CARTER'S DUTY: WILLIAM CARTER
III
Chapter 15 - By Christopher Patrick Lydon
"You got tickets to game six?" Andrew was incredulous,
"I'm such an asshole."
Will sighed, "It wasn't your fault, you didn't know."
"I should have called, its just Maria was having a crisis
and..." Andrew realized what he was saying sounded hollow. He felt hollow;
he hadn't realized how upset Will would get over it. Looking back on it now,
he realized...with everything else how it painted a picture that... He shivered,
"I'm sorry Will...it wasn't like that."
Will shrugged, "I was swept along by the night, there was
a lot going on that day, too much. Work, the bachelor party, the strippers..."
"Strippers?" Andrew asked cautiously.
* * *
The Pink Panther, Will read as they walked through a plain,
nondescript door, "Do I even want to know where we're going?"
Brody was being his usual mysterious self, up to something.
Whenever he was called out on that aspect of his personality he would affix
a pious look on his face and exclaim about his innocence. Anyone who saw Brody
knew he was many things, but innocent wasn't one of them. It was like calling
a crocodile cuddly, or a Wolverine a good house pet. It just didn't sit right.
He was a walking contradiction: he was an educated man, learned
in philosophy and religious studies, yet he was singularly the biggest womanizer
Will knew. He gave a whole new meaning to the term `Naughty Vicar'. Yet he
was also a resolute friend with a well of inner wisdom that seemed to never
run dry, nor would it. Brody was his own source spring as well.
The massive bouncer barring their way was easily a head taller
than the tallest amongst them, and easily twice as wide. Dressed in black
and listening intently to his headset he loomed over them, giving them a stern
gaze that said he would tolerate no nonsense before he pointed them over to
where they could check their coats and pay cover.
"I don't like this," Jared whispered in Will's ear
as he rooted in his wallet for the extortionate amount of money they demanded
for cover.
"Relax," Brody reassured with a toothy smile as he
ushered them in through a heavy curtain. He looked to all the world like the
devil himself at that moment. A fallen angel was an apt description of Brody.
It was dark, lit by black lights. Neon glowed brightly everywhere,
and at one end stood a cabaret-style stage with a brass pole, a half-naked
woman wrapped around it. She was peeling off her bikini top and swinging rhythmically
to the music.
The guys all turned towards Brody accusingly.
"What?" he asked, extending his hands and feigning
innocence. "You should know better; as if I'm not going to take you to
a strip joint."
"But," Jeff desperately tried to tear his eyes off
of the girl, "you said..."
"Would you have come if I had told you the truth?"
Brody grinned. "Come on, I reserved a table down front."
"Of course you would," Jeff intoned as he shook his
head. "Lisa's gonna have a fit."
"Stop being such a pussy," Brody replied, clapping
a hand on his shoulder. "Come on; we're here now, might as well enjoy
ourselves."
Will stood frozen in the door, his jaw hanging open. Disbelief
had displaced reality for a moment. It was a surreal experience for him, all
he could do was stand stock still and stare. His mind raced through a hundred
different places at once. He had seen naked women before, but never like this.
Sure he had been to strip shows, but ones with males, who had certainly not
done the things these girls were doing. Not to mention the fact that he had
been prepared for that; for this, however, there was no preparing himself
for this. He tried to work out what he should do, but nothing worked. So that
was how a shock victim felt.
"Uh-oh," Jared said looking concerned, but still managing
a grin, "We broke Will."
Brody walked up and took the shattered gay man by the arm and
guided him towards the table. "Ahh, it'll be good for him, show him what
he's been missing."
"I...err...well... ahh..." Will stammered as they
sat him down.
"Great," Jeff muttered, "not only am I having
a bachelor party, but my best man is catatonic... Brody, fix it."
Brody pulled out something grey and spongy from his pocket that
he placed on Will's tongue. "Swallow," he commanded. Will did as
he was instructed.
Jared looked concerned, "What did you just give him?"
"Oh, relax," Brody said, waving over a barmaid, a
busty girl in a cowgirl outfit. "Just a little something to loosen him
up; he'll be fine, we're all right here." He smiled at the barmaid, "Hey,
we're celebrating. I have two hundred bucks here; let me know when this runs
out, and if there's any left at the end of the night, keep it."
