Marco (The Men of Indecent Exposure #1) (25 page)

“Girl… heaven from what I’ve heard,” was Pam’s answer. “You’ll thank me later.”

A heavy breath puffed from my mouth when we parked, realizing we didn’t even have a clear view of the front of the building. Yes… this line was wrapped around to the back.

Mona shut the truck off and we all climbed out. I lagged behind just a little as we made our way to the end of the line. It wasn’t until we got close that I realized it was composed completely of women. Like…
all
women, and there was an air of excited energy buzzing in the atmosphere.

While we stood there waiting, Tasha took up a full fifteen minutes talking about herself—her new job, her new car, her new boyfriend. By the time she finished, we’d made it to the corner.

I glanced up the side of the one-story, brick building, thinking maybe there might be some type of signage, but there wasn’t. Behind us, the line had lengthened even more, extending out toward the street. A guy, who could best be described as a wall on feet, came around the corner dressed in all black, speaking into a walkie-talkie.

“Yup. I’m on my way now,” he announced, continuing toward the back of the line. He stopped about halfway down and I turned to watch and listen as he addressed the girls to his right.

“All right, ladies. We’re almost at maximum capacity, so you know what that means.”

A collection of groans and complaints filled the air and I listened harder.

“Come back next week. Same time. Same place,” he added unsentimentally, caring very little for the way the women heckled him as they departed. When he finished, he stood in the divide between those who were getting in and those he’d just turned away.

“We’re good,” he said into the walkie, and then crossed his arms over his broad chest. And that’s when I saw it, the white logo on the pocket of his t-shirt.

Indecent Exposure.

My heart sank as I put it all together. With wide eyes, I turned to Mona. “I think I might need to leave,” I whispered so no one would hear but her.

A look of concern crossed her face as the line moved up again, finally making it to the front. Bright lights lit the entire sidewalk. “You feeling okay? Are you having one of those dizzy spells?” she asked.

I blanked out for a moment. This was… I couldn’t be here.

“I’m just… I...” I couldn’t think to answer her. “Just give me a sec,” I finally blurted, excusing myself from the line to get some privacy across the street. As I walked away, I dialed Marco’s number, not knowing if he’d even answer, not even really knowing what calling him would change. If he was already on stage performing, this call was made in vain. However, if he wasn’t, he’d pick up for sure. He always kept his phone close just in case I needed something.

I thanked my lucky stars when I heard his voice on the other end, music droning in the background—the same heavy bassline I heard from out here, although the timing was a bit delayed in my earpiece.

“Hey, everything okay?” he answered.

I pressed my palm to my forehead, turning back toward his building to stare at the bright, neon sign again.

I can’t believe this.

“Brynn?” he called out, concern mounting.

“Everything’s fine,” I answered, rethinking that. “Well, it’s
not
fine, but…”

“What’s the matter? You need something?”

I dropped my hand and tried to get my words together. “I’m… outside,” I finally breathed, wondering if he even understood what I meant.

“The club?” he asked, sounding surprised.

This was awkward, even just having to make this call, for so many reasons. We were getting closer, owning our feelings, but I wasn’t sure either of us was ready for
this
; ready for me to be here in his space.

“Yeah,” I confirmed. “Mona got in earlier today and we’re hanging out with her cousins and… this is where they wanted to come,” I explained. “I didn’t know until a second ago.”

The sound of him laughing on the other end wasn’t expected. “Why does it sound like you’re apologizing?” he asked.

I was quiet, realizing that’s exactly what I was doing. “I just… are you even okay with this?” I asked, chewing my lip while I waited for an answer.

He laughed again and asked, “Are
you
okay with this?”

I evaluated his tone and it honestly sounded like I was the only one uncomfortable, so I lied and said I was fine.

“Are you in line already?” he asked next.

My eyes shifted back toward where I found Mona watching me with a curious expression. “We are,” I confirmed.

“Cool. Do this,” he started, “find the big, bald guy in a black t-shirt. Mean-looking guy with more hair on his arms than his head,” he explained, laughing.

He’d just described the man who turned away half the girls trying to get in.

“See him?” Marco asked.

I took a breath, heading back across the street with slow steps. “Yeah.”

“Okay, hand him your phone,” he said next. I stopped on the curb, hoping he was really as chill about all this as he seemed.

“Marco, you don’t have to pretend you’re fine with me being here,” I whispered, now in ear-shot of the other girls. “I won’t get upset if you don’t want me here. I can just lie and tell them I’m sick to my stomach or something. It’s not a big deal,” I rambled.

He laughed again, the deep raspy tone of it filling my senses. “Brynn… it’s cool. For real,” he assured me, later adding, “Unless you’re scared.”

There was a challenge in his tone that first made me acknowledge that he was right, and then brought a smile to my face.

When I didn’t answer, he laughed again. “And the truth comes out.”

I took a deep breath and made my way toward the man in black.

“Relax,” Marco said casually, like this was nothing. “We’ll have fun.”

I didn’t miss that he said
‘we’.

The wall on feet stared me down when I approached him. “Okay, I’m handing the phone over,” I said quietly into my cell before passing it to the man. At first he didn’t understand, but he took it anyway.

“Hello?” he answered, listening for a few seconds before nodding his head. “No problem,” was all he said back, placing my phone in my hand right after.

“How many friends do you have with you?” he asked, already making strides toward the front of the line with me trailing behind him.

“Uh… four. There’re five of us altogether.”

“Okay, get them and meet me at the door.”

He continued on when I stopped beside Mona, feeling my heart race inside my chest. How in the hell was I supposed to explain this to them? Tasha and Hayley paused their conversation and listened when I addressed Mona.

