Chapter 16
SIXTEEN
Blake
Blake reclined against his headboard, pleasantly drowsy and buzzed, his damp hair combed back off his forehead.
Even though he’d gotten home after one o’clock, he’d jumped in the shower to wash away the sweat from the club.
Now, dressed only in a pair of clingy track pants, he scrolled through his phone, waiting for Ethan to call.
He opened the picture of Ethan lifting the hem of his shirt, chuckling at the silly face he was making. Zooming in, his gaze lingered on Ethan’s pale, flat stomach, with its line of dark hair leading down from his navel.
His dick stirred within the warm, soft confines of his pants, beginning to harden despite how tired and drunk he was. He wanted to jump right into phone sex the minute Ethan got home, but first, they had to have a conversation Blake had been dreading.
Blake and Virgil had met a few times during the week, to review the current lease and to discuss the purchase of club assets if the lease transfer was approved.
He tried reading the lease but couldn’t get past the first paragraph of legalese without his eyes crossing.
Then on top of everything, the Mazers demanded a business plan.
To say he was overwhelmed was an understatement.
Tenny and Virgil’s words of encouragement were no longer enough to keep him from spiraling. He needed real help with his business plan, and he knew exactly who he could turn to – a certain business major with a shy smile and an ass that wouldn’t quit.
There was only one catch. He was going to have to come clean about being an exotic dancer, to a man who didn’t like sex work.
In the world of adult entertainment, stripping was often the least objectionable, since it involved nudity but not actual sex.
Unfortunately, Blake’s dancing was so linked to his porn career, that telling Ethan about one meant he’d eventually discover the other.
He wasn’t ready for Ethan to find out he was a porn star.
When guys found out he did porn, it often ended badly.
Most just gave up, assuming a porn star couldn’t fall in love or form a committed relationship.
Some would sleep with him for the story they could tell their friends.
Others felt they had a right to his body.
Until recently, he hadn’t thought he could have what was developing with Ethan – a relationship with someone who was trying to get to know the man Blake was when he wasn’t on stage or in a film.
He hoped things would be different with Ethan, that given time, he’d be able to accept Blake’s career.
It wasn’t unheard of for guys to have boyfriends outside of the industry.
He’d have to be careful, though, and take it one step at a time.
First, he’d see how Ethan responded to the news he was a dancer.
He could put off the rest of the discussion until he got another gig, which might be a while with Reggie spreading rumors about him. In the meantime, if he could get the club off the ground, he could maybe leave porn behind, and it wouldn’t be an issue anymore.
A call from Ethan popped up on his screen, accompanied by the upbeat melody of “Walking on Sunshine,” the song Blake had picked for Ethan’s ring tone.
“Here goes nothing.” Blake looked over to Blathan the duck. “Hey little guy. You’ve got my back, right?”
Blake answered the call, and Ethan’s face filled his screen. His bangs were messy, from getting sweaty and drying on the way home. As promised, he was wearing his pink shirt without an undershirt.
“Hi sexy. How was The Rumpus Room?” Ethan’s words were slightly slurred. This was the first time Blake had seen him drunk.
“We had fun. Danced and played some arcade games together. Mickey loosened up after a few drinks. He’s cool. How was The Manhole?”
“Crazy. I’ve never been around that many sweaty, half-naked men before. After Zane hooked up, we danced for hours. It reminded me of when we first became friends.” Ethan fidgeted and chewed on his thumbnail. “There was a live sex show, too.”
This is good. Live sex shows are like 3D porn. Time to test the waters. Keeping his tone light, Blake asked, “Did you enjoy it?”
“It was intense.” Ethan ran his hand through his tousled hair. “I couldn’t imagine being naked in front of a bar full of people.”
Fuck. Well, just because Ethan couldn’t imagine himself doing it, didn’t necessarily mean he couldn’t appreciate the men who did. “Were the men hot?”
“One of the guys was really fit and toned. I was jealous of his body, if I’m being honest. And there was this big burly guy that reminded me of a lumberjack.”
Is he talking about Tenny? Blake vaguely remembered his friend mentioning a full-service gig on Friday night. This was the opening he’d been waiting for.
“Black hair, with a star tattoo on his bicep?”
“Yeah… two concentric star outlines, one black and one red. How did you know that?
“That’s my friend, Tenny.”
Ethan knitted his brow. “You know a guy in a live sex show?”
