Judy glanced out of the car window as Nick searched for a parking spot near the club. What with having to grab a bite to eat and shower, they never did get time for that show she promised him, and she was starting to get nervous.
Despite everything that had happened between the two in the last few years, and even in the face of his marriage proposal, Judy always worried about not being good enough for her fox. Not on a personal level, as it's hard to think of yourself as a bad person when mammals everywhere idolise you. In fact, the opposite is true, you should be careful not to believe your own hype.
She was worried she didn't please him sexually.
Before they ever got together, Judy's curiosity had gotten the better of her, and she had started to do her research on fox mating. She found material very hard to come by, much to her disappointment.
Many people would comment on how odd it was for a rabbit of all creatures to be shy about sex. What they didn't realise is that most rabbits were very shy up until their first encounter. It's just that when the gates were opened (as it were), they found it very hard to stop. And Judy had kept her gates locked for a long time.
That metaphor was awful, she cringed at herself.
Foxes mated for life, she knew that despite what Nick thought at the proposal. Because of this it was rare for them to have more than one or two sexual partners in their lives, and to them it was a very personal matter. Conversely, fox porn was incredibly hard to find, because most did not want that moment to be shared. In fact, the few videos she did find were usually a decade or two old, featuring the same vixens and foxes over and over. The one thing that seemed to carry over in those videos though, was that those foxes were really enjoying themselves.
Mops and buckets were involved halfway through several shows.
She had to admit though, her worries and insecurities were probably unfounded. Sex with Nick was fantastic. He always pleased her, and he always seemed pleased after their sessions, if not a little tired (bunnies do have excellent stamina after all). Hell, even the knot wasn't a problem anymore, though it had taken a while to get used to. Still, she couldn't help but feel he was missing out on something. She had no proof of this and she couldn't even talk to anyone else about it. Her mother had only ever been with her father, and while she had come across other mixed species relationships, she never had the courage to ask about the sex. As for her more experienced sisters, frankly all they ever wanted to talk about was Nick's size.
Jealous, she thought smugly.
But the revelation of Nick knowing an owner of a strip club, and the thought of his kindness to sex workers, had her anxieties working overtime. She trusted Nick completely and God knows the only sexual jokes he made to his friend involved her, though she wasn't sure if she should be proud or embarrassed at that fact. But it didn't stop her brain niggling at the 'what ifs," just like when they first got assigned to the case. It was completely stupid and insane, but still. Despite the fact she knew most foxes never had more than a couple of sexual partners at most, Nick was an exceptional fox, always going against the stereotypes. It made her feel inadequate, wondering if her own lack of sexual experience made it look like the grass might be greener on the other side. She knew this was ridiculous, he'd just proposed for God's sake! But she couldn't stop thinking like this.
The car stopped and she mentally shook herself. This wasn't the time or the place for her insecurities. She had a job to do. Nick glanced over to her and smiled which put her at ease, despite the thoughts running around in her head. She smiled back and exited the car.
Judy had been expecting a dirty run-down little hut in the middle of a parking lot, not unlike the one strip club that Bunnyburrow offered, but Inferno was as far away from that as possible. The club occupied a building in the middle of Downtown, surrounded by restaurants and bars on all sides. The sign itself didn't betray what the club was, which probably explained why it was still operating in such an upmarket area. Going by the queue of mammals outside of all genders and species, you could be forgiven for thinking it was your average trendy nightclub. The difference being that even on a Monday night, this had plenty of business. The line for entry was far longer than Judy had imagined, even with mammals being turned away at the door.
The only thing that betrayed the club being different from any other nightclub was the lack of any sort of bouncer on the outside. Instead, she'd observed groups of mammals walking up to the door, banging on it and were either let in, or simply stood in place until they inevitably gave up and left.
"Huh, seems he finally changed the sign," Nick commented, causing Judy to look up. The sign featured the club's name as a set of flickering moving flames that were far too animated to be simple neon glass. Possibly some kind of screen or hologram by the looks of things.
"OK Carrots, when we get in let me do the talking. These guys know me and probably won't chuck us out on our fuzzy rears and make us come back with a warrant."
