5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Jesse

I stood behind the bar and looked out over the crowd. Victor had been unsure about the theme nights, but not only were they extremely popular with customers, but they'd also turned out to be some of our most profitable nights.

The Daddy/boy nights were my favorites for obvious reasons, but the Amateur Drag Nights were fun, too. We'd done Queeraoke a few times, and while it hadn't been as popular, I thought it was starting to catch on. Victor had suggested a Western Night, but he was cowboy-obsessed and had been ever since he'd arrived in Texas a few years ago.

The Drag Nights were the most popular because they drew a crowd of all kinds, but tonight was Daddy/boy Night, and while the crowd wasn't as large, it was still very profitable. We'd even been talking about going to two nights a month and shifting the Queeraoke to a midweek thing.

I watched as a pretty boy with almost no clothes on sauntered over to the bar.

"Hey there." He was a sexy boy with a sultry smile and pretty violet eyes that I was almost positive had to be colored contacts.

"What can I get you?" I tossed the bar towel over my shoulder and smiled down at him. He wasn't very tall, and that only added to the appeal for me.

"I don't know. This is my first time here. What's good?"

"Sugar, everything here is good. Do you prefer it sweet or with a little more bite?"

He bit his bottom lip and looked up at me under a pair of pretty, long eyelashes. "I guess that all depends on what you mean. I like my drinks sweet, but other than that, a little biting can be good."

"Well, let's start with something sweet, then."

"Maybe we can get to the bitey part later on."

I ignored the come-on and reached for a glass. "So, what's your name?" I asked as I fixed his drink.

"My name is Philip, but most people call me Pip."

"Well, Pip. Are you here alone or with friends?"

If this sweet little thing had come here alone, he truly needed a Daddy to paddle his behind, and I would have to be sure and have Paul, our bouncer, keep an eye on him.

"I'm with a group of friends. They're over there." He spun around on the stool and pointed towards the booths along the far wall. "I got here late cause my ride share didn't show, and I had to order another one. They got a big head start on me." He made a cute little pouty face, and I couldn't help but chuckle. If he'd been a few years older, I might have taken him up on what he was so blatantly offering.

Well, if not for that and the fact that my brain couldn't stop replaying the image of Andy standing half-naked in front of the coffee pot at our campsite. The last thing I wanted was to take a boy home when my mind was somewhere else, even if it had no business being there.

And then, just like I'd conjured him out of thin air, as I handed Pip his drink, I glanced towards the door and saw Andy walking in with Keith, his boy Caleb, and Andy's friend, Mika.

"Ahem, I'm still here," Pip said playfully.

I turned back to him. "Sorry, I got distracted. You have fun tonight, Pip, and stay safe."

He rolled his eyes like I was being silly and hopped off his stool. "Fun is the name of the game, Daddy." Then he turned around and strutted his way over to his friends. I grabbed a rag and started wiping down the bar.

"Do you ever get tired of it?" Andy slid onto the stool that Pip had just vacated.

"Mixing drinks? Nope, not at all. I love tending bar." I deadpanned.

"I'm sure you do." He rolled his eyes and gave me a little smirk. "That's why you only do it on Daddy/boy Night. Because tending bar is your favorite."

"What can I get you to drink, Andy?" I asked, like he hadn't even said anything.

"Nothing, Jesse." He used the same dismissive tone I'd used, except somehow it sounded way bitchier from him. "I just came over to say hello. Caleb's going to order my drink. But if you're going to be snippy, I'll just head on over to the table."

"I wasn't being snippy."

"Really? Well then, why don't you answer the question I actually asked? Do you ever get tired of all the boys eyeing you up like candy?"

I shrugged. "It is what it is. And this is the best way for me to get to know the boys who come in here. And to make sure they're being safe. As long as I'm behind this bar, they don't see me as a threat, so they talk to me, and if they flirt a little, that's okay, too."

"Cause it's fun, and fun is the name of the game, right, Daddy?" he asked, mimicking Pip.

"Don't be a brat. Go join your friends and have a good time, but—"

"Be safe. Yeah, I know the spiel."

He hopped off the stool and started across the room like Pip had, but unlike Pip, I watched him go. I knew I shouldn't. Victor would probably kick my ass if he saw me, or he'd try at least. But I'd seen him in those sexy fucking boxer briefs, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't unsee it.

"Hey, Jesse, can I get a beer down here?" one regular called down the bar to me, reminding me that I was working.

"Sure, Dex, coming right up." I grabbed him a beer and popped the top off before handing it to him. "Sorry you had to wait."

He chuckled. "No problem, man, I get it. There are some nice-looking boys in here tonight. It'd be hard not to get distracted."

"Anybody catch your eye?" I asked.

"Maybe." He shrugged. "We'll see how it goes."

"Don't wait too long to make your move, or you might miss your chance."

