It was a seedy place, down in the bowels of Moscow. The air was cold and sharp, and he tightened his scarf around his neck as he flicked his cigarette into the alleyway. The big gray metal door stared at him. Knocking, he stood and waited. The wind whipped down the alleyway, his hair going all over place. He had tied it back, but the bite of the wind pushed it all into his face again.

The door swung open: he was met with a cloud of smoke and hard eyes looking at him. The man was large – the size of a mountain – towering over him and looking down. "Ah, Vitya, you are almost late. Go get ready," he drawled. Putting his head down, he scrambled past the man and went to the back room. He found his ratty locker; it was small and the outside of it was slightly rusted, but it was big enough for his coat and scarf and clothes. Pulling out his uniform, he was glad they kept it warm in here. He sat on an old bench as he slipped off his jeans and slipped on tiny black spandex shorts. He laced up the small, shiny black shoes and pulled his shirt off. He grabbed the oil and slicked it down his chest, then cursed because he had not done his hair yet.

Thankfully there was a sink and an old cracked bar of soap.. He hated putting oily hands through his hair, knowing that it would make it slick back the wrong way. Looking up he saw that his cheeks were hollowed, and that there were purplish smudges under his eyes. He wasn't sleeping well and sure as hell wasn't eating right. He hated his fucking life. Shaking his head, he tied his hair back into a low ponytail, to get the strands of hair out of his eyes.

Going back to his locker he grabbed the black silk tie and tied it into place. His tied his apron, making sure it his low on his hips, and grabbed his order pad and pencil. He shut his locker and looked over at the clock. Just four hours, that was all he had to do. He had to go smile, deliver drinks, get tips, and then he could go the fuck home. Not that he really called that place home - it was a tiny one room flat. His bed was next to the oven and his TV never got proper reception when it rained. Normally he would drink his way to sleep, then sleep till it was time to go to work. His job brought in enough to keep this shit-hole of a roof over his head, and beer in his icebox.

At one point in his life, he had had hopes and dreams. He would go to school, get a good job, have a house and normal life. That was til he came to the realization that he was not really attracted to women. He had had a girlfriend all through school: the perfect couple. They went to the same university and would kiss gently every afternoon after classes. She would pressure him for more, but he always said he wanted to take things slowly. Finally she wore him down and he had had enough to drink to take things further. When it was time to finally do what he needed to, his cock stayed limp. He was ashamed and told her it must have been the alcohol. She loved him regardless and they continued with the smiles.

One night he had gone to the local pub with a bunch of classmates to celebrate finishing a big term paper. They were loud and rowdy, wasted. He'd made his way to the bathroom as all the beer he'd drunk caught up with him. A classmate had followed quietly behind. Victor finished and was zipping up his pants when he felt lips on the back of his neck and a large and demanding hand snaking down towards the fly of his pants. He was turned around to see his classmate smirking at him. "Come on Vitya, you are only lying to yourself." He kissed him then, and Victor felt everything light on fire that never did with his girlfriend. He kissed back, his cock stirring wantonly in his jeans. When he thought, "Why can't I feel this passion with her?" he pulled away and pushed his classmate off.

He ran home from the pub that night and cried into his pillow. He tried again with his girlfriend , but with the same lackluster result. She was a very beautiful girl, that he could appreciate; but her body was too soft, too curvy, it did nothing for him. She got frustrated when he could not get anything but half-hard. Finally pulling back she said angrily, "What the hell is wrong with you? Are you gay or something?" It was then that he knew. He loved her, yes, but he could not do this. He hung his head and said he was sorry. She quickly dressed and ran out crying.

It took another month before he said something to his parents. He still had another year of university left and was hoping to just stay with them til he got his feet planted. His father would hear nothing of it. He left with just the clothing on his back. He was told he could return if he would give up this crazy idea in his head. He slept hidden under a bridge for a week till one of his college mates found him and brought him in. They told him he could not stay long, but they helped him get the job at the bar and fronted him some money for his flat.

It was nights like this he would question everything. It would just be so easy to go back home, marry some woman his father chose and life the happy life, though when he thought long and hard about it, he would feel ill. He walked out of the changing room, the bouncer grunting at him as he made his way to the main bar area.