"I know Nick, you're the lead here. I'm just the sweet innocent country rabbit about to be shocked by the sins of the big city," she said, putting on her best 'bumpkin' voice. She cringed inwardly, though Nick chuckled, calming her. He lead the way to the door, past several angry customers who were not happy that they seemed to be cutting in line. When Nick and Judy showed them their badges however, most shut up and several others decided to go elsewhere.
"Now let's see if the special knock still works," Nick said. He knocked on the door in a seemingly random pattern. It did however get the attention of the mammal inside the door, who opened a sliding panel further up and asked, "The hell you doing?"
"Still works," Nick said winking at Judy. "Hey Luther, long time no see!"
"Wilde? Oh, you can just fuck right off!" The mammal called Luther behind the door said before slamming the panel back in to place.
"Yeah, he remembers you fine," Judy said, laughing at her mate. Nick rapped another completely random series of knocks, causing it to slide back again.
"I said piss off Wilde!" the creature bellowed.
"Come on Luther, no love for an old friend?"
"Not one that still owes me twenty quid."
"Seriously? That was three years ago! And its bucks over here!"
"Yeah whatever, you're still running up interest!" Luther retorted, and slammed the hatch back again. Nick sighed, and brought out his wallet and knocked one final time.
"ZPD, here on official business," he said, flashing his badge before the door-mammal could shout a third time. Silence followed, but soon Judy picked up the sound of sliding bolts. The door swung open to reveal a badger a good head taller than Nick. He had the traditional white back stripe of his species, but the white on the top of his of his head seemed to dyed ginger. He was also bigger and more muscular than most of his species, and his eyes were a vibrant red. He was wearing a pair of brown leather fingerless gloves, and a black t-shirt that read 'security' on it, along with a pair of loose fitting blue jeans. Luther ushered Nick and Judy in to the red carpeted corridor, before slamming the door in the face of a hopeful patron. Judy looked to the left and saw a small step ladder, which Luther had used to reach up to the sliding panel about two thirds of the way up the door.
"So, to what do we owe this…" Luther started, before snapping the fingers on one hand as if he couldn't think of the word.
"Pleasure?" Nick suggested.
"No not that, oh yeah! Horror! To what do we owe this horror?" Luther remarked.
"Heh, walked right in to that, didn't I?" Nick said easily.
"Yeah, you did," the badger said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. "So, what does the ZPD want with Inferno? Entertainment for the Christmas party? Because we're booked solid."
"We need to talk to Harry, is he around?"
"Maybe. I'll ask him," replied Luther. He raised a finger to his ear, Judy now just noticing a wireless headset that had been hidden by the black of his fur. "Oi Harry. We got cops. Nick Wilde to be precise. No, I'm not bloody joking! You sure? Fine." Nick went to talk to Luther, but the badger wasn't finished. He raised an admonishing finger while he pressed a button on his belt. "Schaefer? I got to go see Harry, come watch the door and be careful who you let in! Remember, we're a classy establishment." A few seconds later, a huge grizzly bear, also wearing a security t-shirt, lumbered up. Luther nodded to him and beckoned the detectives to follow.
As the group walked down the corridor a slight incline making her feel that they were going to basement level, Judy could feel a deep bass reverberating through the floor, getting more pronounced as they approached a door, where she could start hearing it as well. To the side was a polar bear bouncer, manning a safe. On the safe a sign read "surrender all mobile devices and cameras." Apparently, management didn't want a free viewing of the shows going up online. Luther nodded to the bouncer, who opened the door. The music intensified to an almost painful degree as the full gauche splendour of Inferno was revealed.
Living up to its name, the whole floor was covered in a flame décor. The chairs were shaped like plumes of smoke, the tables makeshift fire pits. Judy stared around her and saw various cages filled with dancing females of many species, and all of them were surrounded by even more variety of mammals, predominantly male, though the odd female was also visible. Meanwhile, various waitresses mingled in the crowd carrying drinks, all wearing black t-shirts with the club's logo emblazoned on them. Always nearby though, were several larger mammals with the same security shirt Luther wore, often standing near signs that said, "no touching the staff," as if to emphasise the point.