"You know, you're right. Maybe I'll shoot my shot and get it over with."

He stood up and grabbed his beer, and I watched as he made his way over to the table where Pip was sitting. I didn't think the guy had a chance with that sassy boy, but what did I know? I was curious, though, so I kept an eye on him as he wove his way through the crowd.

Sure enough, he stopped right in front of Pip, but to my surprise, Dex turned to face one of the other boys at the table. He was more cute than sexy, but apparently cute was Dex's type. He said something to him, and the boy's face lit up with a smile, and he stood up and followed Dex out onto the dance floor.

Looked like they were off to a good start at least. I moved to the far end of the bar to clean off a spot where a couple of guys had been sitting, as a group of three boys sat down. I recognized them from previous Daddy/boy nights. Tony, the one in the middle, was visibly upset, and his friends Sammy and Jamie were trying to comfort him. I kept my eyes on the area I was cleaning, but I focused my attention on what they were saying.

"Do you want to leave?" Jamie asked.

"I don't know. Nothing happened."

"Because we showed up. You were telling him no, and he wasn't listening." Sammy pointed out.

"He was being persistent." Tony let out a sigh. "Something about him just gave me the creeps. He kept crowding into my space, but he didn't actually do anything. Maybe I'm overreacting."

And I'd heard enough. I stopped cleaning that same spot and stepped up to my side of the bar across from where they were standing. "Tony, you should always listen to your gut. If someone gives you the creeps, you pay attention, and you can always come get me or Paul."

"Thanks, Jesse, but he really didn't do anything."

Sammy rolled his eyes. "Tony told him no three times that I heard, but no matter where we went, he showed back up. I don't call that nothing."

"Who was it?" I asked. The three boys glanced back and forth between each other, and I knew they weren't sure if they should say or not. I got it. No one wanted to be a troublemaker, but I needed to know. "Boys… who was it?" I repeated in my best Daddy voice.

"It was the guy standing over near the stage," Tony said quietly.

I looked up, and who was standing there but fucking Sebastian Demarco. I hadn't even seen him come in tonight. Normally, I tried to keep an eye on him because we'd had trouble with him before. The problem was, it was always the same story. He was really good at skating the line of impropriety, but not crossing it. Or at least not that I knew of.

"I'll take care of Sebastian. Are you boys going to stay, or do you want to go home?"

Tony drew himself up. "I want to stay. I'm not gonna let him ruin my night."

I nodded. "Okay, no problem, but when you leave tonight, you get either me or Paul to walk you to your car. Just to be safe."

"We took a ride share so none of us had to be the designated driver," Sammy said.

"Good boys. I like to hear that, but still, you come and get me or Paul, and one of us will make sure you get to the right car, okay?"

They all nodded and headed out onto the dance floor.

"Hey, Cam," I called to the other bartender working with me tonight. "I need to take care of something. You got this by yourself?"

"Sure, boss, I got it."

I tossed my towel in the sink and started around the bar. I headed straight for Sebastian. When I reached him, I didn't even stop. I just growled out, "You. Come with me now."

"What did I do?" he asked, but he followed me like I knew he would. He purposely chose boys who were smaller than him because that was what bullies did, but not only was I bigger than he was, I could kick his ass, and he knew it.

I didn't say a thing. I just headed down the hall to my office. I didn't want to have this conversation publicly so this would be the closest place.

I pulled out my key and unlocked the door, stepping back and motioning for him to go inside. I didn't bother waiting for us to sit before I started in on him.

"I thought I warned you about this, Sebastian."

"About what? I didn't do anything."

"Really? Because that's not what I hear."

"What did you hear? Because I didn't touch that boy, did he say I did? If he did, he's a liar."

"No one said you touched anyone. But you did make him uncomfortable."

He scoffed. "Uncomfortable. Sounds like a him problem to me. I've been on my best behavior ever since our little talk."

"This is a safe space for everyone, but especially for our boys. This is the last time I'm going to talk to you about this. No means no at Kirby's, and I won't have you pressuring people. I'm not playing around, Sebastian. Any more complaints, and you're gone."

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes. "There's a better selection of boys in other places, anyway."

"Then I suggest you go to those places. But either way, you're done for tonight."

"You're kicking me out?"

"For tonight, yeah, And you're lucky it's just for tonight."

He turned around and stalked off, but I'm pretty sure I heard him mutter asshole on the way out.

I locked up my office and went back up to the bar. I looked around for Tony and his friends. It took me a while to find them, but eventually I did. They were out on the dance floor together, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves. I looked over at the table where Andy had been sitting with his friends the last time I looked, but he wasn't there, and neither was his friend Mika or Caleb.

Keith was sitting there with a friend of his, though, so they were here somewhere. I got back to work because where Victor's little brother had gotten off to was none of my business, and I had a job to do.