Dance With Me

by Lexus Love

  Or worse yet, could he be the drug baron who lived here…or…or some weed-smoking- purse snatching,-seven-eleven robbing-kill everybody up in this bitch-psycho-junkie?

  OK ...Stop girl. Seriously? You are giving me the creeps. Besides, you said you would stop judging him and give him a chance to prove himself

  With a deep breath for courage, she reached out and rang the doorbell.

  Twice.

  A cool breeze blew by, leaving goose pimples on her exposed skin.

  Though it was summer, Debbie still felt uncomfortable, standing on there on the front stoop of a mansion, in a well-known white neighborhood far from the nearest neighbor or the main highway, looking for a nigga, on a school night.

  The drilling sound came to an abrupt halt. From somewhere inside the darkened house came the sounds of heavy footsteps running either up or down some stairs.

  When the door swung open, Debbie’s eyes were not ready what they saw.

  Nigel.

  Breathing hard.

  Half naked.

  Broad shoulders.

  Wide muscular chest with small flat nipples.

  Solid muscle on muscle.

  Sweat covered dark chocolate skin glistening in the porch lights.

  Abs so defined they looked like scares

  Not one hair insight on that chest.

  Well-worn low riding jeans highlight his lack of underwear.

  A pair of large caterpillar work boots covered in what looked like saw dust…

  A look of surprise and a frown plastered on young his face.

  Golden eyes focus stealthily on her. Nigel was as shocked as hell that this girl was standing outside his house-the same girl he’d been having erotic dreams about for the last three days-looking like she was lost or something.

  He took in her simple summer dress, flat sandals, and loose ponytail.

  And once again, he was struck stupid by her natural beauty. She had minimal or -if possible– no make-up on. She was staring at something; he was just not sure what?

  In the five minutes, they have been staring at each other, neither of them had said a word.

  Finally, Nigel couldn’t take it anymore.

  “Yes?” his deep rich velvety voice dripping in sarcasm, “Can I help you?”

  Debbie could not believe her eyes. What in the hell?!! Boys, especially post-teen boys, are not supposed to look like that.

  He looked like one of those extremely buff supermodels on a home improvement magazine or Sports Illustrated.

  Or worse. Playgirl. Once again his likeness to Morris Chestnut was extraordinary.

  Debbie was so not ready for this shit. As a terrifying fog of something so forbidden settle around her, she didn’t hesitate one second. “I’m sorry. I have to go.”

  She just turned on her heels and scampered away from that scary-ass scene back to her car.

  Dear God, what was she thinking, coming to his house alone, on a night like this? She couldn’t imagine what he must think of her standing on his doorstep and running away from the mere sight of him.

  She should have brought Kita along to help her keep her cool and fear at bay.

  “Hey! Wait! What are you doing here? Where are you going?”

  She’d just reached her car door when his voice penetrated her thoughts and she came to a stop. Oh No! Now I must explain why I’m here. Shiite.

  After a few minutes of thinking of how to get out of this with some dignity, Debbie took a deep breath, very quickly, she pivoted on her knees once more and launched into an explanation of her sudden visit, just to get it over with.

  “I’m sorry, I just came to apologize to you for my rude behavior a few days ago, but I can see that you are very busy.”

  By the shocked look on his face, she could see that he was surprised by her visit and her explanation.

  “Oh….okay" he shrugged, “I'm not too busy to hear what you have to say” then surprised them both by asking, “Would you like to come in to do that?”

  She took a full five minutes to decide then walked hesitantly into his house…

  And what a house it was. She knew the house was beautiful on the outside but the inside, it was her dream home.

  The front door opened into a wide center hall anchored by the double curving stairway to the second floor and was highlighted by the hand-forged wrought iron banisters.

  The ironwork flowing to the walls as well as to framed art pieces which graced each room.

  With its lofty twenty-foot ceiling, honed limestone floors and spaciousness, the foyer sets a tone of unmitigated refinement and extraordinary craftsmanship.

  An eight-foot long handcrafted and carved flat top secretary desk stood near the entry to the dining room.

  On top of that stood two small table lamps at each end. Across the room, near the entrance of one of two sitting rooms, was a large comfortable armchair.

  The formal dining room with its crown molding housed fourteen setter dining tables and chairs on top of a big beautiful oriental area rug, a wrought iron chandelier to lighten up the room and a masterpiece of a fireplace mantle and gate.

  Across the hall was a room of cream and earth tones with a matching fireplace and grate. Two large comfy sofas and armchairs to match took centerfold on another earth tone oriental rug. That was the beginning of the best night she’d had in a long time.

  Throughout the 25,000 square feet of living space, she was told on her tour of the house, included 10 bedrooms, 8 full bathrooms, and four powder rooms, nine fireplaces, a private elevator from the second floor, down to the fully furnished basement, two laundry rooms, and well-equipped wine cellar with bottles stacked on shelves from floor to ceiling.

  There was a 30-inch wine chiller set into the wall opposite the elevator access door and the room’s exit door.

  Also, there was a house generator and garage space for 6 cars, all on three levels of luxury living.

