“Okay, if you agree to come out with us, you can choose, but if you pick somewhere shit, you can stay here and have a hot date with your double pepperoni stuffed crust.”
“How about Madame Hoes?” A good laugh with some fantastic cabaret would pull him out of his funk. He hoped Hollywood Starr was performing. Besides, Kieran had been far too intuitive with his pizza comment.
“Get your glad rags on, dear,” said Kieran. “You’ve got a deal.”
Madame Hoes was packed to the rafters, which wasn’t unusual for a Friday night. The place had been around since before the war– well, not quite, but it was certainly older than Milo, and possibly even his foster parents. Joey had been the owner for as long as Milo had been coming here. He was the alter ego of Hollywood Starr, who was the best drag queen Milo had ever seen, and superior to anyone on a certain reality TV show. That was his opinion, and nobody could convince him otherwise. He liked old-school drag, where it was more about the entertainment than the look, not that Hollywood Starr didn’t always look fantastic.
“Is Langdon working tonight?” asked Liam.
That bitch was too thirsty for his own good. He’d had a crush on Langdon for years, even when he’d worked at Mickey’s, but he’d never tried to do anything about it. Milo had learned something about Langdon recently, and didn’t reallywant to burst Liam’s bubble, but he’d had a couple of drinks now and was feeling provocative.
“He’s got a boyfriend,” said Milo.
“And? Lots of guys are open.”
Nothing would deter the gays. Someone having a boyfriend or husband did not always mean an immediate “no” anymore, but to be fair, that could be the same for any coupling. Things were definitely less cut and dried than they were just five years ago.
“I don’t think they’re open, not with the way they look at each other. And when a guy was hitting on Eric, Langdon looked like he wanted to rip his head off. They’ve been together for a while now, so I think it’s serious.”
“I bet he fucks like a steam train,” said Liam.
“What does that even mean?” asked Kieran. “And besides, Langdon is vers.”
“What?” said Liam and Milo at the same time.
“I know someone who railed him. Don’t get me wrong, he gives off major top energy, but apparently he’s a flipper.”
“Ugh,” said Milo.
“Like you had a chance with that sex beast,” said Kieran.
“Remind me why I’m friends with you again?”
They all laughed. Milo looked around, seeing whether he could spot Langdon. He was in his early thirties, so not as old as Milo liked them, but there was nothing he loved more than getting an alpha-looking man and taking him apart in the bedroom. Langdon was all muscle, tattoos, and stubble, and he’d always engaged in some flirty banter with Milo. Had he missed an opportunity? Even if that had been an option, he wouldn’t have gone there, though, not with the crush Liam had on him. That’s something you didn’t do to your friends– well, Milo didn’t. Most gay guys didn’t have the same code of ethics when it came to cock.
Looking around, there were plenty of guys who were his type. Madame Hoes catered to an older crowd, which is whyhe liked it here, but nobody was giving him the time of day. The only ones who were looked like they wanted to take Milo over their knee and spank him while he called them Daddy. He was not one to judge, but that wasn’t his thing.
“Tattooed silver fox at six o’clock,” said Liam. “I’m going in.”
They all watched as Liam sashayed over to the beefy man, who had the whole biker look going on, and if you squinted, you would think he was Langdon’s father. Milo couldn’t help but chuckle. Liam was determined and resourceful. They watched the interaction, and after a few seconds of conversation, the guy’s giant hands were already stroking Liam’s arse, and Liam was batting his eyelashes like an old tart.
“That’s him gone for the night,” said Hassan. “Shall we go to Mickey’s?”
“The show hasn’t been on yet,” said Milo.
“There are no jocks in here.”
“I thought you had something going on with that guy at the gym.”
“He’s got a girlfriend.”
Milo wrinkled his nose in disgust. He had no issue with guys who were closeted– it was each person’s choice when and how they came out– but he deplored cheaters. If you were still figuring things out, you didn’t need to do that whilst you were in a relationship with someone else.
“I want to stay and watch the show,” said Milo. “Then I’ll head home and you can go hunting.”
Hassan seemed happy with that approach and went to get the next round from the bar. Milo was on the vodka and Diet Cokes tonight. He’d usually start with a few beers, but he needed to get drunk without feeling like complete shite the next day. He did not want his weekend to be spent in bed.
Disappointingly, Hollywood Starr was not performing, but some of the regular queens put on a great show. A mix of standup comedy and live singing was Milo’s favourite. Bymidnight he was ready to call it a night, so he left his friends to venture off to Mickey’s, and he headed for the night bus. They lived in Camden, in North London, so he had a few buses he could catch and be home in twenty minutes. A cab would be a waste of money given it was only him.
