by Jessie Cooke
He was wearing a black felt cowboy hat and a faded pair of Wrangler jeans. The rest of his glorious body was naked and oiled to perfection. He stood there barefoot in his blue jeans, moving his body sensuously to the beat and looking down at the floor. I had a feeling that none of those women cared about what his face looked like at that point. That body…it’s something the gods in Atlantis would have been jealous of. His Italian heritage shone through in the dark olive color of his skin, and the fact that he works out, a lot, is evident everywhere. My sweet little Nick is the hottest man I’ve ever laid eyes on. It’s so unfair that I don’t have the right equipment to turn him on.
Nick finally looked up at the audience and the lights were right on his face as he did. If the women hadn’t been swooning over that Olympic body, they were swooning now. Nick’s huge dark eyes were framed by foot-long black eyelashes and they sat on top of model perfect cheekbones. His full lips framed the sexy, white-toothed smile on his face, and as soon as he pulled off his hat and they got a look at all that soft, curly black hair that begged you to run your fingers through it…. Damn it, Margo! Get a grip! Every time that sweet boy shook his pretty ass in front of me, I needed a change of panties. Mine were already soaked, and he’d only taken off his hat.
He thrust his hips outward and back and turned in a slow circle while he pulled off his leather belt. The boy was a natural. The crowd went wild as he turned his back to them. The Wranglers were completely backless, and his tight, tan ass thrusting out of them was a sight to behold. He was close to six foot three and most of that was long, muscular leg. As he danced, the women got to watch the flex and ripple of the muscles in his thighs. Suddenly, he pushed that glorious ass in the direction of the audience and ripped the Velcro loose that held the Wranglers onto his hips. He danced like that for a minute, making his ass cheeks move to the beat. Then he turned to face them and tossed the Wranglers into the audience. A woman wearing a hat that said, “Kiss me, I’m fifty,” caught it. Nick blew her a kiss and gave her a wink…just like a pro.
All he wore now was a soft flannel G-string, and it left very little to the imagination. The women could see now that he brought new meaning to the phrase, “Hung like a horse.” The noise level went up a hundred decibels as the women yelled out variances of the phrase, “Take it off.”
The dollar bills came out in full force, and more than one feminine hand stroked the front of that G-string. That was as much contact as I allowed in the club, but it seemed to be enough. One woman held up a handful of hundred-dollar bills, four or five of them.
“Take it off!” she screamed.
As if he’d been doing this forever, Nick danced down the catwalk towards her. When he was right in front of her, she tucked the money into his string and she petted the flannel with both hands. I watched with as much rapt attention as all of the other women as he smiled broadly and finally ripped that fabric out of the way. The woman who gave him the hundred-dollar bills had to be held back by her more-sober friend. Nick had the most impressive cock I’d ever seen in my thirty years on this earth…and I had to admit, I’d seen quite a few. During his audition, I had almost told him I had to touch it in order for him to get the job…but with my luck, the first time I did that, the guy would turn out to be an undercover vice cop.
He blew his kisses and made his way back to the stage as the women surrounding the catwalk tried desperately to reach him. He deftly avoided contact, but he stopped a few times to swing it back in their direction before launching into his next sexy dance. I looked out over the faces of the women in my club and it was plain to see that this gorgeous hunk was going to be the biggest attraction Las Vegas had ever seen. I changed from alcohol to club soda, then waited for him to finish and come out for photos and autographs. Before he ducked out tonight, he and I needed to have a serious talk.
After he finished and the women clambered for more, I listlessly watched the next act and wondered if I should have him go last from now on. The guys onstage were hot, and they were fabulous dancers, but after Nick, the women in the audience were barely paying any attention to them at all. The stage was set at the end of the long room, with the bar running along the entire left side of it. Most of the women at the bar had their backs to the stage. The catwalk stretched along the right side and snaked in between the tables where the women sat. As my guys walked down the catwalk shaking their “assets,” the women at the tables barely looked up. Nick was definitely going to cost some of my more mature “boys” their tips tonight.
