4th & Girl

“So…uh… Interesting date choice,” Leo said, and a smile perked up the corners of his lips.

“Do you want to leave?” I asked and grimaced slightly. “I seriously won’t be offended if you want to go.”

“Hell no.” He shook his head. “But I do have a quick question before they start the show.”

“Yeah?”

He leaned closer and whispered into my ear, “Are you supposed to tip the performers?” he asked. “Like at a strip club?”

“I think you’re supposed to,” I said, and then couldn’t stop myself from tossing in my own question. “So…you go to strip clubs often, Leo?” I asked with a teasing smile.

“I plead the fifth, sweetheart.” He simply chuckled and stood. “And, on that note, I’ll be right back.”

I nodded. “I’ll be here.” You know, sitting inside this booth wondering why I ever trust Abby with anything and silently praying that nothing super weird happens.

A few minutes later, Leo made his way back to our cozy booth, and once he slid in beside me, he placed a large stack of one-dollar bills in my hand.

“What’s this for?” I glanced between him and the money. “I mean, I know I’m amazing company, but…?”

“Tips,” he said with a little smirk. “If we’re going to have our first date at a drag show, you can bet your cute ass we’re going to do it right.”

The next question blurted from my lips before I could stop it. “You think I have a cute ass?”

He winked and I blushed.

Hot damn, Leo Landry thought I had a cute ass.

I probably shouldn’t have been so giddy over that tidbit of information, but no lie, it made me nearly euphoric. Hell, I almost asked him to rate my supposed cute ass on a scale of zero to ten, but the stage started to liven up and grabbed both Leo’s and my attention before I could take that line of conversation any further.

The lights in the restaurant dimmed, and colorful reds and oranges and pinks started to highlight the stage from not one but four disco balls hanging from the ceiling, while a spotlight lit up an extremely tall and beautiful drag queen standing center stage.

“Welcome to Drag!” she exclaimed as she glided across the stage in the tallest pair of shoes I’d ever seen in my life. “Who is ready to get this show started?” she asked, and her bright red lips curled up into a smile. She fluttered her long lashes and sashayed her narrow hips around the stage as the pounding beats of “Supermodel” started to liven up the joint.

“I’m Asia,” she introduced herself with a sexy little smirk. “And I’ll be your main queen tonight!”

And then, one by one, Asia announced the performers for the evening as they filed onto the stage.

“Miss Fortune!”

“Halle Berries!”

“Queen Bee!”

“Mariah Kiss!”

“Duchess!”

“Betty Spears!”

The gang was all here and strutting across the stage fiercer than the Naomi Campbells and Cindy Crawfords of the world.

I couldn’t deny I was fucking mesmerized.

“You better work, girls!” Asia exclaimed, her big, blond wig shifting across her shoulders and her fingers snapping three times through the air.

The crowd hooted and hollered, and it didn’t take long before I joined in. I clapped my hands and cheered the queens on, and to my utter surprise, Leo was right there with me. With a giant grin etched across his mouth, he put two fingers to his lips and whistled toward the stage.

Weirdly enough, a girlish giggle escaped my throat, and I swooned a little at the sight of him—smiling and cheering on these gorgeous queens like he was a goddamn regular.

Leo Landry was so freaking comfortable in his own skin and so open-minded, not only did he take it all in stride, but he also made a point to enjoy himself.

I’d thought he was handsome the first time I’d laid eyes on him. But I was finding the more layers of himself he revealed, the more attractive he became.

It was safe to say I was really starting to dig Leo Landry.

And I couldn’t deny that maybe, just maybe, the whole drag show first date idea wasn’t so ridiculous after all…

Nearly an hour and a half later, dinner had been served and consumed, another round of drinks achieved, and we were nearing the final act of the night.

Duchess stood on the stage, her wig a black homage to Cher and her outfit inspired by a Las Vegas showgirl. “Fellow queens and drinkers of booze!” she exclaimed into the mic. “It has been brought to my attention that we have a very, very special guest here tonight.”

The crowd excitedly hummed their response, and I lifted my second martini to my lips for a sip as I glanced around the room for some kind of secret celebrity hiding out in the back booths.

If Bradley Cooper is here tonight, I will drop dead right here between the queens.