Dead on the Dance Floor by Heather Graham Page A

in here?”
    The man was tall, dark, good-looking, casually dressed in an open-neck black silk shirt, tan trousers and a dark jacket. His eyes were dark, too, his face deeply bronzed.
    â€œYeah, they dragged me down,” Gordon said, half rising to shake the newcomer’s hand.
    â€œGabe, this is Quinn O’Casey, Doug’s brother, a new student. Quinn, meet Gabriel Lopez, entrepreneur extraordinaire! Suede is his club.”
    â€œHow do you do?” Quinn said, shaking hands with Lopez.
    â€œGreat, thanks. And welcome. You ever been in here before?”
    Quinn shook his head. “Never. I’m a total novice.”
    â€œYou’ll like it. I get the best musicians, even during the week. We keep up the floor, and our kitchen turns out amazing food.”
    â€œSo far, so good,” Quinn said.
    â€œYou haven’t been on the dance floor yet?”
    Quinn grinned. “No. And you won’t see me on it for a very long time, I assure you.”
    Lopez had slid into the booth next to him. “My friend, you’ll be surprised, don’t you think, Gordon?”
    Gordon nodded. “Dancing gets in your blood. You hear the music, you have to move.” He shrugged, staring at the floor. “Maybe you don’t get to be a Shannon Mackay right away, but look at Doug. Six months, and he’s quite impressive. Most importantly, he’s having fun.”
    â€œYeah, he really enjoys it. And hey, what a setup you two have here,” Quinn said, including Lopez. “You learn upstairs, you dance downstairs. Couldn’t have been planned better.”
    â€œTrue,” Gordon agreed. “And it wasn’t even planned.”
    â€œThis wasn’t a club before?”
    â€œIt’s always been a restaurant—with an excuse for a dance floor,” Lopez said. He shrugged. “When I came down, a year or so ago now, I saw the potential in the place. The other owners weren’t making use of the gold mine they had.”
    â€œWe have a great relationship,” Gordon explained. “We have the same people come in to take care of the floors, and we both get a deal that way.”
    â€œThey send me their students all the time,” Lopez said.
    â€œAnd we have a place to send our students, so that they have a good time and want to take more lessons,” Gordon said, then pointed toward the ceiling. “The other tenant in the building is a designer and costumer. She’s great, too. Katarina. When someone is looking for a dress—for a night out on the town, or for a competition—they just go right across the hall. You couldn’t get a better setup.”
    Lopez nodded and stood. “Well, back to business. Welcome, Mr. O’Casey.” He cocked his head, smiling. “Are you a cop, too? With your brother and his friends around now, we feel safe all the time.”
    Quinn shook his head. “No, sorry, I’m not a cop. I’m into boats. Charters, diving, fishing,” Quinn said. Absolutely true, just not the whole story.
    â€œAh, I see. Well, then, you’re a lucky man, too. There’s nothing in the world like the sea.”
    â€œNothing like it,” Quinn agreed.
    â€œEnjoy your night,” Lopez said.
    â€œSee you, Gabe,” Gordon said.
    Lopez walked away, toward the kitchen.
    â€œHe’s a great guy,” Gordon said.
    â€œSeems to be,” Quinn agreed.
    â€œHey, you want to see your brother really look good?” Gordon asked. There was a note of pride in his voice.
    Quinn looked back to the floor. The couples had all switched around. Doug was dancing with Shannon Mackay, and there were only a few people on the floor now. The music had changed, as had the dance. It was sweeping and incredibly graceful.
    â€œBolero,” Gordon told him briefly.
    The dance was beautiful. And Doug was good, made all the better by the elegance of his partner.
    â€œI don’t think I’ve ever seen