Spiral Dance, part 1 (Patreon)
Content
"Hey Bernie," Jay said with a less enthusiastic smile as he approached the counter. He came to the shop almost every day but Bernie still creeped him out. He couldn't peg the dumpy man's age, and he tried to limit conversation as much as possible, but he guessed mid-50s. His clothes were usually stained and he always had a perpetual scruff on his round, pugish face. His beady eyes always seemed to be sizing Jay up, and his plump hands would make unnecessary contact when he paid.
"The usual?"
"Yup...is Tonya here today?" Jay knew couldn't judge Bernie too harshly. After all, he was one of the ones keeping him in business. Bernie's was one part adult emporium, one part strip club. In addition to the various clothes and toys for both men and women, they had private viewing booths with actual dancers. Despite his creepiness, Jay gave Bernie credit; he didn't discriminate. His clientele was made up of just as many gay guys as straight men, and he had something or someone for everyone. It made for an interesting mix. Jay had been checked out by guys plenty of times in the store, but he chalked it up as part of the price of admission. Being stared at by guys in the way he stared at women made him more than a little uncomfortable, but while he'd never admit it out loud, a small part of him enjoyed it. At 6'2", he cut an impressive figure. He'd been an athlete in his younger days and had kept up his build by working various labor jobs over the years. Now at 28, he still had the body of someone ten years younger.
His face was handsome, if somewhat plain. Square jaw, big nose, high cheekbones. He was just on the verge of being striking. His short, messy brown hair was always covered by a baseball hat, usually backwards. From his long neck down, constantly lifting and holding heavy objects for yeasr left him with a solid upper body. Straight, broad shoulders transitioned to thick upper arms with defined biceps and triceps. His forearms were corded with muscle that flowed into his large, calloused hands. He had a pair of solid, bulging pecs that looked even larger than they were given his slim waist. His lower half, while still impressive, wasn't as built. His long legs were a matching set of toned thighs, rocky calves, and huge, wide feet, while two round slabs of muscle formed his modest ass. Guys built like Jay usually fell at opposing ends of the spectrum when it came to dick size. They were either thin and short, or long and thick. Jay easily fell at the "long and thick" end of things. Women who went to bed with him couldn't tell if they were getting fucked or pole vaulting.
For someone who looked as good as he did, Jay fit the typical straight guy mold when it came to clothes. A long, 2XL tshirt that draped well past his waist, long baggy basketball shorts and his ever present baseball hat. Even his boxer briefs were the full-length kind, traveling halfway down his muscular thighs. With his wide, broad shoulders he looked like a walking rectangle. You could see his firm chest pressing against the shirt and just the barest hint of an ass under the shorts, but otherwise he miht as well have been wearing a burka.
"Tonya's with someone. Guy just went back." Bernie looked at a clipboard on the counter. "Guy paid for a full show, too. Booth 9 is open if you don't wanna wait."
Jay mulled it over. Tonya was his favorite. She was five feet of tits, ass and blonde hair. He loved short girls, especially when they had curves like that. But he also knew that a "full show" could take a while. He got them often enough himself. It wasn't cheap, but he had the cash to spare. He got injured on his last job and a large settlement left him with both ample time and ample cash. He was healed and able to get back to work any time, he just didn't have much motivation. "Nah, I can catch Tonya on Wednesday. Booth 9 is fine."
"Great!" Bernie took Jay's cash and pressed a call-button behind the counter. A few minutes later it buzzed in response. "You can head on back," he winked.
Jay tried not to think about Bernie's creepy wink as he threaded his way to the back of the store and down a dim hallway. Guys were in the even numbers, ladies in the odd. Other than the person behind the glass, the rooms were all the same inside. Small and dark, with a single chair on the customer side of the glass. Behind the glass was an area wide enough for a single dancer, sometimes two depending on how much you paid. Jay sat in the chair just as the music started. It was tribal and drum heavy, with a deep, repetitive rhythm. He was slightly annoyed. He was more into country or rap, both of which Tonya always danced to. The whole belly dance thing never did it for him. His annoyance grew when several minutes passed and the curtain hadn't gone up yet. The repetitive pounding of the drums was starting to give him a headache and it smelled like someone was burning incense. Between that and the dim lighting he was starting to feel lightheaded by the time the curtain finally rose.