It was half-full already, and the smoke was thick. He knew he would leave smelling heavily of cigarettes and alcohol; it seemed to have seeped indelibly into his pores by this point. Walking to the bar, the bartender nodded at him, then pointed to a table over at the edge of the room. Grabbing his tray he went over to the men.

That is how the nights went - he got drink orders, hands on his ass, and tips. The more he allowed them to touch him, the better his tips were. The owner did not care as long as he was not turning tricks in the club. That was what the dancers were for. He was able to take a few breaks at the side of the bar for a smoke or two, and the bartender would slip him some shit he called shots and he would go back out on the floor. He was just supposed to be in the background as the dancers were the main show. He would watch the shows: overly chiseled men, covered in too much oil as they thrust their pelvises out for money. Nothing really erotic about it. But it brought in the guests and his tips. So he wore the horrendous spandex shorts and stupid tie and walked around the room for a few hours.

He went to his spot at the end of the bar, only to notice a harsh looking woman occupying his seat. She had a glass of whiskey, and a cigarette between her lips. She was thin and her hair was pulled severely back into a tight bun; he thought maybe that was why her eyebrows were so arched. He went over behind the bar, staying near the edge. He noticed her gaze moving up and down him slowly, not even trying to hide it.

"Can I refill your drink?" He asked as she assessed him blatantly.

She shook her head as she took a long drag off her cigarette then stared at him hard. "You are a beautiful boy. How old are you?"

"Um…I am 22…"

"Ah, perfect." She stubbed out the butt of her cigarette only to quickly light another. Being the good server he was, he flicked his lighter for her.

"So tell me, do you like it here?"

He shrugged. He wanted to say how much he hated it, how much he despised it all, but just shrugged.

"I thought so. What if I told you I had something better?"

He raised an eyebrow, getting his own cigarette this time and lit it. "I don't turn tricks."

She tilted her head back and laughed, "No, no, no, stupid boy. Though I am sure you could bring in some good money that way…depending on your…talent. Maybe put a little weight on you first though." She handed him a card, "Meet me tomorrow for lunch. I am in town picking up my nephew then I leave the next day with him. We will chat. Maybe we can come to an agreement."

He stared at the card she had given him. He watched her drain her whiskey, stub her cigarette out and get up to leave.

The next day, Victor went to the café that she had written on the back of the card. He did not know what the hell to expect, but found a small boy with a golden mop of hair sitting next to the harsh-looking woman. When he reached the table, she looked up at him, smiled and pulled out one of her cigarettes.

"I am glad you came. Please, meet my nephew Yuri. My brother passed away and he is now in my care." She lit her cigarette and then passed the young boy a menu, telling him to order something to eat as they had to go pack his things. Looking back at Victor she switched to English, "Such a shame, no one informed me of my brother's passing. The poor child was in a foster home for two weeks. Two weeks! Can you believe this?"

Victor just sat there, not sure what to make of all this. Here she was, sharp edges, harsh expression, hugging a very angelic looking child. He shook his head as he grabbed a menu himself. Not sure if he was to pay or not, he kept his order small.

"You need to eat more, order more food. I'm buying," she spat at him.

He ordered more food and once she settled her nephew she turned to him. She spoke again in English, "Okay, let's get down to business. I am Lilia, I run a show in the US, I have an opening coming up as my main guy is leaving. He can train you."

Victor replied in Russian, puzzled, "I don't understand."

"Speak English so my nephew doesn't understand. Right now he only knows Russian."

"So what kind of show is this?"

"Like where you are now, just classier and not so tasteless."

"Why would you ask me?"

She extended her hand to his temple, plucking up a strand of his hair and twirling it thoughtfully, "You have a look the US will go nuts for: chiseled body, long hair, aqua eyes… very androgynous. You did well with the customers you were serving. There is a grace to your walk, and if we can put a few pounds on you, I can have you up and onstage in a few months... Until then you can work as a server. Plus my nephew needs more Russian influence in his life outside of me and Yakov."

He stared down at his drink, not sure what to think of all of this. How was it possible that this random person was offering him all this, when they don't even know him.

"Why would you ask me this? Not knowing me?"

"You remind me of myself, once. Young and full of dreams, then you got kicked down. You are fighting to get back up, though I see the fight dying. I don't want that to happen. I have something you want, you have something I need. "

"I uh… I don't know… how will I get to…."

