Dancing with Richard, and the aftermath Ballroom dancing has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, but I didn’t realise just how important it would become in shaping my future until I had to take the place of one of my bosses following an accident. Dancing Queen A novel by Louise Anne Smithson Copyright © 2013 Louise Anne Smithson All Rights Reserved.

Chapter 26 A new kind of dancing

We parked in the Central Car Park in Luton which had the advantage of being open all night and free of charge after 6.00pm. From there it was only a five minute walk to the club. It had been a fine cloudless day and as a result it had turned into a chilly late October night. There were goose-bumps on my uncovered legs, but I wasn’t sure whether this was due to a combination of my revealing dress and the temperature outside or to my trepidation about how I would get on during the ensuing night. Other couples were also making their way towards the club and I was quite relieved to notice that both Helen and my outfits with our short skirts, and high heels were not particularly daring. In fact there were plenty of other girls dressed in similar styles. Some wore leggings and fancy tops but most wore heels. As usual the guys wore a variety of non-descript casual wear. It struck me once again how much I’d enjoyed spending time with Helen getting ourselves ready and how much more fun girls have with their appearance.

Once inside the club we paid our entrance fees and deposited our coats in the cloakroom. Helen and I made our way to the Ladies to check on our hair and makeup, whilst Richard found us a table and Joe organised a round of drinks. This was another new experience for me as a group of girls crowded round the available mirrors chatting to one another whilst touching up their lipstick or mascara or brushing their hair.

‘Are you all set, Michelle?’ Helen asked, as soon as she’d finished.

‘A little bit nervous, but I think so,’ I replied as I brushed a few strands of my now somewhat longer hair into place.

‘Believe me, girl, you have nothing to be nervous about. You look great, so let’s go and join the guys.’

I’d asked for an orange juice and was determined to stick with soft drinks for the night as I didn’t want to lose control. Richard had a half pint of beer as he too needed to moderate his drinking as the ‘designated driver’ for our party. Helen and Joe had vodka and tonic water. We stayed sitting for a little while, and I studied those dancers who were already on the floor. Our escorts didn’t seem particularly inclined to begin dancing but I was anxious to practice my newly acquired skills as an EDM dancer. Helen appeared to sense my feelings.

‘What do you think, Michelle, shall we show everyone how it’s done before it gets too crowded?’ she suggested.

‘Go on then,’ I said and we made our way on to the dance floor with me feeling pleased but also a little self-conscious.

Fortunately the next track to be played was a ‘Techno’, which I’d already practiced and was not too different from ‘Disco’ that I’d occasionally danced before. I kept an eye on the other dancers and sometimes copied their moves whilst at other times I improvised my own, based on my ballroom experience. Unlike some of the other dancers I was not trying to show off or attract attention to myself but all the same I soon found that I was achieving a respectable standard.

‘You are doing fine, I’m most impressed,’ mouthed Helen to me during a momentary break in the music, but my response was soon drowned by the wall of sound.

From Techno we moved on to Hip Hop with its cool, exaggerated movements reminiscent of the boy-bands and girl groups of the nineteen nineties, From there we moved on to UK Garage (or UKG) with its 4/4 percussive rhythm, followed by Acid House with its characteristic electronic ‘squelching' sound. However, two girls dancing together for some time can seem like an open invitation to any guys who were out ‘on the pull’ for the evening and a couple started hovering around us, ready to make their swoop once the music stopped. Helen and I exchanged glances and as soon as the fourth number was over we went over to the table and dragged our respective escorts on to the dance floor, without further ado. With that, our potential suitors disappeared into the undergrowth looking for other possible conquests.

Joe was a pretty good dancer, bordering on the flashy, and he and Helen made an attractive looking couple on the dance floor. On the other hand Rich was not a natural dancer and proved to be a bit stiff and awkward in his movements, even though he’d been clubbing several times before. All the same he was cheerful and willing to have a go and so it was fun dancing together. In fact it was not too long before he was copying me rather than the other way round.

What I hadn’t expected though was how hot it would become in the club and so I was glad to have taken Helen’s advice and not put on any tights. After six or seven more dances I was happy to accept Richard’s sign-language offer to get away from the noise to sit down with another cool drink.

‘So what do you think of clubbing, Michelle?’ he asked.

‘This is good fun and has been a great learning experience for me.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘The loud repetitive music, the flashing light effects and general air of freedom to ‘do your own thing’, are quite different from anything I’ve experienced in the ballroom.’

‘But I thought you liked ballroom dancing.’

‘I do, but the whole ambience here seems to be young and alive. This isn’t going to supplant my appreciation of the discipline, glamour and decorousness that goes with ballroom dancing, but it does provide an entirely new avenue for exploring my love of music and movement.’

‘So would you like to come again next Saturday?’

‘That depends on who asks me,’ I replied.

‘Me, of course,’ he replied smiling.

‘Alright then, but let’s go as a twosome next time, it’ll be less complicated.’

