2 Dancing With Death Read Online Free PDF Page A

living in a cartoon world, Wes’s tongue would’ve been lolling to the floor, his eyes popping out of his head in surprise and little hearts with wings fluttering around his head. In all honesty, Betty couldn’t blame him. Bill and Wes may have been dressed snappily in suit jackets and neat jeans, but Clarise was dressed to kill. And, while Clarise’s fashion sense certainly assured that she was well-dressed every day in Lofton, she rarely had occasion to use her considerable beautification skills to their full advantage.
         Tonight, in the space of half an hour, Clarise had morphed from pretty and casual to the Belle of the Ball. Betty was torn between admiration and envy. She was sure that she could never look half as good, even with a team of perfectionist makeover artists strapping her to a beautician’s chair for a whole day.
         Clarise’s dress was a vibrant red, with golden embroidery on the bodice, neckline and hem. It fell almost to her ankles in straight, satiny folds reminiscent of a Greek Goddess statue. A slit up the side to her mid thigh swished aside with each step, flashing just enough skin to make Wes drool. Her hair had been swept up into a bun held in place by gold pins, and soft ringlets fell to either side of her face.
         To top it all off, Clarise was smiling. And it wasn’t one of those half-smiles she used in photographs, but a full-blown “I’m-in-love-and-don’t-care-if-the-whole-world-knows-it” smile that made her look positively radiant.
         As they exited the elevator, Clarise went to Wes and Betty walked towards Bill. When she reached him, Betty jerked her head at the smitten couple, who were trading clumsy compliments like an awkward high school couple.
         “They’re hopeless,” she said seriously.
         “Sickening,” Bill agreed. “At this rate, they’ll be dancing around each other for months.”
         “Oh no,” Betty said.   “Not if I have anything to do with it! You’ve only been here a few months. I’ve had to watch them for years. No more!” She gestured dramatically to emphasize her resolution, while trying to convince herself that the butterflies in her stomach had nothing to do with her sudden need for silly theatrics. None at all. “It ends now!”
         Bill leaned in. “I agree,” he said in a conspiratorial whisper, his eyes dancing. “Let’s find an excuse to leave them alone in the room tonight. What do you think?”
         Betty laughed, stepping back slightly as she fought a blush. There was no reason to blush, she reminded herself sternly. Never mind how good Bill looked in his navy blue blazer, or that she could see that his eyes had three different shades of blue…
         “So,” she said, keeping her voice light, “If I happen to steal their keys and lock them in the room until they move things along, will you help me?”
         “Absolutely,” Bill promised. “I’ll turn the key myself.”
         Wes and Clarise started moving to the opposite end of the entrance room, towards a sign in the corner saying “Ballroom Dance Competition This Way,” with an arrow pointing down a hall. Bill held out his arm and half-bowed to Betty.
         “Well my beautiful Betty,” he said, causing Betty to promptly lose her blushing challenge. Blood rushed to her cheeks at the compliment, and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it except hope that Bill didn’t let her reaction go to his head. “Shall we?” He asked.
         Betty placed her hand on his arm. “Why not?” She and Bill trailed behind Clarise and Wes, letting them led the way towards the dancing.

CHAPTER 6

         Betty knew that ballroom dancing had earned its name for a reason. She had no problem at all imagining dancing at balls in mansions a hundred years ago, when such parties were commonplace and part of the elegance and mystique of the era. But it was another thing altogether to walk through double