5

OPENING DAY

After fighting with my alarm, I dress and make my way outside to my truck. I don't bother glancing in my neighbor's direction as I had to get Elle back here so we could get her set up. The drive seems longer than expected as my mind drifts to the night before. There was no possible way that Holden saw me watching them but the way he looked in my direction, was too convincing. In all honesty, I want him to know I was watching. He's awakened a carnal desire inside me. So much so that I'm craving another show. Then the business he had mentioned makes me even more curious.

Elle is outside waiting for me as I pull into the motel parking lot. She opens the passenger door looking more tired than the day before. Her hair is in a loose bun with many straggler hairs sticking out on the sides and the back. There are remnants of mascara under her eyes.

"Where's Max?" I question while glancing behind her as she climbs in.

She rests in the seat and takes a deep breath. "Who the fuck knows. He kept coming and going all night until three. I assume he found a place to crash."

"Should we wait?" It was the last thing I wanted to do. I'm ready to get this day over with.

She scoffs, "Hell no. He knew what time we were being picked up. Let's go. I need caffeine."

After grabbing coffee and breakfast at a drive-through, she digs through her bag, revealing a hairbrush, and begins to tame the mess on her head. She then pulls out some makeup wipes to clean herself up. The traffic provided the time to make herself presentable. We finally arrive and get to work setting up her booth. Weeks prior, I found a small plastic greenhouse online for her death plants so they could sit on a table. She sets that up while I place all her other crafts, including the heavy iron sculptures. That was a struggle and I dread having to put them back inside the camper later this evening. Pretty much the only time I would be grateful for Max's presence.

The heat of the day is literal hell. Sweating bullets isn't my idea of fun but surprisingly enough, Elle already made sales and we met some decent people. She made connections, including a group of crafters in an online group thing. Weird for me but I'm happy for her. The seven hours of suffering are worth the smile she's sporting at the moment. She comes to sit next to me. Her adorable face is flush from the heat. "Holy fuck, this heat is a whore."

I chuckle, "I'm far too pretty to suffer this much."

"This kinda fuckin' sucks, to be honest."

I sigh and fan my heated face with an order sheet while watching Janelle hustle some of her items next door. She's a shower for sure with her tits out. "When a guy that has a Prince Albert, do you think they get it stuck in the pussy walls?"

Elle was in mid-drink from her water bottle when I asked that and she spit it out with shock and chuckle, "What the fuck? Where did that come from?"

I shrug, "I don't know. Just curious, I guess."

She ponders for a moment, "I don't know. Maybe?"

I shift in my seat at my next thought. "Imagine if it got hung up on something." My body shivers and there's a tinge of fantom pain on the tip of my dick. I adjust my jeans away from it.

"Why the curiosity?"

I think about the hot scene the night before, "No reason." I look away from her prying gaze but she's relentless.

"Bullshit. Where and when did you see one?"

"What makes you think I saw one?"

"You never pop off with odd questions unless you've experienced it."

I wait a moment and hope a customer will walk up but I'm not so lucky. "Ok, I did see one last night."

She grins widely," I knew it. Where?"

I lean in closer, "Next door."

"You saw his penis? How?" she whispers excitedly and shifts in her seat to get closer to me. "Tell me everything."

I shrug, "Nothing happened."

"Then how did you see this alleged piercing?"

I scan for any witnesses before replying quietly, "I saw them getting it on last night."

"No way! How was it?"

"Interesting."

"Interesting?"

"He might've seen me watching."

"What!" she blurts out excitedly.

"Shhhh," I hiss. "His wife is right there."

"I would be so embarrassed." A customer approaches the display table and catches Elle's attention. "Hold that thought."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

I catch myself glancing in the direction of Mac's camper. I am embarrassed but curious all at the same time. I think what excites me about the show is that Janelle was too lost in bliss to notice. Then again, maybe she did know. They were fucking in front of an open window with lights on. They certainly didn't try to hide it. Elle completed another transaction and quickly joined me.

"Ok, spill."

"Look, I don't think he saw me or anything. It was dark and I had the curtains drawn."

"But what happened?"

"I got up to pee and saw them. That's all."

"But if they were screwing, how did you see the jewelry?"

I tossed around the thought, "Maybe he did see me."

She gestures for me to continue with her hand, "Meaning?"

I release a chuckle, "Well when he pulled out, he sort of…posed and touched it."

"He posed!?" She giggles and takes a drink of her water. "Oh, he for sure saw you."

"Ugh." I cover my face in embarrassment.

"What's wrong?"

"I may have been…exposed."

"Naked?"

"You know I don't wear many clothes to bed."

