Personally, Daisy found nothing more awkward than watch a bunch of guys ogle over the same woman while she writhed, gyrated and worked the pole. True to it's nautical theme, the stages in the Rusty Knot were shaped like an Anchor with bars at the sides and seats following the shape and curves. The corners were home to party booths and there were VIP Private rooms behind the velvet rope in the back.
She knew that most the clientele here were older guys with more money than they knew what to do with just out looking for some good old fashioned adult entertainment, boobs and alcohol, a good way to unwind. You could take a man away from the camp fires but they were still hard-wired to be on the hunt. It was the illusion of a an endless excitement of the parade of different naked girls acting sexy and friendly just for their pleasure… providing one aspect of sexuality without the rest of the baggage, or the hefty divorce settlement. … after 8 or so drinks, most men didn't even care it was just their job. Unlike Jack-Off's over on Ferdinand Street, the Rusty Knot was one of the more classier establishments where wealthy 09ers could enjoy the feeling of being desired by a typically above average looking girl in skimpy clothing just trying to work her way through college or feed her family.
Each of the women in here all had a different story, some worse off than most. Sal tried his best to keep the worst cases out of his club; he usually referred those girls misguided enough to be drawn to the promise of a glamourized idea at snaring a rich 09er sugar daddy to Daisy as a kind of commensalism between the latino community and the club. It kept things from getting too ugly and avoided turf wars between the mid-city street gangs and the Irish mafia. Daisy didn't condone the street violence or the gang banging but sadly too many folks just saw it as an easy way to get a little bit closer to that Neptune American Dream of their own… as long as it was consensual she tried not to judge.
"Some guys just love the strip tease… the titillation and the naked bodies… then there's the guys who want the whole package… the happy ending and the dvd boxset… you can make more money at the end of the night in here selling your thong to a guy than you can during some of your sets" Karyn aka Mystique told Daisy as she shouted over the sound of Pitbull's – You know you want me blaring from the speakers.
Daisy offered her one of the shots from the tray she was holding and ran her gaze over the uncomfortable looking leather corset and panties that the red head girl was wearing.
"And the happy endings… that something goes on often?" she said, arching an eyebrow.
"Not for me personally, I mean.. I'm a specialist, I sing and I have an act… but some of the other… the front liners like Kimmy-Jinn? They sometimes take guys in the back…" Karyn told her in a hushed voice. "But you don't want to get involved in that… most of the girls don't even want to… it's usually the ones who owe Liam something… sometimes it's a boyfriend whose got in trouble and they have to make it right." Spraying herself with the water and glitter combo that sat beside the stage before she turned and climbed back up to finish her set.
Daisy didn't doubt that part, Sergio Pablos the bouncer from the road hog had run into some trouble when the Fitzpatrick's had forced his sister Camille to have to work the stage for two weeks because her drugged up ex-boyfriend had run into money problems.
"If all women were like strippers.. there would be no war" a drunk customer slurred as he handed Daisy a $20 bill and gave her a sleazy smile.
Honestly… why did they all look at her like they thought they were doing her a favour by paying her a compliment of some kind by appraising her, undressing her with their eyes while an actual naked women pleading for his attention by almost rubbing herself on his face?
Tipping is not a city in China…
"Strip clubs? Lap dancing? Pole Vaulting? Yup… give me pole vaulting any day" she muttered as she handed him back his change in crisp $1 bills just like he requested for the third time that night.
No power on this earth could get her to strip off and grind for some dirty old men to jack off.
"Uh.. Weeves? You definitely owe me those replacement parts for my car…" Daisy said through gritted teeth.
"What's going on?" he asked through her earcomm.
Veronica listened in nervously, she hated that they had to send her in there while they had to sit in Wallace's car. It was after midnight, her dad sent her a text to check in.
"Deputy Dicks and Sheriff Schlong just arrived" she growled as she watched as the Sheriff Lamb and two of his Deputy's walking in and taking up a booth in the corner.
"Lamb is there?" asked Veronica, the alarm obvious in her voice.
"Yeah…and it ain't in a kebab shop… but if I have to talk to him something or someone is definitely getting skewered" she warned.
"What's Lamb doing in a strip club?" Wallace asked.
"Enjoying the parading non-stop female flesh?" Weevil suggested.
"Being a creeper is what…" Daisy complained. "Shifty-eyed, obnoxious sleaze on a faux-suede seat…"
"What's the difference between a cocktail waitress and a stripper?" Lenny Boyd, the bartender asked Daisy as she put the empty glasses she had collected back on the bar. "About a week" he added.
"What's the difference between a bartender and an aspirin?" Daisy retorted. "Aspirin works" before she picked up her replacement tray and turned to see one of Lamb's minions leering at her as the track changed to Pussycat Dolls – Buttons.
"How many cops does it take to push a stripper down the stairs?" Deputy Duke White said as he picked up his beer. "None… She Fell"
"Oh look…. It's bacon strips…" she retorted dryly before she rolled her eyes and walked away.
"Huh?" he said in confusion, she knew the asshole well. His regular patrol took him up past the Latino community centre and he had responded to a few incidents at the Road Hog on the odd occasion that a tourist had been unfortunate enough to end up getting into a bar fight there with the wrong person.
