Diamonds and Nicotine

Noir kept a polite smile on her face, but a sense of alarm shot through her mind. She had a feeling she was heading towards deep trouble, and she needed to get out. If she could trust anything at the moment, it was her intuition.
“I’m sorry, I really don’t dance,” she said, blinking shyly. “Being dangerously clumsy and all.”

But Chen wasn’t having it.
“Oh, no worries;” he said, flashing her a bright smile. “I’ll be taking the lead.”
With that, he started to tow her towards the hall entrance, bringing her with him closer to the music and laughter.

Noir tried to keep the polite façade up, but it was proving to be a difficult task.
“I truly wouldn’t want to be a burden, Monsieur Chen.” she said, gritting her teeth as she bit back the urge to forcibly yank her hand back. “It would be quite a messy…display.”
She then tried to gently untangle herself from his hold when Chen’s grip on her hand tightened and he stopped walking.

“Please, I insist,” he said, his voice still light. He turned his gaze back down to her and suddenly his eyes were cold. “I wouldn’t want you to regret having missed this opportunity tonight.”

Noir stiffened, sensing a slight change in his demeanor and tone. The subtle threat in his tone was not missed and she knew then that she was not going to get out of this.
She glanced around briefly, keeping her motions minimal. There were more people around them now; if she were to make a scene, she would not be able to make a clean break. That left her with only one other option.

Noir smiled, raised her masquerade mask back over her face and gazed straight into Chen’s cold eyes.
“Well then, please.” she said. “Take the lead.”



The cooler evening air hit Noir like a pang of ice, as she was guided smoothly into the vibrant crowd. Laughter and chatter filled the air at a festive volume, clearly unaware of the alarm the young thief was feeling.
It was clear; the moment she failed to sense his approach, he was the one in control of the situation. She had been far too distracted with her declining status to pick out the incoming threat the moment he entered the hall. Noir mentally gave herself a kick for her carelessness.

“I’m feeling in a mood for an Argentine Tango.” Chen noted with a thoughtful hum. “That isn’t too aggressive for you is it, Mademoiselle?”

“I know the dance,” she replied, the answer slightly sharper now. “As long as you know how to lead, we should be fine.”

Chen laughed, continuing to escort her along through the crowd.
“You’re in luck then; the Argentine just so happens to be one of my fortes.” he said. He peered down at her through his masquerade mask, his gaze holding a silent challenge. “My lead is not something you’d be worried about.”

He came to a stop at the edge of the dance floor and turned to Noir. He gave her a look before nodding to one of the uniformed attendants standing nearby.
“This gentleman will kindly take your items for the dance.” he told Noir, as the man approached the pair.
Noir forced a polite smile to the man who bowed and held up the silver tray he was holding. She was very reluctant to giving the man her things but regardless, she set her clutch down on the tray and turned back to Chen. But he smiled, shaking his head.
“You should probably give him your mask as well.” he told her. “You won’t be needing it.”

Noir hesitated, for just a second before she lowered the mask and set it on the silver tray with her clutch. She then turned her gaze to her dance partner, straight into his eyes.
“It seems rather unfair that you get to keep your mask.” she said. “Have something to hide?”

An amused smile returned and Chen chuckled.
“If you wanted to admire my face, just say so, Mademoiselle Merlo.” he said.

Noir nearly rolled her eyes at the egotistical comment as he smoothly removed his mask and placed it on the tray with her things. He returned his attention to her and offered his hand for her to take.
“Now, may I have this dance?” he asked.

As if I had a choice, Noir thought, as she gave him a tight smile in response before placing her left hand in his.
Chen’s smile grew wider, in a manner Noir immediately didn’t like. It was as if he thought everything was in his hand, the cards in place and secured. It was a smile of a winner.
Noir felt a heavy dropping feeling in the pit of her stomach as he pulled her deep into the wide dance floor. She looked around, trying to analyze her situation and gather up her defenses. She searched, trying to formulate a plan to get out of the setting.
Chen only continued to guide her through the crowd of dancers, and stopped when he seemed content with the location. He turned back to face Noir but said nothing else. He did not let go of her hand.
A sound of a light chime sounded once, and everyone on the dance floor turned. It was the conductor of the small orchestra. He waited another few seconds before he spoke.

