by Z. Allora
“Oh, I guess they really aren’t good at basic orientation. Right now, you should figure out what you want to do. Some guys work at the club or go to college. Once you find your mate, your choices expand even more.”
“I don’t have money for school, so I guess I should work.”
Jasper clarified Kai’s new situation. “Since zombies don’t die, we have time to become successful and rich. Zombies always help fund new zombies. If you want to go to school, Club Zombie will sponsor you. Several guys go to local campuses—”
The doorbell rang.
“Ah, that must be our essence.”
Kai dropped his head into his hands.
Jasper didn’t stop himself from resting a hand on Kai’s shoulder and squeezing as he passed him.
The flash of utter helplessness in Kai’s eyes when he looked up cut into Jasper. He wished he could make the world less confusing for Kai, but first the basics. “I’ll be right back.”
The nurse handed over the vials with a smile. “The weather’s gorgeous. Enjoy!”
“Thanks, Robert. I’ll see you at practice.” Jasper hurried back into the kitchen to find Kai pushing his eggs this way and that.
“Here you go.” Jasper’s fingers brushed Kai’s when he passed him the vial.
Kai stared at Jasper, conveying a level of uncertainty Jasper understood all too well.
Jasper allowed himself to be absorbed in the connection he’d never experienced. He encouraged Kai. “Drink.”
Examining the vial, Kai tugged the stopper out.
“Don’t think about it,” Jasper suggested. He willed Kai to glance back at him.
Their gazes met.
If Jasper did nothing else but stare into Kai’s big blue eyes, he’d be good with that. But fire flashed through him, reminding him Kai needed essence as much as he did. He clicked the vials together and said the traditional German toast, “Prost.”
“Prost,” Kai repeated and lifted the vial to his lips. The white fluid flowed into his mouth, and his eyes rolled back as he moaned.
Doing the same, Jasper got the punch of delight through his system. He kept his eyes on Kai, the usual satisfaction enriched because he shared the moment with Kai.
Kai tried to stick his tongue in the vial. Adorable. He paused when he noticed Jasper’s attention and frowned.
“I get it, trust me.” Jasper chuckled, pushing away his need to kiss Kai’s frown.
“I can’t believe how much better I feel after I drink it.” Kai scrunched his face in dismay.
Jasper wanted to distract him from his confusing thoughts. “Anyway, back to our conversation. If college is something you want, our library has the latest testing study books.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, or you can take an online course. If you need help, I’d be happy to tutor you.”
“Oh, thanks. And, um… you’re sure no one will mind if I go to school?”
Jasper tried to reassure him. “Yeah. The zombies who have found their mates and gone out on their own have always supported the club. Someone in finance designated a trust to ensure our folks can be educated and taken care of while they’re figuring out their new life.”
Kai leaned back and shook his head. “Does everyone figure it out?”
“Eventually.” Jasper threw out the idea before he could think better of it. “Hey, I can walk you over to our library after breakfast, and then if you want, you can come to practice with me.”
“Practice?”
“Are you familiar with The Rocky Horror Picture Show?”
“It came to my town once, but my uncle wouldn’t let me and Ulrich go see it. He said the show was trash.” Kai frowned. “Isn’t that the show where the audience participates?”
“Yeah. We show the actual movie behind us, and we’re down in front of the screen acting the movie out.”
“Sounds fun,” Kai said.
“Good. Breakfast. Library. Then practice.”
Kai nodded and ate his eggs and toast.
Jasper kept the disappointment out of his voice. “Alex, I understand. You gave the role a shot.”
“Thanks. I need to go.” Alex handed him the gold shorts and darted out the door.
Jasper handed off the shorts and clapped his hands. The cast and crew gathered around. “I’d like to introduce Kai Bauer. He arrived yesterday.”
“Is he going to take over for Alex?”
Several of the crew appeared to size Kai up for the gold shorts, and others gave enthusiastic nods.
Of all the…. Jasper folded his arms and barely restrained the growl trying to break free. “No. He’s here to watch and give feedback.”