"Whoa!" Jay's eyes went wide. The very male person on the other side of the glass was not what he expected. The dancer was lithe and thin, with hairless skin so pale it was almost alabaster. He had an androgynous, pixie face with a small shock of purple hair at the top of his scalp. Tribal tattoos of the same color covered him from head to toe. The patterns spiraled all over his body, incorporating all manner of geometric shapes that seemed to slide over the man's slight frame while he twirled and circled. "Uh, hey, buddy, you can stop," Jay yelled over the music. "Bernie made a mistake. Hello?" He tapped on the glass but the man continued, his eyes closed. "Fuckin' Bernie," Jay muttered to himself in frustration. "Dude is giving me my money back for this one." Jay watched the lithe man bend and stretch in time to the pounding drums, making all manner of dramatic motions with his arms. In another circumstance it might have been interesting, but Jay wasn't there for an art show. He was also uncomfortable with the huge bulge in the tiny purple thong the man wore. "Alright man, knock yourself out if you want, but you're not gettin' paid for this one," Jay yelled as he stood. He started to turn towards the door, but something made him take one last look. The swirling patterns reflecting in the light were more captivating than he thought. The next thing he knew he was sitting back in the chair, his long legs spreading wide as he made himself comfortable. For whatever reason, he couldn't take his eyes off the increasingly intense dance. He tried to rationalize it. He told himself he just stuck around because he was bored. He told himself that from behind the man's supple ass really wasn't that bad. He didn't even notice the growing tent in his shorts.
Jay's head swam. The lightheadedness had only continued to grow with his hardening rod. He wasn't even trying to make sense of it anymore; he was just turned on. He licked his lips with half-closed eyes and squirmed in the chair, his heart starting to race. By now the man was a flurry of motion. The shapes formed by the purple lines on the man's skin seemed to float in the air after he moved. Jay had no way of knowing that the dancer's moves weren't random, just like he had no idea what was really happening to him. Jay started sweating, his solid chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. He clutched the sides of the chair to keep himself upright while his throbbing cock strained against its confines. Without warning, the dancer's eyes shot open and locked with his. They were the same deep purple as everything else and Jay felt like they were sucking him in. He gasped noiselessly as all of the air rushed out of his lungs and his body tensed. He was cumming. Hard. He couldn't look away. He felt load after load shoot out of his aching hose while he stared open mouthed at the man behind the glass.
And then it was over. The music stopped and the curtain dropped, leaving him panting in the dark room. "What the fuck...?" Jay shook his head and gave his face a few quick slaps to try and lift the fog that had settled over his brain. "Jesus!" He blushed when he stood and felt the excess fluid run down his leg. His boxer briefs were drenched. Luckily the shiny polyester of the shorts didn't show too much of a stain, and his long shirt covered much of it anyway. He still squirmed uncomfortably against the wet fabric. He was confused. The last thing he remembered clearly was getting up to leave. The rest was a blur of swirling shapes until he came to in his soaked underwear. "Did I just fuckin' get off to a dude?" He hurried out of the room and past the counter without saying anything to Bernie. All thoughts of demanding a refund were forgotten. He just wanted out of there.
The door to his apartment was barely shut before he'd stripped down and jumped in the shower. The whole drive home he'd felt dirty and confused. He wished the warm water would wash away the memories as easily as it did the sticky residue on his thighs. He stood under the water, scrubbing until it started to run cold. When he was dried off he wrapped the towel around his waist and inspected his reflection in the mirror. He flexed his arms and abs a few times just to remind himself that he was still the same manly man he'd been before. He didn't know if it was because he'd been staring at a hairless guy for so long, but Jay became acutely aware of the wiry hairs on his chest, and how they ran down his abs to disappear under the towel. He wasn't overly hairy. Besides the patch on his torso he had a light dusting on his arms and legs, but that was it. He'd never really thought about it or paid attention to it. Now, though, he found himself thinking how good it looked on him.
He left the bathroom feeling better than when he'd gone in, but he was still unsettled. The image of the man dancing wouldn't leave him alone. After an hour of trying to distract himself Jay decided he had to get out. It was early evening at this point. If he hurried, he could still make it in time to try and pick up a happy hour hook up. He did it all the time. Find a girl who'd had a long day or who just drank a little too much too quick and he could break it off and still have time to meet up with his buddies later. No messy mornings-after, either. He threw on a variation of what he'd had on before; baggy shirt, basketball shorts, baseball cap. He gave himself a quick look in the mirror and hurried a few blocks over to his usual spot. It was in the heart of the business district, so happy hours were usually ripe for the picking. He turned his hat backwards as he walked in to accentuate his "normal bro" look. After spending all day with suits and ties, he'd met plenty of women who were eager to get a piece of the boy-next-door.