Everything was centred around one large stage that extended out from a curtained off backstage area. It had various colours of red, orange and white flashing lights beneath, creating an artificial flame. A huge pole was front and centre, and Judy became slightly mesmerised as an incredibly buxom jaguar gyrated around, surrounded by an entire ark's worth of mammals, almost all hooting and hollering like a bunch of horny schoolchildren. Some seem disinterested, perhaps waiting for a female of their own species to come on stage. That didn't stop the dozens of others shoving money in to the girl's garter belt as she spun and dipped around the pole, at one point touching the back of their head with her foot. She did all this in time with music provided by a feline DJ, an iriomite if Judy guessed right.
Well this is certainly different from 'The Dirty Den' back home, Judy thought. She'd helped dragged some of her siblings from there before their parents could find out. Their main dancer was a middle-aged doe who while not unattractive, was plagued by arthritis. She looked over to Nick, expecting him to be panting, but found him just looking around with a general air of disinterest, as if he'd seen all this before, and probably had. Judy felt her worries come back up a little, but they settled down as she knew she always had his full attention when she stripped, even if it was just to change a shirt.
Luther kept pacing through the club waving greetings to a few mammals. He stopped momentarily at the bar.
"Everything OK so far Syrus?" he asked a possum as he finished serving a round of drinks to a bunch of college aged wolves. The bartender nodded and Luther continued towards a door just behind the DJ. "Need anything Ryoushi?" the badger asked, leaning toward the feline, who waved him off. Luther then headed towards the door and opened it, indicating the detectives to follow.
The door lead to the backstage area where thankfully, the music dulled somewhat, though Judy could still feel the bass line. Here, several different species of strippers were dressing and undressing, getting ready for their own performances. Luther greeted them and waved off any questions about the police mammals behind him. After another few seconds, he reached a set of stairs and hustled up it before coming to a plain office door. He entered without knocking, leading to a decently sized office where a smartly dressed artic fox sat, looking over various papers on his desk. To his left a row of security monitors sat, allowing him to keep an eye on the club floor.
"Got the police for you Harry," Luther said, closing the door after Judy and Nick entered. He then took up station just to the side of it, leaning against the wall again.
The artic predator looked up and smiled warmly. "Huh, well I saw the news but I still had trouble believing it. Nick Wilde finally went legit."
"Sure did Harry, seemed like it worked out for you after all," Nick replied. Judy turned to her partner at that statement. What exactly does he mean by that? She thought.
"Well you know what they say Nick. 'Pimpin' ain't easy!'"
Oh.
Nick must have sensed a change in the air, or possibly smelled it. He turned to Judy. "Yes Carrots, Harry here used to be a pimp, one of the good ones."
"Good ones? Someone who bullies girls and takes their money can be 'a good one?'"
The atmosphere in the room grew decidedly colder.
"Detective Hopps I presume?" Harry said, his gaze hard and cold like the tundra he was suited for. Judy started straight back, not allowing herself to be cowed by the predator. "Hmm, good stare Detective, no wonder Nick fell for you." He sighed. "Yes Detective, I was a pimp, and no I'm not proud of it even though I never beat the girls under my…employ shall we say? I never asked them for more than a fair share. However, I was imprisoned for it years ago, and when I got out I decided to go legitimate, but in a way that played to my talent for promotion. I worked hard, bought this place and hired many of the girls who worked for me before as either bar staff, dancers, or whatever they wanted. I make sure they get a good wage, medical benefits, and the best security money can buy. Isn't that right Luther?" the fox said, looking over to the door. Luther shrugged noncommittally.
"Don't mind him, he just can't take a compliment. It's one of his more endearing qualities," Harry said smirking. Luther raised a middle finger in salute to his boss. "See? Absolutely adorable."
Judy thought about the statement from Harry, and decided to let things lie. Despite her moral objection to his, supposedly, former life, if Nick trusted him he would be at least a good source of information.
"Mr Westwood, we're looking in to the death of this girl," she said, removing the photo of the dead she-wolf from her jacket and handing it over. "An Inferno business card was found on her person, so we were wondering if she was an employee of yours?"
Harry studied the picture. "I'll be honest I don't think so, but we do get girls coming and going a lot. Do you have a name?"
"We were hoping you would be able to provide one," Judy replied.
