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“Dancing together. I’m an only child, so all my experience with siblings is secondhand. But it just seems…unusual.”
“Zane and River aren’t like most siblings, or most twins,” I said, choosing my words carefully. “They don’t see dancing together as something sexual, so for them, it isn’t. And Zane is ace while River is straight, so dancing with another guy wouldn’t be a sexy thing for them even without the twin thing. It’s a job, and they have a rare selling feature. People love things that are considered taboo, so why not cash in on that?”
“I suppose that makes sense.”
“The twins are…different. They had some shit happen to them when they were younger, and it really messed them up. It’s true they’re codependent as fuck, but not in a weird or creepy way. They can function perfectly fine apart, they just prefer not to.”
“How did you get into stripping, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Aiden’s ex is a pole fitness instructor and she invited me to take her class. I thought it would be good for a laugh, but I loved it. She taught me the basics, and I used my dance background to figure out the rest. I looked into teaching classes but went with stripping.”
“Did you choose stripping because the money is better?”
“Nope. I chose it because no one would hire a male pole instructor. But Crimson was hiring dancers right after I turned twenty-one so I applied and never looked back.”
“And the people in your life, outside of your work friends, are okay with you dancing?”
“Yup. My parents are totally fine with it. They’ve always been very pro sex-worker rights. My sisters are too young to understand it, but they know I dance as a second job. And Aiden helps me come up with routines and critiques my practices. He even came to watch my sets when I first started working there to be my anchor person. Rearranged his work schedule and everything.”
“Anchor person?”
“Every time I’m on stage, I pick someone in the audience and I use them as my anchor. When my mind wanders or I get distracted or overstimulated, I focus on my anchor person for a few seconds and it centers me.”
“That’s a clever strategy.”
“Kai told me about it. I’ve been dancing and performing my entire life and have never had stage fright, but I sure as heck was a nervous nelly when I started at the club.”
“Really. Why?”
“Because I look like me and not like you.” I shot him a flat look. “I’m scrawny compared to the other guys. It’s good because it makes pole work easier, but I don’t make nearly as much as the other guys when I dance on stage. I’m not the usual body type people think of when you saymale stripper.”
He gave a pensive nod. “I’m glad your friends and family are supportive.”
“Me too. But if they weren’t, then they wouldn’t be part of my life. I’m not afraid to cut out toxic people. Everyone gets one chance, people I care about get two. That’s it. If you can’t appreciate and accept all of me, then I don’t need or want you. What’s that thing all you millennials used to say? Bye, Felicia? That’s the energy I’m matching.”
“I really admire that. Not many people have that kind of confidence or the ability to enforce their boundaries.”
“It hasn’t been easy.” I glanced out the window to check our progress. We were about five minutes from the club. “I had to put up with a lot of shit to develop such a thick skin. I’m all about letting my sparkle shine now, but it took years of bullying and being told I’m a freak before I was able to shut down the part of my brain that cares what other people think of me.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that. I’ve never understood why people are so obsessed with gender-based stereotypes. Life is too short to shove yourself into a box and change for the comfort of others.”
“That’s exactly what I say!”
He grinned at me. “Great minds.”
“What’s the rest of that saying? Aiden told me it’sgreat minds think alike and fools are different.”
“It’sfools seldom differ.”
“Okay, I’m a little slow today because I only had five cups of coffee and they were teeny tiny because Evan’s machine is more complicated than a super-computer. And I’m a barista! Who needs a machine with thirty-seven settings and no freaking labels on any of the buttons? But, like I was saying, doesn’t that mean the same thing? Like great minds think the same, and fools don’t think differently from each other?”
“Essentially, yes.”
“Good to know.” I drummed my fingers on my leg as he approached the club.
“Ready?” Vlado asked as he turned into the parking lot of Crimson.
“Shit.”