"You will come with us. You can pay me back once you get working. I have a guest room. You get settled in, then you get to work. The hours are not bad, but the training will be tough. My man Celestino will get you into shape. And if it does not work out, then you bring your ass back to Moscow and live on the streets."

He sat there, finishing his lunch pensively. He did not have much reason to stay here and here she was, giving him a chance at a new life.

"You have a deal," he said as he stared back at her. Her harsh face softened and she smiled slightly.

"Meet me at the airport tomorrow at noon. Have your bags." They finished their lunches, then stepped outside.

"We'll leave if you show up or not, so don't be late." She squeezed his shoulder, then took the child's hand and walked down the sidewalk. He wandered around for a bit in thought. Could he really go? He only knew this country and had never been anywhere else. But of course his family had kicked him out and he had no one who looked out for him – his family did not care where he was- he learned that as they had never reached out to him.

Going back to his pathetic flat, he packed a duffel bag. He did not have much, and it all fit in there. The little bit of money he did have, he tucked carefully in his wallet. He wasn't going to work that night, so he hoped Lilia would be true to her word: if she was not there in the morning, he was out of a job.

She was waiting at the airport the next day with the golden-haired boy; she had a ticket for him, and turned her nose up at his shabby bag. The flight was long and he slept most of the way, only to wake when they landed. She had a car waiting out front and ushered them both in. They were in a big, loud city. The buildings were tall and cars were everywhere. Lilia talked quietly with the boy and pointed out things to him as they passed through the crowded streets.

"We will be at our place soon. I have a room for you. You can rest and shower you start training and tomorrow night you will serve drinks." Victor nodded, overwhelmed by everything around him.

They pulled up to a large building where she had them get out. As they walked up she greeted a man at the door and directed him to bring in their bags. The building was massive and inside had a rich polished look. Victor looked around; the chairs in the lobby looked like they cost more than what he would bring in in a month, the desk a dark wood perfectly polished. They entered to the elevator and rode up to the 20th floor. When the doors opened onto a luxuriously appointed hallway, they continued on to her door, '23' written on it in golden letters.

Inside, everything looked neat and clean. There was a small entryway where she demanded they remove their shoes. A little tiny dog appeared and barked excitedly at them as she picked it up.

"Victor, your room is down this way." They went to the right where a hallway led , to last door at the end. The room was not large, but it was cleaner and warmer than Victor's flat in Moscow. The walls were a pale blue, the dresser a dark cherry finish with a matching desk that had a laptop on it, and a double bed with a comforter in a deep royal blue color. It was more than he had expected, really. "This is where you will stay. If you need anything, let me or Yakov know. You will meet him tonight for dinner. Dinner is mandatory in this house. There is a bathroom is across the hall, and another one on the other side of the living room. Why don't you wash up and change? Everything you need should be in the bathroom already. Then dinner should be ready."

She went back down the hallway with the child to show him to his own room.. Gathering his bag, Victor grabbed a clean pair of jeans and a t-shirt and went into the bathroom. It was not large, but definitely larger than the one he had in his flat. Oh, who was he kidding? The damn shower head had hung over the toilet bowl and there was no sink.

It was nice having proper warm water, not just lukewarm, hell, clear water at that. He scrubbed his hair and body, and was amazed by the softness of the towel. He had just finished combing his hair and tied it back when he heard a knock at the door. As he opened it, the little golden-haired boy stood there, green eyes piercing, "Auntie says dinner in five minutes." Then he ran off.

Victor took his stuff back to his room and he went out to the kitchen. The minute she saw him she nodded in agreement. "Yakov, here he is, the boy I told you would be great for the show." A balding man turned and looked him up and down.

"Da, but he's too skinny."

"Oh we can fix that. But see what I mean. The hair, the eyes, he will be perfect."

"Da, but can he move?"

"I can teach him to move, don't worry about that. He works hard too."

Victor thought it odd they just stood there and talked about him as if he was not there. Yakov had come over and started to look him over. Yakov put his hand on his chin and moved his head back and forth. Turned him around, then he grabbed his arms. Nodding he looked back over to Lilia.

"Let's see how he does."

They sat and had dinner. It was mostly Lilia and Yakov who talked back and forth. Yuri picked at his food, barely speaking much.

