by A R Steele
“How could you lose it?” On his screen, Krista’s expression turned to panic. “Sensitive information could be on there.”
Shade was aware of that. “It’s locked. We’ll have to hope that keeps people out. If it was stolen, they’ll just wipe it and resell it without looking at what’s on it.”
“I hope you’re right,” Krista said, sitting back in her chair. “What took you so long to call me?”
“I didn’t realize it was gone when I woke up. I thought I’d just misplaced it, so I went out.”
She was right that he should have emailed her as soon as he realized it was missing. He’d slept in, though, taking his time to get out of bed. With these overnight shifts, his body needed extra sleep to recover. It was only through liberal coffee drinking that he was able to stay up all night at first.
He’d spent the rest of the day hiking, a hobby that he only occasionally got to indulge in – at least before he took this assignment. His friends were back in his hometown and he couldn’t get close to anyone here, so he spent most of his time alone. That gave him plenty of time to go out and do as much walking and birdwatching as he wanted. It was satisfying, in a way… just incredibly lonely.
Krista scoffed. “I texted you a bunch of times. You have to think about these things. Your accounts could be compromised.”
“I think I can sign out of my email remotely. I’ll do that right now, actually.”
Shade hurried to minimize the window with Krista’s face. As he opened his Internet browser, a bird chirp came through the open window. Shade listened with half an ear, trying to identify its song. It sounded most like a kingbird. He pursed his lips, reflexively preparing to whistle the song back at it.
“Sheldon? I asked how things are going.”
“Great.” Bringing his attention back to the conversation, Shade pulled Krista’s face onto the screen again. “Lots of things are happening at the club. They’ve cleaned up their act a bit. No more drugs are being sold onsite or anything like that.”
“Right. I told you, you could have finished up and come home after that.”
“I know, but I feel like there’s more for me to find out. They have a new manager, and he’s pretty good so far. He has the strippers doing different acts.”
Things would definitely be changing now that Brentley was here. Shade made a mental note to talk to him one-on-one.
“Like, stage routines?” Krista asked. “That seems like a good idea. What’s yours?”
Shade would have answered, but he saw the amusement on her face. When she laughed at him, it was never in a nice way. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
This was the first time Krista had given him anything bigger than grunt work. She’d always said he needed more preparation before he could work on anything halfway interesting. After hearing excuse after excuse for not letting him write a real article, he’d almost given up on ever getting that chance.
Going from coffee runs to a six-month undercover assignment was a huge leap. Krista had resisted, but he was the only one on their team who could even attempt to pass for a male stripper. Letting him do this had been an act of faith on her part. He had to stay on top of things and prove himself.
“Anyway, I should let you go,” Shade said. “I’m sure you’ve got other stuff to do.”
Krista shot a glare at something past her webcam. “One or two,” she sighed. Knowing the layout of her office, Shade could guess she had a pile of papers on the edge of her desk. “Keep track of your stuff in the future. I really don’t need any more worries.”
“I’ll be more careful from now on,” Shade vowed. He hit the “end” button, and her image compressed to a line and disappeared.
As he walked into the change room a few hours later, he had almost forgotten his concern about the phone incident. He’d get a new one as soon as he had the time. It’d be a pain in the ass, but there wasn’t much he could do about it.
Except that Jesse came up to him, a familiar object in his hand. “Hey, S, you dropped this last night.”
Shade’s heart sped up at being so close to him. He did his best not to look at the glinting gold piercings in Jesse’s nipples. Fuck, the light was too good in this change room. He could even make out the scattering of coarse black hairs on Jesse’s chest.
“Oh, thank you.” He went to take the phone back. His hand brushed Jesse’s, and his voice caught. “I’ve been wondering where that was. I was about to buy a new one.”
“Yeah, sorry for keeping it all day. I wanted to get in touch with you, but I didn’t have your email or anything.”
“That’s okay,” Shade said. “It was only half a day. Thanks so much for bringing it back.”
“Yeah, no worries. You would’ve done the same for me. I think someone wants to get ahold of you, by the way.”
Shit. Krista had mentioned texting him, and there was a good possibility that she might have written something sensitive. He quickly typed in his password and scrolled through his notifications. There were five new messages.
I need an update ASAP.
Update?
You were going to send me a progress report.
Where are you? Status?
What’s going on? Email me ASAP.
With the way his phone was set up, Jesse would have been able to see every message as it came in. Shit, shit, shit. He scrolled through the notifications. She had definitely come across as desperate to reach him.
Attempting to keep a neutral tone, he said, “It’s okay. I already spoke to that person, and everything’s fine.”
“So many texts,” Lev said. “You’re more popular than I thought.”
Shade tensed until Lev’s teasing tone registered. “Very popular,” he joked back.
Thankfully the texts weren’t too incriminating. Shade still wished Jesse hadn’t seen them. There was no doubt that he would be curious.
“Probably his boyfriend missing him,” Cooper said.
If Jesse hadn’t seen the texts, Shade would have been able to lie. “I’m not going to say either way,” he said instead.
