You Can Leave Your Hat On

Lucas needed money. He used one of the fake I.D.’s Brooke had gotten for him and got a job at a local strip club. Tim had told him about it before he left for reform school. It was the only good thing Tim had ever done. Of course when Lucas got there, he realized just why Tim had been so enthusiastic about the place. It was a male strip club just about an hour’s drive away from Tree Hill.

“Damn it Tim.” Lucas muttered, going in anyway. His job was to wait tables so he figured he’d be so busy it didn’t matter.

After a brief interview with the manager, who Lucas was pretty sure was flirting with him, he filled out the paperwork and was told to report for work Friday at six in the evening. Lucas nodded and stood, shaking Maurice’s hand. He was almost out the door when the slightly effeminate manager called after him.

“Oh, there’s one more thing darling, what size are you?” Maurice’s eyes trailed down his body and then back up to Lucas’s face.

“Excuse me?”

“Pant size darling, what size pants do you wear?”

“Why?” Lucas asked, fighting off the bad feeling the man was giving him.

“Our wait staff wears uniforms. The cost will be deducted from your first weeks pay.”

Lucas gave the man his measurements and left quickly. The pay was lousy enough without having to pay for a costume but Tim had assured him he could make it all up in tips. He only hoped Tim was right. On his way out he ran into Nathan, his brother and on again, off again friend. At present they were on the outs. Nate had fallen in with loan sharks and nearly cost Lucas and his best friend Haley their lives. The man, Dante and a companion had done a drive by, spraying bullets all over the street where Karen’s café was.

Haley had taken a bullet in the leg, shattering her tibia and leaving her in a cast for weeks. Lucas had suffered a heart attack from the excitement. Nathan had been unharmed. The men responsible were quickly apprehended and awaiting trial. With news of his point shaving hitting the airwaves, Duke immediately withdrew their offer for a scholarship and Nathan’s dreams of turning pro one day were shattered.

Lucas felt sorry for Nate but he was still angry for all the lies. It was more than that. Lucas was beginning to feel a real bond between them. He wished that Nathan had trusted him like a brother and come to him first with his financial problems. It really bothered Lucas that Tim was a regular fixture in Nathan’s apartment and paid no rent, yet Nathan never thought of asking him to move in and share in the expenses.

Lucas could tell Nathan was uncomfortable seeing him there in the club.

“Um, you came for a job too I guess,” Nathan muttered, barely making eye contact with his older brother.

“Yeah, Tim told me about this place,” Lucas answered.

“Me too.”

“It’s a male strip club but money is money right?”

“Yeah, right.”

“Well, I’ve got to get going,” Lucas said.

“I’ve got an interview,” Nathan replied.

“Good luck,” Lucas offered, heading for the door. He heard Maurice’s voice greeting his brother.

“Well, well, well,” the owner purred, “what do we have here?”

Lucas headed to his mom’s café. It wasn’t that he minded working for her but when cash was tight, he felt guilty taking a salary from her. This way, he could help out voluntarily if needed during the week after school and get paid guilt free on the weekends. Of course he’d have to lie to his mom about what he was doing. There was a movie theatre not far from the club, so Lucas decided to say he was working there instead. Karen had no problem with her son taking a second job as long as it didn’t interfere with his school work. It was his last year of high school and she didn’t want him to ruin his chances of graduation over a need for cash.

The rest of the week flew by quickly. Lucas watched everyday at lunch as his once popular brother ate alone. He’d become the school pariah for what he’d done, even though the Ravens won the state championship. Lucas wanted to push aside his anger and stick by his brother’s side, but the feelings of betrayal and hurt ate at him daily. It scared him that the boy he once could barely stand had come to mean so much to him. They’d been through so much together, school shootings, forced strippings, fights, stalkers, Nathan’s near drowning and taking a stand against their father, that Lucas just couldn’t understand why Nathan refused to let him in when his back was against the wall.

