15. Nick
NICK
“Can you drop me off away from the entrance? Maybe down the street a bit?” I asked Vlado from the passenger’s seat of Evan’s town car as he drove me to a rehearsal at Crimson.
“Oof, now I know how my mom felt the one and only time I asked her that as a teenager.” He smiled teasingly. “I didn’t think I was that embarrassing.”
“You’re not. But this car…”
He patted my thigh. “I get it. But you know I can’t. It’ll leave you vulnerable.”
“I know.” I sighed. “Thanks for not being a dick about this and demanding to come in. I can explain the car and the drive, but my friends will lose their minds if they think I’m in danger. No way can I tell them I have a bodyguard.”
“Your friends really care about you, don’t they?”
“They do. And they’re not just my friends, they’re my family.”
“Can I ask something about your coworkers?”
“Sure.”
“The twins…”
“What about them?” I bit back a grin at his sudden hesitation.
“Is it weird for them?”
“Is what weird?”
“Dancing together. I’m an only child, so all my experience with siblings is secondhand. But it just seems…unusual.”
“Zane and River aren’t like most siblings, or most twins,” I said, choosing my words carefully.
“They don’t see dancing together as something sexual, so for them, it isn’t.
And Zane is ace while River is straight, so dancing with another guy wouldn’t be a sexy thing for them even without the twin thing.
It’s a job, and they have a rare selling feature.
People love things that are considered taboo, so why not cash in on that? ”
“I suppose that makes sense.”
“The twins are…different. They had some shit happen to them when they were younger, and it really messed them up. It’s true they’re codependent as fuck, but not in a weird or creepy way. They can function perfectly fine apart, they just prefer not to.”
“How did you get into stripping, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Aiden’s ex is a pole fitness instructor and she invited me to take her class. I thought it would be good for a laugh, but I loved it. She taught me the basics, and I used my dance background to figure out the rest. I looked into teaching classes but went with stripping.”
“Did you choose stripping because the money is better?”
“Nope. I chose it because no one would hire a male pole instructor. But Crimson was hiring dancers right after I turned twenty-one so I applied and never looked back.”
“And the people in your life, outside of your work friends, are okay with you dancing?”
“Yup. My parents are totally fine with it. They’ve always been very pro sex-worker rights.
My sisters are too young to understand it, but they know I dance as a second job.
And Aiden helps me come up with routines and critiques my practices.
He even came to watch my sets when I first started working there to be my anchor person.
Rearranged his work schedule and everything. ”
“Anchor person?”
“Every time I’m on stage, I pick someone in the audience and I use them as my anchor. When my mind wanders or I get distracted or overstimulated, I focus on my anchor person for a few seconds and it centers me.”
“That’s a clever strategy.”
“Kai told me about it. I’ve been dancing and performing my entire life and have never had stage fright, but I sure as heck was a nervous nelly when I started at the club.”
“Really. Why?”
“Because I look like me and not like you.” I shot him a flat look. “I’m scrawny compared to the other guys. It’s good because it makes pole work easier, but I don’t make nearly as much as the other guys when I dance on stage. I’m not the usual body type people think of when you say male stripper .”
He gave a pensive nod. “I’m glad your friends and family are supportive.”
“Me too. But if they weren’t, then they wouldn’t be part of my life.
I’m not afraid to cut out toxic people. Everyone gets one chance, people I care about get two.
That’s it. If you can’t appreciate and accept all of me, then I don’t need or want you.
What’s that thing all you millennials used to say?
Bye, Felicia? That’s the energy I’m matching. ”
“I really admire that. Not many people have that kind of confidence or the ability to enforce their boundaries.”
“It hasn’t been easy.” I glanced out the window to check our progress.
We were about five minutes from the club.
“I had to put up with a lot of shit to develop such a thick skin. I’m all about letting my sparkle shine now, but it took years of bullying and being told I’m a freak before I was able to shut down the part of my brain that cares what other people think of me. ”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that. I’ve never understood why people are so obsessed with gender-based stereotypes. Life is too short to shove yourself into a box and change for the comfort of others.”
“That’s exactly what I say!”
He grinned at me. “Great minds.”
“What’s the rest of that saying? Aiden told me it’s great minds think alike and fools are different .”
“It’s fools seldom differ .”
“Okay, I’m a little slow today because I only had five cups of coffee and they were teeny tiny because Evan’s machine is more complicated than a super-computer.
