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Well, didn’t this make his morning interesting?
“Long trip to the ladies’ room,” he drawled.
She lifted her chin—her silent way of telling him she would not bend her pride to apologize for having deserted him last night. Alejandro frowned…though he was silently amused.
“You came on too strong. Again. I needed to put space between us.”
“And now you do not? Today, I’m supposed to forget that I enjoyed a dance and a half, rather than the eight I paid for.”
“You gave that money to charity.”
“To be with you. The charity was the cherry on top.”
“You paid for the opportunity to dance with me, not seduce me.”
Why not both? he wanted to ask, but tactically retreated from that line of questioning. Starting a fight with Shanna wasn’t the way to entice her to stay. Raising her hackles would not get him the up close and very personal time he wanted with her.
“Perhaps I succeeded, since you have come to Sneak Peek because… What was that you said? Ah, yes. You need me.”
“I’d still be avoiding you if I didn’t need your help,” she shot back. “Which I happen to need now. Please.”
Hmm. She’d likely choked on that word. Shanna was stubborn and tough and wore her ice like armor. No doubt it warded off most men.
He was made of stronger stuff.
Alejandro stood and faced her. “What can I do for you? Take you on a tour? We have great facilities.”
Her expression softened. “It’s a beautiful place. I was expecting something…”
“Dark? Sleazy? Dirty?”
She hesitated. “Glass-and-chrome seedy, yes. This is really…warm.”
That’s what had attracted him to the house in the beginning. Ali thanked God every time he set foot in the place that his business partner, Del, had agreed with his choice of locations. Its shimmering white plaster walls glowed Hollywood golden when the sun set over the hills of Los Angeles. The expansive gardens had a charming Spanish Revival feel, complete with decorative tile that rimmed the pool and outlined the patio steps leading to the second floor. The bars, both indoors and outdoors, welcomed guests. Converting the house into a club had given it the feel of an intimate party, rather than a bunch of strangers getting naked together. That instant comfort level was one of the reasons he and Del had been so successful since opening Sneak Peek. That and good business sense.
Alejandro shrugged. “I took one look at the house and fell in love. Cary Grant built it in the 1920’s. The previous owners started restoring it about ten years ago…and ran out of money. Del and I spent a small fortune to buy the place and finish renovating. I have not regretted it.”
“It’s gorgeous.”
“As are you. Since it’s clear you are not here for me to seduce, what can I do for you?”
Her charmed smile disappeared. The tense hand-clasping returned. “My dance partner and I have a…situation. A delicate one. Kristoff has been here, as a customer, right?”
“I’m not at liberty to answer that. Privacy is something we protect fiercely here at Sneak Peek. I hope you understand.”
“But that’s just it. Someone invaded his privacy. They filmed him…” She shook her head. “It would be better if I showed you.”
Alejandro frowned as Shanna reached into an oversized bag hanging from her shoulder and extracted a flash drive in a clear plastic case. She handed it to him, her expression tense. He popped it into his laptop.
Two and a half minutes later, anger boiled his blood.
“Where did you get this?”
“Someone left it in my dressing room last night just before the benefit began, along with a note telling me that if we competed in the upcoming California Dance Star, this footage will be sent to all the judges.”
“And neither you nor Kristoff have any idea who sent it?”
She shook her head. “That’s why I’m here. I was hoping you could help me. That competition means…everything to me. I’ve worked years to win this.”
As driven as she was, as ambitious as rumor painted her, Ali believed it. She had dumped three partners in the last five years. One after breaking his leg badly skiing just before dance season began. The next partner had been history when he dropped her during a lift—in the middle of a competition. The third…he was a mystery. There one day, gone the next. Alejandro’s mother had the pulse on all her favorite and not-so-favorite dancers. Mamá said there had been rumors of a torrid—but brief—affair between she and Jonathan Smythe.
Alejandro extracted the flash drive, slotted it back in its case, and handed it to her. “There are absolutely no still or video cameras allowed in the club. Period. That is part of our strict privacy policy.”
“Which someone clearly violated.”
“Yes, because that isn’t security footage. If it was, it would be black and white and from an aerial view. It certainly wouldn’t be in full color and focused in tight on the action.” Alejandro rose, paced.
