Chapter 15
FIFTEEN
Ethan
Ethan grimaced at his reflection. If Zane’s goal for this outfit was to push him out of his comfort zone, he’d succeeded.
As he feared, the pink shirt wasn’t just sheer – it was completely transparent. His nipples were fully visible, along with every last chest hair. And the pants… Jesus. They were so tight, he could see the ridge of his dickhead. Through denim.
He snapped a selfie and shot it off to Blake.
ETHAN
This is the outfit Zane bought me
BLAKE
Its hot
ETHAN
Don’t think it’s a bit much? I might as well be naked
BLAKE
Were a tank under shirt
Ethan dug through his dresser drawer until he found one of the tank tops he’d bought for a spring break trip with Zane.
He slipped it on, then layered the pink shirt over it, buttoning it low and leaving it untucked. Although he could still see a lot of chest and armpit hair, he felt less exposed. The tails of the shirt partially covered the outline of his dick, too. Bonus.
ETHAN
Good call
Ethan sent a new selfie, and Blake responded with a thumbs-up emoji.
He perched on the edge of his bed to pull on his sneakers. As he bent to tie the laces, he caught another glimpse of himself in the mirror.
Was he really about to walk out the door like this? In a transparent shirt and skintight jeans? To go to a club where – if Zane was to be believed – the dance floor was basically a sea of men humping each other? Surely Zane was exaggerating, though. Could it really be that bad?
ETHAN
What have I gotten myself into? Is the Manhole really a sex club?
BLAKE
There’s a bak room
Shut
Shit
Backrooms ppl have sxe in
Back room
Ethan frowned at his phone screen. Typos weren’t unusual – Blake’s texts always had a few – but this was a lot, even for Blake. It reminded him of texts from his cousin, Kyle…
His foot suddenly lurched forward. Creamsicle had his shoelace in his mouth, tugging on it and growling low in his throat.
“Hey! Stop!” Ethan shook his foot to get it free.
After a valiant struggle and a final swipe at Ethan’s ankle, Creamsicle dropped the lace and strolled to the center of the room. He plopped onto his side and made piercing eye contact with Ethan as he licked his paw.
“What did I ever do to you?” Ethan mumbled while he called Blake.
On the fourth ring, Blake picked up and said hello. The sound of his deep resonant voice sent a pleasant shiver through Ethan’s body. In the background, the electronic beeps and sirens of arcade games joined the steady buzz of conversation.
“Hi, I thought it might be easier to talk if I called. How’s The Rumpus Room?”
“We’re still getting settled. Spencer and Mick just showed up.”
“Wish I was there. I miss you.” It sounded sappy, even to his ears. But they hadn’t seen each other for a week, and that was a long time to be apart during the getting-to-know you phase.
“Miss you too. I’ve been thinking about you a lot.”
Ethan’s phone chimed, and a text notification from Zane flashed across the top of his screen: 5 minutes away!
“Shit, Zane’s on his way. We’re grabbing beers at Rack ’n’ Ruin before we head to The Manhole.” The night was shaping up to be a study in contrasts: pregaming at a very straight dive bar, followed by a live sex show at the city’s gayest club.
“I haven’t been to the Rack in forever,” Blake said. “Last time I was there, someone threw a dart in my beer.”
“Jeez, didn’t realize I’d have to dodge projectiles.”
“Steer clear of the pool tables.”
Warmth pooled low in Ethan’s belly. Just hearing Blake’s voice turned him on. He had half a mind to cancel with Zane and head over to The Rumpus Room, but Blake deserved time alone with his friends.
“Well, I hope the patrons at the Rack like chest hair and dick prints. Because I can only imagine what Zane will be wearing.”
“He won’t look as sexy as you do in that shirt. Maybe you can model it for me some time. Without the undershirt.”
Ethan’s dick stirred within the confines of his jeans. “How about tonight? We can video chat when I get home.”
“I’d love that.”
“I’ll talk to you tonight, then.”
They said their goodbyes and hung up. After texting a little something to tide you over, Ethan hiked up his shirts to bare his tummy, stuck out his tongue, and snapped a selfie.
Within moments of sending it, Blake responded with an eggplant emoji.
BLAKE
Looking forward tonite
Ethan grinned at his screen. Maybe he’d have some fun in this outfit after all. He crammed his phone into his back pocket, and gave his hair a final check. When he turned around, Creamsicle was watching him, his eyes narrowed.
Holding his arms out to the side, he asked, “What’s the verdict? Am I cute enough for a night out?”
Creamsicle thrust a leg in the air and licked his butt.
