35 Cutter
AUBIE TRIES TO SHUT ME down after my confession to him.
I can see the moment he pulls away, but here’s the thing.
I know what I saw in his eyes. The way he clings to me after sex.
He’s not the same promiscuous brat he was when I met him.
He shared his deepest secret with me. Hell, he quit stripping because I asked him to.
He can spin it any way he wants to make it palatable, but I don’t need words to explain what’s happening between us.
I feel it when he kisses me goodbye the next morning. His lips linger a little longer, his eyes soften with an unspoken plea.
“I’ll come back tonight…if you want,” I offer with my forehead pressed against his.
“I want.”
I want it too. I want to prolong that kiss. To crawl back into bed with him. To lose myself in his body.
I want all that more than I’ve ever wanted anything, and that surprises me.
The day drags by until it’s time to go to work.
And once I get there, I’m just going through the motions, marking time until I’m back in his arms. Who would’ve thought I would be this invested in another person after what happened with Amber?
Who would’ve thought that person would be someone like Aubie?
I find myself standing in the back of the main house while the revue is on stage, wondering why I feel such a connection to Aubie but am not the least bit aroused by the six naked men strutting their stuff onstage.
I may have done a little research this afternoon before I came to work.
The words pansexual and demisexual piqued my curiosity.
Am I one of them? I’ve never been all that interested in sex until Aubie.
But that makes me wonder why I wasn’t more invested in my sex life with Amber.
I loved her. At least, I thought I did. Was that all a lie?
Maybe I was just doing what was expected of me, sort of like what Daryl is doing now. I don’t know how he does it. The thought of being sexually involved with someone I have no emotional attraction to leaves me cold. How does a self-confessed gay man do it with women?
“Pretty deep in thought there, buddy.”
I turn to see the man himself standing next to me. “Sorry. Just kind of zoned out.”
“Walk with me,” he says, turning and heading toward the back of house.
I fall into step beside him, leaving the energetic din of the performance behind when we step backstage. We head toward his office, encountering Izzy on the way.
“I have both of them scheduled for tonight,” she informs Daryl.
“When do they go on?” he asks.
“First one at ten-thirty. Second at eleven.”
“I’ll be watching,” he tells her, then leads me into his office and shuts the door.
“Aubie’s replacement?” I ask as I take a seat.
“I need that slot filled. Sure you won’t relent and let your boyfriend come back to work?”
I balk at his use of the word boyfriend, though it’s not like Aubie and I aren’t using it now. “Would you, if it was your boyfriend?”
He considers that for a minute then shakes his head. “Probably not. If I ever find myself in a position to have a boyfriend, I certainly would not like the thought of him sharing himself with others.”
Now you know how I feel. “What did you need?”
“Well, speaking of Aubie, I have a business proposition for him.”
Business? “Shouldn’t you be talking to him about that?”
“I intend to, but seeing as how you two are involved, I wanted to give you a heads up.”
He’s really playing the relationship card tonight. “About what?”
He runs a hand back through his hair and looks like he’s trying to decide how to say whatever it is on his mind. I have to admit when he does it surprises me. “Aubie offered up his financial backing last week. Did he tell you?”
“Nope.” It’s not like we tell each other everything. “What kind of business are you talking about?” Is he thinking about expanding again?
“He wants to invest in Eros, and I was thinking maybe he’d be interested in providing more than just his money.”
“Meaning?”
He sighs. “I want to make Eros a one-of-a-kind destination, but so far all I’ve been doing is treading water.”
“I thought the club was doing well.” I know there’s nothing else like it in town.
“It is, but it could be so much more. I’ve assembled the best talent available in this area, but I’d like to expand that search. I want the best talent available, period. I want acts like the one Aubie pulled off with Dominic. Stuff people can’t see anywhere else.”
“I thought that’s what you had, between the house and the theater.”
“I want more. If I’m going to put all my eggs in this one basket, I want the best damn basket money can buy.”
“And you think Aubie can help with that?”
“Don’t shoot me for saying this, but Aubie knows how to sell sex.
Just from the short time he was here, I could see he had a talent for tapping into the audience and playing to their fantasies.
