The first time Santana went to Sirens, it was with Puck.
All he had been able to talk about since that first time he mentioned it was that damn club. He kept saying he was going to take her there, and she didn't doubt that he would, but it wasn't like it was the number one priority in her life. She knew she had asked him for places to go, but she hadn't been expecting him to suggest a strip club. Then again, she hadn't been that surprised.
That was also why she wasn't too surprised when he showed up at her door. Santana had been ready for a quiet night in, and had answered the door wearing sweatpants and with a wine glass in hand. Puck just told her to get dressed because they were going to go, and she didn't see a reason why she should say no. He waited in her living room while she changed into non-lounging clothes and they were out the door not too long after that.
Going to Sirens that night was not the first time Santana had been to a strip club. Of course she had been to one before; several, in fact. She thought that there was probably a difference between going to a strip club in Columbus, which was a pretty gay-friendly city, and going to one in Lima. Her sexuality wasn't something that she flaunted, it was just a fact about her. Especially because of Puck telling her about how the general population of Lima, Ohio would react to it, she didn't feel the need to broadcast it. Not that she ever did, but still. It just seemed like going to Sirens would be throwing up a big rainbow flag for everyone to see.
Puck told her that she would be fine. Something about how he would bitch slap anyone who gave her shit, as if she wasn't capable of standing up for herself. Just that once, she let it go. It was kind of nice to know that she had someone willing to do that for her, whether she needed it or not. If she had known when she first met him that he would be her closest friend, there was no way she would have believed it. But there they were.
After paying the cover and getting inside, Santana saw for certain that she was the only woman there. Well, the only one that wasn't up on a stage, working a pole. There were a fair amount of people there, though once again she didn't know why she was surprised. Sirens was one of the few places in Lima to go after the sun went down. Deep down she had been hoping that it would be a slow night, with fewer people to see her there. She wasn't ashamed, she just didn't want any problems.
Sirens was a smaller strip club than the other ones she had been to in the past. The amount of neon lights on the outside made her almost positive that it could be seen from space. On the inside, it was just as dimly lit and slightly skeevy looking as she had expected. Then again, most strip clubs were. Puck tried to take her up ringside but she convinced him that she wanted to sit at the bar for a while.
It wasn't like the entertainment was bad, and she had a good view from the bar. The bartender seemed nice enough, pouring heavy in her drinks and making sure her glass was never empty without the offer of another drink. Santana was glad for that, at least. She had a strong constitution and could take a lot of liquor before she got tipsy, and she felt like she might need it with the amount of men shooting questionable looks her way.
It wasn't a full nude strip club, she quickly discovered, and that was fine by her. Honestly she was perfectly content to watch girls clad in bras and g-strings working their way up and down their poles, spinning more gracefully than she imagined she ever could. And then when the bras came off? Well, that was fine by her, too. The music was loud, bass practically shaking her where she sat.
Puck seemed to be enjoying himself, and part of Santana wondered how often he went to Sirens. It couldn't possibly have been that often the past couple weeks, since most of his nights had been spent at her apartment - or with her being at his. From what she could tell, watching him, it seemed like he was familiar with both the place and the people. It almost made her feel special, thinking that he might have given up his nights at the strip club to hang out with her. Of course she had no proof, and he would likely deny it if she asked, but she would be willing to bet money on it.
Then again, it didn't seem like he would have any money left to bet, the way he was giving singles to some topless redhead named Candy. Santana couldn't blame him, Candy was pretty enough. She didn't have much of a thing for redheads herself, but she could definitely see the allure. But then the set changed, and Candy was gone, a girl with an equally ridiculous stage name was announced as taking her place.
Santana got herself another drink and a beer for Puck, and headed down to take the seat beside him. "Out of money yet?" she asked as she leaned over and handed him the bottle, and he took it with a grin.
"Not even close," he said, taking a swig and leaning back in his chair. "I see you decided to stop lurking back there and actually come up and join the fun." Santana rolled her eyes and took a sip of her drink.
"I was thinking of maybe heading out here soon," she said, tapping her fingers on her glass as her gaze went back up to the stage. Well, there was the allure of sitting in those seats right up against the stage. It really was amazing that Puck hadn't emptied his whole wallet by then.