"Hmm, I suppose I could pull our employee records for the wolves we've had working here in any capacity and provide them to you on a USB stick. It would take about twenty minutes. Why don't you get yourselves a drink while you wait? On the house."
"We're on duty, we can't drink," Nick advised.
"I assume a soda is allowed?"
"What do you say Judy?" Nick asked. Judy hesitated. There was no rule against accepting free food or drinks within the force. Bogo frowned upon it, but never did anything about it if it stayed at that level, and was never taken as a bribe. Anyone taking a bribe at the ZPD was in for a world of hurt.
"Well I guess while we're waiting," Judy said shrugging.
"Excellent. Luther, take them down and get them a drink gratis." The badger nodded, and opened the door and waved the detectives through it. They returned to the club floor where Luther advised the possum Syrus to hand over some drinks. When the badger didn't leave them alone, Judy assumed he'd decided to play bodyguard or chaperone. Not one to get intimidated she decided to engage him in conversation.
"So, Mr…" she started.
"Hill, Luther Hill. Just call me Luther."
"Well Luther, so how did you come to be head of security here?"
"Beat up Harry in prison."
"What?"
"Beat Harry up in prison."
"Why?"
"Cos he was a pimp."
"And you were in prison for?"
"Beating up pimps."
"Oh."
"This may have clued you in to why I don't like police much. Guy tries to send a message to scum, gets in jail himself. You're almost as bad as lawyers."
"So if you beat him up for that in prison, why would you come work for him?" Judy asked, not wanting to get into a heated discussion on the need of a civilian police force or the dangers of vigilantism.
"Cos it pays well, and honestly? After he got out of the hospital he came up to me. Must admit, took some balls. We got to talking and ended up being mates. I got out a couple of years before him, but when he got out he came to me to discuss this place, and there you go."
"Seems like there would be more to it than that."
"Oh there is, but I'm not telling it," Luther then proceeded to sit and wait quietly. After a few more minutes, Harry came down with a USB drive.
"Here's every wolf we've hired in the last five years. Don't know how much it will help."
"Thanks Harry, it's appreciated," Nick replied, taking the USB drive and pocketing it. "Would you mind if we talked to your employees as well?"
"Sure, but give it another half hour as we take a break between shows then. Luther, make sure they get some more drinks."
"Sure Harry, I'll..." Luther began, but the sound of smashing glass from the other side of the club interrupted him, causing the badger to speed off. Nick and Judy followed suit, and after moving through the crowd, found that a large overweight bison had grabbed one of the bovine waitresses by the wrist.
"C'mon girl, how's about a lap dance?" the male leered as the waitress pulled her wrist away from the unwanted attention.
"OI! ARSEHOLE!" Luther screamed as he ran up. The bison turned at the shout. "Oh good, you know your name!" Luther barked as he got between the waitress and the obviously drunken customer.
"Hey man it's all good," the bison slurred.
"No, it isn't! the signs say 'no touching!'"
"Oh, I thought it just meant the dancers."
"No, it means everyone prick! Now get the fuck out!"
"Alright alright I know how this goes," the bison said, fumbling in his trousers. He produced a wallet and withdrew a few bills. "How much for a private session with this lovely lady?" he said, before forcing the bills in to Luther's hand. Luther looked down at the money, then took it in both hands torn it in half.
"Hey man there was like, two hundred bucks in there!" The drunken bovine shouted. Before most people knew what was going on he bellowed and swiped at the badger. Luther ducked below the blow, rolled, and came up in front of the drunk's right knee. He made a fist and drove it in to the side. A loud crack was heard and the bison screamed in pain as he fell to the floor, clutching his now broken knee. He tried to stand back up, but before he could Judy shouted "ZPD! FREEZE!"
Luther and the drunk turned to her. The bison smiled as he used a nearby table to drag himself from the floor. "Officer! This guy assaulted me, you should arrest him!"
"No. What I see is a security guard dealing with a rowdy customer and then defending himself from assault," she responded, causing the bison to blanche. "That means I'm placing you under arrest sir! And its detective, not officer!"
