The club had gotten a lot more crowded when Adriana by the time Adrana went to the stage, and she actually felt more calm with more people, noise and commotion. But still she wasn't sure if she was brave enough to go out.

"Here," Melody said, handing Adriana a shot glass. "Looks like you need it."

Adriana took it and swallowed it immediately even though she was already drunk.

"Want me to go up with you?" Melody asked.

"Is that allowed?" Adriana asked. "For auditioning?"

Melody replied, "I don't think they would mind."

"Who is he?" Adriana pointed to the man who commented on her in the boss's office.

"Michael," Melody answered. "Boss's son. Cute huh?"

"Sure," Adriana nodded. "Do we have to wait for the manager?"

"No," Melody guessed. "Plus he already said you're hired so he probably just sent Michael to make sure you can at least move halfway decent. Next song we can go up."

Adriana looked around the crowded club and spotted Damien by the bar. Harri looked like she was trying to hide from him, facing away and covering half her face. He didn't seem to notice her as he took a drink from the bartender and walked back over to his friends.

"Let's go," Melody smiled and went up on the the stage with had 3 poles and a sparkly floor.

Adriana followed Melody's lead as the song started. It had a dark techno sound, almost gothic. Adriana loved the rhythm as the song started and she felt herself moving naturally to the music. Melody was already dancing slowly around the center pole and Adriana went to the one on her right. She found herself copying Melody's simple moves at first and then made them her own. As Melody began to ascend the pole Adriana leaned against hers with her back and held it with one and and slowly lowered herself to the floor. She then turned facing the pole, feeling like she was experimenting but having a great deal of fun, and used both hands to hold herself up and spun quickly in a circle, balancing on the tips of the heels. She made things up as she went along, the dark music now filled with a deep whisper in what Adriana identified as Russian language. As she lowered down into a split she noticed there was a larger crowd around their stage. She leaned her head back and enjoyed the feeling of the deep stretch in her legs and Melody came over to her. Adriana rolled slowly onto her side, moving like a snake as she and Melody danced closely. She heard a bit of cheering as they both danced together. They then went to their separate poles and began to dance more and Adriana could see money on the floor as she spun in a half circle. As the song came to an end and she lowered herself down onto the floor again she saw Damien in front of her. His facial expression made her want to dance more. A mixture of shock, surprise, and a touch of horror. She smiled as she flipped her hair and felt a bill fly onto the stage and touch her knee. As the song quieted she stood slowly, still dancing and left the stage .

As she walked towards the stairs to the dressing room area Damien stepped in front of her. At first he didn't speak, he looked her up and down as if she was a stranger. He then grabbed her arm and his expression became fiery and started to pull her in the opposite direction towards the rooms for private dances.

"I'm a cop," Damien said and showed the badge on his hip to the bouncer before the guy could say anything to them. "Anyone in there?"

"No sir," the bouncer said.

"I need to interrogate this woman," he said to the bouncer. "Officer of the law. Do no interrupt."

"Gotcha," the bouncer said and looked Adriana up and down. Maybe she was an illegal immigrant, he thought. He didn't recognize her and thought it best that one of the regulars who was a cop handle this before it became a big deal.

Adriana expected him to yell at her. To demand to know what she was doing there. But instead, he asked no questions. Damien pulled her into a very lavish and sensual looking room with several couches and a few different doorways. He pulled her into one with chandelier on the ceiling and an enormous mirror with an even larger couch decorated with red pillows.

"What are you-" she started to say.

She stopped speaking as he kissed her and pushed her down onto the couch and she felt his hands groping her body.

"No, stop," she said and started to push him away. He didn't stop and she began to hit him but he didn't seem to notice at all. As he bit her bottom lip she noticed a small bowl on the table beside her and reached for it but saw that it contained a small tea candle.

She asked him to stop several more times and pushed against him with no success.

It had happened so fast she couldn't even understand how it was already happening. One second they were standing and the next he was on her, inside of her, and thrusting.

The bowl was in her hand a moment later and she quickly turned it so the candle fell out onto the glass table and hit him on the side of the head four times.

"What the hell?" he asked. "What-"

"What is wrong with you?" she said and pushed him away and looked back at the table to see the candle had gone out.