I looked over towards the small dance floor where Vince was. There were a few girls there dancing in a group, but not as many as usual. Vince was pouring alcohol into their mouths straight from the bottle and giving them each a little bump and grind as he sent them off. Vince was another one of my prime finds. He was never a great dancer and he wasn’t that well-endowed…but he definitely knew how to spin the music and keep a good mix going all night so everyone ended up happy. He knew just how much free alcohol to give away, too, to keep them wanting more.
I finished my soda and told the bartender not to let Nick leave if he came out before I got back. Then I made my way over to the part of the catwalk near the dance floor as the current dance ended. It was time for my big finale. I looked around at the restless packed house again, and I knew for sure I’d have to do some rearranging for the next show. Vince handed me the mic and winked at me. I rolled my eyes at him. I had slept with him once…five years ago. The fact that I never went back for more didn’t seem to dent his ego at all.
“Ladies! Can I have your attention, please?” My lighting tech cast the rose-colored light over me and, as my skin began to glow, I started my spiel. “Hello, and welcome to Pelle! I hope you enjoyed that lead-up to our main event…” Someone in back started chanting and it spread through the audience like wildfire…
“We want Nick! We want Nick!” I stood quietly like a stern schoolmarm and waited for them to settle down. I wanted them to be excited, but not unruly. I liked running a classy joint. “Pelle” simply means “skin” in Italian, but I thought it sounded classier. Since I inherited the money to buy this place from my dearly departed Italian sugar daddy, I also thought it was a nice tribute. When they finally settled down, I said, “I’m glad you all enjoyed Nick’s show. He’ll be out soon at the bar for pictures and autographs, but, meanwhile, the rest of my guys still have so much more planned for you tonight. So, order another bottle of fine champagne and treat yourselves the way ladies deserve to be treated!”
Vince started the music and the guys came out one at a time. The first five started their routine. They were all dressed as construction workers tonight and the women were getting amped up again. I headed back to the bar, impressed with myself for finding the hottest men in the greater Las Vegas area. As soon as I took my seat, I saw Nick and Steve, surrounded by the bouncers, coming out from the back. The show onstage now was forgotten, and the drunk, horny females surrounded the bar. I watched him flirt, sign autographs, and pose for pictures as Steve did the same. They were both so masculine that it just seemed to ooze out of their pores. Sometimes it was so hard for me to remember that they were gay.
2
Nick
I rubbed the back of my sparring gloves down the side of my face and tried to sling the sweat out of my eyes, which were burning like they were on fire. I didn’t stop moving while I was doing it, because if I did, Brock’s gigantic fist was going to slam into the side of my head. My peripheral vision was shot because of the water in my eyes.
“What are you doing?” I could hear the disdain in Jacob’s voice.
“Moving,” I said, breathlessly.
“You look like you have to pee.” I turned my head to look at Jacob. He was furrowing his brow at me. That was usually the prelude to getting my ass chewed. I’d been coming here for two years now, and for the first year I flew completely underneath his radar. Then one day he pulled me in the ring to spar with one of the guys he was training and I knocked the guy o
ut in the first round. After that, Jacob decided I was going to be his next big project. A guy like me didn’t tell a guy like Jacob Wright no…so here I was.
I’d been training with him for a year now, and my first big fight was coming up in a month. It’s against a gorilla named Goliath, who currently holds the light-heavyweight championship. He’s in my weight class, but the man’s literally crazy. He was suspended for biting a chunk out of his opponent’s shoulder, but then he came back and won the title. Jacob tells me I can beat this guy, but I’m just not sure.
“Sorry,” I said finally, and I stopped moving. As soon as I did, Brock threw a right cross that landed on the side of my headgear hard enough to make me stumble backwards and hear a high pitched ringing in my ears. Fuck! That hurt. It was a sucker punch.