With the phone given back, the other strippers began heading out to the main room. Shade stayed, looking at the group chat. Jesse had indeed asked if any of the guys had a way to contact him. None of them had his email address, which he supposed was for the best. He had given him his real cell phone number, and that was enough.
Other than that, they had mainly talked about the new direction for the club. Cooper had written about his hunt for a firefighter’s outfit, and Ace and Gabriel had reported back on their costume shopping. Shade would have to go to a Halloween store to get an eye patch and pirate gear. This act thing shouldn’t be too hard – and it would add some nice flavor to his report.
As he slid his phone into his locker, he realized that Jesse was still watching him with those dark eyes. Of course, Shade probably looked pretty dodgy at the moment. He decided to be extra-friendly to curb Jesse’s suspicions. If he killed him with kindness, Jesse wouldn’t be able to suspect him of anything – and this thing should go off without a hitch, the way it should. Just a few more weeks here, and then he could get back to his normal life.
“How’s your bad boy routine coming?” he asked, locking his locker. “Did you get everything you need?”
Jesse looked amused. “No routine needed,” he drawled. “I’m just going to go up there and be myself.”
There was something decidedly flirtatious about the way he drew out his words and lingered on the important parts. Shade wished Jesse was flirting. More than that, he wished he had the opportunity to flirt back. But that was off the table.
“That sounds good,” Shade said. “I’m sure you’re going to kill it.”
There was no doubt about that. From everything Shade had seen of Jesse, he could pull off the bad boy thing. The first impression he gave was being tough and blunt and manly – all of which was true. Not only did he not give a shit about anything, he took no shit from anyone. He may have been
sweet and caring, but that was underneath. The sound of his deep drawl set Shade’s heart racing. And he wasn’t the only one.
Women loved bad boys, after all. Shade had spent a little too much time taking notes on Jesse’s seductive prowess. Jesse could generally get any girl that he wanted. On the rare occasion that he was rejected, he accepted it with a lazy shrug. Why would he care? There were plenty more girls – and guys – who would be interested.
Shade wasn’t like him at all. Now that he was working at the Tool Shed, he had put on a mask of being a swaggering, confident stripper. He pretended he didn’t care that he was walking around without clothes on. He said things to customers that made his inner Sheldon blush.
“Well, see you out there,” Jesse said.
He headed out, and Shade followed his back with his eyes.
Yes, he was wearing a mask in this space. And no one could ever find out what was under it.
Five
Jesse perched on the table and ran his fingers along the redhead’s arm. She had some incredibly thick lips. Another time, he might have pictured them wrapping around his dick. Right now, his mind was more focused on the man he had just left in the change room. What exactly was up with Shade?
He forced his mind back to the girl in front of him. “Are you enjoying your drink?” he asked, gesturing to her glass of white wine.
“Very much,” she said, giving him what he assumed she meant as a seductive smile.
“When you’re done, maybe we can go to the champagne lounge.”
“Champagne lounge? What’s that?”
He pulled his chair closer, putting his hand lower on her arm. “That’s where you and me get to know each other a little better. It’s only a hundred for an hour.”
A hundred bucks was a ton of money for Jesse, but he knew a lot of customers would pay it. Jesse had started low when the lounge had opened. Seeing what women thought he was worth, he’d raised his rates higher.
The redhead tilted her head, then nodded. “That sounds good. I don’t even need to finish my drink. Let’s go right now.”
Jesse grinned. “Let me go grab a bottle, and I’ll be right with you.”
He headed over to the bar, saying “what’s up” to the bartender. Wright’s nightly uniform of a vest over a white T-shirt displayed his powerful biceps. With his dark crew-cut, he was as attractive as any stripper – he probably did as well with the women as Jesse did.
“Champagne, I’m guessing?”
“You know it.”
“Nice, nice.” Wright tossed the bottle into the air, and it flipped over a few times before landing safely in his hands. He passed it to Jesse with a grin. “You must bring more girls in that lounge than any other stripper.”
“What can I say?” Jesse said, staring wonderingly at the bottle. “The ladies love me.”
They shot the shit when they got the chance, and Jesse would have stayed to make small talk with him now if he hadn’t been in a hurry to get this money. A hundred was almost as much as his salary for the night.
“All right, I gotta run. Here’s what that costs, and there’s a little something for you too.” He slid a couple of bills across the bar.
Wright pushed the tip right back across to him. “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a hundred times. Keep your money. It’s no good here.”
“I had to try.”
With the champagne bucket in hand, Jesse returned to the girl and offered his arm. The redhead took it, giggling when her fingers made contact with his flexed muscle. He ushered her into the champagne lounge, immune to the fact that he was wearing nothing but gold briefs. Any shame he’d once had was gone after working here for so long.
The room was backlit with neon lights, and the music from the main room was muted. Jesse sat the redhead down on the red leather couch, then gestured to her drink again. “Why don’t you finish that, and then I’ll pour you some champagne?”
She gulped down the wine, drinking it all. Again, it occurred to him that he should have been turned on by that. She was just his type, long-haired and feminine and just thick enough for his liking.
