Exposed: Tool Shed, #5

By A.R. Steele

YORICK
People have always doubted that I'm straight - but I am, and I have a four-year-old daughter to prove it. DJing at a male strip club is downright uncomfortable. Wright, the blond, built ex-Marine bartender, is the only one who doesn't question my sexuality - until the day he makes a move on me, and I'm left wondering if there's something to everyone's suspicions.

WRIGHT
Working as a bartender helps me deal with the scars left from my time in the service - and my crush on the DJ is a fun distraction. When he rejects me, I take it in stride. I can wait for him to accept his sexuality. But even though I'm openly gay, I have secrets of my own that I can't bear to expose. Maybe I need Yorick as much as he needs me. Maybe he and I can heal each other.

Exposed is a full-length, standalone gay romance in the Tool Shed series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: A.R. Steele
• Release date: Oct 5, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393381273

Book preview

One

Yorick hesitated just outside the door. His nose wrinkled and he stared at the ground. Every part of his body fought against going inside the inauspiciously named Man Planet. His gut, his nerves, and his instincts all told him not to go.

Against his better judgment, he pushed the door open. Immediately he was assaulted with body heat and loud music. The darkness overtook him as he stepped in. As he blinked to adjust to the dim light, he could already tell the room was too small for the amount of people in it.

He glanced around through slitted eyes, looking warily in each direction. There were a few women in the place, but mostly men. Men holding men, dancing with men, even kissing men. He gritted his teeth and moved forward.

At the Tool Shed, he put up with seeing male flesh on a nightly basis. The strippers were all gay or bisexual, too, but at least they didn’t actually touch each other. And the walls of Yorick’s DJ booth kept him safely sequestered away from them. Here, anyone could have mistaken him for being like the others.

If he had his way, he would be anywhere else – but he had promised his buddy that he would be here tonight. He made his way through the room to the corner of the stage. A man leered at him and reached out to finger a strand of his long black hair. Yorick opened his mouth in outrage and slapped his hand away.

No one else tried to touch him, thankfully, but he still had to suffer through the sight of the men around him. It was impossible to avoid. They were everywhere in this place. People weren’t even individuals anymore, just a mass of writhing bodies.

Yorick pushed open the door to the DJ booth and collapsed against the wall, shaking his head at his friend.

Hey, buddy, Raphael said. You made it!

Yeah, sure, Yorick said, hoping his discomfort wouldn’t show too much. He would have gone anywhere for this man after the amount of time they had known each other. Raphael had been there for him ever since they’d bonded over listening to each other’s Walkmans in elementary school.

What do you think? Raphael asked

It’s not exactly my kind of place, Yorick said, trying to stay diplomatic. The music is good, though. I like the beats you’re dropping.

Thanks, man. I mixed these cuts earlier today.

Definitely fresh, Yorick said. I wouldn’t have thought to go from Beyoncé to the Stone Temple pilots.

Well, they’re loving it, Raphael said, gesturing out at the crowd. Yorick swallowed as he looked back out there. His eyes lit on one couple that was practically humping each other right there on the dance floor. It was barely past eleven and they were already going at each other like that. Yorick couldn’t believe anyone would be so uncivilized.

I’m glad our schedules finally worked out, Yorick said.

I know. The one night I have a gig is the one that you have off.

Please, Yorick said, flipping his long ponytail over his shoulder. You have a gig practically every night these days. You’ve told me so.

Here and there, here and there, Raphael said. Not everyone can be so lucky as to work five nights a week like you.

Yorick laughed. Raphael was just joking around, but Yorick was happy they could both earn money doing what they loved. Raphael had a day job as well, while Yorick DJed full-time at the strip club. He had never imagined things turning out like this when they started messing around with music software in their teens. They had taken up the hobby together, and they were still doing it almost ten years later.

How’s things at work? Raphael asked, nodding to the music as he clicked on the computer. The beats from the last song blended seamlessly into the next one.

Not bad, Yorick said, crossing his arms. Can’t say I love the environment, but the work itself is fine.

Yeah, it must be rough for you to stare at hot men all night.

Yorick shot him a glare. Raphael laughed and raised his hands in surrender. Just teasing.

Lips tight, Yorick shook his head. Raphael might just be teasing, but he’d heard far too much of that teasing over his life. It seemed to be a permanent joke that Yorick was gay. He got accused of it in every environment that he went to. High school, college, family, dating... For some reason, he gave off vibes of liking men, and he had no idea why.

