Chapter 12
-Dressing Room-
"What was all the drama about out there?" One of the girls asked as Buffy entered the room and made her way over towards her spot in the small room.
"Darla." Was all she said.
"What did she do this time?" Another of the newer girls asked.
"She picked the wrong night to play her games." Buffy answered.
"What do you mean?" Kendra asked from her place next to Buffy.
Buffy sighed knowing she wasn't going to be able to finish getting ready until the other girls knew what was going on. "Darla decide that she would pick tonight of all nights to test her worth with The Master."
"How did she do that?" Molly asked.
"By pissin' me off." Buffy stated just before a knock sounded on the door.
"Yeah?" Rona called out.
"It's show time ladies." Ford smiled as he popped his head into the dressing room.
Buffy returned the smile. "We'll be right out."
"Don't forget to play nice once you get back out there." He winked at her.
"I'll try." She promised as the other girls did one last check in the mirrors before heading out to the main floor.
"Make sure the girls are being looked after a bit more tonight." Buffy mentioned to Luke a bit later that night once the club started to fill with the newer members noticing how some of them were getting a bit more hands on then was allowed on the main level.
"You got it." He replied looking around the club and noticing the same things Buffy was. "What about you?"
"I can hold me own." She grinned.
Luke gave a laugh. "Don't I know it."
"Would you also keep an eye out for Darla's guest." Buffy asked looking around. "He really doesn't know what he's gotten himself into with this place."
"Sure thing." He nodded. "Anything else I can help you with?" Luke asked looking down to see her face.
"You could find out when The Master wants me on tonight if you've got time." She smiled up at him.
"Of course."
"So, what do you think?" Darla asked Spike from her spot tucked away in their private booth after taking a sip of her drink.
"I think Buffy was two seconds away from beating the shit out of you earlier." He replied taking a sip from his own drink.
"Please." Darla rolled her eyes. "She's all talk."
"That way you need a pound of cover-up tonight?" He asked with a smirk.
Darla crossed her arms over her chest and gave a huff. "That was a lucky shot, nothing more."
"No." Spike chuckled. "That was Buffy."
"She's a fake." Darla hissed not liking the fact that yet another person seemed to be under the spell that was Buffy Summers. "Everything people believe about her is a lie. If her friends knew the truth about her they'd turn on her in a second."
"Why not just tell them if you hate her so much?" He asked leaning back in his seat.
"They wouldn't believe me if I told them." She stated.
Spike tilted his head to the side and looked at her for a moment. "But they'd believe someone like Peaches, or myself?"
"Of course." She nodded. "You're one of them, no matter how hard you try to hide it."
"That the real reason you brought me down here?" He questioned. "So I'll be able to expose Buffy's dirty little secret for you."
"You'd never do that." She sighed. "No matter how much attention you pay to Dru or myself, you care about her to much to be the one that hurt her like that." She finished taking another sip of her drink.
"Your Lover Boy won't either." Spike threw out. "He loves her."
"He's not allowed down here anyway." She told him.
Spike smirked at that. "Peaches not man enough to receive an invite?"
"It's one of her rules." Darla explained ignoring his smirk knowing that Angel had never been considered for an invite to the club. "As long as she works here he's not allowed, nor are any of her little friends. Not that The Master would invite any of those losers down here to begin with."
"I thought there was a no talking rule in place." He mentioned remembering earlier conversations.
"There is." She confirmed. "But people still talk from time to time. The major part of the rule is not talking about who you see when you're down here."
"Why?" Spike laughed. "The Mayor gonna show up or something?"
"You'd be surprised."
Buffy took a deep breath before making her way across the club to the one table she'd been trying to avoid for the past hour. "What can I get you two to drink?" She asked with a tight smile on her face looking between Spike and Darla.
Darla tapped her finger to her lip with an evil look in her eyes. "Let me think about that for a minute."
"Don't hurt yourself." Buffy mumbled trying to keep the fake smile firmly in place.
A huge grin spread across Darla's face and Buffy knew she wasn't going to like what the blonde girl was going to say. "I think Spike and I would like to do a few body shots with you."
Buffy shook her head. "You'll have to ask one of the other girls, you know I don't do that."
"But we want you." Darla pouted. "Don't we Spike?"
Spike tossed his arm over the back of the booth and looked over at Darla with a smirk. "Whatever you want Pet."
"It's not like you've never done it before." Darla added.
"Not tonight Darla." Buffy glared.
"Is there a problem over here?" Luke asked as he came to stand behind Buffy in-case she needed him.
"She won't do our drink order." Darla pouted again.
"What's she want?" He asked Buffy ignoring the other girl.
"Just a few shots." Darla answered before Buffy could say anything.
"Find another girl Darla, Buffy doesn't do those and you know it." Luke ordered knowing that things were about to get ugly if he didn't get Buffy away from the other blondes soon.
"I won't tell if you don't." She whispered with a laugh.
"Not happening." Buffy hisses knowing that if Luke wasn't standing by her right now Darla would already be bleeding.
