A/N: Sorry it's taking a bit, drowning in BA exams and my thesis, but hey, have a chapter that's a bit longer this time! PS. Feedback is always appreciated. Like, always, like how Snape says it in HP. It's THAT much appreciated. xx - D.
It was no secret to either of them that the situation was incredibly peculiar, but as Maleficent eyed Aurora from head to toes, she couldn't help but bite back a groan. Everything about the girl was unbelievably distracting, and momentarily she found herself losing sight of why she was really there in the first place. As her eyes travelled from the hem of Aurora's dress to the golden locks of her hair, she saw the girl flinch; was she going to make a run for it?
Oddly enough, Aurora stayed put. Any hesitation she'd felt upon seeing her disappeared quickly - that much Maleficent noticed. The blonde's glare was a mixture of surprise and annoyance, and Maleficent could understand from where both of those feelings originated; she probably thought she was stalking her by now. Maleficent let out a sigh and then prepared to speak, but Aurora beat her to it.
"You really are rather rude", Aurora hissed between clenched teeth as she took a couple of steps forward into the circle-formed room.
Maleficent's mind immediately shot back to the first time she'd ever seen the girl. "You're rather rude, staring at me like that." The memory of the girl, young and sweet, bored at her own birthday-celebration and desperately seeking an understanding soul wrenched inside Maleficent heavily. Still, this was not the same girl. This girl didn't need anyone's approval, nor did she shrink under Maleficent's gaze, this time.
The blonde was clearly annoyed by Maleficent's lack of apologies and embarrassment and thereby pushed on, harder. "I can't understand how you possibly think it's all right to show up here. I'm working, in case you didn't know that."
A small chuckle escaped Maleficent's throat as she glared at the blonde's dress, again. She, too, had changed from the night before; she no longer felt awkward chasing after the girl and felt no need to explain her actions either: they should, by now, have been rather obvious since Aurora was no idiot. She straightened herself up and leaned backwards into the soft pillows of the couch that circled the entire room. "I am indeed aware of it. It is rather hard not to notice, isn't it?"
Aurora blushed. Looking like she was gathering up some courage, she took a few steps forward again, leaving only a few feet between them. "This room is for customers, so… What are you doing here, exactly?" She crossed her arms over her chest but sounded honestly curious.
'What a sudden change', Maleficent thought to herself. Pursing her lips and mimicking Aurora's move, she crossed her arms as well and looked the blonde straight in the eye. "I want to speak with you."
Aurora shrugged her shoulders. "I don't want to talk. I know what you're going to say. So, unless -"
"Very well, then", Maleficent cut in and dipped her fingers into her bag. She'd known it would come to this. When she'd spoken to Aurora by the bridge and told her that she'd seen her performance, she'd seen the look in the blonde's eyes; shame, or so she'd hoped. A part of her hated taking the low road, but if getting Aurora to realize the trouble she was in could only be done by making her feel cheap, then that was how things would proceed. She opened her wallet and pulled out a pack of notes, and then placed them on the soft surface next to her.
Aurora's eyes widened. There were 300 euros next to Maleficent's leather-covered leg, for her.
For a few moments, neither spoke nor moved. The only thing close to alive was the erotic, light music in the background, and Maleficent waited for the girl's response, nervous.
"What's that for?" Aurora whispered, nodding towards the notes.
"Well…", Maleficent began and leaned slightly onto one of her elbows. "Since you don't want to talk, then do what you were supposed to do. I'll talk, all youhave to do is listen and… Whatever comes to you naturally."
Aurora flinched at that last word and bit her lower lip. Maleficent smiled; she was challenging her. It was quite easy; if Aurora refused to perform, Maleficent would have leverage to claim she was only kidding herself. If Aurora performed, at the end of the session she'd feel so ashamed she'd have no choice but to quit. The brunette hoped that manipulating the blonde wouldn't be a challenge in itself; the circumstances were already far too absurd for her taste.
The minute the song changed, Aurora straightened her back and momentarily closed her eyes. Then, smoothly, she moved in front of Maleficent and got down on her knees. If Maleficent hadn't met the girl before, she could've sworn she did so shamelessly, but there was an edge to the girl's brow, indicating that the situation was far more embarrassing than she revealed it to be.
Aurora reached for the zipper of her dress, undid it, and slipped the dress over her shoulders, revealing her turquoise, silken bra and sharp collarbones. Maleficent focused on keeping a stern expression; she needed to look at the girl like she was judging her. Inside, Maleficent began feeling uneasy and fought the urge to simply ask Aurora to leave this life behind her. She inhaled sharply when the blonde put her hands on her knees. Softly, she pushed them apart and moved in between them, swinging her hips a bit and pressing her cleavage together whilst staring into the emerald orbs with her sapphire ones.
The small hands slid further up Maleficent's thighs until they reached her hips, and Aurora courageously leaned her face towards the brunette's, leaving only inches between them. Maleficent smelled her sticky perfume and the hint of sweat, together with something sweet, and tried her best not to lower her eyes to the curves before her, but she found it hard to hold a steady gaze. When Aurora moved her face to the side of her cheek, she exhaled slowly and closed her eyes momentarily; she was too close, just like those years ago.
