“No. No. No.” The chef took her hand and kissed it lightly. “How do you say? Vous devez me appeler Pierre, chérie.”
“I will be happy to call you Pierre if you will call me Cami.”
He smiled broadly. “Parlez-vous français?”
“Not really. Mais je l'ai fait…um…prendre une couple de classes…um…dans university.”
“Excellente, Cami. I, too, took classes in college but mine were for English.” He looked down at her dessert plate. “Was this not to your liking?”
“It was wonderful. Everything. I just can’t eat another bite. Would you mind if I took it home with me?”
“Not just your piece, Cami.” He motioned to Françios. “Not just your piece but the rest of the cake, too, chérie.”
“Yes, sir.” Françios took her plate and disappeared into the kitchen.
Pierre addressed Roberto and Miguel
. “Was the evening to your satisfaction?”
“Every bit of it,” Roberto said.
“Indeed,” Miguel added.
“Then you must promise to bring Cami back.”
“We definitely will,” Miguel answered, “if she will allow us to.”
Roberto nodded in agreement.
“I would be honored,” she confessed. What woman could turn this down? Not me, that’s for sure.
Pierre took her hand again. “Jusqu'à ce que nous rencontrons à nouveau, Cami.” He kissed her and then left.
Miguel looked good enough to eat up, and that was saying a lot since she was so full. “Ready for the rest of our date, sweetheart?”
“The rest? You mean there’s more?”
Roberto stood and offered her his hand. “Much more, Camille. Much, much more. Izzy told us you were a great dancer.”
She leapt to her feet. “I love dancing, and I definitely need to work off some of these calories.”
“Then let’s go. Miguel and I know just the place.”
Chapter Eight
The minute Camille walked into Club Río Azul with Roberto and Miguel, both grabbed her hands, joining the revelers on the dance floor. The Mexican folk dance had the entire crowd moving rhythmically in a circle. She held onto Miguel and Roberto’s hands as she let her whole body be possessed by the beat of the song. They all three joined in with the shouts of “Ole! Ole!” with their fellow dancers.
She absolutely loved every single step she made with Miguel and Roberto. Their dancing skills dazzled her. They kept her out on the floor all night with salsas, mambos, rumbas, cha-chas, and more, which was just fine with her.
The lights began flashing and someone alerted the remaining patrons the club was about to close. “This is your last dance.”
The three of them were the only people on the dance floor. A few stragglers were watching them intently. When the song ended, their audience applauded.
“Let’s take a bow,” Miguel suggested.
She nodded, vibrating from head to toe with joy. The three of them took their bows and the crowd applauded again. The harsh main lights came on.
“Thank you for coming to Club Rio Azul. Please make your way to the exit.”