"Screw that!" the drunk yelled and tried to leap for Judy on his one good leg. She easily dodged and hoped over the mammal, delivering a quick kick to the head as she sailed past, knocking him to the ground again. She landed and turned, drawing her dart pistol as the thick-headed mammal turned and charged for her. Just as she was about to squeeze the trigger, a single dart hit the bison in the shoulder from behind. Judy saw Nick replacing his own pistol as the drunk collapsed to the ground. She fought down an urge to say that he didn't need to do that, but in all honesty Nick was a faster and better shot than her.
"Cheer up Carrots, least you don't have to fill out the paperwork for firing your weapon now," Nick smugly replied
"Thank you so much for that detectives," Harry said, walking up after watching the fight from afar. "Usually when Luther has to sort out a customer I have to replace three tables."
"Yeah yeah, thanks for the help coppers," Luther said, walking over. "So, this'll be fun to watch."
"What do you mean?" Judy asked.
"Watching you two take that fat lump out of here," Luther said, pointing to the bison. Judy groaned, there was no way there were going to be able to move the sleeping drunk on their own. They also technically couldn't ask the bouncers for help as he was now officially in police custody, so any civilian help would endure a lot more paperwork.
"We're gonna have to call in a squad car," she finally realised. This would also create paperwork, though not as much as having to ask for the bouncers' help.
"Wonderful, more police, my second favourite class of class of government employee. Right behind the sloths at the DMV but ahead of the garbage collectors who wake me up at 6am," Luther grumbled.
About ten minutes later the drunk was hauled away by Wolford and Fangmeyer, who had been on night patrol nearby. They managed to drag the sleeping bison away, though not before Wolford had to be smacked on the back of his head by his partner for drooling on the floor.
"Well, that was fun," Harry said beaming. "Of course, the last time the police came into my place of business I got shot full of tranquilisers and ended up in prison for eight years, so anything would be fun compared to that. Do you need anything else detectives?"
"Well we'd like to talk to the girls, like I said before," Judy answered.
"Ah of course. Could you wait until the end of this latest performance? It's our most popular girl on and she might be useful to your enquiries." The fox's smile suddenly became full of mischief. "I think you will find her particularly enjoyable, Nick."
"Huh?" Nick asked. Judy started wondering what exactly he meant by that, and noticed that Luther had started chuckling. Before she could start asking questions, Harry retreated to his office, while the badger wandered over to the DJ booth.
"What was that about?" Judy asked.
"Search me Fluff, these guys always had an odd sense of humour. Guess it comes with the job."
"Nick? How do you know these guys?"
"I told you I know everybody, remember?"
"Yes," Judy said, reminiscing about her and Nick's first investigation. While it was exaggerated, he did have an incredibly wide social network, especially among the less than legal citizens. However, she had come to know him so intimately, she could see a Nick deflection a mile off. "But how do you know these guys specifically?"
"Eh, just you know, knew Harry from when I was a kid. Luther after he started this place."
"Nick, what aren't you telling me?"
"Judy, please drop it." That stunned Judy. Throughout their relationship, professional or otherwise, Nick had never told her to just drop something. She'd back off, but was always welcome to ask again later. Being told to drop something by her partner started her mind worrying about Nick's hidden association with the former pimp even more.
Suddenly before Judy could press for answers, the lights in the club dimmed, and the DJ by the stage started speaking. "Ladies and gentle-mammals, now performing for your pleasure is Inferno's star, and everyone's favourite police officer! Be careful bad boys because she's coming for you, if you're lucky! Please welcome LEWDY HOPPS!"
Judy's head snapped towards the stage, where the remaining crowds grew ecstatic as a small figure bounded out of the back stage in complete sync with a heavily remixed version of Inner Squirrel's "Bad Boys." Judy stared in complete silence as she couldn't wrap her head around what she was seeing.
It was her, or rather her doppelgänger, on stage, in the most impractical police outfit she had ever seen. The doe strutted up the stage, swinging a pair of fur lined handcuffs on her index finger. Tight leather trousers contained her legs but left nothing to the imagination. Her shirt was simple a scrap of fabric tied with dental floss, barely concealing her lithe form and large breasts, larger than Judy's at least. The only thing that looked even vaguely official was a ZPD cap, or rather a cheap imitation. The rabbit had Judy's exact same fur colouring, but she knew her colouring was one of the most common in rabbits.