Haley, who was naturally ready to forgive and forget, told him he was acting like a jilted lover. Lucas tried to laugh it off but he was seriously beginning to feel like a wife who found out her husband had secrets. He spent Friday’s lunch hour watching his dejected brother sit miserably by himself. He study his blue eyes as he looked up at passersby hopefully and then avert his eyes downward as he received more disapproving glares and was subjected to whispers and laughter.

Lucas decided that if Nathan got the job at the club, he would use the opportunity to talk to him and try to reconnect. If things went well, maybe there would still be a chance that they could regain the closeness they’d just began to develop and be brothers again.

When he got to Le Cage, it was just minutes before six. The doors of the club didn’t officially open until eight. Lucas felt instantly intimidated when he saw the array of muscle bound men mulling around, waiting for final instructions from Maurice before getting ready for work. Coach Durham always teased him about being scrawny and now among all the well toned bodies clad in tees and jeans, he felt just that.

Lucas saw when his brother walked in. By the look in his Nathan’s eye, he could tell his brother was feeling somewhat intimidated himself. Despite their recent differences, when Nathan latched eyes with him, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and hurried over to the table where Lucas was sitting.

“Is it me, or did we just walk into steroid heaven?” Nathan smirked.

Lucas let out a nervous laugh. “I probably won’t get good tips if this is the competition.”

The way Nathan looked at him before speaking made Lucas squirm. “You’ll do all right,” he said, letting his eyes take Lucas in. “Are you nervous?”

“Yeah, a little. I mean, I’ve waited tables before at my mom’s café, but never in a strip club. I hear the women can get really wild in these places.”

“Uh, yeah. I heard that too. “

Lucas didn’t quite get the strange look Nathan was giving him. Before he could ask what was up, Maurice appeared and began to give instructions. The waiters were sent to one of the back rooms to change into their uniforms. Lucas looked to Nathan who remained seated in the club.

“Changed your mind?” Lucas asked.

“Uh, no…I got a different job,” Nathan hesitated.

“Oh…okay, see you around.”

Lucas was disappointed that they wouldn’t be waiting tables together. He wanted a chance to talk to Nathan and hoped they might get their break together. He wondered what other job Nathan got. ‘Most likely busboy,’ Lucas assumed, since his brother had no experience serving customers. He joined the other well toned men in the closet turned dressing room and grabbed the plastic bag that had his name on it. Some of the other men started stripping and pulling the garments out their bags. Lucas felt uncomfortable changing in the cramped room even though he was accustomed to undressing in front of his teammates. He swallowed hard and began taking off his things, feeling even more self-conscious about getting naked as he saw strapping biceps and triceps flexing all around him.

The uniform amounted to a pair of black pants that were little more than the form fitting spandex and a thin gold bow tie to match. Lucas folded his arms in front of his chest and followed the others out of the room. When they got back into the main seating area, Nathan and the other men that stayed behind were gone. They were given further orders about placing orders and assigned sections to wait on. Maurice inspected them, making Lucas feel even more jittery and told them to man their stations.

At eight that evening, the doors opened and music played in the background as a mostly male crowd flocked through the doors. Even then, Lucas was totally oblivious to the type of club he was in. That was until he took orders from his first set of guests and a hand wandered up his calf and squeezed his butt cheek. He nearly let out high pitched squeal but managed to extricate the hand off his ass and finish taking orders.

The order part was easy. It wasn’t much different than working with his mom, the only difference being having to hear over blaring technotronic music as opposed to soft rock. Lucas quickly learned that he had something working in his favor that the other waiters didn’t; the innocent waif thing.

His tables filled up quickly and he was soon working his shy smile and modest frame to his advantage. When he returned to the bar for yet another round of drinks for his first set of guests, Maurice smiled, pleased at his performance. He already had more than a few tips placed in the waistband of his pants.

The music died down and Maurice took the stage, announcing theatrically that the floor show was about to begin. The predominantly male crowd went wild as Maurice announced a new addition to their lineup, Dark Raven.

An old Tom Jones tune that Lucas recognized from a movie he’d watched with Nathan, Tim and Haley one night started up.

Baby, take off your coat, real slow.

