“Of course.”
“Must be hard being the prettiest man alive,” Rudy says dramatically.
“Is it? You tell me.”
Rudy laughs, flashing stunning white teeth. They aren’t perfectly straight, which just adds to his appeal in my opinion. “Oh please. I’m smart enough to know I’m a solid number two in this joint. The spotlight is yours and that’s just fine with me.”
His comment makes me slightly uncomfortable. I know my looks have gotten me far in life, but they haven’t even got me close to what I actually want. My original goals are nothing but shredded memories now, tossed into a dusty corner of my mind where they can’t taunt me. Good looks are nice, but they aren’t everything.
I spot a table with three college-age-looking dudes at it. Those types are always fun. “I’m gonna mingle.”
“Bye, diva,” Rudy says, waving at me as I saunter off to the table.
“Hey, boys.” All three men look up. “Got room for me?”
One of them, a beefy boy with blond spiky hair nods, scooting over to show me an empty chair. “You can sit here.”
“Thank you.” I sit elegantly, crossing one leg over the other. “Enjoy the show?”
“Hell yeah,” another one says. He’s tall and lean, a little nerdy looking. “You’re incredible.”
I simply smile.
“Can we get you a drink?” Beefy boy asks while the other two men nod eagerly.
“I’m actually all set on drinks. I just came to say hi.”
The quiet one, a man with big brown eyes, a scraggly beard, and very nice lips, leans a little closer, clearly working up thenerve to speak to me. “You’re so pretty. Can I call you pretty? Is that okay?”
“Yes, it’s fine, and thank you.”
I chat with the boys for a few minutes, learning that they’re students from the nearby university who heard about us from the people we send out to pass around flyers downtown. To my knowledge, we’re the only queer burlesque club in the metro area, which makes the opening of this new one across town interesting. I don’t think it’s all queer though.
The conversation bores me, but I always look for some common ground. That’s what makes me interested in people. No matter what, everyone has something. We’re all connected, it just takes time to find the link.
Lewis, the beefy boy, finally says something I can connect with. “So Professor Willis says I should visit the Louvre because I have an eye for art.” He chuckles. “Me? A dopey kid from a farm in Iowa?” He shrugs. “Guess I like it.”
“What’s your favorite work?”
Lewis turns to me, searching my eyes as he contemplates my question. “My favorite style is probably neoclassicism. I really like sculpture. Like—” He glances at his friends, blushing slightly. “—um, I likePsyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss. Do you know it?”
“I do, actually. What do you like about it?”
“Everything,” he gushes. “The expression on Cupid’s face, the intimacy of the pose, the draping of the fabric. It’s so detailed, but still hearkens back to ancient Greece and Rome in its form.”
“Aaand we’ve lost him,” one of his friends, Dan I think, says, and the other one laughs. Michael?
Lewis shrugs, clearly embarrassed about his interests in front of his friends. I place my hand over his and his jaw drops as he focuses on my face.
“Never let go of the beauty. It’s all we have. It keeps us sane.Go to Paris and see it all. Eat it up, and put those memories in your heart to get you through the hard days.”
Lewis nods, his lips parted in awe. It’s rare that I connect with a customer this deeply, and he’s cute enough, but he’s still a customer. If I won’t fuck Specter, I definitely won’t fuck sweet Lewis.
I look at his friends. “I hope you all appreciate each other. Finding friends can be hard in this world.”
Michael squeezes the back of Lewis’s neck. “We do. We aren’t teasing him. We love his enthusiasm. They let me nerd-out on math, and Lewis has his art. Dan’s all about architecture.”
“Good.” I pat the table then stand up to leave. “Have fun, boys.”
