Sorry, it's late guys! Been a long day, but I managed the update, woo hoo! Prompts are due up on Sunday and there are a LOT of dirty, smutty ones! So excited!
"S'perfect."
The estate agent smiles and indicates the space around them. "I'm glad you like it, Ms Greene. How soon would you like to move in?"
Beth runs her fingers over the counter and smiles. "How soon can I move in?"
The estate agent smiles back and pulls a ring of keys out of her blazer pocket. "Whenever you're ready."
Beth heaves a high and deposits the box on the counter with a groan. "Last one!"
Glenn moans to himself as he flops down on her sofa covered in boxes and newspaper from previously opened boxes. "Thank God."
"You guys gonna stay for a while?" She asks Glenn and Maggie, who flops down on Glenn's lap.
Maggie shakes her head. "So you can rope us into unpackin'?"
Beth snorts. "That obvious?"
"Yep," her older sister laughs before she strokes a hand over her stomach. "Can't put pressure on the baby neither."
"You're two months along, Maggie, you ain't even showin'," Beth argues as she rips the tape off a box.
"Shut up," Maggie murmurs as she gets to her feet, reaching down for Glenn's hand next. "C'mon you, we got our own place to sort out."
Beth wanders through from the open plan kitchen to the living room where she hugs her sister and brother in law to be. "Thank you guys, for real. None of this would'a happened without you."
Maggie smiles and hugs her back after she hugs Glenn. "You know I'll do anythin' for you, Bethy. I'm just sorry it didn't work out in LA."
"Maybe one day," Beth answers.
She sees them both out and then when she shuts the door, she leans against it, looks into her apartment full of boxes and sighs. She really wouldn't have been able to do it without Glenn and Maggie, who loaned her money for the deposit and helped her get her stuff in a gruelling drive over to LA in a van Glenn got from a friend. There's no way in hell that she would be moving in a week after looking if it wasn't for her sister and she's so grateful, but now that means she has no one left to ask for help in unpacking, so it all falls down to her.
Beth sighs and pushes off the door, glancing into boxes as she walks past them. She has no motivation to get stuck in and she pulls out her phone instead to scroll through her contacts. Finding Daryl's number, she pauses for nearly a minute before she bites down on her thumb and uses her other hand to press the phone to her ear.
It rings four times before he picks up. "Hey, girl."
She smiles and flops down over the arm of her sofa. "Hey."
"Moved in, huh?" His voice grumbles over the line.
Beth laughs. "How'd you know?"
"Ain't heard a peep outta ya all day," Daryl breathes, Beth assumes on a cloud of smoke.
She smiles. "Yeah, just got shit load'a boxes I don't wanna unpack." Daryl hums and it echoes with a sudden burst of music. "What's that?"
"Music?"
"Mh-hmm," Beth mumbles, pushing up her chest and glancing into the kitchen at the clock.
"Work, m'at the bar," he answers on another exhale.
"Not far from here, right?" She asks.
"Mm, if your place is where I think."
Beth grins and strokes her fingers over her stomach. "Come an' see me. Christen my new room."
Daryl makes a content sound like he's smiling. "Can't, gotta work. Short staffed tonight." There's a moment of silence where before Beth can answer, he says, "come in. Do a shift, see how you like it. Ain't gotta start, but I'll pay ya 'fore it."
She bites down on her lip and glances around. She's not in the mood for work. She's in the mood for sex, but it's possible she could mix the two together. Regardless, a little extra money to start paying back her sister would be nice, especially since they've got a child on the way that they need to start buying things for.
"Okay, gimme an' hour."
Beth's nervous as she rounds the corner to the bar 'Dixon's' after following Daryl's text instructions. Not to work because she's had a million and one jobs that she's hopped in and out of by now, but because she hasn't seen Daryl since the day they separated after breakfast and she's hoping the feeling will be the same around him. There's not many one night stands she's continued talking to after a night full of sex and now she's about to work for the man. Maybe she should have looked elsewhere, but she can do that now and earn money at the same time. She knows Daryl's just being helpful, he wouldn't be offended if she found another job.
