Hot for Charity Read Free

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    “You look stunned. What did he do? Was he good? Extra generous?” Joey asked as he met Kyler on his way to the bar.
    “Don’t be gross,” Kyler said.
    Brian was right behind his boyfriend. “I hope I got my money’s worth.”
    “You did, but not the way you think.” Kyler headed for the bar and quickly surmised that the older black man was in charge there.
    “What can I get you?” he asked.
    “Strawberry daiquiri, frozen please,” Joey chimed in from behind him.
    “Shot of Crown Royale.” Brian nodded.
    “Diet Coke and some information. I’m Kyler.” He extended a hand.
    The black man eyed Kyler for a second. “The name is Avery, but I don’t date customers, especially ones young enough to be my kid.”
    “Weird much,” Joey said to Kyler.
    “Not that type of information. Sorry. Cody said you’d be the man to talk to about a potential fundraiser for a gay cause.” Kyler fished through his wallet for the business card the shelter gave out. It had the address and phone number on it so kids could find it. They printed them by the thousands and left them around Vegas at any logical place. He always carried some in case he ran into someone in need.
    Avery looked over the card as another bartender blended the daiquiri. “A teen shelter wants strip-club money? Is this a joke?” He shook his head and went to work. An expertly poured shot and a Diet Coke with a lime wedge later, Avery had done his job.
    “It’s not a joke. We need all the help we can get,” Kyler said.
    “How much do I owe you?” Brian asked Avery.
    Kyler left the card there and did not let up on the staring contest with Avery. The other bartender settled up with Brian as Avery grabbed the card again. “Stubborn.”
    “I am. We need some temporary help until we can get a sponsor. Just something to keep the doors open for a few months. If the owner is not comfortable with an event because it’s for teens, we would take a donation or whatever they want to do.”
    Avery looked over Kyler’s head and nodded to someone in the crowd. “I get it. Hang out if you can. When the crowd thins out, we can talk about this more. If we’re going to help you, it needs to be handled right.”
    “Sure. I’ll be right here. Thanks.” Kyler felt positive for the first time in days. Going through the motions of fixing other people’s cars and trying to help with a charity had pulled him into a gray area. That wasn’t him. His friends were right. Maybe a strip club hadn’t been the perfect idea, but Kyler did need to step out of his own comfort zone and dare to make a fool of himself…especially for something he believed in.
    “You’re really hitting up a gay strip club for charity?” Joey asked.
    “Hey, I’m out of my rut.” Kyler shrugged. “I’ll tell you what, I’ve only had one drink all night, and I didn’t even finish it. I’ll be the designated driver. Drink up, go flirt with the strippers or make out or whatever. You brought me here so don’t complain.” Kyler pointed to the hot men doing a dirty tango on stage.
    “He’s feeling better.” Brian shrugged and downed his shot in one gulp. “Come on, babe.”
    Joey grabbed Brian with one hand and held his big strawberry treat in the other. “Don’t be such a goody-goody all the time, Kyler.”
    Smiling, Kyler watched Cody dance and caught a glimpse of Avery on a cell phone. The silver fox was hanging out near the bartender, and Kyler wondered if they were partners and the owners or if Avery had the owner on the phone.
    When he looked back, Cody was giving another customer a lap dance right in public. Too bad Kyler had offered to be the designated driver. A little rum in his drink might just help. He had no reason to be annoyed over Cody’s job. That guy had turned him on and opened up a door for a possible donation. Still Kyler was annoyed.
    * * * *
    Cody couldn’t help but continue to notice Kyler all night. Kissing a customer? Sure, he had hooked up once in a