I’ve been hearing a lot about Autumn over the past two days. “What is it about this girl?” I ask him as I hunt for the bright yellow suspenders.
“You saw her,” he says, as if that explains everything.
“She’s very attractive, sure, but so are a lot of other women you meet. There must be something more to it.”
Trevor sits down on a stool, leaving the jacket off, and I don’t blame him. Even though it’s just a costume, the firefighter jacket makes me feel like I’m the thing that’s on fire.
“I felt sorry for her when I first met her,” he says. “It was a shitty thing her friends did, ditching the party and paying a stripper to take her virginity. A man might be fine with that for his first time, but I don’t think many women would be.”
“These are herfriends?”
“Her housemates. I don’t know if she still considers them friends after that stunt. Anyway, I felt sorry for her at first, but once we got to talking, I realized I really like her. She’s a cool girl.”
“But she’s with Garrett,” I say.
“I told you about last night. She was kissing me too, and Garrett seemed chill about it. I think she’d like you, too.”
He gives me a look, and I know he’s thinking about the times we’ve shared a woman. We don’t make a habit out of it, but we live together, work together, and have similar taste in women, so a couple of times, it just happened. And they were fun nights.
“She’s a virgin,” I say. “If she didn’t want to have sex with you the night you met her, I don’t think she’s going to want to go from virgin to gang bang in a matter of nights.”
My friend gives me a disgusted look. “It wouldn’t be like that. And I’m not suggesting anyone have sex. She’s fun to hang out with, and if she’s up for it, there’s plenty we can do that doesn’t change her virgin status.”
I arch a skeptical brow. There are plenty of guys who get off on being with virgins, but I don’t think Trevor’s like that. Plus, he’s so smooth talking that if he’d wanted to push for that, he probably could’ve charmed her that first night. I can’t remember the last time he was interested in someone like this, so I am intrigued.
“We should bring her up on stage,” he says. “There’s only one bachelorette package booked tonight.”
“Do you think she’d like that?”
Trevor narrows his eyes at me, giving me the same type of look he always directs at the audience. “I mean, c’mon,” he says, running his hands over his pecs and thrusting his hips out.
My friend isn’t conceited, but he does have a healthy self image.
“Time to go,” the stage manager barks from the doorway, making a big circular motion with a pointed finger.
We line up in the wings and then march out onto stage along with two other guys when the cue is given. There’s a fire alarm sound effect that is thankfully cut short when we arrive, and a fog machine creates simulated smoke. We materialize from the haze like heroes and start to dance when the music begins. Despite the suffocating jacket, this is my favorite number.
When we’re down to just our Speedos, and into a portion of the number that allows for freestyling, I scan the audience for Trevor’s girl. The smoke has cleared, and it’s easy to find her next to Garrett, who stands out among the sea of feminine faces.
Trevor is across the stage, but Autumn’s eyes are fixed on me. When her gaze reaches my face and she sees me looking back at her, she abruptly looks away. A few minutes later, after some coordinated moves at center stage with the other guys, I find her watching me again, but this time she keeps looking, a small smile turning up one side of her mouth. I’m not the best dancer in the group, so it can’t be my movements that have her transfixed.
After a couple more performances, it’s the part of the show where we bring up bachelorettes, birthday girls, or whoever else paid for special attention.
It’s my least favorite part of the night, but it occurs near the end of the show, so that’s a plus. Trevor jumps off the stage right in front of Autumn’s table and holds out his hand for her. She’s surprised, of course, and shakes her head, and I’ll bet he’s turning on his charm to full throttle. Garrett doesn’t look pleased, but he doesn’t look angry either.
Eventually, Trevor wins her over. Autumn takes his hand and he leads her over to the stairs at the side of the stage, then up and across to the chair I’ve set out. There’s a mix of confusion and excitement on her face as he gestures for her to sit and face the audience. The announcer says some things about the women celebrating special nights, and how anyone in the audience can book a special package for a future visit; then the music starts and the lap dancing begins.
Wearing only a Speedo like me, Trevor takes the spot in front of the chair, shaking his butt in Autumn’s direction as he teases the audience. Then he spins around and dances closer to Autumn, advancing in short jumps that make his package bounce up and down. If the girl is a virgin, what is she thinking about this?
Standing behind her, I lean down to take her hands in mine and find that she’s trembling. “Are you okay?” I ask close to her ear. She twists her head to look at me and nods, though she’s still wide eyed. As Trevor moves in to straddle her, I stretch her arms upward and run her hands over my chest. I barely make contact, because no one will be able to tell from the audience, and I don’t want to overwhelm her.
While I’m holding onto her hands, Trevor flips up into one of his fancy moves — a handstand with his hands supported on the chair on either side of Autumn’s knees and his body pointed straight to the ceiling right in front of her. He practiced a lot to get this right. I tried a few times, but never got to the point where I was confident I wouldn’t accidentally hurt someone.
When he comes down, he kneels in front of Autumn, bowing to her feet and then gradually rising up over her body until he’s in a position to simulate sexual thrusting, his legs straddling the chair and his pelvis lined up with hers.
Her skin heats and her hands grow sweaty as I hold them. Trevor swings his leg around, moving away from Autumn and dancing for the audience. It’s my turn now; it’s what’s expected for the show.
Moving around to the front of her chair, I check her face. She’s still wide eyed, but no longer nervous. Subtle changes in her eyes and the curve of her lips tell me she’s enjoying this experience, so I may as well add to her fun.