Page 7 of Flirty Dancing

“Hi, I’m Archer.” He took a step toward Mateo, hand out, insides churning, and suddenly, he was living his teenage fantasy. He’d imagined walking up to Mateo a thousand times, introducing himself, Mateo smiling, taking his hand.It’s so nice to meet you, Archer,dream Mateo would say.Tell me, are you a fellow dancer?Then sometimes he would even lean in for a kiss—

Actual, very sweaty Mateo looked at Archer’s outstretched hand a second too long before shaking it without enthusiasm. “Mateo.”

“Yes, I know, I—I’m a huge fan.”

Mateo raised a skeptical eyebrow at him. “A fan?”

“I saw you inGrease.” Archer was about to start babbling, but he couldn’t help it. “My parents took me for my fourteenth birthday, and I’ve been a fan ever since. I never got to seeRobin’s Egglive but I—”

“That was a long time ago.” Mateo cut him off as his gaze swept over Archer.

This was not going as expected. “You were brilliant, that’s been my favorite show—”

“Look, Archer.” Mateo’s voice was a heavy bass, a vibration in the center of Archer’s chest. “That was another lifetime. Now here we are in the fucking wilderness and you have six entire shows to learn and I’m missing dinner, so I suggest you stop talking and put your ballroom shoes on.”

“Okay. Yeah, sure.” Archer fumbled with the zipper on his bag. “You’re teaching us the choreo?”

“Is that a problem?”

Oh my God, Mateo Dixon is going to watch me dance.“No, sir.”And I called himsir. Fuck.Archer wanted to smack himself in the forehead. But a hint of a smile flickered on the corner of Mateo’s mouth for a second—no, probably his imagination.

“Betty’s your partner forRetro,” Mateo said, nodding at the tiny blonde when she appeared from the wings with a water bottle and towel. She smiled at Archer, at least.

“Hi, I’m Archer,” he whispered to Betty when Mateo went to fiddle with the audio equipment. “Is your name actually Betty or does he call you that because you’ve got a blond ponytail?”

She laughed. “It’s actually Betty. Nice to meet you, Archer. Or should I say Archie?”

Now it was his turn to chuckle as he bent to lace his ballroom shoes. “When did you get here?”

“Yesterday. I drove—left right after we got the gig. There’s so much choreo to learn—”

“If you two are done talking,” Mateo interjected, “we start in the wings.”

“Right. Sorry.”Come on, Archer. Time to focus.“I’m ready.”

Mateo led them through the blistering choreography for “Disco Inferno” and “Ladies’ Night,” and Archer did his best to keep up, despite the fact that he was still completely starstruck.Mateo Dixon is touching my arm. Mateo Dixon’s thighs are like tree trunks. Mateo Dixon smells amazing.Betty was a huge help, having already picked most of it up, and gave him little nudges here and there to keep him on track.

“Thanks,” he whispered when her chin bob once again told him which way to go.

“I got you,” she whispered back. “Archie and Betty need to stick together.”

Archer was starving and dripping with sweat himself when Mateo declared them done at six thirty. “Hurry and grab dinner before the dining hall closes. Be back here ready to go before eight tomorrow morning.” Mateo wiped his forehead with his shirt hem again.

“Thanks for… Thanks,” Archer said, not staring at Mateo’s abs.

Mateo took a long pull on his water bottle, throat bobbing, before he looked at Archer again. “You don’t need to thank me. Here to do a job, same as you.”

Archer nodded, tongue-tied. They said never to meet your heroes. It seemed they were right. Not that he expected Mateo to be his instant best friend, but Mateo seemed to actively dislike him. The disappointment was heavy in his chest as he changed into his flip-flops and gathered his belongings before heading down the stairs.

“Archer.”

He startled at Mateo’s deep rumble and turned around, hopeful. “Yeah?”

“That’s the wrong door. The dining hall is this way.”

3The Cabin

Archer stood next to Betty with his dinner tray heaped high, surveying the crowd and waiting for Beau and Ben. He couldn’t pick out any of the dancers in the sea of faces and suddenly he was in high school again, wondering where he should sit. He was eyeing a nearby table that had some room when Betty murmured in his ear.

---