The streets of Berlin at noon were busy, most of them filled with people minding their own business.

Lately it seemed that everybody was minding their own business.

Berlin seemed to be a lot different since World War I. The costumes, the people, even the places. There was a thin air of decadence and disorder wherever you went. Few places stuck to old times. Café Bowles seemed to be one of the few, where the rich enjoyed the occasional break from their daily life at busy Berlin.

Brian Littrel and Justin Timberlake sat at one of the outside tables, having a drink and catching up about each other´s week. Brian tried not to look at anyone in the eye, not even the pretty waitress with the fake eyelashes. He had been raised to keep a low profile, and be polite to everyone. It was rude to stare.

He even tried not to call attention to himself.

It had always been like that. From catholic school all the way through college, Brian had always been a shy guy with very few friends.

Justin was one of those friends, even though no one could say why. Unlike Brian, Justin was extroverted, loud, friendly, and in general not the sort of guy any decent girl would want to be seen with.

Nor any decent guys for that matter.

“So when it´s the wedding?’ Justin asked with an amused tone, waving his glass of whisky in front of Brian.

“Leighanne wants to be a June bride, so we had set the date for the 16th.’ Brian said, almost whispering.

On the street, a young Nazi was handing out pamphlets to the passersby, it was more common lately to see them preaching about communists and Jews and their consequences on German society.

To Brian, everybody seemed to have an opinion about the subject. Even his father liked to rant about it at dinner time, always making improper remarks about Nazis and their preposterous ideals. Brian thought they were all worked up over nothing. Crazy people come and go every year. This was just a phase. Nothing more.

“That gives us eight months Right?’ Brian was pulled out of his thoughts by Justin´s voice “More that enough time for you to come to your senses’ Justin joked. It was well known that Justin was a confirmed bachelor, and completely against the mere mention of marriage.

“I am not changing my mind, Justin,’ Brian said sipping his spritzer. “Leighanne is the most wonderful woman I´ve meet in all my life and I think it´s time for me to settle down’.

“You are twenty four, for Christ´s sake! Settling down should be the last thing on your mind, “ Justin laughed “Besides Leighanne is not the most wonderful woman you have met in your life. She is in fact, the only woman you have met in all your life.’

Brian snorted trying not to feel offended by Justin´s words, even though they were true. If though he had little interaction with other men, he rarely ever spoke to women.

One could say his marriage was the result of coincidence. Leighanne was the niece of his father´s partner in the paper factory and they had been introduced two years ago at a Christmas party. If he had gone to pee three minutes earlier, before Leighanne´s family arrived at the party, maybe there would be no marriage to celebrate at all.

“So I have the solution,’ Justin kept saying, ignoring Brian, as he usually did. “Tonight, you my friend, are going to accompany me to the Kit Kat Club, the hottest club in all Berlin. And you are not going to say no, you owe me one.’

Brian´s eyes opened wide in surprise. He was trapped.

Two weeks ago, he had asked Justin to get him out of a very boring business dinner. Apparently, he was going to the Kit Kat Club tonight.

* * *

Brian cringed as soon they were standing in front of the Kit Kat club´s door. Justin had said this was an underground spot for entertainment. How could this be the one? It was impossible that this night club could go unnoticed when it was the only thing lighted on the whole corner.

He swore he had passed in front of this same street several times, when going up town to visit Leighanne. He was sure of it, because he remembered clearly one of the flashy red posters glued to either side of the door, which had a long straight haired brunette that was climbing off a chair and blowing a kiss to the occasional passerby. At the bottom of the poster there was a message that said “come in, the Kit Kat is waiting for you’.

Brian had always thought that the message was advertising some sort of drink. How stupid. He should have known better. He had seen many people going in and out during daylight, carrying dresses and chairs and boxes that were most likely filled with liquor. Climbing up and down the three steps that led to the club´s door.

“You go first’ Justin said, pushing the door open.

