silver? She’s dining here.’
Tegi looked up at the pleasant features of a tall fair young man who was smiling at her expectantly.
‘Ex-beauty queen?’ she queried. ‘She happens to be in the bar on this floor. The dinner guests are taking their final drinks.’
A fleeting picture of Tony’s dinner table companion fitted his description aptly. Lucky girl, she thought, this young man was quite something.
He hesitated, looked undecided. ‘I don’t want to butt in too soon. What do you think?’
She laughed, said frankly, ‘You can never butt in too soon where a pretty girl is concerned.’
He grinned. ‘I see your point.’ He looked her over with appraisal. ‘It works both ways,’ he added on a chuckle.
It was some time before she realised he was paying her a compliment.
‘Are you waiting for someone?’ he asked.
She shook her head. ‘No.’
‘Then shall we dance?’
Movement was what Tegi had been wanting. The music was throbbing with an irresistible beat and they melted in the crowd. Coloured lights flashed overhead and her slim lissom body was one with the beat. Her companion was a bit stiff at first but he soon relaxed and moved with her.
Tegi twirled, swayed and gave everything she had to happy relaxed moments; Most of the dancers were young like herself and there were no inhibitions in sight. At last, breathless and laughing, they spun to a halt. ‘That was great,’ he said. ‘Thanks a lot. I must be going now. Thanks again.’
Tegi turned to watch him go, and froze. Tony was standing with his dinner companion at the entrance to the room. He had come with her, presumably to look for her dancing partner.
There was a mocking smile on Tony’s lips as he flung a remark at his companion before advancing into the room towards her.
For some unknown reason that she could not explain, Tegi panicked. Turning swiftly, she cannoned violently into a young man and as he caught her he asked her to dance.
‘I’ve been watching you,’ he told her as they got into the swing. ‘You have a lovely figure and you move fantastically well to the music.’
She laughed and the lights overheard sprayed colours into the dark copper of her hair. Her eyes were very bright.
‘I’m not mad on da nc ing,’ she confessed. ‘But it’s a great way of working off tension after working for your living all day.’
He agreed. He worked at the airport and had a flat in Douglas, he told her. He could not appear to be able to take his eyes off her sparkling face.
‘That fair young man you were dancing with just now,’ he said. ‘Is he your regular date?’
Tegi shook her head. ‘I don’t even know his name.’
‘Well, my name is Tom Bourne,’ he volunteered.
‘Mine is Tegi. Nice to meet you.’
The next moment someone had twirled her round and round until she had to clutch at him to get her breath.
‘What’s the idea?’ she gasped, glaring up into Tony’s dark face. ‘How rude can you get?’
He said, ‘You should know. You gave a good demonstration at the dinner just now and not long ago right here by ignoring me.’
‘Maybe I thought that was what you wanted. You seemed to be busy with your companion.’
His dark eyes glittered. He said softly, dangerously, ‘You can’t have everything your own way, you know. How is your mother?’
‘She’s fine.’ Tegi’s smooth young forehead drew into a frown. ‘Now wait a moment. You don’t think I asked to come in her place, do you, because the great Tony Mastroni was here?’
Her eyes had darkened as she searched his face in an effort to get at his thoughts.
‘You do, don’t you?’ she cried in a voice hardly recognisable as her own. ‘How dare you?’ She drew in a breath that hurt. ‘What fun has it been for me, dining among a lot of silly motorbike fanatics? You should have seen the man I had sitting next to me — he was about as genial as a snow-capped mountain peak. Besides, how did I know you’d be here? Not that it matters to
Tegi looked up at the pleasant features of a tall fair young man who was smiling at her expectantly.
‘Ex-beauty queen?’ she queried. ‘She happens to be in the bar on this floor. The dinner guests are taking their final drinks.’
A fleeting picture of Tony’s dinner table companion fitted his description aptly. Lucky girl, she thought, this young man was quite something.
He hesitated, looked undecided. ‘I don’t want to butt in too soon. What do you think?’
She laughed, said frankly, ‘You can never butt in too soon where a pretty girl is concerned.’
He grinned. ‘I see your point.’ He looked her over with appraisal. ‘It works both ways,’ he added on a chuckle.
It was some time before she realised he was paying her a compliment.
‘Are you waiting for someone?’ he asked.
She shook her head. ‘No.’
‘Then shall we dance?’
Movement was what Tegi had been wanting. The music was throbbing with an irresistible beat and they melted in the crowd. Coloured lights flashed overhead and her slim lissom body was one with the beat. Her companion was a bit stiff at first but he soon relaxed and moved with her.
Tegi twirled, swayed and gave everything she had to happy relaxed moments; Most of the dancers were young like herself and there were no inhibitions in sight. At last, breathless and laughing, they spun to a halt. ‘That was great,’ he said. ‘Thanks a lot. I must be going now. Thanks again.’
Tegi turned to watch him go, and froze. Tony was standing with his dinner companion at the entrance to the room. He had come with her, presumably to look for her dancing partner.
There was a mocking smile on Tony’s lips as he flung a remark at his companion before advancing into the room towards her.
For some unknown reason that she could not explain, Tegi panicked. Turning swiftly, she cannoned violently into a young man and as he caught her he asked her to dance.
‘I’ve been watching you,’ he told her as they got into the swing. ‘You have a lovely figure and you move fantastically well to the music.’
She laughed and the lights overheard sprayed colours into the dark copper of her hair. Her eyes were very bright.
‘I’m not mad on da nc ing,’ she confessed. ‘But it’s a great way of working off tension after working for your living all day.’
He agreed. He worked at the airport and had a flat in Douglas, he told her. He could not appear to be able to take his eyes off her sparkling face.
‘That fair young man you were dancing with just now,’ he said. ‘Is he your regular date?’
Tegi shook her head. ‘I don’t even know his name.’
‘Well, my name is Tom Bourne,’ he volunteered.
‘Mine is Tegi. Nice to meet you.’
The next moment someone had twirled her round and round until she had to clutch at him to get her breath.
‘What’s the idea?’ she gasped, glaring up into Tony’s dark face. ‘How rude can you get?’
He said, ‘You should know. You gave a good demonstration at the dinner just now and not long ago right here by ignoring me.’
‘Maybe I thought that was what you wanted. You seemed to be busy with your companion.’
His dark eyes glittered. He said softly, dangerously, ‘You can’t have everything your own way, you know. How is your mother?’
‘She’s fine.’ Tegi’s smooth young forehead drew into a frown. ‘Now wait a moment. You don’t think I asked to come in her place, do you, because the great Tony Mastroni was here?’
Her eyes had darkened as she searched his face in an effort to get at his thoughts.
‘You do, don’t you?’ she cried in a voice hardly recognisable as her own. ‘How dare you?’ She drew in a breath that hurt. ‘What fun has it been for me, dining among a lot of silly motorbike fanatics? You should have seen the man I had sitting next to me — he was about as genial as a snow-capped mountain peak. Besides, how did I know you’d be here? Not that it matters to
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