Sometimes people were aggressive about it, like when a bunch of kids from his high school had jumped him and beaten him up for his supposed proclivities. Sometimes it was supportive, like when his family staged an intervention for him. Just now, it was mild teasing. Yorick hated it regardless. The accusation simply wasn’t true. He would have had no issue with it if he was into men, but he wasn’t.

It’s a fine job, he said. Pays the bills. I can’t complain.

Not to anyone else, but in his mind he certainly could. He would have rather been in an environment with far less shirtless men. He didn’t need to see all of the gleaming chests and rippling abs that were on display every night. He could have lived without the showcase of male specimens.

And what made it worse was that all of those men were gay or bisexual. He couldn’t even be friendly with them without feeling awkward. He couldn’t have anyone getting the wrong impression.

At first, he’d gotten along best with the bartender. Wright had a kind smile and an endless supply of dachshund pictures. The soft, polite way he spoke soothed something deep in Yorick’s soul. Yorick used to go by the bar and help him set up almost every night. Shooting the shit about nothing in particular had never been so pleasant. Soon after Yorick found out Wright was gay, he stopped going.

And your ex was fine with watching Jamie? Raphael asked, leaning back in his chair.

Yorick let his arms drop, relaxing at the thought of his preschooler. She was the light of his life, the one thing that always made him soften. She didn’t mind at all. I mean, Jamie goes to sleep at nine o’clock.

She doesn’t wake up in the middle of the night?

Yorick had to laugh. That’s more of something babies do. She’s four now. He would have thought that would be common knowledge. Even if he and Raphael were the same age, being a parent separated them in maturity.

When Jamie was born, Yorick was twenty-two. Many of his friends were freaked out. They were nowhere near the point of having children – most weren’t even in relationships. Certain people had slowly stopped talking to Yorick as Tonya went through her pregnancy. He could have used some support near her delivery date, when she left him for another man, but few people were there. At least Raphael was.

Yorick couldn’t blame his friends for not knowing how to handle a child in their midst. They’d never had the easy camaraderie other men his age shared, anyway. And the odd situation where he lived with Tonya and the man she had left him for didn’t help him relate to people.

The strippers at the Tool Shed would never have been able to identify with him. They were around his age, but immaturity made them seem years younger. Even Trenton, the owner, hardly had a clue what he was doing – although the new manager he had hired was helping.

Just as he was thinking about the strippers, he stiffened. His eyes swept the crowd. Was it his imagination, or had he just seen the whole group of them? His eyes widened, and he let out a soft groan.

What’s going on? You see a guy you hooked up with?

Yorick shot another glare at Raphael. It’s my coworkers. All of them. They must have decided to come out tonight.

Makes sense, Raphael said, nodding. Your club is closed and ours is open, so why wouldn’t they be here?

I hope they don’t see me, Yorick said, sinking down below the divider.

But it was too late. Shade’s eyes caught his, and he waved brightly, his other hand laced with Jesse’s.

Yorick pasted a smile on his face and waved back. I hope they’re not going to come over here, he muttered to Raphael.

But he was naïve to be so hopeful. Shade was in front of the booth a minute later. Wow, it feels like we’re at the club, he said. All the guys are here, and you’re in the DJ booth.

Yeah, I came out to support my buddy since I had the night off and he was here.

Nice, nice. We all had the same idea. We never get to go out together.

Or at all, Yorick said. The schedule didn’t really allow it, aside from Mondays and Tuesdays. All of these men gave up their weekend nights for the club.

As he and Shade chatted, the rest of the strippers crowded around the booth. Hey, Y, Jesse drawled. Didn’t know you were going to be here.

Same to you, Yorick said.

The others greeted him one by one, and he introduced Raphael to each of them.

Enjoying the music? Raphael asked.

Yeah, way better than that crap they play where we work, Lev said jokingly.

Yorick looked from one of them to the next, wishing he could read their minds. The fact that he was at a gay club was incriminating. He just hoped they wouldn’t jump to the wrong conclusion. Some of them were definitely doing so even as they spoke. He tensed, wishing they hadn’t come here. He didn’t know what he would do if the rumors that had pursued him throughout his life started to swirl around again. He had worked so hard to avoid them.

So, everyone is ready for the amateur night that’s coming up? Cooper asked, his arm around Owen. Trenton’s going to find a bunch of guys to replace us, I guess.

He wouldn’t do that, Owen said, rolling his eyes.