Tension coiling in his stomach, Blake answered, “He’s a dancer at The Firehouse.”
“A dancer?”
Blake felt like he might barf. If Ethan cringed at his next admission – or even worse, hung up – he wasn’t sure he could handle it. Not with everything else weighing down on him. “I’m not just a bartender there. I’m a dancer, too.”
Ethan tilted his head to the side and scrunched up his nose. “When you say ‘dancing,’ do you mean stripping?”
“Yeah,” Blake murmured, his mouth sandpaper-dry.
Ethan was quiet for a beat too long, rubbing his chin, his brow tensing and releasing. Finally, he asked, “Full nude?”
“No, just down to briefs or G-strings.”
“Do you ever…” Ethan trapped his lower lip between his teeth and let it slide free before finishing his question. “Have sex with the patrons?”
“No. Never,” Blake said.
That was true. But it felt like a half-truth. Although he’d never slept with any of the club’s customers, he’d routinely had sex for money for years.
There was a difference, though. Fucking the paying customers would have made him an escort or a rent boy.
Having sex with guys in front of a camera made him an actor.
It’s the line he always drew… but the distinction seemed paper-thin now.
Maybe it was a lie he told himself so he’d feel better about his life choices.
“Well, if you’re not fully nude, and not having sex, I guess that’s not so bad. It’s like an R-rated movie, right?”
Blake latched onto that like a lifeline. “Exactly.”
“G-strings, huh?”
Blake scooted across his bed so he could show Ethan his costume corner. “Like this,” he said, holding up a scarlet G-string. “Or like these.” He reached for a pair of black bikini briefs he’d slung over the rail of his garment rack.
“Wait, is that a sewing machine?”
Blake angled his phone so Ethan could see his compact Brother sewing machine on the tiny table crammed in next to his garment rack. “It’s not much, but it gets the job done. I sew or alter most of my costumes.”
“You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?”
“I love performing for an audience.”
“What’s it like? Dancing in front of people and showing off your body?”
“It’s a rush. For those few minutes, I’m in complete control. It’s powerful, knowing all the men in the audience want you.”
Ethan’s cheeks flushed pink. “Can you show me some of your moves?”
Blake scrambled to a seated position. “Yeah?”
He hopped out of bed and propped his phone on his nightstand.
There wasn’t much floor space in his room, so he stuck to the classic lap dance moves, lots of body rolls and pelvic thrusts.
For his big finish, he tucked his thumbs in his waistband and pushed it down, flashing his cock.
“That last part was just for you,” he said, laughing and tucking himself back into his pants.
Ethan’s eyes were locked on Blake’s crotch. “That’s, um…” He shook himself out of his trance and swallowed thickly. “That’s hot. I get it, I think. How it could be empowering.” In a low murmur, he added, “I wish I could be more like you.”
Blake held out his hand in invitation. “Try it. Show me what you got.”
“What? C’mon. I don’t have a stripper’s body.”
“You’re sexy. Besides, it’s all about confidence. Owning your sexuality.”
“I think I’m only renting mine.”
“Very funny. Up.” He motioned for Ethan to stand. “I’ll talk you through it.”
“Fine, but only because you caught me on a night where my inhibitions have been obliterated.” He stood and shook out his hands. “Okay, what do I do?”
“Get down in your knees. Always keep them slightly bent. It gives you more motion in your hips.”
Ethan bent his knees and bounced a bit. “Like this?”
“You got it. Let’s try a body roll.”
A sensual, sinuous wave rippled through Blake’s body from his hips to his shoulders.
Ethan tried to mimic Blake’s fluid grace, but he didn’t have the core strength to roll his abs, so his movements were stiff and choppy. “When you do that, it’s sexy. I look like a snake trying to molt.”
“Let’s try something easier. Pelvic thrusts.” Blake held his fist in front of him at waist level while he pumped his hips. “Think about fucking the hottest guy you can imagine.”
Ethan thrust his hips, making an exaggerated sex face. “Yeah, you like that?” He slapped the imaginary guy’s ass, then held out his hands as if he were grabbing the guy’s hips, humping faster and faster until both he and Blake dissolved into a fit of giggles.
“You’re a natural! You’re ready to take it to the stage.”
Ethan licked his lower lip. “What would you do if we were on the stage together, in a sex show?”