"Pigs…" she grumbled.
"No need to be so hostile beautiful… I'm just here to get a stripper on my zipper but… I might be willing to take you home instead" Duke continued. "Cash for a flash?"
"Step off" she snapped, making eye contact with Toni Romero, the head door staff. "No tengo el chichi pa farlolillos" she called out.
"Why you going to slap and tickle?" he sneered.
"I was thinking more a body slide" Daisy snarled before one of the bouncers came up behind her.
The only reason she hadn't decked him yet is she wasn't dumb enough to assault a cop…
"She's working" Toni said in a firm voice and Deputy White looked the tall African American man up and down, weighing his options.
"Alright… I was just being friendly…" Duke said, obviously deciding against taking it any further.
"Well go be elsewhere" Toni warned.
"You should try being nicer… remember who you guys come calling when shit gets ugly down here" the Deputy taunted, at 5 ft 9inches, Daisy couldn't see how much use the cop could be, he was chubby and ginger and smelled of twinkies. It was a statement of the condition of law enforcement in Neptune.
"You should try remembering who lets you through that front door" Toni countered.
"Sure… Shaft" he said, putting his hands up in mock surrender before walking over to the stage where Candy and Lola were grinding in a duo performance.
Daisy looked up at Toni and he shook his head. "Stay out of trouble"
"Daize.. will you answer me? What the hell is going on?" Weevil demanded.
"Nothing, I'm fine. Just Deputy Brainless" she muttered. "I'm getting nothing… I'd need to check out the back rooms…" she sighed.
"Maldita sea" he cursed.
"Well we knew this could happen…" Wallace commented.
"No te preocupes Ese" Daisy soothed. "I still got another hour of my shift" she said as she watched one of the male exotic dancers in a tuxedo start to strip.
"¿Hace calor aqui, o eres tù?" a familiar male voice said from behind her. She didn't have to look over her shoulder to know it was the Sheriff. She took a deep breath and slid the tray of shots onto the table beside her, picking one up and knocking it back.
God… the cheese.. is it hot in here or is it just you? Who even said that anymore?
"Well if it's not Hell… can you at least douse me in gasoline so this torment could be over?" Daisy grumbled as she turned to glare at him. His blue eyes gleaming in amusement at her as he stood inappropriately close… being this close to him made her feel nauseated, the smell of his axe body spray was only slightly better than the scent of the cigar he was rolling around in his mouth.
I have to stop drinking tequila…
"Ésta es una canción excelente. ¿Quieres bailar conmigo?" Lamb said suggestively with the worst pronunciations she had ever heard as he looked at the empty pole beside them.
Does he have to insist on butchering my language?
"Eres tan patético, que resultas entrañable" she told him angrily. "I won't dance for you, Pintamonas"
"Its so hot when you speak Spanish… Oh come on… after our night together? I am feeling so deprived…" he said as he ran his gaze approvingly over her skimpy outfit.
Weevil… I am going to kill you for this…
"And I am feeling of jealous of all the people who have never met you. You are depriving some village somewhere of an idiot… why do you waste my time?" she demanded.
"Ouch… It's almost like you don't realize that we have our whole lives to be together…" he sighed.
"It was one night, Don. Attraction is a funny thing … and obviously the amount of tequila in my blond that night wanted you… Has that happened before? A couple of times. Did it last? Clearly, no…now get a hint you Neanderthal jerk!"
Whoever said one-night stands were supposed to be simple with no strings attached had clearly never met the disaster that was me.
"Spirited attitude for a girl with a clamp on her car…" he sighed.
"Maybe your dick is so small because you shoved ¾ of it into your personality" she cursed.
"I didn't hear you complaining at the time…" he sneered confidently, picking up one of the shots from her tray.
"I wear bigger heels than your dick.." she retorted, as he grinned in amusement at her comments. He did love the feisty ones, most of the girls in here had the breasts resulting from the of some sloppy surgeon and they wore too much make up and reeked of fake tan. Completely unappealing… but Daisy? She was a fiery Latina who trained at the Half Moon Dojo where he had his boxing class, he'd had a crush on her for almost three years.
"Well if it's anything like those…" Lamb replied as he hinted at the large 9 inch heels that Karyn was wearing as she did a wave motion around the pole to Rhianna's – Pour it up.
"Shouldn't you be off solving a murder?" she snarled. "I hear it's been a busy couple of days for you"
"It has… I could use a little help to unwind… help get me motivated" he smiled, his teeth were so white that they practically glowed in the UV lights.
"So why don't you go pick one you don't make wanna puke… take a girl out the private rooms out back and have your way with her?" Daisy refused.
"And give Liam an opportunity? No thanks… I prefer my footage to stay in my home collection" he scoffed, downing another shot from her tray. "Should have gone to see the Wizard Daisy… asked him for a time machine… because there's nothing you can do now to stop the images of you and me playing on a loop inside my head" he winked before he dropped a $100 bill onto the tray and did his best Sexy Sheriff saunter away from her towards his companions.
"Did he just say Liam?" Wallace asked.
"They film the clientele who use the private rooms…" Veronica breathed.
Footage that's what they had on the plastic surgeon…. It had to be… If they could get rid of that Leverage… they could get him to retract his statement...