She laughs, "You have nothing to be embarrassed about, and if they were screwing in front of the window, they wanted people to see."

"That's what I thought but now I feel a little bit like a peeping tom."

We laugh together for a moment. "It's hot as hell out here. I've already made a killin' in sales. Wanna pack up and get some food?"

"Yes, all day, yes."

With no sign of Max, we begin to pack items into the camper. Elle is particular about her murder plants and I'm more than happy to let her handle them. She had left the more deadly plants at home but I didn't want to risk getting poisoned. I think I've suffered enough with the blistering heat.

On a side note, I hadn't seen any sign of Mac. Janelle was out attempting to sell her hippy crafts and completely ignoring me and Elle, which was fine with me. She didn't have any interest in us from the jump and I wasn't about to go out of my way to be nicer than I had to.

"Should we invite Janelle to eat?" Elle whispered in passing and chuckled.

"Fuck off."

Elle laughs harder and we continue to load the camper. I know we have four more days of this but I'm not sure how much more I can take after only two days of being in this place. It's not my scene. Even with Mac as eye candy, I'd much rather be at home. I can get on Swanker if I need a quick hookup.

Suddenly, the sound of police sirens erupts. Not an unusual scene by any means, considering where we are. Cops patrol the streets constantly. I've witnessed then shakedown several people since being here. Open containers and public intoxication seem to be the going issue here. There are always troublemakers no matter where you go, but Sturgis is certainly a place for chaos to break out, as people have no self-control. We watch as two police vehicles make their way slowly through the crowded streets. People don't seem to give a damn that there was an emergency. They moved like slugs.

"Wonder what happened," Elle says.

I shrug, "None of my business."

We finish the cleanup just as the sun sets. Elle tucks a few items into her pockets and we head out to experience the nightlife part of the rally. At this time, all the nightcrawlers emerge. With it being the first official night, every venue is poppin'. Elle is engrossed in taking in all the scenes for minutes at a time. All I want to do is eat and crash. There's noise all around me, picking at my nerves.

"This is wild," Elle expresses happily. Then her smile fades as she takes in my expression. "You all right?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Did you bring your earplugs?"

I shake my head, "Forgot." Since childhood, I've always had an adverse reaction to loud noises. Probably due to the trauma of my mother screaming at me, mocking me, telling me how much of a worthless child I was. All it took was one time of me smelling her perfume for her to accuse me of being a fag. Luckily, my dad was there to defend me, saying it was normal for boys to enjoy the scent of a women, but my mom wouldn't have it.

Of course, the screaming was always associated with a thorough lashing with a belt or flipflop. It didn't matter what I did after that. Hateful homophobic slurs became a constant. Even within the club, surrounded by members. She used every opportunity to cut me down. And though she was ultimately correct about my orientation, I did my best to be overly masculine but nothing I did was ever good enough for her.

When I turned thirteen, my dad kicked her to the curb and raised me on his own until the day he was arrested. He was determined to never allow me to suffer by the hand and voice of anyone ever again. He made me strong. When he passed away in prison, I thought my life was over. He was my hero. My lifeline. I miss him dearly. "I'll be all right. Just wanna get to wherever we're going."

"I got you." She stops me from walking and stands in front of me. She then reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small plastic bag. It's a set of bright orange foam earplugs. She unwraps them and begins to place them into my ears. I help her adjust them to fit. She then winks at me and smiles before hooking her arm into mine and we continue. Elle knows my issues and has always gone out of her way to make sure I'm taken care of. Though the plugs don't drown out the sound completely, it's not nearly as stimulating.

Like normal people, we stroll along the sidewalk, attempting to avoid bumping into people. We make our way toward red lights and music ahead. The scent of smoked meats pulls me toward it.

"Bar-B-Q ok with you?"

Elle nods and we make our way over to the vendor. It is more like a big food truck with a large smoker behind it. After waiting in line for longer than ten minutes, we finally made it to the window to order. I ordered more than I should but everything sounded good at that moment.

"Do you have anything without meat?" Elle asks while scanning the menu.

"Young lady, this is a meat shack. I have baked potatoes. That's about it," the man replies over the loud music.

"I'll take that. Can I get it loaded? No bacon?"

He calls over his shoulder to a cook, "One loaded spud, hold the hog." He looks back at us. You want mild or hot sauce?"

"Hot," I reply.

"You got it. Five minutes." As I pass my debit card to the man at the window, a half-dressed young girl runs up and pokes her head into the window, nearly knocking me over.

"Hey! Can I suck your dick for a turkey leg," she bellows happily. She's already intoxicated.

Shocked, I looked at her, barely legal, and speaking to a man who had to be in his sixties with a large gut and covered in BBQ sauce and grease.