The way he strips is sensuous, more like a woman than a man.
Most of these guys treat it like a gymnastics routine.
I want more of what he offers. More than just a six man revue taking off their clothes.
I want Eros to become synonymous with gay sexual fantasy.
I want people to come here from all over the world. ”
I smile at the passion in his voice. “Is that what you were picturing all those years ago when you were supposed to be studying football plays?”
He rolls his eyes. “Actually, when I first started thinking about Eros, I dug around on the internet for inspiration. I happened upon a chat room where people were talking about this exclusive sex club. It mostly featured BDSM, but that’s as much as anyone could say.
I fell down a rabbit hole researching it.
I guess you could say I became obsessed.
The weird thing was, the deeper I dug, the more elusive it became.
All I could find out for certain was that membership was by invitation only, and scoring that invitation was only possible through recommendation by management or a member in good standing.
I never read a firsthand account by an actual member, but there was a buzz about it everywhere in the industry.
Judging by the talk, people were willing to do just about anything to get an invitation. ”
“And that’s what you want Eros to be?”
“Eventually, yes. I’ve already spoken to Renee about expanding the number and type of live performances in the theater to increase attendance. I know it will require additional capital, but I think it’ll be worth it.”
“But the main house is your money maker,” I remind him.
The majority of our membership applications list the main house as the reason for their interest. I’m sure if we could advertise the theater, we would get more interest there, but that would require letting journalists in to review it, and Daryl is strictly against that.
“I know, but I want a complete experience. I’m not talking actual audience participation, but more kink and fetish. Let’s push the limits.”
“A fetish club?” I recall some of the European fetish clubs I’ve seen on the internet. Not that I was trolling them. It was purely research. A month ago I would have balked at the idea of that here, but now…well, Aubie has awakened a side of me I didn’t know existed.
“Something like that. A safe place for people to indulge their most deviant fantasies.”
I chuckle. “You never fail to surprise me, Daryl. And how do you propose generating an underground buzz for that without advertising?”
“That’s where I’m hoping Aubie can help. He knows how to manipulate people and how to recognize talent. I need someone to scout that talent, but I also need the right word dropped in the right ear.”
“That sounds like a job,” I say before thinking. I would imagine the last thing a guy like Aubie wants is a job.
“What do you think he was doing here before? He may have been enjoying himself, but it was still a job.”
I suppose he’s right. For any of the other dancers, Eros is strictly income. Most of them also have side hustles because East Brook is an expensive city. Just because Aubie doesn’t need the money doesn’t mean he wasn’t employed.
“Look, I don’t have all the details worked out yet,” Daryl continues. “That’s kind of what I was hoping Aubie could help me with. It might take a couple of brainstorming sessions, and I want your input on it.”
I have no doubt Aubie would probably enjoy something like that. I don’t know what he does with his time, but I can’t imagine it keeps him busy. All I’ve ever seen him do, besides dance at the club and have sex with me, is party. But why does Daryl want me?
“I’m probably the least experienced person you could ask,” I remind him.
“Ah, but here’s the thing. You’re newly awakened. You have a fresh perspective.”
“Newly awakened?”
“Yeah. You spent the first quarter of your life locked in the traditional hetero norm, but look at you now. Sexually speaking, Aubie is the furthest thing from traditional you could get.”
I feel myself blush. I won’t lie, I’ve been having some very nontraditional fantasies about the type of things I’d like to do with Aubie. And I can’t deny my reaction to some of his antics on stage. Just thinking about that whipping set he did with Dominic causes my cock to twitch.
I cross my legs and school my expression to hide that reaction. “I’m sure he’d probably be interested.” And suddenly I have a vision of watching one of those performances with him and acting it out at home. The man is going to be the death of me.
If Daryl notices my sudden discomfort, he doesn’t let on. “I hope so. I’m having lunch with him tomorrow. And I was kind of hoping you’d tag along.”
“Me? Why?”
“Because as I said, I want your opinion. And you’re an important part of this business.”
I don’t know how much I believe that. “Sure it isn’t because you think I have some sway over what he decides?”
He offers a sheepish grin. “Well, I wasn’t going to say that, but now that you bring it up…”