"No you don't," Puck said, giving her a look. "You're not leaving here until you get a lap dance."
"Oh for fuck's sake, I am not going to let you use me for your little girl-on-girl fantasies. Dream on, Noah." Every now and then, he managed to say something that made her question their friendship and also made her want to slap him. That was one of those times. He just laughed and took another drink.
"Look, I just want you to have some fun," he said, a smirk firmly in place on his face as he leaned forward to look at her. "When's the last time you had any sort of sexy girl all up on you? Too long ago. That's what I thought. So you're going to stay here, and you're going to get a lap dance, and that's just what's going to happen." Santana stared at him for a moment, raising an eyebrow.
"It's a little creepy how much you're pushing this."
"Hey, I get girls up on me all the time," Puck said with a shrug, settling back in his seat again. "It's one of the great things about being me. I'm a chick magnet. It's a blessing. You aren't as lucky, cause this is Lima and girls digging on girls isn't exactly something that happens."
"So what you're saying is," Santana said slowly, her eyes narrowing a little, "the only chance I have of getting a girl to get up on me," she used her fingers for airquotes, "is to pay a stripper to do it."
"No, you could pay a prostitute, too." She really did hit him for that one. "Hey! I'm only joking. Well, mostly. I'm just saying, who knows how long it'll be until you find an actual lady loving hottie that'll grind up on your business. All I'm saying is that you should enjoy this moment. Hot, almost naked girl all up on you? Just let it happen. Enjoy it."
"We'll see," Santana said, rolling her eyes and leaning back in her chair. He was kind of right. She had no idea if or when she would be able to find someone in Lima who was into her. If she was honest, she was starving for sex. Any kind of intimacy, really. Physical contact from someone. There was only so long she could last on herself and her vibrator, and the more Puck was talking about some girl rubbing up against her the more it was becoming appealing. She still wished she didn't have to rely on a stripper for that, though.
At least, that's what she thought before. Right up until the moment there was an announcement that Angel was taking the stage. And when Santana looked up and saw her she thought yes, yes she was.
The girl who had sauntered her way onto the stage had the longest legs she had ever seen on anyone before. Ever. Those absurdly long, lean legs that led right up to the bubblegum pink thong hanging low on her hips. Her body was just so slender and muscular and by the time Santana's gaze finally made its way up to her face, surrounded by all that wavy blonde hair, she had completely crossed out any inhibitions she'd had about Puck's insistence on her getting a lap dance.
She shifted a little in her seat, getting her purse from the floor. So far, the only money she'd spent that evening had been on booze, but she was more than willing to spend all kinds of money for a girl that gorgeous. The way Angel worked her way around the pole, her legs and arms wrapping around it, the effortless way she kept flipping upside down and rotating around. She could practically feel Puck smirking beside her, but she didn't care.
It was mesmerizing to watch, her more so than any of the other girls had been. There was just something so fluid about how she moved, her body flowing with the music, but also the way her hips were gyrating. She was the first dancer the whole night that Santana hadn't been able to take her eyes off of, so much to the point that she didn't realize when Puck left the seat next to her. It wasn't until he plopped back down that she knew he had been gone at all.
"Where were you?" she asked absently, not bothering to look over at him.
"Nowhere," he answered, a bit of a laugh to his voice. "Better watch out, you're almost leering."
"Shut up," she mumbled, leaning back and letting her gaze drop as Angel left the stage and another girl, Destiny, took her place. "I was not."
"Were so," Puck challenged, still smirking. She considered threatening him that if he didn't stop, his face would freeze like that, but she was fairly certain he wouldn't mind that. It would probably make things easier on him, even. Besides, she was aware that she had actually been leering a little. It had been involuntary, not wanting to look away from her the whole time she had been up on that stage. Angel was just so stunning, she'd been so good up on that stage, and then... she was standing right in front of Puck.
"I owe you a dance?" Angel's voice was light, and up close she looked different than she had when she was up on stage. She was cuter up close, Santana realized. Less sex kitten and more adorable. Almost wholesome, which was a strange thing to think, but that's what she seemed. And she was standing right there, so close, talking to Puck.
"Oh no, not me," Puck said, shaking his head with a bigger grin than Santana had ever seen on his face as he pointed to her. "Her."