Chapter 6
Chapter
Six
LENNOX
I despise doing favors for others.
“Sjorn, are you serious?” I groan, glaring at my phone.
The bastard video called me to ensure I couldn’t turn him down. Ugh. My uncle is smart and knows me too well.
“I never joke about money,” he says, rolling his eyes. “It’s for the kids, Lenny.”
“I hate kids. I’m a real actor, Uncle. I don’t enjoy prancing around a stage for them.”
“Please,” he groans. “I’m not above telling your mother you’re abandoning family in their hour of need.”
…I have no words. This is obviously the gene I inherited for theater. Except, while I work with professional troupes and musicians while I sing in musicals, my uncle puts on kid shows.
“You know that’ll break her heart.” My mother’s entire side of her family are musicians, actors, and incredibly talented.
There are a few misfits and criminals thrown in there to boot, but they keep it well hidden from my mother.
She’s very good at scaring people, and her family members keep their shit locked down in return so she won’t poison them with desserts and a smile while they pray they live through it.
Due to the many talents of my family, they also have no problems using emotional blackmail on each other.
It’s how she got my uncle to take us in when she left my deadbeat father when I was five. I barely remember him, and I’ve never spent very long in more than one place because of it.
My adult life is no exception.
“Where am I going?”
“San Clemente. It’s a half hour drive, Lenny. You’ll be back in time for your performance tonight. It’s easy,” Uncle Sjorn cajoles.
I hate my life. That’s not true, I love the freedom of being nomadic. One day I’ll be in the mountains of California, and the next I can wake up near the beach. The days typically span a few more between new destinations, but it keeps me from getting bored.
It’s why the troupe is perfect for me. I’m always performing in front of a new audience, and the musical performance changes every three months. That’s how long I need to truly perfect my craft…before I crave something new.
“How the hell will I know the words or what to do?” I ask, already accepting my fate.
“It’s a singalong.” His smirk is smug as fuck and I growl as I promise retribution.
A goddamned singalong? Fuck me, man.
“You suck. Text me the address. Anything I need to wear to work this?”
“Just your usual garb will work, Lenny. Have fun!”
He hangs up before I blow my top, and I groan loudly in frustration. I slept in late and was enjoying a lazy morning when he decided to hijack my day.
Five years ago, I converted a blue Citroen Berlingo into a van. My mother thought I was insane, but I’ve always been a free spirit. I went to college for theater, loved every second of it, and then decided to get work with a traveling group.
It started out small, but we now sell out every venue.
My mother is proud of me, even though she’s still frustrated by the fact that I make really good money yet live in my van. I have a place to sleep, make simple meals, and I can hook up to water and electricity. I also built storage cabinets for my clothing.
I took her out on a camping trip so she could see how comfortable it was, and while she admitted she preferred her home, she said she could see the allure of being able to travel easily.
“Rufus, I suppose we should get ready for the day, what do you think?”
My miniature schnauzer gives a soft bark, watching as I get up and make the bed disappear. I’m currently at a park with showers, which is one of my favorite places to spend my nights.
A gentle tug of a drawer reveals my corset vests, pressed white shirts, pants, and suit jackets. Everything is vacuum sealed, which helps with space. Pushing my hand through my blonde hair, I think about how damn hot it’ll be today.
I have several fans keeping the air blowing through my van and I have the windows open since I’m in a safe area, but it’s still a California summer.
“Black leather corset, black pants with a steampunk type of vibe, and my hair loose. I think I can handle that,” I muse.
I do an awful lot of talking to myself and my dog since I’m alone so often. I don’t typically care, because I can drop into a bar anywhere in California for a good time. People enjoy talking to me, and I top off my need to socialize.
It doesn’t hit often, but when it does, I know how to scratch that itch. The same thing applies when I need to wet my dick. It’s a life free of attachment, and I’m very up front about this.
I can’t help it if there’s wax in people’s ears, both men and women, who refuse to accept the limits of what I’m offering.
Pulling out my clothes, I release them from the confines of the plastic and hang them up while I pull out my heavy gothic boots. Fuck do I love these.
I’ll gladly suffer the heat, jump in the ocean in my bathing suit after this gig is over, and then drive back up for my night show. A little salt therapy feels like the perfect reward after doing my uncle a favor.
