Lucas Goes On His First Date

 

Lucas Rudge was feeling a little nervous. Today he would be calling on Ashley Muir for his first date, his first ever date with a girl. Although Ashley had agreed that she would be his girlfriend when they met at the boys’ outfitters, it had nevertheless been one of the most embarrassing encounters of Lucas’s young life.  On the day in question Lucas had been taken to the shop by his mother to be fitted with a new pair of boy’s swim-trunks. How Lucas ended up naked for a smacked bottom over Ashley’s lap in full view of everyone in the shop was something he would be unlikely to ever forget. [see 'Lucas and the Holiday Swim Trunks']

It was a warm summer’s day and Lucas’s mother had chosen the clothes he was to wear, as she always did, and had laid them out on his bed ready for when Lucas was sent to get dressed. For his visit to meet Ashley, Mrs Rudge had selected a pair of very brief, bright blue casual play-shorts and a white sleeveless T-shirt for Lucas to wear, along with a pair of gaudily-coloured Spidey briefs that Lucas had persuaded his mother to buy about eighteen months ago… a decision Lucas had come to regret as he now considered the briefs to be rather childish, but as they had been his choice he was hardly in any position to argue when he saw them laid out next to his play-shorts. As it was warm enough for Lucas not to have to wear any ankle socks, mummy had laid out a pair of his clear plastic sandals, sometimes known as jelly shoes, and this completed his outfit for the day. 

Lucas got dressed and peered at himself in his bedroom mirror before putting on his black-rimmed glasses so that he could see himself properly. He brushed a hand over his smooth chin and the side of his roseate face that gave him the appearance of a boy permanently blushing, a situation, it has to be said, that is all too familiar to fourteen year old boys like Lucas. Needless to say his mother’s friends all thought this was so cute and whenever Lucas heard them talking about his apple-cheeked appearance the colour of his rosy cheeks would deepen.

Lucas sighed and wondered how long it would be before the effects of puberty would announce themselves to the world that he was growing up. He prayed for a visible sign; for the day some whispy bum-fluff would appear on his upper lip. This external badge of incipient maturity was already faintly visible on the faces of a few of his fellow classmates. He sighed to himself once more. Crumbs, he hadn’t even got any nob-hairs yet! Not that he was the only ‘baldy’ at school, but there were already more boys with hairs ‘down there’ than without in his class, even if you had to look really carefully with a magnifying glass to see them on a couple of the boys. Lucas knew this for a fact as he surveyed the ‘opposition’ and compared notes with his fellow baldies after each PE lesson. 

These baldy boys would swap ideas on how to encourage the growth of pubic hair around their smooth genitals. This month’s favourite idea was to rub spunk around your nob after wanking… assuming you could spunk up of course. Lucas shrugged his shoulders. Each night he would undo his pyjamas and diligently masturbate to ejaculation. He would then carefully rub the resultant emission around the base of his hairless penis, but so far there had been nothing to show for all the effort. The emission, such as it was, was still a rather thin, clear, watery affair and he couldn’t help wondering if this was the reason he wasn’t getting the promised results. There had been talk about asking one of the more ‘hirsute’ boys if he could spare some some of his thicker spunk to see if that would have any effect when rubbed around a bald penis, but none of Lucas’s friends were quite prepared to explore this avenue of research just yet.

As he gazed at himself in the mirror, Lucas wasn’t best impressed by mummy’s choice of clothes for his first date with Ashley. However much some of mum’s friends said how cute he looked, Lucas thought he looked far too nerdy, but then, on the plus side, who in his class at school could boast about having a girlfriend like Ashley? With these thoughts, Lucas brushed his hair and on a whim pouted at his reflection in the mirror and wondered what it would feel like if he got to kiss Ashley. Lucas brought the back of his hand up to his pouting lips and practised a kiss… just in case.

Lucas went downstairs to the hallway as his mother came out of the kitchen to see him off. As mothers do, she started to fuss over his clothes, smoothing her hand over his T-shirt and bending forwards to straighten the hem of Lucas’s play-shorts.

