Chapter 9

 

"You guys will be competing to be in a private party for the club owner..." a strange man gathers the men and says, "The winner will be selected for the private party."

 

My eyes latched onto the person who just walked in to hear the news. That person is Emory. He looks over at me. I hadn't seen him in a few days. No texts. No emails. He'd just disappeared only to reappear right now.

 

He does have his gym bag, which lets me know he came to dance for the night.

 

The other boys are all looking interested. None of them found it weird how strange the new club owner was. Ainsley was the kind of guy who came around all the time. He was a hands-on boss. Now we just stripped and got barking orders from these strange foreign guys. Each day it was a different man. Each day it was a different challenge.

 

I raise my hand, "What kind of private party?"

 

"The kind you want to be a part of," is all I get in response.

 

With that, the man leaves. I'm standing there confused.

 

"You look like someone just shot your dog," D tells me, "I better win this private party man. I'm telling you. I need the money."

 

"You trust these people?"

 

"Why the hell not? They have some money. Some really good money," he says.

 

That's all he thinks about. I look over at where I saw Emory. I'm surprised when he actually isn't there. I look over towards the back and see Hitter standing there.

 

"Hey, you seen Emory?"

 

"He disappeared with Lux," Hitter tells me sighing a little bit, "Probably fucking."

 

My heart beats a little heavier. I can't be jealous...but I was. I was a little jealous at this point. I walk out to where Hitter tells me they went. It's out towards the floor. The clientele for the night is already starting to get ready.

 

"Is this good?"

 

"Yeah...just like that----"

 

I'm shocked when I see Emory holding onto Lux! It's definitely sexual in nature. I'm standing there feeling a bit sick to my stomach as I see it.

 

"Does your boyfriend know anything?" Lux asks.

 

Boyfriend?

 

I hide behind the wall and peek out to hear Emory seeming a little anxious with Lux, "Barry is not my boyfriend."

 

"Does he know that? He clearly has feelings for you..."

 

"Can we stop talking about him? He has nothing to do with this."

"Then why don't you tell him what we are up to."

 

"He'd be hurt."

 

"I think he'd be hurt the longer he doesn't know about us."

 

"I think we need to just focus on what we're doing. Not here though. I don't want anyone to see us. Let's do it later on. I'll come over your house."

 

"Do we really need to do it again? I think we already know what it is."

 

"Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I'm any good at this," Emory states.

 

Gay?

 

Emory was saying he was gay! All of a sudden my heart is racing. The boys were right. They weren't lying about Emory. Emory was gay this entire time. Not only was Emory gay but he was having sex with Lux.

 

"Just shut up and kiss me----" Lux states.

 

That's when it happens. That when Emory kisses Lux.

 

"That was good...not great. Not how it was with me and Barry. We need to do it again. With more passion."

 

"Fine---we'll do more tonight. More passion."

 

~

 

I'm sitting back in the locker room stuck somewhere between anger and sadness. Tears were coming out of my eyes but here I was stretching out my cockring so much you would think I was putting it on a whale's dick. I am about to punch the locker when D finally gets over to it and sits right next to me.

 

"OK---what is it?" D asks.

 

"Nothing."

 

"Bullshit. I see your face. Something is clearly fucking bothering you and I want to know exactly what the fuck it is."

 

It's not that I don't trust D. It's the fact that everyone has been trying to warn me about what was going on between Lux and Emory this entire time and I had been ignoring it. Now I had seen it with my own eyes.

 

"It's him."

 

That's all I need to say to D. After I left my house and went to go live with D things got weird. I don't know why. I guess I had assumed things would be different between Emory and I. I figured he would go try to work on his marriage. A part of me though wished he would have decided maybe it was worth it to still at least be cool with me. When he didn't return any of my texts and calls----I figured it had to do with his marriage. I had no idea he was having a gay affair with Lux of all people.

 

They were going to do it again tonight. They were going to have sex tonight. And here I was just feeling stupid about the entire fucking situation.

 

"What he do now?" he asks.

 

"He hasn't even come to see me. He's been ignoring my texts and phone calls and hasn't been back here to even say hi to me..."

 

D looks irritated. I knew that he was straight, but he was always the person I went to when I needed to talk about everything associated with my gay drama with Emory. He was always the listening ear. Today wasn't anything near different.

 

"I'm going to get that asshole----and make him sit down and tell you what the fuck is going on."

 

"No..." I state.

 

"You're upset."

 

"He's with Lux."

 

I just spit the words out. I hate that I just let it happen the way I do. I don't have a choice. I sit back wondering if D is going to tell me that he was right. He was going to rub it in my face. I should have known. I mean Emory somehow had this epiphany about his sexuality and it felt like we had this crazy connection. That was complicated enough, but now I had to add the fact that he was actually exploring that connection with Lux.