“We’ve received a number of requests and it seems that many of you are looking to make this a night of passion and sensuality.” he said, and an excited murmur ran through the crowd. He smiled, gazing upon the group of dancers before continuing. “To our dancing pairs and lovers on the floor, it is my pleasure to announce the next dance of the night: the Argentine Tango.”

A collective sound of excitement and delight came from the crowd and a few clapped and cheered. Noir noticed the pairs shifting to their selected positions, getting ready.

“Dancers, reverence.” the conductor boomed.

Noir took one step back, shifting her weight to her back leg and lightly sank into a mild curtsy. Chen finally moved, the smile still on his face. Wordlessly and without dropping eyes from Noir’s cautious gaze, he lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a light kiss on her knuckles before he finally released his hold and pulling away. Noir straightened from her curtsy and watched as her lead situated himself about three feet in front of her.
“You seem tense,” he noted. “Are you nervous?”

“Hardly.” Noir replied. “You’re the lead; nothing I can’t handle.”

Chen’s smile only grew wider.
“We shall see.” was all he said.

There were a few moments of silence before the music began. The intro to Libertango broke out in the air, slow at first but then the sound sharp and crisp. The dancers slowly came to life, taking a step closer to their partners. Noir took a step forward and stopped, Chen doing the same.

The intro began to escalate, anticipation rising thick.

He lifted his left hand in which she placed her right. He held his arm bent at the elbow in a textbook ninety-degree angle, bringing their bodies together to touch. She hooked her left arm in a curve so her hand rested right on his shoulder as his right arm wrapped around and his hand was placed at her lower back.

The violins were joined by the viola, and then by the bass cello. The harmony intensified, becoming stronger and finally reached crescendo----

“I keep thinking about that piece…Elegance of Eleanor…” Chen murmured, stirring Noir’s attention. His voice was low and husky in her ear as he kept it at a private volume. “I think that piece might be a bit loud for you, Mademoiselle Noir.”

A single uniformed sharp note rang and then it was silent. A dramatic pause for dramatic effects, and suddenly it was as if time was suspended by the tension.
“Hmm…” Noir said, her tone few degrees cooler than before. “Then how about you? You seem far too green to be a certified grader, Ace of Spades.”

She heard him hum, the sound rumbling in his chest and a relaxed buzz.
“If you already know that, we can end this childish pretense then.” he said.

Noir bristled at his tone, her intuition prickling. Humor had left his tone and in its place was…

The deep sounds of the bass cello broke the silence, slowly coaxing the energy up in the crowd with the light teasing percussion. The sounds blended in a playful beat, heating up the dance floor. Noir inhaled, willing her muscles to relax and anticipate Ace’s moves.

The violin finally joined in with its sensual whine, slow and seductive in the air. Ace made his move right on the note, his movement so fast that Noir was left only her reflexes to react.

Not once allowing an inch of contact to be lost between their bodies, he guided her back, the force while not harmful but clearly dominating. First step back, second step he sidestepped, smoothly rotating her into the third step as he stepped back, leading her to push closer to him. They were literally nose to nose; staring into each other’s eyes with what an outsider would call ‘passion of the tango’. But between the two of them, it was something only they understood.
Ace pivoted his hips so they were realigned in a manner that Noir was lined up to his right side with his hand curled around her left. Noir draped her left arm so her hand rested behind his shoulder and pressed her temple to his jawbone as he maneuvered them into partnered turns across the floor, their knees soft and their steps gliding. Despite the mood of the song and dance, she was tense.

“You’re up to something.” she stated, not asking but noting.

Ace chuckled as he continued to glide and flow through the tango, keeping his partner in check.
“Am I?” he said. “What makes you say that?”

He shifted the alignment again, so they were once again face to face. Noir followed Ace into the next step forward and she saw the corner of his lips twitch. She had a split second to brace herself as he propelled her to his left into a tight spin. She let her body rotate cleanly twice before she checked herself, Ace not missing the beat in grabbing her right hand in his left. The two had only exchanged a quick glance when he pulled, tucking her into a second spin. But this time he was the one that stopped her.