Yeah, he would, Cooper joked. He’s going to have them working for tips alone.

Yorick shrugged, not caring much either way. A crop of new strippers would be better than this group with all of its rampant homosexuality. Yorick would have liked for just one of them to be hetero, like him.

Anyway, I’m going to take my man onto the dance floor, Ace said.

He and Gabriel disappeared, reappearing a minute later in the middle of the mass of bodies. They moved together with practiced rhythm in a way that made it hard for Yorick to take his eyes off them. They moved together like they fit together, and he struggled to not think about where they had been practicing.

That’s not a bad idea, Elijah said. Lucas, are you up for it?

Eyes wide, Lucas nodded. They joined hands and went out in Ace and Gabriel’s direction.

Raphael shook his head. As if you guys don’t get enough of a chance to dance.

Not with each other, Owen said. Cooper, you ready?

I’ve been ready since we got here. They took off as well.

They had hardly departed when Yorick locked eyes with another familiar face across the room. His heart leapt in his chest, which he wrote off to being upset. Oh, no. Was the entire world going to see him in a gay club?

Who is it? Raphael asked.

It’s the bartender and the bouncer from the strip club.

Well, wave them over, Raphael said.

Against his better judgment, Yorick did. He smiled weakly as Wright approached. In return, the bartender gave him his usual kind smile. The way his full lips turned upward seemed completely sincere, despite the way Yorick had abandoned their friendship.

Wright was a good guy – no, a great guy. After they’d stopped talking, Yorick had even heard he was a veteran. He hadn’t found the right moment to ask about what seemed like a personal subject.

With his clipped blond hair and gentle blue eyes, Wright was good-looking. Yorick could acknowledge that much. He always wore a tight T-shirt and a black vest behind the bar. In anything less, he could have been mistaken for a stripper. But his skills with juggling shakers, spinning bottles, and lighting shot glasses on fire would have been wasted if he were to go onstage.

At the moment, the thin fabric of his shirt did little to conceal the muscles of his arms and chest. He wore jeans that fit just right, along with white Jordans that accented the length of his legs. His expression was calm and pensive, as always. Yorick tensed as he looked at him.

Hey. Even if Yorick preferred to avoid Wright lately, he was right in front of him now, so he would be civil. He licked his lips. You just missed a bunch of the guys.

Who’s here? Wright asked.

Now that you two came, everyone.

I didn’t expect to see you here, Wright said, his eyes lingering on Yorick.

Oh, I came to see my buddy DJ – Yorick started to explain.

Wright was still looking at him, those blue eyes gazing curiously into Yorick’s. Hey, so, would you like to dance?

Two

Yorick looked so appetizing in his black T-shirt and jeans. It was similar to what Wright was wearing, but it hung completely differently on Yorick’s slender frame. Wright liked his height, his willowiness, and how the long ponytail that almost reached his waist rippled like ocean waves when he moved.

Wright had found Yorick attractive ever since he started working at the club. Yorick was his closest friend at the Tool Shed for a while, even if they weren’t actually that close. At some point, Yorick had stopped coming around to visit him behind the bar. Wright had started hanging out and working out with Austin sometime after that. While they were closer than he and Yorick had ever been, he still missed chatting with Yorick.

It was a surprise to run into him here. Yorick had definitely given Wright a certain vibe, but you never knew. With all the other strippers being out of the closet, he assumed he would have heard something if that was the case.

Seeing Yorick in this environment, Wright decided to take a chance. It was an impulsive decision, bolstered by the multiple shots Austin had encouraged him to take before they found the group. He wasn’t much of a drinker, so when he did imbibe, it hit him hard.

Hey, so, would you like to dance?

A response didn’t come right away, and Wright told himself to stay calm. But as the silence dragged on, Wright wondered if asking was the right decision. He examined Yorick’s face, which was definitely not a good idea. Looking at those enticing features only turned him on. Yorick’s almond-shaped eyes always looked slightly narrowed, and his forehead was the tiniest bit wrinkled as if he wore a constant frown. These took nothing away from his appeal.

But at the moment Yorick had his lips pressed together, and his dark eyes were a strange mix of sorrow and anger.

Wright prepared himself for a negative reaction. But even having braced himself, he shuddered when Yorick said, No.

The look on his face turned to disgust, and he actually glared at Wright as he took a step back. Wright’s heart clenched. He definitely shouldn’t have said that. He felt suddenly sober, and he was almost unaware of Austin’s massive paw clapping down