It didn't take long. Twenty minutes later he was buying a short, buxom blonde a drink.
"What's your name?" He asked, handing her a vodka and soda.
"Jennifer," she smiled back, her hand lingering on his.
"You work around here?" He knew he had to put some effort in to make it convincing.
"For the law firm up the street," she said, rolling her eyes. Jay let her go on about how boring her job was and how much she hated working there. The whole time he pretended to listen he was instead focused on the cleavage that showed at the top of her blouse. "So what do you do?"
"I work for a chrome shop," he lied. Technically he'd worked for one at one point, but that was long ago. Still, he used it because the office girls loved a working man. They talked for a few more minutes until it was clear that both of them were interested in more than conversation. He looked at his watch and made a face. "Ah, shit, I didn't realize what time it was. I've gotta meet my buddies at 8."
She looked him up and down and put her hand on his. "That's enough time, right?" she asked with a cocked eyebrow.
"I live just a couple blocks over," he nodded with a grin. He was starting to feel better. Less than an hour after showing up at the bar, he and Jennifer were walking back to his apartment.
She was as eager as he was. She threw herself at him as soon as they were inside, peeling up his shirt and running her fingers over his solid abs while they kissed. Her arms weren't long enough to pull the shirt all the way off so he stepped back to finish the job, flexing his bulging arms and pecs in the process. Her hands slipped into the front of his shorts while he undid her shirt, stroking the growing monster.
"That's impressive," she whistled while Jay's rough hands palmed her large breasts.
"So are these," he said, pulling her bra free with a cocky grin. He worked his mouth over each of her large nipples while she shimmied free of her skirt. This was exactly what he needed. He was back to feeling like his old self as Jennifer pulled his underwear down and wrapped her soft lips around his rigid nine inches. He sighed and ran his hands through her blonde hair. She was very, very good with her mouth. Fortunately for her, so was he. He prided himself on how easily he could get women off. Part of how he justified his multitude of hook-ups was that no one left unsatisfied. He pulled away after a few minutes and they fell on his bed in a heap. He worked his mouth down her body while he pulled her panties free. This was how it should be. His broad, muscular frame on top of a soft, beautiful woman. He dropped his mouth between her legs and let his tongue go to work. He loved this part. A lot of guys weren't into it, but he loved everything about it. She even smelled like perfume, or incense.
As soon as he thought it, he had a flashback to earlier in the day. Jennifer was gone, replaced by the tattooed dancer. He tried to focus, but the image wouldn't go away. Worse than that, he wasn't just remembering, he was imagining. Instead of eating out a horny blonde, he pictured the pale man's solid cock in his mouth. He thought back on the size of the bulge and knew it had to be large. Jay wondered if it was equally tattooed. He could practically feel its thick warmth in his mouth. Instead of being disgusted, he felt himself working his mouth harder as he pictured his head bobbing up and down on it. A loud groan from Jennifer brought him back. He abruptly pulled his face away. She gave him a quizzical look, but then just nodded. He slid up and positioned himself between her legs, working his way in slowly. She felt fantastic. She squirmed and dug her fingers into his wide back while he picked up his pace. He closed his eyes and immediately saw the man again. He wasn't fucking Jennifer, he was fucking him. He could vividly see his huge cock sliding in and out between the alabaster cheeks, the designs on the man's back swirling and moving the whole time. He didn't feel Jennifer's huge tits beneath him, he felt the man's firm, smooth skin. Just like before, he pictured the man's eyes and came instantly. He actually let out a bellow that drowned out Jennifer's gasping.
"Wow...that was...wow..." she panted. She smiled over at him but her smile faded when she saw the confused look on his face. "Everything alright?"
He shook his head and forced himself to smile back. "Huh? Oh, yeah, no, you were great. Just spaced out there for a second."
