Secretly Dating the Lionman

by Sue Brown

  In the one part of his mind that was still aware, he felt Bennett come, and the tight muscle clenched around his body and drew his orgasm out. Then Bennett’s legs gave way, and Cris tried keeping their balance, but they collapsed to the ground in a hot, sticky mess of wobbly legs and jeans. In a valiant effort, Cris managed not to land on Bennett, which was a miracle.

  Bennett turned to sit up against the wall, wearily kicked off his sneakers, and shucked his jeans and briefs. Cris attempted to do the same, although he was still come-drunk and everything took twice as long. Bennett slapped his hands away, stripped him of his pants and briefs, and staggered into the bathroom with the condom.

  Cris stayed where he was, eyes closed, until Bennett joined him again and slid down to lay his head on Cris’s lap. He carded his fingers through Bennett’s hair and contemplated what a lucky man he was.

  He had a boyfriend and a new job—a scary, amazing, challenging job.

  “I’m so damn lucky,” he said quietly, not wanting to disturb the satiated peace.

  “We both are.” Bennett pressed a kiss into Cris’s thigh.

  “There is one thing I wish.”

  Bennett didn’t move. He just murmured, “Oh?”

  Cris fidgeted. “I wish I hadn’t sat in the wet patch.”

  He felt rather than heard Bennett’s snicker.

  Epilogue

  THE FIRST beats of his intro music sounded, the spotlights crossed the redesigned stage, the noise from the audience dipped for a fraction, and the Lionman strutted to the front. He stared out, and the look in his eyes and the jut of his hips challenged the audience he could barely see under the stage lights. His blood pulsed as he tipped his cowboy hat, and the women in the audience roared. Oh yeah. This was what he was here for. He pumped his fist, and they went wild.

  The Lionman was the opening act for the sold-out first night of Mane Events. True to Gideon’s word, the club had been gutted and redesigned with Cris’s input. It had taken much longer than Cris anticipated, but they were back, bolder and in your face. The old stage had been removed and replaced with a round stage with state-of-the-art lighting and moveable structures.

  With Mikey Petrovski’s help, he’d designed the new stage from top to bottom and pointed out to his father that his engineering degree had finally come in handy. He wasn’t entirely joking. Other clubs had approached him to see if he would do the same for them. He was still thinking over their offers. The refurbishment had come at a price and Gideon swore Cris was going to bankrupt him, but Cris ignored his grumbles. Mane Events was going to do more than survive. It was going to be the place to go.

  “Lionman! Lionman! Lionman!”

  They yelled and hollered and chanted his name like a mantra, and the force of his smile increased with every repeat of his name. For the next ten minutes, he was gonna drive those women crazy and tease them the only way the Lionman could.

  For the last time.

  He slowly stripped off his jacket and teased them with a broad shoulder and a flash of his oiled pecs. Every movement was a challenge. He loved it, and they roared their appreciation.

  The music changed, and he started to sway, showing them his pert ass framed by his tight pants. The women shrieked. He turned his head, winked at them, and strutted to the framework to gyrate around it.

  He slowly untied his bandana and used it to wipe his face, making love to that small piece of cloth until he tucked it into his back pocket and wriggled his ass again.

  Lionman was down to his jeans and cowboy boots as he stalked around the stage to glare at them challengingly. “Is there a birthday girl out there?” A cheer went up in one corner of the room, and he grinned. “Is there a Loopy-Lou here?”

  “She’s here. She’s here,” several women screamed at once.

  “Oh my God, no, what did you do?” Loopy-Lou, he presumed. Her voice rose above the din.

  He left the stage and stalked over to one table as though he were hunting his prey. The crowd seemed to move apart, leaving Loopy-Lou in the center to be caught by the Lionman. She was a beautiful curvaceous woman dressed in a skintight red satin dress.

  She looked petrified.

  He stood before her and swayed and gyrated until he was on her lap, and she was frozen rigid. Her friends yelled their approval.

  Lionman leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do. Just tap my thigh if you want it to stop. Okay?” Loopy-Lou relaxed a fraction. “I’m gonna take your friend back to my lair,” he roared, and he led her to the stage.

