by E Kay Sims
“I got your stiffy right here, bro. It’ll make your eyes pop!” Eric was always a little too proud of his oversized anatomy.
I adjusted the waistline of my jeans as I wandered down the hallway to the ice machine. I held the bucket under the chute and pressed the button to start the machine. As I waited for the cubes to roll out, I noticed her at the end of the hallway—Eric’s woman. She was a stunner, for sure. Nothing like Fountain Girl, though. I sighed. I was done for if I didn’t get that woman out of my head.
When the bucket was full, I made my way toward her. The way she’d treated my buddy was unacceptable. Shag and run. It was no more acceptable if a woman did it. It left a bad taste in my mouth either way—especially coming from a sex teacher. What was that supposed to teach Eric? Was it an unsolicited lesson in the etiquette of one-night stands? I sniggered to myself. Yoga teacher, I reminded myself. Yeah, okay. Eric was taking yoga now. Either way, it still included weird positions.
Oh shit.
My brain did not need that image.
“Hey, excuse me, Miss?” I called as I moved toward her.
“Yes?” She seemed to recognize me. I thought for a moment I saw her cringe.
“Hey. Sorry, I just wanted to come and introduce myself. I’m Gil, Eric’s best mate.” I held my hand out to her, hoping she would shake it.
“It’s nice to meet you, Gil. How is Eric?”
I wiped my hand on my jeans. “Not so great.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Did he have another episode?”
An episode? If that’s what she called the burn of rejection, then fine. “Yeah, I guess he did. It’s understandable, though, don’t you reckon?”
Her eyes dropped to the floor, and then she slowly lifted her gaze to meet mine. “Yes, it is common with PTSD. I’m very concerned about him. Maybe I should come talk to him?”
I felt the color drain from my face. “What did you say?”
“I said it’s common with PTSD. I’ve seen it a lot, but I’ve never encountered anyone this severe and I was very concerned when it happened in class. I’m sorry, I really shouldn’t talk to you about his condition, but you’re his friend, right?”
Her voice drained away as blood rushed to my ears. Eric had PTSD? Not only that, but he had an extreme case? Holy fuck! Why didn’t he tell me? He could’ve trusted me. He’d seen me at my worst, why would he think he would have to hide his issues from me? Eric was too fucking proud half the time, and it pissed me off royally.
“What can I do to help him?” I managed to ask around the lump that had formed in my throat.
“Oh, shit. You didn’t know, did you? Now I’ve really stepped into it. Damn it! I felt so bad when he walked into the workshop this morning after last night…” she trailed off, her face beet red.
“Look, um…” I trailed off for a moment. “Miss…?”
“Everett. I’m Everett,” she paused, “sorry, I didn’t introduce myself properly.”
“It’s fine. Look, he really likes you, Everett.”
Once again her eyes dropped to the floor, clearly, with embarrassment. “I really like him too but I am his teacher, and I have to keep it professional or I could lose my career. I don’t date students, it's unethical.” Her eyes pleaded for me to understand.
I sighed. “Alright. I get it. But can you at least help him? He’s been there for me all my life, and as much as I want to help him out, he won’t let me in. Maybe he’ll let you help him. That’s all I ask, please?”
“That is why I can’t ‘see’ him outside of the yoga workshop. I want very much to help him, and he desperately needs it so I told him that he could stay in the class if he sticks with the program. Technically, I should cut him from the workshop and refund his money because of what happened between us last night.” She blushed to her roots. “But he begged me to let him stay in class, and I only agreed as long as we kept it professional and my boss doesn’t find out.”
“Please keep him in the class.” I wanted to get down on my knees and kiss her feet, but that may have been taking things a little too far. “I’ll be so grateful and so will he, I know it. And thanks for letting me know what he’s dealing with, even if it was a slip-up.”
“You’re welcome, thanks for not saying anything. And don’t tell him we talked.”
“Nope. Our clandestine meeting is safe.” I glanced down at the bucket of ice and stepped back. “It was nice meeting you.”
“It was nice meeting you, Gil.” She touched my forearm lightly before moving toward the elevators.