“Now don’t be late back, Lucas. I know what you boys are like and I don’t want you getting yourself over excited, so I’ve asked Mrs Muir to keep a special eye on you… you just see that you behave yourself…”

“Yes, mummy…” he replied, his face turning a deeper red with embarrassment on hearing his mother’s words.

She patted Lucas’s head, ruffling his hair.

“Oh, mum… I’ve just brushed my hair!” Lucas turned to face himself in the hall mirror and did his best to straighten his hair again. He moved towards the front door.

“Aren’t you going to give mummy a kiss? I suppose now you’ve got a girlfriend…” she teased playfully, leaving the rest of her words unspoken, but Lucas knew what was meant. Dutifully he leant forward as mummy offered him her cheek and gave her a kiss.

Out on the street and as he walked along, Lucas began to get a little nervous. Would he really get to kiss Ashley? How would he know if she wanted him to kiss her? He began to feel anxious and out of his depth. Wouldn’t it have been better to stay at home? What was he letting himself in for? What if his friends found out that he’d messed things up? What would his mum say?

By the time he turned the corner into Acacia Avenue Lucas was a bundle of nerves. His destination, number 21,was, like all the houses in the street, built in the mock-Tudor style sometimes called Tudorbethan which was so favoured by developers in the 1930s. Lucas looked up at the steep gable roof and below it the large bay-window in which he saw Mrs Muir, a tape measure around her neck, and who appeared to be struggling with a long length of fabric. Also in the window was a tailor’s dummy. Lucas wondered what all this was about as he walked up the driveway towards the front door and pressed the bell. Nothing happened. There was a door knocker, so Lucas tried that instead and a few moments later heard a movement on the other side of the door.

Ashley pulled the door open: “Visitors normally ring the bell,” she said by way of introduction.

“I tried, but it didn’t work… is it broken?”

Ashley leant round the door-frame, took hold of the knob and pulled. The bell in the hall rang out.

“Oh, I didn’t… sorry,” Lucas apologised for this early mistake.

Ashley smiled: “You pushed when you should have pulled… I thought you boys were used to pulling things…”

Lucas wasn’t quite sure if Ashley meant what he thought she meant… she couldn’t of meant that, surely not? It really didn’t matter as Lucas’s cheeks had already turned crimson at the very thought that he might be correct.

“Well don’t just stand there… are you coming in or what?” Ashley urged, seemingly ignoring the guilty look on Lucas’s face.

Lucas pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a forefinger, a habit of his when he was nervous and followed Ashley into the hallway. He tried to think of something to say in an attempt to take his mind off intrusive naughty thoughts: “Er, Ashley… er, what’s your mum doing? I saw her from the road… I could see her in the window… is she making something?”

“You mean mummy?” Ashley corrected him.

“Er, yes… sorry, I meant your mummy,” Lucas apologised.

“She’s making some costumes for a pageant,” Ashley explained. They walked a few paces into the hall when Ashley turned to face Lucas. “I like your outfit, Lucas… it suits you. I wish more boys would wear shorts like the ones you’re wearing… nice and short.” She added playfully, “I think it’s very brave of you…”

Lucas, already a little flustered, began to wonder if his visit had been such a good idea. “Er, what do you mean, Ashley?” he asked, somewhat naively giving Ashley the opportunity to tease him further.

“Well, you’re the only boy I know who still wears short trousers to school…”

“The first formers do…” Lucas interrupted indignantly.

“Yes, but they have to… all first form boys have to wear short trousers, you know that… it’s a school rule,” Ashley pointed out and just for good measure added, “All the second year boys can’t wait too get into longs… haven’t you noticed? None of them wear short trousers to school.”

Lucas didn’t need reminding that he and Ashley were in the fourth form.

“That’s why I think it’s very brave of you to want to wear short trousers to school,” Ashley continued… as if Lucas had any say in the matter of his school uniform, “But I think you look very smart with your bare legs on show for everyone to see…”

Lucas hung his head in shame. This wasn’t supposed to be the way his first date was to go. But when Ashley saw how she had upset Lucas she leant over: “Cheer up… I think your short trousers look great and you shouldn’t feel bad… I bet even some of the boys are jealous…”

Lucas looked up. There was a look of hope in his eyes: “You think so…?”

