Stage Fright

STAGE FRIGHT
Pender Mackie
www.loose-id.com

Stage Fright
Copyright © January 2013 by Pender Mackie
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eISBN 9781623000578 Editor: Serena Stokes Cover Artist: Ginny Glass

Published in the United States of America Loose Id LLC
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This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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* * * *

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Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank the members of the Man Oh Man critique group for all their feedback, encouragement, and support.
Chapter One

On Friday the Erogenous Zone had a new bartender. Jesse noticed him as soon as he peeked through the stage curtains. He gazed out over the audience toward the back of the room and the small one-man bar. For once he managed to tune out the catcalls and whistles of excited women as they watched the intro video.

“Who’s the new guy?”
“What?” Mike, busy checking props and supplies, looked up briefly. “The bartender. He’s new.”

“Oh, yeah.” Mike stopped counting hand towels and sat back on his haunches. “Nicki got fired.”
Jesse forgot about his stage nerves. “Why?”

Mike took out his hair elastic and redid his ponytail. “He was trying to pick up the customers.”
Jesse could believe that. The man reminded him of a sleazy porn star with his heavy aftershave and his shiny, slicked-back hair. Jesse had never really liked him. Actually he’d found Nicki repellent, though he couldn’t say exactly why. Probably a combination of factors.
Nicki hadn’t liked him either. Every time they’d interacted, he’d looked at Jesse with barely concealed contempt. Still, Jesse hadn’t wanted him fired, even if Nicki was an asshole.
“Chaz picks up customers,” he reminded Mike.
“Chaz is a stripper. He’s encouraged to pick up the customers. And he does it after the show.”
“Dancer in an all-male revue. Not a stripper,” Jesse said. It was an ongoing argument, but there was a difference.
Mike’s lips twitched. “Some of the women complained.” His eyes gleamed with humor. “Guess they didn’t like Nicki coming on to them.”

“You’re kidding me.” Jesse stared at him. “Please tell me you’re kidding. Have you seen what they do to us out there?”
Mike snickered. “Hey, this is Vegas. Anything’s possible. Even sexual harassment complaints from women who’ve just spent two hours screaming at guys in G-strings.”
Jesse was laughing now. “Maybe Chaz complained too. Maybe he didn’t like Nicki cutting in on his action.”
“Yeah, well, management’s not taking any chances. This one’s a rear gunner.”
Automatically Jesse looked around to confirm they were alone. “Yeah? You sure?” He took another peek through the curtains.
The new bartender had brown hair, cut short on the sides, a little longer on top and styled to one side. Jesse watched him mix drinks and handle cash with professional ease as the women lined up, jostling each other good-naturedly. The bar was midchest height, so Jesse couldn’t see too much of his body, but in his white dress shirt and black waistcoat their new barkeep looked trim and fit.
Attraction fluttered pleasantly through Jesse’s gut. Maybe he should go over and say hi after the show. Just to be friendly, since he wasn’t out at work to anyone but Mike.
Mike got to his feet, joints popping. “He is. He’s got an amazing ass too.”
“Does he now?” Jesse squinted as if that would help, though it was impossible to see that particular piece of anatomy from here.
“Most definitely.” Mike sighed. “He’s not into bears, though. Or maybe it’s just older men.”
Mike wasn’t old, maybe in his late thirties and kind of attractive with his short ponytail and tidy goatee. “You hit on him?”
“Attempted to would be more like it. Got shot down before I’d even started. The guy’s permafrost.”

“Huh.” Jesse gave their new bartender a last look. “What do you think his type is?”
“Why? You gonna try and thaw him out?”

“I didn’t say that.”

Mike looked him up and down and gave him a dirty grin. “Who knows? Maybe he’s into cute, blond, blue-eyed strippers.”
“Very funny.” Jesse headed back to the dressing room.
“Maybe I should have said dancers in an all-male revue?” Mike called after him, laughing.
Jesse rolled his eyes.

* * * *

The bar wasn’t busy during the show. The women didn’t want to miss any of the action while getting drinks from the bar. That was why the theater doors opened an hour early and the drinks were fifteen dollars each.

Jesse watched Chaz, their dance captain, work his magic. Chaz was an old hand at stripping and made it look so easy. He had a woman from a bachelorette party up onstage. She was sitting in an office chair, grinning up at him. Chaz stroked her hair, then straddled her. He nuzzled her throat as her friends shrieked and whistled. She reached around and gripped his ass hard, her fingers digging into tanned flesh. Chaz pulled her to her feet. Jesse could see his muscular ass bunch and flex as Chaz mimed grinding against her.

Two more group routines, then it was Jesse’s turn to strut his stuff solo. He looked over at the bar and sighed. The new bartender was wiping the counter. He wasn’t even watching the show. Maybe the guy wasn’t gay after all. Mike had never been wrong before, but there was a first time for everything. Chaz was too muscular, too arrogant for Jesse’s taste, but the women thought he was hot, and he was pretty much naked. The guy behind the bar seemed more interested in dirt than dancers.

