Stripped [phan]

Jade Jacorey

Daniel Howell lived for the stage. The rush of adrenaline hit him as the people started cheering. He loved dancing. The beat of the music his heart pounded to. He could feel the bass vibrating his body. He loved the dress up. He loved the hoots and hollers from the crowd, the claps of satisfaction. He loved the money, roses, sometimes risqué things that were thrown at him. He lived and breathed just to go to work every night.
This particular night the joint was busy, Dan could hear the shouts and glasses clinking from behind stage. There was electricity in the air, Dan swears he could hear the buzzing. It was almost his time to go on.
He stared at himself in the mirror, lit up by small round lights. He wasn't wearing much makeup, light contour and blush and his eyebrows were filled in a bit. His hair was a wild, curly brown mop that hung down on his forehead. He had small black gauges about as thick as a sharpie.
As the song playing outside began to come to an end, Dan felt more and more anxious to go on. His heart started pounding. He loved it.
Just as the song came to a stop and the chatter was loud as ever he glanced at his costume. He was wearing very small, tight, black shorts and a button up collared white shirt. He wore black leather sneakers and a loose black tie around his neck to match. He was supposed to be a school boy of some sort, and wasn't really digging the costume choice he had been told to wear that night.
Just then, a loud speaker drowned out the buzz of men from outside. "And now, a solo performance from our very own Jade Jacorey!"
The men's voices picked up again, sitting up in their seats eager to see Dan preform. Or... Jade.
Dan walked out from behind stage and the roar of excitement hit him like a wave. "Jacorey!" a few shouted, others asking for a lap dance, some whistling. Dan smiled brightly, dimples forming on the sides of his mouth.
Then the music started playing. Dan felt the bright lights hit his skin and the warmth beating down on him. The men yelling, throwing money. The beat of the song getting louder, making his head boom.
Then he let go.
Dan did what he did best. He stripped. He danced and stripped and danced some more. He walked down the cat walk and wrapped himself around the surface of the pole, cold metal against his hot skin. He didn't have a specific routine, and he didn't need to. The crowd loved him. The joint was always packed just because of Dan. He was a star.
After the song was finished, Dan was a sweaty mess. He held a rose in his mouth, thrown at him by a man who was seated by the cat walk. Men were yelling for more, but Dan left the stage regardless, with a huge smile plastered on his face.
Daniel Howell lived for the stage.
-
Phillip Lester was an introvert. He stayed at home, away from loud public places. He had few friends, only two actually. One was his roommate, his name was Pj Liguori. Phil loved Pj and had a lot of respect for him. They were practically like brothers. Pj was reserved and very chill, much like Phil was.
So it was surprising to Phil when Pj asked him if he wanted to go downtown one cold December night.
"What?" Phil asked Pj, even though hearing him perfectly fine.
"There's this gay strip club downtown that has a really good reputation... I kinda wanted to check it out," Pj shrugged, realizing he wasn't sounding like himself. "It's called Preston's."
"Are you trying to get laid tonight or something?" Phil asked sincerely. "Why do you want to go? We never do this type of thing."
"Exactly, I think it'd be good to get out a bit, maybe have some other human interactions than just us two and Louise," Pj decided, referring to him and Phils only other friend. "Also, yes, I want to get laid."
Phil laughed at Pj, he thought it was funny when Pj said things like that as he was a reserved, very straight faced guy.
"There's this guy, Jade Jacorey, he has a performance tonight. The place is going to be packed and probably extra spend-y tonight, since he's othe attraction," Pj informed Phil, "but I'm sure he's worth seeing."
Phil laughed again, this time at the stupid stripper name. Jade Jacorey. "Alright, let's go. But you're paying for you're own lap dance," Phil joked but said firmly as he stood up from his computer and slid on his coat.
  Pj waved down a taxi, and they were off. No turning back now. Phil decided that he would have one drink so he wouldn't end up doing anything stupid, but could wind down a bit. He also decided that he was going purely for Pj, no other reason. He was not getting laid, or even a lap dance. He would be getting one drink to loosen up, and watch as the night goes on, hoping that his friend was having a good time in the moldy bathroom stall with another intoxicated man.
  Phil had never really labeled himself a sexuality. He had never dated a guy, and dated only a couple girls in college. Phil thought that he liked whoever he ended up liking, and it was as simple as that.
  When Phil and Pj finally arrived and payed for their entrance, Phil immediately regretted his decisions. The music was overwhelming, his heart and head were pounding from the bass. This music plus the constant chatter and yelling over it made it so much worse, and the younger boy wearing a sailor costume working the pole wasn't that appealing either.
  "Wow, there's so many people here tonight," Pj spoke close to Phils ear.
  "Well, yeah, didn't you say that Jade kids act was tonight?" Phil replied, rubbing the back of his neck.
  "Well I didn't - hold on," Pj looked around the crowded place, "where do you get lap dances?"
  Phil shrugged and was a bit annoyed when Pj just walked away, now lost in the crowd. Phil made his way to the bar and took a stool, ordering a couple shots.
  A couple hours, shots, and performances later, Phil was still in the same stool, and Pj hadn't turned up yet.
  "You're doing this for Peej," Phil whispered out loud to himself, "you can do this."
  Phils jolted up in his seat when a loud speaker practically yelling, even louder than the music, said "and now, a solo performance from our very own Jade Jacorey!"
  The men close to the stage began to hoot and holler, clinking glasses everywhere. The men that were sitting at the bar with Phil had now moved up into the crowd, where Phil was now alone at the bar.
  Phil watched as what appeared to be a very young man in a school boy costume walk out, smiling brightly. His smile seemed to bright up the whole room, much better than the cheap dim lights that were lighting the stage.
  Men were practically screaming, some chanting "Jade!" and others more drunk slurring "take your clothes off!"
  Phil was just thinking to himself how young this boy was. He couldn't be old enough for this... job, could he? He looked as if he was only 18 or 19 years of age. Maybe that's the appeal, Phil thought as he ordered another shot.
  After Jades performance, which Phil barely paid attention to, he left the stage with less than half the clothes he had on when he entered the stage. The drunks were shouting for an encore from Jade before blaring electronic music sounded them out once again.
  Phil was just writing out a text to Pj when he stammered up to him.
  "Did you get what you wanted?" Phil yelled at Pj over the music.
  "I got a lap dance," Pj yelled back and shrugged. "But did you see Jade?"
  "Barely..." Phil said a bit quiet, but Pj could read his lips.
  "Dude! He's so hot! I heard you gotta be VIP to get lap dances from him though," Pjs face dropped, but immediately lifted again. "Let's get out of here."