Brian stepped into the Club. To his surprise it was darker than outside. The first thing he saw was a small hall, lit by small lamps. It was as if the owner of the club was helping him go to another dimension, out of Berlin, out of Brian´s chaste life.

Then there was another door, a red one which Justin pushed open. He lit up a cigarette, half smiling, a bit amused by Brian´s sudden excitement at this new world.

Inside, the Club was like any other bar than Brian had been at during his college years.

The whole bar was constructed in two levels. The first –and the one the clients had to walk by to get to the lower area near the stage- was headed by the coat desk, where people checked their coats and if there were any for their cars to be parked. There was also a telephone which the clients often use to communicate with other clients who were seated at the tables in the lower area. When the noise and music were too loud, the telephones made life easier for everyone.

There was a small path surrounding the whole place, which led the clients to either side, down to a wider area of tables closer to the stage.

Brian eyes were instantly drawn to it. From Justin´s words he had imagined this place to be bigger, but apparently people were no longer concerned by personal space when entertainment was at stake. The stage had almost been shoved in, by the looks of it. The performers could be dancing on top of the heads of the people sitting in first row.

“It´s awfully small… I thought it would be bigger’ Brian said, almost in a whisper “What kind of a show is this anyway?’

Justin said nothing; instead he pushed Brian to the front tables, urging him to take the one in the center. It was the best spot according to him. Brian wondered why.

As they took their seats the club started to fill with lots of people. Most of them seemed to be as rich as them. Brian had thought the entertainment sold here was only for males, but to his surprise there were a lot of women sitting at the other tables. Some of them even had their teenage daughters as company. The others were men, business associates from the looks of it.

There were a lot of waitresses, taking orders and joking with the clients, playfully blowing them kisses, and acting all coy when the patron´s hands roamed a little too low below the waist. When a wispy blonde came to their table, Brian couldn´t help a gasp of surprise.

She was wearing high heels and tight black shorts, as well as a sailor shirt that ended just below her rib cage showing too much of her pale white stomach. Brian tried not too look at her breast, but even he couldn´t avoid noticing that she was far more flat than the mysterious girl of the poster. She was almost as flat as a man. Her hair was blonde and wavy, made up in the fashion made popular by Marlene Dietrich covering one of her flirtatious blue eyes. She was wearing far too much makeup, huge long fake eyelashes, and a scandalous purple eye shadow that made her eyes look bigger, like one of the porcelain dolls his mother collected. Her lips were red like apples, and her lipstick was a little smudged as if she had just kissed someone.

“Oh Justin darling! It´s so good to see you back here. You had us all abandoned.

The blonde said caressing Justin´s chin playfully, and teasing his friend´s lips.

“Did you find some other girls to give your love to?’

“You know you are the only one in my heart, Nick.’ Justin didn´t seem too bothered by her being so forward.

“ I´ll have the usual, and my friend will have a vodka, virgin please’.

The blonde swatted Justin´s head lightly, and Brian realized they had to know each other very well, by them being so friendly.

“You know, it´s Niccolette when I´m working Justin. You don´t want Mr. Richardson, reminding you to treat us girls nicely again, Do you?’

Niccolette walked away swaying her hips.

“One of your old girlfriends, Justin?’ Brian asked trying to hide the fact that he was scandalized.

“Actually, an old boyfriend. I can´t believe you didn´t recognize him. You remember Nick don´t you? He went with me to Herr Rosencranzt party four months ago.’

Brian opened his mouth, and looked at Justin with what he figured was a very good impression of a goldfish. He knew that Justin was, as his dear mother would said, very “flexible’ with his attentions, and he had heard rumors of at least two scandals involving a young lieutenant, and Baron´s son that had been swept away by the Timberlake´s money. But in all the years of friendship, Justin had never been so blunt and direct about his preferences.

But that was not all that had him shocked. He remembered now Justin´s companion to Herr Rosencranzt party: Nicholas Carter, a young American who had come to Germany to study the classical poets, tall, thin and perhaps just a bit feminine for a 17 year old boy, but still worlds away from the fey creature that had greeted them. It made Brian take a second look at the waitresses around them, because if Nick could be such a convincing girl, then there were no warranties that all the others were girls or boy for sure.