His fantasies were focused on Shade’s tanned skin and kissable lips instead. That guy turned him on more than any woman who had ever set foot in this place. And none of the other strippers got under Jesse’s skin quite like Shade.
When the girl finished her glass, she sat back and held it out. Jesse popped the bottle expertly, and fizz ran down the side. He poured each of them some liquid. They clinked glasses, and then he went to the pole. “Would you like me to dance for you?”
“Of course. You can get as close as you want.”
The girl looked around, visibly thrilled. Jesse went into his dance, swinging around the pole standing and then on his knees. He let his body go into autopilot as he wondered what was going on with Shade. Those messages had been strange. He’d been curious every time a new one had showed up on the phone.
Shade was definitely up to something, but it could be anything. Jesse suspected he wouldn’t get a good answer out of Shade if he were to just ask. He was pretty sure Shade was a good guy, but he was missing something about him.
The person texting Shade could simply be a friend asking for updates on Shade’s life. Maybe something was going on and the friend was dying to know what happened. Jesse frowned, spinning around the pole with one hand on the floor. The tone had been more urgent, and besides, Shade wasn’t much of a storyteller.
Jesse dropped to his knees and moved forward on them, coming right up to the redhead and jumping off the stage onto her lap. She let out a little gasp as he went into his normal lap dance routine. Women loved this, and with an hour to themselves in the champagne lounge, she could get as long as a dance as she wanted.
The room was completely private. Other people could see whether the door was open or not, so they knew whether it was taken, but there was no window to the outside. No one would ever know what happened in here.
The redhead’s shallow breathing alerted Jesse that she might want to take advantage of that fact. When he looked at her face, the lust in her eyes confirmed it.
“You wouldn’t want to, uh…” She fidgeted in that way girls did when they were horny.
Since she was having trouble getting the words out, Jesse took pity on her. “Ah, sorry. That could get me in trouble.”
Hopefully that spared her feelings. Jesse always had trouble with lying. He’d definitely banged a customer or two in here. It just wasn’t working for him tonight.
“Oh, okay,” the redhead said. “I’ll just enjoy the dance, then.”
Relieved, he went back into his dance. An hour wasn’t enough time for him anyway. Whether his partner was male or female, he liked to take his time and enjoy their body. He didn’t have much of a preference in terms of gender. When he was around fourteen, it had occurred to him that boys could get him hard as easily as girls.
Luckily his family was pretty open-minded, if conservative. There was no drama when he came home one day and said he had a boyfriend. Even though the teenage romance hadn’t lasted, he was heartened by his family’s support. Even his grandparents didn’t mind. They probably would have preferred to see him with a woman, but they never openly said it.
When the hour was up, Jesse picked up the empty bottle and brought her back into the main room. “It was a great pleasure to spend time with you,” he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Feel free to ask for me again anytime.”
“Sounds good,” she said. “We can even get together outside of here sometime if you ever feel like it.”
He doubted he’d ever feel like it. Yes, Shade had gotten to him. “Yeah, maybe,” he said neutrally.
Leaving her behind, Jesse circulated around the room. There was no pressure now. He was already satisfied with the hundred, although some of it had gone to Wright for the bottle.
It was his turn to get on the main stage, and he went up to dance. He took his place, glancing around at the audience. The place
was half-full, as usual. He wondered if more people would start showing up now that Brentley was making changes. He hoped there would be enough customers to keep the place open, but not much more than that. He had no desire to be kept busier than he already was.
He caught sight of Shade sitting at one table, talking to a group of customers. He had a big smile on his face, a genuine one, which made Jesse wonder. Shade tried to look tough with that bandana and that goatee, but somehow it never felt quite real. He wasn’t quite the same as the other strippers. There was something fake about him – as if he wasn’t the person he claimed to be.
Maybe he’d had a sheltered upbringing, or maybe he was wealthier than the others. Something had made him less rough around the edges. Jesse was still attracted to him, but as he danced, he became more and more sure of that Shade wasn’t like the rest of them.
After one final spin, he got off the stage. He glanced around as he left. The act thing would be interesting. At the front of the room, Lucas took the stage. Jesse squinted at him, recalling that he was going to do a cop act. There was something there, some connection he was failing to make. He pursed his lips and walked on.
He went toward the back hall, intending to put some clothes on and drop the rest in his locker. As soon as he pulled the change room door open, the sound of a voice made him consider turning back. It sounded like a private conversation.
Still, he had to go inside. He eased into the room, trying not to disturb whoever was talking. When he saw it was Shade, his heart beat a little harder and his ears perked up.
“...the interplay between the strippers’ stage personas and…”
Shade trailed off, staring at Jesse. His eyes were wide and panicked, as if Jesse wasn’t supposed to have heard what he’d just heard.
“Sorry, don’t stop your conversation. I’m just here for a minute,” Jesse said, spinning his lock as fast as he could.
Shade put down his phone without even finishing his sentence. Now he was staring at Jesse with something dangerously close to guilt marring his perfect features.
As Jesse closed his locker, he decided his feelings about Shade definitely weren’t just his imagination. He was up to something, no doubt about that.