Final Act

by A R Steele

  “Hmm,” Jesse said. “What about this one?”

  Again Lev shook his head. “Fucked him.” To the next picture, he said, “He fucked me.”

  Jesse let out a snort. “You definitely get around, L.”

  “Exactly. There’s a limited amount of gay men in town, unless I start converting them like Wright and Cooper did. And that’s a lot of effort for one night.”

  “Or you could settle down,” Jesse said, his eyes still on the screen. “Take a look at this one. He looks like your type.”

  Lev looked at the screen again, and Austin braced himself. But he wasn’t prepared for Lev freezing, his eyes tightening until tiny wrinkles actually formed beside them. He looked like he’d aged ten years in a single second.

  “I know him,” he said, grabbing his phone away. He took a huge bite of his pizza, then yelped. “It’s hot!” He was clearly trying to be cute and play this off, but Austin could tell the photo had affected him.

  Austin tore off a piece of his own pizza crust, looking down at it instead of at Lev’s face. “Who was that?”

  Since Lev’s mouth was full, Shade answered for him. “That must have been one of his hookups.”

  “He didn’t say they hooked up. He said he knows the guy. Who is he, Lev?” Austin looked straight at Lev now, and when Lev finally looked up, he let his eyes burn into his.

  Lev swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “That was my ex.”

  Both couples seemed surprised. “You have an ex?” Jesse asked.

  “I thought it was one and done,” Wright said.

  Lev toyed with the edge of his paper plate, making tiny tears in the white material. “It was a long time ago.”

  So Lev didn’t tell just anyone about his past. Austin felt rather privileged to already know this information. He hated how uncomfortable Lev looked right now, though. And the other guys didn’t seem to want to let it go.

  “You’re not going to tell us more?” Yorick asked.

  “No,” Lev said simply.

  Austin’s blood boiled. He could guess which ex Lev was talking about. It certainly sounded like he only had one ex. If that asshole was still around, Austin wanted to follow through on his promise. If he ever saw that man he would beat the shit out of him, no questions asked.

  “Let me see what this ex looks like,” Shade said, nudging Jesse. “A guy who could steal our little player’s heart has to be something special.”

  Jesse passed him the phone, neatly avoiding Lev’s hands as he grasped for it. “He’s a normal-looking dude. I guess he’s good-looking.”

  “Hmm.”

  Yorick and Wright glanced at each other, then both looked at Shade. “Let us see, too.”

  “Stop it, guys!” Lev’s voice pitched higher.

  That was enough for Austin to step in. No one fucked with Lev but him. “Time to give it a rest.” He stood, towering over the rest of them. They went silent as he took the phone. Although he was tempted to see what the guy looked like, he handed the phone to Lev instead.

  “We can’t help you too much if you won’t tell us what’s up,” Jesse said with a shrug. He turned to Austin, picking up his can of Coke. “So, you going to try Grindr?”

  Austin tore off another piece of his crust and put it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. “I tried Scruff the other day. Deleted it.”

  “Why? Were there not enough guys?” Yorick asked.

  Austin had to laugh. Yorick did seem a bit curious about these dating apps. Considering that he’d called himself straight for so long and then found himself in a relationship with another guy, he must have never gotten the chance to try anything like that.

  “There were plenty of guys,” Austin said. “But hooking up isn’t my thing.”

  “Not even once?”

  “I tried once.” Austin’s eyes drifted over to Lev, and he fought the urge to bite his lip before continuing. “We met up, and it turns out it was someone I already knew.”

  “No way,” Wright breathed. “The time you asked me about meeting someone without a face pic?”

  “Yeah. Thanks for getting back to me on that, by the way.”

  Wright seemed unfazed by Austin’s snort. “Sorry I missed that text. We were out that night.”

  “Damn, A. Who was it?” Jesse was on the edge of his seat.

  “You guys wouldn’t know him.”

