Chapter Seventeen: A Deal

[One year ago]

Clemson hurriedly ushered Dr. Blowhole and his cohort through the Park Zoo entrance. This was one of the more special nights. Though Blowhole was a common patron, he often did not stay on the lowest floor long enough to witness a full show, and this was Parker's first time at the Zoo altogether. The two of them were still on the fence about Clemson's plan, so he had resolved to dazzle them enough that they wouldn't be capable of refusing his ploy.

As they entered, the three of them were escorted to table that had been moved directly beside the stage to give them a good view. Dr. Blowhole, Clemson and Parker seated themselves in the gold cushioned chairs. Immediately, Doris appeared by their side, holding a silver platter with alcohol and desserts.

She smiled pleasantly at both Parker and Francis, delicately setting the contents of the tray before them. "Welcome to Park Zoo, gentlemen. Enjoy this complimentary wine - it's 1961 Perrier Jouët Blason Rosé."

Blowhole whistled as he watched his sister pour the drink. "That was a good year."

Doris poured a little extra for Parker, making sure to brush his hand as she gave him the champagne. He smiled thinly in response, before nodding to the desserts. "What are those?"

"Macarons." She practically sang, her red lips spreading into a pleased grin at his mild affection. "Featuring chocolate imported from France and edible gold cream."

"Very nice." Blowhole nodded, satisfied, and took one to eat.

Parker huffed and fiddled with his rings. He was half inclined to mention that he was allergic to chocolate, but instead took a sip of the wine. Just as he did so, the lights turned off.

Five spotlights lit up over different showgirls on stage. The music picked up, and the two on either side of the middle one began doing the can-can while the primary dancer belly-danced. This, of course, was only the beginning - the lights began to flash multiple different colors, all sorts of hues of red and orange and blue and purple. On the floor, the crowd was clamoring together in a mess of sweat and finesse. Two sprinklers shot on either side of the stage, shooting up not water, but chardonnay. It sparkled as it caught the light.

The deep red curtains behind the showgirls peeled apart, revealing an entire entourage. Shirtless men and scantily dressed women emerged, all sporting skimpy yet expensive outfits and jewelry as they swayed and danced to the sound of the music. From the center appeared a man that nearly took Parker's breath away.

Wearing only a black boa, matching shorts and boots, he strode forth, spinning as the music accentuated his movements. It was as though the music danced to him, not the other way around. He moved forth, fluid and controlling, the other dancers seeming to shy away from him. They immediately cleared a path for his movement. He was the main attraction. With his stunning, sensual amber eyes, thick lips and dark eyeshadow, it was hard to take one's eyes off of him. To his sides, two men breathed fire just as an acrobatic woman swung overhead.

Parker sucked in a heavy breath and took a long sip of his wine. He hadn't even noticed that Doris had taken it upon herself to sit halfway on his lap, too enthralled by the main dancer and his seductive existence. All he felt was the heat beneath his skin and the tremble in his fingers as he kept his gaze deeply trained on this alluring, incomprehensibly saccharine young man.

Noticing Parker's perplexity, Clemson leaned to his side and leered. "...That's Julien."

"Oh," Parker managed.

Julien was unspeakably gorgeous, and Parker cursed himself internally. Here he was, posing as Doris' boyfriend for the sake of getting paid, and yet he was practically drooling over a cabaret dancer. Not that he could truly blame himself; it was impossible to not at least recognize Julien's extraordinary charm and appeal. His dark skin shone beneath the sputtering lights, eyes sparkling as if unmatched by the cosmos themselves.

Parker had heard before, on his various trips and studies, that humans were made of stardust. Still, up until that point, he'd never given the theory a second thought. But as he looked at Julien, this remarkably enticing man who had the characteristics of a homme fatale, he knew that this was a human composed of only the most stunning, breathtaking, powerful stars.

Julien approached, sashaying down the side of the stage. As he did so, it was as if the floodgates broke loose - many of the dancers descended onto the dance floor to get in on the action. Overhead, brightly colored confetti plummeted from the ceiling, scattering amongst gold and red balloons that shone in the strobe lights. The music thumped, shaking the very ground. Women were performing trapeze acts above while men break danced and swallowed swords. The room was smoky with nicotine and marijuana, the thick aroma of sweat and heat and perfume and alcohol mixing in to create an overwhelming and surprisingly pleasant scent.

With his boa fluttering behind and beside him, Julien swung his hips as he found his way to Parker, Blowhole, Doris and Clemson's table. His stride seemed effortlessly smooth, subtle yet captivating. His black, thick hair seemed to flutter with every step, pieces of confetti swirling around him like they could not touch his skin. Julien smiled in such a way that Parker found himself holding his breath. He had a smile that outshone the sun, the kind of smile one would never see under normal circumstances. It was humble, tender, compassionate, seductive and confident all at once. A smile that translated pure feelings into something comprehensible and breathtaking, something that made his heart immediately burn.

"Welcome to Park Zoo!" He shouted, gentle and somehow soft-spoken despite the volume of his voice. "It is very good to be seeing you again, Dr. Blowhole."

"Yes yes," Francis nodded distractedly, keeping a keen eye on Marlene as she popped open a bottle of champagne, squirting it all over already drunken patrons. His eyes wandered down to her bodily assets while she giggled and danced. "Very good."

