Red Hourglass : Dark Coming Of Age Romance Thriller

Tango

On Friday night, I changed out of my work clothes into a knee-length maroon dress. I put on a blazer, hoping not to attract any attention as I left the office.

Christophe was standing outside the bathroom door and I bumped into him.

"Are you waiting for me or something? What's wrong?" I asked.

"Where are you going all dressed up like that?"

"Uh ... somewhere. Can you please move?"

"Are you late for a date with your jerk boss?" He leaned toward me.

"Um ..." I said, taking a step back.

He followed me into the bathroom and backed me into a wall.

"Christophe, that's none of your business." I felt the icy porcelain tiles with my fingertips. I tried scrambling along the wall to get around him but he just moved with me.

"Where are you going tonight Scarlet?"

"You're acting creepy. Will you please just let me by?"

"Scarlet, I thought we were friends," said Christophe, stepping closer and pinning me against the wall.

"I'm warning you, get out of my way or you'll regret it!" I screamed as I leaned over to reach for my blade. I hope this doesn't turn into a bloody mess.

Conan stormed into the bathroom. "What the hell is going on here?" He grabbed Christophe by the shoulder and threw him into a stall. "What's wrong with you Christophe? Don't ever pin a woman to the wall! Scarlet, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," I said. "Everything's okay. It was just a misunderstanding. Let's go."

"Are you sure? I can't have a sexual predator working here. You have to tell me what he did," said Conan.

"He didn't do anything and he's not a sexual predator. He's just awkward around women. Can we please get out of here?"

Conan took me by the wrist and dragged me away like a rag doll. Christophe walked out of the bathroom after us and I looked over my shoulder at him. He was being weird, but I knew he wasn't a threat to anyone. Anyway, he was the one in danger, not me.

"Where are your bodyguards?" I asked Conan as we got in the limo.

"I gave them the night off. Don't tell Kelvin."

We pulled up outside El Tango Milonga, a tango social club and school. The club was dimly lit in a red neon glow and the walls were decorated with hand-painted Venetian masks.

"You look ravishing. That's the perfect dress for a night of dancing." Conan's long fingers swept across my cheek and lifted my chin. "Do you know how to dance the tango?"

"No. I don't know a single step of any dance," I lied. I knew how to dance solo, but I'd never danced with a partner.

"Don't worry. Mrs. Anderson will show you the basics. She's a great teacher. First, we have to get you a pair of tango shoes."

An extensive selection of tango shoes was displayed against one wall. The long shoe racks reached all the way up to the ceiling, and most of the women's shoes had, at least, three-inch heels.

"Aren't these heels a little too high for dancing?" I asked a woman behind the counter.

"They help you dance gracefully," she said. "The shoes take a little getting used to, but they're comfortable once you break them in."

I put a pair of blood-red tango shoes on my tiny feet. The leather was stiff and the straps tightly bound my ankles, but they fit well. I stood in front of the full-length mirror and turned in a semi-circle to see how they looked in back.