"Who are the flowers from?" she asked.
"OMG I completely blew the thank yous. You should have been first."
"Don't worry, you were caught off guard. Hell, all of us were caught off guard by that reaction. Who are the flowers from?" she asked again.
I hadn't read the cards yet, so I set the bouquets on a chair and grabbed the first card.
"The first is from Spencer Jack from the hotel. He is so thoughtful. Maybe this means we will have that second date sooner than later.”
"And the second one?" she asked.
I took the envelope off the bouquet and opened it. The card was blank.
"So who's it from?" she asked.
I don't know. It's blank and there isn't a florist’s name on the card, so I can't check with them.
"It wasn't me. Come on Cinderella, we need to get you cleaned up and put to bed."
She was right. The crowd had gone home and I was exhausted. Time to close the shop for the night.
CHAPTER 44
The reviews of the show started flowing in on Facebook and Twitter. It was really exciting to see the positive response we got. Of course, Athena had to post on what a train wreck the show was until she kept getting shot down by everyone's comments back to her that she wouldn't know art if it had pooped on her face. Art. I had made art.
Memorial Day weekend had arrived, and I was lucky enough to have Saturday, Sunday, and Monday off for a long weekend away from the hotel. I was heading to the North Georgia Mountains. I wasn't heading to Clayton by any means, but instead to the northwest corner of Georgia near the Alabama border.
Paul was heading to his favorite bear lodge and asked me to go. Miranda was hosting for the weekend and he thought it might be good to scope how she did things outside the city to see if I could pick up any pointers. And the complex was clothing optional during the day so I would get a chance to see some bear beef. He had me sold on bear beef before he even told me about Miranda's show. His only comment to me was that I was to pack no drag, upon which I quickly agreed. I needed some time in real boys, clothes, plus this was an opportunity to flirt with some hot men in person and not just on a computer.
It was Saturday morning, so off we went. I hadn't been in this corner of the state before. It looked pretty familiar, like I was heading home into the mountains. We were in Paul's jeep with all the sides off so it was a bit loud in the car, but the wind kept us nice and cool as the day started to warm up. It wasn't like we had a lot of luggage with us. The cooler was tied down to the back seat with bungee cords. This trip was up I-75 into Tennessee to catch I-24 west back into Georgia so that we could get off near the town of Wildwood. From there it was another twenty minutes of two-lane roads as we followed the signs to the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, but as we got to the two mile sign to the park, we took a turn and headed south another five minutes. We finally rolled up to the entrance of the Grizzly Bear Lodge and Campground, which was a winding driveway about a mile into the woods. The road was lined with forest on both sides until you came to the clearing, which revealed the rustic three-story cedar lodge with the "Welcome to Bearfest" banner over the covered front porch entrance, where bears a plenty were mingling about.
"Now in the lodge, everyone wears clothes, since that is where the restaurant and bar are. Once you're out by the pool you are free to strip down to your birthday suit," Paul said.
The parking lot was almost full, so it looked like it was going to be a great weekend. We parked and quickly unloaded the jeep and went in and found people already chatting in the leather chairs in the lobby with drinks in their hands. We went up to the check in.
"Welcome back Paul," the desk clerk said. "We have your usual room ready for you." The desk clerk was a hot beefy number.
"Michael this is my friend Tyler who is coming up here for his first visit. And to make it clear, he is just a friend," Paul stressed. "I have a reputation to maintain here," he said as he looked me in the eyes.
"Completely understood. Welcome Mr. Tyler. We hope you will enjoy your stay here with us."
"I'm looking forward to it," I said.
At the front desk were the flyers for Miranda's big show on Saturday night and her Miss Bearfest amateur contest on Sunday night.
"That's why I didn't want you bringing any drag with you. I didn't want to have to deal with you entering the pageant," Paul said as he saw me eyeing the flyers.
"I could have won, you know," I said back.
