Free Dance with the Doctor by Cindi Myers Page A

provocatively. All the while she seduced the audience with her smile and teased them with her eyes. They cheered and whistled and applauded. One man’s voice rose over the others. “Baby, you are gorgeous!”
    Mike craned his head, trying to find the guy in the crowd.
    The music switched to a more modern rock number and she vamped, acting out the words of the song, in which the singer chided her man for not treating her right. She promised to make him pay for his mistakes and find a man who would treat her like a queen. Mike had no doubt she’d have plenty of willing candidates in this room if she issued an invitation.
    The music changed again and she ventured into the audience, moving among the tables, stopping to dance for appreciative diners. At one table she invited a young girl to join her, applauding as the girl twisted and shimmied. Mike thought of Taylor, and how quickly she and Darcy had hit it off. Darcy had an easy way with children, and Taylor, who so often missed her mother, basked in attention from an adult female who was equal parts fantasy princess and mentor.
    She moved on, twirling and gliding, and stopped directly in front of Mike. As her eyes met his, he felt certain she’d been aware of his presence for some time, and had deliberately sought him out.
    The music slowed and she slowed with it, her moves becoming more controlled. More sensual. The two of them might have been alone in the room, for all Mike noticed the people around them. The exotic music and the seductive sight and scent of her filled his senses. He was no longer a single dad and doctor….
    Then the spell was broken by a man who inserted himself between them. “Come dance with me, honey,” the man said. He wiggled his hips and laughed.
    Darcy tried to move away from him, but he grasped her arm. “Wait. I’ve got something for you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled bill and tried to stuff it into her top.
    Mike was out of his chair and had a hold of the man before he realized what he was doing. The guy released Darcy and turned toward Mike. Mike landed a blow on the jaw, then watched as the man sank to his knees and toppled over with a groan.
    The next thing he knew, Darcy was dragging him out of the dining room and down a dimly lit corridor. “What are you doing?” he protested. “I haven’t paid for my dinner. What about the rest of your show?”
    “The show’s over. And don’t worry about your dinner. I’ll talk to Dileep.” She opened the door to a storage room that apparently doubled as her dressing room, dragged him inside and shut it firmly behind them.
    He stood with his back against the door, breathing hard, his hand throbbing. She stood a scant foot away, arms folded under her breasts, her accentuated cleavage and bright costume in sharp contrast to her disapproving schoolmarm expression. “Well?” she said.
    “Well what?” He rubbed his throbbing hand.
    “Why did you hit him?”
    “I’d think that would be obvious.”
    “I would have handled him. Dileep was already on his way to help.”
    “Who is Dileep?”
    “The owner. He doesn’t like this kind of disruption.”
    Such a polite word for a brawl, or what would have been a brawl if the other guy hadn’t toppled like a tree. “Does this sort of thing happen often?” Mike asked.
    “Occasionally. Usually the guy’s had too much to drink. I put him off and Dileep escorts him away and suggests he leave and not worry about paying for his dinner. Most of the other diners never notice anything’s wrong.”
    Mike was pretty sure at least half the room had seen him deck the guy. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I wasn’t thinking. I just saw his hands on you and…” He shook his head.
    She uncrossed her arms. “You surprised me. I didn’t think you were the type to do something like that.”
    “I’m not. At least, not usually.” He grimaced.
    “Is your hand all right?”
    “It’s not broken, but it smarts. Serves me right for