I punched him in the arm. “Fuck you.”
“Fuck you too, Mikey,” he said with a grin.
The DJ music trailed off, and the host of the party climbed halfway up the spiral staircase so that he was looking down at everyone. “I know everyone’s having a good time, so I’ll keep this short.”
“You know all about keeping thingsshort!”August shouted, holding his thumb and finger about two inches apart.
The host flicked him off while everyone laughed. “We’re all here to celebrate my best friend, Spencer, allowing himself to be tied down. Or rather, we’re celebrating Spencer finally finding someone who will put up with his bullshit!”
The crowd chuckled appropriately. Spencer, the man for whom this bachelor party had been thrown, blushed and rolled his eyes.
“Seriously though, we’re all happy for you, pal. You’re a lucky man, and Wren is a lucky woman. Ever since we were roommates together at Baylor, I knew you would find the perfect woman eventually.” The lights dimmed a little more. “But you’re not married to Wren yet, so I’ve arranged for some very special entertainment tonight. Especially after that garbage football game.”
I groaned. I was twenty-seven, and had never been to a bachelor party before, but I’d had one experience with a stripper. One of my teammates on the football team in college hired one after we won the Orange Bowl. Most awkward hour of my life. I looked around the condo for an escape route.
“No, no, I know what you’re thinking,” the host said. “But it’s not a stripper. Strippers are broke.Thisis bespoke.”
The projector, which had previously been playing the Baylor football game, suddenly went black. When the feed returned, it showed a bedroom. A woman was kneeling in bed, and she was wearing black lingerie. Long red hair was visible, but her face was a strange blur—even when she moved. It must have been some kind of video filter.
“We’ve got a special treat for some of our viewers tonight,” she purred. “A new toy. And it has a very special name on it.”
A few cheers went up in the crowd as the woman got out of bed and strutted out of sight. When she returned, she was holding the biggest dildo I had ever seen in my life.
“Baylor colors!” someone realized. “Nice!”
“This thing ismassive,” she said while hefting the thing. “I’m told it’s a replica of… Spencer Gilroy. Spencer, you’re a gifted boy! Let’s put this guy to the test…”
The group of gathered guys roared as she twisted the dildo to show the nameSpencer Gilroywritten on the side in big black letters. “If that’s a replica, then it’s definitely not to scale!” August shouted, which drew more jeers. Several people smacked Spencer on the back as the woman lowered the sex toy down between her legs.
“Her information is on the laptop,” the host shouted. “Feel free to join the feed on your phone and leave comments. And if youreallylike what you see, there’s a link to give her a tip.”
“Tip?” August shouted. “Why not give her the whole thing?”
Everyone laughed, but I turned away and downed the rest of my drink. This felt less sleazy than a stripper, but still left a bad taste in my mouth.
“What’s the matter?” August asked me. “I thought you liked redheads.”
“Oh, Iloveredheads,” I replied. “But this… it’s kind of gross. I hate that a woman is doing this on our behalf.”
“She’s providing a service in exchange for money. Just like the girl who makes my coffee every morning. That’s capitalism, baby. Nobody’s being exploited here. Hell, sitting in front of a webcam and jacking off all day sounds like my dream job.”
“Be careful what you wish for,” I said. “I’m sure there are some guys out there who would pay to watch you.”
“Is that supposed to deter me? I don’t care if it’s women or dudes watching me.” He stood up a little straighter. “I’m comfortable enough in my sexuality.”
I shook my head. “But no, I wasn’t talking aboutherbeing gross. I don’t blame her for following the money. But the guys paying her… it’s weird.”
August rolled his eyes. “Sex work is the oldest profession. As long as the sun rises every morning, there will be lonely guys paying women to take off their clothes and touch their penises. It’s a physical transaction.” He gestured with his drink glass. “I bet you wish you and Erin were just physical. Then you wouldn’t be so emotionally wrecked.”
I sighed wistfully. “That’s the thing about love, August. High risk, high reward.” I looked at my own empty glass. “Can we get out of here now?”
August looked at his watch. “We should stay a little longer. Don’t want to make it seem like we popped in only to make an appearance. You want another drink? I’ll get us some more drinks.”
I watched him walk away, and didn’t really know what to do with myself. There was another game of beer pong going on at the dining room table, but I wasn’t in the mood for more of that. I gazed through the floor-to-ceiling windows at downtown Fort Perth, and the centralized square where people came to take photos, eat food, and go for a stroll after dinner. The laptop on the table was now crowded with guys giving tips to the camgirl on the projector.
My eyes drifted up to her.
She had an incredible body. A modest chest, but curvy in the hips that gave her a natural hourglass figure. Her lingerie accentuated all of this flawlessly. And the way she moved…