As time went by, the club got crowded and soon enough Brian started to have problems talking to Justin, who seemed rather happy to be there, chatting with acquaintances, and the occasional girl who as always ended hugging him from behind and kissing him on the cheek. At least, Brian was almost positive they all had been girls. He didn´t want to embarrass himself further by asking Justin their true gender.

Brian started to sweat. What kind of a place was this?

“Oh Brian, relax!, You just need a drink to get things going…’

As if conjured, Niccolette returned with their drinks and kissed Justin lightly on the cheek.

“Just so you know, you´re forgiven. And I´m glad you came by tonight. We´re having a great show, Anne came back from France, and she´s opening today´s show with Sally, Joseph and Chris. And you know they always give a hot show. I´m sure your friend here will find it educational.’

And with that, he was gone, leaving Brian to wish the ground would open and swallow him. He may not have recognized Herr Carter at first, but obviously Herr Carter knew who Brian was.

The lights in the Club started to dim, signaling that the show was about to start.

“You´ll love it, Brian. Mark my words’

* *

“Welcome, Vilkomenn, Venvenue, Bienvenidos, Our most honored friends, to the Kit Kat Club.’

If Brian had thought that the other men inside the Club were a perfect example of who you did not take home to meet your parents, the man standing in front of him in the center of the stage had to be illegal to know.

He was a tall man -the tallest Brian had ever seen- who wore black leather trousers, and a mock etiquette shirt that left his arms bare. He had long hair styled up in a pony tale, and carried a cane with a certain grace, that somehow lacked the elegance of a true gentleman. His face was white with makeup, with rouge on his cheeks as if he were a street clown, and his white smile instead of an honest welcome gesture, reminded Brian of a bear about to eat his prey.

Behind him the curtain opened and the strangest band Brian had ever seen, started to play. At the distance he could almost believe they were girls, but some of the shadows, and his recent experience with “Niccolette’ made him wary.

“I´ve got some wonderful news for you all, “ The MC said opening his arms in a grandiose sweeping gesture, inviting the audience to applaud. “Our very own darling Anne Brown has returned to us, and she has been joined by her spiritual sisters and some naturists friends to entertain you tonight.’

The noise of the audience cheering at the mention of Anne Brown was almost deafening, but Brian really paid no attention to it as three women came from the stage sides to wrap themselves around the MC. The first one was short, with red floppy hair that curled next to her neck. She was wearing high heel boots and fish net stockings that made her legs look longer and a white fur coat. Despite the excessiveness of her outfit Brian was sure she wasn´t wearing anything more underneath.

Her features were fine, almost pixieish, her long lashes making her eyes look almost black and the rouge on her cheeks made her look as if she had been taken out of an illustration from a children´s book. That is, if she had been dressed more appropriately. She had draped herself to the MC´s chest, reaching then to his left shoulder, caressing his neck and licking all the length of his arm. The one on the MC´s right had short blond hair curled around her ears, in what he knew was called the Roxie Heart style in America.
As close as their table was to the stage, Brian could see her big green eyes glittering under the lights. She had a naughty expression that somehow assured Brian she was wearing nothing underneath her silver fur coat as well. Her boots were shorter than the red-haired girl, tightened up with a bow in front, and near the hem of the coat Brian could see the faintest glimpse of a red garter.

Both women were pretty, but they were not the ones who made Brian gasp out loud. No, the one who took his breath away was the third one, a lithe brunette who came in front of the MC, taking a small bow to the audience and showing just the tiniest glimpse of cleavage, much to Brian´s embarrassment, before walking behind the MC and climbing a small step to reach his shoulders and hug him from behind, just to lick from his chin to his ear in one long and torturous stroke.
Her skin was tanned, pale olive like. Brian guessed she must have had Spanish heritage. Her hair fell long and wavy all the way to the small of her back, and her eyes promised love, passion and many secrets that Brian couldn´t guess at first sight.