Fortunately for Jay, she was no more interested in hanging around than he was in having her there. She quickly dressed and left, the two of them not even bothering to exchange numbers. Jay remained sprawled naked on his bed after she left. His long cock was draped over a leg and he hated how good he felt. He told himself he didn't actually get off on thinking about that guy. It had been the blonde, whatever her name was. He couldn't remember. Or maybe she wasn't that good, and that's why his mind wandered. He settled on that explanation and tried to forget it, staring at the ceiling until his phone beeped.
It was a text message from his friend Collin. He was supposed to have been at the bar fifteen minutes ago. He debated whether or not he should go but hoped being around the guys would help where the hookup failed. He got dressed again and reluctantly headed out.
"Thought you were going to stand me up!"
"Would I do a thing like that?" Jay was immediately glad to see his friend, if for no other reason than he was the polar opposite of the dancer from earlier. Collin was a hulking 6'4" of dark brown muscle. They'd worked on a job together several years ago and hit it off right away. Jay didn't have many people in his life that were more than bar friends, but Collin was one of them.
"Depends. Is she blonde?"
"She was, actually," Jay laughed as he took up a stool at the bar next to his friend and ordered a beer.
"See? I don't understand how a scrawny white dude like you gets it so easy."
"Scrawny? Fuck you!" Jay pretended to be offended.
"Comparatively scrawny," Collin said, throwing a beefy arm around his friend.
"Yeah, nice recovery," Jay said, trying not to think about the sensation of his friend's arm around him. Collin was always a touchy-feely guy, but it had never felt like this.
"Do you even remember her name?"
"J- something? Jody? Erin?" Jay shrugged. "Whatever."
"Classy." Collin let go and raised his beer to toast his friend's hook up while Jay tried to tell himself he didn't miss his friend's arm being around him. Jay was never one for physical contact unless it was sports or sex related, and the latter was only ever with women. He wasn't a dick to Collin about it, but part of the reason his friend did it so much was because he knew it annoyed him. He blamed it on the stress of the day.
They drank and watched whatever baseball game was on the screen behind the bar. Jay kept getting distracted by Collin's thick thigh as it brushed against his leg. His friend's wide body took up more space than the usual customer at the bar. There were plenty of women present, but he kept finding his attention wandering to the guys in the room. He knew several of them, not well, but they'd drink together or play pool at least once a week. It wasn't until his third scan of the room that he realized he was looking at the guys like he looked at the girls at happy hour.
"Hey man, you okay?"
Collin's nudge snapped him back. "Oh, yeah, sorry. Just out of it tonight. All day, really."
"You pissed at Aaron? You've been staring at him for like the last five minutes."
Jay blushed. He didn't even realize he'd been doing it. Aaron was a scrappy young blonde guy. Jay didn't know a whole lot about him other than that he worked in cement. It showed. His buff chest strained against his red tshirt and his arms looked absolutely massive as they rested on the bar. "No, not at all. I didn't even know I was doing it."
"Well he saw it," Collin said, nodding as Aaron got up and walked over.
"Hey guys," Aaron said cheerfully, looking up at the other two. He was stocky, standing barely 5'8" with an equally powerful lower half. His cut off denim shorts were plastered to his legs and the back of his thin tshirt rested on the shelf formed by his round, protruding ass.
"Hey dude," Jay said, sipping his beer as an excuse to look Aaron up and down. He didn't know why the short man was catching his attention so much. He choked on his beer when it finally hit him. Short. Blonde.
"Damn, dude!" Collin laughed, slapping the coughing Jay on the back.
"Sorry," Jay stammered hoarsely, "went down the wrong pipe."
He listened in stunned silence to Collin and Aaron talk about the game while he tried to figure out what was going on. The longer he was around Aaron, the more captivated he became. When the burly blonde would motion with a beefy arm and his shirt would raise up enough to show a flash of the top of his bright green underwear, Jay felt his cock twitch. He started to wonder if they were briefs or boxer briefs. Then he wondered what he looked like in them. Then what he looked like out of them.
"Uh...dude?"
Jay blinked and saw that he was staring at Aaron like a starving man would look at a sandwich. "Huh?"
Aaron blushed, realizing he was being checked out but too polite to say anything about it. "I just asked if you'd ever hooked up with Brittany over there," he said, nodding towards a dark haired girl in the corner.
"Oh, sorry man, I don't know what my..." he trailed off when the thought of Aaron hooking up became just Aaron naked again. "Uh, yeah, we did. Last year maybe? I don't really remember, which means it at least wasn't bad," he laughed nervously.