What a nice lady, I thought to myself as I went back to the suite. Eric had certainly landed a decent one. It was a shame it couldn’t last.
My brain was buzzing with the new revelations as I closed the door behind me.
EVERETT
N
o one else was in the elevator when the doors opened. I stepped in and leaned my back against the far wall and wondered if this day would get any better. As soon as the elevator doors closed, my mind flashed back to last night with Eric. It had been incredible! And this morning had been a complete disaster! When he’d walked into the workshop, my heart had sunk and a knot formed in my belly. And yet, the moment I’d seen him, my body had become instantly aroused. Then the realization that he was my student hit me in the face like a bucket of ice water, but I have never been so affected by a man before. That scared me.
Why? Why did I have the shittiest luck of anyone I know? I finally met a guy that I could actually fall for, and my damn job and the circumstances prohibited me from pursuing a relationship with him. Not only that, he had PTSD, for God’s sake. I felt awful for him and what he’d surely been through. What happened during relaxation this afternoon is another reason why I couldn’t see him. My brain flashed back to that moment.
“And on your next breath, exhale completely, allowing yourself to sink deeper. Let go of all the last moments.” I’d watched the students visibly relax as I carefully navigated the room, mindful of telling them where in the room I was so as not to freak anyone out suddenly. “I’m moving to the right side of the room now,” I’d said in a calm voice, not getting too close to any of the students. Some of the students were trained killers like Eric, and we were taught to use extreme caution or we could wind up on our backs in a chokehold or worse, with a snapped neck.
I’d purposely avoided going anywhere near Eric, not only because I’d known he was Spec Ops—which I found out after reading his application form during the break--but also because of what happened between us last night. I was his teacher, damn it. I needed to remain professional, but every time I looked at him, I remembered what it felt like to have him inside me. Oh my God, it had been so incredible.
Toward the end of relaxation, I guided the students to rest quietly in silence. At that point, I’d found my seat and watched the clock, giving them ten minutes. Eric had obviously drifted off to sleep. I knew because despite my best efforts, my eyes had found their way to his relaxed form at the front of the class. His chest had risen and fallen rhythmically as he’d fallen asleep.God! He was so perfect. The shape of his legs, the broadness of his shoulders to his tapered waist and the bulge between his thighs visible even in the loose fitting shorts—fuck! I had to mentally slap myself. But just before the time was up, he’d started thrashing about, so I’d had to cut the relaxation short and guided the rest of the students up to a seated pose. Eric remained oblivious. At that point, Aurore had taken over the class, and I’d made my way over to Eric. Luckily, the rest of students had been very understanding and quietly left. Once everyone had gone, I’d tried to wake him up, using my voice, only. We were instructed never to touch a student especially if they were experiencing a flashback. He hadn’t responded but instead, continued to flail his arms and cry out.
I’d only experienced this a few times in the past but I’d always been able to wake the student with my voice easily. “Eric,” I called firmly. He only kicked his legs, narrowly missing mine. I’d barely jumped out of the way.<
br />
The elevator doors had opened with a whoosh and a ding, and brought me back to the present moment. I had to mentally shake myself from the memories before I exited and headed toward the concierge for directions to TAO Nightclub. I was meeting Shakti and Aurore near the waterfall in the atrium of The Palazzo, then we were heading to TAO for dinner and dancing. Lauren had begged off with a headache and mentioned she wanted to call home.
ERIC
I leaned over and opened the mini fridge to see what kind of liquor it came stocked with just as Gil returned with the ice. I had just finished my shower and put on a pair black dress slacks. I left my black dress shirt draped over the hotel ironing board I’d set up in the living room.
“Thank God,” I said, without looking up, “I need a drink.” I pulled a mini bottle of Crown Royal out and stood to place it on the counter beside the fridge. “What do want, bro?” I leaned back down to search the fridge.
Gil set the ice bucket down and said, “Surprise me.” He picked up an ice cube and tossed it into his mouth.
“Jager it is.” I stood and placed the bottle on the counter next to the Crown and started filling the glasses from the bar with the ice. “On the rocks.” I poured his and then my own and clinked my glass to Gil’s. “Bottoms up!” I downed the entire glass in one gulp.
