Chapter 10

            Gilbert woke the next afternoon at around three. He rolled from the bed and trudged to the shower and threw on workout clothes for practice later. He walked from his room and down the stairs where Ludwig was.

            “Hey Luddy!”

            “Damnit can’t you see I’m watching the little potato bastard!”

            Gilbert jumped and spun around to find Romano.

            “VHY?!” he yelled, his accent coming out as he yelled in shock

            “Mon ami we have early practice!” Francis said walking out from his kitchen.

            Ludwig looked at his brother with a questioning face and Gilbert resisted the urge to slam his face into something hard.

            Antonio popped his head out from the kitchen “Hola!”

            “Why… are you in my house?” he asked calmly

            “Well Antonio said Romano was watching your brother and we came over but you were sleeping and Ludwig wasn’t answering the door so we went through the window!”  Francis explained

            Gilbert sighed. Only he could wake up to find a rapist, a temperamental Italian, and an oblivious Spaniard in his family room.

            “Well let’s go Gil! Everyone else is probably at the club already!” Francis said walking out the door

            Gilbert really needed a beer. “Well… bye Luddy.” he said, running into the kitchen and getting a beer before running out the door behind Antonio.

            In the car Gilbert spoke “Why in the hell are we practicing so early?”

            “Because we are Gil” Francis answered as Antonio drove

            In the parking lot Gil saw everyone else’s car. Antonio parked and everyone got out and walked into the back entrance.

            Gilbert sat down on a chair while Francis stood in the front of everyone.

            “Right so today new dances! Antonio, Friday you will be a scandalous priest dancing to ‘We all go to Hell’! Alfred the American theme seems to go well for you so you’re a gun banger, a gangster! Mathias, our lovely brawler with the black eye! What am I supposed to do with you looking like that?  You will be a mobster! Feliks you will be a football player rocking the stage to world in motion! And Gil, take it off boy! So you will be a bartender!”

            Alfred looked at Francis “Football or soccer?”

            Mathias smacked his head “It’s called football boy! Not soccer, football! You use your foot, and it’s a ball, football!”

            Feliks looked at him “Like these are totally weird stripper costumes… like who totally wants to watch these things? They’re like totally not sexy!”

            “The dancing and removing of the clothing is the sexy part.” Francis answered

            Gilbert shook his head. Francis had ever since the club opened had the weirdest ideas for strippers.

            “Now Feliks and Gilbert, your duo will be the typical office setting. A hot sectary and a handsome lawyer! Feliks we’re having you cross dress, you mind?’ Francis asked

            “Like no” he answered

            Francis moved on “And the group dance will be you all as prisoners!”

            They all nodded and then Francis beckoned for them to move onto the stage.

            He sat in a chair at one of the tables and began instructing them how to dance the group act.

            Roughly four hours passed before the five men had gotten all the steps to the dance right.

            Francis eyed his watch “Tomorrow we’ll work on this then the solos, come at six.”

            Mathias bolted from the stage and Gil raised an eyebrow.

            The rest of them filed out into the back, and Gilbert found Mathias in a car that was not his own, locking lips rather passionately with… the club owner from the other night.

            Gilbert chuckled and wiped the sweat from his brow before waiting by Antonio’s car for the Spaniard.

            Antonio came out and got into his car and Gilbert got in as well.

            “Tomorrow please don’t come so early.” Gilbert said, not particularly wanting to have the scene in his family room a regular occurrence.

            Antonio laughed “Sure thing Gilbert.”

            Antonio pulled into Gilbert’s driveway and Gil got out and bid goodbye to his friend. Upon opening the door Romano flew past him and all but threw himself into Antonio’s car.

            Gilbert walked into his home, rather uncertain about Romano’s reaction.

            “Luddy?” Gilbert called

            He got no answer.

            Well, not from Ludwig.

            “he’s asleep.” a British accent spoke

            Gilbert jumped again in surprise and wheeled about looking for the person who spoke.

            Green eyes stared at him from his couch.

            “What…are you doing?” Gilbert asked, his voice a few octaves higher than usual

            “Did someone get kicked in a bad spot Mr. Squeaky?” the Brit replied

            Gilbert mentally made a note to get better locks. Or a security system. Or just paint ‘open house’ on his door.

            “Why are you in my house!?” Gilbert yelled

            “You left this yesterday.” Arthur said tossing a shirt at him.

            A shirt that was not his.

            And Arthur was now shirtless.

            “This isn’t mine…” Gilbert said holding it out to him

            “Yes, it is. Well goodnight.”  the man stood, and walked pas Gilbert, brushing against him.

            Gilbert felt a shiver run through him once they touched. Like an electric shock almost. Arthur smiled and waved before shutting Gilbert’s front door.

            Gilbert blinked a few times, the shirt still in his hand, and the man’s touch a lingering memory.

            “What…the hell” Gilbert muttered

            He dropped his hand to his side and walked and sat on his couch.

            A smell hung around the couch. That of spiced rum, light cologne, and very vaguely tea. Gilbert pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

            He had a feeling he understood why practice was early now…

            It was Monday night. It was around eight o’clock now.

            Gilbert sat on the couch, contemplating the events of the night, once more.

            Gilbert abruptly stood and went to check on his brother, the shirt now on the couch.

            Upstairs Ludwig was calmly sleeping, his blonde hair sticking to the pillow from the static. Gilbert smiled and turned.

            He leaned against the wall, sore from practicing. He closed his eyes and sighed again.

            Green eyes danced in his mind, a bright smirk, the smell of rum, and the electrifying touch.

            “God Francis is such a jerk… yet oddly a great friend” he muttered as he ran to his room to quickly shower and re-dress.

            He stared into the mirror. His red eyes hard as he thought. He fixed his hair in the usual un-tame yet neat mess, found a black dress shirt and pants. But then the tore off the shirt.

            “Damnit I’m not going to a funeral!” he yelled

            Well the funeral of my pride doesn’t count. he thought

            Searching though his drawers he found a white shirt which he pulled on. He looked into the mirror then at the clock.

            “Well good enough.” he muttered grabbing his keys, phone, and wallet.

            Before leaving he locked all the windows, shut all the blinds. He bolted all the doors, and even put a chair under the back door.

            The garage door wasn’t likely for anyone to get though but he locked it anyway. Then he pulled on is shoes once he got to the front door, and locked both the dead bolt and doorknob.

            “Well I’d say that’s locked up better than Alcatraz.” he grumbled

            He unlocked his car and got in, sitting in the seat, but not closing the door or putting the key in the ignition.

            The memory of the touch and those green eyes flickered across his mind.

            He closed the door and started the car and backed up.

            “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” he said gruffly, but a smile playing on his lips.