"Dude, what is with you?!" Collin whispered harshly when Aaron walked over to the girl in the corner. "You were starin' at him like you've got a mighty thirst." He looked Jay up and down. "Did you finally sleep with every woman in town and maybe wanna check out the other team?"
"What?! No, don't be a dick," Jay said defensively.
Collin just grinned and took a swig of his beer. "Hey man, you know I don't give a shit. I'll wingman for you if you want, I just need to know which direction to go in."
"Alright, fuck this. I'm going home," Jay said, slamming money down on the bar. He heard Collin yell after him but he kept walking.
Jay's dreams that night were just as confusing as the rest of his day. He'd stripped down and climbed into bed, feeling both confused and sorry for himself. He had no idea what was happening, but he didn't like it. He finally drifted off hoping that he wouldn't dream of the dancer. He didn't, but the alternative wasn't much better. He found himself dreaming of Aaron and Brittany, only his perspective was off. He wasn't watching them; he was sitting where she should have been. It was so vivid. He was back in the bar and he could smell the stale beer and years of cigarette smoke that soaked into the walls. Aaron's cheap cologne punched through all of that as he leaned in close so they could talk without shouting in the noisy room. Jay heard himself, in his own voice, actually giggle as Aaron flirted and turned up the charm. The blonde man's soft lips burned his neck when he leaned in for a quick kiss and he felt his fingers bite into Aaron's rock-solid thigh. Then they were leaving quickly, hand in hand. Jay was still looking down at Aaron as though he were actually there, not Brittany. They made out in the front seat of his car, exploring as much of each other as they could. The buff little blonde was just as built as he seemed when Jay's hands made their way up his rock-hard torso. Eventually they made their way back down to his pants, quickly undoing the fly. At least in the dream, Jay's question was answered when he saw the bright green briefs in full before fishing a rigid cock out of them. It wasn't as big as his own, but it was definitely big for Aaron's stature, and thicker than average.
Then they were on the road. Jay couldn't see that they were moving because his face was buried in Aaron's crotch. His head bobbed up and down on the thick pole and he could feel every bump and ridge running over his tongue. Aaron's strong fingers stroked through his messy hair while he sucked away. He tucked himself away as best he could when they reached his apartment and raced inside, laughing as they stumbled up the dark stairway. Jay had never been to Aaron's apartments, but the details were just as vivid as the bar. It was the typical young bachelor pad. Filthy, cheap furniture, dishes piled on ever surface, and it smelled like a mix between a locker room and the cheap cologne he was wearing. Unframed posters were taped to the wall and a pile of videogames was dumped in front of the tv on the floor. It only turned Jay on more. Aaron went to pick up where they'd left off, but Jay shook his head.
"Uh-uh," he heard himself say, again in his own voice, "you first." Aaron blushed and smiled bashfully, his boyish face looking so cute that Jay couldn't stand it. The blushing blonde reached down and peeled his shirt up from the bottom, flexing his muscular stomach and chest in the process. He locked eyes with Jay as he undid his shorts and let them drop, exposing the tented, bright green briefs and tree-trunk thighs. He snapped the waistband of his briefs playfully before tugging them down, his throbbing cock bouncing free. He turned in a slow circle, letting Jay get a good look. His compact, burly body radiated power. He bulged with bulky muscle from head to toe. Not the gym-sculpted kind, but the kind that was earned through hard work. Jay couldn't believe that the young man could even get his mammoth ass in a pair of pants to begin with, and the thought drove him wild.
"Okay, your turn," Aaron said, sitting on the edge of the couch with his stout cock standing out.
Jay looked down at himself. He was wearing his usual outfit and suddenly felt ridiculous in the baggy, oversized clothing. He slowly worked the shirt up, showing off his trim waist before reaching his built upper body. He dropped his shorts next, feeling trapped by them as they bunched at his feet and he immediately hated the long, clingy boxer briefs.
"Goddamn you're sexy," Aaron whistled when Jay was naked, launching himself at the taller man. They fell onto the rickety couch, their bodies writhing together. The prickly, wiry blonde hairs that covered Aaron were electric on Jay's relatively smooth skin. Even though this was supposed to be Brittany, when dream-Aaron dropped his head between Jay's toned thighs he swallowed as much of the long rod as his mouth could handle.