She nodded as the wad of twenties vanished, "So what are
you boys gonna have?"
"Bottle of champagne," Brody ordered. "Put it
on ice, we're going to have some drinks first. I'll have a club soda, any
brand's fine." With Will out of the picture someone had to be the designated
driver, and Brody had decided to be the responsible one.
"Beer," Jared chimed up. "Regular draft's fine."
"Same," Rafik said.
Jeff nodded, "Me too."
She turned to Will, who was beginning to feel himself relax,
"Rye and coke..." he began.
"Will..."Jared warned, a concerned note in his voice.
Brody stopped him, "He'll have a bottle of water... in
fact if he asks for anything else, just give him water."
The bar maid glanced at him and shrugged, "Sure thing."
She gave him a winning smile, "Let me know when you're ready for that
champagne. I'll tell the bartender to keep it on ice."
"Thank you," Brody said as she turned around and his
eyes trailed down her figure. All the straight guys at the table did; she
was wearing a tiny checked shirt and those tight, snakeskin-print pants, and...
She turned and flashed Will a smile.
The guys immediately started laughing, and Jeff grabbed and
pulled Will close by his tie.
"You're not taking a strip-club waitress to my wedding,"
he said. "Got that, Carter?"
Will shook his head, "God, no..."
"Good evening," a voice boomed over the speakers.
The music had stopped and the girl on stage was getting down. "And welcome
to The Pink Panther where we have the most beautiful ladies on earth to give
you guys what you want. That was Porchea, she is now available for private
dances, just ask for her at the bar. Next up we have Raquelle Royalton, give
her a big hand."
The guys around them cheered, and Will watched, amazed, a warm
feeling spreading through his body. He'd never been to a strip show like that
one before; he normally preferred amateur night in his bedroom after a night
at the club. There really had been no point in going to...
Everyone clapped as a bright spotlight suddenly illuminated
a figure in the middle of the stage. She was all legs and hair. The music
began in earnest as Raquelle got to throw her clothes around. When the barmaid
returned, Will chose to help her pass around the drinks as the other guys
at his table were too engrossed in the show to even notice they had arrived.
There was a burst of noise that caused Will's head to snap around.
The guys were laughing hysterically as Raquelle perched herself on the rail
that separated the stage from the tables. She was growling at Jeff; she snapped
her teeth at him and growled again.
Jeff turned a shade of red and laughed good-naturedly. He raised
his glass to her, as she turned to point her round derriere at him.
Jared and Rafik howled with laughter, and Jeff tried to look
composed. Brody was on the edge of his seat as he grinned from ear to ear.
Raquelle spent the rest of her five-minute number gyrating her
hips in Jeff's direction after stripping down to just a pair of fishnet stockings
and high heels. She presented her breasts to him, as she dropped lower so
that he could get a better look.
Jeff smiled and pulled out his wallet just before the music
faded. He clambered over Brody and leaned on the rail with a bill in his hand.
Raquelle eyes glowed happily as she stuck a leg out at him.
Brody closed his eyes and Jared laughed even harder as he took a sip of his
beer. The bill safely in her garter, Raquelle blew Jeff a kiss before she
darted off stage.
The guys cheered as Jeff sat down, showing he was a good sport
even though he was embarrassed.
Will laughed as well, though a little too hard, his eyes floating
everywhere at once. He was in a happy warm place; it didn't matter where he
was, it didn't really matter who he was. He could just enjoy that moment.
They were just five old friends in a bar celebrating; who cared if a half-naked
woman was waving herself at him. He simply pointed at it and laughed harder
with the guys.
"Will's baked," Rafik observed, ordering up another
round. "Think we should take advantage of this situation?"
"Hell, yeah!" Brody replied. "But later, though,
when he starts to come down... he hasn't peaked yet." He seemed thoroughly
amused by the whole situation.
"He'll be ok for tomorrow, right?" Jeff asked worriedly.
"I mean, I'm not going to have to explain to Lisa why he is still fucked
up."
