AN: The song in this story is CCR's version of I Put Spell On You. I recommend you listen to it before reading this because their version is just so hauntingly sexy.
Illusions wasn't of the highest order, wasn't the Slipper Room or Rick's Cabaret, hell it wasn't even a chain. But it was damn near at the top, and big, with a reputation for being a bit more relaxed about the letters of the laws than some clubs. Full on sex was never allowed, of course. This was a strip joint not a brothel for fuck's sakes. The most people could get was a fully naked lap dance which if they were lucky-or unlucky- enough would cause them to jizz their pants. Classy. But the bills had to be paid somehow and most of the women that worked here had little mouths to feed.
The music changed and a new girl strode down the catwalk to the pole before mounting up and performing acts that even a snake would be jealous of while men aligning the stage on each side made it rain green.
In the centre of the organized chaos, Emma Swan emerged into the cacophony of bass, booze, and pseudo-sex just wanting to go home, watch some old reruns of her favorite shows, and fucking relax for a night.
So of course immediately after that thought, M&M, the resident long-suffering waitress found her.
"Em, you gotta save me." The pixie-haired woman pleaded. M&M or Mary Margaret was one of those mouse-like individuals, who, no matter what the situation was, was always just about to collapse into a panicked breakdown from something.
"What's up?" Emma asked, inwardly groaning at her luck.
"Table six." She said with a grimace. "Some high-class demanding bitch is there and I got this table of douche that thinks he's got a shot with me so he keeps throwing money by the pocketfuls at me so ye-ah could you take her."
Emma tried not to sigh. "Sure, yeah, no problem. What's her poison?"
"Scotch, neat, she keeps turning down dances. Didn't have the time to find out why though. Well, gotta go. Mr. Money Bags over there is calling for my attention. Good luck." She skittered off.
Emma watched her go as she shook her head. Fabulous. There went her entire evening.
Curiously, she glanced over to six and saw a petite woman, face shrouded by shadows, smoking a cigarette. She couldn't make out her features but could tell she was well put together. Old money. She concluded. Didn't get many of that type in a place like this, but it was hardly unheard of. Emma began the laborious process of apologizing to her tables, flirting, taking hints, and eventually grabbing a decanter full of scotch from the bar. She poured a generous amount into a tumbler and began to make her way over to six.
On closer inspection, the woman was even more out-of-the-ordinary than Emma once thought. Face smooth and pale seemed to glow against a halo of shoulder-length auburn hair. While her torso, fitted with a no doubt expensive charcoal blazer was unbuttoned just enough to show off a flash of a crimson silk and a teasing amount of cleavage.
Beautiful yet deadly.
Emma felt her core twinge. She'd always had a weak spot for older women. They were just so elegant and graceful, always moving around with such confidence rather than clomping about like a newborn pony. And the sex. God, the sex with an older woman was just so fucking hot. They knew what buttons to push, how to press them and when without any type of help or direction unlike with some younger ones where you damn near had to draw them a treasure map to your g-spot.
The blonde cleared her suddenly tight throat and summoned her best friendly smile. "Hi. I brought you a fresh drink." She gently placed the tumbler on the table with a solid thump.
The woman raked her eyes up and down the waitress' scantily-clad body as she took a long drag of her cigarette. The action and scrutiny causing Emma to shudder. She was used to all kinds looks from lust-filled to envious. After all, she worked in a strip joint but the one she was getting from this woman was equivalent to the look a cat gives a mouse just before pouncing.
"Thank you, dear." Her voice was a low and smooth tone, the kind that felt as though it was an ice cube running languidly down your spine.
An awkward moment of silence passed before Emma decided to break it. After all, she had bills to pay. "Sooo." She put on her best 'flirty' voice. "What brings a lady like yourself to a joint like this?"
"Business." The older woman muttered into her drink.
"Really, what kind of business?" Emma didn't know why the hell she asked that question. She knew that trying to be friendly with this woman was like trying to hug a big cat.
The woman looked back at her, lips pursed and eyes hardened in an expression that let Emma know she was toeing a fine line.
"Oh well um, if you need anything I'll just be over there." She blushed, gesturing to the bar before getting up and the hell away from there.
Emma was just replacing an empty bottle of budlight with a fresh one when a hand came down on her back, starting her. She turned around to face her would be attacker only to come face to face with Ruby, the club's highest paid and most popular stripper.
"You're wanted in the back."
"Huh?" Emma just stared at her dumbly.
"The cougar from table six wants you." Ruby repeated, jabbing her thumb towards the back where people got lap dances and other small 'favors'.
"Umm," Emma sputtered. "I can't- I mean, you know I don't. Not anymore."
"I know, I know, but look." Ruby fanned out her fingers, revealing a hundred-dollar bill bank crisp in them and smiled. "She paid me this just to come over here and ask you."