Blake was already half-hard, but that thought sent a tingle along his shaft. “I’d start by taking off your shirt.”
Ethan unbuttoned his shirt and let it slide off his shoulders, revealing his lean chest with its dusting of dark hair.
Blake let out a grunt of appreciation. Cupping his crotch, he gently squeezed his cock as it grew stiff. “I’d take off your jeans.”
Ethan unbuttoned his jeans and slowly unzipped his fly inch by inch.
The rigid line of his cock was visible through the white cotton of his underwear.
He stripped off his pants and underwear and kicked them away.
Naked and vulnerable, he stood before Blake, his hands trembling, his dick pulsing in time with his rapid heartbeat.
“And then?”
“I’d lick your chest,” Blake said, pinching his nipple as it hardened beneath his fingers. “Then I’d kiss my way down your stomach until I was kneeling in front of you.”
Ethan spit into his hand and stroked his shaft. “Would you suck my dick?”
“I’d suck you, and lick your balls.”. Unable to hold back any longer, he shucked off his track pants and gripped his cock, sighing with relief. “Then I’d fuck you, right there on the stage, for everyone to see.”
Ethan sat on his bed. “Can we jerk off together?”
“Yep.” Blake couldn’t get into bed fast enough. When he held up his phone, Ethan was smiling back at him.
“Do you want to see my dick?” Blake asked.
Ethan shook his head. “I want to see your face.”
Gazing into Ethan’s eyes, it was easy to imagine they were together, and it was a lover’s hand on his cock. Blake stroked faster, pre-cum drizzling down his shaft and making his fingers slick. On each downstroke, his fist grazed his balls, as they tightened and pulled up close to his body.
They didn’t speak. They just watched each other’s faces, moaning softly, their chests rising and falling with their quickening breaths.
Blake was already close. He stroked faster, letting himself get carried away, not trying to hold back. The wet sounds of hands stroking cocks lit a blazing inferno in his core.
Ethan’s moaning intensified, and the flush on his neck and cheeks deepened to scarlet. As ecstasy claimed him, a single word was on his lips. “Blake…”
Watching Ethan lose control, fighting to keep his eyes locked with Blake’s as pleasure crashed through his body, sent Blake over the edge.
His abdomen tensed as a jet of cum whizzed past his face and splattered on his headboard. The next two spurts landed high on his chest, pooling in the hollow under his throat.
He relaxed into the final contractions, savoring the warm waves of pleasure rolling through his pelvis. Finally, his stroking slowed to a stop, and he let out a blissful sigh, his dick softening in his slack grip.
“Wow,” Ethan said, panting as he came down from his orgasm. “Was that your cum that went flying by?”
They both cracked up, sharing the relaxed, full-body laughter that followed truly satisfying sex.
“Can we stay on the call and talk until we fall asleep?” Ethan asked.
“Sure. Five minutes to get cleaned up and brush our teeth?”
“See you in five.”
Blake set down his phone and used a dirty T-shirt to wipe the cum off his headboard and chest. He raced to the bathroom, gave his teeth a quick swipe with his toothbrush, and rushed back to his room.
He slipped under his sheets naked, the expensive cotton cool against his skin. After propping up his phone on his nightstand, he lay on his side, a hand under his cheek.
Ethan was smiling back at him with drooping eyelids. “I had fun tonight.”
“Me too.” Blake paused. “Can I ask a question?”
“Of course.”
“Are we dating?” He hated how quiet and unsure his voice sounded. Now that his dancing was out in the open, he needed to know – was he still boyfriend material in Ethan’s eyes?
“Was that not clear from all the hot sex?”
“I’m sorry if it’s a dumb question. It’s just been a while for me, and I wanted to make sure that’s what this was.”
Ethan’s smile deepened. “Do you want to be my boyfriend, Blake?”
Blake’s gaze flicked over to Blathan. A mix of Blake and Ethan. It’s our couple name. “Yeah.”
“Good. I want that, too.” Ethan’s eyes slowly closed. “Good night, boyfriend.”
“G’night.”
They’d had an amazing night, better than Blake could’ve hoped for. Maybe he should wait until morning to tell Ethan about the club, but he was excited to share the news with his recently-minted boyfriend. “Virgil is closing The Firehouse.”
“Oh no,” Ethan said, sleep tugging at his words. “I’m sorry.”
“I want to take over the lease.”
Ethan’s eyes popped open. “What?”