencio put her at ease, and I’m reminded that he’s a natural teacher. She’s soon enjoying herself.

“Do you want to dance?” My attention is broken away from watching the dancers by Constantin’s deep voice. I glance at the piano and Dominica has taken his place.

He offers his hand and I take it, letting him pull me up, out of the chair and onto the dance floor.

“I didn’t know you danced,” I say when he pulls me into a close hold.

“What kind of person would I be if I ran a tango bar and didn’t know how to dance myself? But I rarely get the opportunity, or find someone I want to dance with.” He says the last part with a small smile on his lips and a promise in his eyes.

With one large warm hand pressed into my back and the other clasping my hand, we dance. He is larger and more solid than Florencio, and it takes me a few minutes to adjust to that, but I don’t stumble as we glide around the room.

I look up at one point and am pleased to see Estrella dancing—slowly—with Senor Bernat. She looks so happy, and I’m pleased we’ve been able to give her this evening.

Then a hand grips my hip, and another holds my shoulder. Florencio. We don’t stop dancing, and he moves with us.

“I think you’ve stolen my dance partner,” he says, his voice low.

“I rather thought he was ours ,” Constantin replies with a deep rumble.

We get to a pivot step, and Florencio catches me, keeping me facing him, so I’m now in his arms and he is taking the lead.

“I thought you just wanted to watch?” he says casually.

“Watching is part of it. Sometimes it’s more pleasurable to join in.” Constantin runs a hand down the centre of my back, blazing a trail of heat that makes me catch my breath.

Florencio blocks my foot, and I step over his, turning to Constantin, his look of longing making me swallow before I step back into Florencio’s arms and we move again. Step, back, back, cross, pivot. Constantin claims me this time, and I hear Florencio chuckle slightly, almost as if he conceded and allowed it. The sequence is the same—step, back, back, pivot—but this time, as I turn between them, I see they have their eyes locked onto each other.

Then I’m in Constantin’s arms as we turn as one.

“There is room for all of us, don’t you think?” Constantin asks.

“Yes, there is,” Florencio says softly, his fingers playing over my hip, leaving a small tingle with each fingertip. The song finishes and I’m caught between them both. The air sizzles between us and I see Constantin swallow before he steps away and goes over to where Dominica is rising from the piano.

“What just happened?” I whisper, as Florencio’s arm encircles my waist and I become aware of the heat of him behind me. He murmurs close in my ear in a voice that turns my skin electric.

“You’re about to find out.”