“Why did you just stand there and let him hit you?”
I gave Jacob an “Are you fucking serious?” look, just as Brock threw another punch. I saw that one coming straight at me and I dodged it. I was suddenly pissed at Jacob for telling me to do something and then acting like I’m an idiot for doing it, and at Brock for being an asshole. I unleashed a flurry of punches on Brock. He had his hands up in front of his face, trying to fend me off as he walked backwards into the ropes. I was in the zone, focused, intense, and brutal. I don’t know how many times Jacob called my name before I finally heard him and stopped firing off punches.
“Fuck, kid! What the hell did I ever do to you?” I looked from a pissed off Brock to Jacob, who was grinning from ear to ear. I guess it wasn’t too smart of me to piss off the champ, in case I ever made it that far, but Jacob’s opinion always came first with me and right now he looked at me with pride.
“That’s it, kid! That’s what I want to see.” I smiled and looked at Brock. He used both of his fists to push against my chest and nearly knocked me on my ass. I smiled again, just to piss him off. “Don’t be a piss-poor sport, Brock,” Jacob snapped at him. Jacob was the only one that could get away with talking to the champ that way. Instead of being pissed at him, Brock glared at me. I kept smiling.
“Come on out, Brock. Kane, you’re up!” Jacob was rotating another fighter in every round. I was thankful for the sparring gear, but my body still hurt like a son of a bitch. I had danced Thursday and Friday night and I had had to be here at eight this morning. If I didn’t get some sleep tonight, I might just pass out on my feet. I didn’t tell Jacob that, though, mainly because I didn’t think he would give a shit. As far as he was concerned, fighting should be my top priority. I guess that would be easy if I didn’t have to struggle every month to pay my bills and stay in school.
Kane stepped into the ring and grinned at me. He, at least, wouldn’t get pissed at me if I won. Lance gave me hell in the first round, but in my defense, that big son of a bitch was in a whole different weight class. I tried to take him down, but it was like trying to pull a tree out by its roots. Then I had to put up with Brock’s attitude. Kane wouldn’t be easy to beat, but at least it was possible, and he wasn’t an asshole.
“Come on,” Jacob clapped his hands together at us. “Time’s a wasting.” Damn straight. He wasn’t the one who had two more final exams this coming week and still had to be back at work tonight. Shit! I can’t believe I agreed to that.
I put my fists up, but I wasn’t really paying attention. I was thinking about Margo and the conversation we had Thursday night. As soon as I got within swinging distance of Kane, he brought his right leg up and kneed me square in the thigh. Fuck! It knocked me off balance and the pain shot right through me. While I teetered back and forth, he wrapped his arms around me and took me down to the mat. The little fucker was still grinning.
“Jesus Christ, Nick! Let him up, Kane. What the hell was that?”
I wasn’t sure which one of us he was yelling at. Just in case it was me, I spit out my mouth guard and said, “That was a damn good knee shot.”
Kane laughed. Jacob shot him a look that sobered him up fast. “This isn’t a fucking playground. Do you understand that Goliath is unlike any opponent you’ve ever faced? He’s solid. Connecting with him is like hitting steel, and he’s fast. You can’t move in on him at a fucking turtle’s pace the way you just did Kane. Goliath wouldn’t have kicked you. He would have knocked your ass out cold. If you don’t get serious here, he’s going to kill you in the first round.”
“I am serious, Jake…”
He raised an eyebrow and said, “Then maybe you need to make some choices about what’s really important in your life.”
