Sorry about the mess up, I put the chapter up in the early hours of the morning so I guess I wasn't paying attention. Thanks for the heads up meganfitz!
After taking a shower and changing into some clean cloths, Charlie made his way down the street until he reached the little club conveniently located on the corner and stepped inside, wondering if any of the girls would still recognize him.
The place hadn't changed much. It was still filled with neon lights and half naked girls, all glittery and covered in tacky costumes.
The strobe lights still pulsed to the shitty house music or the occasional old rock at roll, which he much preferred. And it still smelled of bear and cheap perfume.He stood close to the door for a moment, taking it all in.
"Hey, baby. Your all wet. What happened?" A girl with long, curly brown hair questioned, invading his space as she looked at him with a pout and ran her fingers through his hair.
"Yeah, is it raining?" Another girl questioned curiously. Blonde, go figure. "Oh, no. I just got out of the shower 'sall" Charlie replied, feeling a little nervous under the sudden attention. Especially with the friendly brunette leaning on him.
"Aw, isn't that sweet!" The blonde explained, pressing a hand to her chest that was barely covered by a hot pink bra.
"Yeah, you'd be surprised how many guys come in here smelling like they haven't bathed in years" The brunette agreed, glancing over her shoulder indicating at a pair of guys who sat front row in front of the cat walk stage.
One with a southern accent, cheering loudly at the dancer on stage. The other paying more attention the bottle in his hand then the girl on his lap. Surprise, surprise.
"Well, to be honest I actually haven't taken one in years. Neither have they" Charlie began, hoping to do his friends a favor by explaining their crude behavior. The girls stared at him in confusion for a moment, not quite understanding.
"We were on flight 180" He explained, looking down at his feet.
"The plain that crashed?" The brunette questioned, letting out a loud gasp and mimicking the blonde's previous gesture by pressing a hand to her chest. Charlie nodded in response.
"There was a plain crash?" The blonde questioned, a dumbfound look across her face.
"Yeah, I heard about it on the news. It happened like, two years ago. They just got back" The brunette explained, a sympathetic tone in her voice.
"Aw, you poor thing" The blonde exclaimed with a pout, running her hand down his chest. Charlie shifted a little, taking in a heavy gulp. "You wanna drink?" The brunette questioned, continuing to toy with his hair.
"Uh, I actually just got back. I don't really have any money" He explained, nervously. "Don't be silly. For you, its on the house" She confirmed with a smile, and before he could protest, she grabbed hold of his hand and lead the way to the bar.
"Well, I could use a drink" He agreed, flashing an awkward smile towards the blonde at his side who in a strange way resembled Claire. Well, if Claire ever become mentally retarded and lost all her cloths.
The girls got him a table and ordered him a drink, taking their seats on either side as they waited form them to arrive. Charlie tapped his hands against his thighs, fidgeting as usual until the drinks arrived.
"So what's your name?" The brunette questioned, after taking a sip from her bottle. He was a bit surprised to see a stripper drinking something that wasn't pink and didn't come with an umbrella, unlike the lady to his left.
"Charlie" He explained, purposely leaving out his last name in fear of being recognized as a public icon. If he had to hear another half naked girl squeal at the thought of meeting a rock star, he was going to shoot himself.
"I'm Charlotte, and its nice to meet you" The brunette explained, taking another opportunity to feel him up after shaking his hand.
"I'm Tammy" The blonde explained proudly after slurping down a whole quarter of her drink, not realizing her extended delay in responding.
"Nice to meet you, Tammy" Charlie greeted, not wanting to make the poor girl feel dumb. He might be at a strip club, but he was still a gentlemen.
"You know, your accents pretty cute" She noted, taking little attention to his attempt at being polite as she leaned against him, toying with her bright blue straw. "Thanks" Charlie replied with a bashful grin after taking a sip of his own drink.
"Yeah, where are you from?" Charlotte questioned, continuing to play with his hair. The girl was bloody fascinated. "Uh, Manchester" He replied a bit reluctantly, wondering if either of them would know what he was saying. From the looks on their faces, they did not.
"England" He added, taking a nervous gulp. "Oh!" The pair both nodded in response, giggling at their own ignorance after making the realization.
"So, tell me, Charlie. Are the strippers in England as pretty as us?" Charlotte questioned, laying a hand on his thigh.