Beth really doesn't want to mix her working life with her personal one, but for now, it's all she's got. Taking a deep breath, she pulls the door and walks into a rowdy bar full of people and blaring music. Straight away, she picks out Daryl by a side door and he spots her just as quickly, pushing through the throngs of people to get to her.
"Hey." His voice is low, but he's near enough that she can hear through the roar of the crowd.
"Hey," Beth answers with a smile. "Miss me?"
He smiles back, thin and barely there. "You wish."
They grin at each other before Daryl curves an arm around her waist. "Ready to get workin'?"
"Yeah."
"C'mon then."
Two hours in and Beth feels hot and bright, her eyes wide and her energy soaring through her. It's been a while since she's worked in such a fast paced environment, her last job before the strip club having been in a breakfast diner, which was often slow and dead, full of miserable, tired people. She's on her way back to the bar with a smile for her previous table when she catches sight of Shane and Rick coming through the door. Beth's stomach plummets upon catching Shane's eye and noticing the spark of recognition there. Immediately he changes his course and heads for her, leaving Rick. Beth notices and hurries to the bar for the next order.
Shane tails her, speeding up with his long legs until, within less than two seconds, he's standing right beside her. "Hey, stripper."
Beth scowls. "Ain't my name."
"Oh, sorry 'B'." He smirks, turning his body to avoid a customer and follow her.
She avoids a crowd and hunts for the table she has to serve. "I'm workin'. Go away."
"Ain't polite to speak to customers like that, could lose some money. Could also make some extra too, if you know what I mean," he laughs, sliding a hand down to her waist.
Beth shrugs him off, nearly spilling her drinks as she turns sharply to face him. "I ain't no hooker, so back off."
Shane suddenly glances up and goes pale. Beth turns, expecting to see Daryl and finding Merle instead, a little more mean looking than she saw him before in his and Daryl's apartment. "You heard the lady... or we got a problem?"
Shane shakes his head and lifts up his hands in surrender. "Ain't no problem, brother. Just lookin' for Daryl."
Merle jerks his chin. "In his office. Ain't near this poor little lady ya goddamn harrasin' brotha'."
Shane clenches his jaw but turns away and leaves.
Beth faces Merle with a gratified smile. "Thank you."
"Ain't no one havin' Darylina's girl, an' I like ya scream'a. You do 'im good."
"Only known him a week, Merle," Beth laughs, a little nervously.
Merle smirks. "Got a feelin' ya gonna be 'round a while scream'a."
It seems Beth's got both the Dixon brothers attention tonight because nearly an hour later, when Shane leers over her, drunk and slurring, Daryl turns up just as Shane's hand squeezes Beth's ass cheek, his mouth pressing wet and rancid to her ear to ask, "when you gonna gimme that dance then sweet cheeks?"
There isn't even a word from Daryl, just his fist flying over and over and over again, breaking the skin of Shane's face and shoving her to the side, sending her tray and her drinks flying through the air, glass smashing and people screaming as they duck and dive from the flying objects. Rick and Merle are suddenly there and pulling Daryl away.
Shane falls back to recover but then gears up again before Rick stops him, shoving him back and squaring up into him. "That's enough! Out! Now!"
Shane huffs, spraying blood as his chest heaves but finally, he leaves, shepherded by Rick who throws them an apologetic glance before he follows his friend out. Beth hurries to Daryl and helps him to his feet. Merle has one arm and he pats his little brother down with a blasé attitude. "Beth, go clean 'im up."
"Ain't a fuckin' kid, Merle," Daryl cusses, shaking his brother off.
Beth hesitates in case he does the same to her but when he sees she's hesitating; he grabs onto her waist. "C'mon," she says with new confidence. "Let's go look at it."