"Genuine." Errol scoffed. "All I need is for them to present as willing, and I'm there." He tossed several limes to Riggs. "You weren't always this picky, my friend."
"Yeah, not sure where it came from. The last couple of weeks, no one has captivated me enough to take things further.”
"I think your gentle flirting and teasing, coupled with the fact that you're hard to get, have helped electrify this environment. Keep them guessing, Riggs, make them believe they have a chance, and they'll be back every night." Riggs slipped off his black t-shirt and tossed it under the bar, and Errol did the same. "Upping the ante, are we?"
"Keep them entertained." Riggs danced to the other end of the bar, thrusting his hips suggestively.
"You'll have them in a sweat." Errol leapt over the bar and did a couple of salacious maneuvers that had Riggs clapping. "Bring them on." He shouted, and the doors were opened.
Thomas was out front at ten after eight, and Jeremy pulled up in his Jeep. "Get in." He said with an excited smile. Thomas did so, but still felt like he was making a mistake. He let himself be pressured too easily; he should have said no and stuck to it.
"You're going to have a good time, Thomas. Stop overthinking." Jeremy stated as they made their way throughtown. Thomas nodded, not completely on board, but was willing to stick it out. Maybe an hour or so, and he could leave, catch a cab back to his apartment. Tomorrow was Sunday, so he could sleep in and enjoy his alone time. He valued alone time; actually, he cherished it.
The place was literally hopping, people were lined up outside, and the club itself looked to be packed. "I doubt we'll get inside," Thomas commented hopefully.
“I think we have a chance.” Jeremy glanced at him and smiled. He parked down the street, and they walked the block up to the Blood Rose.
"They really did a good job remodeling this place. The steel and marble are an impressive upgrade." Thomas looked around, remembering that it used to be more basic, and now it was exciting and alluring. "It still has that carnal, erotic feel to it, though." He added. The smell and the thump of excitement were filling the air.
"That's their bread and butter," Jeremy interjected with a smile as he pulled Thomas to move faster. "The Blood Rose has a shameless reputation, and it's what brings the crowds here every weekend."
"I look ridiculous." Thomas caught his reflection in one of the windows. The bowtie, the crisp white button-down, and dress pants, he looked ridiculous and grossly out of place. He tried to mess up his hair a little, but that just made him look worse.
"You look fine, now come on." Jeremy continued to drag him to the line, which wasn't as long as it had looked from the street. They were at the door within about five minutes, and they were let in with a nod from the doorman. "See, I told youit wouldn't be a problem." Jeremy led the way, and Thomas followed.
Once inside, they quickly found the rest of their party, who were already seated with their drinks. Thomas recognized Dr. Ferris but did not acknowledge him. He was a strange guy, and Thomas didn't want to do the wrong thing, so he waited until Ferris spoke.
Thomas noticed his gaze was following one of the bartenders and assumed it was the one Jeremy had spoken of. The bartender was impressively well-built and knew how to move to accentuate his many mouthwatering attributes. If Dr. Ferris thought he had a chance with a man who looked like that, he was seriously delusional. Ferris was far from good-looking and had an attitude that often drove people away.
"Glad you could make it." A few around the table said to him as he took a seat. Thomas just nodded and did not comment. Dr. Ferris sneered at him and then turned away. Thomas turned to Mandy and started a superficial conversation for lack of anything else to do. Jeremey headed to the bar and said he'd grab Thomas a beer.
He didn't know the people at the table other than Mandy and Jeremy, and he was starting to feel a little ill at ease. He could feel Dr. Ferris's eyes on him, studying, weighing, and measuring, no doubt. Every time he stole a glance at the man, the man looked angry, unless the bartender was in view; then he was very happy. This whole thing was feeling like a bad idea, and he hated having to watch Dr. Ferris drool over the bartender.
He wasn’t being too overt about it, but he was frequenting the bar and constantly touching the guy’s arm. Ferris was back at the table with another drink after trying to get the guy's attention, and he didn't look pleased. Jeremy was still at thebar, so Thomas sat there growing more uncomfortable by the minute. He should have gone after his own beer; it would have given him something to do.
“You like doing the tours.” He asked Mandy.
"It's okay, I'd hoped for an internship, but like you, I have to wait until next year." She shot a glance over at Dr. Ferris, who was now deep in discussion with one of the waiters. He was asking about the dark, handsome bartender with the sexy stare, as he called it. Lucky for Mandy that he didn't intercept her scathing glance because he was not known for his understanding nature.
Thomas looked over toward the bar and saw the bartender Ferris was lusting after. He was gorgeous, no question about that, and he was playing all the customers, including Ferris, but Thomas sensed no depth or meaning in the flirty gestures. It was his job to flirt. Their eyes connected for a moment, and Thomas felt the power of that gaze trained on him. He quickly looked away, not wanting to look desperate or creepy.
"I was thinking of applying at one of the other museums just to see what they might offer." Thomas wanted to put his focus on something other than the gorgeous bartender, so he continued his discussion with Mandy. "Next year is a long way away, and I'd like to get started on something more meaningful than the gift shop."
“Right, just what I was saying to Sally this morning.” He had no idea who Sally was, but she sounded sympathetic. Jeremy came back to the table with no drinks but an announcement.
“The bartender, the one with the rock-hard abs and the skintight jeans, said he’d bring our order to the table.” Jeremywas nearly salivating as he continued to describe the man in detail. It was the gorgeous bartender that Dr. Ferris was following, so he instantly perked up as Jeremy continued to describe the man.
“Fuck, I’m getting hard just talking about him.” Everyone laughed except Thomas. He looked back over his shoulder and saw the man in question approaching their table. He was handsome but also focused on his job. He probably got a lot of unwanted attention over the course of an evening.
"Loosen up, Thomas," Jeremy stated too loudly and slapped him on the upper back, forcing his attention back to the table. "Try to have some fun." Thomas nodded and wished he could will himself out of there. What he wouldn’t give to be relaxing on his couch in his living room right now.
CHAPTER TWO
Riggs offered to bring the drinks to the man's table so he could get a look at the people with him. When the man approached the bar, he had a scent lingering on his clothes that drew Riggs' attention. It smelled of sweet lilacs. The scent did not belong to him; it belonged to someone else. It was slight but powerful in its tone, and he wanted to know who held that scent.
The table was filled with people who were the average, the usual, there to have a good time, and who looked to be co-workers. He saw the man who had made the order, and next to him, cowering in a corner, was a younger man. It was the man who had stared at him briefly. He was extremely uncomfortable and looked as if he would prefer to be anywhere but there. The small human held himself tight, controlled, and wary. The white, long-sleeved, button-up shirt and bow tie completed the painfully stiff look.
The man next to him slapped him on the back and barked at him to loosen up, and Riggs felt that disrespect right down to his bones. It was wrong, and every part of him wanted to return the favor and slap the shit out of that bastard. Bowtie sat there, embarrassed, nodded his head, and avoided all eye contact.