Lucas didn’t pay attention to the stage at first. It was all he could do to manage his orders while keeping groping hands at bay. When Maurice told him to take a break, Lucas ordered a coke and sat on an empty bar stool, looking through the bar mirror behind the bar at the stage. He wanted to wander back into the kitchen and see how Nathan was doing but he was a bit embarrassed for his brother to see him dressed the way he was. He counted his tips as the music played and the figure on stage, dressed in a baseball hat and black sweats gyrated on the stage, his back to the crowd.

Baby, take off your shoes. I'll help you take off your shoes.

Lucas remembered Nathan looking at him and telling him he’d do all right. He hadn’t been wrong. He wanted to share that with his brother but he wondered how Nathan would feel if he knew that he’d earned his tips by letting men fondle him as he served drinks. When the crowd roared louder, Lucas’s attention was drawn from his money to the figure on stage. He folded his stash and stuffed it down the waistband of his boxer briefs. Between the briefs and his form fitting pants, he was sure not to lose any cash.

Baby, take off your dress. Yes, yes, yes.

The dancer had his black sweat jacket partially off, his arms still inside and pulled tight across his rear. Lucas licked his lips watching the muscles ripple across the man’s back. The dancer wasn’t overly pumped like the other waiters he worked with but he was definitely in good shape. ‘Probably an athlete,’ Lucas speculated. Lucas found himself spinning around on the bar stool to face the stage and watching the seductive dancer who hadn’t shown his face yet, whip the crowd into a frenzy.

You can leave your hat on.
You can leave your hat on.
You can leave your hat on.

The man faced forward. His chest was just as well toned as his back. It was also hairless. His skin was milky white and he gyrated his body in a fluid motion that seemed to start from his neck and ripple down to his pelvis. Lucas prayed his break wouldn’t end before the dancer finished.

The cap the performer wore had a large bill and it was pulled low over his eyes. Lucas wondered if the man could even see anything from beneath the obstruction. The song continued to pulsate and the dancer had tossed his jacket into the crowd and was now hooking his thumbs into the corners of his black sweats. For a brief moment, Lucas smiled, remembering the Boy Toy auction and his brother’s goofy performance in it. He mused about Nathan being on stage trying to compete with the likes of professionals such as the current performer.

The dancer’s back turned again as the waistband of the jersey fabric was slowly lowered to reveal the golden straps of a thong. Lucas checked his watch. His time was almost up. He was positive after this performer was through, his tables would definitely be thirsty and even more horny than when they came in.

The crowd moaned in frustration when the pants were pulled up again, but it was short lived when the stripper faced forward, firmly grabbed the fabric at the waist and pulled. Lucas decided then and there, gold was his favorite color. The guy was well endowed and his thighs were firm and strong. Lucas suddenly wanted to approach the stage like the other patrons and stuff all his earnings into the golden band the housed those undulating hips.

When the dancer hooked his thong with one thumb and pulled, Lucas was sure a riot would ensue. The frenzied crowd was border lining on pandemonium. The chorus of the song repeated over and over. The crowd knew what was coming. The stripper firmly grabbed the front of the cloth as Lucas made his way back to one of his tables close to the stage. A guest was frantically asking for change. Lucas held the bill in his hand and glanced up towards the stage. In a split second, the thong was yanked off and the hat came down to cover the dancer’s privates. Lucas stared blankly up at the brunette with the deep blue eyes and quirky lopsided smile. Their eyes locked for a moment and both teens blushed and looked away. Lucas felt the bill snatched out of his hand and before he knew it the man simply tossed it on the stage. Someone grabbed his ass again and the stage lights went dim. Wild applause followed and it took some time for Maurice to calm the crowd so that the next act could go on.

Lucas didn’t see Nathan the rest of the evening. He figured, he’d slipped out the back door or left when his back was turned. The rest of the show had been a blur of bodies and undulating hips. Lucas couldn’t shake the image of his brother dancing so seductively in front of such a large and unruly crowd. A thought occurred to him, concerning Tim and his brother. Lucas shook that thought away. He changed back into his street clothes, said goodnight to Maurice and promised to be on time for Saturday.