Gil just looked at me like I’d grown another head.
“What?” I eyeballed him. He was acting weird.
“Is this how the night's going to go, then? Get wasted early and don’t remember the rest of it?” he asked.
“Nah, man. I can hold my own. I’ve built up quite a tolerance to alcohol, dude. Over there, there isn’t much to do on your downtime except pump iron and become a gym rat, drink, or become a bible thumper, and pretty much everyone becomes an expert at jerking off.” I grinned at him. “Guess what I’ve become an expert at?” I flexed one arm and grabbed my cock with my free hand.
Gil looked dumbfounded. “Well, that’s an image I didn’t need.”
“Ha, ha. You know you do it too.” I couldn’t help but laugh at his expression. I couldn’t wait to see his face when he saw what I had planned for tonight. “Get changed––but not too casual.” I set down my empty glass, then walked over to the ironing board and began ironing out the wrinkles. “I have plans for you tonight, birthday boy.” I winked at him salaciously. “I hope you brought slacks and a decent dress shirt.”
“You’d think I’d come to Vegas without those things? I may be a country boy, but I ain’t no country bumpkin. I know how to impress when I need to.” What he pulled out was damn near a full-on suit. He considered the outfit for a moment. “Maybe I’ll ditch the jacket. What do you reckon?”
Before I could reply, he threw the jacket back into his suitcase and made his way to the bathroom.
I finished ironing my shirt and put it on, tucking the tails into my slacks and buttoned it leaving the top two undone. No tie for me tonight. I grabbed my belt off the back of the couch and put it on. Then, I snagged my wallet off the counter and checked to see how much cash I had. A thousand should be good, and I had my debit card if I needed more. I tucked my wallet into my back pocket. I went to look for my socks, dress shoes and jacket while Gil finished up in the bathroom.
“Hurry up, Gil. Finish your makeup and hair so we can get going. The valet has the car waiting.”
“I need to have some advantage over you, mate. How do I look?”
He stepped out of the bathroom in pointed dress shoes, navy slacks, and a partially unbuttoned white dress shirt.
“You look hot, dude, if I was a woman I’d fuck you,” I paused for a moment, “or if I was gay, I’d definitely fuck you.” I laughed at his red cheeks.
“I didn’t know you swing both ways, Eric. I’m flattered, and you know I love you, but not in that way.” Gil shifted from foot to foot and averted his gaze.
I winked and blew him a kiss. Gil cleared his throat, quickly gathered up his wallet and key card, and dashed to the suite’s door.
“Nice ass in those slacks by the way.” I lost it when he ran out the door, muttering under his breath, “Fucking hell.”
“Dude,” I had to double time it to catch up to him, “I’m joking!” I called after him.
He bashed the button on the elevator like he wanted it to swallow him whole. Redness tinged his skin from his neck to his hairline.
“Seriously, Gil? I was joking. I’ve never known you to be homophobic. What’s up with you?”
“Sorry, mate. I’m just anxious to see what you’ve got in store for me tonight.”
“Leave it to me, buddy. I’ve got everything covered.”
Half an hour later we turned onto Augusta Drive and pulled into a palm tree-lined, private, circular driveway of an exclusive estate, situated on a cul-de-sac just outside of Paradise. The back of the property of the multi-million dollar mansion butted up to the golf course of the Las Vegas Country Club. Thanks to my buddy, Jake, a private contractor who worked closely with the C.I.A. as an undercover operative, I’d scored an invitation to the private club.
Jake said Le Kitteh Haus was an exclusive club reminiscent of the gentleman’s clubs of days gone by. The difference is that this club was open to any who could afford it, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, not just men. However, you had to be on the ‘Guest List,’ and it was by invitation only.
Because of Jake’s connection to the owner of the private estate, he was able to get me an invitation and a military discount since he was willing to vouch for me. Most of the clientele here were high rollers, foreign dignitaries, and CEOs of international companies and suspected drug cartel and arms dealers pretending to be CEOs. It was a hotbed of intel pertaining to national and international security. The information Jake was able to glean while undercover in this place had thwarted countless terror attacks, illegal drug shipments, and arms deals around the world, all from right here in Sin City.
