by A R Steele
“I’m gay,” Owen said.
His voice was almost a whisper, and he stared into his lap. Still, uncontrollable pride swelled within Cooper. He had done it. His man had just come out of the closet!
A moment passed before Cooper realized that no one had reacted. Around the room, everyone was frozen as if in a tableau of what they had been doing before the announcement. Mr. Eldridge was scratching his head and Mrs. Eldridge had her mouth slightly open, while Owen’s grandmother stared motionless with her hands in her lap.
Cooper struggled to breathe as Owen slowly raised his head. “Mom, Dad? Nana? I’m gay. And Cooper…”
His voice faltered, and Cooper decided it was okay to step in this once. “I’m his boyfriend.”
The others came into motion. Mr. Eldridge lowered his hand down to his side, while his wife raised hers to cover her mouth. “Gay?”
“Yes.”
“But all of your girlfriends…” Mrs. Eldridge spoke almost in a whisper, as if she had lost the strength to speak audibly.
“I thought I liked them,” Owen said, his gaze dropping to the floor. “But it’s nothing like what I feel about Cooper. I… I love him.”
Cooper’s heart skipped a beat. They hadn’t even used that word when it was just the two of them. He loved Owen, too. Loved him more than anything. And now he had to witness the guy he loved struggling.
Because his announcement wasn’t being terribly well received. His mother still looked shellshocked, while his father had yet to speak. Cooper glanced from one to the other. This had to be even harder on Owen than it was on him. Cooper had just met these people, while Owen had spent most of his life with them.
At last, Mr. Eldridge cleared his throat. “Owen, I’m sure you can understand that this comes as a surprise to us. We certainly never expected this of you. I’m sure your mother, like me, is wondering where we went wrong.”
Mrs. Eldridge nodded along with the sentiment. “It’s okay, though. You don’t have to make this choice. We can work on this. We’re here for you.”
Cooper’s stomach dropped. Out of all the scenarios he’d dreamed up with Owen on the way over, this might be the worst. His parents showed no anger or hatred. Instead, they were trying to support him. Too bad their support was born of ignorance.
He darted his eyes over to Owen, who looked as uncomfortable as he felt. “This isn’t exactly something I want to work on,” he stuttered. “I’m happy now. Cooper makes me happier than I’ve ever been. I hoped you two would understand that.”
With the creaking of a chair, Owen’s grandmother was on her feet. Cooper had almost forgotten that she was there. He tensed up again as she came toward Owen with more speed than an elderly woman should have been able to manage.
Older people had all kinds of ideas about homosexuality. At her age, she might even be senile now. She could be preparing to attack Owen.
Instead, she pulled him out of the chair and swept him into a hug. “Even if they don’t understand, I do,” she said when she let him go. “And I must say, Barbara, I’m disappointed in you right now. I would have thought I raised my daughter better than to hold opinions such as that.”
Mrs. Eldridge stared at her, jaw hanging open again.
“I never thought this boy was good enough for you,” she continued, gesturing to Owen’s father. “All of his primness and stiffness. I didn’t like what he turned you into.”
Mr. Eldridge looked as if he wanted to melt into the armchair.
And Owen’s grandmother wasn’t done ranting at her daughter. “But did I tell you something was wrong with you? Did I try to change you? No! I bit my tongue and allowed it because I saw that this man made you happy. And between the two of you, you somehow managed to raise me a wonderful grandson.”
Raising a finger in the air, Mr. Eldridge tried to say something. Owen’s grandmother cut him off before he could get a single syllable in.
“Owen, I’m proud of you for having the courage to tell us this,” she said. “I love you, and nothing you could possibly say would change that. And my opinion of your young man hasn’t changed a bit. He still seems very nice, and I’m looking forward to getting to know him better. Cooper, I’d like to be the first to welcome you to our family.”
“Thank you,” Cooper said.
The words seemed like too little, so he stood to give her a half-hug. She squeezed him tightly until the awkwardness dissolved. Cooper had to laugh. The older woman pulled Owen into the embrace, nearly dancing for joy.
“I’ve been waiting to see you settle down with someone,” she exclaimed. “No one in their right mind would care if it’s a man or a woman. All I want to know is this – are you going to let this old woman meet her great-grandchildren before I kick the bucket?”
Twenty-Five
Owen clasped Cooper’s hand. It still blew his mind that he could walk down the street hand in hand with the man that he adored. Frisbee’s leash was in his hand, and the dog yipped as he ran playfully ahead of them.
In the week that had passed since Owen had come out to his parents, they had spent just about all of their time together. Owen was over at Cooper’s place all the time. It felt like the three of them were a family.
“It’s a little cold to go to the dog park,” Cooper said.
The night was chillier than most June nights, but not that bad, and they were already halfway there. “Do you think Frisbee will care?”
“No, but you didn’t bring a sweater.”
Owen just shook his head at Cooper. One of these days, he would figure out that Owen was all right without being taken care of. Although… sometimes it was kind of nice.
“I’ll cuddle with you if I get cold,” he said. “Or if you get cold. You didn’t bring a sweater, either.”