In front of him there was, in flesh and blood, licking an uncaring man, the girl from the poster. If he had to admit it to himself, the girl of his dreams.

The MC kept talking about the naughtiness of Anne and her sisters, who were trying their best to make him acknowledge them, with no luck at all. The blond had gone so far as to pinch his butt, but it wasn´t until the red-haired girl had dared to caress his inner thigh and mock lick at his groin, that Brian could see that the attention was really affecting the MC. Unfortunately, when Brian lowered his head in an attempt to avoid seeing the scene, he noticed how the MC´s cock hardened and strained under the redhead´s breath.

Apparently that was not part of the show, as the MC used his cane to raise the girl´s chin in a disapproving manner.

“No, no, my dear Sally. I have to play the piano for you. There is no time for us to have this fun, besides, I wouldn´t want your sisters to get jealous’ the MC said playfully and to punctuate his words he licked Sally´s nose bridge earning a playful bite on his ear by the brunette who had enraptured Brian.

Taking a bow the MC looked at the audience and walked towards the piano.

“And now my friends the Kit Kat Club, proudly introduces the wonderfully talented Anne Brown, and friends singing ‘Take it off Petronella´’.

Brian didn´t really listen as the MC began to play the piano, instead he focused on the three men entering the stage who were wearing tuxedos. The outfits were the only thing that would mistake them for gentlemen as they weren´t wearing any shirts, and their ties were undone. The biggest of them, a tall broad man, with a huge and very Italian nose went straight to the blond girl, hugging her and mock kissing her before starting to sing.

“ She is all the rage of the German stage, playing Wiedekind or Goethe. We all love her so she plays SRO, so the critic's barbs don't hurt her’

Sally walked towards the next singer, a tall wiry man, who moved with a strange grace, almost like a woman or a cat. He was brown haired and of the three, he was the only one Brian could picture as a polite company. Both he and the Italian guy were trying to convince their girls to take off their fur coats without much success.

The dreamy brunette was paired with the shortest of the three men who was also thin, bony and blond and whose hair color assumed Brian, had come from a bottle. There was something strange about the man, but Brian couldn´t pin point what it was. Perhaps it was because his jacket was the only one half buttoned at chest height. But it was hard to concentrate on those details when the brunette was looking over her shoulder and making movements as if she was about to take the fur coat off.

Brian had heard stories about those underground clubs and he had a pretty good idea that she was wearing nothing underneath. Part of him was appalled at the idea, but the other part, that was completely ignoring Leighanne´s existence wanted nothing more than for it to be true. Brian was ashamed of himself. His father was right, Justin was a terrible influence.

As the song progressed, the men were more and more successful in getting the girls to shed their coats, and to Brian´s relief – or perhaps to his disappointment- they all were wearing very short, school girl tunics, that cut off high above their knees. Brian thought that if they would sat down he would see their underwear and felt like a pervert for thinking about it.

The girls were not wearing shirts, and now he could see that his dreamy brunette´s shoulders were as delicate as the rest of her figure and he couldn´t help but feel jealous as she blew a kiss to her dancing partner, who carried her with ease and twirled her as they sang..

At that point he didn´t really care for the other singers. All his attention was focused on the brunette. On Anne Brown.

“I never thought I´d see the day when Sally would be dancing with Joshua, I thought Herr Richarson hated Joshua,’ Justin said, pulling Brian out of his thoughts.

“You know the performers very well, don´t you Justin?’ Brian asked, a wicked idea coming to his mind.

“Pretty much, yeah. The redhead is Sally, although she´s natural brunette. She is the one dancing with Joshua Strauss, who also composes some of the songs they sing. The Blond one is Janice Hellsing and she´s dancing with Joseph Oreoni, who´s also an actor. And the one who bewitched your brain my dear friend, is none other that the talented Frauline Anne Brown and is the one dancing with the no less adorable Chris.’