“Aw, come on, Jaz. Then after practice we can help him celebrate his birthday,” Corey teased.
Jasper’s glare appeared to be enough to stop further pleading. He turned to his new cottage mate. “Kai, you can have a seat. I recommend the fourth row.”
Someone whispered loud enough for everyone to hear, “Who will replace Alex as Rocky in the show?”
“Well, if we can’t find anyone, I will.” Jasper sighed.
A loud roar echoed through the theater.
Jasper reached for his director voice and said, “Okay, okay. Let’s take it from ‘Time Warp.’”
The crew rushed backstage and to the projection room, with lighting people on their heels. They only used a few props in this scene. Cassidy wheeled out the clock and handed Dr. Mayer, who was playing Riff Raff, his duster.
Jasper made his way to the fourth row and smiled at Kai as he called out, “From the top.”
The digital image cued to the exact point of the song and would start instantly. He loved the video system Beau had sweet-talked him into getting for the production. Jasper had seen it as unnecessary, but the new equipment made starting and stopping the film seamless.
He waved a hand, and the movie began to roll. Riff Raff dusted and opened the grandfather clock. Brad, played by Jackson, held “Janet” tighter.
Jasper said in a low voice, “Corey, I mean Janet, stop giggling. You’re supposed to be afraid.”
The doctor’s nurse, Robert, who looked good in a wig, mimicked Magenta’s facial expressions as if the actress herself had come out of retirement.
“Good, Magenta. Don’t linger so much on the elbow rub. Energy, people.”
The bunch of newer zombies appeared on stage for the party scene. They’d insisted on wearing their entire costumes, even for practice. They also demanded the exact order of the actors on screen. Even though no one expected more than a suggestion of the scene to play out live, there were enough actors so Jasper hadn’t fought them. Everyone wanted to do “The Time Warp.”
Kai tapped his feet to the music.
Robert whipped off his wig and raced over to the far right of the stage to stand in for the zombie who played the narrator. He pulled down a chart, slapped the pointer against the diagram, and mouthed the first line.
The zombies were jumping in the air and singing with glee. No lip-synching for them. The theater echoed with their voices as they stepped to the right and put their hands on their hips to do the pelvic thrust.
“Corey! No. Janet doesn’t do the dance. Corey, Janet watches and then faints.” Jasper had said the same thing a hundred times, but each practice, Corey couldn’t help himself.
Jackson, playing Brad, pulled Corey into a dip and kissed him.
“That’s one way keeping him from dancing and to make Corey faint,” Jasper said to himself more than anyone else.
How was Kai reacting to this? Jasper glanced over at him.
Kai’s mouth was open. He appeared fascinated by the scene unfolding on stage.
Jasper couldn’t resist asking, “Have you ever done the Time Warp?”
Kai peeked from behind the hair that hung in front of his big blue eyes, then shook his head.
Jasper’s attention was drawn to the stage. “Well done, Doctor.” He was impressed the handsome man was able to appear so creepy.
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Magenta jumped onto the step holding the column, and, oh my, Robert did things to the set the actress hadn’t in the film. No wonder the Dr. Mayer stood frozen in his tracks and was late for his cue.
“Doc! Offer Janet the cookie. Jackson, okay, stop kissing her… I mean him… Brad, stop kissing Janet.”
There, everything got back on track. Corey even fainted when he was supposed to, although he was tap-dancing almost more than Columbia.
“Well done, Columbia. You nailed the words that time.” The guy had been studying dance prior to his transition, so the steps were easy for him, but the fast lip-synching presented more of a challenge.
Kai shifted to the right in his seated position and put his hands on his hips. He looked between the movie and the actors, bouncing to the music with a big smile on his face.
Janet and Brad were inching their way toward the door. If Jasper allowed them to escape, they’d be off doing the pelvic thrust with each other and forget all about practice.
Before the music wound down and everyone hit the floor, Jasper clapped. “Okay, great. Set up. We’ll start from the top in thirty seconds.”
