Johan was just an accountant by day. Xaire was just a customer service representative by night. Somehow, though, in the shift changes of Gemma’s Strip Joint, they passed each other by trading the glances of long-lost lovers just barely out of reach.
Johan Youngblood had, at one point, been the most sought-after accountant in the U.S. Seven years into his nationally acclaimed accounting, though, he made the smallest of errors that led the largest of losses and was promptly blacklisted by nearly every firm in the United States. He could only have his talents retained by a single, small business in the heart of a town that subsisted solely on liquor stores and dispensaries, and Johan did the accounting for most of them.
Despite that, he still managed to be underwater with all his finances, and so Gemma’s became his supplemental income. “Come join us,” the owner said. “We’re the world’s first and only nonbinary strip club! If the girls, the gays, the theys, and the mens want it, we have it!”
Xaire Cotele had bounced from job to job for years, and it wasn’t until they started working at Gemma’s that they truly knew what they wanted to do with their life. Performing had always been at the core of who they were, and for years, they denied themself that pleasure. So, when all of their side gigs dried up, they turned to stripping which, in all honestly, could have sustained them (they were popular at Gemma’s), and the rest was history. Or it would have been until Johan arrived.
Johan walked into Gemma’s on his first day with the swagger of a man who had never been told no in his entire life. And he kept that energy, despite Gemma constantly telling him no. “No, you can’t swing from the rafters; it’s a safety hazard. No, you can’t have our patrons touch you like that!” And yet, he did. And he made a ton of money doing it. Despite all of that, and Johan knowing he could date anyone in the crowd if he wanted, he only had eyes for Xaire.
Xaire had never had any plans to date, to fall in love, and to lust after someone else. In fact, they just enjoyed being by themself and entertaining the desires of others. That is, until Xaire walked into Gemma’s. From the moment they saw him, they were convinced they’d found the one. After four months of small talk and flirty eyes in the hallways and backrooms of Gemma’s, Xaire finally asked him out and their relationship began. Six months later, Xaire knew that there was no reason they should actually be together.
Johan’s family was one that reveled in crime. They’d had a long history of fraud and embezzlement, and they’d wanted Johan to join the family business. Instead, he decided to go to school, keep his head down, and stay on the straight and narrow. Because of this decision, the Youngbloods decided to disown him. He was still allowed to come around, but he would never receive any help or support from them.
Xaire’s family, on the other hand, was super supportive and had been one of the most respected and well-known families in the nation. The Coteles were wealthy. In fact, Xaire’s grandfather had once been head of the largest tech firm in the nation, and he passed that wealth on to his children. And they, in turn, passed it on to their children. Xaire wanted nothing to do with the money. They wanted to earn their own way in the world, and that they did.
After six months of “dating” though, they realized that on paper, they should never work. Their families were so opposite that it was laughable. Xaire’s parents certainly didn’t agree with their choice to date a Youngblood. Johan’s family was equally as dismissive and thought that someone who couldn’t understand their family’s values would never fit in. So they left. They were happy with each other, and that was all that mattered to them. They stayed off of their families’ radars until time caught up to them, and their family duties required them to return.
…To Be Continued
