a trip to the strip club? ;)

Chapter 19 – Nightlife in the Capital

As agreed the next night the two female officers visited the Paradise club. They passed the black metal door and what they saw left their mouths opened. It was better than luxury! There were booths and podiums with women dancing around poles. The newcomers roamed between the seats and admired the different atmosphere in every section. One was in tropical theme, others jungle, desert, Arabic, Australian with kangaroos and koalas, even lava or polar theme where girls were dressed in thick winter coats, caps and gloves, slowly removing them piece by piece. Two muscled men dressed in tuxedos were patrolling around like hawks, ready to step in if any disturbance appeared.

They reached the bar and noticed the Hispanic male form the other day. "I see you came," he said with a smile.

"Observing," Gail replied coldly, hiding her impression.

The bartender offered them drinks and introduced himself as Francisco. He was the manager of the club and looked for new girls. He let the undercover officers browse the whole club and drinks were on the house, they could talk about work later, he said. So the two women took the invitation, ordered a drink and went to sit in an empty booth with the polar theme.

The music began to play and a beautiful pale skinned brunette entered the podium. Her moves were smooth corresponding with the intensity of the music as she was showing her curves, dancing around the pole. Slowly removing her coat she revealed lacy white underwear, firm round breasts and trained body.

"I already feel like cheating," whined Gail not leaving her eyes from the woman in front of her.

"Relax, watch and learn," smiled her companion. She chuckled and added, "You can use some of those moves on Holly when we get home."

The blonde moaned, closing her eyes as the dancing woman was completely naked now, picturing the situation back at her apartment with her favourite pathologist, seducing her by some killer moves. The music changed and she smelled a strong flowery perfume, opening her eyes she noticed the stripper only inches away, dressed back in the lacy white underwear. The woman straddled Gail and began dancing on her lap, moving in seductive waves, with light gentle touches. The blonde put her hands on the dancer's hips to push her away but the stripper took her hands off. "No touching," she said purring to her ear, and licked the shell. The officer moaned and helplessly looked at her friend who grinned widely and stood up.

"I will fetch for more drinks."

And they were alone. Gail clenched the backseat as the brunette on her lap started kissing her. On one hand it was really enjoyable and arousing, especially after a month of celibacy, but on the other hand the blonde wanted to go away to her own girlfriend who she had not seen for so long. Oh dear, she really missed Holly physically as well as mentally. The music stopped and the woman stood up pulling a card out of her bra. "Call me later," she winked and disappeared behind the veil.

Priscilla joined her back on the couch and placed two drinks on the small table. Gail finished hers in one gulp.

"Come on!" protested the older office. "That was Sex on the beach!"

"You shouldn't have let me make-out with a stripper," snapped the blonde. "I am officially a cheater and it is your fault. I couldn't push her away. It is your fault I cheated on Holly," she bent head down and sniffed.

"Gail," said the brunette gently and pulled up her head by the chin. "I won't let that happen. If you were supposed to cheat on Holly I would tear you away from the person and then kill you both."

"They why didn't you do anything?!"

"You have to ease up when you work here."

"If."

"No, when. I looked around and we know two things for sure. There is No touching policy and if you want to shag you have to wait after the work is over. So practically it all depends on the strippers how far they want to go with their ministrations."

"I refuse to lap dance anyone."

"That you must do." Gail shot her a dead glance. "I heard when men were happy they shared things. Dancing is not cheating."

"But making-out is!"

Priscilla took a breath and let it out with "Depends. There are people who believe that even thinking about someone else is cheating. As I said before… you have to define the limits of cheating but I am pretty sure Holly does not reckon snogging as cheating."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because neither do I," she rolled her eyes.

"But you are… like a succubus or something. We have been here for a month and I am sure I saw you disappear with a girl at least four times."

The older woman smiled and shook her head. "Well honey, you are taken, so I am having fun for the both of us. Anyway what do you think about Holly?" Gail frowned. "She is a sexual being and it would be very hypocritical for her to find snogging as cheating… considering her wild years. Kisses may just happen, mixed signals from your part or from their part and you are snogging someone who is not your significant one, like just now. This girl was attracted to you so she kissed you. You could not do much, so it just happened but calling this as a cheating… come on. It sucks, yea, but that is not a reason to break up a relationship."

