All work and no play makes Tess a dull girl, right?

Wrong.

Swear to God, next time Ashley drags me to another one of these galas, she’ll be the one coughing up my $50k entry.

Hello again.

Did you miss me? Why, thank you, I missed you too. I still wonder why you choose to spend half your time with Austin, but tonight I don’t care. I’m just happy you were there to see the expression on his face when Arnold from A&S pulled the rug from under him.

Must’ve been amazing, right?

Anyway, enough about Austin. I’m happy I landed a straight right, but he still hasn’t hit the mat. Of course, that doesn’t mean I can’t take a break from work and celebrate this little victory.

That’s exactly why tonight I’m at the Ritz-Carlton ballroom, a nice and tight dark gown caressing each one of my curves. Usually, I don’t have the time—or even the patience—to come to these charity galas, but Ashley insisted. A lot. See, when I have to pay $50K for a seat, I usually require a lot of convincing.

But it’s for a good cause. We’re helping the poor orphans in Sudan, after all. Or is this the one about the ozone layer? Crap, why can’t I keep all these charity events straight? I hope no one asks me to make for a speech. Although I could say that what the orphans in Sudan really need is for someone to fix the ozone layer.

That could work.

Okay, crap, sorry. I’m not that callous. I just work very long hours and devote all of my brain’s processing power to everything furniture.

So, yeah.

Ouch!

Jesus Christ.

I eye my dance partner warily as he stomps on my foot.

“I thought you knew how to tango?” I ask archly.

I can’t believe I said yes to him.

It all started with Ashley.

“That guy is eyeing you,” Ashley said, nudging me with her elbow when she found me, pointing toward a dork standing by himself in the corner. Probably one of the tech billionaires, he had horn-rimmed glasses on and seemed to be nursing what looked like a fruity cocktail.

“Are you kidding me?” I whispered. “What do I care if he’s eyeing me? The guy looks like he just stepped out of virgin-land.”

“So?” She insisted grabbing me by the elbow and pushing me toward him. “That’s Howard Mills. The guy invented some sort of software that can do...well, I have no idea what it can do, but it has an important sounding name. Besides, he’s known for donating a lot of money when he comes to these events...as long as he has fun. So you go there and make sure he has some fun.”

“Jesus, what do you care how much money he donates?” I asked. “Are you part of the organization or something?”

“Tess.” She pursed her lips, hands on her hips as she stared me down. “I’m part of the board here. Remember?”

“Okay, damnit,” I hissed. “I’ll go make sure he enjoys himself.”

Sighing, I made my way toward Howard Something-Something, and threw him some remark about his drink. The poor bastard started coughing like a madman, probably choking on his strawberry daiquiri, and I was forced to pat him on the back as he regained his composure.

“I’m...I’m sorry,” he stammered, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose and introducing himself. “The name’s Howard Mills.”

“Tess Armstrong,” I replied, already regretting I gave him my name.

“Would you care for a dance, Ms. Armstrong?” he asked me.

No, thank you, is what I should have said.

“Yes, of course!” is what I said for my friend.

But dancing with him was painful.

Especially when it comes to tango.

We started off well-enough, our steps matching the slow tempo of the music.

Then the bastard stomped on my foot.

And then again.

And again.

Now I’m sighing in frustration.

And the more he steps on my foot, the more enthusiastic he gets, swirling me around the room as if I were a rag doll. I start getting dizzy and, by the time the song reaches it’s high point, I can’t help but glare at him.

“I’ll lead,” I hiss through gritted teeth, pushing him back and forth across the dance floor. He finally settles into a boring rhythm, and I curse Ashley so many times under my breath that Howard must be thinking I’m trying to invoke Satan.

When the music reaches its conclusion, I’m ready to make my escape. Except, of course, the freakin’ band decides to segue straight into La Cumparsita, the most well-known tango song in the world. Don’t know it? Sure you do.

In fact, grab your phone and put it on right now. Yup, I’m totally serious. If I have to suffer through this song tonight, you’ll have to suffer with me.

Take your time.

I’ll wait.

I’m still waiting, babe.

“Mind if I steal the lady?” I hear a voice say from behind me, and I’m already thanking the gods of tango for delivering me a savior.

And that’s when I realize it’s Austin.

Holy shit, don’t I ever get a break?

Sadness washes over Howard’s face but he lets go of me. The guy doesn't know how to fight for a woman.

I start walking away when Austin reaches for me and grabs my hand, swirling me around and pulling me against his body. I gasp as I feel my breasts pressed against his chest, and then he holds his left hand up while resting the other on my lower back.

