Smack!
"Ouch! That hurt, you asshole!" I rubbed the back of my head as I glared at Enzo. "What the fuck was that for?"
"Because you're about a second away from getting your ass kicked." He jerked his head toward Freddie who'd apparently read my mind. Instead of enjoying the show, he was glaring at me, tearing a cocktail napkin to shreds to keep his hands busy. "I get it. Peter makes a gorgeous woman, but that doesn't mean you get to look at him that way. For once in your life, think with the big head instead of the little one."
"You think I don't know that?" I scoffed. Shit, he was pretty much repeating my internal thoughts out loud.
To torture me further, Gwen—Peter, maybe it'd help if I kept repeating his name so I'd remember who was under the costume and makeup—stomped over to our table, curling her fingers around the cotton of Freddie's shirt. "This shit is bananas..."
Great, now I'll have that song stuck in my head all night and a raging case of blue balls.
As the music faded, Peter pulled Freddie in for a kiss I had no doubt left every man in the room whose last name wasn't Marino with a boner. Damn, he was going to be a hard act to follow. I needed something stronger than cider to get through tonight. I hoped like hell Max wasn't up next because Ihadto take a break and cool off. "I'm heading to the bar. You need anything?"
Enzo shook his head. There was no way the others could hear me, so I glanced at their drinks, realizing I was the lush at the table. Theirs were all still almost full.
I weaved my way through the wall of bodies toward the bar. Eventually, the crowd grew sparse since everyone was captivated by a Katy Perry impersonator on stage. I felt confident it wasn't Max because he couldn't stand to listen to her music, much less willingly put one of her songs on repeat long enough to learn both the lyrics and the nuances of her performance. A small group gathered around someone near the end of the bar, and I noticed upon closer inspection the Pink impersonator was the center of their attention. That worked for me because, as hot as she was, Ireallyneeded a drink and wanted to get back to my seat.
"Hey Tony, need another cider already?" Jordan asked as I approached the bar.
"Nah, need more than that for tonight," I admitted. "Surprise me."
"That's a dangerous thing to say to a bartender," he warned me as he started whipping out more bottles of booze than I could keep track of. "What's wrong? Figured this would be like Christmas morning for you."
"And there's the entire problem." I scrubbed my hand over the back of my neck. "Just got busted perving on my brother-in-law by my over-protective brother. You're lucky he was too enamored by his man to knock me on my ass."
Jordan simply shook his head. He was a good guy and one hell of a bartender. Eli struck gold when he hired this guy; he poured drinks with flourish and could often be seen screwing around with empties when there were no orders waiting to be made. "One of these days, your dick's going to get you into a mess you can't get out of, man."
"Most likely," I agreed. "Until then, I'm gonna keep being me."
"Wouldn't want you any other way." I spun around when Peter spoke up from behind me. He'd ditched the sequined leotard, but for some reason, he was no less sexy in a pair of black athletic pants and a tied-off white T-shirt. He dragged his tongue across his bright red bottom lip. "I'd ask how you thought I did up there, but your reaction said it all. You're good for a girl's ego, Tony."
Peter leaned in and pecked my cheek. I stiffened, glancing over my shoulder to make sure Freddie didn't see the two of us together and think I was hitting on his man. "Yeah, pretty sure Freddie's going to have words for me later."
"Screw him," Peter scoffed. He slid onto the seat next to mine and flagged down Jordan. When he caught the bartender's attention, he held up two fingers to let him know he wanted one of whatever I was having. "He was the one who told me to give this a shot if it was something I wanted to do, so he doesn't get to be pissy when guys look at me. Even if those guysarehis brothers. Hell, I'm flattered you were impressed because I'd have to think it's even harder to get you riled up than a lot of the guys out here."
"Oh Peter, it's like you don't know him at all," Jordan scoffed. "Tony's dick perks up every time the door opens."
"True, but I'm around him enough to know hedoeshave some self-control most of the time," Peter countered.
Jordan slid the drinks across the bar, and I made the mistake of taking a gulp rather than a sip. I sputtered, and Peter pounded on my back as if I was choking. How a drink could be that sweet and still burn on the way down was beyond me, but it was damn tasty. Not a drink that would creep up and knock you on your ass though; nope, this was a drink that reminded you with every sip you were going to regret it in the morning.
Peter spun on his stool, digging his fake fingernails into my forearm. "Man, you should see Max. He looksamazing.He needed some help with his makeup, but I really think he missed his calling hiding behind the bar all this time. If we can convince Eli to do more shows like this, I'll have to fight Max for top billing."
"You going to tell me which song he's doing?" I asked, hoping for a clue. Peter smirked and shook his head. "Oh, come on. I don't see why you're all such a bunch of asses with your secrets."
"Because, my love, it adds to the mystery and anticipation," he informed me. "Thanks for the drink, but I need to get out there and mingle. There's an award to be won, and I'll be damned if I don't take it home tonight."
I leaned in and kissed Peter's cheek before he sauntered off. Man, he had all of Gwen's mannerisms perfected.
I turned to head back to our group when Jordan slid another drink across the bar. "Take this. You're going to want it for later. Peter was right, Max is flawless tonight. If I wasn't against fucking my coworkers, I'd be tempted to drag him to the storage room."
"You know, too?" I complained. "This is so not fair!"
"Believe me, it'll be worth the wait." A guy at the other end of the bar waved his hand in the air to grab Jordan's attention, so I let him get back to work.
"And now, one of those special surprises I mentioned before," Eli announced as I reclaimed my spot next to Enzo. Eli looked directly at me and winked then smirked. I sat up a bit straighter, figuring it was his way of telling me I was about to get my wish. "She's been an icon, not only to the gay community, but to anyone who grew up in the eighties. I bring you the Queen of Reinvention, the original Material Girl. Put your hands together for Madonna!"
It was a damn good thing Eli had clued me in I was looking at Max, becauseholy shit,there was no way I'd have recognized him beneath the teased blonde wig, layers of makeup, and yards of lace and tulle. But as he lip-synced along with one of Madonna's breakout tunes, he sashayed right over to me. "...feels so good inside..." And off he—she?—went again, leaving me with a raging hard-on I wouldn't get rid of without a trip to the bathroom. Or ducking into the dressing room so I could bury my head behind the layers upon layers of white tulle to show him just how much I appreciated his performance.