“I do not want to hear about your male conquests Justin, let me just watch the show so we can get this over with.’ Brian said, a little bit exasperated, not taking his eyes away from Anne who was at that very moment taking center stage.

“As you wish. I´ll be as silent as a grave,’ Justin said, taking a sip of his drink.

“I act Maeterlink wearing only mink, and I play Iphegenia, wearing not a swatch just a diamond watch and a glittering tiara’

Anne´s voice was a bit low for a girl, but still sweet. He could imagine her reading Goethe, or Shakespeare in a far more appropriate stage as she moved around singing, teasing the patrons with blown kisses and naughty winks. For a second Brian wished her attention was only for him.

Guilt started to take over. After all he was engaged to be married, but then again it was impossible to escape the spell of that velvety voice, of those almond shaped brown eyes. Brian barely noticed when Chris came near Anne and tried to lift her skirt from behind.

If Anne hadn't playfully swatted him away and slapped his hands before turning her back to the audience, Brian wouldn't have realized that the skirt was just barely big enough to cover her buttocks, but not to cover where her legs joined. Maybe it was his imagination, but when she stood like that, with her legs closed, just in front of him, he could have sworn she was wearing no underwear.

I bring classics to the present tense, with elegance and reverence, and you'll love my love's labour, My Juliet's the best you'll get…

The low voice called Brian´s attention and he turned his head to the right just in time to see that Joseph had succeeded in rising Janice´s tunic up all the way to her waist. She was wearing cami Knickers and now Brian could see that Janice was in fact, a man. Even if a girl decided to wear such garments, no girl had a pouch between her legs. The lights made very clear that Janice was actually probably James.

Shocked, Brian turned to look at Justin, but then he remembered his angry words from before and the way his friend had made fun of him for not realizing that Nick was a man so he decided to keep his surprise to himself.

Very cautiously he turned to look at Sally and Joshua, and wasn´t as shocked to discover that “Sally’ was also a he. Apparently Justin had dragged him to a club full of perverts. Brian couldn´t, for the life of him imagine, what his beautiful Anne was doing in a place like this. He figured that maybe Anne had fallen on some hard times, and was forced to perform such deviant acts to support herself.

As my costumes get less and lesser, they think I'm quite the dresser, and of course they admire my scholarship, when I strip, don't you fellas? when I strip

“Sally´s’ voice was high, high enough to explain why he could be confused with a girl. Or maybe he was singing like that because Joshua was pressing his head too hard against his groin as she sat in a chair. On the right side of the stage, Brian could see Joseph in a similar position between “Janice´s’ legs. Half terrified, Brian turned his attention to the centre of the stage now dreading to see Chris between his Anne´s legs.

But to Brian´s relief, Anne and Chris were engaged in a mock fight as Chris was still trying to get Anne´s skirt up. Brian sighed, relieved. That was proof enough that his Anne was a girl. Not even in this deranged place, would they let a woman strip.

There was a loud thud on the stage and Brian forced himself to turn his attention to the whole performance, the men were now on the floor being ridden by the girls in an almost obscene manner. Brian was, as Justin was often to point out, a virgin but that didn´t mean he didn´t know what went on behind the bedroom doors. What he was seeing now was a mockery of that moment of passion between lovers.

Even so, he couldn´t stop his treacherous mind from picturing himself underneath his lovely Anne.

As Chris sang about rich lovers and walks through the park, Brian watched horrified, how “Sally’ and “Janice’ wrapped themselves around their partner´s waists as they stripped them completely leaving them in just their underwear, stockings, and their makeup.

There was no doubt now that they were men. But some treacherous part of Brian´s mind couldn´t stop from pointing out that even then, they were still beautiful.

He was going to hell for sure.

your bare flesh in the moonlight, will help to make my juices flow

Joshua´s voice rose high on top of the piano, as he sat on the centre chair grabbing “Sally’ from the waist and forcing him to sit on his lap, despite the initial protest, it was obvious that the transvestite was enjoying the attention.