Emma's eyes widened comically. That was big money, even for high-end strippers like Ruby. Fuck, what was she going to do? On one hand, she'd be breaking a promise made to her ma a long time ago to never strip again. On another, she could use the money.
"So are you in or out?"
The blonde thought for a moment. Finding it too good of an opportunity to pass up, she sighed and nodded stiffly.
"Alright, I'll let her know. In the meantime go change and maybe do a shot or something if you need to, it'll help you relax." She winked and made her way towards the back.
Waiting outside the infamous kitty kat room, Emma sifted restlessly. The white lace teddy currently strapped to her body like a second skin was sexy as hell especially paired with the matching pair five-inch stilettos and stockings but it was anything but comfortable. The lace scratched, the seams bit, and the straps dug so far into her skin that in some places she swore she looked like a Christmas ham. She scrunched her face in irritation. Maybe she had enough time to go change.
But just as she was about to turn around the music began. "Shit." Too late now. She took in a much-needed breath and entered. Once within the darkened room though the discomfort seemed to melt away and she immediately began moving her body to the slow rhythm of the song.
I put a spell on you, because you're mine
You better stop the thing that you're doin'
I said, "Watch out, I ain't lyin'", yeah
She looked over at the woman who was currently perched upon a small metal chair like it was her own personal throne and smiled coyly when a pink tongue peeked out from scarlet lips and licked them. Gotcha. Emma began to stroll over all the while rolling her hips to the beat.
Once she reached the lone occupant in the room, Emma stopped just inches away from her and let her hands roam playfully around her own body. Skimming over the rough fabric along her chest, stomach, and thighs, she threw her head back as if in ecstasy and nearly giggled when she heard a gasp echo from in front of her.
I put a spell on you, because your mine
The music took on a more sensual tone, Emma moved forward, lifted a high heeled clad foot, and placed it in between her thighs. She made sure to keep it just a hair away from touching the scorching heat there before making circular movements with the toe.
She looked down and smirked inwardly as she watched the woman close her eyes tightly to no doubt stop herself from surging forward that extra centimeter.
When the music slowed, blonde lowered her foot, moved forward, and widened her stance firmly above older woman's lap with hands coming to rest against on slender shoulders to balance herself. She lowered herself, thighs settling against the top of the woman's near-trembling ones. The position put Emma's core merely inches away from the woman's lap. Emma leaned forward and nearly moaned as the strong scent of roses combined with the musky scent of feminine arousal hit her nostrils like a freight train. She shifted, grinding forward, still keeping a bit of distance and lewdly undulated against the older woman.
She arched her back, pushing her breasts out and into the woman's face as she swiveled her hips rhythmically as if riding an invisible cock-or fingers.
A moment later the blonde felt a hand clamp down on her hip, pulling her closer until her clit met the seam of an expensive pair of black slacks. Fighting back the moan that was threatening to spill from her lips, she hurriedly grasped the hand in her own and looked down at woman. Face flushed, pupils blown, and chest heaving- the woman looked seconds away from pouncing.
Inhaling deeply through flared nostrils, Emma flashed the woman a mischievous smile and waggled an index finger in front of her face. "Ah, ah, ah, no touching." She reprimanded before gently prying the offending hand off her body.
The woman laughed throatily. "Oh come now, dear. No need to act coy we both know that you want me to." The icy voice from before was now long gone, replaced by a husky sex-filled drawl that caused moisture to pool from Emma's core into the strip of fabric between her legs, nearly saturating it completely.
And oh Christ did she want that. "I uh."
Another laugh and the next thing that came out of that mouth threw Emma for a loop. "I actually came here to speak with you."
Emma's movements faltered. "Huh?"
She cleared her throat. "I have a proposition for you. One that involves a great deal of money and this," A tongue slithered out and languidly licked dry lips. "body of yours."
Sea-form green eyes widened and Emma stopped altogether. "Oh um I don't, I'm not a pros-Oh my dear, I didn't mean sex." The woman dismissed and Emma strangely felt a pang of disappointment deep within her chest. It must have shown on her face though because a chuckle rang out a moment later. "Although right now," The older woman lifted her hands and ghosted them down Emma's sides while running her darkened eyes slowly over full round breasts and a taut stomach. "I'm starting to second guess myself. I didn't say stop dancing, dear."
The waitress didn't know why but her body seemed to take on a mind of its own and straddled one of the other woman's legs while continuing its sensuous movements.
A hyena-like grin in dark made Emma's heart pound and core weep with want. Unable to help herself, she began bucking her hips wantonly against the woman playing it off as part of the dance. "I have a daughter, one who is a bit older than you yet probably not as wise. She is the most hard-headed, spoiled, cold-hearted woman you'll ever come across but she has a weakness. One that I intend to use against her to teach her a much-needed lesson. And that my dear is where you come in."
