2. Yannis
This night is boring as fuck.
Club after club and nothing going on. I thought New Onyx was supposed to be popping wherever you went but so far, I’m calling dud.
It’s only my second week in town, so some would say I should give it a minute, but I didn’t haul ass from small-town Ohio to still do nothing on a Saturday night. I want music and drinks and exciting people.
“Hey, handsome. You looking for fun?”
I swing around at the sound of the deep female voice. Sure enough, there’s a woman standing behind me, leaning on a silver sports car. She’s wearing torn jeans and a black tank top with lots of flesh and tattoos on display, her long, bright green hair wrapped on top of her head. Now she looks like she knows where the fun is.
“I am. You know where I can find it?”
“Sure do.” She saunters toward me and dangles a business card between long red nails. “Follow the directions on the back. If you’re the right type for the club, you’ll have no trouble getting in.”
I take the card and glance down at it. There’s nothing but an outline in black of what appears to be a medieval building. It looks kind of like a castle in a vampire movie. I flip it over, expecting an address, but instead find directions telling me to head north on foot. Interesting.
When I look up to ask the pretty woman what to expect, she’s gone. And I mean, gone, gone. Like was never here. I look up and down the sidewalk but find no trace of her. The car she was leaning on is still parked in front of me. If I weren’t holding the card she handed me, I’d think I imagined her. Weird.
Even more curious now, I follow the directions on the card, hoping I meet the mysterious criteria to get in. As far as I know, I’m a good-looking guy, at least by Ohio standards, with my wavy dark blond hair and fit build. I chose a tight white dress shirt tonight, rolled at the elbows to show off my arms, my favorite jeans that hug the thighs I torture myself to get, and stylish ankle boots. It seemed like what city guys wear when I looked online.
I added some eyeliner, a preference that got me a lot of shit from the guys back home, but I don’t give a fuck. I like eyeliner and nail polish. I may not have a lot of direction yet, but at least I’ve moved away from the small minds back home. The last thing I intended to do was find a nice girl to settle down with and get a boring desk job. I don’t know what I want to do yet, but I know it’s not that.
I may be launching a little later than most, but I don’t subscribe to anyone’s timeline but my own. I watched enough of my college friends turn into miserable schmucks to feel just fine about my life choices. All I need is to find my footing and put down some roots, and maybe New Onyx is the place to do that.
I glance around as I get away from the busy area and turn down a quieter street. My feet seem to be guiding me on their own, tugging me towards what looks like a wooded area, but as I get closer, I see the outline of a building.
Nice. It’s the image on the card. I follow a cobblestone path that I couldn’t see at all a minute ago, but the lighting out here is dim. After a minute, I reach a big iron gate that’s already open, so I pass through, entering a parking lot filled with cars. Subtle bass music reaches me beyond the massive doors, drawing a smile to my face. I don’t know how I know, but this is the place I’ve been looking for all night.
Two men stand in front of large wooden doors, eyeing me up and down as I approach. They don’t look like your typical bouncers. Both of them are on the smaller side and seem pretty harmless, but maybe this is the kind of place where force isn’t necessary.
“Hi. I was given a card.” I hand it over to the first man, a tall but lanky guy with dark hair and piercing eyes, and a haircut that takes me back to my emo years.
He looks it over and smiles. “Welcome to Lair. Head to the bar when you get inside and ask for the house cocktail and they’ll take care of you.”
“Thanks.”
“Enjoy,” says the other man, a petite blond who seems to be holding in a giggle.
Smiling, I nod as I pass and go through the double doors. Inside, I’m taken aback for a second. The lighting is very dim, making it hard to see details, but there’s a dance floor with writhing bodies, and various chairs and booths around the room are filled with people.
The interior decor matches the outside, giving the place a Gothic mansion feel, which makes sense with the name Lair. Deep red and black velvet furniture create comfortable sitting areas with chandeliers dotting the ceiling. The music isn’t anything I’ve heard before, but it vibrates through me and instantly makes me feel relaxed.
I search the area, finding the bar, and head in that direction, becoming aware as I do that there are a lot more men here than women. Oh. Is this a gay bar? I guess I should have asked. Or the woman who gave me the card should have. Unless it’s not and I’m just assuming. Or maybe I give off gay vibes. I definitely did in Ohio. Well, it’s fine. I can have fun anywhere, and I’m not some homophobic asshole who gets his balls riled up over someone thinking I might be gay.