Noir’s right heel found the floor with a sound click as she stopped spinning and she found herself back in the arms of her partner, her back pressed to his chest and his right arm wrapped around her stomach, her left hand captured in his. Noir could feel his hot breath on her cheek as the two of them just slowly shifted their weight on the spot, the movement drawn out as if to be enjoying the closeness.

“From where I stand, it seems like you are the one that’s up to something.” he said.
His left hand slid from her wrist, slowly tracing up her arms and to her shoulder.

“I can read you.” she said. “You have been leading me further away from the edge of the dance floor, and now you’re trying to keep me disoriented of direction.”

“Are you disoriented?” he asked, his lips brushing the back of her neck.

“No,” Noir replied, a little annoyed that he was deviating from her question.

She got a short grunt in response.
“I should try harder then.” he said nonchalantly.

Without any warning he twisted her body around so she was facing him again. Her hands shot forward, palms finding his chest for support. His hands found a grip on her forearms and instinctively her fingers curled into a fist. But Ace slid his hands up to meet her hands. He did not drop eye contact with Noir as he pulled her closer, guiding her hands to his jaw before he quickly wrapped his arms around her shoulders right below her shoulder blades. Foreheads pressed together, they continued to sway their hips to the calls of the violin.
Noir felt his hands slowly slide down her bared back, his palms brushing down her sides not missing a single curve on her body wrapped in the tight bodice.
Just when he was about to reach the curve of her rear, she grabbed his wrist.

“There is no need to be that thorough with the body sweep.” Noir told him, cold warning in her tone.

The sharp glint came back in Ace’s eyes and he took a half-step back to return to a close partner hold. But just as Noir was about to step forward, he trapped her left foot and swiped it out from under her in a swift barrida. A quiet gasp escaped her as she was wretched off balance to her right. She recovered with the only move she could follow with: she wrapped her right leg over his left thigh in a high piernazo, her left leg fully extended in a full lunge. Her right hand caught his arm as she just barely held on, her fingers curling tightly around the curve of his shoulder. She felt his hand grasp her now bared thigh, pulling her leg up higher to his hip.
“I think I’ll be the judge in that decision.” Ace said, unfazed.

He then regained the dancer’s hold and checked their shoulders at an angle that forced Noir further off balance and locked in her compromised position, making her completely reliant on his strength to keep her up.
“I suggest you just stay compliant and maybe we’ll last the dance.” he said.

Noir grunted in discomfort from the strain, her left fingers gripping into his shoulder. She tried tugging her right arm but he only gripped onto her hand tighter.
“Dammit, Ace. What could I possibly be packing in this ridiculous dress?” she hissed. “What’s the point of this?”

“What if I told you I just wanted to dance?” he returned.

“Then I will walk away right now.”

Ace just smiled, almost looking maniacal.
“Oh, I’m wounded,” he said sarcastically. “But I don’t see how you would be able to walk away; you’ve been clinging onto me so hard that you’re leaving nail marks in my suit.”

Noir gritted her teeth, a flare of infuriation shooting through her.
“I’m a little incapable of standing on my own right now, bear with me.” she returned dryly.

“Don’t worry, I took it as a compliment; I am that good.” he laughed. “It seems that I have that effect on many.”

She didn’t miss the sexual innuendos nor did she miss his amused tone. She was about to retort when he finally shifted, allowing her to be able to stand on her left leg. But his hand was back on her thigh again, slowly sliding up.
“One thing you want to worry about is that LeBlanc has guards posted all around the courtyard, watching us dance right now.” he said.

Noir shot a side-way glance at her dance partner, alarm ringing. He just smirked and released her leg, and she followed by lowering the leg in a slow voleo.
“All I have to do is give one signal and they will come over and take you in.” he continued. “That is, if we weren’t simply enjoying the evening and each other’s company, something might seem off about us dancing together.”

“What are you saying?” Noir demanded quietly, keeping her lips close to his shoulder in case of any close bystanders.
Ace guided her through a set of simple standard tango steps, keeping their hold cheek to cheek. He slowly rotated and pulled back the slightest bit, giving her a meaningful look.
“Make this dance count like you mean it.” he said. He then shifted again, this time bringing Noir to face him straight into his eyes. “Convince me it’s real and maybe I’ll let you live.”