Page 7 of Come As You Are
“Come, young Vee, sit yourself down and introduce yourself,” the second bartender called out. Although I’d been introduced to everyone, I couldn’t remember their names for the life of me. My brain was full of Andrew’s instructions and spinning from the way the day had gone. Only this morning, I was wondering if I’d be able to make rent, but now I had two jobs and was trying hard to figure out how to be both a spy and a dancer.
I climbed down from the raised platform, suddenly aware of how tired my muscles were and that my clothes were damp with sweat. As secretly as I could, I took stock of my scent and decided I was not offensively odiferous—the pigs we kept at home smelled far worse—so I crossed to the bar and sat on the barstool next to Maria. I handed the bartender my empty water bottle, and he gave me a fresh one from the cooler behind the bar. I took it gratefully and finished it in two swallows.
It was only after I’d put the empty bottle on the bar that I realized Sebastian was staring at me, and felt color rise to my cheeks once again.
“How old are you, Vee?” Maria asked, a calculating look in her eyes.
“Twenty-one,” I answered. “I know I don’t look it, but I am.” Stormy’s instructions echoed in my head as I realized this was my first opportunity to talk to some of Illyria’s employees and sound them out about Orsino’s club. The thought of trying to do so without arousing suspicion, made my palms sweat. I had never been good at lying or any kind of deception. It was one of the reasons why I’d come out to my family. I couldn’t keepsomething like my orientation hidden from them, and my older brothers had been teasing me about my lack of girlfriends for years, hinting that they knew something was different about me, and making it clear how they felt about it.
“How long have you worked at Illyria?” I asked.
“Since Antonio opened it,” Maria responded. “Tobes as well. We’re both old pros around here.”
“Speak for yourself,” Toby responded as he continued to cut lemons into wedges. “I’m more of a con than a pro.”
Maria made to swat his arm, but he laughed and dodged away from her, playfully threatening her with the paring knife.
“Put that away,” Maria said. “I’ve taken on bigger pricks than that and lived to tell the tale.” She glanced at me, and I knew she saw the color rising in my cheeks. “Oh, sweetheart, you will be a lamb amongst the lions if you blush like that over the word ‘prick.’”
“Leave him alone, Maria.”
I’d been so focused on the verbal banter between Toby and Maria that I hadn’t noticed Sebastian joining us. I swallowed hard as I stared into his gorgeous eyes. They were hazel, with flecks of green and gold and a bit of copper, and when he looked at me, I felt it throughout my body. My dick twitched, and I thanked God I wasn’t wearing the tight gold shorts Andrew had informed me was my “uniform” when I danced. All the same, Maria nudged me with her shoulder and gave me an amused smirk when I looked her way.
“Ready to get the grand tour of the dressing room?” she asked.
Reluctantly, I slid off the stool and followed her down a hallway that ended in a door with a digital lock. “Andrew tell you what the passcode is?” she asked.
He had, but I couldn’t remember it at the moment while my thoughts were still swirling around Sebastian. I shook my head. “I forgot it.”
I was rewarded with another smirk.
“It’s real difficult. Nine-eight-seven-six. Mal thinks he’s so clever for choosing the last four digits rather than the first.” She rolled her eyes. “Not the brightest tool in the box, our Mal.” She pressed the numbers and led me into the dressing room, which was really more of a closet. Two mirrors lined one wall each with a makeup table in front of it. The other wall was lined with clothes racks on which hung a few costumes.
“Most of us take our shit home with us,” Maria said. “It’s easier that way, especially for the go-go boys.” She gestured to the tables. “And except for oiling up before going out on the floor, there isn’t really a lot you need to do unless you want to put on eyeliner and gloss those pretty lips.
In all truth, I hadn’t thought about wearing makeup at all. “Do I need to do that?” I asked.
Maria shrugged. “Depends on the look you’re going for and the persona you want to use.” She stepped back as much as the tiny space allowed and scanned me head to toe. “For you. Uh-huh. You’ve got that all-American boy-next-door thing going for you. You’re a pretty thing, but I’d suggest playing that ruggedness up. Some of the boys shave everything, but I suggest you go the other way. A bit of stubble and some chest hair if you’ve got it.” She smirked at me again. “I can help you there if you don’t.” She turned to the costumes. “Andrew putting you in those booty shorts he loves so much?”
“Yeah.” My cheeks heated.
Pursing her lips, Maria sorted through the rack and pulled out a pair of cutoff blue jeans, the kind I wore all summer long when I didn’t have to be working. These were a damn sight smaller than any I’d have dared wear out in public if I didn’t want my ass kicked from Twin Falls to the Nevada border, but the sight of them made me a lot happier than the gold thong Andrew had tossed my way.
“You got any boots to go with these?” Maria asked, and I nodded.
“They’re kind of worn, though,” I said. “And probably still have some cow shit on them.”
“Cow shit washes off,” she said as she handed the shorts over. “We don’t do a lot of two-stepping in this club, but the guys who come here will love you in this. If you’ve got a hat to go with it, that would be great.”
“I did,” I said, “but it got stolen at the first place I stayed.”
Maria chuckled. “That’s too bad, I might have one at home that you can use.” She handed me the shorts.
As much as I would have preferred the shorts to the thong, I didn’t want to get on the wrong side of Andrew. “Is it okay for me to switch costumes?” I asked.
“Honey, trust me. The only thing that really matters is if the guys coming in to see you keep ordering drinks. We got go-go boys in thongs coming out the ass, but a real cowboy? That’s something new. You’ll stand out, and that’s the thing that’ll have them shoving dollar bills in your pockets and…other places.”
I looked around the tiny space. “There’s not much room to rehearse.”