Grabbing my shower caddy and slides, I shove my feet into them while wearing a loose pair of shorts and nothing else. I don’t need to be fussy about clothes as this is a nudist park.
No one complains when I leave wearing clothes as long as I wear the least amount possible while I’m here so I can blend in.
Although, I’m six foot six, built like a brick shit house, and my hair is shaved along the sides before leaving it long enough to braid up top. The odds of me going unnoticed aren’t great. It can be a little tight in the van, but I’m not looking to refit another van for at least another year.
I’ll deal with the consequences of a tiny home in the form of my van until then.
My mother says that when god made me, he decided I needed a body to go with my melodramatic temperament. I’m pretty sure she was discussing what she calls my adult tantrums more than my flare for the dramatic, but I can’t be entirely sure.
Pushing open the back door to my van, I watch to make sure Rufus isn’t going to make a run for it to chase the squirrels. Instead, he curls up next to a pillow I left out and lays his head on it. We already went for a walk, and I’ll take him for another before we leave camp.
Moving quickly once I grab my towel, I head to the showers, do my business, and return to the van to dress.
It’s too damn warm to wear boxers with my pants, so I choose not to.
I leave the doors open while I change because everyone here is naked, and it gives me more room to move around.
I put my corset on while standing outside, and enjoy the wolf whistles as I do.
Man, there’s nothing better for the soul than a nudist park. They’re just the best people.
I blow dry my hair with the portable hairdryer that won’t blow one of my fuses, and then braid it in a way that makes it stand out on the top of my head. Tonight I’ll need to rewash it and slick it back, but it’ll do for now.
Pulling up stakes takes a little longer as I disconnect from the water and electricity at my camping station and say goodbye to those around me. Closing the windows and doors, I keep the fans on as I get into the front seat.
“Rufus, come get into your seat, please.” He trots up as I get the engine going, and I grin as the engine purrs for me.
I have an affinity for creating and fixing things.
Old Georgia and I get along well as long as I tune up her engine and talk nicely to her.
Rubbing my hand over the dash, I tuck Rufus into his doggy bed car seat and check his comfort.
The bed has anti slip material at the bottom of it and is strapped to the passenger seat.
The material is also cooling so he can get his beauty sleep without overheating.
Yeah, I fucking love this little life of mine, it’s the humans that often inconvenience me.
Putting the vehicle into drive, I check my phone and input the address waiting in my text messages into my GPS and set the device in its holster. This way, I can see what I need to and it’s not in my hand. Turning on one of my favorite playlist, I begin singing as I pull away.
A half hour drive is cake, it’s what’s waiting for me that I’m concerned about. The venue is in an outdoor theatre setup, and the beach views on the way here relaxes me until I decide that even if they have me singing Mary had a little lamb, this side quest will be worth it.
“Let’s find someone to hang out with you, Rufus,” I say gently, smirking as he gazes sleepily at me. Yeah, a thirty minute nap isn’t enough.
I get it, puppers. I promise to make it up to you later.
Gently picking him up, I grab his leash and get out of the vehicle.
“Lenny!”
I sigh as I hear my uncle’s boisterous voice, while Rufus doesn’t even flinch. He’s used to my family, even if we haven't physically seen him in a month.
“Uncle,” I murmur, walking in his direction.
“Rufus,” Sjorn says a little too calmly as he sees who I’m snuggling with.
“Let me see what the layout is before I decide if I’m going to have his dog bed hidden somewhere.”
He knows better than to say anything as I move into my work mentality. I’m not going to enjoy this gig, but I’m going to act like the goddamned professional that I am.
The venue actually has a small stadium seating area reminiscent of a fair area, and the stage is curtained off with a little back stage. I could potentially use this, but I prefer when I can see Rufus.
He’s family too, and I would be devastated if something happened to him.
Standing on the stage with my legs spread like a Viking ready to conquer the world, I gaze over the people already sitting down. The early bird gets the worm, so these are also my favorite victims to do my bidding.
There’s a little girl with wild curls talking excitedly to a man with fuckable lips. Damn, he is really pretty. He has intense eyes and is giving his entire attention to her as she bounces in her seat. Welp, I obviously need to get closer to investigate.
“Did you find someone?” Sjorn asks knowingly, following my gaze. “Hmm.”