DO YOU ONLY WANNA DANCE?
Chapter Three

Rosa went home shortly after her shift ended at the Palace Hotel. She put on her next uniform. She still wasn't accustomed to the dress. It was low-cut and showed her cleavage. The light green dress molded against her slim frame. For some reason, her mind drifted to the stranger, the one with the intense blue eyes. He wasn't her type. Her last boyfriend had been Cuban. He had been nice and all, but she hadn't fallen in love--not fully, anyway. What was it that made this man so special that she kept thinking about him?

She glanced at her watch and picked up her bag. "Mama, I am going now."

"Rosa, mija, I don't like you working at that club. Why don't you marry and live a happy life with that Cuban boy?" Rosa's mother sat holding a little boy.

"Oh, Mama, I didn't love him. He was nice and all, but I wasn't in love." She liked Juan, but there was no connection. No fire.

"Well, hopefully someday you will meet the man of your dreams." Eva got up, taking the little boy with her and putting him to bed.

"Someday, Mama. Gotta go. Love ya." Rosa went out the gate and hurried her way to the club that wasn't too far away from her house.

*****

Jack stepped into the elevator, going to his room. It was quiet and he wasn't sleepy. He lay there on the bed, thinking of Rosa. He got up and changed into a black suit. It wasn't too classy, but it wasn't too shabby, either. Looking into the mirror, he combed his hair back. He wondered where Rosa was tonight. He couldn't keep his mind off her.

He went downstairs and went up to a waiter. "Um…excuse me."

"Yes, sir? How may I help you?" The waiter looked at him.

"I was wondering if you could give me some information." Jack had a twenty in his hand.

"Sure. What would you like to know?" The waiter looked at the money Jack held.

"There’s this waitress named Rosa Delgado. I need to find her. Do you know where she might be so I can apologize to her?" Jack asked him.

"We don't give that kind of information out, sir. But she's working at the Rosa Negra. It's a nightclub," he said, waiting for Jack to give him his tip for the information he had just given him.

"Okay. Thank you so much." Jack gave him the money.

"My pleasure." The waiter smiled and took off.

Jack went on his way to the club. He had no problem finding it. The music attracted him when he first heard it. He paid the driver of the cab and went inside. A lot of Cubans were enjoying the music, dancing like he had never seen before. With that skill and rhythm, he knew he could be anyone he chose to be if he could just dance like they did.

Jack went to the bar, and from afar he spotted his attraction, Rosa. He tried to make his way over to her through the crowd, but that proved to be very difficult. When he finally managed to get to her, the crowd moved him so close to her that he toppled over her drinks yet again.

"Shit. Not again," Rosa said, not looking at who had just bumped into her.

"I am so sorry." Jack cleaned it up this time.

"Do you have a tendency to bring disaster into my life?" Rosa asked him, remembering his voice.

"No. I just got here." Jack looked at her, feeling guilty that he had dropped her drinks again.

"Well, this time you can pay for the drinks, because I am not losing my job because of you." She knew she was being harsh with him, but she was angry because she was tired.

"I really am sorry. I didn't mean to," Jack apologized.

"It's all right, Jack." She patted his shoulder.

"You remembered my name." He was surprised that she remembered.

"Who could forget a person who drops her orders not once, but twice?" Rosa smiled.

"Can I buy you a drink, or something of that nature?" Jack asked.

"Sure. Why not? But instead of a drink, how about a dance?" She wondered if he could dance.

"All right." He knew he wasn't ready to show her the way he wanted to dance, so he settled for regular dancing.

Rosa yelled to her boss that she was taking a short break. He nodded at her and let her dance with the man she pulled into the crowd.

Jack stood there, waiting to see how she wanted to dance. She put her arms around his neck and he put his hands on her waist. He turned red when she put her head next to his face.

"Rosa?" He wanted to ask her a question.

"Yes?" She looked at him.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" He hoped she would say no.

"No," Rosa said, wondering what was on his mind.

"You want one?" He needed to be with her. Everything he felt wanted her. Only her.

"You asking?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said confidently.

"Let me think about it, and I will give you my answer after our dance," Rosa said, and continued dancing with him.

"Okay," he said, nervous about what her answer would be.

He was excited. She hadn't said no. But she hadn't said yes, either. She looked into those eyes again, then looked at his lips. She bit her lower lip, wondering if it was too soon to kiss him. After thinking about it for a short time, she looked at him.

He knew that look, and he bent down his head and kissed her, softly at first, then a little bit harder and deeper. Rosa took his kiss full force. She moaned against his lips, and when he pulled back, she opened her eyes.

