Page 19 of The Influencer

He’s very pretty, like I told him, and has every right to believe he could make a go of a modeling career. He waves me over to the bar when he sees me, and as I get closer, I notice his makeup. The eyeliner. The mascara. The lip gloss. His smirky smile. “Hey,” I say, leaning on the bar to study him up close. He’s a fucking vision.

He sticks out his ass for me because it’s obvious I’m checking him out. All he’s got on under the mesh is a jockstrap. Nothing is left to the imagination. His only accessory is a white, leather shoulder harness. I didn’t dress to hook up, so I’m fully covered in slim-fitting jeans and a black t-shirt.

“Nice go-go boots,” I say and mean it. They make his calf muscles look sick.

“Thank you. What are you drinking?”

“Water.”

“I can afford to buy you a drink, Asher.”

“I know you can, Jade, but I’m not drinking right now.”

“Not even a daiquiri?”

“Absolutely not.”

He grins again and rocks his body back and forth a few times, enough for me to appreciate his musculature, which was probably the intention. He must spend every spare moment at the gym.

“Did you dress up for me?” I ask.

He smirks. “Yeah.”

“Why?”

His green eyes narrow. “To remind you that you don’t belong here.”

“Wow. Thanks. I appreciate that.” Because not belonging feels so good. I attempt to remind myself what I saw in Jade in the first place, and I think it had something to do with how distraught he was about his nose ring. And the glasses. The nipples were just bonus content.

“My pleasure,” he says. All sass.

“Okay, Jade, give it up,” someone new says. “Who’s your friend?”

I turn my attention to the men behind Jade. One is short and bulky in a tight white t-shirt and even tighter jeans. He’s got a crew cut and a mustache. The other is slender like Jade but looks more like an 80s new waver with dyed black hair and a full face of makeup.

Jade readjusts himself to lean back on the bar, offering a clear view of me to the men. “Sorry. How rude of me. This is Asher. Asher, these are my friends, Micah,” he gestures to the one who has no room to breathe in his clothes. “And Dennis. Dennis is visiting from Colorado.”

We all shake hands while Jade goes on to explain me. “Asher is curious about gay culture and what we do in the shadows or whatever. But he’s straight with a serious girlfriend who won’t fuck him unless he puts a ring on it, so act accordingly.”

“Won’t fuck you?” Micah asks, shock evident in his saucer-shaped eyes.

Before I can respond, Jade does. “Wonders never cease, do they? He doesn’t drink either.”

“No offense, but what are you doing here, then?” Dennis asks, suspiciously.

“He’s just curious,” Jade says.

“Do you always speak for other people?” I ask him.

He levels me with his green gaze. “Am I wrong?”

“You’re kind of obnoxious.”

That flirty half-smirk again. “Were you going to ask someone to dance, or wait and see if someone approaches you?”

“Is that an invitation?” I challenge.

He shrugs a shoulder, a look of feigned disinterest on his face. “Doubt you could keep up.”

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