Although Cooper gave him a strange look, he didn’t object. Owen made a mental note to start throwing this stuff back at Cooper. Not only was it funny to see his reaction, it might actually be good for Cooper. Even a big brother needed someone to take care of him at times.
“What do you think the customers would say if they saw us like this?” Owen asked.
“I don’t think they’d like it,” Cooper said. “Women aren’t into gay guys. I’m pretty sure guy on guy is a huge turnoff for them.”
“I guess you’re right,” Owen said. “It’s just a shame. After coming out to everyone, all the guys at the club and then my family too, I feel like everyone should be able to know that we’re together.”
His parents were still coming to terms with his orientation. They had carefully avoided the subject during their one phone call that week. But Owen had a formidable ally in his grandmother, and he knew she would be there to back him up if they gave him any trouble. With a little time, his parents were sure to accept him completely.
“Anyway, I don’t think either of us has a great idea of what turns women on,” Owen went on.
“Shouldn’t you?”
“Not really. It always just seemed to happen naturally.”
They continued to stroll together until they got to the park. Owen took Frisbee off his leash and he ran happily over to the dog-sized drinking fountain. The weather definitely didn’t bother him. The expression on his golden-furred face was one of complete bliss… not too far off from the way that Owen was currently smiling.
“Well, it definitely worked on me,” Cooper said. “I don’t know how the other guys ever thought I wouldn’t be into you.”
They sat down on a bench. Owen leaned into Cooper’s embrace, chuckling at the memory of the change-room betting. “Not a single one of them could see you and me together.”
“Actually, Lucas did.”
“Oh, really?” Owen always forgot about Lucas. He was nice enough, but he always stayed under the radar. Owen hardly knew anything about him.
“He’s a perceptive kid.”
Finished with the water, the puppy ran over to frolic in the grass. Owen stroked Cooper’s hand, watching Frisbee roll around. That dog was havin
g the time of his life. And Owen was just as happy.
“Speaking of the club,” Cooper said, “Trenton has decided to give up on the full nudity. He says we gave it enough time, and it’s not working. I guess dick doesn’t turn women on, after all.”
“Took him long enough. I think G-strings are a lot better. Nothing dangling out there. Much sexier.”
“That’s not what you said when you saw my dick, straight guy.”
“Well, I’m not a woman, either.”
“No, and I like you much better that way.” Cooper’s tone went serious, and he placed a kiss on Owen’s cheek. “You’re perfect as you are. I wouldn’t change a single hair on your head.”
“You’re amazing,” Owen told him. “You’ve been so patient with me.”
“I never needed to be patient. You’ve been a very quick learner. You have this whole gay thing down now. I would have thought you’d been out and proud for years.”
“Is that so? Even though I was supposed to suck in bed?”
“Well, the first time kind of did suck,” Cooper teased. “You didn’t even try to do anything to me. Just laid back and let me do what I wanted to you.”
Owen looked almost offended. “Exactly, what you wanted. If you found it so terrible, maybe I should make up for it one day. Do the same thing back to you…” His voice dropped low, and they exchanged a meaningful glance.
Cooper’s heart beat harder. It didn’t sound so bad to him. He had just been teasing Owen, but just once he would love to lie back and take all the attention. “Sounds good. We can do that anytime. It’s funny that it took you so long to figure out your sexuality. I did have to be patient for that part. You didn’t make it too easy for me.”
Owen seized Cooper’s hand and grasped it firmly. He sounded genuinely apologetic as he spoke. “I’m sorry about that, Cooper. I wish I had been able to figure things out sooner. But you helped me so much. I would never have gotten there without you. I’m sorry if I hurt you, and if I did, I’m going to make up for that too. I’m going to make up for it for the rest of my life.”
“You don’t have to apologize for a thing. Your love has already made up for anything that hurt or confused me in the past.”
Cooper fingered a strand of Owen’s silky hair and went in for a kiss, confident that neither of them cared who might see. The “straight” guy he’d always admired was as gay as he was – and he was out of the closet, and in his arms.
And as they embraced, Cooper thanked the stars that he’d taken a chance on Owen.
***
Thank you for reading Full Frontal!
All six books in the Tool Shed series are available now:
Hard Wood
Full Frontal
VIP Room
Live Fantasies
Exposed
Final Act
There’s also a bonus epilogue to the whole series. Click here or type http://hyperurl.co/steelenewsletter to get this special bonus content for free.
Keep in touch! Like me on Facebook for live updates.
Turn the page for a sample chapter of Tool Shed Book 3 – available now!
Sneak Peek:
VIP Room (Tool Shed Book 3)
Chapter 1
Lucas wiped the baby oil off his chest and pulled his polo shirt over his head. Staring into the inside of his locker, he smoothed down his hair. The locker door blocked him partially from the others’ view. That did little to calm his heartbeat, which increased every time he was around this group of guys.
“What did Trenton want to talk to you about just now, babe?”
Owen was the one who had spoken – Lucas recognized him by the booming depth to his voice. By this point, Lucas could recognize all of the strippers by voice alone. He spent a lot of time standing in this corner, avoiding the others’ gazes as he listened to the conversations around him.
“It was about the back room,” Cooper said. “He has some plans for it.”