“This is important to me, it’s just that…”
“No! No “just that.” Listen to me, Nick. The only way you’re going to beat this giant is by staying on your feet. If you go down on that mat, he will crush you.” I nodded and hoped my legs wouldn’t give out on me as I struggled to my feet. They were shaking, and they felt as strong as wet noodles at the moment. “I mean it, Nick. I was only willing to take you on because you insisted you were ready.” That wasn’t exactly true, but I wasn’t going to argue with Jacob. “All of a sudden, you come in here every day dragging ass. You can’t stay out partying all night every night and…” I opened my mouth to say that wasn’t what I was doing, but I changed my mind. They all seemed to think I was some kind of stud or something, I’m not sure why. I liked it a lot better than the nerd reputation I’d had in high school. “You have to come in here rested and ready to go three rounds. As it is, you barely make it through one on your feet. You’re trying too hard to take your opponent out with these powerhouse kicks and punches. We know you’re a bad ass, okay? But there’s a lot more to it than that. You need to think about defense and you need to think about stamina.” I nodded again. He wasn’t finished. “What about your diet?”
“I’ve been eating good…”
“Your weight is down three pounds from last week. If you’re going to put your body through this kind of punishment, you have to take care of it. You need sleep and fuel, not fast food crap, either. Follow that diet plan I gave you, lay off the alcohol, and leave the women alone for a few weeks.” I forgot myself for a second and laughed out loud. If he only knew. “Something I said was funny?”
“No, sorry. I’m listening.”
“I hope you’re hearing me. If you listen to what I’m telling you, Goliath won’t kill you. You can beat him. You can win your first title at nineteen years old…that’s record-breaking man! Your skills are there, but you can’t win a fight on skill alone.” He glanced across the gym to where Brock was punching an overhead bag and said, “Trust me, I know.”
“Okay, Jake.”
“Get in the shower, and be here on time tomorrow.” I forced myself not to sigh. I was four minutes late this morning. He expected me to get here a half an hour early to warm up. I didn’t get home from the club until after three a.m. It’s a miracle I made it here at all.
I headed for the shower and, as I stood bracing myself against the tile with my arms, letting the warm water cascade down over my sore muscles, my thoughts went back to Margo. She was just as demanding as Jake, only a hell of a lot prettier. Sometimes I could barely think straight around her. I hated to open my mouth because something stupid would usually come out. She took me back to her office after I finished signing autographs Thursday night. I was pumped full of adrenaline from dancing naked in front of a room full of crazy women, and looking at her didn’t help. As a matter of fact, every time I looked at her my cock’d go crazy and I’d have to find something to hold in front of it when I walked out of the room. She probably wondered how I was smart enough to get into law school…if she only knew what a nerd I really was.
She sat down at her desk and flipped her pretty auburn hair over her shoulder. Her hazel eyes were so intense; sometimes at night I’d lie in bed and imagine them looking up at me while those pretty red lips were wrapped around my cock. I knew that was only a fantasy, though. There’s no way a sexy older woman like her would want anything to do with a kid like me. I’ve got nothing to offer her, and I�
��ve heard all the stories about her rich fiancé that died and left her millions. Besides, I’m really sure she’s a lot more experienced than me. Hell, the fourteen-year-old who delivers my paper is probably more experienced than me.
“You were amazing tonight. The women loved you.” I felt my face go hot, and I was praying it wasn’t red. I couldn’t help but wonder if she liked what she saw.
“Thanks, I love them, too.” Jesus Christ! Really? I love them, too? What the hell is wrong with me?
She smiled, probably at me and not with me. “I think you should dance more than two nights.”
I wasn’t expecting that. When she hired me two weeks ago, I told her I could only do Thursday and Friday nights. She was looking at me with those sexy bedroom eyes of hers and waiting for me to say something. “Like, how many?” How many? What difference does it make? You don’t have any other free nights!
“Well, for starters, Saturday. It’s our busiest night and I know the women will come back again and again to see you.”
“Well, Saturdays are kind of hard for me…” Those eyes! Damn it! Be a man and tell her no!
“Is it your date night?”
I almost laughed. Thank God, I caught myself. That actually sounded as legitimate as any reason I had. It at least made me sound like less of a nerd than, “It’s my study night.” “Yeah, that’s it. It’s my only night to go out and really relax, you know?”