With his money securely in his jeans and his jacket firmly zipped up, he headed out into the cool night air. Some of the customers were lingering outside. He assumed they were waiting for friends or maybe even some of the dancers. A few called out to him and one guy even threw an arm around him, boldly propositioning him.

“He’s with me,” Nathan’s voice stated firmly, before pulling his brother by the hand towards him and throwing an arm around him. “Just keep walking,” Nathan whispered in his ear, pulling him closer.

“Where’s your car?” Nathan asked.

“I took the bus.”

“It’s two in the morning? How were you planning to get home? You know the buses have stopped running by now?” Nathan sounded not only angry but actually concerned.

“I…I guess I didn’t think about it.”

Despite the night air, Lucas felt very warm in his brother’s embrace.

“Lucas, what if someone hassled you? You have a heart condition. You have to be more careful.”

Nathan stopped by a beat up black Pontiac. It was a far cry from the luxury cars Lucas was accustomed to seeing his brother in.

“Get in. I’ll drive you home.”

Lucas climbed in. On the drive home, neither boy talked about what they’d experienced at their new job. Nathan seemed extremely pissed off and as they pulled up to Lucas’s house, Lucas heard himself apologizing.

“I’m sorry Nathan…for worrying you.”

Nathan let out a long slow breath and looked at his brother. “I’m sorry for going off on you like that. It’s just that…I care about you…a lot.”

Nathan looked away as if embarrassed by his words.

“I care about you too,” Lucas all but whispered.

“Are you going back tomorrow?” Nathan didn’t look at his brother as he asked.

“Yeah, are you?”

“The pay is lousy but the tips are good,” Nathan laughed.

“Same here.” Lucas reached for the handle of the door. “Umm…you were good tonight.”

“Really?” Nathan blushed.

“Really.”

“I should kill Tim for getting me into this.”

“So, is Tim…were you and Tim…”

When Nathan realized what Lucas was trying to ask, he shook his head furiously. “No,” he insisted. “No..not at all,” he said softer.

“Oh.” Lucas wondered why he felt so relieved to hear it.

“Are you? I mean…well…”

“I don’t know,” Lucas answered honestly.

He’d had the opportunity to be with two of the prettiest girls in Tree Hill High and yet each time he was with Brooke or Peyton, his heart wasn’t in it. He didn’t feel like… He almost bolted from the car when he realized where his thoughts were taking him. He didn’t feel the way he felt when he was hanging out with Nathan.

“Um…I’ll see you tomorrow,” Lucas spoke hastily, realizing his semi confession might be freaking his younger brother out. Try as he might to flee from the close confines of the car, the door just would not budge.

“The doors locked. This old car…hold on..,” Nathan reached across Lucas and fumbled with the lock. The blond closed his eyes and held his breath as he brother’s body heat passed in waves over him. When he opened his eyes, Nathan was almost face to face with him.

“Are you okay?”

Lucas nodded dumbly.

“You won’t tell anybody about tonight?’

Lucas shook his head no, praying for Nathan to move back into his seat.

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow. Okay?”

“Yes,” Lucas squeaked out, before practically falling out the car.

He rushed inside and headed straight to his room. Thankfully his mom was sound asleep. He stripped off his clothes and flopped down on his bed trying to unwind from the evening. He was a little achy from all the pinching but the money really was good. His mind wandered back to Nathan dancing on the stage and how he made him feel before he realized it was his own brother up there. The funny thing was, those feelings didn’t change when he did know.

“God, I’m sick,” Lucas muttered under his breath. He lowered his hand down his belly and stopped just shy of the waistband of his boxer briefs. “Don’t even think about it.” Naturally, he did.

When he came, he felt shame for having indulged in such a sick deluded fantasy. ‘He’s your brother,’ his conscience reminded him over and over again. His mind replayed every second from when he’d left the club; Nathan throwing his arm around him and claiming him as his own, the concern in his brother’s voice when he realized he hadn’t planned how he was getting home and the words he’d whispered after he’d calmed down. “I care about you…a lot,” Nathan had said.

‘Don’t read more into it,’ Lucas admonished himself. “I care about you too,” he whispered to the still of his room.