“Naa, I think we’re good, but we’ll text you afterwards to fill you in on how it went so you won’t have to wait until we get to work to ask.”
“Thanks.”
“No, thank you,” I replied, hugging him.
He damn near squished the air out of me hugging me back, but I loved his hugs as well as his protective nature.
“I’d love to see this modeling thing really take off for you two so you can stop working at the club,” he said as he slowly let me go. “As much as I’ll miss having you around all the time, it will be good for you to experience something different and have the chance to get out of the industry.”
“Aren’t we kind of just exchanging one piece for another?” I asked since the question had been nagging at me a little.
“Naa, they’re night and day, man, like, seriously, two completely different worlds. What he’s got going on in that studio of his is seriously upscale. Besides, working with him, you’ll be far more covered up than dancing on tables and bars.”
“True, I guess I didn’t think of it that way, just that we were still going to be making a living off our bodies.”
“How is that any different from a ballerina or an acrobat?” he asked. “Their bodies are their tools, the same as yours. If you danced on some fancy-ass Broadway stage instead of a strip club, you’d have people waiting around to hand you flowers instead of trying to grope your ass. It’s all about perspective. It’s time you start looking at things differently, so you don’t go and sabotage yourself.”
Nodding, I peered up at him and tried to smile, though I wasn’t sure I managed much of one. “I’ll try.”
“You’ll do, because I know you’re capable of it,” he replied, ruffled my hair, and headed back out to the curb where his Harley was parked.
Aside from Murry, he was one of the few people in my life who’d ever believed in me, which meant more than I’d ever be able to say. Heading back into the kitchen, I let myself truly think about the possibilities, including the chance, however slim, that someday soon Murry and I wouldn’t have to dance for horny, handsy people ever again.
And how fucking cool would that be!
“He left?” Murry asked when I rejoined him in the kitchen.
“Yeah, he couldn’t stay; he just wanted to check on me and let me know that James wants me to file a police report, so I guess I’m getting up extra early in the morning so I can go do that before we have to be at Dorian’s studio.”
“Wewill be up early. I’m going with you, and afterwards, we can stop at the diner for breakfast, okay?”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” I replied as he started filling our plates.
I could have tried to persuade him to sleep in and insisted I could handle it on my own, but I’d learned a long time ago that when Murry made up his mind about something, the smart thing to do was just hang on and let him lead.
6
MURRY
I was dying to see what Mr. Dorian had in the garment bags, but he definitely had some showman tendencies, because he was taking his time unzipping them both before he revealed any of the gear.
“I actually have a small backlog of outfits that need testing,” he explained. “So, I thought we’d start with the two I have the most concerns about when it comes to fit and comfortability during play. The larger costume, which will be the one you wear today, Raleigh, is my first attempt at a duck.”
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Raleigh grip the sides of his chair when Mr. Dorian made his announcement and knew it was so he could keep himself from bouncing in his seat.
“I love ducks. Is it a soft one or stiffer, like leather?” Raleigh asked.
“A little of both,” Mr. Dorian replied, carefully drawing it out of the garment bag.
“Oh. My. Gods, it has duck feet and a tail and a bill and everything!” Raleigh declared when it was completely revealed.
“That it does,” Mr. Dorian explained.
We were both dressed in boy shorts and socks to make donning the gear, as well as costume changes, easier.
“And for you, Murry, I have a Swan.”
“Sweet, graceful, and scary—that fits you to a T, Murr.” Raleigh said.
