Valley of the Dudes Read Online Free PDF Page A

five minutes early. He was
     
eager to make new friends in New York and he didn’t want to irritate Cody by being late.
     
When Cody saw him get off the elevator, he removed his hands from his pockets
     
and asked, “Do I look okay? I’m never sure how to dress for a show like this.”
     
Rush smiled and nodded. “You look great.” Cody was wearing a trendy black
     
denim sport jacket with an attached hood, a white mock turtleneck sweater, and cream
     
colored low-rise jeans. Rush noticed the jeans were tight, and there was a huge bulge in
     
Cody’s crotch. He looked down and said, “I like the jeans a lot.” Then he pointed to
     
Cody’s crotch and rolled his eyes, wishing that he had the courage to dress like that.
     
Cody looked down at himself and laughed. He shrugged his shoulders and said,
     
“They are going to be listening to my voice tonight, but they are also going to be staring
     
between my legs. I’m wearing a cock ring to enhance things a bit.”
     
Rush’s eyebrows went up and he said, “Ah well, I see.” Though he’d never worn
     
a cock ring, he knew what they were. Men either used them to prolong their erections or
     
to push their genitals forward so they could enhance their packages. Rush would never
     
have left the house wearing tight pants and a cock ring like that, but he thought it looked
     
cute, if not dangerous, on Cody. “Stop worrying about how you look, man,” Rush said.
     
“The minute you start singing no one will be paying attention to anything but your
     
voice.” Cody’s boyfriend, Roy Kling, was already waiting for them in the nightclub.
     
Cody introduced them, then ran backstage to get ready for his performance. They crossed
     
to a small table in front of the stage and sat down. Rush noticed that Roy kept fidgeting
     
with his keys and looking around the room as if he was waiting for someone else to arrive.
     
When he sat on the chair, he didn’t sit all the way back. He smiled at Rush, but his right
     
leg was jumping up and down.
     
Rush smiled back and said, “I heard Cody sing this morning in rehearsal. He’s
     
very talented.” He figured he’d start talking first, assuming Roy was preoccupied.
     
Roy nodded. “I just hope that tonight is a success, because what happened to him
     
this morning wasn’t fair. It kills me to see him get hurt that way. He was so devastated he
     
was talking about giving up show business and going to school for nursing.”
     
“Are you in show business?” Rush asked. He detected a certain apprehensiveness
     
in Roy’s tone, as if he wasn’t sure he liked his lover singing in a nightclub. Roy didn’t
     
look like he was in show business. He was wearing a gray business suit, a white shirt and
     
a yellow tie. And his shoes were black oxfords with wingtips. Although he was an
     
attractive young man in his thirties, he wasn’t nearly as sexy or as hip as Cody. His pale
     
blond hair was thinning, his nose had a bump, and his face was round with very little
     
bone structure. He had a nice body, from what Rush could see, but he was by no means
     
athletic.
     
“No,” Roy said, with force in his voice. “Absolutely not. I’m a teacher. I’m
     
strictly behind the scenes.” He sat back and squared his shoulders in defense, as if Rush
     
had said something wrong. Rush smiled. “I’m not a performer either,” he said. “I’m a lawyer and I work with
     
Cody’s agents. I just met Cody today. It turns out we live in the same building.”
     
When Roy heard Rush wasn’t a performer, he sat back and took a quick breath.
     
“Sorry if I seem a little nervous tonight,” he said. “But after getting fired the way he did
     
this morning, it’s very important that this performance is a huge success. Cody doesn’t
     
know this, but there are a couple of record producers here tonight. Lance told me, and
     
then he told me not to tell Cody so he wouldn’t be too