  “We might,” Jesse said eagerly. “There’s only so many guys who like guys in town, like L always says. Actually, L would definitely know him.”

  “Doesn’t matter.” Austin let a steely note creep into his voice. “We didn’t hook up that night… although we did fool around later.”

  Wright slapped the table. “You finally got some! What’s that you were saying about ‘thanks a lot’? You can thank me for real now.”

  “Not quite,” Austin murmured. “I had a good time, but then he got annoyed with me.”

  “What did you do to him?” Wright asked.

  “So what?” Lev said at the same time.

  Austin chose to look at Lev. Heat rushed through him as his eyes trailed along Lev’s olive skin and pouty mouth. “What do you mean, ‘so what’?”

  “Why don’t you find another guy?” Lev clarified.

  “Don’t feel like it,” Austin said. “I’m not into hook-ups.”

  Everyone had finished their pizza. Austin finished his drink in one long swig and stood up, his eyes still on Lev.

  “I realized I would rather be with one guy and hold onto him.”

  Fourteen

  Lev dropped his paper plate in the trash can, glad to be getting out of here. He’d been a little freaked out by seeing Peyton’s profile on that app. Peyton looked the same – that picture could have been taken two years ago. His hair was still slicked back on his head, his smile still suave and knowing. He was shirtless in front of a bathroom mirror like so many other guys.

  Heart pounding, Lev followed the others out the door. He’d been quiet for the last few minutes, trying not to hear the discussion of Austin’s love life – or sex life. Thinking about Austin with someone else hurt, but his mind was still on Peyton. He hadn’t seen him in two years, and he tried not to think about him.

  The scary part was how well Peyton blended in with the others on that app. If Lev didn’t already know who he was, he would have responded to a message from Peyton. Hell, he would have messaged him himself. They would have gotten together, and it would have been just like before.

  There was nothing that set Peyton apart, no flag that appointed him as an asshole, a user… “some kind of sociopath,” as Austin had called him. Lev wouldn’t have known who he was underneath that charming smile. Only his one-time-only policy would have saved him from the same thing happening all over again. That was why that policy was so necessary.

  Lev felt a little sick as he thought about it. How could he know who anyone was if someone like Peyton could appear so normal? He thought back to their first meeting. There were no red flags then. Peyton had just been this incredibly attractive, friendly, smooth talking guy, sweet in all the ways that Lev had been craving.

  He’d sucked Lev in, and when he had him, that was when his nasty side began to come out. Lev was never going to fall for that kind of act again, even if it meant being alone forever.

  “Lev, you want to ride with us?” Wright asked.

  “That’s okay,” Lev said. “I think Jesse’s going to take me.” He grabbed his skateboard and put it under his arm.

  Jesse nodded to him. “Plenty of space for you back here.”

  “I could drive you,” Austin offered, turning back and walking backward in the parking lot. Someone else might have been afraid to be hit by a car, but Austin’s attitude suggested the car would be the one to get damaged in a collision.

  Lev looked away and shook his head. “I can ride with Jesse.”

  He got into Jesse’s back seat, placing his skateboard across his knees. In the front, Jesse and Shade were being as lovey-dovey as always. L
ev shook his head as he listened to them go on and on. Just outside his window, he saw Austin’s Mustang keeping pace with them. Austin looked over at him and wiggled his fingers as he sped ahead.

  Lev wouldn’t get away without talking to him tonight. As soon as he got out of the car at the strip club, Austin was at his side.

  “I have to go in,” Lev said. He looked straight in front of him, which meant his eyes were on Austin’s chest.

  Austin let the other guys go in ahead of them, and then he blocked Lev’s way. “You’re not going to message him, are you?”

  Lev took a step back, blinking up at him. “Of course not.”

  Why did Austin even care? They weren’t together. Austin had no official claim over Lev, despite how his fantasies and frustrations all centered on him lately. But how could Austin even tell the kind of hold Peyton had over him?