‘That’s a deal,’ he replied smiling.

‘Alan and I’ll be giving our next demonstration during the Saturday afternoon, but there is no reason why I shouldn’t go out again in the evening.’

‘I know, I’ll be filming you once again.’

‘Of course I’ll have to go home to change as I can hardly go clubbing in one of my dance costumes, but there will be plenty of time for me to get myself ready.’

‘So shall I pick you up from your home next time?’

‘I suppose so, Mum seems to be coming to terms with having a daughter; at least for a while.’

He looked at me as if he was about to say something in reply, but then thought better of it.

‘Are you ready for some more dancing?’ he asked by way of changing the subject.

‘Why not,’ I replied and we returned to the dance floor, just as Joe was leading Helen to have a drink together.

Helen offered a knowing smile to me as we passed one another. She also seemed to be enjoying her evening.

It was after 3.00am when the club closed and nearly 4.00am by the time that Richard had dropped off Helen and Joe in Dunstable. He then drove back to Luton and pulled up in the street outside our house. I noticed the beginnings of a frost outside and the car windows were beginning to mist over.

‘Thanks a lot, Rich, I’ve had a great time tonight, I’d no idea that I would have so much fun,’ I said, beginning to un-hitch my seat belt.

‘Me too! Are you still happy to go clubbing again next Saturday?’ he asked.

‘I guess so,’ I replied.

‘Well good night then, Michelle and thank you, for coming.’

I smiled in reply and moved my hand to the door latch unsure of what was going to happen next.

‘I’ll just need to collect my suitcase from the back of the car.’

Richard seemed to pluck up courage and leaned over to give me a farewell kiss on the cheek. He was clearly not an experienced or confident lover, but was no doubt a sincere one. I looked into his eyes and couldn’t stop myself from turning my head and raising my lips to meet his. Up to that point I’d led a fairly sheltered life and had never had a girlfriend and so this was the first time that I’d ever kissed anyone on the lips, with passion. It was a wonderful new feeling and I was glad that I’d followed Helen’s advice and renewed my lipstick just before we’d all left the club. Then I felt his tongue enter my mouth and a shiver of pleasure went through my body. I closed my eyes so that I would have one less sense to worry about.

A host of different thoughts, feelings and sensations flooded into my head simultaneously. ’For heaven’s sake what is happening to me?’ I asked myself. ’What am I doing? Why do I feel so elated?’ then ’Why don’t you caress my thighs? These thoughts and many others came into my brain so quickly that I was unable to process them all. ’How will Rich and I react to one another when we were working together?’ ‘What will Rob and Sarah think?’ ‘What is going to happen to us in January?’ and then most fundamentally of all Am I a man or a woman?’ It was as if some elemental spirit or genie had taken over control of my mind as I moved closer and wanted my body to dissolve into his. I knew then, that when the appropriate time came, I would not be able to stop myself from offering my body to him.

I had no idea how long we remained in that first awkward embrace in the front seats of the car. I had no idea what year or month, or day of the week it was, or whether it was night or day. In fact I didn’t even know what planet we were on. I was only concerned with the two of us together in the front seat of his car. It didn’t matter that it was uncomfortable for us both; the only thing that mattered was that we were together in one another’s arms. Eventually though we floated back down to earth as, apart from anything else, we had need of the atmosphere to breathe once again. My good sense began to re-assert control.

‘I’d better go in now, that’s Mum’s bedroom up there and I don’t want to waken her,’ I said.

He seemed disappointed but resigned to the night coming to an end. He got out of the car and handed me my suitcase. We stood facing one another for a moment.

‘Goodnight, Michelle. I’ll see you at work on Monday.’

‘No stay, don’t go; hold me and kiss me once again!’

‘Goodnight Rich, and thanks for everything.’

I waved goodbye as he drove off and then stood at our front door shivering whilst retrieving my keys in my handbag, wondering what I’d just done. I quietly let myself in our front door, put my case down in the hall, and took off my heels so that I wouldn’t make any noise as I climbed the stairs to my bedroom.

‘Is that you, Michelle?’ came a voice from inside Mum’s room.

‘Yes Mum, sorry if I woke you,’ I replied.

Her bedroom door opened.

‘That’s alright, I’ve been awake for the last twenty five minutes or so, in fact ever since the car drew up outside. I’ve been waiting for you to come in to ask whether you have a good time?’

‘Yes thanks,’ I replied.

‘I like the colour of your new dress, but isn’t it a bit short for this time of the year?’ she asked.

‘Oh Mum, I don’t know what to do,’ I said as I dissolved into tears.

‘Whatever is the matter? What has happened?’ she asked in some alarm.

‘Nothing has happened, we had a good time. It’s just that I don’t know who I am anymore.’

Next time: A watershed in my life

Thanks to Bronwen for editing and to everyone else for comments and kudos which are always appreciated. The novel is now completely written and edited and will appear in 30 chapters. Louise