"That is not the point. The people who enter are only doing it for fun since the title doesn't really mean much so don't get your panties in a bunch that you can't compete," he finished.
"Don't worry. I have no intention of doing drag this weekend, plus I don't want to step on Miranda's toes. To be honest drag, wears you out!"
"That sounds very grown up of you. And I know you have been working so hard on the contest, so I wanted to make sure you got a weekend away from it," he said.
"Mr. Tyler, your room is on the third floor overlooking the pool. From there, you don't even need binoculars to see all the action that is going on. If you need anything, give the front desk a call, and we will be happy to help you out," Michael said. "I'm here to make your weekend as enjoyable as possible," he said as he stuck his hand out to shake mine.
"That sounds like a proposition, and I never turn down a proposition," I said.
"Aren't you precious? Anything that is either on the menu or on the planned schedule of events I'm more than happy to help you with," he said.
"Come on, cub boy. Let's go freshen up," Paul said as he pulled on my arm and led me over to the elevator.
The lodge was way more rustic than the hotels I worked in while I lived in Clayton. It really was charming. You knew you were in the woods with all the bear and nature scene paintings. There was even a large stone fireplace surrounded by a seating pit and bar cart. The wood was stacked neatly in the circular wood holder in the corner.
"It is really great at night here because they light the fireplace here and they have a fire pit off of the back patio, so just perfect for snuggling up with someone, since the temperature does get chilly here at night," Paul said.
"If I had known that, I would have brought my fur-lined pajamas," I said.
"It's better to cozy up with someone under one of the blankets," he said.
We got to the elevator and I pushed the button. As we waited a gaggle of bears came up and waited.
"Aren't you Desiree?" one of the bears asked.
I was pretty startled to get asked that. "Yes I am."
"I just wanted to let you know your ‘Bombshell’ show was excellent. My name is Arnold," he said as he stuck his hand out to shake mine. Arnold was a looker, about five foot ten inches, whom I was picturing all over me. "I was lucky enough to catch it."
"Thank you so much. I didn't see you in the crowd," I said. And believe me, if I had seen him there, I would have truly remembered him.
"I got there just as the show started," he said.
The elevator door popped open and we all piled in. Paul pushed three and Arnold pushed two. At least I knew what floor he was on.
"Hope to see you around," Arnold said as he exited on two and the door closed behind him.
"Why didn't you say something back?” Paul asked.
"I'm just not that quick on my feet, and I get tongue-tied.”
"I'm sure you want to get tongue tied with that boy," he said. "And there will be plenty of opportunities over the weekend. Come on. Here is our floor."
We exited the elevator and walked about five feet to our door. As it turns out, our room was in the middle of the hotel, directly across from the elevator. "I like it here because you're overlooking the pool and you get to see everyone on your floor on the elevator at some point."
The room was very charming as it was decorated with individual wood-slat walls to give you the feeling you were in an individual cabin and not a lodge. The dresser and side tables were both dark wood and t
he two queen size beds had hand-carved bedposts and frames. This was all covered by what looked like custom-made quilt bedspreads that I'm sure some mountain hillbilly hand-stitched together. You could find these in several shops in the Clayton area. They were not cheap. It almost made me miss home for a split second, but then I came back to reality. The bathroom was more than adequate for the weekend with a tile walk in shower. I'm sure not many of these bears take baths up here.
"This is the main reason I like this room," Paul said as he flung open the door to the balcony overlooking the pool. As he stepped out on the balcony, you could hear several calls to Paul, "Welcome back!" and "Great to see you again." This wasn't his first time at this rodeo. "Come out here. I want to show you where everything is."
I stepped out. The view was breathtaking. From here you could see the entire pool and patio areas with beach chairs and reclining chairs in front of the fire-pit patio area. Men were already naked by the pool, sunning their fur-covered bodies. You could smell the scent of cocoa butter floating up in the air. One thing for sure is that I did not need to feel self-conscious by the pool this weekend because I think I was the skinniest person here. I guess that's what made me a cub around here. It’s like Paul said, after five minutes, all penises look alike. You take a quick look and move on.