"Relax," Brody said with a sly smile. "You're
all going to get fucked up by the end of tonight." He pushed Jeff's bottle
of beer closer to him, "Drink up Mister Bachelor."
Jeff shook his head as he picked up the bottle, "You're
pure evil."
"Me?" Brody replied. "Nah, I'm innocent."
He stood, "Speaking of which, I hear the call of nature. I'll be right
back, ladies."
Jeff stood as well, and headed towards the bar.
Rafik shook his head as he looked after him. "He's really
gonna do it," he said. "Tomorrow he's tying the knot."
Jared nodded, "Why so surprised, you did, you know."
Rafik snorted, "As if Farah gave me a choice."
Will, his eyes still wandering trying to see everything at the
same time, leaned in, "Hey, he loves her, right? So he might as well
marry her." He battled with lucidity and felt like he was winning.
Rafik eyed his condition warily, "Yeah, but do you think
things are going to change?"
"No" Will said right away, then he reconsidered. "I
don't know. Things always change for us. That's a given. But it will still
be good." He shrugged.
"Welcome back," Jared said clapping Will on the shoulder.
"Thought we'd lost you there for a bit, feeling better?"
"I have this warm gushy feeling all over," Will admitted,
"but I can form a coherent sentence, which is good..."
Brody returned and noting that Jeff was still over at the bar,
he grinned. "Okay, I slipped the DJ a fifty and told him it was Jeff's
stag night. This is gonna be good."
"What are they going to do?" Will asked, dumbfounded.
"Watch and learn something, Carter," Brody said. The
grin on his face was one of a very self-satisfied man.
"All right, gentlemen, that was the lovely Jasmine,"
the DJ broke in over the music. "Now I hear that some poor bastard is
about to spend the rest of his life chained to some woman..."
Jeff, just about to sit down, froze, Brody chuckling maniacally
as both Rafik and Jared began to holler.
"Would Jeff care to join the ladies up on stage?"
A stagehand set a chair out in the middle of the stage as Jeff was pushed
up onto it by his friends. He looked a little lost until Raquelle burst back
onto the stage and cornered him.
He allowed her to push him down into the chair as the other
four dancers came on stage. The demure Porchea, the vivacious Jasmine, the
radiant Caprice and lastly, the dominant Maxima.
Will wondered if they had an economical Jeep hidden away backstage
somewhere, and burst into fits of giggles at the thought of his car stripping.
Jared caught him before he fell out of his chair, and ensured he sat upright.
Brody grinned like he enjoyed the mayhem he had created a little
too much.
Jeff looked panicked for a moment as one of the girls reached
and pulled his sports coat back over his arms, conveniently pinning them to
his sides. He was a prisoner to his own fashion sense. Maxima leaned down
and showed him her cleavage before she gave him a stout whack with her riding
crop.
Will would have been shocked at Jeff's sudden wide smile, save
for the fact he was vacantly staring up at the flickering lights above him.
Maxima stood and leaned in close to Jeff again, roughly pulling
open his shirt. The buttons scattered across the stage as Raquelle moved to
straddle him.
Brody whooped and began to chant encouragement.
Rafik simply shook his head as he sparked up another cigarette,
settling back to adopt his usual aloof cool attitude that only heightened
his awkward pretentiousness. Will giggled maniacally again and clung to Jared
desperately as the floor seemed to vanish beneath him.
"Make it stop!" he cried between the fits of giggles.
"I can't, buddy," Jared said, helping Will back to
his seat. "You've got to ride this one out."
Jasmine had produced a permanent marker from somewhere, and
while Porchea busied herself creating a distraction for Jeff with a pair of
breasts ideally suited for captivating a man's attention, Jasmine proceeded
to sign Jeff's chest.
"I got laid last night, thanks Jasmine." Brody read.
"Oh, someone's gonna die come tomorrow night."
Everyone stopped to stare at him in disbelief; finally Rafik
spoke up, "No Brody, you're the one who has to explain all this shit
to Lisa if she finds out."
"So how far away is Tijuana?" Jared asked no one in
particular.
Will couldn't help it; he cracked up into laughter as he slowly
slid beneath the table.