  He knew just how to work the crowd so they didn’t see how gentle he was being with Loopy-Lou, and it was a relief to work with someone who didn’t want to grope his balls. He writhed around her, and she ripped off his pants to reveal a shiny red jockstrap. That left him in his jockstrap, hat, jacket, and boots.

  As he hid her face, supposedly in his groin, she tucked a Benjamin into his jockstrap. He writhed again and drew her to her feet.

  “Okay?” he asked, his smile just for her.

  She nodded and managed a smile, her large eyes less petrified than before. “Thank you. I was dreading this.”

  “I look after my women.” He winked and roared, and the crowd roared with him.

  Lionman gallantly helped the woman down from the stage and blew her a kiss. She giggled and went back to her seat to be swarmed by her envious friends, and he danced away. Lionman had a routine to finish.

  The last note sounded and Lionman, bare-assed naked aside from the jockstrap, strutted off the stage leaving behind the yells and cheers and demands for more. Always leave them wanting.

  “They all want a piece of you.” Bennett’s smile was wry, his words barely audible over the noise of the crowd.

  “They want a piece of Lionman.” Cris smirked at his boyfriend who’d been watching from the wings. “They ain’t getting him, though. He’s taken.”

  Bennett raised an eyebrow. “He is?”

  “Uh-uh,” Cris said huskily. “He’s definitely taken.” He tugged Bennett over for a kiss, but his boyfriend wrinkled his nose.

  “You need a shower.”

  “I’m disgusting,” Cris agreed, wrinkling his own nose. He was covered in oil and sweat. He pointed to his cheek and Bennett dropped a light kiss before pointing to the shower. He always waited for Cris to shower away “work” before they cuddled.

  “You were amazing,” Bennett said.

  “You’re just biased,” Cris teased.

  “Yeah. Totally biased. But you were.”

  Cris knew he’d been amazing, but he made a token protest anyway.

  Olly grinned as he pushed past them for his set. Cris had kept him on and trained him intensively while the club had been closed. “Leave the man alone, Cris. He’s in love.”

  Cris raised an eyebrow. “Is this true? Who’re you in love with?”

  “Ass,” Bennett said, and popped Cris lightly on the butt. “Go get showered. The others are waiting to celebrate.”

  “They’re here already?”

  “Oh yeah. They wanted to see your show. Why’re you blushing, Lionman?”

  Cris’s flush had spread up his chest. “Not Mama and Tata. Please don’t tell me your parents watched me strip?”

  Bennett snickered. “Tata did ask, but I said no. They’re joining us at Cowboys and Angels.”

  Cris slumped back against the wall. “Thank God for small mercies.”

  “My sister knows exactly what a lucky man I am, though.”

  “Did you have to invite them?” Cris whined.

  “Cris, it’s not every day we get to celebrate you being made manager. Of course, I was going to invite Hannah and Adam.”

  Cris stared at him in horror. “Adam’s here as well?”

  “I’ll let you into a little secret. Hannah already knew who you were. She’s been here before. And she has plenty of pictures, which Adam has seen.”

  “I’m never gonna live this down,” Cris moaned.

  �
��There’s nothing to live down. We’re all proud of you, Lionman.”

  “Even though I’m—was—a stripper?” This had been worrying Cris for some time. Mikey was dating a hot detective, but Mr. Petrovski must feel his eldest son could do better than a stripper.

  “You’re the manager of a brand-new and shit-hot club, and you got that by being a very successful stripper. I’m not ashamed of what you do. It’s thanks to you, Mikey and I are finally free to live our lives. You have a golden heart, Lionman.”

  Bennett looked so serious, Cris had to believe him. Still, there was one last thing he had to know. “I want to concentrate on running the club. Would you be happy with plain old Cris Peters, rather than Lionman?”

  “Lionman is for them. He was never mine.” Bennett jabbed a thumb in the vague direction of the stage. “I like him, but I love you, and there’s nothing plain about you, Cris Peters. Nothing plain at all.”

  Cris gave him a relieved smile and took his hand. “Let me go shower, then we can go and celebrate.”