 

And why not. Lux was better than me. He was more handsome. He had more money. He had his life together. I was just---

 

Me.

 

"Let's make him jealous."

 

"What?"

 

"Trust me, there is a reason I dance at gay clubs. I can read gay guys like the back of my hand. Whatever game he's playing---we're going to pull his cards."

 

"How?"

 

"By doing what we are best at. By dancing. Did I ever tell you I was kind of an artist? I've been taking day classes for art."

 

"What's that got to do with anything?"

 

"I'll show you..."

 

~

 

I'm out on the dance floor. My heart is racing a bit. Emory still hasn't come over to talk to me. He's still acting as though he doesn't even know me. He's still fucking avoiding me and I don't get it.

 

"Damn boy----" Hitter states.

 

I walk out and everyone notices something different.

 

"You like?" I ask.

 

"Fuck yeah..."

 

I look over and notice that Hitter's dick is hard. It's completely hard. When I walk out into the middle of the floor I get up on the stage and everyone's eyes are following me----even Emory. Until I'd gotten on the stage, Emory had been acting like he's so busy having some meaningless conversations with some of our clientele in order to get the tips. Emory looks up at the stage and he stops what he's doing at that moment.

 

His eyes set up on me for good reason.

 

I was covered in body paint.

 

That's when I signal the DJ. Immediately we hear the song come on.

 

Adina Howard's Freak like me comes on as I slowly move my hands from my neck to my chest to my crotch and hold onto my dick making sure I swing it a few times. Making sure I stroke it on the stage. I want all eyes on me. I want all eyes imagining what this dick would feel like in their mouths, in their ass...grinding up against their stomach while I'm bouncing on their dicks.

 

I want to freak in the morning

A freak in the evening just like me

I need a roughneck brother

That can satisfy me just for me

If you are that kind of man

'Cause I'm that kind of girl

I got a freaky secret, everybody sing

'Cause we don't give a damn about a thing

 

At this point, I'm dancing butt naked with nothing but colorful body paint on. The paint isn't even fully dry. It smears the stage and smudges a bit. I lean across the stage, showing everyone my ass. I do a split leaning forward so that I can reveal my puckering asshole to the crowd. Usually, when you dance there are either two moods. The first mood is when they are clapping and cheering. The second mood is when there is complete silence. This time there is complete fucking silence.

 

That's when he comes out. D.

 

"Let's sell it," he whispers to me.

 

That's when he grabs me up on the stage. I'm shocked when it happens. I'm shocked when he lays me down in front of everyone. I'm shocked when he puts his tongue in the middle of my ass cheek! I look back shocked D was taking it this far. We were just supposed to be dancing.

 

"D---what the----"

 

"Too much?" he laughs.

 

Way too much.

 

That's when I realize even though it's too much, it works. Emory is on the stage. He jumps on the stage and literally pushes D off of me. The attention goes straight to Emory wondering what that was all about. I am one of the people looking at him wanting some sort of explanation.

 

He doesn't give one. He just grabs me by my wrist and pulls me off stage.

 

We're in the back before I know it.

 

He's looking for a bathroom.

 

"Emory---Emory you need to say something."

 

Emory doesn't say anything. He is holding me hard with my wrist. He opens the door in the bathroom and we're not surprised to see Thiago in here. Thiago is doing his usual thing in here. He's doing coke near the bathroom sink.

 

"Get out of here Heat," he says harshly.

 

Thiago doesn't seem to want an issue. He walks out. He can probably see how serious Emory is in that moment and for the first time I can see how serious Emory is as well. Emory is pissed. He's beyond pissed. When we get in the bathroom he closes the door. I swear if this was anyone else giving me this kind of aggression I would have thought I was going to get my ass beat.

 

"You fuckin with me?" he asks, "You really fuckin with me?"

 

"I'm the one fucking with you?"

 

"Your so-called straight friend had his TONGUE in your cakes!" he states getting louder by the minute.

 

He's so upset that a vein is popping out of his neck. I have to admit that this was sexy. It was one of the sexiest things that I had actually ever seen watching how jealous he was getting. I want to be turned on but then I remember why I allowed myself to get in that sort of situation in the first place.

 

"D is straight. Unlike you----"

 

There is a pause. The look on his face is saying the most. Emory is selling himself out. How did I not notice before today how he's acting? How did I not notice this?

 

"If you know I'm gay---then you know how I feel about you. Why would you do something like that in front of me?"

 

"Same reason you are sleeping with Lux?"

 

"I'm WHAT?"