At the end of dinner Lilia had turned her attention back to Victor. "Victor, the top cabinet of your dresser is a television. You may go relax. The laptop you may use as well. Do not stay up too late as we have a lot to do tomorrow. Yuri will have his tutor coming to work on teaching him English and his studies. We need to get you some acceptable clothing." She waved him off and he took his plate to the kitchen. He told himself this was the strangest thing ever as he went down the hallway to his room.

He opened the cabinet to his dresser; there was a television with remote next to it. He grabbed that and the laptop and sat on the bed. He was not sure what he was going to do, but he was already having the strangest day ever.

The next morning Lilia had taken him out early. They got some new clothing for him and she took him back to the apartment to put it all away. "Okay we are going to take you to Celestino now. He will see what he is able to do with you. Then we will come back for dinner, and you will go back there to work tonight." He nodded and they headed back out.

"There are a few things I want you to know Vitya. My club does not turn tricks. Plain and simple. The first offense you are out on your ass. Also, there is no drug use in the club. I will give you all the alcohol you want, but no drugs. You do not date clients. That goes in turn with tricks. I will not lose my business over some greedy kids. We work Thursday through Sunday, not all Sundays, just some if busy. You are paid hourly and in tips. For now, you will be paid only in tips." Victor nodded, surprised that she was even allowing that. "Celestino has been with us many years. He is the best. He will teach you to dance and work a crowd. You pay attention to him. You will do lessons with him as he sees fit. We are losing one of our servers and you will fill in for him tonight. From the looks of you at your other…. job, you will do well here.

Tonight is ladies night. So we cater to the women. You will smile and flirt. Tomorrow night is men's night and Saturday we will mix it between ammeters in the dance room and the peep rooms. When you start getting better, you will start Saturday's on ammeters night. Don't take too long though."

Victor nodded as they pulled up to a building and got out. 'Madam Lilia's Peep Show' in bold letters outside the building. There were two doors tinted so you could see through the glass. Lilia's heels clicked loudly on the sidewalk as they approached the building. Lilia took out her keys she unlocked the door and held it open for him. "The men's area is to the right. We do ladies as well, they are to the left."

As they walked in they could hear music blasting and they headed towards it. As they walked in a room, he saw a bar to the back, tables that had chairs flipped on them and a stage with a pole. There was a man swinging around the pole, graceful fluid movements as he would spin and bend.

Victor stood there in awe. Lilia chuckled and clapped.

"Celestino! Hello!" He watched Celestino flip himself back upright and hop off the stage. He had long brown hair and a large smile.

"Lilia! You are back!" He hugged her and they kissed each cheek.

"Celestino, this is Victor. The one I was telling you about. He will work the floor tonight with drinks and I am hoping you can teach him how to dance."

Celestino looked over to Victor and looked him up and down. "He is skinny."

"You let me worry about that, you make him move." With that Lilia turned and walked out.

Celestino looked back over to him. He had kind eyes and a warm smile. "Alright Victor, let's see what you got."

That afternoon training was hard. He did not realize how hard it was to spin around a pole. His arms ached as well as his legs. Celestino said he will get use to it and they need to get him in shape. He needed to put on weight and Lilia started him on higher calorie foods and protein shakes all day long.

He was told tonight was ladies night and to wear his hair in a low ponytail and get changed. The outfit was not much different than his old job, but just higher quality material. The night had gone well as the ladies absolutely loved him. The place was a lot classier than he was use too. The dancers actually had routines and sets they did. It wasn't just drugged up guys air humping on stage. Victor could see what Lilia meant about when it came to this place. He had pulled in four times the tips he ever did at his old job and tried to offer the majority of it to Lilia.

"Vitya, you keep that. You will work for me and that is your repayment. What you make in tips is yours." She was adamant about did not take his tip money. He felt he had to work even harder with Celestino to make it all back up to her.

The next day he woke up and felt every muscle in his body. He groaned as he changed and went out to get breakfast. He would spend the morning with Yuri and help with his English. Lilia was running errands with Yakov and the tutor was not expected till the afternoon so they sat and watched American cartoons that morning. Lilia had said to talk to him as much in English to see if it would help, but being as he only had one lesson, they just watched cartoons and spoke in Russian all morning.

