“Amaretto on the rocks,” I replied.

At first, we just sat at the bar sipping our drinks and watching the people around us sway lazily from side to side.

Suddenly, his mouth was at my ear, his breath hot on my neck. “Would you like to dance, Emily?”

I found I was speechless. I nodded.

The band struck up a lively number that got most of the floor on their feet.

Now, normally, I am not much of a dancer. I don’t know if it was the amaretto or my being a stranger in a strange land, but something in me that normally held back suddenly broke loose. I danced with abandon, feeling my pulse beat in time with the music.

Sebastian pulled me close to him so that we moved as one body. I thrilled at being so close to him. I wondered at how comfortable I felt with him, as though I’d known him for years and not days.

At midnight, Sebastian looked at his watch. “I’m afraid I have to play the role of Cinderella tonight. I have to get up early tomorrow for a meeting with my boss.”

I tried not to look too disappointed.