Eavesdropping was never Lucas’s intention, but it was hard to avoid overhearing what people were saying. At least he wasn’t the only one listening to the couple this time.
“What plans?”
The smoky voice meant it was Elijah. Lucas shivered. That guy had to be the most intimidating stripper here. He was tall and tattooed, with a motorcycle and a bad attitude. Lucas doubted they’d even spoken once in the six months he’d been here. He sometimes looked at Elijah on nights when he felt daring enough. Elijah always glanced right past him.
“He’s going to turn it into a VIP room,” Cooper said.
Now he had everyone’s attention. This was big enough news that the guys stopped what they were doing and stared at him.
As Lucas peeked out from behind the locker door, he kept his face mostly hidden. The men who surrounded him were scarier than anything else he could think of put together. They were gorgeous and charismatic and completely unattainable. When they were all in a group like this, it was a million times worse.
Cooper was the only one Lucas could be himself around. They’d been neighbors since the time Lucas was a little boy. His childish friendliness had forced Lucas to open up, and somehow they’d stayed in touch all these years. Lucas had gotten this job through Cooper, which made him technically part of this group. But he would never, ever be one of them.
“VIP? Sounds sexy,” Jesse said.
“It will be,” Cooper said. “He showed me a picture of what it’s going to look like after the remodeling. Picture this, three leather couches on either side of the room and a long stage in the middle with three poles.” He gestured, drawing them an imaginary picture.
“What exactly does VIP service involve?” Gabriel pressed.
“Pretty much the same as a regular lap dance. Maybe let the customers get a little more handsy. Nothing too crazy.”
Lucas frowned, sliding his glasses onto his nose. If he and Cooper had been alone, he would have asked what the point was. They were close enough that he could talk freely with Cooper. In a group like this, his heart started pounding as soon as he even thought about speaking up.
Luckily, Jesse had the same question. “Why is Trenton doing this?”
“He thinks it’ll bring in more customers. He wants this place to be more of a party spot. If he can get groups of girls in the front door, then the individual girls can empty their wallets in the VIP room. They won’t even have to risk getting judged by their friends.”
“I don’t know if a VIP room is the number one thing women want in a male strip club,” Jesse mumbled.
“It’s pretty stupid,” Elijah put in, his voice a sudden harshness intruding into the light atmosphere. The auburn-haired stripper tended to have that effect on people. “The customers won’t care either way. Trenton’s wasting his money.”
Lucas agreed – but since no one had asked for his opinion, he kept it to himself.
“It’s not opening for another few weeks, anyway,” Cooper said.
“Good,” Elijah grumbled. “With any luck, I’ll be out of here by then.”
He was always talking about how much he hated this place. Lucas wished he would just leave if that was the case. Maybe then he’d be a little less nervous. Lucas was uncomfortable around these guys in general, but when Elijah walked into the room, the tension always rose to a whole new level.
“Well, I’m heading out,” Cooper said, grabbing Owen’s hand. “Night, guys. Night, Lucas.”
Lucas nodded good night to him. Cooper often made an effort to include him, which was nice. If he also forgot a lot of the time, that was okay. Lucas tried not to let those occasions get to him. Cooper had his own stuff going on, and he did so much for everyone. It was understandable that helping his socially stunted neighbor would be low on his list of priorities. Any efforts to bring Lucas into the group were bound to be futile anyway.
“We’re heading out too,” Ace said, making his way to the door with Gabriel. Lev was right behind him.
Trying not to look at Elijah or Jesse, Lucas lac
ed up his shoes. Jesse was nearly as daunting as Elijah with his leather jacket and couldn’t-care-less attitude. With any luck, neither of them would notice Lucas.
Everything was fine as they finished changing… but Lucas had nowhere to go but behind them as they headed out to the parking lot.
“I can’t wait for our work week to be over,” Jesse groused. “I need to get so high to get over this amount of work.”
“Oh?” Elijah said. “You need a hookup? I’m holding.”
Lucas tried not to listen, but he had to pass by them on his way to the bus stop. He glanced over as he caught up to them. Elijah was in a sleeveless shirt that showed off his muscles. He stood with one hand on his motorcycle, leaning casually on it as he talked to Jesse.
“I’m good for now, E,” Jesse told him. “I’ll let you know if I need anything later.”
“Sounds good. You know I’ve always got whatever you need.”
The two traded a few more words, and then Jesse got into his car and left for the night.
Lucas tried to sneak past Elijah, but it was impossible to get away without being seen. The guy’s eyes landed on him, and Elijah sneered. “What are you listening for?”
Shocked, Lucas took a step back. He couldn’t remember a time when Elijah had addressed him directly before. He tried to remember if they had even shaken hands when Lucas had first started working at the Tool Shed. More likely, Elijah had scowled at him much in the way he was doing now.
“I wasn’t listening,” he said.
His natural tone of voice was soft, and Elijah didn’t hear him. He forced himself to speak louder. It was never easy to talk to the customers inside the club. With the pounding music and his soft voice, it felt like he was yelling all night. He was less afraid of those women, though. With no chance that he would be attracted to them, he could be somewhat more at ease.