“I’m sure they are,” Ashley replied as she moved her head closer. Then, taking him by complete surprise, she kissed Lucas warmly on the side of his neck. It was the first time anyone had ever kissed Lucas like that and he felt a familiar, alarming tightness in his Spidey underpants.

“Take off those sandals… house rules” Ashley ordered as she pointed at the jelly shoes Lucas was wearing. Although the rule didn’t appear to apply to Ashley, Lucas did as he was told and slipped off his clear plastic sandals to leave him bare-footed on the parquet-floored hallway.

Ashley was pleased to see Lucas’s obedience. “Come on through and we’ll see what mummy’s up to…” Ashley said as she took hold of Lucas’s hand and guided him into the front room where Mrs Muir was working on the costumes for a local pageant.

“Ah… the very thing,” Mrs Muir said when she saw Lucas and quickly explained how the tailor’s dummy was no substitute for the real thing. “How’d you like to help?”

Ashley’s eyes lit up: “Oh can he, mummy?!” She turned to Lucas, “You’d like to help mummy wouldn’t you?”

Lucas was a bit dumbfounded by Ashley’s obvious enthusiasm. He didn’t really understand what he was letting himself in for, but of course if there was anything he could do to impress Ashley, he would agree to help in any way he could.

“That would save me so much time and effort,” Mrs Muir said when Lucas agreed to help, “You know I sometimes wonder why I volunteer to take these things on… but then I tell myself it’s all for a good cause… Still, now I’ve got my little helper, I’m sure I’ll be able to get a lot more done today than I would otherwise…”

Lucas looked at the pile of white linen piled up on one of the chairs and at the cloth draped over the tailor’s dummy. He was puzzled. Even to his untutored eye, he could see there was little shape or form to whatever it was that Ashley’s mother was making. “Er, what sort of costume is it going to be, Mrs Muir?”

“Mummy’s making some Roman tunics and togas for boys to wear at the pageant,” Ashley explained.

“I got the idea from a visit last summer to Caesarodunum… they have this marvellous three day festival when lots of people dress up in Roman costumes,” Mrs Muir said with obvious enthusiasm. “Some of the boys wore these delightful little tunics… you’d think they’d be simple enough to make, but I just can’t seem to get them to hang right on this mannequin.”

“Shouldn’t Lucas get undressed so he can help you mummy?” Ashley asked as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Lucas wasn’t so sure about that and mumbled something about how he’d rather keep his clothes on if it was all the same to them.

“Nonsense,” Ashley replied, “How can mummy make the costume properly with you wearing all those clothes. The boys who wear the costumes won’t be wearing clothes underneath their tunics will they mummy?”

Lucas wondered what Ashley meant by ‘all those clothes’. After all, he thought, all had on was a pair of play shorts and a top. It was a comfort to know his mummy had at least laid out a pair of underpants for Lucas to wear with his play-clothes, but even so he was embarrassed and wondered what Ashley and her mother would think when they saw his infantile Spidey undies.

Mrs Muir smiled: “Of course they won’t, darling…” She said in reply to her daughter before she looked at Lucas, “You’re not going to go all shy on us are you?” she teased and reminded him how he’d been seen completely naked in front of everyone in the boys’ outfitters.

Lucas blushed some more at the reminder: “Please, Mrs Muir… do I have to?”

“Oh don’t be silly, Lucas… Ashley will help you if you like.”

Mrs Muir was definitely one of those women who thought the very idea of boys needing, or being allowed any privacy was absurd. She had heard to words, “He’s only a boy after all,” uttered on any number of occasions when visiting friends whose young sons would be undressed in front of her prior to their pyjama-time or bathtime. It therefore simply did not occur to her why Lucas should not be undressed so that he could help her make the costumes.