 

He seems seriously confused.

 

"I heard you guys. I know that you are sleeping with Lux."

 

"Jesus Christ-----I am not sleeping with Lux. What the hell did you overhear?"

 

The look he has on his face almost seems---believable. I knew what I saw earlier though. I'd seen them kiss. By how confused he looks I almost honestly believe he has no idea what the hell I'm talking about.

 

"You admit to being gay. I saw you guys...kiss..."

 

I thought confronting him would be the hardest part. I was wrong. It's the look he has in those green eyes.

 

"How do you not know that?" he asks.

 

"Then why kiss him?"

 

He pauses. He looks down.

 

"I don't want you to be involved."

 

"This is bullshit," I state, "I got to go."

 

I try to walk out of the bathroom. I don't get far. He pushes me up against the wall. He pushes me up against the wall and he kisses me. The kiss he gives me is deep. It's amazing. His tongue is down my throat. I try not to kiss him back but I can't help it. Before I know it---it's going too far. Before I know it his finger is in my ass. Before I know it my leg is up over his shoulder as he slowly fingers me.

 

That's when I push him off. I wasn't going to do this. I wasn't going to fucking do this to Roxana.

 

"Why do you keep pushing me away?"

 

"The same reason you are never honest with me."

 

He takes a deep breath.

 

"I deserve that."

 

I knew he was hiding something. I knew there was something off about how he has been acting but for some reason, it seems so much easier for him to kiss me or finger me than actually talk. When I push him away he takes a deep breath.

 

"What's going on? What's up with you and Lux----"

 

He leans up against the sink, "The Prince's brother likes Lux. He's been---helping us."

 

"Helping you?"

 

"He told us about the Prince's private party. So Lux and I have been meeting. We've been practicing together to dance together. We figured if we showed the same sort of passion for one another during the dance that we'd be chosen for the private party."

 

"Why are you interested in the private party?"

 

"We are going to find out what the Prince is up to."

 

I'm more and more confused as this conversation goes on. I'm more and more confused when I notice him not looking me in my eyes. He's going out of his way to avoid eye contact. There is more to the story. More than what he's telling me even now.

 

"Why would you want to do that if you don't think the Prince is dangerous?"

 

There is a pause.

 

"I said that to try to protect you. I know---the Prince is dangerous."

 

"How?" I ask, "Did something happen?"

 

He pauses.

 

"I can't tell you."

 

"Emory."

 

"I can't tell you. Not yet. I don't want you involved with any of this," Emory states, "I know you think I've been ignoring you---but I've been trying to keep you away from me. Away from this. Here---I'll show you."

 

Emory walks me out to his locker. He reaches into his gym bag. That's when he picks out a ticket. I look down at the ticket. A one-way ticket to Puerto Rico.

 

"You're trying to get rid of me---" I state.

 

"Not because of Lux. There is NOTHING going on with me and Lux," he explains, "I'm trying to get you away until things cool down here. And then I'll come to get you. I rented out a house. A house by the sea---you know like the Tina Turner song."

 

He was trying to protect me.

 

"Emory did something happen----"

 

"No. Listen. Please just leave. I can't do what I have to do with you here or with you in danger."

 

I pause. What the fuck was going on?

 

I look down at the ticket.

 

"But Roxana..."

 

"She's taking some time away herself."

 

"What? She's pregnant---"

 

"More reason to get away," he states, "Go to the house. Get the rest of your things for the trip. I'll meet you there. We can spend the night together tonight and tomorrow I'll take you to the airport."

 

I pause.

 

"You want to spend the night with me?" I ask.

 

He kisses me, "Everything will make sense. I promise you. Tonight before you leave I'll explain everything. No secrets between us."

 

I nod.

 

"OK."

 

"OK?"

 

"OK----I'll go pack."

 

~

 

Lux

 

"Kamal---"

 

There is only one person who calls me that. I turn around and see Nasim. He seems happy to see me and I walk up to him. I give him a hug. Nasim has been beyond helpful. He was helping me understand what was going on in his sick brother's mind.

 

"Nasim----I've missed you."

 

He smiles, "I would kiss you but----"

 

I smile just knowing he would. There were too many Saudis running around. They were very specific about who could see them out in the open. The fact that he was even out in the open now and not in the private VIP room was quite surprising.

 

"I get it. Any news?"

 

"The Prince wants Berlin for the private party after tonight's dance----"

 

"Only him?"

 

"Only him."

 

I figured the Prince doing all he was doing was because he was some stalker who was obsessed with Everett. Then I remembered that this prince had a thing for guys with green eyes. That included Everett, his brother Emory and that now that included Barry.