Charlie's first instinct was to pull away, feeling a bit to crowded by her pushiness. Then he remembered that he'd been around girls like her plenty in his life, and after taking a deep breath, managed to calm himself down.
"Not even close" He replied playfully, regaining some of his cool. After all, he was a rock god. He knew how to talk to groupies enough to get them into bed. Why not strippers? The two girls giggled in response, jiggling much more then was necessary at his little compliment.
"You are to sweet" Tammy replied, laying her head on his shoulder. Charlie smiled and, after taking another sip, put his arm around her waist. The guys were right. This was his first night home, and he was going to enjoy it.
After all, him and Claire weren't a couple. Sure, there was that one kiss. But after that she made it very clear that she just wanted to be friends. Hell, he didn't even know if he was ever going to see her again.
The thought made him feel a bit bitter, and he used his free hand to take another sip of his drink before sliding it around Charlotte's shoulder, his eyes growing a bit darker as his mind started to wonder.
Meanwhile, Tammy continued to trace circles across his chest with her finger tips, fallowing the design on his T-shirt, while Charlotte's hand began to creep higher up his thigh.
Usually at this point he'd find some polite way of asking the girls to stop. Perhaps saying that he had a girl friend, and although she didn't mind him going to clubs to look on occasions, he would feel bad for taking advantage of her trust by letting some pretty girls feel him up.
But once again he reminded himself that he didn't have a girl friend, he was a free man. And if he wanted some pretty girls to feel him up the he was free to do so.
So instead of speaking up or shyly shifting away, he turned his head to face her, and after a few seconds of consideration, closed his eyes and leaned in, knowing she'd be more then willing to comply.
Meanwhile...
"So you were really stuck on an island for all that time?" asked Ginger, a pretty young red head with an outfit to match, sitting on top of Desmond's lap.
"I'm afraid so, luv" He replied, his voice already a bit slurred after his third drink.
"Man, I bet its been a long time since you've been with a women" She noted, running her hand down his chest.
"Believe me. Its been painfully long" He confirmed in a suggestive tone before lifting his bottle and taking another gulp, finishing it off.
"I don't know how you guys did it. I mean, two years with no sex, fast food, TV? Come on!" Shelly, a thin blonde, dressed in black leather, who was seated on Sawyer's lap, explained in amazement.
"Yeah. It was real hard" Sawyer agreed solemnly, nodding his head.
"Aw!" The girls squealed in unison, and quickly began feeling them up in order to make them feel better.
"Guys, you won't believe the guy who just came in here" Tammy exclaimed, making her way over. Suddenly, the two girls were no longer paying attention to the boy's needs.
"He's this really hot British kid, says he's from some plain crash" The full busted blonde began, leaning on the back of Sawyer's chair. "Wow! So are these guys!" Ginger exclaimed in utter shock. Desmond and Sawyer exchanged a glance.
"Oh, So Charlie showed up after all. Where is the boy?" Sawyer questioned, tilting his head back to look up at the blonde leaning over him and getting an eye full of cleavage in response.
She turned her head to look over her shoulder and he fallowed her gaze over to a booth in the back of the room where Charlie sat with two girls, actively making out with one and being groped and necked by the other.
"Holly shit!" Sawyer exclaimed, surprised to see a kid who was usually so uptight when it came to women receiving such attention.
"Wow. Look at him go" Desmond noted in reply, already in a drunken daze after starting his fourth bear.
"I swear, he has the hottest voice ever" Tammy explained, idly staring back at the table.
"Really?" Shelly questioned, looking intrigued. "Yeah, he's British or something. He's a good kisser too" Tammy continued, lifting the bottle of bear that belong to Sawyer off the table and taking a sip.
"Wow. I'll have to check this out" Ginger stated, staring back at the table with a longing look.
"I'm about to head back now. Wanna come with?" Tammy offered, setting the bottle back down and ignoring the angry leer Sawyer was giving her.
"Sure!" The pair agreed, and before they knew it, the three girls where all gone, leaving the men with nothing but the warmth left over from where they were sitting.
"Did that just happen?" Desmond questioned, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him.
"Yeah, it happened! The little fucker stole our strippers!" Sawyer exclaimed angrily, ready to head over there and kick his ass. Desmond grabbed his arm in order to hold him back.
"Don't worry. There's plenty left" Desmond assured, helping him calm back down. Sawyer noted and took a seat, waiting for another pair to come along and listen to their sob story in hopes of getting another round of free lap dances and beer.