Perhaps the memory of his smacked bottom in the boys’s outfitters was a little too fresh in Lucas’s mind as he raised his arms above his head and made no protest when Ashley lifted up his T-shirt and pulled it over his head and right off. Ashley put the T-shirt to one side before turning back and, half kneeling half bending, she gripped the legs of Lucas’s little play shorts. It was at that point Lucas rebelled. He grabbed hold of the waistband at the front of his shorts. A struggle ensued as Ashley tugged at the shorts trying to pull them in a downwards direction, while Lucas fought to keep them up.

Ashley, shocked at the protest, looked up sternly. She was more than a match for Lucas and simply moved her hands further round to the back of the shorts. With one determined yank she had the seat of the play shorts pulled down over Lucas’s bottom and in the process revealed the humiliating little Spidey underpants he was wearing.

Lucas held on for a few more seconds before letting go, now more than ever conscious he was standing in the bay window, the very window he himself had looked through a few moments ago from the footpath outside to see Mrs Muir at work. Lucas was shamefully aware how any passerby would see him in the window wearing nothing more than a pair of infantile Spidey underpants.

As Ashley slipped the play-shorts off from over Lucas’s feet she remarked at the sight in front of her: “Look, mummy, Lucas is a fan of Spidey!” She looked up at Lucas, “Is he your favourite superhero?” she asked in a playful voice tinged with a patronising lilt such as grown-ups adopt when talking down to young children.

“Don’t tease poor Lucas, darling… you know how protective boys are about their superheroes. I’m sure Lucas would love to have lots of adventures like Spidey, wouldn’t you, dear?” she asked Lucas, the colour of whose face now resembled that of an over ripe tomato.

Poor Lucas had the distinct feeling that his ‘date’ with Ashley was rapidly turning from something exciting he’d been looking forward to into yet another visit to Embarrassment Central. How could he even begin to explain the exquisite humiliation he felt in having to wear a pair of little boy undies his mother had that morning put out for him to wear; underpants that he himself had begged his mother to buy, never mind that it was ages ago. How could he possibly tell them that, if given the choice, he would have gone commando rather than let his ‘girlfriend’ and her mother see the image of Spidey that embellished the front of his cartoon underpants covering his modest boy-bulge. But on second thoughts, given his position in the bay window, Lucas conceded that perhaps even Spidey undies were better than nothing at all.

Mrs Muir soon had Lucas draped in linen and with Ashley’s help, pinned, tucked and folded the material into shape. Lucas had his arms and legs moved around just as if he too was no more than a tailor’s dummy while Mrs Muir got on with the job of creating the costumes. Lucas found the tunics to be very comfortable, but then his heart skipped a beat when Ashley pointed out that his Spidey underpants could been seen and that they were very definitely an anachronistic garment.

“Don’t you think they look a bit silly, mummy?” she asked, drawing attention to Lucas’ little boy undies.

“Yes, I see what you mean, darling,” her mother replied, “I admit Spidey underpants do rather spoil the look… perhaps it would be better without them.” She took hold of Lucas’ arm. “Come over here… nearer the window where I can see what the costume will look like in daylight.”

Mr Muir led Lucas further towards the large bay window. The windows were almost full length with just a small ledge about a foot up from the floor. Lucas looked nervously out through the window, aware that he could see Acacia Avenue quite clearly… and that if he had such a good view of Acacia Avenue, then anyone who happened to be walking past would have an even better view of him now that he was standing so close to the window.

Mrs Muir frowned and cupped her hand under her chin while she gazed at Lucas. She turned to face her daughter: “Hmm… yes, I agree with you, those underpants just don’t look right at all. Do you think Lucas will mind if we take them off…”

Lucas’ mouth fell open and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets, but before he could object or say anything, Ashley replied to her mother: “Of course he won’t mind, mummy… Lucas wants to help, don’t you?” she added, directing the last few words to a stunned Lucas.

Lucas tried to think of some way to object to the way things were going. However thinking fast in tight situations had never been his forte and Lucas only managed to stutter a few “buts…” before Ashley asked somewhat pointedly: “You do want to help mummy, don’t you?”

