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
"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
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