My Girl (9 page)

Seth never experienced the level of anger and confusion he felt as he watched Nicky pull on the red thong he borrowed from Stell. On one hand, the sight of Nicky getting all dolled up to go dance aroused the hell out of him. On the other hand, the thought of Nicky placing himself in danger sent Seth's temper soaring through the roof.

He still didn't understand this plan of Nicky's. He didn't see how Nicky putting himself out on the dance floor for Morales to see gave them the edge. The only thing Seth thought would happen was that Nicky would be hurt. Seth was sure of it

"Nicky, there has to be another way."
"Seth, you know there's not," Nicky said, glancing up from tucking
something
away in his thong. "If Morales is occupied with me being out on the stage then you guys have time to search for Elliot."
"He's right," Stell said as he slathered oil on Nicky's back, something Seth was still trying to not growl about. "And if Nicky is on the stage then the boss won't be able to touch him. He'll have to wait until he comes back stage."
"Why do you all keep referring to Morales as the

boss
?" "We don't say his name out loud," Junebug said
quietly, shaking his head rapidly. "It's bad mojo." Seth blinked. "Um, okay."
"A long time ago we started referring to Morales as
the boss because, one, he is the boss, and two, he seemed to
think it put him above everyone else, like we were calling
him sir or some such shit." Nicky snickered. "He had no
idea we only referred to him as the boss because he has
such a big damn mouth. Believe me, it wasn't a
compliment."
"Ah," Seth replied although he wasn't sure he
completely understood.
"It kept us from getting in trouble. He'd get pretty
upset if we called him the
fucking bastard from hell
." That made a lot more sense to Seth. But why
anyone would stick around and work here if the guy was
such a bastard didn't. That part still confused Seth. "Why
didn't any of you just walk away? There were other jobs out
there, even jobs dancing. Why stick around here if this guy
is so bad?"
"We couldn't leave," Nicky said. "Oh, there were a
few of us that got to leave but they were usually the ones
the boss didn't want here anyway, the ones who didn't make
very much money."
"Yeah," Stell said, "those of us who brought in the
crowds had to stay."
"Why?"
"Because Morales made it impossible for us to
leave." Nicky sighed deeply and turned to fully face Seth.
"You have to understand, being a dancer is all I know. I
never even graduated from high school. Many of us
haven't. So, it's not like I can go get a job in some fancy
restaurant, not unless I'm dancing on the tables. " "So, why not go back to school?" That seemed like
the reasonable thing to do to Seth. Of course, he had a
happy upbringing in a decent neighborhood, two parents to
care for him until he graduated from high school and went
to college. He'd never had to worry about where his next
meal was coming from.
"I tried. Stell tried. Hell, even Junebug tried once.
Morales would make up flyers with pictures of us dancing
in almost nothing and plaster them all over the campus,
advertising the club. People started talking and then they
started propositioning us. After awhile, it was just easier to
quit school and come back to the club."
"He's done that when we tried to get jobs elsewhere
too," Stell added in. "I quit working here about six months ago and got a great job at a bakery. The boss plastered my
picture down the entire block. I was fired the next day." "Has anyone reported him?"
"To who?" Stell snapped. "He has the cops in his
pocket. And if he doesn't sic one of his cop friends on us,
he sends one of his goons after us. And believe me, that’s
much worse."
"He has a doctor on call twenty-four hours a day."
Junebug snickered, surprising everyone. "He even has a
little room in the back by his office just for such
occasions."
"That's got to be where he's holding Elliot," Nicky
said. "It just makes sense."
"I agree," Seth said. "The question is how do we get
Elliot out of there? Even with Nicky keeping Morales
occupied out on stage I doubt he would leave the detective
alone."
"How do you look in a thong?" Junebug giggled. "Excuse me?"
"Not you." Junebug waved Seth away and pointed
to Ricky, whose jaw dropped open. "Him."
Seth started laughing. "Ricky looks great in a thong,
don't you, Ricky?"
"I don't think so," Ricky said. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at everyone. "So not going to
happen."
"Not even if it means you can go in, rescue Elliot,
and be his hero?" Nicky asked. "I'm sure he'd be all sorts of
grateful."
Ricky rolled his eyes. "Fine, but I draw the line at
rubbing that oily stuff on my body. There are just some
places a man has to draw the line and that's mine." Nicky wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "You
don't know what you're missing."
"I'll take my chances."

Seth whistled as Ricky walked out from behind the dressing curtain he'd been behind. He decided not to address the shiny skin the man was sporting. Ricky would just get all upset again. Seth was still astonished that Junebug had convinced Ricky to use the oil.