  Austin stood back, allowing him to go through the door. Lev paused before moving. “Is it that obvious?”

  With a slight shrug, Austin said, “It’s written all over you.”

  Swallowing his fear, Lev went inside. He was going to have to get through this night, even if Peyton kept haunting his mind. He went to find Lucas. They had to do their part in the dance routine. It had gone fine last night, although they could use a little more practice.

  Lucas was always happy when Lev talked to him. He seemed happy just to get attention from anybody. He was a cool guy, although he was so quiet that it was hard to get to know him. Lev had definitely gotten to know him better now that he and Elijah were dating.

  “Ready to go onstage?” Lev asked when he found him.

  The schedule had them together near the start of the evening, and then Lev’s sex slave routine would be closer to the end. He also had two turns on the side stages at different points through the night.

  “I’m ready whenever you are,” Lucas said.

  They had both already changed into their black shorts with metal spikes, so Lev grabbed Lucas’s arm and brought him into the main room. He had to remind himself not to be too touchy-feely in front of the customers. His default mode was a flirtatious one, and he was always touching and poking his friends.

  Of course, he and Lucas had less to worry about than any of the other pairs. The others had every chance of giving away this club’s little secret. If anyone picked up on a vibe up between him and Lucas, they would be completely wrong.

  When their turn to go on the main stage came, cheers erupted from the time the lights flashed over them. The grinding beat of “Turn Down For What” started up. Lev stepped forward first, taking hold of the pole and wrapping himself around it. He started at the bottom, spinning around on the floor.

  Lucas stood back, and when Lev stepped away, Lucas took his place. Lucas spun in a crouch, his heels on the floor. Next, Lev stepped up again and whirled in a half-crouch. Lucas did the same standing straight, and then the fun part started.

  Lev’s hands were a little sweaty as he grabbed the pole again. This move was the one that had made the crowd really start to pay attention last time. His legs came just off the ground and he spun, kicking both feet out behind him. Lucas grabbed the pole again, pulling his knees slightly up, holding onto the pole right above where Lev had.

  On Lev’s next go-round, he held the pole even higher, his arm muscles working as he pulled himself as high as he could go. He put one foot on the pole and held on with one hand, then turned outward and spun, only catching his breath when he jumped down. Lucas went next, taking a few steps up the pole. He flipped upside down once he was there and revolved around, holding the pole between his thighs, his arms in a V behind him.

  By the end of the song, Lev was several feet off the ground, bent over backwards at a ninety-degree angle, his hair hanging below him, his hands flung out behind him. He spun several times around the pole at the top, then spiraled down slower and slower until he went right down to the bottom.

  They had killed it. Lev had barely looked at the audience for the whole thing. Now that it was over, he saw the amount of bills on the stage. Women were on their feet applauding.

  Lev should have been on top of the world, but he barely noticed the adulation as he bent down and scooped up the bills. He waved to the crowd, his smile wavering, and joined hands with Lucas to take a bow. As they left, Lucas gave him a pat on the back. Lev barely felt it. His mind was still on Peyton.

  “Let’s get the cash stashed away, and we can get our jeans back on,” Lev said.

  They headed for the change room. As Lev put his share of the money in his wallet, he couldn’t resist the temptation to take out his phone and see if anything was new. And there was something, a notification from Grindr.

  His fingers trembled. Even though he told himself not to, he tapped on the notification.

  It was a message from Peyton.

  Fifteen

  “No men,” Austin said, his arms folded over his chest as he stood at the door. The night was warm again, as August nights should be. It got pretty cold out here during the winter. He was not a fan of spending six hours straight outside when it was below forty out.

  The three men in front of him didn’t fit the profile of the usual suspects. Austin was used to turning away the odd gay man who turned up, misinformed about what kind of club this was. They usually went without much fuss once they understood this place was for women. These men were around Austin’s age, and their drunkenness was as evident as their straightness.