  An elegant stone terrace with outdoor fireplace and entertaining area overlooks a spring-fed pond, a beautiful 65-foot heated pool, fully-equipped pool house with kitchen facilities and fireplace, tennis court and meditation area.

  On those days when the weather is inclement, one could challenge family or friends to a rousing game of basketball in the regulation, climate-controlled, indoor half-court; or you could shoot pool with your boys in the large family room with fireplace and wet bar, or just watch a feature movie in the eight-person cushion seated home theater.

  The kitchen was a chef’s paradise.

  There was an eight burner range with a pot filler fitted in the wall above the stove. A set of real handcrafted stainless steel knives and shears. A large copper sink was embedded into the huge island which ended at a large, round built-in niche to sit up to fifteen at a time

  “You live here?” she asked more shocked than anything else

  “Yes I do”

  “You live here?” she asked again in uncertainty. “

  “Yes. Yes I do”

  “How, exactly?”

  “My grand-dad left me some money.”

  “Oh. Okay. That’s cool. Must have been some large inheritance.”

  “Yes, it was. Much more than you can imagine”

  “Really? How much are we talking here?”

  Nigel smiled.

  “Let's just say that I will live comfortably for the rest of my natural life. So will my kids and their kids. I’m one of the heirs of Swayne Enterprise. Malcolm Swayne was my grandfather.”

  “Wow.”

  Wow indeed. Who would have guessed that this man-boy felon was related to one of America’s first black multi-millionaires?

  But that didn’t matter to her. Her sole focus was on his character, not how deep his pockets were.

  A man was the one who made money, money didn’t make a man.

  Driving back to her apartment, Debbie felt light as a feather.

  She'd sat down with Nigel in a dream kitchen, who made her a surprisingly good bowl of cream of mushroom soup and
they talked a little about everything including the weather, just to break the ice, then got down to the reason she showed up on his front stoop.

  Surprisingly, he was a perfect gentleman and accepted her apology and offered one himself for his rudeness towards her.

  She'd thanked him for the roses, which made him blush, though she couldn't see it on his dark skin.

  He'd donned a shirt he'd hung on a near nail after he noticed her discomfort with him being shirtless. He even accepted her invitation to church the following weekend.

  Eventually, they worked out their differences and came up with a compromise.

  He even offered to follow her home in his vehicle to ensure her safety back home. She had wanted desperately to decline his offer but thought better of it.

  If he was willing to overlook her indiscreet behavior towards him, throw in an apology to her as well and offer her his service as a bodyguard across the bridge, on the ride back to Jacksonville? Then was she to deny him his self-worth?

  Their parting was not as friends but as two people willing to work together to accomplish a goal. The next day Nigel showed up for work on time and was ready to take on the world if need be.

  Dammit, he was starting to show her that he was not all a child, but a fully grown man and could make adult and wise decisions.

  15

  Seven weeks later…two days before the amateur dance showcase…

  "And twist (two, three) and turn (two, three) and step, step, step. Now do the lift. Slowly, slowly. Turn (two, three) and dip (two, three)… “

  Jaime clapped along with the Afro beat of Meddy’s “Slowly”, complementing the new dance couple on their progress.

  This was the last week of practice before the amateur performance act this coming Saturday night and Jaime was bursting with joy.

  His most difficult challenge yet had turned into a surprising success.

  Nigel and Debbie glided across the gleaming oak floor, their bodies in tune with each other for the last seven weeks, the dance was ever more seductive, much sultrier than it would have been with any other pair of dancers.

  Though they acted as lovers on the dance floor, their levels of respect for each other’s private space was never in jeopardy.

  However, the first few weeks of their training together was more difficult than a ninety-year-old man trying to pry the kid safety cap off a bottle of Viagra, in the heat of the moment before he expires.

  Yet Nigel had learned not to crowd Debbie while learning the steps or touch her wherever she found most inappropriate– which was almost her entire body.

  She’d learned not to cower away from him nor feel threatened by his sensuality on or off the dance floor.

  They had come to a mutual understanding.

  That she was his elder and was to listen and to do everything she said and he was to respect her everywhere or else his ass would go mysteriously missing forever.

  Jaime had agreed with Debbie on account that he knew her to be one prickly rosebud and he didn’t want anything to muck up this good thing.

  Lord, he was so going to ride this bus hard till the wheels fell off.

  “Alright, people,” he stated loudly while clapping his hands to gain his students' attention, “Let’s do it once more and we're done for the night. “

  16

  “…Words could not describe the level of entertainment and excitement that was portrayed on Saturday evening down at the Jacksonville community hall where a fundraising event was hosted by one of the biggest charity organizations in New York.

  What highlighted the evening was the dance performance by the students of the Latin Heights Dance Studio which was newly found by James Marba, a former partner of the dance company, The Mambo Luxe.

  No one is sure what of his reason for leaving the very popular dance academy in New York.

  Surprisingly, however, his dance studio has been thriving as one of New York’s fastest-growing dance studios to hit fame, according to the number of diverse students who portrayed what they’ve learned in the past year.

