The Dragon of Monster Island (M/M Romance) Monster Island Book 1 [Sample]

Chapter 1 - The Incident

That night had started the same as any other. I showed up for work an hour before the club opened for the night. We were expecting to be busy. We were always packed on Friday nights. It meant the tips were good, so I was excited. My bills were paid for the month, so I'd be making straight pocket money, and I was excited to get my hands on a new pair of jeans. My favorite pair had started to rub thin between the thighs. It was only a matter of time before they were unwearable, but if tonight went well, I wouldn't have to worry about that for much longer.

Our lead bartender was polishing the counter when I arrived. She gave me a cordial nod, clearly saving her social energy for schmoozing the customers that would be coming in tonight. We were a gay and lesbian club, so she was particularly popular with the ladies who frequented. She had a few regulars who gave her goo-goo eyes every shift and seeing the tips she went home with every night, it's safe to say she was doing well with the attention.

My uniform was skin-tight and uncomfortable for most people, but something about the revealing clothes made me more confident. As if I knew my body could do more for me than my mind. I was never particularly smart or studious, never went to college, and barely graduated high school. But I managed to survive this far and didn't live in a complete shithole so I guess I was doing well enough.

Work started slow. It always did. The first people in the club were the ones looking to have an early night, parents who didn't want to lose touch with their youth, people with work the following day, that kind of crowd. It was closer to ten o'clock when things started to get busy. Bodies packed the dance floor, and the music was a steady, dependable thumping sound. I swear it matched my heartbeat.

Walking around the writhing bodies got a little easier with practice. I got better at balancing the trays, ducking under stray limbs, and weaving through guests without spilling anything, but for the most part, they were unpredictable. Patrons could leap at you at any moment, especially the drunk ones. They were usually trying to goad a server into dancing with them. On nights when I wasn't working until close, I'd change out of my uniform and dance with some strangers. I always broke away after a while though. As fun as it was to dance with someone, I didn't want to give the wrong idea.

I've never had sex before. It wasn't like I was uninterested, it was mostly that there was never a good opportunity. And I didn't want the first time to be with a half-drunk stranger.

Tonight the crowd was particularly handsy, grabbing at my tray and arms and hips. They knew if they got too familiar they'd be kicked out. It'd happened before, so they kept the touches to places that could be easily explained away. Some of the customers were creeps. But they were creeps with fat wallets, and they were generous if you were pretty and willing to endure their attentions. And thankfully, I was both.

It always made me feel a little sick, the fact that I enjoyed it. It wasn't the best feeling in the world, but part of me got a little thrill at the attention, at being noticed. It seemed to fill some kind of void in me. Maybe I needed validation more than other people did, but it helped. On nights when I was particularly popular, I always felt supercharged, like I could do anything, leap tall buildings in a single bound. That kind of thing. And I dreaded my days off because they always made me feel sluggish, lazy, and weak.

Tonight, there was a small group watching me. They sat at one of our tables, the ones only the rich patrons can afford, and I brought them glasses of red wine. It was an unusual order, but I learned early on not to question the preferences of club-goers. You got more tips if you didn't bat an eye.

They were all goth, dressed in all black, pale skin, and they spoke like they watched too many old movies. They were nice enough though, eyeing me with interest as I brought them their drinks, but they didn't try to grab me, so they were already one of my favorites for the evening. They were overlooking some map. At a glance, it looked like an island. I remembered playing dungeons and dragons in high school and smiled at the map. They were probably prepping for a session, though it was a weird place to do it.