Hell, he was shocked Junebug had convinced Ricky to wear a thong at all. Although, Seth had to admit Ricky looked damn hot in the skimpy little white piece of fabric. It brought out the tanned color of Ricky's skin.

"Looking good, Ricky." Seth startled to chuckle until a hand was suddenly slapped over his mouth. His eyes widened and he turned to find Nicky standing next to him, a glare in his hazel eyes.

"No comments from the peanut gallery." Seth grinned, even though Nicky's hand still covered his mouth. It felt good to hear Nicky being jealous of him looking at another man, even if nothing would ever

happen with that man. He had made his commitment to Nicky and that meant no one would ever hold Seth's heart except Nicky.

Nicky leaned closer and arched an eyebrow. "If you ever expect to see me dance for you then keep your comments to yourself. Hell, don't even have comments. Your eyes are supposed to be on me and only me."

Seth wrapped his arms around Nicky's waist and pulled the man up against him, spreading his legs so that Nicky settled between them. He waited until Nicky moved his hand then leaned in and gave the man a kiss.

"I only have eyes for you, babe, I promise. I was just trying to make Ricky feel better, that’s all."
Nicky's eyes narrowed for a moment and Seth wondered if the man believed, him but then Nicky finally smiled. "Just you remember that." Nicky tapped Seth's nose as he spoke and the red color of his nails caught Seth's attention. He grabbed Nicky's hand and looked down at the manicured acrylic fingernails.
"I think we forgot something, Nicky."
"You'd be surprised." Nicky laughed. "The stranger we look, the more the guys like it. Why do you think Marla is such a hit?"
"Nicky, I've been in a gay strip club before. I've never seen any of the guys on stage wearing makeup, and certainly not nail polish."
"You've never been in this gay club before, believe me. I've seen some things go on here that would curl your hair."
"Yeah, I'm not sure I want to know. Just tell me these…" Seth held Nicky's painted nails up to him, "aren't going to get you in trouble out there."
"Are you kidding?" Stell said as he stepped over and looked down at Nicky's fingernails. "Nicky will probably get more tips than any of us tonight. Those guys out there love this type of stuff. Which reminds me, Nicky, we need to do your eyes."
Eyes? Curiosity eating away at him, Seth followed Stell and Nicky over to one of the individual vanities and watched as eyeliner and just a hint of eye shadow was applied to Nicky's face. Stell even sprinkled a little glitter on Nicky's face.
"Well?" Nicky asked as he turned toward Seth and struck a pose, one hand on a thrust-out hip, the other resting next to his nipple.
Seth swallowed hard at the sight of the sexy man before him. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen anything so hot. He was doubly sure he didn't want anyone else seeing it. "Tell me again why we're doing this?"
CHAPTER 17

Nicky rubbed his hands on the towel hanging outside the curtains leading to the stage. It was there for dancers to wipe their hands on when they began to sweat. Nicky's were sweating up a storm, which made sense since his stomach was in so much turmoil.

He hadn't been on stage since the night Morales killed Juan. He never thought he'd have to dance again. He had hoped he'd never have to dance again. Nicky kind of thought the change in his life would mean a change in his career.

Funny how things worked out. Here he was once again waiting to go out on stage and dance for a bunch of horny men, and a few women, in a bar owned by the man trying to kill him. Only this time, he was doing it of his own free will.

If that wasn't irony, Nicky didn't know what was. "Are you going to be okay, babe?"
Nicky glanced over his shoulder when he felt Seth

press against his back. "Yeah, I'll be fine."
"You don't have to do this, you know." "Yes, I do. We need a distraction and I'm the

biggest one we have. Morales will lose his mind when he sees me out on stage."
"That’s what I'm afraid of."
"I'll be in a room full of people, Seth. Morales won't

make a move until I come off stage, so that’s exactly how long you, Ricky, and Junebug have to rescue Elliot. I should be on stage for two songs, no longer."