"You don't have to comment on anything I have to say", Maleficent began. Her throat was unusually dry. Aurora's nails dug into her pants at her waist. "I know about the dispute between you and your father. I know he disowned you for not wanting to do as he pleased, and -" She was cut off when Aurora got up in one swift movement, and then let the dress fall from her form. Maleficent choked on her own words when she saw the fishnet-stockings that licked Aurora's slender legs. Stepping out of the dress, Aurora moved towards the pole in the center of the room.
"What I meant to say was…", Maleficent continued as Aurora rubbed her bottom against the pole. "I don't agree with what your father did, but I think this is a rather extreme road to take. When I met you before, you were lovely. You…" Aurora turned around and pressed the pole between her breasts. Apparently, if she was going to hit rock bottom, she would do so head-on. "This isn't you. This isn't the right way to make a living. You are smart and you are young."
Aurora seemed to be ignoring her words. She slid down the pole and spread her legs around it, swinging her head back, making her hair look like a wave of gold. She avoided the brunette's eyes and focused on her own heels, just to have somewhere to look, Maleficent thought.
"I'm here because I want to offer you a way out of this", Maleficent continued, finding that she momentarily rather looked at the floor than at Aurora. It was all just too distracting; her exposed skin, her beautiful curves and rosy cheeks, so utterly sensual and appealing. She understood why so many men came to see her. "I want you to come back to London with me. To start over. You won't have to do this… Display yourself, anymore."
That seemed to get Aurora's attention. She jerked still and stared into nothing in front of her, but quickly threw her head back and continued swinging around the pole, arching her back and pressing her chest forward. Maleficent's eyes narrowed; she'd hit home. Now it was only a matter of hitting even further home. Sighing whilst trying not to look at anything but Aurora's eyes, she sat up straight and stared the girl down.
"Aurora", she began, and the girl looked up. "Come here."
Aurora stilled where she stood, then let go of the pole and walked up to the brunette, but stayed put in front of her. Finally, Maleficent allowed herself to look at the blonde properly. Slowly, she raised a hand, meaning to brush the girl's arm, but Aurora took a step back and shook her head.
"You can't touch", she whispered and glared upwards. "There's a camera up there."
Maleficent chuckled. The British man at the door had put a lot of weight on the fact that in the Circle, one could do as one wanted, as long as one paid enough. Aurora refusing to be touched was merely due to her own awkwardness and not the rules of the club, and they both knew it. Maleficent let her tongue linger between her teeth, then flipped her hand, as if she magically tried to discard Aurora's clothes. "Fine. Take it off, then."
Aurora's eyes widened clearly and she let out a quick gasp. "What?"
Maleficent nodded towards Aurora's remaining clothing. "Take it off. All of it."'Please be smart. Don't make me do this.'
Half a minute went by, during which Maleficent regretted her words, but it wasn't in her character to excuse herself. Then, Aurora's hands travelled to the straps of her bra, and she slowly pulled them down, then unclasped the whole thing from behind. It fell to the floor easily, revealing her completely. Maleficent had already seen her - and felt her cheeks aflame before - but she allowed herself to look down, studying the roundness of Aurora's beautiful breasts. She felt incredibly warm and hoped it didn't show on her face. Then, everything went back. Aurora shrunk before her, just like before, her cheeks red from embarrassment, and she fidgeted where she stood.
"Did you not hear me?" Maleficent asked arrogantly and tapped on the notes next to her, pointing out that she had paid for a show. "All of it."
Aurora's chest heaved as she breathed hard, her fingers creeping to the edge of her panties, but her movements stopped there. Her lower lip began trembling, only slightly but enough for Maleficent to notice, and her heart broke a little bit inside of her. Still, she kept her face firm, knowing there was no other way, but it didn't stop her from feeling disgusted with herself.
"Please", Aurora whispered, voice broken. She was clutching what remained of her clothing, and pleading the older woman with her eyes.
"You don't need to do this", Maleficent whispered, leaning forward onto her elbows. Aurora was almost shaking now; she had pressed her eyes shut and lowered her chin, defeated. One of her arms came up to cover her breasts. "You clearly don't want to do this, so leave. Come home with me."
Aurora let out a sob and bent down to fetch her dress. She then pressed it to her chest and looked at the older woman through tear-filled eyes. "Why the hell do you even care? We met once. Why are you doing this? I was fine, there was no need to walk in here and make me feel like shit."
Maleficent shook her head. Aurora was brave, there was no doubt about that. "You feel like shit because this is a shitty thing to be doing. I care because you were such a strong soul. I can't pretend that I never saw you here. I did, and I need to take you home. If you hate it there, then you can do as you please later. I'll deal with your father, there's no need to worry about him." With that, Maleficent grabbed her purse and coat and got up, leaving the notes on the couch and making Aurora step back a bit. She glared at the dress that the girl was holding so closely, like a lifeline, to her heaving chest. Sighing, Maleficent took out a card from her pocket and handed it over to Aurora, who took it with trembling fingers. "Meet me there tomorrow at noon, and bring your passport, together with anything essential. I'll take care of the rest." With that, she walked past Aurora, leaving her clutching the note.
"Aurora", Maleficent said softly before opening the door, content and pleased with her completed mission. "I don't waste my time on people who don't deserve it. Remember that. You'll do well to show up tomorrow. I trust you to be that smart."