But it was the eyes that really shocked her.
The doe's eyes were the exact same colour as hers. Judy's eyes were one of her defining features, very few rabbits had the same amethyst she had, and she knew Nick loved staring in to them. To see them on…on this creature! On this whore was turning her stomach.
The doe tossed the handcuffs in to the crowd and drew level with the pole at the end of the stage. She grabbed it, and swung around to the other side, and stretched one leg up the pole, spreading her legs apart in obscene show of sensuality, or at least this was what Judy thought it was. Without warning, the other Judy ripped off her pants, revealing the merest hint of underwear, purple studs shining in the Inferno's spotlights. The doe continued strutting around the pole, leaning against it and fondling it like a giant phallus. She ripped off her shirt, revealing a bikini top that only just covered her nipples. She threw her hat to the audience, causing a minor fight, and started grinding up against the pole, as if using it to stimulate herself. Judy couldn't look away; it has horrifying seeing herself act like this in front of this many people. She only did anything remotely like this for Nick, but her strip teases were a bible study compared to this…this debauchery!
"What's the hell is this!? she asked herself, not believing what was happening. Surprisingly, she got an answer.
"I…I think one of my fantasies came true…" Nick replied and Judy turned to her fiancé, who was panting, actually panting at this display of hedonism! She then looked down and noticed a bulge in his trousers. He's HARD at this? Before she could start on breaking his legs however, the crowd went wild, causing Judy to turn back and find that the imposter had jumped up the pole, gripping it between her thighs. She then quickly removed her top, allowing her full breasts to be exposed to the crowd, before started putting on a gymnastic show so heinous and erotic, it would have been disqualified at the Olympics on the grounds of public decency. A few more seconds of this and the rabbit slid down the pole, before getting up a dancing to the songs climax. Just as the song finished, the rabbit ripped off her last piece of clothing and showed her full naked self to the world. The crowd applauded and cheered, and started throwing money at the doe.
Suddenly the feedback from a microphone cut through the crowd. "The Inferno would like to thank special guests Detective Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps for being here this evening to witness the show!" the DJ barked and a spotlight blinded Judy. When she gained enough of her sight she saw Luther laughing his head off at the DJ booth, revelling in her embarrassment. She turned back to the stage where her evil twin (for what else could she be) was staring at her with a matching look of embarrassment and mortification. Before Judy could say anything, the naked doe sprinted for the back-stage area, leaving the piles of cash on the floor.
Judy couldn't fault her logic, but tried to remain calm. Doing her best impression of her partner, she put on a stoic look so they couldn't see that the show had gotten to her, and simply turned around and walked out of the club. Nick hung back slightly but followed her to the car.
After a drive in complete silence Nick tried to talk to her as they made their way back to their apartment, but Judy refused to speak She practically kicked the door in and calmly walked to their living room.
"Carrots, are you OK?"
"No Nick, I'm not…that was so embarrassing."
"Yeah sorry Carrots, I had no idea that would happen."
The rabbit turned and instead of the glare that Nick expected he found a playful smirk. "Did you like what you saw?"
"Uhm…" Nicks aid, completely lost on where Judy was going with this. The doe lightly stepped over to him, swaying her hips seductively
"Did you enjoy seeing me dance like that?"
"But that wasn't you Judy…" Nick said. His brain was screaming this was a trap but his libido did not care one iota.
"Yeah, but would you like that? To see me do that, be that lithe and forward, in front of a screaming crowd?"
"Uhm, Uh, ah…" Nick sputtered completely at a loss for words as Judy pushed him back towards the bedroom, she spun and stepped inside before pausing.
"It's OK Nick, you don't have to answer now."
"No?" Nick asked, seeing light at the end of the tunnel.
"No. But you can think on it WHILE YOU SLEEP ON THE COUCH TONIGHT!" Judy shouted and slammed the bedroom door in his face, revealing that the light at the end of the tunnel was a train coming the other way. And it was on fire.
Nick stood there for a full minute before letting out a word that summed up everything that he felt, but also was ironic considering it described what he wouldn't be doing tonight.
"Fuck."
