"It's just a bar, Liam. They can't keep us out."

"You think not?" Liam laughed nervously. "We're in redneck hell, Jace. Not only can they keep us out, they can tar and feather us."

Jace Marrok rolled his eyes when Liam glanced behind him at their friend, Bay. "That is what they do in these backwater towns, isn't it? Tar and feather people?"

Bay snorted. "Normal people, maybe. Queers like us?" Bay shook his head. "They string us up, and like, throw lawn darts at us or something."

"Oh please," Jace replied. "This is a public place. We have as much right to be here as anyone else."

"Honey, I hate to break this to you but we're not anyone else." Bay chuckled. "We're loud, flaming, flamboyant, queens. Hell, the eyeliner on Rue's face alone could get our asses kicked."

Jace frowned.

Rue blushed.

"Jace, honey, if someone looked up gay in the dictionary," Bay said as he gestured to all of them, "they'd find a picture of us."

"We're not that bad," Jace insisted.

"Jace, what color is my shirt?" Bay asked as he plucked at the silky material with his fingers.

"Azure blue, why?"

"And Liam's?" Bay continued.

"Chartreuse."

"Uh huh," Bay said, "and what type of piercing does Rue have?"

Jace glanced back at Rue, grinning. "Guiche."

"Honey, face it, we're gay!"

Jace laughed at the blush creeping up Rue's face again. Bay was probably right. Rue did wear a lot of eyeliner. Still, they had as much right as anyone else to be in this bar, even if they were clearly gay. And, unless someone was blind and deaf, they were all clearly gay.

They talked gay, they walked gay, and they looked gay. Hell, they probably even smelled gay. They were the stereotypical gay men. Loud bright colors, makeup and piercings, even the effeminate body movements, they had it all, in spades. Christ, two of the four of them had little sequined purses under their arms.

"Okay, so we're gay. So what? That doesn't mean we don't have as much right to be here as anyone else," Jace said as grabbed the door handle to the bar. "Besides, maybe we can teach those hicks a things or two about fashion and makeup."

Jace was laughing as he opened the bar door and took a step inside. He came to a screeching halt at the scene before him. Bay, Liam, and Rue plowed into him from behind. Jace's laughter slowly died away.

In this instance, he might be wrong about where they could be.

He was looking at a sea of rough, muscle bound, jean clad, cowboy boot wearing, beer drinking rednecks. They were everywhere, as far as the eye could see. And more than one of them were drool worthy.

Most, if not all of them, had beers in their hands. A few men sat around booths on the back wall of the room. Several were playing pool. There were even a few men that seemed to be just hanging out at the bar. Loud country music could be heard…well, almost everywhere.

It was really loud.

The place basically looked like every backwoods bar that Jace had ever envisioned—pool tables, beer and peanuts, country music, and rednecks. And Jace couldn't see a gay man in the bunch.

Jace grinned mischievously. This could be fun. He didn't much care that the four of them stood out like warts on a thumb. Jace wasn't ashamed of the fact that he was gay or that he loved men. He didn't care if his demeanor made some people uncomfortable. He was who he was and he wasn't going to change that for anyone, not even a room full of rednecks.

"Come on in, boys." Jace giggled "There's eye candy as far as the mascara wearing eye can see."