by Ava Manello
Alex takes hold of the hem and starts to lift the shirt slowly, his fingers graze my flesh and it feels erotic. It's like a lover’s touch. Gentle. It's maybe my imagination but it suddenly feels rather warm in here.
"You need help with these too?" he asks, gesturing to my jeans. I nod, momentarily speechless. My jeans are soon folded on the counter beside my shirt. I shuffle to the bed and groan as I try and lay down on my front.
"This might be a little cold." Alex warns me. Despite the warning, I still gasp as the cold liquid hits my shoulders. "You're going to feel a lot more pressure than you would on a relaxation massage." He advises me. "You need the pressure to release the tension from the muscles."
"It's okay, I've had sports massages before." I'm not a wuss; I can handle the pain that goes with a sports massage. "They're a regular part of my routine when I'm training for races." I advise.
"What races have you done?" he asks. I bite my lip before replying. He's started on my shoulders and I can feel from the pressure he's exerting just how tense they are.
"Mostly 10k's but I've done a half marathon and London Marathon once." He presses more firmly on a tense area and I can't help swearing. He laughs.
"Sorry, I'll warn you before I do that again. How was London? I've always wanted to do that but I've never been able to get in on the ballot."
The conversation distracts me for the next hour as he works his way all over my body. This room is definitely too warm. I can feel the sheen on my skin. Despite the pressure he was applying it started to feel quite erotic when he was working on the back of my legs. His hands are so soft; there were moments where it felt like he was caressing my skin. They didn't last long though as the next second he'd be applying pressure. All I can say is it's a good job there's no swear box in the room or I'd be bankrupt by the time we finished. I'll say this for him; he's good at sports massage. I've been to a few until I found the one I use now and he's at the upper range of ability.
I sense his hands leaving my skin, this time though they don't return. "You can get up now, how does that feel?" he asks. I can't tell him how it really feels. I'm disappointed truth be told. Despite the pressure, his touch was gentle and welcome. I miss it.
I ease myself off the bed, grateful for the increase in my range of movement. Where before everything ached, now it feels much looser and just slightly tender.
"When was the last time you had a massage?" he questions. "Your back was pretty knotted up, much more than it should have been after that simple routine yesterday."
"It's been a while." I confess. "I kind of got involved in this article I'm working on and kept putting it off." We start chatting about the corrupt councilor and how I really want to be working on that article. He sounds interested in what I'm saying, and from his responses I can tell he's educated. I don't notice that I'm still sat here in nothing more than my underwear until Alex reaches over to pat my arm. It's as if he suddenly realizes I'm not dressed as well. He looks embarrassed and tries to hide it by gathering up the towel and bottle of lotion and dashing off into the bathroom. I manage to dress myself without assistance this time.
"Thank you for that, it's made a huge difference." The atmosphere between us has changed. Where moments before we were chatting animatedly and comfortable in each other's presence, suddenly we're awkward with each other.
"That's okay, think nothing of it,” he mumbles. "I'll see you down at the bus later?"
I nod, no longer capable of getting words out. I'm like a bloody love struck teenager suddenly. I fumble with the door handle and breathe a sigh of relief when I find myself outside in the hallway, the door safely shut behind me.
There's a chuckle from the doorway across the hall. I look up to see Tiny watching me.
"Don't worry Sally, he has that effect on all the women." I huff, turning my back on him and walk off in the direction of my room just a few doors away. Yes, walk. That massage did wonders for my shuffling gait.
As if Alex has an effect on me, that's nonsense I tell myself. I'm not into guys like him. And that's when that stupid inner voice pipes up. "Who do you think you're kidding?" It's right. There's something about Alex that gets me all worked up and hot inside. But I won't give into it. I'm here to do a job and nothing else. My inner voice pipes up again. "Damn shame.”
Chapter Nine
Alex
I was all hot and bothered after massaging Sally this morning. I'm still frustrated. Jerking off in a cold shower didn't give me much relief. I feel like a horny teenage boy again. I like Sally, there's something honest about her. Being out on the road isn't conducive to a relationship though. The only one of us who has a woman at home is Tiny. Jonny had a girlfriend for a while, and whilst he behaved himself, she couldn't get over the jealousy, and constantly accused him of cheating. There are plenty of opportunities to go off with someone after a show; several someone’s in fact, some of these girls aren't fussy. Becoming a male whore never has appealed to me, and aside from that I have taste. Let's be honest, there are very few classy women in the audience at these events; not that I've come across anyway.
We've spent the afternoon, or what feels like most of it, on the minibus travelling to Kingston upon Hull. We've not got a show tonight so we can have a rest, then we've got two shows in two nights at two different venues. At least this time they're less than an hour apart. I hate the overnight trips where we have to try and sleep on the minibus as the next venue is so far away. Eric's pretty good at keeping the venues within travelling distance of each other, but every now and then he gets a chance at a bigger venue and we have to travel for it.