He smiles and winks at her, "I'm gonna hold you to that, sweetheart."

"Can't wait."

He wraps a smoked turkey leg in foil and tosses it to her. She gratefully accepts by blowing him a kiss before skipping away. The man peeks out of the window and watches her ass. "Now, that's a piece of fresh meat."

"Umm, you're aware that she's a child, right?" Elle states with a slightly disgusted expression.

"Barely legal and but legal is the keyword. That's all that matters," he chuckles. Elle and I are shocked and the man laughs while preparing our food.

"Gross," I whisper and watch the girl as she turns the corner and is cat-called by random men the whole way.

Two minutes later he passed our food out to us. "Y'all have a great night."

We thank him one last time before walking away, feeling unsettled at the thought of what his night could turn into, if the young woman were to return.

After a few moments of trying to find a place to sit and eat, two women dressed in bright neon green fishnet body suits offer to share their table with us. Elle is happy to share the space. I'm more reserved but didn't want to walk back to the camper just to stuff my face.

"We're headed over to Rockie Tops if y'all want to join us. They have dollar longnecks until ten," one of them offered.

"I don't drink much but sounds like fun," Elle states and looks at me. "What do you think?"

I couldn't understand how anyone couldn't see the exhaustion on my face. My body feels heavy and my shoulders ache from carrying all that heavy shit out of the camper. Unfortunately, I have zero fight. I shrug, "Whatever you want."

"There's supposed to be some expert fire breather there tonight," the second woman states excitedly. "There's also great music and dancing. Something for everyone."

"Fire breathing…inside a bar?" I question curiously.

"I assume they have a space for outdoor events," Elle says.

"We can check it out, I guess."

The two women stand, exposing the mass majority of their skin to the world. I've seen more nipples and pussy here than I have in my entire life. If only the guys walked around with their dicks out, I would have it made. "We're going to head over. Hope to see y'all there."

"Bye," the other says as they walk away.

Alone, Elle leans in and captures my gaze with hers. "You ok."

"Yeah, I'm good. Just tired. I think maybe I just got too hot today."

"We don't have to go. I can just go back to the room and you can get some sleep. I really don't mind."

"No, it's fine. What's one more hour?"

Elle nods while now picking at the remnants of her baked potato. "I mean," she grins. "a fire-breathing dude sounds hot."

"Literally."

She crumples up the foil her food came in and stands. "Now, let's go have some fun."

We make our way over to the bar. It's massive on the outside. Bikes line the front parking and there's even a line to get in but it seems to be moving fast. At the door, we pay a cover charge and they offer drink bands. Ten drinks are included with the purchase. It is hole-punched with every drink you receive, including water. We refuse but it's a good money-maker.

Nightlife at Sturgis is different from the day walkers, especially here. As we enter the dimly lit building, I'm greeted by a drunk woman coming up and putting her arm around me. The top half of her body is unclothed and covered in body paint. Plus, she's holding a sloshing drink. She begins to try and climb me like a tree. Not wanting to touch her, Elle takes action. She wraps her arms around her waist and rips her off me. When she releases her, the girl stumbles and falls to the ground. She doesn't protest but begins laughing. Then she holds up her cup and screams, "Not a drop spilled. Wooo!"

"Jesus Christ!" I say in shock.

Elle grabs my hand and drags me away from the scene and toward the bar. The bartender seems frazzled but greets us happily. "What can I get ya?"

Elle replies, "Two waters."

The bartender nods quickly, grabs our drinks, and Elle pays her in cash. With our drinks in hand, we turn to scan the crowd. They have music playing over large speakers and multiple colored strobe lights dancing around the room. I spot two neon green figures dancing and laughing. "There's your friends," I say and point to the two women we met while eating.

Elle turns back to the bar and stops a barmaid in passing. "I heard there's a firebreather tonight."

She looks at her watch, "The first show should start in twenty. Right out front here."

"In the street?" I ask.

"Yeah." Someone calls for her and she looks away. "Please excuse me. Y'all have a good night." She quickly walks away.

Elle and I look at each other and shrug simultaneously before turning back to the crowded bar. The music has changed and it seems more people have arrived during our interaction with the barmaid. I thought being inside the bar, we would be cooler but with all the bodies inside, the heat seems worse than outside. I lean into Elle, "Wanna go outside?"

"Yes."

We make our way toward the exit. That's where we see Max entering. He has turkey leg girl on his arm and they seem out of it already. He doesn't notice us but Elle reaches out and grabs his arm. "Max."