  “You have to let us in,” one insisted.

  “No men, period. You guys have plenty of female strip clubs to go to.”

  “We’re not trying to see chicks. Our girls are in there!”

  “Ladies’ night?” Austin asked.

  “Yeah, man. Have a little sympathy for us. How would you feel if your girl was in that kind of place? They could be getting up to anything in there. Who knows what the strippers are like?”

  Austin laughed out loud at that one. “I think you boys are safe.”

  “Come on, man. What happened to the bro code?”

  The guy tried to touch Austin’s arm, and he seized his hand and bent his wrist back. “I’m not your bro, and don’t you forget it. If you don’t trust your girlfriends, that’s your problem, not mine. No male customers are allowed in here. That’s how we keep it safe for our women.”

  He glared after them as they stalked off. Some guys didn’t know how to take no for an answer. He stood taller, satisfied that he’d protected those guys’ girlfriends. He felt bad for them, being in relationships with such douchebags who wouldn’t let them have a night out for themselves. He just wished he could protect them the next day.

  Once he was certain those men weren’t coming back, he went in for the twice-hourly head count. These used to take about thirty seconds. Lately, they took longer. He stood inside the door, his lips moving slightly as he counted.

  “Hey, Austin.” Trenton stood in front of him. For once, Brentley wasn’t at his side.

  “Damn, you threw me off. How am I supposed to get my shit done with you around?”

  “Yeah, sorry. I wanted to check in with you. I spoke to Mom tonight.”

  Austin’s heart beat a little faster. Because of getting pizza with the guys, he hadn’t seen their mom or even called her. “And?”

  “Don’t worry, she’s fine. She just mentioned that she’s chatting with more guys online.”

  “Shit.”

  Austin had seen his mom get her heart broken too many times to count. Their father had been the worst offender, leaving her when Austin was fifteen. It was just the two of them after that, since Trenton had already moved out, and it was no coincidence that Austin had started to work out seriously in the aftermath.

  The acrimonious divorce left Austin and Trenton’s mother completely vulnerable to predators. Her first relationship after the split-up was with a man she’d never met. They “dated” for six months, during which time he asked her for larger and larger amounts of money to help with various sob stories.<
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  By the time she told either of her sons about it, all of her money was gone. This fucker ran off with her entire life savings. A quick reverse image search told Austin that her “boyfriend” had stolen the pictures from a random male model. From then on, he resolved to take an interest in her love life.

  Unfortunately, she didn’t seem to have learned much from the experience. Among all the other scams she fell for, she also kept meeting men who took advantage of her in all sorts of ways. She was like a magnet for lowlifes.

  “Is she planning on meeting up with any of them?” Austin asked.

  “Not that I know of. She said she made an account and got flooded with messages. She was pretty overwhelmed when I spoke to her.”

  “Why would she even want to do something like that?”

  Trenton gave him a shrug. “I don’t know. Guess she’s lonely.”

  “She shouldn’t be,” Austin said, his chest tightening. “She has me.” It wasn’t the same by any means, but he hated to think of his mom putting herself out there and getting hurt. Again.

  “Just thought you should know,” Trenton said. “I’m sure it’s fine.”

  “I guess so. I’ll call her in the morning.”

  Austin frowned as he stepped away from his brother and finished his head count. His protective instinct was in full force tonight, especially with Lev’s ex being around again. That really set him off. His fists balled up of their own accord as he thought about it. He had to force them to relax, one finger at a time. This was not worth getting worked up over. Nothing had even happened.

  But it was going to, wasn’t it? Lev’s ex would obviously want to hook up with Lev again. How could anyone not want Lev? He shook his head, picturing those sparkling brown eyes and that sexy smile.

  Lev was full of attitude, and it was just about the most attractive thing Austin had ever seen. Austin may not have had a usual type before, but he was quickly developing one. These days, he couldn’t imagine being into anyone other than that kid.