I was not easy to convince Bellamy of anything. On his rare nights off from bartending, he would sit at home with his younger sister. He refused the company of his friends deciding that family comes first.
Tonight was his first night off since Octavia had gotten a new job as a night nurse. Bellamy had been so proud of her as she announced her new source of income. It was much better than her previous retail jobs, even if she did work the night shift.
Since there was no Octavia waiting for him at home, Bellamy's friends were able to convince him that they should take a trip to the most popular strip club in Baltimore, the Grounder.
"It's going to be worth it." Miller told Bellamy. "I hear they have the most beautiful girls on the poles every night."
"It's not like I've ever had any trouble getting girls." Bellamy smirked. He was quite the playboy. He had a new girl every week or two and had no trouble replacing the girls once he became tired of them.
"You don't have to lift a finger at a club, though." Murphy grinned. "Just pay the whores a dollar and they do whatever you say."
"Plus, not everyone has as much game as you, Bellamy." Atom sneered.
Miller parked his car and the four unloaded. The club was a large grey building. Red and purple lights were seeping from the doorway and the ground under them leapt along with the bass of whatever song was playing.
Bellamy entered followed by his three friends. He scanned the area before settling into a chair in the front row of a stage. The dancer was just his type. Long tanned legs, brown hair, a pretty face. As long as he was here, he would enjoy the show.
Her dance finished quickly, and a blonde approached the stage. Bellamy stood and walked to the bar. Miller jogged after him.
"Why'd you leave?" Miller questioned. Bellamy shook his head.
"Blondes aren't my type." He yelled above the music. "I figured I might as well get a drink and scope out the rest of the dancers."
Music pounded in Clarke's ears as she brushed some rouge onto her cheeks. She was on stage next. Taking a few deep breathes; she pushed out of her chair and walked towards the stage. One of Clarke's good friends, Raven, had just finished a dance and high-fived Clarke as they switched places.
The familiar sound of Dr. Feelgood by Motley Crue sounded over the intercom. Clarke took her position on the stage and began her dance. As she danced she scoped out the crowd.
Some of the usuals were there. James was a man in his mid 30s who had more troubles with his wife and children than she could count. Alex was a younger man who came one the same day every week. Clarke found it nice to have familiar faces in the crowd.
She threw off her lab coat and toy stethoscope to reveal a frilly pink bra with matching underwear and garter belt holding up white thigh high socks. Her silver heels clicked as she maneuvered around the stage.
She continued to glance around the crowd and spotted two people she had never seen before. Both were handsome, but he look in their eyes made her shudder.
Her song was over, and she dismounted the pole which she had been swinging around and collected the money thrown to her.
Instead of going back into the dressing rooms, Clarke decided to wander the floor for a while. She enjoyed the conversations people would start with her. She enjoyed the nervous glances in her direction as she played with her hair.
"Hey, you! Come here." Murphy wrapped his arms around Clarke's waist and pulled her down with him as he sat down. Her face was so close to his that she could practically see the lust in his eyes. She braced her arms against him and pushed away. He did not budge.
"Let go!" Clarke commanded. When she realized that Murphy's grip was not letting up, she began searching the room for help. Her eyes settled on one of her closer friends, Octavia. As the two girls made eye contact, realized that Clarke was uncomfortable. Her brows furrowed and she marched towards the pair.
If anyone could look dangerous in leather underwear, it was Octavia. Her chocolate brown hair was pulled back from her face allowing her scowl to be seen. Her footsteps were light, but meaningful. Her manicured hands gripped Clarke's shoulder and pried her from the arms of Murphy who wore a shocked look.
"Octavia?" His jaw dropped open. Clarke looked between the two wondering if they knew each other. A laugh sounded from Murphy's mouth. "Atom, get your ass over here!"
Another man joined the trio. His smile was wide as his eyes traced Octavia's figure.
"I assumed that you don't want Bellamy to know you're here." He whispered into Octavia's ear. She shuttered as she felt the breath creep down her neck. Atom sat down into a chair. "You better give me the best lap dance ever."
Octavia took a deep breath before lowering herself onto him. Atom's hands dug into Octavia's thighs. He rotated his hips against Octavia's core. She turned her head in disgust. Clarke caught Octavia's stare.