And I’m a barista! Who needs a machine with thirty-seven settings and no freaking labels on any of the buttons?
But, like I was saying, doesn’t that mean the same thing?
Like great minds think the same, and fools don’t think differently from each other? ”
“Essentially, yes.”
“Good to know.” I drummed my fingers on my leg as he approached the club.
“Ready?” Vlado asked as he turned into the parking lot of Crimson.
“Shit.”
Zane and River were just getting out of their car. Both men stopped dead when they saw us pull up in front of the main doors.
“You okay?”
“Yeah.” I craned my neck to look out the window at the twins.
They were doing that thing where they stared at each other and had a silent conversation.
“Of course it had to be the twins who saw me first. Couldn’t have been Kai or Knox or Blaze.
They’re the rational ones. I like to think of them as the club daddies. ”
Vlado stopped the car and snickered.
“Not that kind of daddy.” I backhanded his shoulder. “Ow.” I shook out my hand. “I’m gonna need Zane to get me some non-stabby brass knuckles so I don’t end up breaking my hand. All you guys are so damn solid.”
“Non-stabby brass knuckles?”
“Not important. But like I was saying, I don’t mean daddies like that . I just mean they’re mature and smart and tend to be the voices of reason.”
“The twins aren’t those things?”
“Think Jekyll and Hyde, only make them murder kittens.”
“Murder kittens?” Vlado glanced at the twins, who were walking toward the car completely in sync and looking intimidating as fuck.
“Yeah. Like they’re all scary and murdery if you piss them off or mess with someone they care about, but they’re actually big softies at heart. Just like a kitten. Super sweet and snuggly when they want to be but can turn on the murder toe beans if you’re dumb enough to poke them.”
“Are they in murder or snuggle mode right now?” Vlado asked, his eyes on the twins as they stood in front of the car and stared at us through the windshield.
I waved to them.
River smiled and waved back. Zane upnodded me and crossed his arms as he pinned Vlado with a glare.
“Yeah, Zane is definitely in murder mode. River is in kitten mode, but that can change pretty quick. Probably best if I don’t sit in here for too much longer.”
“I’ve faced off against a lot of bad people in my life, but they’re scary.” Vlado gripped the steering wheel so tight the leather squeaked. “Like the drama masks. One happy, one murdery, both big enough to fuck me up if they know how to fight.”
“They definitely know how to fight. And the drama masks are actually tragedy and comedy, but I’ll allow it. Thanks for the drive. I shouldn’t be more than a few hours.”
“Have fun. I’ll be in the back part of the lot. Text or call if you need anything.”
“Thanks.” I shoved the door open. “Hey,” I greeted the twins as I stepped out.
“Hey,” they said together.
“Who’s that?” Zane asked when I was in front of them, his eyes on Vlado.
I glanced inside the car where he and Vlado seemed to be stuck in some sort of macho-guy stare-off.
“That’s Vlado. He gave me a ride.” Slipping my arm through his crossed ones, I turned Zane from the car and tugged him toward the club.
“And who is Vlado?” Zane fell into step beside me.
“Funny story about that. He’s my boyfriend’s bestie.”
“Boyfriend?” Zane pulled me to a stop.
“Yup.”
“That’s awesome,” River congratulated. “Is he rich? He’s gotta be rich if his bestie is driving an Audi.” He made a thoughtful face. “You could always go for the best friend if your man is broke. He’s hot.”
“My boyfriend is even hotter.”
“Go you!” He held up his hand for a high-five.
“You’re not telling us something,” Zane said as I slapped River’s hand.
I gave Zane my best innocent look.
“Yeah, the doe eyes don’t work on me, Angel Face.” His lip twitched in a ghost of a smile.
“I don’t want to say this a million times.” I yanked on his arm, trying to move him along. He didn’t budge. The twins were only two inches taller but outweighed me by forty pounds. I couldn’t make either of them move if they didn’t want to. “I’ll tell you everything inside.”
He gave me a long look, then nodded.
All the other dancers were already in the club in their workout gear.
“You’re not late.” Kai ruffled my hair as I walked past him.
I swatted his hand away. “Crazy, huh?”
“How about we get started now that everyone is here,” Knox said.
“Nick has a boyfriend.”
Every head in the room swiveled toward me.
“Dude!” I spun on Zane. “You have zero chill. Zero.”
“What?” He blinked, all innocent.
“Boyfriend?” Gray asked, the hurt in his eyes and the rest of his face as clear as day.