The Crown Is Mine

by Berlinda Wall

  "Albert, I'm not choosing you over her. I need her help and this is an area where she is passionate and has a lot of knowledge about the subject. It's a good fit."

  "A good fit was my dick in her ass. This is just ludicrous. I have distanced myself from that nut job, and my life has gotten much calmer. I got tired of all her drama, and mark my words, you will too. She leads you down that primrose path, and the next thing it turns to shit," he finished.

  With that, he stood up and chugged his wine. "Marjorie, thank you for the company, but I am out of here. Have a great evening."

  He headed for the door and didn't look back. He slammed our door and the door to the building as he left.

  "Well that went over wonderfully," Marjorie said. "At least he didn't try to kill you. He'll get over it. Don't you worry, baby boy."

  "I didn't mean to get him upset, but I know we have the chance to do something great and actually make a name for myself."

  "When you started this journey, you said that the crown was the most important thing. It now sounds like someone is craving attention."

  "What's wrong with a little attention?" I asked.

  CHAPTER 35

  Since Albert didn't go to Precious Oil's show, Marjorie came instead, and we met Miss Gigi. It gave us some time to toss around ideas for the Smash show before the drag show started. We all sat at a table in the back and Miss Gigi came incognito so that we wouldn't draw attention to ourselves.

  "I had a conversation with Albert and let him know that we were working together," I let Miss Gigi know.

  "I'm sure that went over like a turd in a punch bowl," she replied.

  "You got that right," Marjorie chimed in.

  "I promise I will apologize to him. I am a different person now then when we were dating. I'm off the pills that made me crazy, and I am so much calmer now and thinking much clearer.”

  "I can see it, so I hope he will too," I said. “People have a hard time forgiving people with addictions because it isn’t medical, and they think it all should go away with a snap of the fingers.”

  "Tyler let me know about your ‘Smash’ show. I'm a huge fan and would love to help," Marjorie said.

  "The more the merrier," Miss Gigi replied.

  The cabaret room lights dimmed, the overture music started, and the video screen dropped down. What unfolded on screen was Precious Oil in a pill box leopard-spotted hat and matching blouse with a black skirt telling the story of lost love to an R&B song. Again, I'm horrible with song titles, so I sat and watched as the crowd cheered. The scene before us was Precious Oil getting dumped by her boyfriend as he stormed out of the house. She ran to the window where we then saw that it was raining as a tear fell down her face. The story was of love and loss and we felt her pain. The song ended with her on the Baker Street Bridge overlooking downtown. The tempo of the music changed as it picked up with a gospel influenced number from the “Sister Act 2” soundtrack. At least I could recognize music from movies. Precious was now dancing and feeling the joy of the music. She was joined by five back up dancers as they started a dance routine on the Baker Street Bridge. As the dance routine progressed, the screen rose, presenting Precious Oil and her back-up dancers now performing the dance routine live on stage in the same outfits. The crowd immediately jumped to their feet screaming. It was an amazing opening number.

  Precious grabbed the mic and said, "Welcome, boys and girls! We have a lot of tricks up our sleeves this evening, and I want to thank all of you for coming out to raise money for my charity, Stroke Aid. I hope you leave here with some valuable information about identifying a stroke because knowledge is power and with that knowledge you can help save a life. Now welcome to the stage one of my dear friends, Evanora!”

  Precious slid backstage to take a well-deserved rest and get ready for her next number. As I looked around I could see some of the other contestants in the room. Athena here was a rarity because I had not seen her at any of the other shows. She was in her high whore drag trying to steal as much attention from what was going on stage as she could. She considered Precious competition. Otherwise she wouldn't be here. I'm not sure what she has been doing for fundraising yet because I haven't seen anything publicized for her yet, but I'm sure she has something going on.

  Evanora was finished and Precious did an off stage announcement introducing the next performer, Ethel Vermin. Ethel was also another good friend of Precious. She kept the tempo up doing an Ethel Merman song, "Rose's Turn." The crowd really loved the guest entertainers and kept tipping at a steady rate. I wished the crowd would tip this much at my shows.

  Finally, it was time for Precious to come back on. She had changed into a beautiful vibrant red cocktail dress and now was her time to speak about her charity.

  "I don't think many of you know, but the reason I have picked Stroke Aid is because my mother suffered a stroke. At the time, there was no one around, so the effects were very devastating and much longer lasting. Even with physical therapy, she will never fully regain the full function on the left side of her body. The key to surviving a stroke is to get medical attention immediately, because with medication, the effects can be reversed if caught quickly enough."

  "I wanted to give you some tips on identifying a stroke. If your loved one is experiencing any weakness in their face or legs, especially on one side of the body, they may be having a stroke. If they are suddenly confused, are having trouble seeing out of one eye or both eyes, they may be having a stroke. If they are having problems walking, feel dizzy, or are having a problem with balance or coordination, they may be having a stroke. And if they have a severe headache with no known cause, then they may be having a stroke."

  "I want you all to remember FAST. These tests will help you identify if your loved one is having a stroke. First is Face. Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop? Next is Arms. Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm droop downward? Next is Speech. Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Mary had a little lamb will work. Is their speech slurred or strange? Finally remember Time. If you observe any of these signs call 911 immediately. You just might be saving their lives."

