4th & Girl

“Do you want to know who it is?” Duchess asked, and her pink-painted lips crested up into a huge smile as she moved her gaze around the crowd.

When a guy from the back shouted “Tell us!” she rolled her eyes dramatically.

“Oh, honey, you’re far too excitable,” she purred. “My sympathies go out to anyone who fucks you.”

The crowd laughed.

“Okay, okay…I won’t keep you in suspense any longer,” Duchess finally continued. “Our special guest of the night is handsome as fuck and a strapping young football star to boot. Not to mention, I have no doubt he will help our favorite New York Mavericks finally bring home the championship this year!”

My eyes went wide, and I nearly choked on my martini.

Oh no…

Unless there were other Mavericks hiding out in Drag, it was safe to say Leo had officially been spotted.

Oh God…

My breath got caught in my lungs as I braced myself in anticipation.

“Tonight,” Duchess exclaimed, “Leo Landry is in the house!” The spotlight moved from the stage and directly onto our booth. And before I knew it, both Leo and I were squinting against the harsh glare.

“Come on up here, honey!” Duchess purred. “It’s not every day we get a man like you inside our little establishment!”

I looked at Leo, and he looked at me.

“I think I’ve been outed,” he whispered through a chuckle, and a relieved giggle escaped my lips.

“It appears that way,” I whispered back. “And sorry to break this to you, but I don’t think we’re going to be able to leave unless you get onstage.”

“Fucking hell.” He chuckled again.

It didn’t take long before everyone inside Drag started chanting his name and, eventually, with a slightly embarrassed grin stretched across his lips, Leo stood up and headed toward the front of the room.

The instant he stepped onto the stage beside Duchess, the whole damn crowd started hooting and hollering crazy shit toward him.

“Flex your muscles!”

“Dance with Duchess!”

And my personal favorite, “Take off your pants!”

Well, mostly because it came from my slightly boozed-up lips, but same difference, right?

“It appears you’re quite the hot commodity,” Duchess purred into the mic, and Leo ran a hand through his hair on a laugh. “What brings you here tonight, sugar?”

He pointed one index finger toward me. “That pretty lady right there.”

Duchess squinted her eyes as she took in my appearance and then tsked under her breath. “And here I thought I might be the one who gets to take you home tonight. Now I’m not so sure I can compete with Ms. Down Home Bombshell over there.”

He could only laugh in response.

The queen sighed dramatically at the crowd before bringing her gaze back to Leo. “Is she your girlfriend?”

“No.” He shook his head and then grinned wickedly. “Well, at least, not yet.”

Not yet?

My heart started pounding inside my chest at his words.

Not yet, as in he saw it as an actual possibility?

Not yet, as in he wanted me to be his girlfriend?

I was equal parts excited and scared.

Let’s not get too carried away here, Gem, I mentally coached myself. The man is onstage with a drag queen dressed up as Cher, for fuck’s sake. Just take a breath and don’t read too much into shit.

“Not yet?” Duchess tilted her head to the side and searched Leo’s gaze. “What the fuck does that mean?”

“This is our first date.”

“And she brought your ass to a drag show?”

He smirked. “Yeah.”

“Good for you, honey!” Duchess called toward me. “But you’re going to have to shut your eyes for a bit, because the other queens and I have some business with your man here. You don’t mind if we play with him for a bit, do ya, sugar?”

Leo’s eyes went wide and locked with mine, but I simply shook my head on a laugh.

“He’s all yours!”

Duchess grinned like the cat who ate the canary, while Leo shot a playful glare in my direction. But he didn’t have much time to plan an escape route because three queens strutted onto the stage and pushed his fine ass into the lone chair sitting in the center.

“Just sit back and relax, sugar,” Duchess purred into the mic while the opening beats of “Whatta Man” started to play through the speakers. “We’re going to take real good care of you.”

Leo’s eyes went even wider as the drag queens started to shower him with all sorts of attention, and by the time they were a good minute into the song, I had to put a hand over my mouth to stifle my giggles.

“Hold up! Hold up!” Asia shouted over the music as she made a slicing hand across her throat. “Stop the music for a second!” she exclaimed. “This isn’t working. We need some backup to really bring this performance on home.”

Duchess put a hand to her hip. “Backup?”

“Oh yes, sister.” Asia winked. “And I know just the person.” Before I could comprehend what was happening, she pointed her red-painted fingernail out into the crowd and what felt like directly at me.