His first reaction is to pull away but when he realizes it's his sister, he stops and smiles. Turkey leg girl seems annoyed by their interaction when Max grabs Elle and hugs her. "Hey, sis." He says slushily. All hopes for his recovery were blown out of the water the second we arrived. I love being right but my heart breaks for Elle. The disappointment and grief are written all over her face as she pulls out of the hug.

She eyes the young girl before replying, "Where've you been?"

He smiles and shrugs, "Ya know, just hangin' out. Havin' fun. Meeting people."

"You missed opening day for your sister's booth," I announced, annoyed.

"That was today?" he states, pretending to be oblivious. Maybe he's too high to even comprehend.

"Come on. I wanna dance," turkey leg girl says, pulling Max by the arm.

"You should come with us," Elle states.

"Nah, I have a place to crash," he replies.

"Do you think that's a good idea? I ask and lean in closer. "Dude, that girl is bad news."

He scoffs and finally gives in to the girl at his arm. "I'll see y'all." The couple melts into the crowd of dancing drunkards. I suddenly have no desire to remain there and take Elle's hand. When she looks at me, I gesture toward the door with my head.

Once outside, Elle slaps on a smile and chuckles. I look at her curiously. "It's good to see him smiling, right?"

"I guess so," I reply flatly.

"Why do you act like you don't care?"

"Because I don't." A crowd of people gathers around an empty area of the parking lot. We're standing three rows back. I keep my eyes on our surroundings and a firm grip on Elle's hand.

"So, you don't care what happens to Max?"

"Not in particular. He makes shitty choices and you or I have always had to clean up the mess. This week is no different."

"But he's like your brother too," she says in a distraught tone.

"I love the guy but fuck. He's a drug addict, El. There's only so much I can take. I'm just waiting for the day when you finally see for yourself."

"I'm not blind, ya know. I can't just walk away from him though."

"I know that and that's why I tolerate him. For you."

At this point, the crowd has gathered in a circle, all facing the space and a man walks out. He's holding a microphone and when he speaks into it, his voice booms over two tall speakers standing in the tail bed of a nearby truck. He excitedly greets the crowd like a ringmaster at the circus. "Please welcome Forged by Fire and his lovely assistant, Paige."

Unenthused, I roll my eyes as the boredom consumes me. I look over to Elle and her eyes dance with excitement. I keep my comments to myself as I don't want to ruin the moment for her. The announcer makes his exit and the sky above us lights up with blazing fire. I'm surprised as I watch Mac and Janelle emerge together. They're dressed in matching leather outfits. Mac is nearly shirtless, dressed in a leather vest, exposing his tattoos. His grey beard stands out against his toned and tanned skin. His body looks to be covered in what I assume is baby oil as the reflection of the flames dances across his skin. I lick my lips at the sight of him, forcing my mind to the night before. He's carrying two lit torches. Janelle is wearing assless chaps and pasties with long tassels over her nipples, carrying a bottle of oil to bump up the crowd. She even knows how to use them as they swing in helicopter circles as she entices the crowd. It's a gross display, to be honest.

She skips over to Mac and he allows her to pour the bottled contents into his mouth. He takes his stand and blows the liquid over the fire, creating a massive burning cloud above us. The heat is not welcome after the day but the show is nice. He brings out multiple objects for holding the fire, including batons. He even uses Janelle as a prop by lighting her tassels by blowing fire. It's wild, to say the least, and never something I would do. I would never tempt fate by possibly burning my face off for a dude. It drove the crowd wild. Even Elle is impressed. All I could do was watch Mac and the way he moved. He makes my body sing with longing.

"He just got ten times hotter," Elle states with a smile.

I nod and continue to watch his display. As he makes a pass, he spots me and smiles. He then kisses the air in my direction and winks. My face burns and I can't help but try to hide the smile now pulling at the corners of my lips.

"Bitch, he's flirting with you," Elle states.

"No, he's not. The dude is married. He's just taunting the crowd's reaction."

"No. He's watching you."

Mac then blows more fire from his torch and while making eye contact with me, he rubs the lit end of the torch down the length of his chest and stomach. I wish it were my tongue doing that instead. Maybe he does too.

When the show ends, they both thank us all for watching and they disappear behind the truck. The crowd cheers and claps but my eyes remain searching for another glimpse of Holden. Two minutes later I observe him and Janelle pull out on a black-on-black Harley and ride away. I haven't had any desire to ride since my dad died but I'm suddenly left longing to be the one on the back of that bike.

"Hey?" I look at Elle. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," I reply and we make our way back toward my camper.

"I'm staying here tonight if that's ok."

"Of course it's ok. Why wouldn't it be?"

Elle shrugs, I don't know. Maybe you'd like some privacy for your show later."

I smile, "Shut up."