 

What the hell was Barry thinking doing that kind of dance tonight?

 

"Fuck that wasn't the plan."

 

The plan was for me and Emory to get chosen. One or both of us would have been ideal.

 

"Maybe you can talk to him. I need a recording. If I can get proof to the other members of my family about what the Crowned Prince is up to, I'd be able to scare him off. I'd be able to make him tell me where the other stripper is."

 

I would have wanted to tell Barry about everything that was going on for a while now. Except it wasn't up to me. Everett was in love with Barry and was willing to do anything to keep him away from all of this.

 

"It's not just Emory. It's also his wife now. Can we confirm that they are OK?"

 

"Said is a sick man. The fact that he has gone so far to keep his perversions is beyond me. I can't guarantee anything, but I can try to find out."

 

"I'll try to get Barry on board."

 

"Good luck..."

 

"You too."

 

I am about to turn and walk away but I don't. I don't walk away because Nasim stops me. He stops me and gives me a kiss. This meant the world to me. The fact that Nasim was willing to not only turn against his family but be there for me meant everything.

 

The fact that he was willing to kiss me meant more.

 

~

 

"So no practice?" Everett asks.

 

"Nah, no point. Get in. I'll tell you what I heard."

 

He gets in the car. As we leave I swear I get a weird feeling. I look over at Everett and see him ignoring a phone call that he had.

 

"Whose that?"

 

"My boyfriend."

 

"Barry?"

 

"I keep telling you Barry isn't my boyfriend. My boyfriend's name is Andreas."

 

"You not going to pick up?"

 

Everett shakes his head, "Nah. I told my boyfriend, Andreas, we need to talk the other day. I think he knows what we need to talk about. I told him I want to talk to him in person. I think he has a feeling what's coming. He's been blowing up my phone ever since..."

 

"You're about to break up with him?"

 

"That's what you do when you're in love with someone else."

 

"Damn you saying the L word----"

 

He sighs, "I know what I'm saying----"

 

This shit just got a lot more complicated. I take a deep breath. Everett was a pretty cool guy and we'd been spending a lot more time together after this whole sicko pervert stalker Prince situation. I knew that he was in love. He spent all the time possible talking about Barry. It was past infatuation at this point. I knew it was love.

 

I just didn't know Everett knew it was love.

 

"You're not going to like what I have to say in return then," I state.

 

"No."

 

"You didn't even hear what I had to say."

 

"You want to get Barry to set up the Crowned Prince."

 

"We don't have a choice," I state, "The Crowned Prince has already chosen Barry for the private party. Nasim told me himself. The only thing you need to decide is whether or not Barry is going to be left in the dark or not about it."

 

He looks over at me and takes a deep breath. I know he doesn't like this. I can see it all on his face. He has to know we don't have a choice.

 

"I was going to tell him who I was tonight but----"

 

"You're scared."

 

"Terrified," he responds, "He had a relationship with Emory. He had a history with Emory. What if he doesn't like Everett?"

 

"You won't know until you tell him. But I'll warn you one thing. We can't keep this from him much longer. He's going to find out and you want him to find out on YOUR terms and not anyone else's."

 

"You got a point man."

 

I smile. These dumb kids were kind of growing on me a bit. Maybe I could actually take Everett under my wing and teach him a few things. He definitely seemed open to listening to me. I wonder about the idea of actually having made a friend when we pull up to his house. That's when I see that there is a strange car parked outside of the house that he shared with his fake wife.

 

"Who is that talking to Barry?"

 

Barry is leaned over. He has a look on his face. He looks fucking terrified. Something was wrong! Something was definitely wrong.

 

"You think it could be the Prince?" he asks.

 

I pull over and I watch Everett take off. Everett grabs Barry clearly trying to protect him. I run over to the car and before even realizing that I'm playing a hero, I grab the guy in the driver's seat. I open the door with one hand and pull him into a grip in the other. When I look down I can see that this guy isn't some foreign henchman.

 

"Get off me," a guy says in a heavy accent.

 

"Who the fuck are you?"

 

"Fuck---" Everett says.

 

That's when we all turn and see Barry's face. The face of horror. A face that I was trying to get Everett to avoid if only he had listened to me and told Barry before something like this happened. This definitely was a gay guy. He wasn't even foreign unless a Bronx accent counted.

 

I already knew who this was. This was Andreas.

 

"He's your boyfriend?" Barry asks.

 

He's backing away from Everett. One step at a time he gets further and further away.

 

"I can explain---" Everett responds.

 

"Stay the fuck away from me. No need to explain anything. You're a fucking liar. Your boyfriend Andreas told me everything, Emory," Barry states, "Or should I say Everett?"

 

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