Smoky by Connie Bailey Read Free Book Online Page B

drinks, and when I come back, Cupcake and I are going to dance.”
    “Let’s get out of here,” Jaramie said as soon as Smoky was out of earshot.
    “Relax.” Tommy craned his neck to see the stage. “The band is really good, and you don’t have to dance with that pushy thug if you don’t want to.” He paused. “You do have to dance though, and it can’t be with me.”
    “What? You should have told me.”
    “If I had, you wouldn’t have come.”
    “That’s sneaky.”
    “You force me to be sneaky.”
    “That’s ridiculous.”
    “You’re ridiculous.”
    “Now you’re being mean.”
    “No, I’m not; I’m being honest. You could get any man in this room, in this city–hell, in the world–if you’d just put yourself out there a little more.”
    “I’m not comfortable showing off.”
    Tommy opened his mouth to reply, but he was pre-empted by a loud burst of music from the sound system. The lights came on over a deejay’s booth and a tall, handsome man smiled at the crowd from behind twin turntables. “Let’s get this party started!” the disc jockey shouted in an East European accent as he played a highly danceable tune from a few years back.
    “He’s a hottie!” Jaramie blurted out.
    “Yeah, and he knows it, too,” Tommy said. “His name’s Janos and he claims to be from Moscow. I once had the honor of blowing him. The next time I saw him, he pretended he didn’t know me.”
    “Maybe the head just wasn’t that good,” Jaramie teased.
    Tommy snorted. “Give me a break. If it wasn’t for my strict policy about benefits, I’d get down and show you what you’re missing. My blow jobs are legendary.”
    “That’s what it says on the men’s room wall,” Smoky quipped as he set a couple of drinks down on the table. “Come on, Cupcake. Let’s dance.”
    “I need a couple of drinks in me first,” Jaramie said.
    “No you don’t.” Smoky took Jaramie’s hand and pulled him out of his chair. “Let’s go.”
    Tommy started to stand up, but stayed where he was. After all, he’d be able to see Jaramie from here, and how much trouble could his friend get into in plain sight? Tommy still found Smoky’s manner irritating, but it would do Jaramie good to dance with a stranger.
    “Go on,” Tommy said. “You might forget about that stick up your ass and actually have some fun.”
    Jaramie gaped at his friend. “I don’t have a stick up my ass!”
    “Prove it. Get out on that floor and shake it loose.”
    “Come on,” Smoky said, squeezing Jaramie’s fingers gently. “What have you got to lose?”
    “Just a stick,” Tommy answered.
    Smoky raised his eyebrows at Jaramie. “Are you going to let him get away with that, or are you going to show him you can shake it?”
    “All right.”
    Jaramie sighed and let Smoky lead him to the big dance floor. The feel of the leather-gloved fingers wrapped around his quickened Jaramie’s pulse, and he was fatalistically certain that his nervousness would make him clumsy, as usual. Prepared for a humiliating experience, he completely missed the look of lusty admiration on the deejay’s face as he passed by. Nor did he catch the hand signal Smoky gave Janos. However, he did notice when the music stopped in mid-song, freezing the dancers in confusion.
    “We have a virgin in the house tonight, my babies,” Janos said into the microphone. Jaramie could feel every eye in the room focusing on him, and he blushed bright pink. “Isn’t he a pretty one?” the disc jockey continued. “Now let’s see if he can move as good as he looks.” Selecting a record, Janos put the needle down and talked over the musical intro. “Come on, pretty baby,” he crooned. “Show us what you got. Janos likes what he sees, but it takes more than eye candy to sweeten my tooth.” Janos did a little bump and grind as the audience hooted and applauded, forming a ring around Jaramie and Smoky.
    “Don’t run out on me,” Smoky whispered as Jaramie looked around