  Of course, I, as a genuinely surprised and pleased reporter, must make mention of the final act of the showing.

  How elegant, professional, dramatic and fluent were the couple’s moves.

  The moves told a story of how their African-Haitian heritage in expressing their emotions through sultry dance moves.

  Today, where bumping and grinding against one’s partner is very common on every dance floor, these two expressed their story where sex was not the main goal, an art form long forgotten.

  Their story was of forbidden love, once lost by a tragic betrayal.

  A scene from Shakespeare’s greatest love story; Romeo and Juliet.

  Every twist, turn and caress was that of a passion too strong to be denied.

  One would think that these two were both professional dancers.

  How shocked was I to learn that the young man who at eighteen was not only the maintenance man of the building which houses the Latin heights Dance Academy but also served time on a false charge of drugs and murder?

  His dance partner, Debbie Wilson, however reluctant to work with the once juvenile felon -who is now doing many hours of community service, 7000 to be exact - stated and I quote, “ Nigel Swayne has proven that he can be more than the stigma attached to his name and race .”

  Well, he sure showed this reporter and America, that that was so true. Yet the questions on everyone’s mind in the dance society is will Latin Heights take their newfound fame and participate in next year’s regional ballroom dance competitions? Will the young man be allowed to participate?

  To add my two cents, this reporter would want to see this new team show their talents on any dance floor…”

  The loud cheering that followed the reading of the article by Jaime to his class was deafening.

  Because of this high praise, it didn’t take Jaime much convincing either of his students to try out for the upcoming local competitions to find out who would represent Latino Heights in the regional competition in the following months.

  Though he had to try his mightiest to convince Debbie into not quitting and to give Nigel a second chance at competing.

  Of course, Nigel did bolt at the mere suggestion, yet Jaime sensed in him, a growing likelihood for his dance partner.

  By Labor Day, after much bribing, disgraceful begging antics and public death threats, both Debbie and Nigel were shoe-ins for the competition.

  17

  Three weeks before Halloween …

  “So.....tell me. Who’s the new girlfriend?”

  The question was so unexpected, that the resulting actions were belly-busting funny.

  Nigel choked and unintentionally spat his sip of cola onto a passer-by.

  At this unfortunate accident, Debbie laughed till she was coughing and gasping to catch her breath, tears running freely down her face as Nigel tried desperately to apologize to the cane-wielding old lady who refused to have him clean her up.

  “Oh Gawd! Oh dear lord!” she gasped.

  “Can’t believe you just did that!”

  The old woman walked off cussing Nigel rapid Yiddish and raised fists; he turned to Debbie and gave her a harassed glare. “Stop laughing! Wasn’t that funny to me.”

  “Yet it was to me!” Off she went, cackling like a crazy old witch.

  Her beauty outshining everything in his direct vision, sending his blood boiling and his dick leaking precum.

  “Oh really? Ite. Since you think that that was so funny, maybe I won’t tell you the answer to your question.” He sneered.

  “Aww, come on Nigel. Don’t be like that.” She stated, getting her laughter under control.

  “Humph”

  “Okay. Alright. I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry, miss lady. That just won’t do. You gone have to do better than that.” His no-nonsense attitude was almost comical.

  “Really?” the sarcasm in her voice was almost tangible.

  “Yes rea
lly.”

  “Okay. Ite.” She spotted an ice-cream man standing not too far away from them. She left him standing there pouting, got two nutty bunnies, ran back to present the treat as an apology. “Please forgive me” she gave him the puppy dog look that most women used to bribe any man, especially her daddy.

  After a few minutes of fussing, he stopped pouting and took the treat she offered. “Fine. I forgive you.”

  “Yea!!” she singsong, jumped up and kissed his stubby cheek, which took him by surprise but he brushed it off for what it was, a sincere thank you.

  If only she knew how much he was affected by her mere presence, he didn’t think she would have even breathed on him.

  To Debbie, that little pet kiss was nothing unusual, since she has done that to every male since she was little, whenever she got her way.

  “Okay, cool.” He brushed his cheek in a mock attempt at being disgusted, but she laughed anyway.

  “So... you never answered my question”

  This time he just laughed and nodded in agreement as they walked along the pathway through the park. “No, I didn’t.”

  “No, you did not.” She repeated for emphasis. “So...are you ever going to answer the question?”

  He turned to her and posed his own question. “Why have you been asking me all these questions about my personal life lately?”

  Which she didn’t hesitate to answer hung, “Because I want to get to know you better.

  Since we’re going to be working so closely together for the next couple of months, I think it’s best if you and I at least get to know and share a few details-beside work-related info- about each other.

  You know, become friends. You have a problem with that?”

  Lord, she hoped that he didn’t. After the last disaster, Debbie would do anything to make him less than a threat to her psyche.

  She never knew it but they each were subconsciously fighting hard to hide something unnerving that had begun to blossom subconsciously between them.

  It worked most of the time when they were in public— practicing in front of the rest of the class, that is-

  Yet, Nigel could not help getting as hard as granite whenever he touched Debbie’s soft skin or watch her traipse around in a pair of black leggings and crop top during practice.