“Where do you think you’re fucking going?” he whispers, taking slow but slithery steps across the dance floor. “You didn’t ask the reader to put some music on just so you could escape, did you?”

“The reader?” I reply, frowning but keeping my posture, our bodies gliding across the ballroom. “Last time I checked the contract said we had to split air time in this novel.”

“Technicalities,” he says, flashing me a teasing smile.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I ask.

“Can’t a man enjoy a night out?” he asks back.

“I didn’t know you were a dancer,” I answer.

“I didn't know you were a thief!” he yells.

I pull back, but he pulls me tight against him.

The pressure of his fingers on my skin sends a shiver up my spine. I look into his eyes, and my gaze goes to his lips.

“See something you like?” he asks.

“Nothing worth losing my sleep over,” I say back.

“Ouch,” he chuckles. “You’re a mean one.”

“The absolute worst, remember?” I remind him.

The music turns up.

Austin begins to move. Christ, where the hell did he learn to dance like this?

“The absolute worst,” he repeats, slowly pulling me up. Then, he stretches his arm to the side and some bystander throws him a red rose.

What the hell?

I didn’t sign up for this.

“No way.”

“Oh, yes,” he grins, bringing the rose up to my lips and leaving me no choice but to bite on the stem.

“I’ll fucking gut you for this,” I hiss once more, clamping my teeth so tight my brain rattles inside my skull.

“Chill out, will ya?” He smiles, then gives me a wink.

Then he gets serious.

His footwork goes beyond anything I’ve ever seen, and he leads me across the room effortlessly.

Holy shit.

The once packed dance floor has been cleared, and we’re the only two people dancing. Everyone else is standing around in a semi-circle around us, completely slack jawed as they see us tear up the dance floor.

Oh, well, what can I do?

They asked me to tango, so I’m gonna tango.

Pushing Austin back, our bodies finally separated, I throw the rose against his chest and start circling him. My gaze is a teasing and devilish one, and each step I take is precise and calculated. He mirrors my movements easily, adding a masculine cadence to his footing.

Well, I’m impressed.

Move aside, Antonio Banderas.

As the song picks up the pace again, we rush into each other’s embrace.

“Didn’t know you could tango, Austin,” I say to him.

“There’s a lot I do that you don’t know about, baby,” he says back to me, eyeing me.

As he twirls me around, I pull a fast one on him and raise one leg up, lacing it against his right one. “You’re too full of yourself,” I say.

“Am I?”

The glint in his eyes leaves me wondering, but he untangles his leg from mine and dashes across the floor. Only when I’m back in his arms does he continue.

“I’m not the one who got confident,” he says.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

One more twirl, one more grin.

“You’re overexposed, Tess,” he leans in, his forehead pressed against mine. “You secured my supplier...but you’re in debt now.”

Oh, so we’re dancing a different kind of tango then.

“So what?” I ask. “Your supplier was everything to you. Without him, you’re in a boat without a paddle.”

“Lets see where that gets you when your credit runs dry,” he says back to me.

“I’ll have plenty of credit with the Clarendon Tower contract,” I remind him.

“Or you’ll be forced to mortgage your condo, baby,” he says with an evil grin. “Don’t worry. I’ll let you sleep on my couch.”

Asshole!

“I won’t let you win, Austin,” I warn him.

“I’m gonna win, Tess,” he says with finality. “Every fiber of my body is built for winning. Every breath I take is to win. Every thought I have is to advance. You’ve never met a man like me.”

He’s true.

I haven’t.

“Like hell you’re going to take this from me,” I seethe. “Over my dead body.”

“You can’t win against me, Tess,” he says over the music.

“And no way you can win against me, Austin,” I say, not backing down.

I’ve never had this before.

Men crumble in front of me. I can make a grown man cry with just my words.

But this?

This is insane.

As the music reaches its final high notes, our movements so fast that the faces of the onlookers seem like a blur to me, he does one final twirl and bends me over his front leg once more.

I lean back and look into his eyes as the music finally stops.

God.

My heart is hammering fast, and I feel as if I’m on fire. As he slowly pulls me back up, one hand on my waist, the last thing I want is let go of his body.

Christ, I’m not even sure what happened these past few minutes.

“What do you say, Tess?” He whispers, a devilish smile hanging on his lips. “Do you just want to dance? Or do you want to dance?”

Goddammit.

Fine, Austin.

Let’s do it.

Let’s fucking dance.