It didn’t take Lucas more than a few seconds to admit to himself that he was defeated. He didn’t want to upset Ashley. She held all the cards and the one card that trumped them all was that she had said she would be his girlfriend. His hand went to the spot on his neck that Ashley had kissed just a few minutes ago. Lucas nodded. He had no choice if he expected to keep his place in Ashley’s affections.

“Of course I do,” Lucas said, trying his best to make his words sound convincing.

Ashley beamed: “That’s my brave little soldier!”

Lucas hadn’t bargained on what happened next as he was told to stand on the windowsill facing the room. He looked puzzled. “It will make it easier for me to take off your underpants,” Ashley explained. The ledge was wide enough for Lucas to stand on and so he climbed up as Ashley instructed, although he couldn’t help but wonder why he couldn’t just take off his own underpants.

Ashley stood in front of him: “Lift up the costume… that’s it…” She reached forward; her fingers slipped into the waistband of the little undies and she eased them down, first baring Lucas’ bottom. He then felt Ashley’s fingers slide round to the front of the waistband. Lucas couldn’t bear to look down and instead stared straight across the room as his underpants were lowered all the way down his legs by Ashley.

Mrs Muir smiled as she watched her daughter remove the little boy undies, exposing Lucas’s hairless boyish charms: “I think you can let go of the costume now, Lucas…” she said before waving to a neighbour she had seen walking past the house. The neighbour did a double-take when she saw a bare bottom in the window and smiled as she waved back to Mrs Muir when she realised that after all it was only a boy.

Although Lucas did as Mrs Muir suggested and was relieved to do so, the costume nevertheless was not long enough to offer much coverage. Just climbing down from the windowsill caused the material to ruck up completely baring Lucas’s bottom once more to the now chuckling neighbour.

“Oh, that’s much better!” Mrs Muir trilled. “I must make a note to ensure none of the boys wear anything at all under their Roman costumes,” She saw the look on Lucas’ face as he tried to cover up his ‘essentials’. “Hmm… perhaps I need to be a tiny bit more generous with the material…”

Ashley spoke: “But, mummy… are you sure? The costume looks just about the right length to me.”

Mrs Muir smiled again at her daughter’s suggestion: “Maybe for the older boys then?”

In reply Ashley merely frowned and pouted, clearly a little disappointed by her mother’s suggestion. Mrs Muir understood what that look meant: “Well, let’s see…” she added.

It seemed that once Lucas’s underpants were removed a lot more progress could be made to complete Mrs Muir’s collection of costumes for the pageant. However the cost to Lucas was more time spent standing around in the nude as material was cut to size. Ashley and her mother appeared to have little or no concern for Lucas’s evident embarrassment as he bashfully waited to be called to their side for yet another set of measurements to be taken.

After a while Mrs Muir sighed: “I think we’ve earned a rest. We’ve made great progress, Ashley and it was very thoughtful of you to let Lucas help,” she turned to Lucas, “Why don’t you get us all something to drink from the kitchen… there’s some elderflower cordial in the fridge and you’ll find sparking water as well…” Lucas looked blankly at Mrs Muir. “You know what to do, don’t you, Lucas… it’s simple enough,” she added with a smile. “You’ll find glasses in the cupboard next to the fridge.”

It wasn’t that Lucas didn’t know how to make an elderflower drink, it was that at this point in the proceedings he was between fittings and therefore naked. Neither Mrs Muir nor Ashley had said anything about him putting his clothes back on and Lucas, being a well behaved, obedient boy didn’t like to make a fuss, let alone take the initiative by getting dressed again without being given permission... however embarrassing it was to remain nude in front of them. So he turned and left the room on his way to the kitchen. At least he’d be on his own for a few minutes, he thought and not standing in front of the big bay window where anyone walking along Acacia Avenue could easily see him without any clothes on.

Ashley looked at her mother and grinned: “You could have told him to put something on, mummy…” although of course she was pleased she hadn’t.

Mrs Muir shrugged her shoulders: “He’s only a boy… I didn’t think he’d be that bothered…”

Ashley laughed: “Of course he’s bothered… you saw how red-faced he is. Mummy, you are naughty!”