If Brian was honest with himself, he was starting to enjoy the show. He could imagine Anne, sitting like that on his lap, just as Nick was now draped over Justin, mere inches away from him. Brian wished he were as bold as his friend to ask Frauline Anne for a drink after the show, to see if she would let him be the one to discover what was hidden beneath her black tunic.

'Strip for me, Petronella, strip for me. Release your body from its torments’

On the stage, “Sally’ was leaning forward, as if undoing the laces on her boot, giving Joshua a very good view of his buttocks, while Joshua sang about begging release, from his torment. In the background Anne was kissing Chris, and Janice was kissing Joseph, and Brian suddenly understood what Joshua meant with his words. He was painfully hard now imagining himself in Joshua´s place, watching Anne undress; in Chris´s place tasting those honeydew lips.

Lost in his perverted thoughts, Brian lost a bit of the performance´s apparent plot, as it seemed that “Sally’ was now angry at “her’ partner. Meanwhile Janice was leaning against the piano ignoring Joseph´s advances, and just as Brian focused on Anne again, she gave a very hearty slap to Chris, before he stomped from the scene, watching Anne leave the stage between laughs.
Before Brian could mourn her loss, she was back on the stage again, standing in front of him, still swaying her hips to the rhythm of the piano.

I want my own private performance

Joshua was singing to “Sally’, but Brian only had eyes for Anne. She caressed his shoulder embracing him, and sat daringly on his lap. Brian felt the sudden heat, feeling wonderfully aroused.

Before, Brian could make his mouth work, Anne leaned forward and captured him in a full open mouth kiss. Brian had kissed Leighanne before, but never like this. Those kisses were chaste pecks, lips barely touching. Anne´s mouth woke a thirst in him, one that could only be quenched by her very unique flavour, a mixture of bourbon, chocolate, and something else he couldn´t quite identify. As her tongue caressed his, teasing it as if was a more private part of his anatomy; Brian´s world ended and began with her. It was a second that lasted an eternity, and he wanted nothing more than to be daring and wanton, and never let that wonderful, seductive, magical creature away from his arms. She had woken in him a passion he hadn´t known he had, and didn´t want to lose.

But tonight, Petronella, strip for me, strip for me, Petronella, strip for me.

The kiss ended all too soon, and Anne was out of his arms, out of his reach and back on the stage in time for the curtain to fall, hiding her from Brian´s eyes. It didn´t matter. Brian´s world had been turned upside down, just as Justin promised, but perhaps not as his friend had intended.

He barely noticed when Nick left, promising to bring another round of drinks. His eyes, were still fixed on the stage where the MC had returned, his makeup smudged and his trousers half undone.

“The girls were a bit frisky tonight, my friends, so I apologize if I took too much time in returning. I know at least one of you know what I´m talking about.’

As he spoke, the MC hit the stage with his cane near where Brian was, eliciting laughter from the audience. Brian didn´t really care, he only wanted to see Anne again.

“But now, we have to move forward with the night. Don´t worry, we barely manage to get the girls decent again. Coming up next we´ll see the amazing and bendy pretzel woman.’

Brian lost all interest in what the MC had to say from that moment on and instead turned to look at Justin who had a very knowing smirk on his face. A smirk that said that Brian hadn´t paid his debt, because he was for once, enjoying himself. As things were, Brian had no idea how he would manage to stand up without embarrassing himself further.

“ I was wrong, Justin,’ Brian said putting his fingers to his lips, still tasting the exquisite girl´s lipstick on his tongue.’ That one, Anne. She is the most wonderful woman I´ve met in my whole life’

“I´m always right. It´s time you accept that’. Justin laughed taking a sip of his whisky.

The worst part, Brian knew, was that now he would have to grovel, for Justin to bring him back to the club. He lacked the courage to come on his own. But he also knew he couldn´t keep breathing if he resigned himself to never see his beautiful Anne again.