  "So what do you need to remember?" she asked.

  The crowd shouted back, “‘FAST!”’

  "Good. Now don't forget it. Hit it, Scotty." And with that, her next song started.

  The evening was going wonderfully until one of Athena's minions started passing out flyers on the tables during the show, which we were not supposed to do at any of our competition's events. Next thing you, knew one of Precious's supporters was grabbing all the flyers from the minion's hands. Athena's minion then pushed Precious's supporter, knocking him up against the railing. You would have hoped it would have ended here, but no such luck. Precious's supporter charged the minion, tackling him onto the stage. Precious bent over, never missing a beat, and grabbed both the wrestlers by the scruff of their shirts, yanking them both off the floor. Precious was a very powerful woman who you didn't want to fuck with. She dragged them both and threw them out the door. It was amazing how she kept her number going even with these distractions. When the song was finished, she received a standing ovation from the crowd.

  "Why can't we all just get along? Everybody say ‘love!’" she said.

  The crowd cheered back, "Love!"

  "Miss Athena, I am a very peaceful girl, but if you ever pull this crap again, I will rip that tired Miss America wig off your head and make you eat it," Precious said looking directly in Athena's eyes.

  Athena grabbed her purse and promptly left the cabaret room.

  "Good. Now let's get back to some fun. Please welcome to the stage Miss Regina."

  "Why can't all these shows be this much fun?" Miss Gigi asked.

  As the show finished, Precious made a point to stop by our table. "Thank you for coming out tonight. Sorry we had some trouble makers."

  "It was a great show and very entertaining," I said.

  "You are a true professional, sweetie," Miss Gigi sa
id.

  "Thank you all again. Hope y'all have a fabulous night." Off she went pulling her drag bag behind her.

  The cabaret room was empty now, which was the perfect time for us to work on the Smash show.

  Miss Gigi hopped on stage and we started to block out the scene where Marilyn Monroe meets Joe Dimaggio. This is where Marjorie's expertise came in hand. She had a great understanding of the characters and was able to give us the much-needed woman's touch.

  "How are you going to tell Albert you're helping out?"

  "Heaven knows," was her only reply.

  CHAPTER 36

  "Now all you have to do is lie on the bed and look at the camera," Chas said.

  "Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked.

  "Honey, you're young with a great ass. You will clean up doing this and it doesn't take any real work," Chas said.

  "So explain to me one more time how I can make money doing this?"

  "The website is called ‘See Me Now.’ You broadcast yourself to the world doing whatever you want. People watch you and chat with you online. You can either speak live back to them or you can type your response."

  "But how does this make me money?" I asked again.

  So Chas pulled up the page of people live on their webcams so he could show me how it all worked. “So you see, all these squares with the photos represent people who are live on their webcams broadcasting so that everyone can watch. They are in order of who has the most viewers." He clicked on the first square, which was for Boner Buddy. The webcam opened and there was Boner Buddy butt naked on the bed sucking on a guy's dick. "This is a little more advanced than you want to be, but that guy can really suck a good dick. He could give you some pointers."

  "Ha ha," I responded.

  "So here at the top is a flag of the country they are broadcasting from with a one-liner of info." Boner Buddy's one-liner was "Cum for the fun".

  On the right, comments kept popping up one after the other. Chas pointed out that these were the viewers watching live and they were chatting up the performer. This was also where the performer could respond back by typing a response or getting the mic working and just saying their response to the viewers. If you clicked on the Viewers button, it took you to a list of all the people watching. Bonner Buddy had 800 already. You clicked the “Chat” button to take you back to the comment section.

  “Right below the video is the “Tip” section,” he said. “Here, you could set a tip goal and give people incentives, like every 50 tips you will show your butt, or every 100 tips you will show your dick. Here you could also set a tip total goal and once you got there, you had to perform some act or show some other body part. Here was where you made your money. For every 100 tips, you make $10 as a performer. So you just have to learn to be nice to the viewers," Chas said.

  Below that was the description of the performer. It gave you the age, country of origin, sexual preference, weight, and height if you wanted to disclose it. It also gave you the choice of disclosing your relationship status.

  "I recommend your relationship status is committed. They don't know you are mentally committed instead of actually dating someone."

  "Why don't I want to be single? What if I meet someone who wants to date me?”

  "They are not here to date you. If they wanted a hook-up they would be on Grindr or Scruff. Plus, you can feed their fantasy that you are cheating on your husband. Just keep dropping lines like you think you hear him coming so that there is the thrill that you could get caught. It is all about feeding their fantasies, not yours," he said.

  "I guess you're right. I just have to remember that I'm here to raise money. What do you suggest my tip goal be?"

  "Since it's your first night, I would say go small, like four hundred."

  "And what should I do at four hundred?"

  "Promise to show your ass. It's very tight and these men will pay to see it. As you feel more comfortable, you can always do more."

  Chas got my profile set up and decided that my name should be SpankyBtm, and even took a picture and downloaded it in. He even picked out my outfit, a loose-fitting tank top and mesh gym shorts over underwear. I was nervous putting myself out there since I didn't have my drag protection. This was just going to be me. And what if no one watched? I didn't think I could handle the rejection.