"Some people think different," mumbled Gail quietly remembering her break-up with Chris.

"Really?" wondered her colleague. "Ah well, but you don't have to even kiss anyone, look," she pointed the booth to their right. There was another girl lap-dancing a man. She was only moving on his lap and he could not stop talking. "You see, some people are easy, those who like to play it tough you will have to push by some gentle touching, but I am pretty sure you have your ways without using your tongue."

"Is this supposed to be a pep-talk?" doubted the younger woman.

"Hm, I am horrible at this, you are right," she drank the rest of her alcohol and stood up. "Let's get the business done." She pulled her friend on her feet and they headed to the bar. "So, Paco, what is the catch?" she asked the bartender, hopping up on the stool.

The man smiled and prepared another cocktail. "Exactly what you see around, nothing more and nothing less. How far you want to go depends on you, tips are all yours, but no fucking, this is not a whorehouse but highly acclaimed club."

The older woman shrugged and winked at her companion, sipping her drink.

"So the customers are not allowed to touch me?" asked the blonde.

"No, not even if you want them to." He pointed to one of the big muscled men watching the place. "One touch is a warning, second firing."

"And what about me?" asked the Priscilla.

Francisco looked her up and down. "I remember you in the ally, you have good body." She arched her left eyebrow. "Paris is good for you." He pointed his hand to the right next to the Arabian theme. There was a podium with the theme of Eiffel tower, boats on Seine, Notre Dame, and Sucre Coeur.

"Nope," she refused. "I like to keep an eye on my girl." She sent a sweet smile to her friend.

"You don't dance, no work here."

"Tut, tut, tut, you want my girl, I am a package deal."

"She is not the only one, I can hire another."

"But you want me," Gail said, leaning on the counter, leaving a good view on her chest. "I am hot, I am cute and very good at my job," she purred the way that even a real cat would be jealous.

The man chuckled and looked back at Priscilla. "I cannot be here all nights and someone must tend the bar."

"That I can do," smiled the brunette.

The bartender poured three shots. "Deal?"

"Deal," the older police worker agreed and raised her glass, looking at her partner.

"Deal," nodded Gail. The clinked their glasses together and drank to seal the deal.

Once the women were outside, the blonde sighed. "I need to call Holly."

"Why? To have permission to cheat?" teased the brunette and obtained a poke into the ribs.

"You said it's not cheating!" she yelped desperately.

"I am trying to stay in your world… and point out the silliness," she grinned. "Use the common phone booth and make it fast." She took a few steps back to look and sniff around. Then she gave her partner the green light to make the call.

After the third ring, Holly picked up. "Stewart."

Gail let out a loud sigh. "So great to hear you," she said dreamily as her heart was melting.

"Gail? Are you alright?"

"Yes, no, depends. Much better now when I hear your voice?"

"Are you drunk or high?" the doctor asked suspiciously.

"A bit tipsy," admitted the blonde. "Listen, we might have a lead but it involves me as a stripper." There was a silence on the other end. "Holly?"

The other woman laughed. "And you are calling me to give you a permission, right?"

"How do you know that?"

"I know you, Gail," she was still chuckling. "Go for it and catch the bad guy. If there is no sex involved I am fine."

"But I might kiss other people."

"That sucks."

"But I love only you."

"I know, sweetheart."

"So are you okay with it?"

"I am looking at the bright side when you show me all your new moves." Gail groaned. "Thank you for calling me," she said gently.

"It was good to hear you," the blonde smiled, floating on cloud nine.

"You too. I love you, and be safe."

Gail hung up and with her companion they went to their flat. They had a good twenty minute walk ahead to sober up and clear their heads. The blonde was deep in her thoughts, it was so refreshing to at least hear Holly's voice which put a silly smile on her face. She missed the scientist so much. The phone call made her both happy and sad. She could not wait to get the mission done and return home.