  In the small changing room, Cris dumped the bills that had been in his jockstrap into his lockbox, not bothering to check the amount. He locked it and shoved it in his bag. Then he stripped off his jockstrap and headed to the shower. He’d installed powerful showers, and it was a relief to feel the water washing away the oil and sweat from his body. One of the things he was really looking forward to was never having to subject his body hair to Hans the Torturer again. Cris dumped some shampoo in his hand and soaped his hair, taking his time to come down from the excitement of the set.

  Once he was out of the shower, Cris dried off, wrapped a towel around his waist and went back into the changing room. It wasn’t that he needed the towel in front of Bennett, but he had been caught out by strangers wandering in before. Sometimes, enterprising women had found their way backstage and Cris was put in the position of explaining that Lionman stripped for the ladies, but Cris Peters preferred guys. Most of the intruders took it well, but one or two had taken his rejection to heart and he’d had to call security.

  To his relief, Bennett was on his own waiting for him. Cris dropped the towel, aware of Bennett’s heated gaze on his skin. He quickly pulled on his briefs and dress slacks before his body gave him away and they got distracted with other things.

  “The others have moved on to Cowboys and Angels,” Bennett said as Cris finished dressing. “The parents were threatening to come down, so we decided to meet them there.”

  “I can’t imagine your mama in the bar. It’s almost as bizarre as imagining her in here.”

  “The mistake you’re making is thinking my mama is an uptown girl. She’s strictly blue-collar stock. She used to work in Cowboys and Angels when they first arrived in New York. That was before Gideon’s time.”

  Cris tried and failed to imagine Mrs. Petrovski behind the bar. “Your parents manage to surprise me every day.”

  “And that’s just the way they like it. Don’t ever let them know this, or they’ll go all out to impress you. It’s not pretty.” Bennett shuddered. “Just ask Mikey about the time my father dyed his hair to hide the gray, and then went out in the rain.”

  “The dye ran?”

  “He was applying for a loan at his bank. He had to sit there with his collar brown from the hair dye and convince them he was a professional.”

  Cris’s lips twitched. “Did he get the loan?”

  “Yeah he did.” Bennett laughed. “And better terms than they were originally going to offer. He ended up talking to the manager about hair dye, and for some reason, she really liked him.”

  “I can understand that. I’ve met his eldest son and he’s pretty lovable too.”

  Bennett tugged him in for a kiss, leaving them both breathless. “You know just what to say to make me feel like a million dollars.”

  Cris ran his thumb over Bennett’s lips. “Right back atcha.”

  Bennett kissed Cris’s thumb. “Let’s go play nice with the parents because afterwards, I’m going to demand some lion-time.”

  “I’m never going to be able to forget Lionman, am I?”

  “Not with what’s in your closet.” Bennett twinkled at him. “But he’s retired now. No one gets to see what’s you’re offering. I want private showings.”

  “I’m all yours, Bennett.”

  “You can call me Benny if you want.”

  Cris thought back to their first meeting and the curt insistence that Benny was only for the family. “I don’t think of you as Benny. What about Baby?”

  Bennett scowled at him. “Never in a million years.”

  “But you are my baby.” Cris smirked at him because he knew Bennett really hated endearments like baby and sweetie.

  “I’ll end you,” Bennett said flatly.

  Cris gave a large theatrical sigh. “Oh well, if you insist.”

  “I do.”

  Bennett popped Cris on the butt and told him to move. Cris saluted him and then they were heading out of the club. Bennett had ordered a car and it was waiting outside.

  Once they were on their way, Cris laid his head on Bennett’s shoulder, feeling suddenly exhausted after the adrenaline rush of the set.

  “You can’t sleep yet,” Bennett murmured.

  “I’m not sleeping.” Cris closed his eyes. “Just dozing. Adrenaline crash.”

  Bennett stroked Cris’s face. “Fine, then. You sleep. I’ll wake you when we get there.”

  Cris hummed and did as he was told.

