“I can still try to sell the apartment, guys. You really don’t have to do this,” Max offers via speakerphone for the thousandth time since the conception of this idea. No matter how many times we brush him off, he continues to interject his opinion.
“This is happening,” I chuckle. “Get used to it, Max. You know you’ve always fantasized at the idea of me being naked. Your fantasy is about to become a reality. Now get some fucking rest. We’ll call you later.”
The rest of the guys, Aubrey, and Emma join me in bidding Max farewell for now. He’s got his own job to do, and that’s to get healthy enough to fly to Europe while we bring in the dollars.
“Okay, do you want to go over that last move again, Sam?” Aubs studies his face. I grin, loving how serious she is about all this. I know this means a lot to her, helping Max and all that, but God, she’s so cute when she takes charge. Emma quickly runs out of the wings and to her booth.
“No, I got it,” Sam mutters, looking less than confident.
Our intro music cues up and like a pack of professionals, we shake out the nerves and put on our acting faces Aubrey told us about when we first started. We’re no longer Drew, Sam, Cam, and Nash; as soon as we step on that stage, we’re The Men of Mornington.
“Then let’s do this,” I say, pumping my fist as I move closer to the curtain.
“Break a leg, guys. Make me proud out there.” Aubrey bounces in place with her hands cupped over her mouth. She’s got to be as nervous as we are. So much is riding on this. Too much is riding on this.
All four of us take our spots straddling the backward-facing chairs, pulling our skull caps low enough to almost cover our eyebrows. Em’s voice booms over the screams and chants.
“Hey there, beautiful ladies,” she calls, and the room lights up. “Pull out your money and get ready to throw them at the sexiest group of men you’re ever likely to see in one room. Here tonight, stripping for a cure, I proudly give you The Men of Mornington!”
The screams give way to sheer anticipation, the room becoming so quiet you can almost hear the pulleys opening the curtain. As soon as the spotlight hits us, the screams start up again. Of course, they do. Where else can you find a quartet of handsome, shirtless fellas, with oiled up chests and low-hanging jeans?
Sam and Cam are in the middle grinding to the beat of Anywhere by 112—a tactical move nonetheless. As the lyrics begin, Nash and I blend in, our movements mirroring each other. I glance back to the wing and notice Aubrey isn’t watching. My heart pounds to the beat and the nerves begin to kick in as I realise we’re out here on our own.
If we fuck this up, Max is dead. It’s that simple, and it scares the hell out of me.
Pushing my anxieties aside, I slowly stand and push the chair down and between my legs. My hand runs down my chest with ease, and the crowd erupts in cheers and a few marriage proposals. Sam and Cam, a few beats ahead of Nash and me, hit the floor and leisurely grind themselves into the ground. In my head, I laugh, but on the outside, I’m all business.
I scan the audience. Aubrey’s eyes catch mine, and I don’t miss her bottom lip caught between her teeth. Holding her gaze while I finish the first part of the routine, I dance explicitly for her, like there is nobody else in the room other than us. When I reach the edge of the stage, I sit, hanging my legs over the side. Hands from every direction grab at me, but I reach for Aubrey, who’s pushed forward by an unsuspecting bystander, right into my arms.
I’m going totally off script here, and her eyes widen when I pull her between my legs. I place her hands on the button of my jeans and mouth to her, “Take them off.” Aubrey pauses for a second and then gets to work. As soon as the zipper’s all the way down, I take her hand, place it on my crotch and let her know the hardness beneath is all for her. She’s gonna kill me for sure, but little does she know, things are about to get worse.
Anywhere bleeds into Slow Motion by Trey Songz and unknown to Aubrey, the guys and I plan on bringing her onstage. Since she put all this together, it’s only fitting that she’s a part of the ro
utine, right? At least that’s how I framed it to the guys when I offered the idea.