  "Let's get you into position. Hop up here," and he patted the bed. "For your first time, I think it would be best if you typed your responses back instead of speaking. It will help you break the ice and give you something to do. And if you get bored, you can also surf the other performers and chat with them. Here, put on this headset." He plugged in the iPod so that I would have some entertainment if it was slow. There was already some dance music playing for my enjoyment.

  "I think I'm ready," I said as I lay down on the bed and faced the computer screen. The camera was built in, so all I had to do was stare at the computer screen. I could see myself on the screen so I knew exactly where to be.

  "All you need to do is push this button and you will be broadcasting."

  It was the start of a new adventure as Chas left the bedroom and I pushed broadcast. I sat there and watched myself on screen for a while with no one chatting. I figured I might as well check out some of the other broadcasters. There was a wide range of men to choose from so I decided to check out someone named Rumbletop. As I clicked his picture, his live video came up. He already had a steady stream of comments coming his way. He was extremely hot with a full beard and hairy chest as he sat there in his chair shirtless staring at the camera with his piercing blue eyes. He made me melt. He was the perfect person to watch because he gave me a better idea of how to respond to any chats since they were coming at him rapid fire. He was always generous and thankful for all the comments as he kept rubbing his chest and nipples. His goal was $2,500. At $500 he would show his cock and at $1,000 he would show his ass and at his goal he was going to cum for everyone to see, which I would have loved to watch. After my little crush, I went back to my broadcast to see if anyone was there to chat.

  No one had sent a message yet, so I started looking through one of the gay rags, The Atlanta Epic. It had a lot of ads for the local bars, cars, and doctors. All the stuff the gay boys needed to meet someone in a club, drive home and fuck, and then go to the doctor to get treated for a venereal disease. I loved the photo sections from the different events because you always got to look at the hot men. As I flipped the pages and checked out the men, I stopped dead in my tracks. There were photos from a masquerade party at one of the clubs, Rexasaurass, and one of the pictures was a man in a checkered mask and musketeer hat. His brown eyes were so dreamy, warm, and inviting. I could stare into them forever. I had to meet this man. All gay boys are creatures of habit and always hang out at the same places. I made a mental note to go to Rexasaurass to find this man.

  Suddenly there was a ding from the computer. There was one chat.

  Leatherman25: "How are you doing tonight?"

  I froze. I tried not to look like a deer in headlights as I typed back,

  "Great. What are you doing this evening?"

  Pretty bland, but I felt good about it. I waited for a little bit, but there was no response back. I remembered that Chas said to click on the viewer's button, and it would tell me how many people were watching. I clicked on it and saw that three people were watching. Now if I could just get them to chat.

  Sir Baby: "Fucking hot looking"

  SpankyBtm: "Thanx"

  Leatherman25: "You have beautiful eyes"

  Sir Baby: "Where is your boyfriend tonight?"

  I need to stick with what Chas said and play along with the boyfriend line. I have to remember that this is all fantasy for the viewers.

  SpankyBtm: "He's out with some friends having drinks"

  Sir Baby: "What do you like to drink?

  SpankyBtm: "Vodka and orange juice is drink of choice"

  Sir Baby: "Have you ever tried piss?"

  I stopped dead
in my tracks on that one, and I'm sure the look on my face wasn't the most pleasant.

  Leatherman25: "Be kind to Spanky since this is his first time here"

  How did he know that it was my first time here? Did it show?

  SpankyBtm: "How do you know this is my 1st time?"

  Leatherman25: "Your member since and last broadcast dates are today"

  So I looked at the computer screen to see where this was, and sure enough, there it was. Anyone looking at it would know it is my first time. Well, no sense in acting like an amateur. It was time to start mugging for the camera to get some more viewers. I started to bite my lower lip and ran my fingers through my hair. It was time to show my playful side to get the tips coming.

  Partyblond: "You look like you have a great ass"

  SpankyBtm: "And it's really tight"

  Leatherman25: "There is some fire in you after all"

  SpankyBtm: "There needs to be more in me than just fire"

  Partyblond: "I can take care of that for you"

  SpankyBtm: "How big is it?"

  Leatherman25: "So what are you looking for?"

  I had to think about how to answer this one since I was supposed to be in a relationship. If I said everything was great in the relationship, then what reason would I have to be here? It would make more sense if the relationship sucked, but I guess it would be best just to say the truth.

  SpankyBtm: "I'm here to raise money for a charity"

  Leatherman25: "Which one?

  SpankyBtm: "Atlanta Street Rescue"

  Leatherman25: "Great charity"

  SpankyBtm: "They really are"

  Kilgore: "I'm not here for a charity unless it's me. Let's see some ass.”

  SpankyBtm: "All in good time."

  And with that, I got my first tip. Leanterman25 tipped 100 tokens. That was very sweet of him and got me a quarter of the way to my goal. I guess it was time to give the people what they wanted so I slipped off my shorts revealing my snug fitting Andrew Christian underwear.

  Partyblond: "Very nice"