"Are you deaf? I told you to stop," she said and flung the bowl at him and fixed her stringy outfit.

"Why are you here?" he asked angrily and blocked the bowl with his arm. "Isn't this why you're here?"

"I don't have to answer to you," said and stood up, adjusting the outfit to cover herself again. "This isn't for you. I came here to break up with you, if you must know. But they asked if I wanted to audition."

He was quiet and she could tell this was not the answer he was expecting.

"So,yeah," she said and backed away. "It's over."

"Who are you? You cheat on me with Bruce Wayne and now five minutes later you're a stripper?" he asked in an accusatory tone.

"I already told you nothing happened with me and Bruce. I've never cheated on you," she said. "So at least I can leave this relationship with a clear conscience."

"So now what?" he said loudly. "You want to be a stripper? You're doing all this to try to hurt me. You're better than this-"

"You didn't care that I was stripper two minutes ago when you forced yourself on me," she replied and saw him getting more angry.

"What do you want from me?" he asked after a long silence.

"Nothing," she said and walked past him. "I want nothing from you. I just want out of this relationship."

She left the room and walked quickly until she passed the bouncer who looked at her a bit suspiciously. After making a dash for the dressing rooms, which was now full of girls, and changing quickly, Melody found her.

"Here," Melody said. "You ran off." She handed Adriana what looked like a small white trash bag.

"What's this?" Adriana asked.

"Your money," Melody said. "Me and Marcia already took our cut. I took half of the stage cash and the money for the outfit. China took $20 because you used her shoes. You've got like $400 in there."

"Oh," Adriana said and took the bag. "Thanks."

"Sure," Melody said and picked up the heels in front of Adriana. "Welcome to Savannah's."

Adriana considered the fact that she had just been raped. He had barely gotten in, had only thrusted two or three times, but she felt sick. She wanted to hurl. She walked over to where Harri was still sitting.

"Let's get out of here."

"I saw you and Damien. I saw him drag you off," Harri said. "You tell him the relationship is over?Is it done?"

"Yes," Adriana said. "It finally is."

"Great," Harri said and got into the car. "You did great up there by the way."

"Thanks," Adriana said.

"I almost tossed a few bills myself but I didn't have any," Harri laughed.

"You're sweet," Adriana said and held up the bag. "There's like $400 in here."

"You're totally buying me an ice cream cone," Harri said. "So how did Damien react?"

"Well," Adriana said, knowing that if she told Harri exactly what happened she would blow a gasket. And what had happened was over so fast, Adriana tried to tell herself it didn't count. It barely happened. "I told him it's over. He put up a bit of a fight..tried to argue. But yeah, I told him it's over."

"I'm so relieved," Harri said.

"Thank you, Harri," Adriana said. And she was thankful that Harri brought her there. She was finally able to see the kind of man Damien was.

.

.

"The name you gave," Lucius said to Bruce. "We've shut down an account based in Baltimore and one in Santa Ana. Both under the name."

"Excellent," Bruce said. "Two point one million, no longer in the Joker's hands."

"Good work, Mr. Wayne," Lucius said.

"Well I've hardly done anything," Bruce replied and took a sip of his coffee as his receptionist called the phone in his office.

"Yes, excellent work by Ms. Navarro," Lucius agreed.

"Indeed," Bruce said and picked up the phone. "Wayne speaking. Great, thank you," Bruce said into the phone. "My eleven o'clock conference call, pushed back for 30 minutes," he said to Lucius as he hung up the phone.

"I'll let you prepare," Lucius said. "Extra half hour could be a good thing."

"That's likely," Bruce agreed.

"Do you think this is finally almost over?" Lucius asked.

"We have seized the bulk of his funds. He's in Arkham," Bruce exhaled. "Only a few more court dates until his sentencing and he will hopefully be there or at Gotham State Penitentiary for life. Yes. I'd say this is a wrap."

"Let's hope so," Lucius replied.

"She's special," Bruce said about Adriana.

"She's achieved what we couldn't on our own," Lucius agreed. "She is special."

"She...may have a problem though," Bruce said.

"A problem?" Lucius asked.

"A drinking problem," Bruce said. "It's none of my business, actually."

"You sound concerned," Lucius noticed.

"She is...a very intelligent women," Bruce said. "I'm sure she can take care of herself."