It was just past midnight when the door of the Blue Kitten nightclub swung open, allowing a plume of thick smoke to escape into the cold winter night. A man stepped into the room, brushing the snow from the shoulders of his black trench coat. His fedora was pulled low over his eyes, pink wisps of hair escaping from under its brim. The air was stale, smelling of cigarettes and booze, and the noise was threatening, full of loud music and cat calls. He was a stranger among a sea of regulars and bottom feeders, and they took notice as he made a steady b-line for the bar which stretched the length of the room from the door to the stage.
He removed the coat, letting it fall over his arm as the music paused and the lights dimmed. His pace slowed as it became momentarily harder to see until suddenly a bright spotlight shot out from the back of the stage, illuminating the perfect silhouette of a woman.
Natsu blinked toward the light. The woman was seated sideways in a chair, one leg pointed into the air, her back arched, her head leaning so far back the sharp curve in her chin pointed toward the sky, her straight hair spilled down to the floor.
The lights changed and the music cued, though it was louder now than before. Natsu continued towards the bar, but his eyes were fixed on the beautiful blonde on stage.
A long row of recently vacated stools appeared at the bar, Natsu took one across from the bartender who stood transfixed in his spot drying the same tumbler over and over again as he eyed the blonde who had begun a slow and seductive dance.
Natsu waited, watching the girl, wondering how long it would take the bartender to notice his new customer.
Longer than he thought. It was not until Natsu spoke to him that he even acknowledged his presence, and if he had seen him before hand, he certainly hadn't let on.
"Who's the girl?"
The bartender replied by pointing up toward a poster taped to the back of the bar, nestled among the tall bottles of whisky and bourbon. 'The Celestial Goddess', the sign read, 'every night at the Blue Kitten, with a special appearance Friday nights at midnight. Don't miss out, let her cast a spell on you'. The words framed a smiling picture of the girl peeking out from a nest of white feathers.
"What's her real name?" Natsu asked the bartender, who had yet to take his order.
This finally caught the wiry man's attention. He gave Natsu a sideways glance, looking him up and down, following the red pinstripes along his black suit. He eyed the expensive gold cufflinks at his wrists and caught a glimpse of the gold chain peeking out from his vest pocket.
"What are yeh havin'?" His voice was low and gruff, much more formidable than his general appearance made him out to be.
Natsu grinned, revealing the sharp point of his canines. "Scotch, top shelf, single malt, straight up." The bartender nodded and began his work as Natsu turned back to the girl.
By now she had long left the chair lonely and pushed aside. She was out on the catwalk swaying from a pole that reached up into the blackness of the celling. The plunging neckline of her top cut all the way down to her naval, revealing a voluminous line of cleavage. One of her long legs wrapped around the pole, and the other heeled foot pressed tight against its base. The slit of her long shimmering skirt was so high he could catch a clear glimpse of her ass. She gripped the pole effortlessly with her right hand as she spun around it in a circle, before letting go completely, arching back and stretching her arms out over her head as she spun, the audience reaching out and touching her fingertips above them.
The bartender set Natsu's drink down loudly next to him causing him to jump. Point made. He tore his eyes away from the girl.
"How much do I owe ya?"
"Twenty one." the bartender said sternly. Natsu chuckled at the steep cost and pulled his money clip out from inside his jacket. He threw a couple twenties on the bar.
"Keep the change," he said, bringing the heavy glass to his mouth. The liquid burned down his throat all the way to his stomach. He smiled again. He always enjoyed that warm fire in his belly. "I never did get her name? Her real name?"
The bartender turned toward him, eyes narrowed. He nodded toward the twenties still decorating the bar top.
Natsu understood. He added a few more twenties to the pile and glanced back up at the other man who gave him a slight shake of his head. Natsu grimaced and added a few hundreds. This time the bartender scooped up his earnings eagerly. He leaned across the bar and whispered over the music.
"They don't like the fans getting her real name, but, I can see yeh are a man of impeccable taste sir, and sincere discretion, so I'll tell yeh. Her real name is Lucy. Lucy Heartfilia."
Natsu turned away from the bartender, who hurried back to his work, and looked back at the stage.
"Lucy..." he whispered her name without realizing it, but he liked the way it rolled off his tongue.
He downed the rest of his glass, ordered another and took it with him as he moved closer to the stage. He took the three steps that led down into the stage area in a single stride and slipped into an empty booth with the perfect center front view of the stage. He was amazed to find it empty but, once again, it looked like its previous inhabitants had vacated to get closer look at the performance. Well, probably at the performer, actually.
Natsu leaned against the plush red leather seat and spun the liquid in his glass as the lights dimmed. The music changed again. He thought perhaps that was the end of her show.
A series of pink and purple lights flashed up at the stage and revealed the blonde goddess once more. The long skirt and plunging neckline were gone, revealing a sparkling bikini with iridescent crystals catching in the vivid lights. The top was designed like a cage that could barely contain her breasts, the pinks of her nipples almost visible underneath.
Natsu shifted his weight. It wasn't like he never saw beautiful women. In his line of work that was sort of a given, and he had been to an endless number of business meetings in places just like this. But the women he met through his jobs or saw in places like this, he just didn't really notice them. There was nothing that caught his eye. That didn't keep him from his fair share of flirting or fucking, but that was all just empty fun to pass the time. He could not remember a time that he had been so stirred just by simply watching a woman dance.
