Chapter 2
Levi
Twenty-Four Years Old
INITIATION:TESTONE.
I've always been good with money. Lucas liked to spend it, and I knew how to save for a rainy day. It's the only reason we've managed to stay afloat this long without needing to rely on our parents for help.
Rent wasn’t cheap, and after starting our new jobs at Temptations, we suffered a severe drop in income, as we no longer received the tips we had been earning at Levitation. I noticed that we were getting close to hitting a major snag in our plan for independence pretty quickly.
“Hey, so get this—” Lucas whispered after rushing up behind me just as I’d finished loading the laundry from my locker into my gym bag. “—so you know how everyone else has sports cars and fucking name-brand everything?”
“Yeah? Your point?” I arched my brow at him, slightly annoyed at his timing.
It always bothered me how much Lucas cared about labels and brand names. He made basic survival difficult, wanting more than we could afford, driven by his desire to keep up with the Joneses.
“You’re the one in charge of our finances; you know we don’t make nearly enough to afford the kind of shit the other dancers have. Didn’t you ever wonder why? Or even how they managed to make that kind of money?”
“A side hustle? Pornstars?Actualstrippers? Something illegal? Pick one, I don’t care, but I’m not stooping that low for extra cash.” I slammed my locker door shut, no longer interested in this conversation or where it was potentially heading.
If Lucas wanted to sell himself for the additional income, that was on him; I was more than okay with picking up shifts at Levitation and losing sleep if it meant keeping my dignity intact.
“What?! No. Not even close! So, I was talking with Dane and he said that—”
“Emerson? You were talking to the one guy you said that you couldn’t fucking stand to be around?” The number of times he’s mocked and teased Dane for no good reason was beyond me. Honestly, I was surprised that they were even talking to each other at all. Usually, when Dane entered the room, Lucas was the first to leave.
It wasn’t clear why the two of them were at odds—my best guess being that Dane led the kind of lifestyle that Lucas so desperately desired. Or, stating it bluntly, he was jealous.
“That’s beside the point, and I can’t continue to hate or avoid him after what he just offered to me—to us.”
“Why is Dane offering you anything?” I shook my head in disgust.We weren’t a fucking charity case…
“Just—shut up with the questions and let me talk… for fuck sake, Levi.” I could tell I was getting under his skin, raining on his parade that had him flying higher than a fucking kite. “There’s more to the revue than just performing… a deeper level encompassing the entire city, not just The Strip.”What in the actual fuck…“…A secret society.”
I pursed my lips with a scowl, processing what he’d just said.A secret society?I didn’t know if I was more baffled or concerned at the concept of male revue dancers running something so dark and nefarious, but he had my attention.At least it wasn’t porn related, although still potentially criminal—
“Fine, you’ve got the car ride home to tell me everything, but there better not be a catch, or my answer’s no.”
Lucasexplainedeverything,fromwhat being a member of the organization entailed to the initiation process and the paychecks earned upon completion. I can’t recall how long he said he’d spent talking to Dane, but it was enough for him to want to commit, and quite frankly, I was sold too. However, there was a catch, just as I had expected.
Did I see myself six years ago killing for the paycheck of a lifetime? No.
Was I going to do it? Fuck yeah, without a doubt.
Lucas and I agreed to follow through with what Dane had offered us. The opportunity of a fucking lifetime with the Men Under Revue.
Our timing couldn’t have been more perfect. After the show, we hopped into our old beat-up Taurus and followed Dane half an hour into the middle of fucking nowhere.
After arriving at our destination, I stared up at a bright white mansion, pristine and stunning against the contrast of the night sky and deep green landscaping. A structure that appeared to belong in the middle of this desert about as much as we did, and yet here we both stood, strong and resilient.
Dane seemed more than happy to sponsor us for our initiation. However, it took a little extra effort from him and Cole Ryan to persuade the leader of the organization to grant us the leniency of going through the process together, rather than separately.
Generally, only one dancer per revue was allowed to initiate at a time. But, because Lucas and I both now knew about the MUR and were twin brothers, we had no other option but to do this together—a blessing and a curse, because if one of us failed, we both did, and the penalty?Death.
“You ready?” Lucas stepped up from behind me, placing a hand on my shoulder for reassurance.
“Yeah.” I confidently nodded in answer, just as Dane got out of his jet black Mercedes-Benz, pocketing his phone and strutting past us.
