Has hell frozen over?!?!
Me:
Knock it off. You know I’m busy with work.
Rudy:
Baby, we have jobs too.
Me:
Yeah, at a strip club!
Maxwell:
Better than dealing with those snot-nosed brats all day.
Some days… I bet it is. And I’ve thought about switching careers. They’ve offered me a job multiple times. Say I’d make a lot of money, which I’m sure I would, but I’m nothurtingfor money and I am shy. I couldn’t handle taking my clothes off on stagewhiledancing with hundreds of people watching. Nope, it’s not for me.
Me:
Are you going to answer me or not?
Rudy:
We’re heading to work in ten, boo. Come by!
Do I want to deal with a strip club tonight? No, I don’t. But I haven’t seen my friends in a while, so I probably should go. It could get me out of this funk I’m in. Once I’m there, I’ll have fun. I always do.
The guys and I have known each other since high school and have stayed friends through the years. We had a few partying years together, but that ended quickly for me when Audrey got pregnant. They haven’t given up on their party days, despite hitting thirty already. They’re both dancers at Crown & Veil and have been for years. They get the spotlight dances on Fridays and Saturdays. They do an act together and are basically inseparable. If they were compatible sexually, they’d easily have the most solid relationship in the world.
Maxwell:
Come on! We’ll put your name on the list.
Rudy:
And buy you drinks!
Me:
Fine. Is there a theme tonight?
Rudy:
Lace, babe. It’s Thursday. Get it together!
I sigh as I get up, the towel falling off completely, and dig through the dark parts of my closet to find the club clothes I wear when I decide to visit them at work. It doesn’t happen often, maybe a couple times a year, but I’m always prepared.
There are only two shirts in my closet that will fit the theme, and I grab my absolute favorite. The one I wish I had more places to wear it to. It’s a black, short-sleeve, sheer button-down with deep emerald embroidered flowers along the fabric in an almost ornate pattern. It pairs well with black slacks, and I guess that’s what I’m going with for the night.
I quickly get dressed and fix my hair, using some gel to style it back messily, bringing out the slight wave in it. I spritz a little cologne, brush my teeth, add deodorant, and grab my nice jacket. I order an Uber and head downstairs to let Audrey know that I’m leaving and also wait for the car with her rather thandoing nothing in my apartment—I could change my mind about going if I’m sitting in the quiet too long.
“Open the jacket. Let me see,” she says from the laundry room.
I stand in the doorway and unzip it, holding it open.
“I knew it!” she says. “You looksogood in that shirt, Miles. You trying to pick someone up?”
