Page 31 of Allured (Love and Burlesque #1)
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
EZEKIEL
Muscles and cardigans.
S tunned .
One would think I wouldn’t be so affected by witnessing Alek on stage, as I have now seen him perform in all connotations of the word. But I can’t help but join the dozens of others in the audience in a standing ovation when we reach the end of the show.
The entire performance was spectacular. There was a certain kind of hedonistic darkness present throughout the show that left me on the edge of my seat.
Most of all, it is Alek’s wardrobe, or lack thereof, by the end of the show that has me practically running towards the corridor entrance leading to the dancers’ dressing rooms. The sight of his form—fitting corset cinched over, what I know to be a tightly toned waist, had me shifting in my seat the entirety of the show. By the final act, Alek was stripped down to just a pair of black silk underwear that stretched taut around his assets and connected down to a pair of fishnets by a ruffled garter.
In that instance, I was thankful that Knight had gotten me to a tabled booth so that the evidence of my arousal wasn’t shown to a room full of people.
I highly doubt they would have the attention to spare my way, though. Every single second of the show was filled with striking acts that one would not dare shift their gaze from.
A bouquet of flowers in one hand and the cardigan I had stripped off in an attempt to cool down in the other, I lean against the wall of the hallway and wait for the center of tonight’s attention.
Alek and Benny burst through the door leading below the stage. Alek is doubled—over in laughter as Benny slaps his back.
“I’m tellin’ ya dude, I knew that frog was gonna get him!” Benny wipes his face free from the tears that spill from his chuckle. I can see Alek taking a moment to close the door behind them before he turns and zeroes in on me. There is a cheerful, full—bodied laugh still shaking his body as he happily waves my way.
This man is the definition of sunshine and confidence. I mirror the sentiment with a wave of my cardigan—covered hand.
“Benny decided to put a frog in one of the guy’s lockers tonight,” Alek explains, pointing a thumb over to his large friend while they make their way down the hallway toward me.
“Professor Hottie, you shoulda seen it!” Benny hollers and it causes him to burst out into a laugh once again.
“Hey, angel.” Alek’s smile turns softer. His eyes roam up and down my body before pausing at my lips. He doesn’t hesitate to lean in and greet me with a tender brush of his lips and a quick lash of his tongue. It certainly is more than a peck, but still less than something that would get us kicked out of a public setting. After getting our fill of each other for the moment, I step back and narrow my eyes at Alek as my brain catches up to my new moniker.
“I was surprised you didn’t greet me as ‘Professor Hottie’ as well, Alek. Though,” I pause and look at Benny over Alek’s shoulder as I continue, “I assure you Hottie is not my family name.”
“But it’s fittin’ as hell though,” Benny responds with a wink. “Y’all have a nice and restful night.” With that, the man walks away while making kissy noises at us.
Without the distraction of another person, I can fully observe and appreciate what Alek is wearing. He’s sporting a black tank top and loose gray sweatpants and— my god— he’s still wearing his smokey makeup look. His eyes look phenomenal. They are pools of dark honey luring me into their depths, and the fact that I am the sole focus of their attention causes my breaths to become uneven.
“Those for me?” Alek asks, snapping me out of my momentary stupor.
“Yes. I attempted to find the bouquet with the most shades of purple.” Lifting the artfully wrapped bundle of flowers between us, I feel my smile turn shy as I present them to him.
“They’re beautiful, angel. I didn’t expect anything. I was joking around about the flowers earlier,” Alek admits. But he takes the bouquet and holds it to his chest anyway.
“You deserve beautiful things, Alek. If you wish, I will bring them to you after every show.”
A silence passes between us. Our eyes meet but the moment feels too sacred for words to trespass. The underlying current of lust that always seems to be present is second to the intimate moment of connection traded between us.
“You would, wouldn’t you?” Alek asks like something as simple as buying him flowers is the most monumental thing in the world.
“Of course, Alek.” I cup his cheek and run my thumb over the trimmed hair there, hoping the physical touch conveys the devotion in my reply.
“Will you come home with me?” he asks, his eyes turning round and soft with his plea. As if he ever had to beg me to spend time with him.
“You wouldn’t want to stay and mingle with your friends?” I ask with a turn of my head, taking a second to glance over my shoulder to the full bar area.
“Not tonight. I just want you.” His words carry a devastating sincerity to them. One I don’t fully think I deserve. Not yet, at least.
Turning away from the wall and toward the exit to the common area, I extend my hand to his, waiting for his large hand to sink into mine so that I may lead us from here.
