Not bad for his first milonga, he thought. He'd gone a few rounds with other beginners, girls she knew from class. He danced better when it was with her. They didn't anticipate him the same way, they didn't connect with his body or dance around his mistakes the way she did. He wondered if it had anything to do with talent or everything to do with sex.
She was different here. The blue jeans and tank tops of the practica replaced by that delicious black dress. Red satin and lace hanging to mid thigh and split to the hip where it disappears beneath the black. Open-backed so he could press his palm against her bare skin as they danced. At the practica she would crane her neck to instruct him; here she simply coupled her body with his, ear pressed to his heart.
So, here he sits, sipping at his drink and watching her dance. Watching the way her legs peak through the slits in her dress, the graceful line from her shoulders through the tips of her high heels. Watching as others, more capable than himself, display the extent of her skill. And oh! there it is. The jealousy. He would never begrudge her tango; he just wishes his own skill were such that he too could have the room staring as he shows her off. Though the sight of others so close against her would always light that fire, he mused.
The dance ends and she comes back to his table, "ready to go, baby?"
"Sure."
"Let me just swing by the Ladies' and we'll go." He watches her disappear into the back of the restaurant. She's back in a few minutes; they say their goodbyes and head to his car. The ride passes with her hand resting possessively on his thigh, head lolling on his shoulder.
At her apartment, she seats him in an overstuffed chair and curls up in his lap, arms around his neck. "Thanks for coming, baby. You have a good time?" She murmurs into his neck.
"Mmhm," he mumbles as he kisses her head. Already he can feel the warm tension beginning slowly to form. She crooks a finger under his chin; turning his mouth to meet her own, she kisses him firmly.
"Think you might like to go again sometime?" Her eyes are soft, but there's a hint of you'll-be-handsomely-rewarded behind them.