Half an hour later they heard a knock on the door. Priscilla went to answer and invited the newcomer in.

"I thought you would come," said the officer.

"How could you know that?"

"If you recognised me you would come."

The blonde entered the kitchen and saw a young southern looking woman in early thirties, smaller than her partner. "Who are you?" she asked but was ignored.

"Of course I would come, you are in my territory," remarked the newcomer.

"We are just passing by," replied Gail filling a large glass of water to hydrate her brain and prevent possible hangover.

"Peck, when will you learn to stop lying?!" said Priscilla irritated but did not leave her eyes from the stranger who was roaming around the kitchen leisurely picking up random things.

"What do you really want?"

"One bad guy," answered the brunette police worker. To Gail it appeared those two women were dancing around each other carefully. "And since you were eating one of the victims you know there really is one. Also you might have connection to them."

In that moment the constable understood who the other person was. "So you have your wolfish issue," she said, the two women looked at her.

"Something like that," responded the stranger. "Maybe we should solve them. Neither of us has much time for this."

Priscilla nodded in agreement and backed a few steps. "Gail, don't do anything until this is over."

"I won't let you get killed."

"No one will die. Just gain respect," said the strange woman. "You should teach your human about us."

"We are all humans."

"Let's get this over with." The newcomer growled and her eyes changed from light brown into yellow the same way Priscilla's changed into blazing green.

The younger police worker watched the scene in front of her in slow motion. The stranger crouched and charged forward. It seemed that her colleague had expected it and moved to the left. With her right hand she caught the other woman under her neck, picked her up and slammed her against the wooden table. Without a second of hesitation she bit her ear. The other woman was squirming and snarling that changed into a choked howling, and when she was held still down, her cries quietened into whining. She was neither fighting back nor trying to get away. She lied there devoted to the more dominant person.

Priscilla let go and the loser rolled off the table to the ground, kneeling on one leg he head bent the most possible.

"Now it's over," stated the police officer.

"Yes, my lady," agreed the other woman.

"That was fast," wondered Gail and sat down at the table. "You can fight even when you are drunk."

"Yes, I am awesome," commented Priscilla but not very happily. She took two glasses from a shelf and filled them with water just like her partner did. "Alright, we settled our things, so come to join us." The stranger did as she was told but her head was still bent submissively. "You know if you did not invade my home all smugly I would let you win."

"Yes, my lady."

"Great, now first things first. What happened to you?"

"I had a bad car accident. I was fighting between life and death. My husband is a shaman and he pled his gods to save my life and heal me. Wolves have fast regeneration, so one wolf‑spirit entered me."

A loud disturbance echoed the room as someone was banging the door. "Patty, are you alright? Please, somebody open the door, let her live!" cried a desperate male voice.

"Our neighbours must love us," said Gail cynically and went to open.

A dark skinned man in his late forties looked in and his gaze softened as he saw his wife living and breathing. "I heard your call," he said.

The blonde stepped away from the way but the man stood still. "If you are a vampire I am not inviting you in," she remarked.

"It is not polite to enter anybody's house unless invited," stated the man.

"Yes or no would be great."

"No, I am not."

Gail looked at her friend quizzically. "Vampires can lie, they have no heartbeat."

"Just let him in," said the older police worker. "He has a beating heart."

They gathered at the table discussing the recent problems of missing people.

"Why were you eating the dead woman?" asked Priscilla the other lycan.

"I was not. The woman was dead, I could not help, so I searched for something useful."

"You should have called police," said Gail.

"Why didn't you?" asked the brunette officer.

"I was upset, my eyes would make me suspicious."

"Hm, and what do you know about the missing people?"

"We were trying to find them, but the assaulter must have a strong charm over their house," said the man. "My finding spells do not work nor can Patty smell them. Is there any connection to the dead girl under the maple tree?"

"Yes. The killer is a chemist and uses ammonia on their victims."

"Priscilla, we shouldn't discuss the case," warned Gail her partner.

"Patricia is under my command and…"

"Darren," the man introduced his name. "I understand your bond. I would do nothing that could jeopardize Patty's life."