His Janet and Brad had reached the door. They smirked at each other, then looked around the stage. Were they thinking of slipping out?
Pointing out the obvious appeared to be necessary, so Jasper called over to them, “Guys, thirty seconds isn’t even time enough to get started.”
Corey asked, in his best Janet voice, “Who says we haven’t started?”
Jackson pushed Corey’s hand away from his zipper.
Madness! But Jasper sighed and glanced at Kai, who was still chair-dancing. “‘Time Warp’ with us.”
“Huh? Oh no.” Kai leaned back in his seat, shaking his head.
“Come here.” Jasper tugged on his hand and led him to the aisle. “From the top!”
The music started.
Kai’s mouth dropped open, but he didn’t sit back down.
“Please.” Jasper didn’t know why, but Kai dancing with him was important.
Kai shook his head quickly, but he took a tentative step to the right.
Jasper looked over his shoulders to make sure the zombies were pelvic thrusting properly. Corey even did a perfect Janet swoon. “Nice job, Corey… I mean, Janet.”
Once again, the doctor was mesmerized by his nurse doing Magenta and barely hit the cue in time to offer the cookie to Janet and Brad.
When Columbia finished, Kai did as he was told by the narrator and took a small jump to the left and then a tentative step to the right. He followed the step back and forth and even added his hands in the dance.
He laughed out loud and pulled his knees in tight. His laughter died when he did the pelvic thrust in Jasper’s direction.
Jasper thrust back, but only a little. He didn’t want to make Kai uncomfortable, and soon the moment passed. Kai laughed and watched the actors. He danced with even more enthusiasm, adding flair when Columbia performed her tap routine.
The music wound down, and the zombies collapsed onto the floor.
“You did great!” Jasper shouted.
The bright smile that seemed to be for Jasper alone died on Kai’s lips. His gaze focused past Jasper to the stage.
“Um… I… a… err, I have to go.” Kai zipped up the aisle and out the door.
Jasper glanced over his shoulder and did a double take. He figured out where the moans were coming from—a writhing mound of zombies disrobing.
He sighed and gave in to defeat. “Take thirty.”
Kai barely escaped the theater. It had been fun dancing with Jasper until… until several of the actors started undressing and doing things.
Things he didn’t want to think about. Things he shouldn’t want to do… but did.
Ulrich. He needed to check on Ulrich.
His cousin might be back at the house cooking dinner. It didn’t take long for Ulrich to answer his Skype call. Kai was glad they video chatted so he could see Ulrich with his own eyes.
After a rousing if offkey version of Happy Birthday, Ulrich asked, “And how goes it?”
“It goes,” Kai answered with a frown, then stared at his cousin. “You doing okay?”
“Don’t I look okay?” Ulrich stood and twirled in a circle, showing off his muddy jeans and the T-shirt he’d gotten from a concert they went to when Ulrich was twelve. Uncle Franz had gone ballistic, but attending was worth the trouble Kai had gotten into to give Ulrich such happiness.
“Just starting dinner?” Kai asked.
“Yeah. I was on Facebook. Anyway, tell me more of America. I googled information on South Carolina.”
Kai wasn’t surprised. Now that Ulrich had a computer, if he wasn’t in the fields, the kid would be online. “Anything interesting?”
“Well, one of your new home’s mottos is ‘While I breathe, I hope.’ Kind of depressing, if you ask me.” He shrugged and his face broke into a big grin. “The state dance is called the shag!” Ulrich snorted and giggled like a twelve-year-old. “You know what shag means in England…?”
The kid’s laughter was contagious. Kai chuckled and told him, “Yes, of course I do.”
“So, do you shag?” Ulrich teased.
Kai blocked out the image of Jasper pelvic thrusting. He huffed out, “No.”
“Have you made any friends?” Ulrich continued to stare as if he already knew the answer, and with his gift, he might.
“Yeah. Everyone’s nice here.”
“How’s the guy you’re living with?”
