Please, Doctor

Excerpt From: Please, Doctor

"This was a huge mistake!" Patrick McNeill sat on the barstool and tried to hold on to his temper. With his back to the huge mirrors behind the glass shelves containing more different types of alcohol than he wanted to count, he had a good view of what was going on in the dim lighting. When he’d first walked in about an hour ago, he’d gaped at the unbelievable setup that made the bar area look über-decadent with the reflections visually doubling the number of bottles actually there. Despite the amazing display, it wasn’t the main attraction, however.

"How can going to Pepper on a Friday night be a mistake?" Martin, his best friend since elementary school, lowered the pint of bitter he’d been nursing and stared at Patrick as if he’d committed a crime. Martin shook his head, causing his red locks to bounce. His hair was just a little too long for his style to be called fashionable, and added to his big blue eyes they made him look more like a teenager than a man in his late twenties. "Pepper is the hottest gay club in Manchester—possibly all of north England!"

"I don’t know." Patrick shrugged and took another sip of his Porn Star #2—the smooth mixture of Malibu and crushed strawberries just sweet enough to soothe his rising annoyance. Some people might consider it a 'girly' drink, but he didn’t care. He was so far out of his element in this place it wasn’t funny. And anyway, this was a gay bar and the concoction was on the menu, so sue him for ordering one.

"What do you mean you don’t know?" Martin raised his eyebrows incredulously then pointed around them in a circular motion. "None of these men do it for you? Not even a little?"

Patrick surveyed his surroundings again, hoping to find a man who could hold his interest. This place offered a variety of choices to the discerning gay man on the prowl. Hell, even less perceptive patrons were sure to find someone to their liking here. The range went from the scruffy leather-type to the more sophisticated, well-dressed man, and from the very young up to the older ‘daddies’ who were so popular with some. Pepper was one of the few clubs able to attract this wide a clientele.