"Over there is the volleyball court and croquet field," Paul said as he pointed past the patio area. Now if you go down that path, be careful," he said as he pointed just past the pool.
"Why is that?" I asked.
"Because that leads to the private cabins and many grizzly-bear-virgins tend to get lost down there and don't return till the weekend is over," he said. I'm sure he was kidding, but inquiring minds want to know.
"So what do you mean?"
"Several of the cabin dwellers like to set up bars outside their cabins and entertain for the weekend. They make very strong drinks and several of the newbie’s turn into sweet concubines for the weekend. Remember that the single men here are looking for Mr. Right Now and not Mr. Right," he said.
"I've seen some couples here too," I said.
"Yes, there are several couples here just to relax, and it is a great place to get away and make some new friends. You will find everyone here is very friendly," he said. "That's why I like coming here. I've met many friends here who come back here all the time, so this is like my home away from home."
"Speaking of home, where did you grow up?” I asked because I really have never had a chance just to sit and talk to Paul without everyone around.
"Norfolk, Virginia," he said.
"How did you end up in Atlanta?"
"When I finished my stint in the Navy, I took a job here with an engineering company. Most of my family is still in Norfolk with some of my siblings in Virginia Beach. I grew up my whole life by the water, but I really find my peace and quiet up here in the mountains," he said.
I learned more about Paul in that one answer than I had found out in the several months since I had met him. He is the quiet one of the group, but up here he seems like a much more open man.
"And the path in the middle will take you down to the lake and some hiking trails along the stream that feeds the lake. The property is quite large, so if you go for a hike, please stay on the paths. I don't want to have to call out the National Guard to hunt you down. What do you want to do first?" he asked.
"I'm starving. Can we get something to eat?”
"Sure. The kitchen opens up in about an hour. You can order and take it by the pool if you like.”
I didn't know about that because typically if you are at a party, you don't want to be seen as the one eating, since we live in such a body-conscious culture. These gym bunnies will make fun of you if your body isn't just perfect. But as I looked at the pool, these boys didn't seem to care. There were bags of chips and dips and Tostitos and salsa everywhere, so eating at the pool was going to be just fine.
We freshened up after our two-and-a-half hour drive and then went to the restaurant where we grabbed a couple seats at the bar to order our food. As I looked around the restaurant, I could see Arnold sitting in a booth and getting awfully cozy with someone. I assumed it was his boyfriend, since from the way they were acting, they seemed to have known each other for a while already. Oh well. There were plenty of other bears in the woods.
We ordered and went outside by the pool, where they said they would deliver to us. We were lucky to grab a pair of beach recliners as a couple decided to go for a hike around the lake and were vacating just as we got down there. It was good timing on our part because I didn't feel like lying on a blanket on the concrete. I just wanted to soak up the sun and listen to the dance music that wafted through the air. DJ Flying F was set up in the corner, just spinning away in his own world. For some reason, every time a bunch of gay men got together, there had to be dance music. I think that is because everyone feeds off the positive vibes from the songs and it helps everyone chill.
We put down our towels and the cooler, which was full of beer, since that is what Paul likes, and a plastic bottle of vodka with some orange juice for me. They didn't allow glass by the pool, so we made sure we brought some plastic cups with us. Paul immediately stripped down to his birthday suit and handed me the suntan spray. "Will you lube me up?" he asked.
"Sure," I said, but I just thought it was weird spraying him down. I was a little uncomfortable looking at his naked body. The other people didn't bother me that way, but it was just that we were friends, and yes I had imagined him naked before, but it was different with his pecker staring me in the face. I took the sport spray and let it rip all over his body. There was a lot to cover.