“I think we’re getting in free,” I announced quietly.

Tasha’s head reared back, but she didn’t say anything. It was Mona who asked the questions. “How’d you get us in free? You got connections?” There was a smile on her face, but I knew she wanted answers for real.

I couldn’t tell her, though. Not with Tasha, Pam, and Hayley around.

“I’ll explain later,” was the only answer I gave. “Come with me.”

All four followed and I met the man at the door like he instructed me to do.

“Right this way, ladies.” With a flick of his hand, he motioned for us to keep up with him, parting the crowd awaiting us just beyond the entrance.

This place was insane, packed to capacity. There was no telling how even the women still waiting outside would get in. Clearly, the men of Indecent Exposure had quite a healthy fan base. At the thought of it, I felt my stomach twist, knowing a fair amount of them were likely fans of one dancer in particular.

The bouncer swiped a
‘reserved’
sign from a table and then offered the spot to us. It was in the club’s equivalent of a stadium’s nosebleed section. We were on the outskirts of the room with row after row of hungry women, all waiting to feast their eyes on the performers.

Pam leaned in. “I don’t know how you did this, but thank you! The cover charge to get in here is hella-high,” she said over the music.

Not wanting to explain, I simply told her it wasn’t a problem and then leaned away, glancing around the packed room.

“Damn! No alcohol?” Tasha said loudly, pointing at a banner hung above the bar.

Pam nodded. “Not tonight. It’s
All-In Saturday,”
she explained.

Hayley frowned. “What’s that mean?”

The question had Pam smiling. “It means if this had been a year ago, you wouldn’t have been old enough to get in with us tonight. From what my coworker told me, once a month only the twenty-one and over crowd can get in and there’s no alcohol served, because…” she paused as her smile grew, raising her brow suggestively. “The fellas get fully nude.”

“Oh, hell
yes!
” Tasha said with a wide grin. “That’s what
I’m
talkin’ about.”

Fully nude?
My stomach twisted again.

The room went wild when the lights dimmed and the volume of the music went up several decibels. Tasha, Mona, Pam, and Hayley clapped and howled with the rest of the room, but all I could think about was the fact that I didn’t imagine the next time I’d see Marco naked would be like
this.

This life was a side of him I’d only been made aware of recently. And, while I in no way judged his decision to perform here, I was admittedly uneasy about what it would mean for us moving forward.

I looked around, taking it all in, realizing I pictured it all wrong. In my head, this place was supposed to be some small, hole-in-the wall, seedy joint filled with smoke and desperation. However, I misjudged. It was clean, upscale, and
huge
.

The black, lacquer-coated stage formed a T, with its base extending out into the audience, outlined in tiny, white lights beneath the surface. Above, an extensive lighting system shined blue, green, and red lights down where the dancers would be when they eventually graced the room. Even the bar was classy. A team of buff bartenders with matching tight, black,
Indecent Exposure
t-shirts stood behind the counter, serving the club’s patrons.

“Ladies, ladies, ladies!” Came a loud, female voice through the several speakers near our table. I glanced toward the DJ booth and found a woman about my age and complexion holding the mic. “Are you ready for the fellas?” she yelled loudly, drawing out her last syllable as the women screamed, feeding the excitement in the room.

“Well… if that’s what you want,” the emcee yelled back, “You’re gonna have to
begggggggg
for it!”

The volume in the room increased tenfold and I distinctly heard Marco’s name being yelled from several different areas within the crowd.

“Now that’s more like it,” the woman said next. “Let’s hear it for the boys!!!”

I swear I went deaf for the next forty-five seconds as the room exploded. These women were standing on their feet, screaming like they were at a concert. A faint smile crossed my face watching them, finding it hard to believe they carried on like this week after week.

The music faded and the room became almost too quiet. Every now and then a woman would whistle from the crowd. A deep rumble of bass vibrated through my chest and goosebumps dotted my arms at the feel of it. Another wave of excited energy flowed through the room when five tall figures slowly stepped out on stage, expressionless beneath dark sunglasses, holding character. It was like they were completely unaware of the constant hooting and howling surrounding them.

Dark vests with the acronym F. B. I. printed across the front was the only thing they wore up top, nothing covering their arms. On the bottom, dark cargo-pants and leather, military-grade boots. I strained to see if one of the men on stage was Marco, but the black caps they wore made it hard to tell. The only way I knew he wasn’t was because none of their tattoos matched his. Realizing it wasn’t him, I settled back in my seat, more amused by the show Mona and her cousins were putting on—yelling, already scrambling for dollars. Pam, knowing this was the evening she had in mind, had two stacks of ones ready in her purse, both bound with a paper marked
$100
from the bank. Mona, Tasha, and Hayley hurried to trade their larger bills for Pam’s smaller ones.

Pam’s eyes came to me and she raised one of the stacks my way, asking if I needed change. I really had no intention to go to that stage tonight, but, in order to not look like a
‘goodie-two-shoes’
, as Tasha put it, I dug for a twenty and handed it over.

She smiled and made change, placing it in my hand right after. I leaned up and shoved the wad inside my back pocket.

“I don’t know about y’all,” Hayley said with a smile, “but I’m ‘bout to go drop some cash.”

Tasha laughed, rolling her eyes right after. “They’re still clothed!”

Hayley shrugged. “For now, but once they drop those pants, you’re gonna have to fight to get up there. I’d rather get me a spot now,” she said in closing, leaving our group right after, parting the crowd. Tasha deliberated for a moment and then decided to follow Hayley.