The minibus pulls up outside yet another Travelodge. Because they all look alike you forget which town you're in sometimes. That said, all looking alike is a good thing, as at least we know we've got a certain standard rather than some of the guesthouses we used to take over when we first started. Eric quickly realized he had no tolerance for nosy old landladies who tutted and disapproved of our career choices. Now we stick to nice, safe, anonymous hotels.
The guys are milling around in the lobby working out what they want to do this evening. From the sound of it they're going bar hopping. Great. Not my scene at all. Luckily Tiny comes to the rescue.
"If you don't fancy going on a bar crawl with this bunch of reprobates why not come to the cinema with me and Alex tonight, Sally? The Odeon is in walking distance of here." Sally looks uncertain.
"What were you thinking of watching Tiny?" I question. "I'm not sitting through another bloody chick flick with you; I can't stand watching you cry." I laugh and it's good to hear Sally join in.
"There's that 80's thing, Walking on Sunshine, or there's Transformers if you want a little action." he glances up from his phone where he's obviously checking out the cinema listing. "Most of them start between eight and half past so we can choose when we get there, and it gives us time to get some food into these losers to soak up all that alcohol they're going to wreck their bodies with later." He affectionately ruffles Jackal's hair, knowing how much it winds him up.
"You guys are more like brothers at times." She smiles. Just a few days on the road with us and I can tell we've broken down some of her misconceptions. "Okay, I'm up for it, I haven't been to watch a movie in forever, it'll make a nice change. Thanks."
We've not long finished dinner before Guido has pulled. Pulled might be a bit over enthusiastic, she practically jumped on him. I'm sat on one of the leather sofas in the bar with Tiny, Eric and Sally watching the scene unfold at the bar.
"This should be entertaining,” mutters Eric. He expressly forbade us from messing around with girls in front of Sally. He's got no chance. It's not the guys he needed to warn; it's the over enthusiastic fans at the theaters where we perform. Sally looks up to see what he's talking about and her face stiffens with a look of disgust. Yep, this is going to be interesting alright.
Sally
The skanky blonde at the bar is all over Guido. If she's trying to do an impression of a limp
et she's doing a good job of it. Her artificially inflated chest is pressed against his shirt and she's practically wrapped one leg around his. Her slightly too small body con dress is stretching at the seams as it is, without the leg moves. Guido doesn't look uncomfortable at all though, if anything he's lapping it up. Her painted nails are playing with the top button of his shirt as she undoes one, then two of the buttons and draws her nail across his naked flesh. If that's supposed to be seductive, it's not. Someone pass me a sick bag before I throw up.
She tosses her backcombed mane over her shoulder, reaching in to whisper in his ear. The way his smile lights up his face you'd have thought she'd just told a small child it was Christmas morning. Guido turns and high fives Jonny before mumbling something I can't hear, and leaving the bar, the girl still attached wherever she can to his body like some slimy suckered octopus. I shiver with disgust.
Tiny and Alex just exchange raised eyebrows and shrug. It's obviously standard behavior for them to witness. Jonny, Jackal and Rick are still drinking at the bar. Looks like Miss Barbie left a few of her friends behind. Despite their best attempts the guys aren't looking overly eager to follow in Guido's footsteps.
"Does this happen often?" I ask. Shit. I can't help the distaste that showed in my voice.
"Too often." Eric answers. He looks pissed.
"We all get propositioned, a lot." Tiny answers me. "Difference is that Guido's really the only one to take advantage of it. He's got a bit of a reputation with the ladies as some sort of Italian Stallion." I smother a laugh. I'm pretty sure from what I already know that Guido aka Gareth from Cleethorpes has no Italian ancestry in him whatsoever.
"The problem is doing this sort of show attracts the wrong sort of women." Alex is thoughtful before he continues. "They're not the sort that are looking for a relationship. They're after a quick fix. They just want to go back to their mates and say they slept with a male stripper. It's kudos for them. They're worse than guys for bragging rights." Alex sounds so disappointed.
"So you don't take advantage when it's offered?" I sneer. I can't believe I just asked that. I'm never normally this aggressive in a social conversation.
"No, I don't." He huffs. "I have dignity; and last time I looked, I have taste. I'd rather meet someone like you." Alex stops talking suddenly. Was that a compliment he just paid me or something more? I'm no good at picking up on things like this. Whilst I'd like it to be more than a compliment I tell my inner voice to shut up and simmer down. He must have just been trying to be polite.
"I don't think in the time I've known Alex I've ever seen him go off with anyone,” laughs Tiny. Alex gets up to go to the bar, taking our empty glasses with him. "The guys are convinced he's gay, and to be honest, I have my suspicions as well." Tiny adds in a whisper next to my ear. Just my luck. The first decent guy I come across in ages and he's batting for the other side. That would explain why I feel so comfortable around him though; he's not a threat.
"What about you then, Tiny? You sample the goods?" He looks affronted, and pulls a photo out from his wallet. It's crumpled from use but it shows him and a petite but very attractive brunette with their arms around each other, smiling broadly at the camera.