He took a sip of his scotch and waited, a devilish grin creasing the corner of his mouth.
Lucy stared at her reflection in her vanity mirror. She stared hard into those chestnut eyes and tried to force away the images that kept replaying behind them. A mysterious looking man in black seated near the stage, his face hidden under his hat. The fire she saw in his eye when they finally met. The impish grin stretching across his face
Lucy threw her head into her hands. She wanted to cry, but the tears had stopped coming long ago. In her line of work, you learned how to turn that off, eventually.
She had seen many men like him in her time at the Blue Kitten, and at other clubs before. She had seen him return to the bar and he must have asked for her manager because she later caught a clear glimpse of Ivan talking to the man over the bar and both men looking in her direction.
Lucy knew what that meant.
It almost never happened, especially now that she had become Ivan's lead girl. With a lead girl there needs to be enough scarcity to drive the market up. Plenty of guys want to see the star after the show, rarely are they ever allowed to.
But this guy looked persistent. And, worst of all, she saw him shake Ivan's hand- a clear sign that a deal had been struck.
Lucy let out a heavy sigh and looked back at the mirror.
It would not have been so bad, but there was something in the guy's eyes that scarred her. His smile was electrifying, it had sent a shock through her whole body and she had, for a moment, thought she might stumble. Luckily, pro that she was, no one noticed.
She began touching up her makeup. That's right, she was a pro, she told herself, pursing her lips together after applying a fresh coat of hot pink lipstick. For a moment she wondered what his type was. She began reaching for a hair tie but froze when she heard a light set of knuckles rap her door.
Her breath caught in her throat, her stomach began to sink. She closed her eyes and counted to three out loud. A long slow breath escaped her and she looked once again at the mirror into a pair of cold eyes.
No emotion. That was how you dealt with this sort of thing.
She slipped on a white sheer robe edged in silver feathers, threw her hair loose over her shoulder- it would have to do- and took a seat at the edge of her plush, oversized bed.
"Come in," she trilled lightly.
She watched, expressionless, as the door knob turned.
He was not as tall as she had expected, but something in his demeanor seemed to make him appear taller than he actually was. He removed his hat, letting loose a wild mane of pink hair, and then glanced briefly around the room before his eyes came to rest on her.
Lucy flashed him her brightest smile.
He returned it ten-fold.
She felt the corner of her mouth twitch, the smile not quite staying in place as it should have. But she doubted he would notice. These kinds of guys never did.
Lucy waited for him to introduce himself... only he didn't. He just stood there, watching her.
So I guess he is going to be difficult, she thought to herself. Well alright then.
"So tell me stranger, whom is it I have the pleasure of welcoming into my private dressing room this evening? It's not often I get visitors, you must be a special guy." She gave him a wink and flirty smile.
"My name is Natsu," he said rather quietly. It was odd, usually her gentleman callers- if you could really call them gentleman- were a bit more... eager. This guy seemed like more of a cold fish. And yet when she had caught his eye earlier he seemed so... alive.
"Why don't you come a little closer sugar, I can barely see you in this dim lighting. Come closer so we can get a little more comfortable." It was true, the room was dim, but as he stepped forward the sinking feeling returned to her stomach, try as she might to ignore it.
He stopped just out of arms reach. Lucy felt a momentary wave of relief.
Then she remembered who she was, what she did for a living, and why this guy was here. Putting off the inevitable wasn't going to help her get past this.
She reached out a hand to him, ready to draw him towards her. And then she saw that smile creep across his face. She felt her body temperature rise. How did he do that to her? She watched the corner of his mouth turn up in a wicked grin and she realized that this guy was gorgeous. Was that it? Was that what was so different about this guy? In the past the men they sent her were trolls- old wealthy trolls with too much clout and influence to turn down, but trolls none the less. But this guy- Natsu, he was far from unattractive.
It didn't really change anything though- it didn't change why either of them were here. It didn't change the job she had to do. And, no, it didn't make it any easier. In fact somehow it was doing just the opposite.
"Come here," she whispered seductively, shutting away the rest of her thoughts, shutting down her feelings. This was a paycheck, nothing more. She wrapped her finger tips around his tie and pulled him towards her.
Natsu's smile faded. His reflexes were sharp. Before she knew what had happened Lucy realized the progress of her hand had stopped. The pair were frozen. Natsu's fingers wrapped tightly around her wrist, holding her in place.
"Let go," he said quietly.
Surprised and uncertain, Lucy let the tie fall back against his chest. She was still seated at the edge of her bed. She looked up at him, at the dark flames in his eyes.
In a very slow motion that shocked Lucy to her core, Natsu slipped his fingers from her wrist to her palm and brought her hand to his mouth. As his warm lips pressed lightly to her hand she could feel his breath against her skin, sending shivers through her whole body.
After what was only a brief moment but seemed to go on forever, he pulled away. Gently he brought her hand back down, though he did not let it go.
Lucy was at a loss. She looked up at him mutely. She didn't understand.
This time when their eyes met she could see the same bright flames that had been there earlier, when she was dancing.
"See you tomorrow," he said, flashing her a wide smile before turning and slipping out the door.
Lucy sat frozen, watching the closed door. There was no other movement. She continued to watch it, her fingers tracing over the skin of her hand where his mouth had been. Still the door did not open.
What the hell had just happened? And what did he mean, 'see you tomorrow'?"