Page 6 of Room for Elijah

The queen caught him staring and grinned provocatively. “Hey, girl. You’re new.”

A flash of heat shot through his body. “Oh, I’m, ah, just here with some snacks.” He held up the tray he’d helped Frankie prepare with finger sandwiches, crudité and shortbread cookies. Working with the man in the kitchen all afternoon had been wonderful.

The queen’s look got even more sultry as she turned to her side and ran a hand down a naked flank. “Mama, I don’t eat on a performance night. I have to keep this body tight.”

Nico suddenly appeared, only partially made up and not yet changed from his day clothes. “Leave him alone, Bella. He’s fresh off the bus from the not-so-great State of ‘Pray Away the Gay’.” He linked his arm with Elijah, a firm touch that anchored him. “His talent lies in the kitchen.” With a loud cluck of his tongue and a flick of the lock of hair hanging over his forehead, the boy grabbed a carrot stick and chomped it in half. Then he let go of Elijah and swayed his hips back to where he’d come from.

A heavy-set and older African American queen came toward him with full makeup on and wearing a silk robe. “Bring it here, baby.” She waved Elijah over to a mostly clear table. “Don’t you mind any of them. These skinny queens may not appreciate the food, but I do.” When Elijah put the tray down, the queen grabbed a sandwich. “I’m Cutie Pie, by the way. If any of these bitches gives you trouble, let me know. I’m the unofficial drag mother here.”

Elijah stood back, clasping his hands behind him. “Thank you, but it’s fine. I’m new to everything about drag, that’s all. Everyone’s been really friendly and nice.”

“Uh-huh.” Cutie Pie eyed him up and down while eating another sandwich. “You ever done any pageants?”

Elijah blinked at the question. “I’m sorry, what?”

“You know, beauty pageants for drag queens.” Cutie Pie waved at the room in general. “Lots of these girls get their start by going to local events. You got the look, pretty as a picture, and you could easily pass.”

“Pass?” Elijah was getting a little nervous. More and more of the performers were focusing their attention on their conversation.

“As a woman.” Cutie Pie’s tone implied that was obvious.

“Oh, well, I’m not transgender.”

Cutie Pie shrugged. “Some of us are, some not. We’re a big, welcoming tent. That’s not the point. It’s just that this job is all about the tips, and, mama, as beautiful and petite as you are, you’d earn yourself a fistful.” She waved a hand down her body. “Of course, the benefit of being a bigger queen is that I don’t need the padding that lots of these bitches do. My curves come naturally, and I can still do a split. That’s always a moneymaker.” With that, she shimmied before grabbing a cookie and sauntering away.

“We can be a bit much.” Rienk had slunk up behind him, ready to go on stage as Vanna Van Dyke for the opening act. Grabbing a stick of celery, she linked arms with Elijah, much as Nico had. It was like having his own personal bodyguards or something. Vanna led him back to the doorway. “Everyone is competitive to some degree, and a fresh face is going to cause some amount of anxiety.”

“But I’m not interested in being a queen. Dermott and Frankie are giving me a chance to cook.” It was still exciting to think about.

“Of course they are, sweetie. Anyone can see you have a talent for it.” Vanna stopped them in front of the doorway. “It’s not only about another queen upstaging them. Everyone knows you spent the night with us.” Vanna bit off more of the celery stalk and gave him a meaningful look.

Elijah felt flustered. “But I just slept on the couch,” he said in a low voice, glancing around to make sure no one was listening.

Vanna did something unexpected and surprisingly intimate. She unlinked their arms in order to run her long-nailed forefinger down Elijah’s nose. The touch was unexpectedly electrifying, raising the hairs on his arms and sending a pulse straight to his cock. “Lots of guys have slept there. Dermott is a big-hearted man, always helping others out. You’re different, though. Everyone can tell that.”

“Tell what?” Elijah feared he must look like a fish with wide eyes and open mouth.

By way of an answer, Vanna leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Sorry… I couldn’t resist,” she whispered. “You’d better get back out front. The show’s about to start,” she said in a louder voice before sashaying away.

With his confused dick pressing painfully against his fly, Elijah did as he’d been told.

* * * *

“Are you sure you don’t mind us watching TV out here?” Nico was curled around Rienk at the chaise part of the couch. A bowl of popcorn sat on the older boy’s lap.

“It’s fine, really.” Elijah was all the way on the other end, propped up on a pillow and wrapped in a blanket. He had his own bowl, along with a bottle of water. It was a nice, homey way to end the evening, even though he’d felt a ridiculous spurt of jealousy when the other boys had snuggled up together. “I’m not sleepy yet, anyway.”

Nico flashed a grin. “Good, ‘cause this screen is bigger than the one in the bedroom. I’m going to warn you right now, though, that this rom-com we’re about to watch is as cheesy as it gets.”

Rienk tossed a few popped kernels into his mouth. “Yup, that’s how we know how far we’ve come achieving equality. Forget gay marriage. Being able to churn out crappy movies like straight people is the real indicator. Prepare to cringe.”

Never having been able to watch anything gay-themed, Elijah figured he’d love the experience, no matter what. “Why do you watch it, then?”

Nico shrugged. “Who doesn’t like a cheesy rom-com? Besides, Daddy doesn’t allow us to watch anything that gets our adrenaline flowing before bedtime. No action or horror for us this time of night.”

“Yeah,” Rienk added, “exciting us is his job.”

The two boys giggled at that, while Elijah slid farther under his blanket, not comfortable with the sexual banter, even though he was also fascinated by it. Nibbling at his popcorn, he tried to focus on the movie and not on what was happening a few feet away from him. It proved impossible. The syrupy dialogue and teasing scenes of ‘will they or won’t they’ couldn’t compete with the way the other boys were becoming more and more entwined. It didn’t take long before Nico was fully straddling Rienk’s lap and kissing him while the bowl of popcorn was relegated to the coffee table.

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