He may have left it out for her to find.

And he may have asked her to gather the bottles from around the stereo.

And he may be wishing the tenth track was the first track, but he can wait.

By the time it comes on, they're relaxing on the couch, laughing about Michael's karaoke aspirations.

"And Phyllis! I wonder if she sings hair ballads for Bob?" She giggles.

"Don't knock, Phyllis, she's a peach. Hey, did you know you can dance the cha-cha-cha to this song?" Smooth, Halpert.

She looks surprised. "No. Do you cha-cha-cha?" she asks and the giggle is still in her voice.

"Maybe."

"Really."

"Mm-hm."

She grins widely. "Prove it."

He shrugs. "It's a two-person dance. And you don't know it." He hopes his tone is sufficiently challenging. Because she never backs down when he sounds like that.

She stands, holding her hand out to him. "So teach me."

"I don't know..."

"Please?"

I impress even myself. "Oh, alright." He rises and takes her hand. "Try to keep up."

She laughs, shaking her head. "Oh, bring it on."

He leads her to the center of the room, and stands beside her. He takes her left hand in his and puts his right around her waist.

"Okay, we'll do it side by side first. Which, by the way, is a popular way to cha-cha."

She smirks. "Do I know you?"

"Apparently not. Pay attention. You want to keep your weight on the balls of your feet. Now listen for the beat. Hear it in fours?" He pats her waist to the beat, and she nods her head along. "Okay, the steps go one-two-three-and-four, or one-two-cha-cha-cha. You're going to start with your left foot."

"Okay."

"Okay, let's do them in place. Ready?" He keeps patting her waist. "One-two-cha-cha-cha, one-two-cha-cha-cha. See how you start first on your left, then next time on your right?"

"Yeah."

"That's it. Now step forward on the first beat." They move toward the fireplace. She puts her right hand over his and pats along. Her hips are naturally starting to go with the rhythm. "Okay, in place for a moment. Now, backward. Back-two-cha-cha-cha. Back-two-cha-cha-cha."

They go forward and back again. When she begins to move forward a third time, he surprises her by stepping around to face her, moving backward.

She nods, impressed. "Nice."

"Thank you. And also, I told you so."

"Oh, shut up."

He grabs the remote as they pass the stereo, and restarts the track before it can end. He throws the remote onto the couch, and pulls her a bit closer with a hand on her lower back. He can feel her muscles working there. She looks up at him.

Is that a challenge? Before he can answer himself, she moves her free hand from his shoulder to his lower back, and steps closer. Her hand is firm there, her thumb hooked on the waistband of his jeans. Her eyes hold his. He thinks her breasts may be just the tiniest bit visible from this angle, and he doesn't dare look.

But the thought won't leave him alone, and her hips are swaying, and her rear end is firm under his pinky, and he thinks he may be in trouble pretty soon.

Creed-Creed-Dwight-Dwight-Dwight.  Creed-Creed-Dwight-Dwight-Dwight.

After a minute or so, she relents with a small smile. When the track changes, it's a slow one and she sighs.

"Oh, I love this one." She looks up at him, the question in her eyes.

He smiles back. "Sure."

She moves both arms around his waist, her hands resting on his back. He circles her shoulders with his arms, and laces his fingers together under her hair. She lets the weight of his arms bring her closer, until he can feel her entire length against him. She closes her eyes and lays her head on his chest. Her breath comes through his sweater, and slowly but surely, his body betrays him. He knows she can feel it, but she only holds him closer, her hands sliding soft and warm on his back. He gives her a thankful squeeze and caresses her neck until the cd ends. They continue to sway for a few minutes before she looks up again and smiles.

"You're a good dancer, Jim."

He can feel his cheeks blushing. "Well..."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

She pats his chest and winks. "Good night."

"Good night."

x x x x x

To: PLapin@dundermifflin.com
From: JHalpert@dundermifflin.com
Date: November 23, 2005

Subject: Lesson

I owe you.

Jim