"Uuuhh...." Jay moaned, his fingers biting into the couch while he watched Aaron's thick shoulder muscles flex in time with his bobbing head. The young man was relentless. "Oh shit...oh shit..." Jay panted.
Aaron just looked up and grinned. "Not yet," he said, pulling Jay up off the couch and into the bedroom. Jay let Aaron shove him onto the bed while the blonde man crawled on top of him. He felt the other man's thick tool oozing on his stomach as he worked it back and forth between them. Even though he knew what was coming, he didn't try and stop it. The only thing that surprised him was that Aaron didn't roll him over. Instead, he hoisted Jay's legs up onto his shoulders so they were still face-to-face. Jay gasped loudly when Aaron plunged in. In the dream it didn't hurt, at least. He felt his own unused cock slapping against his stomach while Aaron hammered into him. It was incredible. He was moaning loudly and couldn't have stopped himself if he'd tried. Aaron was nibbling and sucking on his thighs while he pounded mercilessly. It was finally too much. Jay screamed as he shot all over himself, the precarious angle launching the fluid across his chest and onto his face. Aaron's stamina lasted a little longer, but soon the dazed Jay felt a rush of warm fluids hit his insides.
"Aaah!" Jay shot up in bed, his heart racing. He blinked against the invading sunlight, slowly taking in the features of his own house. He was dripping in sweat and something else. All of his covers had been kicked off and his fitted sheet was half-removed as well. He fell back, his head a mix of confusion, disgust, and disappointment. Jay hated sharing his bed. He wasn't a cuddler. And yet, his first feeling was one of disappointment that Aaron wasn't actually there. In the dream the other man's presence was comforting and reassuring. He could still practically feel the weight of his meaty arm draped over him as they slept. "What. The. Fuck." Jay pressed his hands against his face, as if he could push out the memories. "Okay. Okay. I've just gotta...fuck. Fuck!" He punched the bed in frustration. He'd clearly recently blown a sizeable load, but his cock was still throbbing. His ass still tingled from the dream-pounding he'd received and he was already on the verge. Hating himself for it, he wrapped a hand and started stroking. He couldn't have fought it if he tried. All he could think about was the blonde little stud from his dream. His dimpled smile. The tiny little nipples on his huge pecs. The way his ass was too big for even Jay's wide hands to palm completely. The powerful thighs that pressed against his head while he gave Aaron's heavy balls a tongue bath. "OOHHHHH!" Jay yelled and arched up off the bed, an erupting geyser. He usually tried not to make a mess when he jerked off, but now he didn't care.
He stumbled into the shower in a daze. He did his best not to think about anything at all while he scrubbed the crusted and fresh residue from almost every inch of him. He tried to take stock, mentally. Other than his confusion, he felt great. Dream-sex or not, he had the same relaxed feeling as always after getting laid. Even the anxiety he felt when he thought about it grew less and less the longer he was awake. It was just a dream, after all. He hung his towel on the door and sauntered out into his apartment. He wasn't usually one for walking around naked, even at home, but this morning he didn't seem to mind. On a whim he grabbed his hat when he walked by and slid it on backwards, the only thing he put on while he scrolled through the multiple texts from Collin he'd received over night. He'd have to apologize to his friend at some point for freaking out like he had. Still in just the hat, he ate some breakfast and caught up on the scores from the previous night. Other than his nudity, it was a normal morning. Until he went to get dressed.
"Ugh," Jay actually groaned when he opened his dresser. He started to pull on a pair of his usual boxer briefs but stopped half way up. They felt like straight jackets for his legs. He physically couldn't bring himself to put them on. He felt the same about his oversized shirt as it draped down past his waist. He clearly needed to buy new clothes. Without giving it a second thought he pulled the shirt off, grabbed a pair of scissors, and cut off the bottom third. He'd gone a little high, as he discovered when he pulled it on and it came to just above his belly button. It still felt light-years better. He felt like an MC Hammer reject in the baggy shorts, but he didn't have much choice with those. Without any underwear, and with his shirt now a cut-off, Jay was slightly self-conscious about the way his huge package swung visibly against the shiny polyester. The long hose was clearly outlined as it dangled and bounced. "Goddamnit," he sighed when he caught his full reflection. "Bernie's gonna explain what the fuck happened yesterday."