Alek cheekily steals a peck at my cheek before he entwines his fingers into mine and we set off for his duplex.
During the short drive to his house, Alek animatedly recalled the performance and spoke with admiration about all the performers. It was quite adorable hearing him passionately explain performance using extensive dance and performance terms. Though I hardly understood many of them, his chipper tone had me beaming a smile back at him. I made a mental note to find books on dancing and stage performances so that I could properly share in his passion.
As I was pulling my car into his driveway, Alek asked me if everything was alright between me and Knight. I assume he must have seen my cousin and me speaking before the performance began. No longer wanting secrets between us and knowing that this secret was at least one that I could tell him now, I talked about how Knight had come to me to say that he would be delegating a lot of his business and wanted to spend more time at the burlesque club. Alek just hummed in response and said he’d ask Knight more about it later.
“C’mon in, Ez.” Alek is the first to exit the car. He opens the trunk and retrieves both of our bags before I make it out of the driver’s side.
“I’m perfectly capable of carrying my own bag, Alek,” I declare, following him up the steps of his apartment. While the statement is true, I don’t believe I could carry them with such ease as Alek does. The man easily outweighs me by nearly forty pounds of pure muscle.
“I don’t know, old man. I noticed it took you a bit to get out of the car back there.” Shifting the bags over to one hand, Alek fishes the keys from the front pocket of his sweats and unlocks the door for us. He uses his already full arm to hold the door open for me and gestures widely so that I may enter.
“I will say, even when I was young I never possessed your hyper energy. Let’s put it to good use.” I strip myself of my cardigan, fold it neatly in half, and place it on top of his already overflowing arm. Alek laughs at my gesture and for good measure, he flexes the already protruding muscles of his bicep.
“Thank you, brattish boy.” I step into the entryway after patting his cheek with a bit more force than would be considered gentle. A heat instantly gathers in his eyes in response.
One might think that Alek offering to do so many physical things for me would be a strike to my ego, but I find myself genuinely grateful for his care of me. The feeling is not new to me, but the way I now receive it is.
The door slams closed behind me and the noise echoes as I look around his apartment. Alek sets our bags down on his couch and then moves to hang my cardigan in the hall closet. The last time I was here, his siblings were also over so I didn’t get my fill of observing the space properly. And the time before, I was too busy making sure I didn’t accidentally burn down his apartment in my attempt to help with breakfast.
My eyes roam over a bookshelf tucked in the corner of his entertainment system. I admire the photos of Alek and his siblings when they were younger and I notice the absence of parents.
“You’re lucky I didn’t carry you in here too.”
I startle at his voice but relax when he wraps his brawny arms around my waist. His head rests on my shoulder and I feel his bearded cheek rest against my stubbled one.
“There are no pictures of your parents.”
“I haven’t seen them since they kicked me out, Ez.”
I nod in solidarity. I cannot fathom what Alek had gone through. I remember my parents as kind and warm—hearted individuals in the little time I had with them. Even Aunt Harriet was tender, in her own way. Alek’s parents were unsupportive and ashamed of him. Merely recalling the way Alek’s voice shook as he told me about his treatment at their hands had rage simmering inside of me.
“I’ve got Mama up there, though.” Unwrapping a hand from our embrace, Alek points to the highest shelf where I see an older photo of a beautiful woman with a shining smile. Her eyes twinkle in the same way Alek’s do, their hair a matching shade.
“You look a lot like her.” I turn, meeting Alek’s eyes. That same shining smile spreads across his lips, though a tinge of sadness accompanies it.
“Thanks, angel.” He kisses my temple before turning me around in his arms. It is evident that he doesn’t want to steer the night into one of sadness and mourning and I respect his choice. When I am with him it seems as if all life’s ailments are dulled and only the radiant energy of Alek surrounds me. I hope I provide an equal haven for him.
“What do you wanna get up to tonight?” he asks. His hands stay at my waist and his fingers rub small circles below my rib cage. My hands find their place on his chest, the tips of my fingers touching the bare skin of his collarbone.
“Truthfully, I’d be asleep at this time on most nights.” My statement makes him laugh. “But I feel quite awake after your performance tonight.”
I track Alek’s glistening tongue tracing over his bottom lip. The familiar heat I felt during the show invades my body once again in response to the motion.
“You wanna hear something naughty?” Alek asks before pulling me flush against him. He bends down to whisper into my ear. Nodding in answer to his question causes the end of his chestnut hair to softly brush against my temple.
“I brought the costume home.”