We had dinner reservations in the private dining room on the main floor and then I had lined up a private show with a high-class stripper for Gil downstairs in the hidden basement part of the club. Dinner alone would cost me five hundred dollars, and the private show, even after my discount, would be another five hundred, easily. I’d hate to see what the normal price would be for something like this.
I drove the Mustang past a massive fountain and then under the large porte-cochere where we were met by the valet dressed in a tux minus the jacket, holding his guest list.
“Ah, Mister Thorsen, welcome to Le Kitteh Haus. Your table is ready. Please allow Shalene to escort you.” He nodded to a tall, muscular blond wearing a glamorous evening gown with a slit in her sparkling skirt that went from her ankle to her hip. She waited for us at the top of the elegant marble steps of the wide front entrance to the mansion.
“Hello.” Shalene nodded to us both. “I’ll be your escort for the evening.” She walked gracefully down the steps in her shiny silver stilettos toward the convertible. I’d put the top town earlier, affording us the best view of the city lights.
Smiling at Gil with her stunning green gaze, Shalene opened the passenger door. “Whatever you need, you just let me know, Mr. Barlow.” Her sultry voice dripped with sexual innuendo. “Happy birthday, by the way. Gentleman, please follow me.” She turned back to the entrance, her tight ass swaying deliciously as she climbed back up the marble steps to the carved Mediterranean-style doorway flanked by two burly guards dressed similarly to the valet.
Gil looked from me to Shalene to the valet and back to me with his eyebrows jacked up to his hairline, his bright blue eyes nearly bugged out of his head. He looked utterly dumbfounded, and I couldn’t hold back a chuckle.
“You ready to celebrate?” I asked, giving him a wink and unbuckled my seatbelt to exit the vehicle as the valet opened my door.
“This place is posh, isn’t it? And isn’t she a little bit out of my league?”
“Get out of the car, Gil. And be cool. You don’t know what I went through to get
an invitation here. I owe one of my buddies my firstborn son.”
Gil smirked. “What if you only have girls?”
“Just get your ass up those steps and get ready to have the time of your life!”
GIL
W
e were led through the stunning entryway with polished tile floors and out to an expansive garden with secluded paths, a glistening pool, dining and lounging areas, a lover’s arch, and in the centre of it all, was a pillar with Aphrodite, the ancient Greek goddess of love perched on the top. I glanced around at a couple of the ladies who were entertaining other guests. They were all flawless––the epitome of beauty. There was not a hair out of place, not a blemish on their skin; they had perfect nails, perfect figures, but none of it screamed fake like those Barbie dolls back at the hotel.
I was way out of my league.
If Eric expected me to hook up with any of these women, he was dreaming. I fiddled with the cuffs of my sleeves for the millionth time as our escort led us to a round, light timber table set out with blue and white placemats, expensive silverware and china, and crystal wine glasses. Shalene pulled out the chairs for each of us and pushed us in once we were seated.
“Gentlemen, allow me to present you with our meal offerings tonight.”
Shalene handed us both fancy menus in blue books gilded with white borders. Opening mine, I noticed only one, crisp page containing a handful of meal choices.
“For starters, we have parmesan tuiles with red, green, and orange heirloom tomatoes tossed in olive oil and then we have Greek dolmades, or grapevine leaves stuffed with rice, raisins, dill, pine nuts, and onion and flavored with lemon, allspice, and mint. For mains, we have something for every diet: Seabass with Sicilian cherry tomato —sauce—I suggest the 2014 Kistler Vineyard Chardonnay Sonoma Coast, a Californian wine. Seared bison strip with juniper and fennel, which I suggest pairing a Tignanello wine with it. It has vanilla and chocolate and a touch of spice and balsamic. The quail stuffed with fresh figs and prosciutto goes nicely with the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, which contains a fruity bouquet of blackberries along with sandalwood, nutmeg, and hoisin sauce. And finally, in case either of you are vegan, there’s the chilled tofu with apple soy sauce, which is a beautiful, light summer dish. The perfect wine for that would also be a chardonnay.”