"Nope, I have my girl at home, and I'm a good boy." He smiles, passing me the photo for closer inspection. "This is Alison, my fiancée. She's a teaching assistant. We're getting married next year when I quit." Tiny looks so proud when he's talking to me, but the word quit brings Eric's attention back to the conversation. He doesn't look pleased.
"You can't quit Tiny, the group needs you. Let me talk to her and see if I can get her to change her mind." Eric pleads.
"It's not Alison's choice, Eric. It's mine. I've been doing this since before I met her. I'm getting too old for this shit. If it's not the traveling it's the rehearsals, if it's not the rehearsals it's being objectified by that bunch of screaming harlots." There's just a hint of anger in Tiny's voice. It's subtle, but I hear it. I get the impression this is a conversation that's been repeated one too many times for him.
Eric shrugs his shoulders in defeat, not answering. It feels uncomfortable. Alex returns with the drinks and looks at us, as if wondering why we're not talking to each other. I try and break the silence by telling Tiny how pretty Alison is. We talk a little longer before I excuse myself to go to the bathroom.
There's a stall that's occupied when I walk in and I can hear muttering and mumbling as though the occupant is talking to themselves. I'm about to lock the cubicle door and make use of the convenience when I hear the conversation in the stall next to me. I stop, shocked and slowly back out.
"What do you mean you've finished? You haven't even put it in yet." That one's a female voice.
"I'm holding a condom full of come, of course I've bloody finished." the male voice retorts. I almost gasp out loud when I realize they're having sex in a Travelodge bathroom stall. Aside from it being so public they're not the roomiest place I can think of. Why wouldn't they just go upstairs to a room?
"You selfish prick" the female voice screeches. "You didn't even get me off, and your cock's that fucking small I'd need a microscope to find it."
"Well if you weren't such a loose slag you'd have felt me come." he retorts. I recognize the male voice now. It's Guido!
There's more shuffling and movement inside the stall and I hear the unmistakable sound of a zipper fastening. I have to get out of here, fast.
I manage to make it out of the bathroom just in time. I hide in a corner behind a potted plant, waiting for them to pass and head back into the bar. All the while they're grumbling and muttering at each other.
My need to pee has deserted me so I head back to the sofa, taking my seat next to Tiny. I've just picked up my glass and taken a mouthful when I hear the screechy voice talking to her friends. I spit my drink across the table when she utters the immortal words "Best fucking cock I've had in my fanny in month’s girls."
Tiny looks on in puzzlement as I sit there, laughing so hard there are tears pouring down my face.
Chapter Ten
Sally
Alex and Tiny wouldn't let it rest until I'd told them what I'd been laughing so hard about. I struggled to get the words out for laughing. I'm sorry, but this girl made the women on the Jeremy Kyle show look classy; and that's saying something. She stood in that toilet complaining about Guido's lack of sexual prowess and in the next breath is telling her friends how good he was. Either she's a bold faced liar or she really has had some bad sexual experiences.
"That's what it's all about." Tiny looks sad as he says this. "These girls are just after bragging rights. I think some of them would run a mile if we asked them for their phone number." he smiles.
"Yeah." Alex agrees. "And that daft bugger just goes along with it every night." he looks over to Guido who's deep in conversation with Jackal.
"Come on, grab your jacket. The cinema's just a short walk from here. Let's go see if we can find something Tiny won't cry over tonight." Alex pushes on Tiny's shoulder. You can see the affection on both their faces. They have a much closer bond than the other guys.
As we pass the bar on our way out the girls are still cackling amongst themselves, a couple of them throwing longing glances towards Guido. I wonder how they'd handle finding out for themselves that their friend was as loose with the truth as she is with her morals.
Tiny casually throws his arm around my shoulder as we walk. Alex is on the other side of me. Despite Tiny being closer, it's Alex's warmth that I can feel. There's a glow down that side of my body, and I feel drawn to him. After Tiny's earlier declaration that Alex is gay I need to calm down my libido and quickly. I can settle for friendship. My mind might be okay with that but the tingling between my legs tells me my body has other ideas.
***
The movie was okay; I can't say that I remember much of it. I was too conscious of Alex sitting by my side the whole time. Tiny bought the biggest tub of popcorn he could find, plonked me on the seat in the middle alon
g with the popcorn and proceeded to eat most of it single handed. Alex reached for it at the same time as me once. There was a tingling as our hands touched, and I pulled mine away shocked. Alex gave me a slightly puzzled expression, but carried on slowly munching away; oblivious to the turmoil my body was in.
The walk back to the hotel was pretty quiet. Tiny cracked the silence with the odd joke from the movie but other than that we kept to our own thoughts.
"You got the bike sorted for tomorrow?" Tiny looks over at Alex. I prick my ears up a little.
"Yeah, the guy I spoke to is bringing it to the theater in the afternoon. He's got a red and black Harley Road King. Should look good with the leather and the lights." Now I'm intrigued.
Tiny obviously notices my interest and puts me out of my misery. "Alex has a routine planned using a bike on the stage tomorrow night. You coming to rehearsals to watch?" Alex, a bike and leather? I think they'd struggle to keep me away.