"Uh huh, so what do you want me to do?" The waitress panted and not so subtly ground herself against the woman's hip, the movement causing sparks of pleasure to race up and down her sweat-slick body.
"I want you to seduce her." Breaking all the rules and seemingly not caring in the least, she reached up grasped a hold of Emma's hips with both hands and forced her to thrust harder. "Make her fall in love with you then," She surged back against the blonde's thigh meeting her movement for movement, sending them higher and higher. "I want you to break," Their breathing became deafening even with the music playing in the background. "her," Emma's insides clenched and pulsated in a warning she knew all too well. "heart." They both threw their heads back as they simultaneously free fell into a sea of dark pleasure.
It took an entire minute before Emma was finally able to slip off the woman's lap and onto two unsteady feet. Suddenly feeling exposed and more than a bit embarrassed, she shifted her gaze everywhere but the lone occupied chair in the room.
"Well?" The blonde started and glanced down only to find the woman looking back up at her with a brow raised. Emma sighed as she raked sightly shaking fingers through her mussed blonde curls. "Look, lady, it's none of my business but are you sure you really want to do that to your daughter?"
The woman rose from her seat and moved forward until the two of them were merely a breath's away from one another. "Oh, I'm sure. She needs to learn a lesson and you, my dear." A small hand was placed just beneath Emma's breasts. "are the perfect woman for the job." Its thumb began to move slowly back and forth, gently caressing the flesh there.
She watched the movement-hypnotized. "And ugh what did you say I'd get out of this deal?"
"You do this girl and you'll never have to work a day in your life ever again." And fuck, it sounded too good to be true. Maybe it was but she couldn't just pass it up not when her dreams were so close to coming true.
"Okay, I'll do it." As soon as she said it she felt as though she'd just made a deal with the devil himself-or herself in this case.
Thin lips pulled into a pleased smile. "Good." She fished around in her inner coat pocket and pulled out a card along with a bankroll so thick you could choke a mule with it then handed it to the blonde. "My number is on the card expect a phone call from me next week, Ms. Swan." Slack-jawed and eyes wide, Emma gazed down at the wad in her hand and had to resist the urge to cry. There was enough money there to pay for a few months rent. That meant she didn't have to worry herself to death over food and bills for a while now. She opened her mouth and raised her head to thank the woman but found only darkness.
What the hell?
"Em, you alright in there? The cougar didn't eat you or anything did she?" A familiar voice rang out from the doorway, starting Emma.
"Yeah-I mean no."
A second later, Ruby peeked in. "Milah said to hurry up your ass up and get back outside the hounds are getting restless."
"I'll be out in a minute. Christ." For fuck's sake, she just came giving a woman a lap dance after five years of only waitressing. Milah could wait two minutes.
"Alright I'll tell her in a minute but first I want to how'd your lap dance with the cougar go?" Ruby asked with a wolfish grin.
The blonde said nothing merely held up the bankroll and smirked.
Ruby's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets and she rushed over to the other woman. "Holy shit, Em. That's at least a grand, if not more."
"I know," Emma replied, her voice a bit smug.
"Well, damn did you catch her name? Maybe next time she comes here I'll do"
"No," She said automatically but then remembered the other item clutched forgotten in her hand. "Oh wait, she gave me her card." Emma moved the roll of hundreds to her other hand, leaving the card behind before reading it. Her brows furrowed in thought when in a centre of a blood red background the golden script of the name Cora Mills glinted back up at her. Cora Mills. The name sounded awfully familiar but she just couldn't place it.
"Huh says her name's Cora Mills that sounds-"
"Cora Mills was here!" Ruby's eyes were wide and mouth was nearly to the floor.
When all she got was a blank stare in return the raven-haired beauty smacked her on the arm. "Hey! why-Cora Mills, Em!" She looked at Emma desperately as if the name was supposed to mean something to the blonde. "Oh my God, Em. I can't believe."
"For fuck's sakes, will you just tell me already because I'm seriously starting to freak out here."
"Em, Cora Mills is like the real-life female version of Tony Soprano."
Emma scrunched her face in confusion. "Who?"
Ruby sighed but lowed her voice to a mere whisper as if someone were listening. "A mobster, Em. That woman you just gave a lap dance to is the head boss of the Hearts Gang and not only that she freaking owns half the city including this club."
The blonde's eyes widened into saucers as her mouth fell agape. She thought back to the deal she made as well as the conversation she had with the older woman and suddenly her heart dropped when something previously unnoticed hit her all at once.
"She knew my name." She muttered to herself completely forgetting about the other woman in the room.
"What?"
Emma's head snapped upward and looked at Ruby with fear and confusion shining in her eyes. "She knew my name."
END?