Sam and Cam join me at the edge of the stage and offer their hands to Aubrey. She unsuspectingly accepts their invitation and squeals when they bring her up and place her in the chair Nash has set up for her in the center of the stage. Standing, I let the jeans drop to the floor and step out of them, showcasing the tight, short boxer briefs we decided on instead of thongs. Aubrey said they were sexier, so we took her word for it. Anything to get out of having a piece of fabric wedged up my arse.
“What are you doing?” she hisses, and we all laugh.
“Get ready, kid. Welcome to The Men of Mornington,” Nash chuckles in her ear.
“You’re all dead.” She covers her face as we form a semi-circle around her.
Sam, the first in the line of lap dancers, straddles her lap. He grips her hand and runs in down his torso. He grinds on her for a few lines of the song and moves away so Cam can have his run at her. Cam, the gentleman that he is, doesn’t get on her; instead, he dances next to the chair, letting the ladies in the crowd get a view of his body and Aubrey’s embarrassed reaction. Quite genius, actually, and the crowd is eating it up.
After Cam joins Sam in the wing, Nash slides up between Aubrey’s slightly parted legs and acts as if he’s going down on her. The crowd explodes, and I just want to break his face. I glare at him, anger bubbling inside me. This isn’t a part of the plan. When he slowly raises his head and drags it up her body, between her tits, he places a chaste kiss on her cheek and winks at me over her shoulder. If this weren’t for Max, I would lay him out right where we stand.
The last stanza of the song starts, and I know this is it for us. Only five minutes. That’s all we have. I approach Aubrey and notice all the money lying on the stage I hadn’t noticed before. They’re not all singles, either—there are a lot of larger denomination bills. Fully prepared to deal with Nash after the event, I lazily rake my eyes up and down Aubrey’s body. I swallow hard, knowing this is a little more real for me than the other guys; this isn’t just pretend for me. It won’t hurt to see if I can not only bring in a lot more money but get Aubrey worked up and feeling me like I’m feeling her, too.
Standing next to her chair, I slide my fingers into her hair, gently at first, then when she doesn’t respond to me, I grip the locks tighter at the base and force her to look up at me. Her blush is sexy as fuck, and I could probably fuck her right now, on this stage, in front of all these people, and not have a single problem with it.
Urging her to stand, she does without hesitation, but she closes her eyes. Knowing it’s about the show, I place my hands at the back of her thighs and lift her up my body, and like a pro, she locks her ankles behind my back. Out of all the moves she taught us over the last few weeks, I gently sway with her in my arms for a brief moment while I decide my plan of attack. I have motives here, people. I need this to be sexy enough to double the cash we have now, as well as prove a fucking point to the firecracker in my arms.
Decision made. I drop to my knees with her still wrapped around me. With her straddling my waist, I push myself up toward her and Aubrey’s eyes widen again when she feels what’s going on down below. Not wasting another second, I lay her flat on the ground, unwrap her legs and toss one over my shoulder. Placing my lips on her bare stomach, I kiss the soft flesh beneath my lips, followed by a lazy lick until my tongue hits the fabric of her flimsy top. At her tits, I nip at the side of one, and I can feel the money raining down on my back. I bury my face in her neck and don’t just pretend to kiss; I really give it a go. I don’t miss when her body reacts, and she raises her hips to meet mine. And neither do the ladies who paid for a show and are sure as shit receiving one.
Aubrey’s hands start to run up my chest and remembering how these women like it in the books, I snatch them from my body and pin them above her head with one hand. While I grind my dick into her crotch, her hips trying to match my tempo with each fake stroke, I place my free hand under her ass and lift her. Since the song is Slow Motion, I slow my tempo and pretend to give it to her like I would if we were alone, and this wasn’t a show, and she was mine. I close my eyes and imagine her soft, pliable body beneath mine, taking everything I can without hesitation. When I open them again and look down at her tits, only to take her in once again, her quickly rising and falling chest cues me in, letting me know she’s in this as much as I am.
Sam, Cam, and Nash come back on stage, alerting me to the fact our set is over, and I lean down to Aubrey’s ear. “Thanks for playing, Aubs.”