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“It is,” Mark agreed. “It’s perfectly decorated. And your food was great,” he said, turning toward Perry, who was leaning against the bar behind us. “You’re a phenomenal chef.”
I watched as a small smile passed over Perry’s lips. He was so proud, and it made me swell with pride, too.
I often felt like a mother hen taking care of all a flock when it came to running the bar, and nothing made me happier than seeing someone as talented as Perry get the recognition he deserved.
“I worked very hard on the sampling menu. Thank you,” Perry said.
“Oh! We almost forgot the most important part. This is what our regulars lovingly refer to as the Big Rock Cock,” Sam said, grinning proudly as he did his best Vannah White next to the big sculpture.
I wasn’t sure if it was the best decision to be telling the producers the nickname before we really knew their senses of humor, but I thanked God when both of them let out a laugh.
“We probably can’t say that on television, but that’s amazing,” Mark said.
“People rub it for good luck,” Sam said. He seemed as proud of the Big Rock Cock as Perry was of his food.
“Well, then,” Mark said, crossing over and giving it a rub. “Hopefully this gives me some luck, too.”
“We’ve even had famous clientele in here,” Sam said. “A few years ago, Lady Gaga stopped by while driving through on her tour bus. It was one of the best nights of my life when I served her a whiskey. And just recently, Liam Hardy was here, and that was a dream come true for me.”
“Who is Liam Hardy?” Natalie asked.
“Just an old friend of mine,” I said. I wasn’t exactly ready to talk about gay porn with these people I’d just met—people who had the power to decide whether my bar ended up on national television.
“Liam Hardy was here?” Mark said, raising his eyebrows.
“Oh my god, you know who he is?” Sam exclaimed, his voice rising.
“I do,” Mark said. “Wow. Liam Hardy is incredible. He’s a gay porn star, Nat. But he isn’t just that. I’ve followed his social media for a long time.”
“Me too!” Sam said.
“Liam Hardy is a genuinely good person. He gardens a lot. He posted about rescuing a litter of kittens in Los Angeles a few months ago. He hasn’t updated his accounts much lately, though.”
I was flabbergasted. “You know Liam,” I said, more a statement than a question.
“If he’s a friend of yours, it would be amazing to have him here on the episode. I think we need to normalize sex work and porn in general. Anyone who sees him on TV and knows him would love it, too.”
“We should have him in here again,” Sam said. “Amazing point.”
My head was spinning so fast I could hardly think. Not only did Mark know of Liam, but now he was asking to have him on the show.
“I think we’re definitely going to push for a deal with the network,” Mark said. “I love this place, and I think Nat does, too. It’s a perfect candidate for a makeover.”
“I love it,” Natalie said. “I don’t think we’re going to have any problem making an episode all about Red’s.”
“As long as the makeover stayed in line with the spirit of Red’s,” I said. “I definitely wouldn’t want to make it look like every other generic bar out there.”
“Never,” Mark said, looking around. “We’d want to preserve the character here completely. Just with a little new shine.”
“Ohmygod,” Sam said, his voice somewhere between a whisper and a squeak.
“We will be in touch with our network executives today, but I’d say we’re pretty optimistic,” Mark said, holding out his hand to shake mine.
“This is incredible,” I said, shaking his hand. “Hot damn. I can’t believe it.”
“The pleasure is ours, really,” Natalie said, smiling. “We have another couple of bars to location scout tonight, but it’s been so good meeting you.”
“And you,” Mark said, turning to Perry. “That food is out of this world. We’re definitely going to have a segment of the episode with you.”
“I—me?” Perry asked.
“You better believe it. Maybe part of the budget can be allotted to getting you whatever new kitchen equipment you need.”
I could see Perry already mentally going wild, probably thinking about ten different recipes he needed to tweak and perfect.
“Thank you all,” Mark said as he and Natalie left. “We will be in touch soon.”
After they left, we all stood around, smiling at one another for a moment.
“Holy shit,” Sam said.
“Holy shit is right,” Perry said, smiling before heading back to the kitchen. I heard pots and pans clanging a moment later.
“It’s official. We’re throwing a celebration,” Sam said. “This Saturday night. A free shot for anyone who wants one. I’m going to make a new cocktail called… the Nat Mark. No, maybe the… Markalie? The Nataliemark? Fuck, maybe I’ll just call it the goddamned Big Rock Cock Shot. Fuck, I am so excited.”