Was the kid suggesting something was happening between him and Jasper? Ridiculous! Nothing could ever go on between them. Nothing. “I’m not living with him. He’s… um… just letting me stay in the cottage with him.”
Ulrich broke into a grin.
Kai couldn’t have stopped himself from responding for a million euro. “Ulrich!”
The picture of innocence asked, “What? I didn’t say anything.”
“You didn’t have to. You know what your tone implied.”
“Huh?” Ulrich’s sparkling eyes gave away his mischievous thoughts. He tilted his head and asked, “Are you gay?”
Um…. “What? Why do you ask that?”
“Because… never mind.” The kid faked concern and pointed toward the kitchen. “I should get back to the stove. Call you later?”
Kai frowned but nodded. “Yeah, of course.” He didn’t know what to make of Ulrich’s little smile when the conversation ended.
Are you gay? Ulrich asked like he was inquiring about the weather.
Kai never dwelled on the answer to that question. But now that he wasn’t exhausted from working the vines, he had too much time to ponder questions and….
His mind flashed him an image of Jasper’s backside.
Maybe he should try reading.
8
Tour of Club Zombie
“Are you sure you want to see Club Zombie?” Jasper asked again.
Jasper had been incredibly patient with him no matter how many questions he asked, and never once made him feel stupid. The Zen calm he exuded wrapped Kai in comfort and confidence that made him feel with Jasper by his side he could take on anything. “Yes, I’m sure.”
“We could stay here. You’d be able to study more, and that TV show you enjoy is on.”
The offer was tempting but Kai had spent almost every day during the last week working on the precollege tests with Jasper. He attended a couple of practices for The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Jasper started teaching him to ride a horse. At night he and Jasper watched all sorts of television shows. “I haven’t been to the club yet. I want to see it.”
Want was a strong word. Kai spent most of his life trying not to want anything, because expectations led to disappointment. He didn’t need to see the club, but he had to admit there was a tingle of excitement pushing him toward the experience.
Kai had been everywhere on the gorgeous grounds and was curious to see what Beau and Lafayette created.
&n
bsp; Jasper leaned against the doorframe, his arms folded. Did his impotence keep him unaffected from the anticipation zinging through Kai?
Kai tried to still his body, but his mind raced. If the rumors of sex play were half-true, what was he walking into? Why was he daring himself out of his comfort zone to witness a club based on homoeroticism? The only justification he could find was that exposure might help him control his runaway emotions and bring his body into line when it came to Jasper.
“Let’s head over.” Jasper led him outside the cottage to a nearby stairwell hidden by an abstract sculpture. They descended at least six flights. “Club Zombie is set on the backside of the property. Patrons come right off the interstate.”
As they zigzagged through an underground maze, Kai mused, “I’ll never find my way back.”
“You’ll learn the path,” Jasper assured him with a confidence making Kai smile.
“I’m surprised more people don’t get lost down here.” Kai had gotten completely turned around.
“The guys aren’t allowed visitors on the residential part of the estate without permission,” Jasper said as he opened another locked gate.
“Feels like a prison.” Kai touched the cool concrete walls.
“The solid walls, gates, and doors ensures our privacy. It’s the only rule Lafayette and Beau are firm on.”
Kai nodded. “I guess that makes sense, otherwise people will find out zombies exist.”
After the concrete maze, they hiked up three flights. Jasper danced his fingers over the keypad, inputting a nine-digit code, which unlocked the gate and then opened a door that lead into the club.
Jasper hung his leather jacket on a hook, and they entered the club.
“I’ll never find my way out again.” Kai glanced around, trying to find a marker. He should have left a trail of breadcrumbs.
The music throbbed and vibrated the floor. There were a dozen men dancing.
Jasper surveyed the room. “It’s early, but the crowd is already building.”
Club Zombie was huge and decorated in lush, jewel-toned fabrics that made Kai think of a desert palace in India. “It’s bigger than it looks from the outside. Almost as big as the wholesale market Beau took me to.”