CHAPTER 1
The Phoenix Club.
The neon sign illuminated the dusk, casting a fiery-red glow over the faces of patrons entering the strip club. Cole Young stood on the sidewalk outside, gazing up at the lit sign, which featured the silhouette of a naked man with wings. The blinking lights made it appear as if the wings were moving up and down.
Every time the entrance doors opened, a surge of music exploded out, accompanied by the shouts and cheers of the rowdy male patrons.
Cole looked down as the doors swung open, and he saw a beautiful Asian boy on stage, his lean muscles glistening with glitter oil covering his whole body. His flesh-colored G-string made him appear completely nude.
A minortwitchin Cole’s pants. The boy was hot, but not what pushed his buttons. Honestly, Cole wasn’t surewhatpushed his buttons. Maybe he would find out inside.
For nearly seven years, he’d been in survival mode, always feeling the need to look over his shoulder, even though he knew no one was there. And before that... Well, that wasn’t something Cole thought about anymore. It was a dark,darkplace he’d spent these last few years burying as deep as he could, praying it stayed dead forever. He couldn’t even allow himself to think about...him. Because with him... came all the rest.
Cole took a deep breath and looked up at the sign again, the reddish glow bathing his face in crimson. His mind hadn’t yet shifted gears since his “departure” from home seven years ago. He simply kept moving, surviving, existing... but not quiteliving. There hadn't been anyone of importance in his life since... well, not for a long time.
Friends came and went along the way. No love interests, though. No one to tie him to one place. A couple of times, he thought he might have found his forever home, so to speak, but it wasn’t long before he grew restless, feeling the need tomove on.
Cole wasn’t clueless; it was hispastthat kept pushing him forward. In his mind, he knew that part of his life was dead and gone, but when he paused for too long, he felt the “tingle” at the back of his neck, thechillof ghostly fingers reaching for him from that dark void he’d left far behind.
No one was there. It was all psychological trauma. Still, when the sensations crept up on him, he had to move. It had been that way for years, constantly “going,” trying to escape the ghosts of his past.
Now he was here: New York City. He had traveled across the entire country, subconsciously trying to put as much distance as possible between himself and “home.” He couldn’t go any further—short of hopping a plane and fleeing to the other side of the world. Cole wouldn’t rule it out, but he was tired of running. He wanted a place to call home,realfriends—alife.
Someone to love?
Not that. Not yet, at least. After nearly a decade, his heart remained scarred. Maybe someday he'd meet a man who could heal it. Maybe.
Cole watched the entrance doors open and close, struck by bursts of loud music and glimpses of thecarnalworld inside.
You think you’ll find all that—here?A gay strip club. It wasn’t exactly the kind of place where someone went to find a happy, fulfilling life with prospects of friendship and maybe evenlove. But then, that wasn’t why he washere.
Gabriel Smith clocked the customer the second he entered the club: early twenties, blond hair, hard body—lust-worthy—but to be honest, there were plenty of lust-worthy men in the club tonight. Gabe couldn’t say what made him stand out. Whatever it was worked like a powerful magnet, dragging Gabe’s baby blues straight to him like a helpless speck of flint. His dark blond hair, though short, was slightly messy as if his fingers had made many passes through it. A slight tingle tickled Gabe’s own fingers as he imagined the short, soft strands sliding between his digits.
The man cast random glances at the stage where Jin whipped the crowd into a frenzy with his sleek, sexy body and “talented” performance. The kid—eighteen, maybe—had arrived at the club less than a week after Gabe and became an instant sensation.
Gabe hadn’t done so badly himself. As it turned out, he was pretty damn good at “shaking his thang” on stage. He didn’t have much experience when he came to the club a month ago, but with a few pointers from Logan—the club superstar—he picked up his game and now had regulars who asked for him specifically. Gabe planned to become the next club superstar… maybe evendethroneLogan.
He chuckled.Not likely.The man was a fuckingsex godon stage—and off. Gabe could attest to that. Some of their “lessons” had gotten prettysteamy,to say the least. Logan wasn’t one to take advantage of new dancers; Gabe had been full of “consent.” It was just some friendly fucking—Gabe’s favorite kind.
The newcomer paused at the club entrance and looked around anxiously as if he felt completely out of place. In the short time he’d been at the club, Gabe had learned to spot thesigns of a first-timer in the club. The tension in the man as he lingered near the entrance indicated to Gabe that he was rethinking his decision and possibly about to flee.
That would be a damn shame,Gabe thought. He’d never tried to stop someone from leaving before, but suddenly, he became invested in keeping this one here. Thepullwas something he hadn’t felt before, and he desperately wanted to explore it further.
Wading through the crowded, handsy mob, Gabe headed toward the entrance, his attention fixed on the other young man who seemed about his age. He arrived just as the newcomer turned to leave and grabbed his arm, startling him.
Cole flinched slightly when a hand closed around his upper arm, stopping his retreat. The grip wasn’t aggressive but still firm enough to halt him. Just moments after entering, he decided this wasn’t the right place for him. Having spent yearsin the closetand not trusting anyone enough to be himself, he had thought a big city club might offer both freedom andanonymityto relax and let his guard down. At the last minute, he realized he probably should have gone to a regular gay club instead of a gaystripclub. The sexual energy here was…overwhelming.
He turned and was instantly captivated by a pair of baby-blue eyes. He’d always had a thing foreyes; it was often the first thing he noticed about a man.
“Sorry.” Blue-eyes flashed a charming smile that sent a heavy rush ofbloodstraight to Cole’s groin, startling him so much that he flinched. “Didn’t mean to scare you.” The man—about Cole’s age—maintained a light grip on his arm, his touch likefire against Cole’s skin. He looked into Cole’s eyes, his smile twitching. “I’m Gabe.” His voice was deep, yet almost suave, and his introduction felt like aninvitation… but to what?
“Uh…” Cole cleared his throat. “Cole.”
“Don’t tell me you were leaving, Cole.” His grip softened and gently slid down Cole’s arm to his elbow. “You just got here.”
How did he know?
“I saw you come in,” Gabe said. “You look…” He squinted, his eyes catching the flashing lights, which somehow made the bluepopeven more. “… overwhelmed. First time in a strip club?”