"What?" Nicky turned around to stare up at Seth in shock. "No, you can't."
"Nicky," Seth said as he cupped the side of Nicky's face, "I can't let you go out there by yourself, even for Elliot. Ricky and your friends are going to go after Elliot. I'm going to go out the backdoor and come in the front, just like every other horny guy wanting to watch you dance."
Nicky felt his face flush as he imagined Seth watching him dance. "Seth, I'm not sure I can dance with you out there. The things that happen…" Nicky shook his head. "I don't know if I want you to see that."
"Nicky, nothing I see out there can be any worse than the things I've imagined, believe me." Seth's free hand reached down to tug on the elastic waist of Nicky's thong. "Besides, I'll just be a paying customer with lots of dollar bills to stick in your thong. Maybe I can keep all your attention on me."
"You have to promise me that you won't get mad."
"How about I promise not to do anything about it instead because I'm not sure I can promise not to get mad if I see a bunch of horny men touching you. I just won't act on it."
"Or hold it against me. I stopped dancing a long time before you came into my life and that’s done and over with. Except for tonight, I won't be dancing anymore. I promise."
"Nicky, babe, it's okay." Nicky doubted Seth's words but he still leaned into the kiss the man pressed against his lips. "The past is the past, babe. And besides, I've never once said I had an issue with my lover being a dancer. You just assumed I did."
"But you just said—"
"I said I wasn't sure if I could prevent myself from getting mad if I saw other men touching you. That has nothing to do with you. While you may have fun doing what you do, this is a job just like any other. I'd get mad if you were a gas attendant or an accountant and someone touched you."
"It's not the same thing, Seth."
"It is the same thing." Seth insisted. "You get up, go to work, and do your job. When you're done, you go home at night. It's no different than working as a cab driver or a school teacher or even a librarian."
"It is different!" Why couldn't Seth understand that? Nicky couldn't count the number of guys he'd started dating that either dropped him when they discovered he was an exotic dancer or treated him like a piece of meat.
"How?" Seth asked. "Because you take your clothes off? Because men put money in your thong? Because you dance on a stage with men lusting after you?"
"Yes!"
"I don't buy it."
Nicky rolled his eyes. "You will."
A moment later Nicky's stomach started fluttering again when he heard the song start to end for the dancer on stage. He knew he was up next. Nicky patted Seth's chest. "I'm up, Seth. If you want to be out in the crowd, you'd better get there."
"Okay." Seth placed another kiss on Nicky's lips then leaned back. "If you think things are starting to go wrong you get the hell out of there. Understand me?"
Nicky nodded. "The same goes for you."
"Morales doesn't know who I am."
"We hope."
"True, but let's just pretend that he doesn't, okay?" Nicky nodded.
"Now, go out there and dance for me. I'll be right where you can see me. And remember, babe, I love you."
"I love you, too."
Nicky took a deep breath and released it slowly as he watched Seth walk away. He really had no idea how Seth was going to react once he saw the crowd and Nicky's dancing. He wasn't sure he'd ever want to know.
Suddenly hearing footsteps behind him, Nicky shrank back into the shadows and prayed that it wasn't Morales. That would ruin all of their plans and he'd most likely end up with a bullet in his head. When Marla's blond head came through the curtain, Nicky let out the air he had been holding in his chest and rubbed his hand over his beating heart.
"Nicky?" Marla whispered. She quickly glanced behind her then grabbed the edges of the curtains and pulled them closed before turning back to Nicky. "What in the hell are you doing back here, boy? Don't you know Morales is still looking for you?"
"Yeah, that’s why I'm here." Nicky could hear the music tuning up for his set. He pointed back toward the locker room. "Look, Stell can explain everything to you. I have to go out on stage to distract Morales."
"Distract Morales?" Marla shrieked. "Have you lost your mind?"
"Probably."
"Honey, you've got to get out of here."
"I can't. Morales has Detective Stone and we suspect he's holding him in that doctor's room by his office. I'm supposed to go out there and distract Morales while a few of our friends rescue the detective."
"And then?" Marla smirked.
"And then we get the hell out of here."
Marla seemed to stare intently at Nicky for several moments, so long in fact, that Nicky began to get nervous. He pushed his weight from foot to foot and hoped Marla wouldn't blow a gasket. It had been known to happen.
"Fine, I'll help but you'd better promise me to stay clear of Morales. He's a mean son-of-a-bitch."
Nicky chuckled, relieved by Marla's agreement. He walked over to the curtain and cracked it just enough to look through. It took him a moment but he finally spotted Seth standing by the bar ordering a drink. He motioned for Marla to come closer.
"See the guy by the bar in the tight jeans and the white shirt? He's about 6'1" and 185 pounds, short dark brown hair, muscular, dreamy chocolate-brown eyes?"
"Dreamy eyes, huh?" Marla peeked through the curtain. After a moment, she whistled low in her throat. "Damn, honey, he's fine."
