“Audience participation,” Steve repeats, but this time there’s a hopeful note in his tone. At Alex’s question, his brows shoot up a little and he hesitates, because he did bring money for tips, but he had assumed he would be sitting by the main stage, not getting a private dance.

“I work at a record store,” he reminds her, but his gaze drops again to her chest. She really has the most spectacular tits, and he thinks that he could probably survive on instant noodles for awhile.

“I mean, I did bring money to tip, but private dances with you must be really expensive,” Steve tells her, like it’s the greatest compliment he could give her. But holy shit, he really wants to see those nipple piercings up close.

He also really, really wants to lick them, but he has to remind himself that he can’t actually suck on her nipples to make her squirm while he tastes metal on his tongue, as much as he might want to.