The look in Octavia's eyes was obvious. She needed Clarke to get them out of the situation. Clarke nodded subtly before leaping from Murphy's grasps. He made a frustrated noise as Clarke took off in the opposite direction.
"Hey, O, it looks like you have shitty friends. She left you for dead." Murphy told the brunette as he watched Octavia maneuver around Atom's lap. A moment later, Murphy stood, planning to follow Clarke.
Clarke ran like a bat out of hell. She looked back and saw Murphy's eyes lock onto her figure. She turned back to focusing on her mission. Being in the adult entertainment business, it wasn't uncommon that customers would overstep boundaries, but it was hard to deal with every time.
Clarke caught sight of Indra, a female bouncer. She was surveying the crowd. Clarke decided to get her to help. Clarke was so focus on Indra that she didn't recognize that she was running into a firm body. f
Clarke ended up falling onto her bottom. She looked up at the person who she had run into. He had dark brown hair and glared at her as she sat before him. He looked disgusted as he reached a hand to Clarke to help her up. She took the help and thanked him as she darted towards Indra.
Clarke panted as she relayed the situation to Indra. With a furious snarl, she called from more help on the radio. She followed Clarke as she led them back to where Octavia sat with the two men. Tristan, another bouncer, flanked Clarke as they stopped in front of Octavia who was still gripped tightly by Atom. Murphy had returned to his side.
"Gentlemen, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Indra told the two men. Atom blew air out of his nose.
"You can't make me leave." He mouthed to Indra. He threw Octavia from his lap and onto the ground. Clarke knelt beside Octavia and helped her stand. A third bouncer named Gustus joined them. He ushered Clarke and Octavia to the back room while Indra and Tristan took care of the two rowdy boys.
As soon as Clarke, Octavia, and Gustus were through the door, Clarke pushed Octavia into a chair.
"Are you ok?" Clarke began to check over Octavia's body. "Did they hurt you?"
"I'm fine Clarke. Thanks for getting help." Octavia forced smiled at the other girl, but Clarke didn't buy it. "Okay, they're my brother's friends. He has no idea that I work here. He would kill me if he found out. They're going to go tell him I was here. I'm so scared."
Clarke placed a hand on the girl's back to comfort her before she caught sight of the red scratches on Octavia's thighs. "Wait, O, did he scratch you? You're bleeding."
"It's ok. Atom's nails just dug into me." Octavia shrugged. Clarke clicked her tongue and reached for her purse. After rummaging through it, she pulled out neosporin.
"Rub some of this on the cuts. I'll go deal with your brother." Octavia's eyes bulged as Clarke told her this. "You saved my ass from the other guy. This is the least I could do. I'll make sure your brother doesn't know you work here."
Octavia thanked Clarke as she left the room. Gustus stayed with Octavia in case the guys were to make another attempt at her.
Clarke was looking for Indra to gain an update of the situation when someone called out to her from behind.
"Hey stripper!" A masculine voice referred to her. Clarke turned around and saw the man she had ran into earlier.
"Oh, hi." Clarke smiled. "I'm sorry about running into you earlier. There was a situation and my friend needed help."
"Yeah whatever. Does a girl named Octavia work here? Octavia Blake?" He was straight to the point. His olive skin tone and dark features made Clarke feel small.
Clarke realized that this must be Octavia's brother. She faked pensive for a moment. "Nope. Not at this club."
The man fidgeted on his feet and sighed heavily. "Those two idiot who were making a scene were my friends. They told me that my sister was working here and they were trying to bring her to me. They also said that you assumed she was in trouble."
Clarke's eyebrows drew in surprise. How dare Atom lie about forcing Octavia into his lap? "No, the girl who was pulled away was Raven. Not only that, that Atom guy was forcing himself onto her. He was in no way bringing her to you. We strippers are often mistaken for people who one lusts after. Maybe your friend was mistaken."
"Stay out of my business, stripper." Octavia's brother scoffed.
"Stop calling me stripper." Clarke demanded and turned to walk off. Octavia's brother caught her by the arm.
"You're prancing around in your little pink underwear. Do you really think that you deserve to be called more than stripper?
"Your droogs are waiting for you outside, Alex. Don't keep them waiting." Clarke teased and strutted the other way. She couldn't stand people when they talked down to her. She pitied Octavia, as she was stuck with the man.