"That's sweet," the blonde rolled her eyes at the romance.

"What are your jobs?" asked Priscilla.

"I am a journalist," answered the woman. "Darren works as a caretaker in ZOO."

"That's good," nodded younger of the police pair. "She could dig for us everything about the abducted women."

"Can you do that?"

"Anything you want," responded the other dark hair lycan.

"Patricia, look up," commanded the older officer and the woman did as she was told. "I need you to help us not to get yourself into troubles. And just because I kicked your bum does not mean you have to be all submissive." The female stranger nodded. "Good, now please, find what you can and in two days we are going to meet at Arboretum during lunch."

They said their goodnights and went their own way and the two police workers could finally crawl into beds. Alas the sleep did not come.

"What is your wolfish story?" asked Gail suddenly.

"Why are you asking? You know it by now."

"A mad voodoo hag sent wolves to kill you but you survived and are crazy now."

The brunette chuckled. "That is the basic summarisation, yes."

"But why? Tell me the whole story," she turned her head to the other bed.

"I never really liked Erica and when she hit Holly that was the last drop into my cup. So I went to her place to tell her my mind. She attacked me, I practically swept the floor with her and pressed charges for violence, stalking and attacking a police worker. That must be when I really pissed her off.
"I remember it was a big bright full moon so I was taking Meredith for a romantic walk into the forest to this really beautiful lake when wolves attacked us. I helped Meredith up on a tree but before I could climb up I was pulled down as a dinner for the wolf pack. I don't remember much. I was in and out of consciousness. There were screams and loud voices… but you know what I remember, it was silent, I stood by a bed at a hospital and I saw Holly in a corner of the room. She was crying. I came to her to sooth her but she kept crying, calling my name. Suddenly it felt like I was sucked and those loud voices appeared again. It was weird."

"You came back to life for Holly," stated Gail. She was a bit confused of what to think at that moment.

"She is my best friend and I would do anything for her. She saved me many times. Oi, you have nothing to be jealous of."

"I am not."

"And now you are lying again."

Gail threw a pillow at her colleague. "You dog," she smiled. "But what am I supposed to think of it?"

"That you have a faithful friend… unless you break Holly's heart, then I am your worst enemy. No, really, love between friends is on a completely different level. There is nothing romantic, no sex –" The blonde cleared her throat. "Alright, since that one time there is no sex."

"Was it that horrible?"

"Nah, it was quite good. But we are no lovers. It was more of a booty call anyway. We broke up –Meredith and I– and I was desperate and Holly was there. I am not needy, usually I am the same wet blanket like you –" Another pillow flew Priscilla's way. She laughed and continued. "It's true! After seven years I proposed and she gave me a telling-off for being the police dog and that she was cheating on me and got pregnant. That ruined me completely."

"But you saved her life that night when you became this human dog. You both could be dead, or she could be dead if you saved just your own butt."

"Yea, benefits of helping someone," she said cynically.

"But you turned out alright, I mean you have all these cool abilities."

"You mean like I have the life literally in black and white colours. No lies can be uttered in front of me, not even those white lies. And people do lie on daily basis and sometimes it is necessary. Next, oversensitive nose so I smell absolutely everything all the time no matter how disgusting the dead bodies, rotten meat or chemicals are, not to mention other smelly things. And speaking of chemicals, they can cause such a strong allergic reaction that they can kill me, or at the best I look like a teenager. Also hearing is very sensitive, I hear everything around, people just don't shut up and give me peace. And believe me many times I hear things I would rather not. Other cool abilities… oh my eyes are freaking changing and when I am really pissed off my teeth feel weird and if I lose control, I can scare everyone around. Yeah, really cool," she ended her talk sardonically.

"I haven't thought about it that way."

"No one really does. They usually see either a super-powered freak if I am on their good side or a beast because people fear the unknown the most."

"But I bet you have saved a lot of people because of it. You are a sniffer who can talk and think and act. You are an amazing police worker and people look up at you. Hell, even my mother had respect for you." One of her pillow ended on the blonde's face.