"That's my Seth."
"
Your
Seth?" Marla asked as she turned to look at Nicky, one perfectly trimmed eyebrow arching.
Nicky nodded eagerly, unable to prevent the smile that crossed his lips. "He's out there to keep an eye on me while his friend Ricky, Stell, and Junebug go rescue the detective. He won't let anything happen to me."
"It would seem going out west has been good for you." Marla once again pulled the curtains closed. "Hell, honey, if they have more out there like him, I just might have to come for a visit."
"You're always welcome, you know that. We'd be hap— oh!" Nicky saw the red light flash over the entrance to the stage. "That’s me. I'm up."
"Are you sure you want to do this, honey?"
"Not really, but I don't see any other choice. Just do me a favor?"
"Anything."
"If things get bad, make sure nothing happens to Seth. I don't think he truly understands how crazy Morales is. If he thinks I'm going to be hurt, he'll jump in and try to save me and I don't want anything to happen to him. He's special, Marla."
"I'll do my best, honey." Marla's gentle pat on his shoulder was comforting to Nicky but it still didn't make the rolling in his stomach go away. "Now, go out there and put on the best show you can for your sexy man. You let me worry about everything else."
"Be careful, Marla."
"Always, honey."
Nicky shook his head as Marla walked away. He'd never understand the woman, well, man. Marla chose to live her life as a woman and that was just fine with Nicky. She was the best girlfriend a gay guy could ever have. But even after all of his time masquerading as a woman, Nicky couldn’t understand how anyone did it on a regular basis, not even women. It was hard.
"Tonight we have a special surprise," said a deep voice over the intercom. "Back for a special performance tonight only, the one, the only,
N Lust
!"
The slow sensual music that instantly came on was loud but the crowd yelling and shouting was even louder. Nicky waited for a moment then slipped between the curtains, slowly slinking his way onto the stage.
He walked to the beginning of the stage and struck a pose with his hands clasped in front of him and his head bowed down. He was waiting for the right music note before beginning his dance.
Peeking through his lashes, Nicky could see Seth just on the edge of his vision. He stood back several feet from the stage with a beer in his hand. Nicky could see Seth's anxiousness in the tense muscles of his thighs. He hoped that his lover was ready for what was about to happen.
Then Nicky heard the music note he'd been waiting for. He dropped his hands and started forward, swaying his hips sensually from left to right. The crowd went wild. Nicky saw several of his regular customers rush the stage and tried not to let it affect his dancing.
Nicky grabbed the dancer pole and swung himself around it until he could hook his legs around it then slowly slid down. He blocked out the roaring crowd and concentrated on his movements.
A hip pushed out this way, an arch that way, a leg squat on the floor, all were done with the intent of inciting the crowd. When Nicky dropped down onto his hands and knees to the floor and glanced toward the crowd, his eyes immediately fell on Seth standing at the meat bar.
Nicky cast the crowd a sensuous grin and slowly crawled across the floor, pushing his ass into the air until he reached the edge of the stage. He ignored the dollar bills being tossed at him and swung his legs around, hooking one behind Seth's head.
Seth's eyes widened. Nicky could see a bit of shock on the man's face as it flushed. Several customers were slapping Seth on the back. Even more were shooting him envious looks when Nicky used his legs to draw Seth closer.
"Do you want me?" Nicky whispered into Seth's ear. He felt a dollar bill slide into his thong. When Nicky leaned back, Seth was breathing heavy. Nicky grinned then arched his body back and did a back flip back onto the stage into a standing position.
Once again, the crowd went wild. They seemed to love it when Nicky used his athletic body to move around the stage and arch and wiggle and do things other dancers only thought of doing. It was one of the reasons Nicky was so popular.
Nicky made sure to make several motions towards other patrons as well as Seth. If Morales was watching, Nicky didn't want the man to think Nicky was paying special attention to any one man. He didn't want Morales to know about Seth.
As the song started to wind down, Nicky made his way back to the dancer pole. He knew he had one more song to do before he could leave the stage and he hoped that his friends were rescuing Elliot. Nicky didn't know what he'd do if they didn't.
Nicky struck another pose as he waited for the next song to begin. A flash of movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Nicky lifted his head just enough to look through the fall of his long hair.
Nicky's heart thundered in his chest when he spotted Morales and two of his goons standing just to the left of the stage Nicky knew he would never have the chance to leave through the back entrance. Morales would catch him before he even reached the curtains.
The front didn't look too promising either. Nicky could see two more goons taking up places on either side of the front door. Nicky realized that there had been one fatal flaw in his plan to be a distraction while Elliot was rescued.
He'd forgotten to plan an escape route.
CHAPTER 18