The deeper I get into the club, the more aware I become of the attention on me, as if I can feel people watching me. I don’t feel like I’m out of place or dressed weird, so why are people looking at me?
I make it to the bar and lean against it, exhaling slowly while I wait for the bartender to notice me. When he does, he tilts his head before wiping his hands on a bar towel and sauntering over. He’s tall and has a thick head of silver hair, a silver beard, and piercing blue eyes that I swear see straight through me.
“What can I get you?” he asks.
“They said to ask for the house cocktail.”
He nods. “New here?”
“Yeah. Some woman handed me a card.”
“Jade. She goes out looking for the adventurous ones in the city.”
Jade. At least I didn’t imagine her. “This place looks cool. Is it, um…” I glance at the two men making out next to me. “Is it a gay club?”
The bartender chuckles. “Not expressly. It’s a whatever-you-like club. You can do anything or anyone that pleases you here.” He leans across the bar. “It’s only for the most open-minded among us.”
“I am.” I nod with confidence. “Very.”
“You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t. One house cocktail coming right up.”
He turns away from me and I check out the club now that my eyes have adjusted. Right away, what the bartender meant becomes very obvious. There are women with women, men with women, groups of people, and men with men, in various encounters from dancing to what just might be actual sex.
The dance floor has three cages on the back edge, slightly lifted, with the dancers inside putting on a show that captivates lots of admirers. A man jumps on one of the cages, clinging to the bars and dancing with the man inside. The dancer teases him, rubbing his ass between them and drawing applause from the crowd. Hell yeah. This place is perfect.
“Here you go.”
Turning to face the bartender again, I take the bright pink drink. “What do I owe you?”
“First one is always free. Have fun.”
“Cool. Thanks.”
I take a sip of the drink, noting how sweet it is, but tasty. After standing at the bar for a few minutes, I decide to take the plunge and head into the mix of people. I move through the crowd, and it’s an experience like no other. The air is thick and heated, but pleasant, almost as if the lust is palpable and passing over me as I walk. Wild.
I’ve almost made it to the dance floor when I’m stopped by a man in my path. He’s just about my height, maybe a little taller, but with a smaller build. He has dark, messy hair and wild eyes that hold my gaze.
“Hey,” I say when he doesn’t speak.
He doesn’t respond for a second, but then blinks and clears his throat. “Hey. You’re new here.”
“Yep. Jade gave me a card.”
“Ah. I’m Hale.” He extends his hand and I shake it. “I co-manage the club. You are?”
“Yannis.”
“Yannis,” he repeats, drawing out the final ‘s’ for a moment. “Welcome to Lair.”
“Thanks. It’s cool. Have you worked here long?”
“About two years. It’s an experience for those unique souls out there. I’m glad you found us.”
“Me too. I’m new to town and looking to meet people and stuff.”
He nods, still gazing at me like I’m something he’s trying to figure out. “So you’re alone in town? No partner?”
“Totally single, but um, I’m straight?”
He raises an eyebrow. “Question mark?”
I laugh at that, dragging a hand through my hair. “My experiences have been straight up to now.”
“But?”
I shrug. “No buts. My outlook is to be open-minded to experiences and people, and you never know, maybe you really click someday with someone who’s a guy. It just hasn’t happened to me before.”
Hale doesn’t say anything or even really react.
“Are you gay? Is that rude to ask? I don’t know big city etiquette.”
He chuckles and I’d swear his eyes twinkle. “You can ask me anything you like. I’m an open book. I don’t know that I’ve put a label on it, but I do prefer the company of men.” He inhales and his eyelids flutter. I sniff the air too but don’t pick up anything unusual. “You attracted my attention.”
“I see that.” My stomach flutters, and I don’t know what else to say so I take a sip of my cocktail.
“Go explore the club. Have fun.” He leans in so that his lips nearly brush against my ear. He smells amazing, like… fuck, the best cologne ever. “I hope you’ll come back, Yannis.”
Then he’s gone, disappearing into the crowd and leaving me slightly stunned. I think he was flirting with me, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued by the man. I can’t decide whether I want to be him or get to know him. He’s objectively good-looking and definitely has a presence about him, but it’s a big leap from that to being attracted to someone.
Since I was a teen, I told myself I would always stay open to whatever life threw at me, but until now, it’s never felt like a possibility. After that brief interaction, it’s obvious to me that New Onyx is full of possibilities.
I think I will come back.