"Sweet-talker."

"I don't know what she found out about you but was your rank really that high? You see, she does not respect many people and yet she was willing to let you take all those expensive electronic thingies and call in favour her friend here in Ottawa law enforcement."

"You are in this mission. Of course she would make sure it is as safe as possible. "

"Well you are the one obsessed with security. Is that why you became a police officer? To make the world a safer place."

The brunette chuckled again. "No, it was a deal between me and Judge Stewart. I used to dream about a white coat and a laboratory."

"What?" wondered the blonde. "It seems like quite a story."

"Not really. Not get some sleep, you will need it tomorrow."

The alcohol tired body and overwhelmed minds finally took over and both fell asleep fast.

Gail obtained a phone call from the station that Holly was kidnapped. She felt her heart sank as the fear flooded her chest, spreading to the rest of her body. This can't be happening again.

She ran, fast and far away. Where the rest of the rescue team was she did not know nor she had time to wonder. The worried constable entered a building, determined to get her girl back and make the kidnapper suffer very painfully. Once behind the entrance door there was a veil. Gail spread it opened and stepped in a room. What a strange room full of mirrors. Just great! Like that was the time to play hide and seek.

She pulled out a gun from her holster, holding it in front of her, she browsed the labyrinth.

"Five minutes, Constable," announced a modified voice, echoing through the room.

"Who the hell are you and what do you want?" demanded Gail.

"It's about what you want," the voice laughed and died.

"Dammit," the blonde cursed and looked around, trying to find at least some marker which would help her in the labyrinth of mirrors.

The ceiling was all black, wall reflected her own figure and the floor was a shining grey marble. Fortunately every stone had its unique pattern. Watching the ground Gail moved forward, occasionally checking her watch.

Four minutes, twenty-three seconds later she reached a large wooden door, she opened it and peaked in, expecting a certain brunette all tied up. Instead there was a white light and nothing else. She stepped it and the light dispersed in a bright room with mirrors on the walls and ceiling as well. And a large bed with silk dark red and black cover.

"Good timing," said someone from behind. It was a very familiar voice with a hint of playfulness.

The officer turned around and her jaw almost dropped. "Holly?" she asked and looked her partner from head to toe. She was dressed in a long white furry winter coat and high heels. "What does it mean?"

"Whatever you want," the other woman grinned, coming closer in a perfect cat walk, unbuttoning her coat. "Your desires may be fulfilled tonight," she purred.

Gail felt her blood warmingand rising to many parts of her body. She missed her nerdy pathologist so much and seeing her all attractive like that after a month, made the arousal sky high. Especially after the coat was unbuttoned and revealed a very sexy leather bra and skirt… and a whip?! The police worker could not speak, her mouth dry and heat reached her face and ears.

"So, Officer Peck, I believe it's time to remove your uniform," said the doctor still in sultry tone. She came close and opened Gail's shirt button by button, not leaving her eyes from the blonde's clear blue yet confused ones.

The constable did not understand a thing what was happening around her. But her girl was safe and sound and sexy as hell. And the blonde missed her a lot. Not caring about anything anymore, impatiently she waited for Holly to do the last button and swung them around pushing the brunette down on the bed. The passion and long term denial of a certain physical pleasure made the police worker eager to reconnect with her beloved person. She managed as much as to remove the furry coat and bra before she was turned around and laid on her back. Within moments all clothes were discarded and they could give it to the overwhelming feeling of touch and caress. The mirrors reflected the two naked figures pleasing each other in the most sensual way. Overwhelming it really became very fast. Actually faster than usual. As in almost unreal way.

And then the familiar white light rushed through Gail's body.

She sat up on her bed totally disoriented. Her breath was fast as well as heartbeat. Her muscles were tired like they had run a marathon yet she could feel some level of happiness which was slowly replaced by sadness as the heavy heart realised the absence of the person she loved so much. It was all just a dream. Gail was still on the mission in a little flat in Ottawa. Almost three hundred miles away from home.

Paco = abbreviation for Francisco (I just love Spanish, it is a really beautiful language ^^)

thank you!