"Problems?" The Master asked as he joined the group and took a seat at the table to cover any real issues from the other club members.
"She doesn't want to do our drink order, and Luke says she's off the menu." Darla stated giving the older man a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Darla..." Spike started noticing that Buffy was barely containing her rage at the moment.
"What's the order?" The Master questioned.
"They want to do a few shots with me in the mix." Buffy informed him hoping he would tell them to find another girl like Luke had.
"Do it." The Master ordered.
Luke looked at his boss in shock. "Sir?"
"Shouldn't you be making your rounds?" The Master asked. "Ms. Summers isn't the only girl working here tonight that needs looking out for."
"Yes Sir." Luke nodded his head before offering Buffy a sad smile and walking away.
"Go get the drinks." He ordered Buffy before turning to look at Darla. "I don't like the games you're playing tonight My Dear."
"Then why are you letting me play them?" She asked with a sweet smile.
"I'm just waiting for them to backfire on you." He told her truthfully.
"Never." Darla smirked. "I always win."
"So does Buffy." Spike mumbled under his breath hating himself a bit for not standing up for Buffy with the whole drink situation.
"Doesn't look like she's winning right now." Darla stated as she watched Buffy make her way back to the table with three shots on her tray.
Spike followed Darla's gaze to watch Buffy as she moved throughout the crowds admiring the way her body moved while keeping the tray she was holding from getting bumped along the way. "She's just getting warmed up Pet." He said turning his attention back towards Darla. "Think of this as the pre-show."
"You certainly seem to know a lot about the young Ms. Summers." The Master commented paying close attention to the boy that his singer seemed so protective of.
"We're a lot alike her and I." Spike replied.
"I don't care what either of you say, I'm still winning this so called pre-show." Darla stated with a smug look on her face.
"Here are your drinks." Buffy sighed placing the tray down on top of the table and unloading three shots of tequila, a salt shaker, and a few limes.
The Master stood from his seat and placed a hand against the small of Buffy's back. "Once these are done Ms. Summers is to be left alone for the remainder of the night." He stated. "One of the other girls will look after you from this point on. Is that clear?"
"Crystal." Darla smiled. "Will you be joining us this round?"
The Master shook his head feeling Buffy tense up next to him. "Not this time." He answered before walking away.
Buffy gave a small sigh of relief that he wasn't joining the small group before she shut her emotions off and faced the other two. "Who's first?"
"That'll be me." Darla smirked moving over so Buffy could take a seat on the booth next to her. "I've got to make sure our boy here knows how it's done."
"I really hate you." Buffy hissed through her teeth as she tilted her head to the side exposing her neck to Darla and placed a lime between her lips.
"Play nice."Darla whispered before giving Buffy's neck a long lick to make sure the salt would stick. Once she was done shaking a bit of salt onto Buffy's collarbone she grabbed her shot and slowly licked a path up the other girls neck, downed her shot and then crashed her lips to Buffy's and sucked the lime from her mouth. "Your turn." She smirked turning to face Spike and placing the used lime into her now empty glass.
"Buffy..." Spike whispered as she came to sit down next to him and bared her neck. "Luv..."
"Just do it." She bit out trying to keep her body from shaking with the amount of rage she was feeling towards the other girl.
"Go on." Darla nodded pushing the items on the table closer to Spike so he could do his shot. "Here you go."
"Thanks." Spike mumbled before pulling Buffy a bit closer to him. "I'm sorry." He whispered into her ear before licking her neck and pouring more salt onto her skin.
"Whatever." Buffy swallowed before placing a fresh lime between her lips.
Spike quickly swapped the salt shaker for his shot glass once Buffy was ready again. He rested the arm not holding his drink around her waist and slowly ran his tongue along her skin. He pulled away and locked eyes with her as he downed his shot before leaning into her and teasing her lips with his own around the lime. After a few moments he pulled away with the lime in his mouth locking eyes with her once again.
"Will that be all?" Buffy asked as she moved out of the booth trying to ignore the way being close to Spike was making her feel.
"You're forgetting your shot." Darla grinned wishing the club didn't have a no cellphone rule, after all a photo is worth a thousand words.
"I'll pass." Buffy replied clearing the empty glasses from the table and back onto her tray.
Darla grabbed the last shot and held it out. "Oh, I don't think so."
"Darla..." Buffy warned.
"Spike grab a lime." She ordered.
"What?" He asked still in a bit of a haze from kissing Buffy.
"Buffy still has to do her shot." Darla explained.
"She doesn't have to if she doesn't want to." Spike tried.
"Yes I do." Buffy sighed before grabbing the drink and downing it before Darla could say anything. "All done." She said slamming the glass down onto the table.
"That's not how you're suppose to do it." Darla stated crossing her arms over her chest.
"Will that be all?" Buffy asked again.
"For now." Darla replied earning a glare from Buffy before she turned and walked away. "Looks like I won after all tonight." She grinned.
"Nights still young." Spike stated watching Buffy go.