“Probably not the last time I’ll see that tonight,” Ethan muttered on his way out the door.
As Ethan stepped onto the sidewalk in front of The Manhole, the pulse of bass-heavy dance music vibrated his teeth.
Two men groped each other in the narrow alley along the side of the club, grabbing handfuls of pec and ass as they devoured each other’s mouths.
Ethan quickly looked away, and while Zane rated their Uber driver in the app, he surveyed the club which had gained such notoriety among gay men.
The entire building – including the windows – was painted black. The sign displayed the club’s name over a picture of a manhole cover. Ironic, since he thought the point of the club was that the manholes would be uncovered.
Zane came up behind him, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Ready?”
When Ethan shrugged, he laughed and pushed open the leather-studded door, motioning for Ethan to go in ahead of him.
Nothing Blake or Zane told him could have prepared Ethan for the sensory overload of stepping into The Manhole.
Deafening dance music assaulted him, each beat striking him like a fist. Colored lights pulsed in chaotic patterns.
The smell of the club forced its way into his nostrils, a potent blend of man musk, cologne, and weed smoke.
Then there were the men. A wall-to-wall sea of men grinding on one another and making out in a shameless display of lust. Most were bare-chested, their skin glistening with sweat.
Zane yelled in his ear, “Wild, huh?” He was dressed in a black tank and white jeans that couldn’t have been tighter if they’d been painted on. With his clunky boots and his signature purple eyeliner, he’d created an effortless blend of masculine and feminine.
The guys nearest to the door gave them both a once-over, hunger in their eyes.
Ethan reached for Zane’s hand, gripping it like a lifeline.
This was the kind of place his father pictured when he thought of a gay club. Debauchery. Hedonism. Drugs. Sex. “It’s why the gay community is looked down on, Ethan.”
He just had to survive the night, so he could prove to Zane he wasn’t a prude. When a man standing a few feet away pinned another man’s hands over his head and licked his armpit, Ethan squeezed his friend’s hand harder.
“You need to loosen up.” Zane worked his hand into his too-tight pocket and pulled out a plastic bag with a couple gummy bears inside. “Red or green?”
“Green.” Ethan held out his hand, and Zane placed the green bear in his palm. He welcomed the weed gummy. The beers had loosened him up, but he still wasn’t ready for this.
Zane tapped his gummy bear against Ethan’s. “Party Ethan will rise again!” He chewed the red bear and swallowed. “Tonight’s for having fun. No holding back. Eat up.”
Ethan had no sooner popped the gummy bear into his mouth than Zane was pulling him through the crowd on the dance floor. They were jostled on all sides by clammy men, and occasionally groped, random hands squeezing a bicep or ass cheek as they passed.
The live sex show was in full swing. On a raised circular stage in the center of the club, a young man with a taut swimmer’s build kneeled before two hulking muscle men, gripping their thick, veiny cocks.
He sucked and licked one cock, then switched to the other, alternating between the two while the muscle men pinched and pulled on each other’s nipples.
While Zane flagged down a bartender to order their drinks, Ethan scanned the throng of writhing bodies, trying to take it all in.
It quickly became obvious that live sex was not confined to the stage.
Despite the signs saying, KEEP DICK AND CRACK IN THE BACK, with arrows pointing to the black curtain pulled across a doorway in the club’s far wall, men around the bar and stage were openly jerking off and blowing one another.
Ethan was shocked to discover that two men tucked into a dark corner near the bar were in the middle of full-blown anal sex.
They appeared fully clothed – you had to look closely to see that the man in front had his pants pushed down below his cheeks.
The hem of his T-shirt hid most of his exposed skin.
Ethan couldn’t tear his gaze away from the rhythmic motions of their bodies, the guy in front bracing himself against the wall as each thrust rocked him forward. The tip of Ethan’s dick tingled with the pleasant rush that signaled the start of an erection.
The man in back slowed his strokes and angled his body, allowing Ethan a clearer view of his dick sliding between the other man’s cheeks. It was almost as if he were putting on a show…
Ethan’s eyes trailed up the man’s body, and his cheeks burned when he realized the man was smiling at him. After a quick wink, the guy went back to fucking in earnest.
How can they do that? Get naked and fuck with everyone watching?
Even during his wild summer, he wouldn’t have openly had sex in a public place.
Besides being unsanitary, it was crass. Ethan respected himself enough to only share his body with his sexual partners.
It cheapened sex, when you just put it out there for the world to see. He’d never even sent a dick pic.
Still, although he hated to admit it, he was envious of their bravado.