Julien turned to Parker and his heart stopped. Smiling that smile of true sincerity once more, he gently plucked the bottle of wine from the table and refilled Parker's glass. It was such an elegantly graceful movement that Parker wasn't even sure what was happening until Julien was resting his hip to one side, winking at him. All he could register at that exact moment was that he was feeling something he hadn't felt before, not once in his life. Something that Doris wanted him to feel for her, something he thought he wasn't capable of.

"I don't think I have been seeing you here before," Julien commented politely, blinking widely at him. "What do you call yourself?"

"Parker," he responded hoarsely, trying to still his shaking hands as he took hold of his glass and took another sip. "And you're Julien."

Julien rested his hand close to Parker's, and their knuckles brushed. He grinned. "Yes. I am."

Their eyes were caught in an impenetrable stare, communicating a sort of immediate mutual interest. Parker could instantly tell that Julien didn't feel anything that remotely resembled what he himself felt, but the spark was there. Julien's eyes were on him, and at that moment, that was all that mattered.

"Isn't he nice? I think he's just wonderful!" Clemson cut in, looping an arm around Julien to pull him close. "Parker, you're quite the guy."

Julien loosely draped his arm around Clemson, and Parker's heart plummeted as he realized what their relationship must have entailed. Clemson and Julien were lovers - and he knew he should have assumed such earlier. Clemson was inherently a greedy man; the idea that he would know of Julien's very existence and not seek to claim him was ludicrous. Parker's fist tightened around the stem of his glass and he smiled politely.

"Jule, don't you think that Parker's just great?" Clemson turned to his significant other for a preset approval.

"Of course, darling." Julien smiled faintly at Clemson, before his eyes swept back to Parker as if communicating some sort of secret, exclusive joke. His lips curved upwards in a manner that was almost coy. "I am very glad we have met."

"Me… Me too." Parker's sunken heart surged to life. He couldn't tell what Julien's angle was, if he was flirting or attempting to give some other sort of signal, but it rendered him flushed either way. He nodded awkwardly to punctuate his agreement and took another gulp of his champagne, finishing off the contents of his glass.

Clemson laughed a bit too loudly, and then his attention was on Doris, who had since moved from Parker's lap to chat idly with another waitress. "Doris, won't you be a dear and get us another bottle of wine?"

Doris looked back to him, her features twisting into mild dismay before they were masked again in professional sweetness. She had no particular interest in waitressing at the Zoo, no matter how spectacular it was. She only took the job because Parker had asked her to, and he had only asked her to because Blowhole has asked him to. With a curt nod, she ran her hand over Parker's shoulder and was on her way. Clemson watched her go away with a distant, slightly intoxicated smirk.

"Parker, you work for money, don't you? Like a normal man does, only, jobs that normal men might not take." Clemson commented, gaze sturdily focused on his guest as he continued to hold Julien close.

Setting his now empty glass back down on the expensive table cloth, Parker replied. "You could say that. Most people would do just about anything for the right price."

"Yes, that's true." Clemson agreed as if contributing some sort of wisdom, before he paused thoughtfully and shifted for a more comfortable position. "Many of my dancers have relatively affordable rates, but of course, I could always just… Overlook the fee altogether, if it brought you any closer to taking this job."

Parker glanced around, and was both satisfied and glad that Doris was not nearby. "...There is one that I'm interested in…"

"Assuming that offer applies to me as well, I'd be happy to spend the night with Marlene." Dr. Blowhole cut in, his eyes still firmly glued to the dancer he was so attracted to.

"She doesn't sell herself usually, but I'm sure she'll make an exception." Clemson laughed again, a sort of chortling that was almost villainous in nature. His attention returned to Parker. "And, you said you had a preference too, correct?"

Parker's fists tightened and he internally revelled in the cold pressure from his rings. He nodded, before his gaze was focused on Clemson's lover. "...I'd really like to sleep with Julien, if the two of you don't mind."

Julien looked almost completely unaffected by this comment, save for the mildly surprised and, perhaps, impressed expression that flashed over his features in the briefest of moments. On the other hand, Clemson's expression darkened entirely, fading away from his prior sense of humor and joy. Parker could practically see the cogs turning in his head as the Park Zoo owner weighed his priorities. Clearly he didn't want anyone to touch what 'belonged' to him, but he also wanted to save his sorry self from the Hoboken mafia.

"I didn't know you were interested in men," Blowhole blinked in surprise, momentarily taking his eyes from Marlene to glance at his long-time cohort.

"I'm not, really." Parker admit, his gaze steady on Julien, who was indifferent.

Clemson finally grinned, and he laughed so loud that Parker was sure everyone in the entire room had heard. He leaned forth and smacked Parker on the shoulder in a friendly manner that held slight undertones of frustration, before shaking his head with a smirk. "You've got some really wonderful spunk, I hope you know! It's thrilling, really! Isn't it thrilling, Jule?"

"Absolutely, dear," Julien's whimsical voice flowed from his lips like smooth notes from a piano, yet with a hint of facetious irony that Parker was sure he was the only one to pick up on.

"All right," Clemson wove a hand. "You can have him for a night, but only after you complete the job. Yeah?"

"Of course," Parker smiled. "It's a deal."