The Man Club. It’s the electric place where gay gents pick up one-night stands, hot male dancers work for big tips, and fresh bachelorettes have their steamy, pre-marital parties. Running The Man Club is a crazy job for middle-aged Gyles Beare. Between hiring and firing dancers, keeping wait staff in line, and paying the bills, Gyles tries to have a love life, but it isn’t easy. Not at all. Enter Car Tate. Car lives with Gyles, and has been a solid tenant for the last few months. Handsome. Charming. A good head on his shoulders. Car sometimes works at the club to help Gyles out. He always has Gyles’s back. Lately, though, Car’s been over-the-top nice to Gyles. The sweet and romantic things Car’s been doing for Gyes are oddly pleasant. What’s going on? Is Car in love with Gyles? Is it time for Gyles to confront his hidden feelings and land the man of his dreams?

The Man Club

“My Twitter and Facebook pages have a different name. You’ve got the wrong guy. You’re looking at somebody else’s page.” He pulls out his phone, brings up his Facebook page, and passes the phone to me. “Look at this. Recipes and skateboarding. Pics of my family. Boating pics last summer on Lake Erie. Stuffed animals hugging. Cotton candy being eaten by little boys. An all-white cat with pink ears named Bethesda. Ducks swimming in a pond. My wife, Sadie, planting roses, grinning from ear to ear and being as lovely as ever. Those are a far cry from Hitler and putting kids in cages. What kind of man do you think I am, Gyles? Tell me. Tell me.”


Chapter 16