Just then the front doorbell was rung. Ashley went to the window and looked out: “It’s Mrs Kite…”

“Lucas!” Mrs Muir called out, “Would you go and open the front door… Ashley and I are busy… it’s only Mrs Kite… she won’t mind if you haven’t got any clothes on…” Ashley stifled a giggle.

Lucas had heard the doorbell as well. Even before Mrs Muir had spoken he had panicked. He was naked and his clothes, such as they were, were in the front-room. To get to them would mean he’d have to pass through the hall, so whoever it was he realised that it’d be best for him to stay put in the kitchen. But then he heard Mrs Muir calling him… telling him to go and open the front door!

The doorbell rung again. Lucas heard Mrs Muir call out again telling him to go and open the front door. Although reluctant to leave the relative safety of the kitchen, Lucas was left with no choice and padded down the hallway instinctively cupping his hands between his legs as he did so. However, in order to open the door he had to use both hands and so with one hand he turned the lock and with the other pulled the door open. Using the door as a shield Lucas half-hid behind it as Mrs Kite stepped into the hallway. Of course the minute the door was closed again she saw Lucas and looked him up and down.

“Why haven’t you got any clothes on? You’re completely naked,” she said as if Lucas wasn’t aware of the fact that he was totally nude.

Lucas managed to blush an even deeper red as he replied: “I’m helping Mrs Muir make some costumes for the pageant…”

“Well you don’t seem to have made much progress, do you,” Mrs Kite observed with a gentle smile.

“No, er… it’s just that I’m a sort of, er model… Mrs Muir and Ashley make the costumes.”

“Oh that must have been when I saw your naughty bottom in the window earlier,” she said with a chuckle, “You were wearing a top or something, weren’t you?”

“It was one of the tunics, but Mrs Muir said that…” Lucas paused as it suddenly dawned on him why he was standing in the window holding up the tunic. He realised that now he’d have to explain that Ashley’s mother had decided that his underpants ‘didn’t look right’ and that Ashley had just pulled down his undies as he held up his tunic… and that’s why Mrs Kite saw his bare bottom in the window.

“I see,” Mrs Kite said after Lucas had finished explaining his presence in the bay window. Then Lucas saw her eyes glance downwards towards his pubis which was utterly devoid of hair. He saw a quizzical expression on Mrs Kite’s face as she briefly gazed at his bald penis before she looked up again. “How old are you now, Lucas?” she asked.

Lucas knew what this question was about and prayed Mrs Kite wouldn’t press the point: “Um… fourteen, Mrs Kite…”

“Oh, I see… yes, well…” she paused for a second before adding brightly, “Well let’s go and see how these costumes are getting along shall we?”

“Um… I was just getting Mrs Muir and Ashley an elderflower drink from the kitchen,” Lucas explained, “Would you like me to make you one too?” he added politely.

“That’s very kind of you, Lucas… yes I’d love one. Thank you,” Mrs Kite replied and without further ado marched straight into the front-room.

“I’ve been doing a bit more research,” she announced to Ashley and Mrs Muir, “I thought we might have a go at making one of these…” Mrs Kite showed them a picture, “It’s called a pteruges… a sort of skirt thing that the Romans wore… it hung from a belt tied around the waist. It’s made up of leather strips that hang down from the belt… you see?”

Mrs Muir looked at the illustration and frowned. It was clear from her expression that she had doubts: “Where would we get the pieces of leather from? I mean I could make one up from the linen we’ve got easily enough, but the slightest breeze… d’you see what I mean?”

Ashley however thought it was a great idea: “We ought to try, mummy. I mean the boys will have to be careful when they’re wearing it, but it’ll make them behave themselves during the pageant… Let’s make up one for Lucas to try on, then we’ll see how well it works…”

Mrs Kite was impressed by Ashley’s enthusiasm. In the light of her daughter’s eagerness, Mrs Muir agreed to make up a prototype pteruges.