"Excuse me." She pulled away from him, hearing her boss calling her.

"Rosa, may I speak to you in the backroom?" Pablo asked.

"Sure, Pablo." She went into the backroom. He followed.

"Rosa, you know the rules. No intimate relations with the guests," Pablo warned her.

"I know the rules, but this isn't an ordinary guest. He's my boyfriend." Rosa unconsciously made the decision.

"Ah…well, then, that's okay. Tell you what, since we don't really have a lot of people tonight, why don't you and your date take a stroll on the beach or something?" Pablo knew she needed time off.

"But, Pablo, I need the money. You know my situation," Rosa explained.

"Yes, I do. But you’ve been working here for a long time. You need a break," Pablo said, not caring if she needed the money or not. She needed the time off.

"Okay. I will take the night off, then." Now that Rosa thought about it, she did need a break.

*****

Jack waited for her while she went to talk to her boss. He only hoped that he hadn't gotten her into anymore trouble than he already had. When he saw Rosa come out, he smiled.

She smiled back at him. "Jack, I'd like you to meet my boss, Pablo."

"Hello, sir." He shook the man's hand.

"Well, Rosa, you met a nice one this time." Pablo liked Jack. He wasn't rude.

"Hey, Juan was nice, too," Rosa commented.

"You know what I mean." Pablo stared at her.

"Yeah. Catch you later, Pablo." Rosa grabbed her bag.

"Nice meeting you," Jack said.

"You two have a good night." Pablo waved.

"I will." Jack smiled. Rosa pulled his hand, heading out of the club. "Where are we going?"

"For a stroll, Jack." She held his hand.

"Oh. Do you live far from here?" he wondered.

"No. Just up that way." She pointed down the street. "So, Jack, since you’re my new boyfriend, why don't you tell me something about yourself?"

"Well, I...you’re agreeing to let me court you?" he asked, saying the old word for dating.

"Yes. You’re surprised?" Rosa smiled.

"Yeah. I thought you would say no." He really thought she would.

"Well, I thought about saying no, but after that kiss, I felt as if something was there. This feeling. I can't explain it." Rosa had felt that electricity in the air when he had bumped into her the first time.

"I know what you mean. I’ve had that feeling all day since I bumped into you. Well, on with your question. I am studying to be a doctor. This coming fall I will be going to Yale University. I am also eighteen years old and had one prior girlfriend, but we broke up, and I just graduated from high school," Jack said, giving a short summary of his life.

"Wow…a doctor. Nice occupation you chose." Rosa liked helping people, too.

"Thanks. What about you?" Jack loved holding her hand.

"My life is not as impressive as yours. My family and I have lived here since I was a little girl. My father died not too long ago. My sister and her son live with us. So we are supporting the family together, although most of the time she's out and my mother takes care of her child while she works full time at a coffee house. I bring in the most, because I don't have any children, or anyone, for that matter." Rosa looked at the ground.

"Wow, Rosa." He was surprised someone as beautiful as her wasn't married yet.

"I know. Sad, isn't it?" Rosa grinned.

"Just a little, but I bet I can perk you up just a bit." He smiled.

"What do you mean?" Rosa hadn't a clue what he meant by that.

"Well, I decided to take dance lessons at the hotel. And seeing that I don't have a partner…well…I was wondering if you would like to join me." Jack hoped she would agree.

"I would love to, but I work full time." Rosa was happy that he had asked her.

"Well, we can practice when you don't work, like the weekends." He was willing to do anything to make this work.

"I work all the time, Jack," she told him, looking into his eyes. She knew she was letting him down.

"Well, you just quit," he said.

"I can't. I need the money." Rosa didn't explain her life in detail, but she needed that money very much.

"How much?" Jack wondered.

"Too much," Rosa said.

"Just humor me and tell me how much." Jack was willing to pay whatever she needed.

"Fourteen thousand," Rosa said, an estimate that had been haunting her since her father died.

"Okay," Jack said, willing to pay the sum.

"Okay what?" she wondered.

"Rosa, you just started dating a millionaire. I will give you the money you need as a gift, if you agree to be my partner," Jack said.

"You’re serious." She looked at him. He was too good to be true.

"Very serious, Rosa. I think I am in love with you." He took her hand and kissed it. Just like a gentleman.

Rosa looked at him, not knowing what to think. How could this man be in love with her when she had barely met him? It was too soon for her, but she was drawn to him. For some unknown reason, she knew he was her destiny.

Chapter Four
Stories