Between the group number and his own piece, there wasn’t much time to get changed. He scrambled into his next costume, then nodded to Eric, their MC, from the side of the stage. “And now, ladies. Here’s the newest member of our revue and the baby of the group, Firefighter Jesse.”

Jesse bounced onstage to shouts and catcalls. He did a couple of backflips, then slapped on his helmet. His routine went off without a hitch, but as usual he needed to mentally gear himself up for the finale. He grabbed the crotch of his tear-away turnouts and yanked them off, leaving him in nothing but his T-bar. After six months of working as a dancer, he still felt kind of stupid wearing the minuscule thong, but he was grateful for the no-nudity policy. It helped him maintain the illusion that he still had some dignity. He spied a table that didn’t have too many drinks on it and jumped into the crowd.

The audience loved it. Jesse danced the length of the table, shaking his ass for the screaming women—and saw the bartender watching. He faltered, then recovered, leaping lightly off the table, squeezing through the press of bodies. He smiled and highfived outstretched palms on his way as other hands reached for his chest, his butt, even trying for his package. His ass was slapped at least three times before he managed to return to the stage.

“Let’s hear it for Jesse. Who wants Jesse to put out their fire?” Eric asked the enthusiastic audience.
Backstage Mike threw Jesse a towel. “Holy shit, they’re wild tonight. I wasn’t sure you were going to make it back in one piece.”

Jesse wiped the sweat from his face and chest. “Me neither.” He shook his head, smiling. “Gives a whole new meaning to audience participation.”

Chaz strutted over, grinning. His dark eyes shone, and his well-defined chest and shoulder muscles gleamed with a light coating of sweat, or possibly oil. He raked his fingers through his thick black hair. “Man, what a night. Did you see that wedding party at table six? One of them grabbed my dick.” He cracked open a bottle of water and emptied it in a series of noisy gulps. “Bet I can fuck at least two.”

Jesse pulled on his costume for the final group number. “What if they don’t come to the meet and greet after the show?”

 

Chaz’s grin widened. “Those girls will.”
* * * *

After the show Jesse finished his shower and hurried to get dressed. He had less than five minutes before he was expected to be at the bar next door to the theater, mingling with the women who waited there to meet the dancers. It was all part of his performance, as was posing for photos with members of the audience before hitting the showers.

They’d had lots of requests for photos tonight. Mike, who did double duty as photographer and props man, was the only one in the dressing room other than Jesse. He’d finished putting away his photography equipment and had come in to grab his jacket.

“Hey, Mike, I’m gonna head next door to the meet and greet. If you’re sticking around, we could go grab something to eat after.”
Mike shook his head. “I can’t tonight.”

“Yeah? Hot date?” Jesse wiggled his eyebrows.
Mike made a face. “God, no.”
“Too bad. For a minute I thought at least one of us was getting romanced.”

“Romance is highly overrated and thankfully not necessary for getting some oneon-one action. And speaking of action, you know the night’s not over yet. Tall, dark, and serious should be behind the bar.”

Jesse had hoped for a closer look at the revue’s latest employee after the show, but the man had disappeared during the photo session. He should have realized the sexy new bartender left to open the second bar next door since Nicki had worked both bars too. “You think he’d be interested? He didn’t pay much attention to the show.”

Mike grinned. “He watched your number pretty closely. Maybe he’d like to play with your fire hose.”
Jesse tried to act indignant, but he was laughing too hard. “If you used lines like that on him, it’s no wonder he shot you down.”
Mike gave him a wounded look. “I was a little more subtle than that.”

“Well…” Jesse hesitated. Maybe he had been checking the guy out. Their new bartender might have seemed cold, but the spark of heat that had ignited in his eyes while he’d watched Jesse’s routine belied his feigned indifference and drew Jesse to him. That didn’t mean Jesse would do anything about it. He’d just introduce himself, see if they could start off on the right foot since they’d be working together.

Mike checked his watch. “You’d better get over there, or Chaz will be on your case.”
Jesse hurriedly straightened his shirt. Chaz intimidated him just a little. The way the man always looked down on him made him feel small, like he had when he was younger. Chaz acted like a high school bully who’d never grown up.
“How do I look?”

Mike grinned. “I’d do you in a heartbeat.”

 

Mike was just teasing, but Jesse still felt his cheeks heat up. And he’d thought after six months of getting his ass smacked every night nothing could embarrass him.

 

“Go on. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Mike ruffled his hair.

 

“Mitts off or you’ll mess the do.” Jesse swatted at his hand and ducked out of reach. He paused at the door. “Night, Mike.”

 

“Night, kid.”
* * * *

Val stood behind the bar as he watched about a dozen members of the audience interact with the dancers at the Erogenous Zone’s after-show meet and greet. He’d tended bar for a few years now, but this was the weirdest setup so far. This second and larger bar wasn’t even a real bar. It was just an open space separated from the flow of pedestrian traffic by waist-high walls, sandwiched between the theater and a food court.