“We’ll need to take some more measurements…”

She was interrupted by Mrs Kite: “No need… you’ve got one for Lucas’ waist… that’s all we’ll need… we can make up some strips from some of these off-cuts and attach them to the belt.”

“How long d’you think the strips should be?” Mrs Muir asked.

“If they’re hanging down from the belt tied around the boy’s waist… I should think six inches at most.”

Ashley picked up a piece of material and measured it with the tailor’s tape ruler. She tried to visualise the distance between a boy’s waist and the tops of his legs. It wouldn’t need to be that long, she thought. “Oh, mummy… I don’t think the strips hanging down from the belt need to be all that long…”

“How long do you think they should be, Ashley?” her mother asked.

“Four inches max…” 

“I think that might be a little too short for some of the taller boys,” Mrs Kite said, offering her opinion.

“Let’s compromise then,” Mrs Muir interjected, “We’ll make the strips five inches long… agreed?”

They all agreed. The strips of cloth hanging down from the boy’s belt would be no more than five inches in length. Ashley was pleased with herself. She knew if the strips of cloth were only four inches long, they would never cover the genitals of most of the boys taking part in the pageant. On the other hand if she had said five inches, her mother would have compromised on five and a half inches. She grinned at having ensured that an extra half inch of a boy’s thighs would be exposed… and the boys wearing the pteruges would have to be very careful if they weren’t going to give everyone watching a glimpse underneath. Ashley rather hoped a stiff breeze would spring up during the pageant… and maybe that wouldn’t be the only stiff thing that would spring up, she thought with a naughty glint in her eye.

Lucas, back in the kitchen, saw an apron hanging from a hook. The apron, a frilly looking thing, was white and didn’t look as if it would be terribly useful in the kitchen, but it would help to save Lucas some embarrassment if he wore it, he thought. So Lucas took the apron down from the hook, tied it around his waist and prepared the elderflower drinks. It should be said that the apron was the sort of thing that would not have looked out of place if worn by a pretty young maid in a Georges Feydeau drawing-room farce. As so often happens in an entertainment of this sort, the soubrette, in her role as the flirtatious maid, would have been chased by an aged boulevardier during frenzied comings and goings resulting in the inevitable loss of the gentleman’s trousers before order is once again restored by the end of the third act. However, Lucas wasn’t to know this and probably wouldn’t have cared much either. What he was more concerned about was that the little apron, while it left his bottom quite bare, did at least cover his front… well some of his front anyway.

Lucas found a tray and feeling a lot less exposed, put the drinks on the tray and carried it through to the front-room.

The ladies laughed when they looked up and saw Lucas, lips squeezed tightly together as he concentrated on not spilling the drinks, wearing the tiny apron. Ashley turned to see why her mother and Mrs Kite were laughing. She saw how Lucas was totally focused on carrying the tray and smiled. The look of concentration on his face was such  that Ashley saw how the tip of Lucas’s tongue could be seen just poking out from between his lips. It was hard for Ashley not to giggle too when she saw that Lucas, in his desperation not to spill any of the drinks, was seemingly unaware of something else that could be seen peeking out from under the frilly apron. She realised that Lucas must have been even more embarrassed to be walking around the house in the nude than Ashley had thought possible. How shy he must be to even consider putting on that apron, she thought.

“Oh, how sweet!” Mrs Muir trilled, “but really, Lucas, you needed have put on the apron for our benefit…”

Of course this unexpected response made Lucas feel even more uncomfortable than ever and his face became a deeper red as he stood holding the tray of drinks.

“But, mummy… can’t you see the apron is the perfect length for the Roman skirts,” Ashley said enthusiastically.

“She’s right, you know,” Mrs Kite agreed with Ashley, “If the pteruges are too long they’ll chafe the boy’s thighs, so I think they should be made as short as possible.”

Lucas wondered what on earth they were talking about. What skirts? Skirts for boys? But his speculation was interrupted when he heard what Mrs Muir had to say next.

“... mind you, Ashley, I’m not sure that your boyfriend doesn’t deserve to have his bottom smacked for putting that apron on without asking for your permission first…”