“It was ajoke, Kyrone. I wouldn’t make a move on my friend’s boyfriend. What kind of guy do you think I am?”
“You probably don’t want me to answer that right now.”
Dylan pouted. “Probably not,” he conceded. “It’s almost time to go on. Maybe some hot, rich guy will pay me for dances all night and then whisk me away to a life of luxury.”
“In your dreams,” Mac said from behind them. He was standing with his arms folded. He was a big guy, and the black suit he was wearing made him look even more imposing. Plus, he was the second in command and Michael’s best friend, so no one messed with him. “Less yapping and more getting ready,” he told them. “You’re on in ten minutes.”
“We’re almost ready,” Kyrone promised.
“You’d better be.” Mac wandered off to terrorise another group of dancers, who were also far from ready.
“He’s always so uptight,” Dylan grumbled.
“He’s just doing his job,” Jag pointed out.
“You would say that.”
Jag glowered at him via the mirror. “Meaning?”
“You’re fucking his best friend, darling. Of course you’re going to defend him.”
“Stop it, you two,” Kyrone said. “Has everyone taken testosterone pills tonight or something?”
Dylan stared at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re being an arse, and Jag’s all uptight and tetchy. At least there won’t be any talking while we’re dancing.”
Dylan let out a huffy sigh. “I’m going to go for a piss before we go onstage. I’ll meet you at the stage door.” He flounced off.
“I’m sorry,” Jag said.
“I was madder at him than you,” Kyrone said. “So I’m sorry too. You need to lighten up, though.”
Jag smiled slightly. “Michael keeps telling me that. I’m working on it.”
“Good. Are you ready?”
Jag held the sponge out to him over his shoulder. “Could you quickly do my back?”
“Happy to.”
He finished Jag’s body paint just in time to get chased on to the stage by Mac. Dylan met them at the stage entrance, feigning indifference, even though he was probably pissed off at being called out on his attitude. Kyrone took the middle pole, with Jag on his left and Dylan on his right.
They started with one knee raised and hooked around the pole, their bodies arched backwards, one arm extended up and back. When the music started, Kyrone’s pulse beat in time to it. They moved in unison, spinning slowly around their poles before leaving them behind to grind and shimmy their hips closer to the audience. After dropping to their knees and bending backwards, they all tipped forward onto their hands, smiling seductively. They got back up and switched places as they returned to the poles. Then reached up and wrapped their arms around the metal rods, pulling up into an embrace, with one leg raised and the other straight down, toes pointed. From there, they swung round into a rocket man pose, bodies angled up, arms back and pressed against their bodies. They transitioned effortlessly into the superman pose and then pulled one knee up into an angel spin. With their feet back on the floor, they returned to floor work, whipping up the crowd into a lusty frenzy.
When their routine ended, they worked the crowd for the next forty minutes, trying to convince punters to hire them for a private dance.
When the time came, he was ready for a break. It was twenty to one in the morning, and he’d had a good number of private dances, which meant he’d be going home cash rich that night.
There were only ever six dancers on break at the same time, with each trio overlapping by twenty minutes. It was a good way to catch up in a quieter, less hectic environment than when they had all just arrived or were getting ready to go home for the night. Although on his current shift pattern, Kyrone would be able to go home early, as his last break fell right at the end of the night. Mac would be on hand to trade in his dance tokens, which meant he’d be able to get back to Jared before three, which was when the club actually closed for the night.
He grabbed a drink from his bag and dropped onto one of the sofas in the changing rooms. Dylan was having a snack of hummus and breadsticks, while Jag had grabbed a small, battered book and was sitting on the opposite sofa, reading. Hunter, Logan, and Taylor were also on break, but they were sitting at a table, playing a round of cards.
Kyrone leant forward onto his knees and poured some of the water over the back of his neck. It wasn’t cold, but it still felt nice against his hot, sweaty skin. He tilted his head to the side as he caught sight of the cover of Jag’s book.
“Is that a seagull?” he asked, staring at the white bird on a vivid blue background.
Jag looked up at him. “Yeah. Why?”