"Make sure you get it in my crack," he said. "I don't want to end up with any red marks just yet."
"TMI," I said.
"Relax, cubby, we are all just here for fun," he said.
So I sprayed him down from head to toe, and even in the crack. Thank God it wasn't the rub-on kind.
I, on the other hand, took off my shirt, but did leave my swim trunks on. I hadn't summoned up the courage to do it yet, so maybe a good screwdriver would help me get there. Time for the first round.
Everyone by the pool was just as nice as they could be. Our food arrived, and I got to eat in public while Paul and his friends were telling stories back and forth. It was great to watch him interact in his element, and the boys all seemed to be enamored with him as well.
This was great people watching as I chomped on my club sandwich. There were the serious bears and then there were the care-free bears. For a moment, I was reminded of the old Care Bears TV show I used to watch, except this was excitable bear, gay rainbow bear, hair bear, and a pair of panda bears. Panda bears are a black and white bear couple. They looked hot together.
Time by the pool was interrupted as Miranda rolled out in high-whore country drag with her ugly-as-sin counterparts carrying trays of spiked gummy bears. It was as if a bad Dolly Parton impersonator stumbled into our midst straight out of another plastic surgery procedure, except her face looked like it was melting and dripping down her face. This was her big fundraising weekend so she was starting early selling the chewy, gooey gummy bear shots. The shot cups contained two or three gummy bears and were a dollar apiece or ten dollars for fifteen shot cups. The boys were buying them up as Miranda and her funky bunch worked their way around the pool. She finally made her way over to me.
"Why hello, Desiree. I see you made it out to our little neck of the woods," she said as she took and shook my hand. “I'm so glad you could come and celebrate the weekend with us," she finished.
I didn't know what to say. Normally the first words out of her mouth were either something biting or sarcastic. I didn't know how to respond to this, especially since I had been so catty in my mind just a minute ago.
"Thanks. Here's ten dollars. We'll take some gummy shots," I said.
"Thank you so much for supporting Hope Pantry. Come to the show tonight. It's going to be fun."
She walked o
ff and kept selling and chatting with everyone at the pool. She seemed to know most everyone here.
"She's been doing her shows here for years," Paul said. "They really like her up here."
"Is it just the water up here or the fresh mountain air?" I asked.
"What do you mean?" Paul responded.
"What makes everyone up here so God-damn nice? I even gave the bitch a ten, and she has never been nice to me."
"It's getting away from the city that relieves the stress and puts you at ease," he said.
I could use some release, but it wasn't from the stress of the city.
I split the gummy cups with Paul, and we gave some to the people around us. Next thing I knew my tongue had worked its magic on four of the cups and cleaned out all the gummy bears. They were a multitude of flavors, and they were strong. I didn't think I would need another screwdriver for awhile.
"Aren’t you the one putting on ‘Bombshell’ at Club Cabaret?" said the gentleman with whom we had shared a gummy cup asked.
"Yes. We just did the first show this past week."
"I read some good things about it on Facebook and was hoping to go see you sometime soon. When's the next show?" he asked.
"I'm not sure yet. I need to check with the cast when I get back to see what's good for them and also to see if it works with the club's schedule," I said, because to be honest I wasn't sure how well it would go over, so I didn't have anything lined up with the club. "As soon as I know, we will get the word out."
"Don't make it too long. I heard it was great," he said.
"Thanks for the kind words. I hope it lives up to your expectations."
Hard to believe that the show had made an impact so quickly. With work the rest of the week I hadn’t checked out all the hype, so I would need to get caught up when I got back.
Paul was holding court, so I decided to go for a walk and explore. I had never seen him so animated. Just past the patio area was a group playing naked volleyball. All I could see was sand in every crevice and crack, and all I could think of was bringing a hose out and spraying everyone down. It was hard seeing some of the men dive for a ball and land flat on their biscuits, but they just got right back up and kept playing.
The Crown Is Mine Page 17