  AT COWBOYS and Angels, the party looked like it was in full swing. Dan had drafted Gideon into working behind the bar, along with Ariel and her friends. Cris hadn’t quite woken up, and he let Bennett push him through the crowd. When Dan waved at him, he waved back, but he was dead on his feet. He hoped the beer didn’t knock him flat.

  Mr. Petrovski spotted them first and rushed over to shake Cris’s hand. “Congratulations on your retirement and your promotion, son. Today is the start of something big for you.”

  “Thank you, sir.” Cris smiled at him. “It went really well.”

  “So it should,” Bennett said. “You prepared for it for long enough.”

  Cris nodded. He’d left nothing to chance. Still, it was good to hear Bennett say that.

  “It won’t prevent you from being ready for the July opening, will it?” Mr. Petrovski asked.

  Cris stared at him, confused. “The July opening?”

  Bennett laughed and slung an arm around Cris’s shoulders. “He doesn’t know about that, Tata. I thought I’d leave that to you.”

  “Know about what?” Cris glanced between them.

  Mr. Petrovski grunted at his son and then turned to Cris. “Our new building opens in July. You’re providing the art.”

  Cris’s eyes opened wide. “Me?” he squeaked. Any vestige of sleep vanished in an instant. He was wide-awake.

  “Yes, you.” Bennett looked like a small kid finally allowed to reveal a secret. “I showed Tata your construction series, and he thought they’d look great in the lobby of the new building. The building opens with your exhibition.”

  “That’s amazing, but shouldn’t you get someone famous? Not a stripper with a paintbrush?” The minute the words hit the air, Cris groaned inwardly. He needed to duct tape his mouth or he was going to talk himself out of the biggest opportunity of his life.

  Mr. Petrovski frowned at him and shook his head. “You’re going to be my son-in-law. That’s good enough for me.”

  “I am?”

  Bennett scowled at his father. “Tata, you’re getting ahead of yourself. You know we haven’t discussed the M word yet.” He turned to Cris. “My parents invest a lot of money in upcoming artists. They do this for every new building they open. The Petrovski family is well known for their patronage of the arts.”

  Cris eyed him a little sourly. “You didn’t think to tell me this sooner?”

  “I thought it might freak you out.”

  He had a point. Cris was totally freaked out. Then he thought of s
omething. “How did your father see my paintings?”

  Bennett had the grace to look embarrassed. “I asked Antonio at your studio if I could bring Tata to look. Turns out they met at an exhibition already.”

  “I’m going to kill him,” Cris muttered. “And then I’ll bring him back to hug him.”

  Mr. Petrovski clapped him on the shoulder. “You come talk to me after tonight. I’ll tell you what I want to see in my building. Now let my wife talk to you before she explodes.”

  He wandered away, and Cris turned to Bennett. “Your mom wants to talk to me now?”

  Bennett took his hand and entwined their fingers. “It’s okay. You’ll be fine. Just take a deep breath.”

  Cris glowered at him, but he obediently practiced his deep-breathing exercises until she appeared.

  “I’ll protect you,” Bennett whispered.

  Mrs. Petrovski looked as immaculate as ever in a cream suit and heels that defied gravity. She hugged Bennett and then turned to Cris. “Congratulations on your new job.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.” He’d never called her Mama after their first meeting.

  She gave him a long, steady look. “I know how badly I behaved the first time we met.”

  Cris kept quiet, because he didn’t want to be rude to the woman who might end up his mother-in-law, but he wouldn’t forget that encounter. She nodded as though she understood the reason for his silence.

  “I love my sons, Cris. But I’ll admit it has been hard for me to accept, well, who they are.”

  “Mama—” Bennett began, but she held up her hand and he trailed off.

  “It’s okay, Benny. I know this is my problem, not yours. I’ll work through it. I don’t want to lose my family, and you’ve all made it clear that will happen. It’s hard for me to accept you put someone else first, but even so, you’ve all made me proud for what strong children I’ve raised.”

  I don’t like it, but…. Cris would accept that—for now. He held out his hand to Mrs. Petrovski, and she put her hand in his.

  “You have a fine family, ma’am.”

  “Maybe one day you could call me Mama?”

  “One day,” he agreed.