Carter's Duty - 15. Chapter 15

"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.