Yuri was an interesting kid. He liked to talk about his grandpa and cats. Victor got his laptop out and they started looking for cat videos. Yuri told him that Lilia had said if he learned his English fast enough she would get him a cat. Those green eyes sparkled as they said all this. He laughed and they kept scrolling different videos.

Lilia showed back up around lunch time and the three sat to a quiet lunch. They waited for the tutor to show up and headed off to the club. Lilia said after today he could start taking a cab or the bus to the club, but she wanted to make sure he could easily get there. She was going to take him and Yuri around the city this weekend so they could find their way around.

The afternoon with Celestino was just as grueling. He still was not doing all too well, but Celestino said he was surprised how fast he had picked it up. Celestino showed him stretches he can do when he feels tight and sore. They had stopped halfway through and had a protein shake as Celestino explained he needed to drink those as these workouts would burn a ton of calories. Lilia had sent her car to pick him up and he went back to shower and have dinner. After dinner Yuri went back to work more on his English as the tutor would stay till they came home late at night.

Lilia told him it was men's night and he should braid his hair and he wore his same outfit but she handed him some shimmer body lotion and lip gloss. She said with his hair and looks, it will go over well. She had even come up to him and told him to stand still as she lined his eyes in black liner. As she stepped back, she smiled and took a few strands of hair letting them fall loose. "Yes yes, Vitya, they will love you." He shook his head as he finished and then went to go start up serving drinks. The place was packed and he was swarmed. He was able to keep up, but kept running around all night.

Finally a break he sat at the end of the bar- a drink was sent his way. He smiled at the bartender as he knocked it back then took out a cigarette from his apron. He watched the show for a minute as Celestino was up there and everyone had gone crazy. He could tell out of all the guys, this was the main one. Celestino kept everyone captivated and watching.

A small Japanese man sat down at the bar and ordered a drink. As the bartender poured him a beer, Victor looked over at him, and was stunned by how beautiful he was, with his wire-rimmed glasses, slicked-back hair and big brown eyes. When he noticed Victor looking, the boy blushed and smiled.

"You can go sit and I'll bring you your drink if you like." he smiled as he said this.

"N-no… you are fine. I... I can wait here." He saw the guy stare at his hands as he spoke. The drink came and he smiled back at Victor then went to go sit with his friend. He continued getting drinks for the guys around the room and going back to check on the table where that guy had sat. Victor noticed every time he spoke to him, his cheeks would get a pink color to them and he would look down and smile into his glass.

After he had brought him his third drink, he kept a flush to his face and didn't look down anymore. The bartender told him to go take his break and be back in 15 minutes so he slipped out the side and stepped out to the side alley. Pulling out a cigarette he lit it and rested against the wall. He felt silly standing out there in his shorts and tie, but it was warm out and no one was in the alley and was kind of nice how quiet it was for a minute.

He heard footsteps down the alley and there was that guy again. Him and his friend had walked down the alley his way. They whispered and laughed with each other, arms around the other's shoulders. As they approached him the other guy smiled over at him.

"Hi! I am Phichit and this is my friend Yuuri, he wants to talk to you." And he watched as Phichit pushed Yuuri at him and then Phichit turned at left. Yuuri had fallen up against him and Victor reached out to grab him so he would fall over completely.

"I'm sorry." Yuuri said and shuffled away from him.

"No don't be. Not like it was your fault. Hi, I am Victor."

He heard an accent to Yuuri's voice he could not hear well over all the music in the club.

"Hi Victor. I um… well... I don't know anymore."

Victor could tell he was drunk by the slight slur and how he swayed on his feet as he talked. His face was flushed and we finally looked at him, Yuuri smiled. He did have to admit Yuuri was completely adorable. He reached out he ran thumb across Yuuri's bottom lip and watched as Yuuri closed his eyes and leaned into his touch.

"Yuuri, you are drunk… And my break is almost up and I gotta go back in. You know where I work and how to find me."

He was taken off guard when Yuuri launched himself at him and hugged him tightly. He was startled and was glad to be leaned up against the wall. He chuckled and found his arms went around his waist and held him for a moment. He gasped when he felt warm lips on his neck briefly then before he knew it they were gone and Yuuri had stepped back. That blush was peaked and he ran his fingers through his hair. He watched Yuuri turn and start walking toward what look like Phichit who came back their way. Yuuri would turn and smile at him. He stood there and watched the two exit the alleyway.