Page 5 of Dance Dirty With Me

“Where are you off to in such a hurry?” Dad asks.

“I heard there was a donkey derby on the beach.” I say the first thing that comes to mind, and the only activity that had filtered into my brain from the tannoy earlier. I don't wait for their reply, but I can feel Lisa’s glare on my back as I scurry away and duck between two buildings so I’m out of sight.

I head towards the beach, but instead of staying near the activities organised by Poplins, I turn and pass the group of sad-looking donkeys—though I’m pretty sure donkeys always look like that—and walk along the coast. Further away from the resort are sand dunes, and I wander amongst them for a while before sinking down in a secluded dune and pulling my book out of my back pocket. I read in peace for a couple of hours.

It’s the thirst from sitting in the sun that drives me back to the camp, but instead of going back to our cabin, I buy a bottle of dandelion and burdock from one of the shops, as well as today’s paper.

I meander through the site, past the croquet lawns, the swimming pools, and the boating lake, successfully not getting roped into taking part in any of the activities. I see a dog show taking place on one of the lawns, and a diving exhibition. When I get back to the cabin, I’m pleased to seemy family aren’t there, and I manage to read the paper in peace before they return.

“Baby, look!” Lisa bounds up the steps to the covered porch and thrusts a piece of paper in my face. It’s too close for me to read, but I don’t need to anyway.

“I got second place in the first round of the contest, which means I qualify for the next one in a week’s time.”

She clutches her certificate to her chest and does a twirl, nearly bumping into Mum and Dad who are just arriving.

“I need to work out what I’m going to wear for the swimwear round,” she says as if it’s the most important and urgent thing in her life, and it probably is. She drags Mum inside to suffer her fate, though I firmly blame her for how Lisa is. My dad sinks into one of the chairs with a long-suffering sigh, and I can’t help but let out a snort. He raises an eyebrow at me and holds out his hand to request the paper.

“I think I need to immerse myself in something with more levity for a while.”

I hand it over and pull out my book, and we read in companionable silence until it’s time to go to dinner.

As we walk to the dining hall, Lisa links her arm through mine.

“How was the donkey derby?” she asks loud enough for our parents to hear. She knows me far too well.

“Spectacular. The small brown one won.” It’s probably the truth; they all looked small and brown to me when I passed them on the beach.

The after-dinner entertainment begins with a magic show. It’s mildly interesting, but the rest of the guests seem to enjoy it . Then there are a couple of comedy acts, which are prettyamusing and I laugh out loud a few times. There’s the promise of an open mic night sometime during the week, as well as talk of Dave Allen coming to do a show at the weekend.

Then the floor is cleared of seats for dancing, and I try to sit back in the shadows but Nicola appears within a few minutes. The only way I’m going to get out of her singling me out is to tell her, my parents, or both the truth—that I prefer men. But that’s not going to happen. Not ever, if I can help it. It’s forbidden. The law changed last year for those over twenty-one, but even then, it’s just not acceptable in society. My hope is that when I get to Cambridge I might find a group of like-minded men, and then I won’t feel so alone. But owning up to my family isn’t in any of my plans, so I suffer dancing with Nicola, but I’m very careful to never lead her on. Maybe I can be so dull she’ll leave me alone; it’s the only strategy I’ve got.

After a couple of dances Max comes over with a large smile on his face. I think he’s about to say something to me, but luckily he leads his granddaughter off to meet some of the other more important guests. I need some air to try and relieve the queasy feeling I’m left with from the look Max had given us, so I walk between the buildings and follow a path I’ve not seen before. It’s less well tended than the other paths and is lined with trees, which I find intriguing. Just ahead of me I see Billy grappling with three oversized cans, each one about to slip from his arms. I hurry over and catch one just before it falls to the ground.

“Thanks,” he utters, managing to hold onto the other two.

“What are they?” I ask, looking at the label which reads Party Seven.

“It’s beer,” Billy replies, looking round concerned. “Where’s your little girlfriend?”

Urgh. I shove the large beer can back into his arms and turn away, and I hear him struggling as I walk away.

“Do you promise not to tell?” he calls and I turn back round.

“Of course,” I say, just reaching him in time to prevent the can hitting the ground.

“Max doesn’t allow us to drink, and he’d have a fit if he found out.” He leads me along the path and I see a sign saying Staff Only.

Music starts wafting through the trees. The beat is strong and I recognise some of the latest pop and surf rock tunes.

We come to a large low building hidden among the trees, and when Billy pushes the doors open I’m hit by a wave of sound. I follow him inside and put the can down on a table inside the door. The lights are low and the music loud; it makes the atmosphere sultry. It’s then that I notice the dancers, mostly couples, some of whom I recognise from the dance troupe, but the dancing is nothing like I’ve seen before. Everyone is pressed against each other, writhing and moving. It’s provocative and very beautiful, and I notice that not every couple is a man and woman. In fact, very few of them are. Women are dancing together as are men, and the way they move together is almost carnal. I can’t stop staring. I’d love to learn to dance like this.

“Can you imagine Max allowing this in the ballroom?” Billy shouts over the music, and I shake my head. He’d probably rather die first. There’s a few whoops and shouts and I see a couple moving through the other dancers. It’s Penny and Johnny, and I watch as he sways his hips raunchily in time to the music. I’ve never seen anyone like him before.

“That’s my cousin, Johnny.” Billy tilts his head towards him.

“He’s a great dancer... they both are.” I add the last part quickly in case he thinks I’m staring only at Johnny, which I am.

“They look great, don’t they?”

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