Ashley always tried her hardest to make all her customers happy, constantly pushing herself further with her dancing. Sometimes though it didn’t seem like enough. She looked in the mirror at her reflection in the change room before fluffing her hair and slipping her heels on. She stood up from her chair once they were buckled on and she strutted out, standing tall. She pushed open the door to reveal a full club. You would think these men would have better things to do considering where they were but money is money. She started she way the the back stage and noticed all the old dingy men and some young not so bad ones. She stepped up one stage and gripped the pole looking out the see if the only person that mattered was there, Leon.
That’s when he heard the comment rise from the man directly behind him and the arm begin to reach past his head.* “Gimme some of that sweet pussy bitch!” *As some of the man laughed, Leon’s arm shot up and gripped the man’s wrist powerfully in a movement hardly noticeable. the man looked confused when his hand stopped at first, but when the pain set in, he noticed what had happened. Leon slowly turned his head to face the man as everyone stopped what they were doing, smiled turning to worried frowns and eyebrows lifted in surprise. His eyes held his obvious rage.* “Excuse me….”
He stood up and moved quickly over to the Guy. He put a hand against the Guy’s chest as he was gonna make a move. Don’t even Pal…it’ll be the worst and last mistake of your life, trust me. The Guy was about to protest when he looked up at the Sky Runner shirt Roger wore and shut up. Roger looked at Leon and nodded that he could let go.It’s ok Sir, he doesn’t know shit, he won’t be an issue anymore. He waited to see what Leon would do.
-Sitting in a jeep parked across the street from the Club, Clarissa sat staring at the blazing neon lights of the front entrance. All the military vehicles that were parked around its outskirts, as well as hotted up bikes, she knew that most of her platoon, and probably Leon were in the night spot, enjoying watching the vamps of the dance floor, strut their stuff, giving the men an eyeful and a hard on too boot
One of the junior officers pulled up in his car, in a space not far from Clarissa and got out, clicking his key alarm as he got ready to enter the club. This was when he spotted Clarissa sitting in her jeep. He knew they were off duty and approached her with respect, nodding as he stood just outside her car door.
“Ma’am? What are you doing here?”
Clarissa wasn’t exactly pleased to see the junior officer and rolled her eyes.
“I was asking myself the same thing, Johnson.”
Johnson smiled at her, seeing her appear so awkward, and then offered to escort her inside.
“We all gotta let out hair down sometime, Ma’am.”
He was right…for the most part, and Clarissa sat for a moment, before finally relenting and alighted from her jeep.
“Maybe one drink…” she said with a shake of her head, her blond curls resting upon her shoulder. The young officer beamed, since it kinda looked like they were on a date, and together crossed the street, heading into the club.
What met them as they entered, was a possible situation between Leon, Rodger, and a guy that had already had too much to drink. ~Great…~ she thought. Not wanting to get involved, or seen, she sidled up to the bar with Johnson, and ordered a JD and coke, sitting on a bar stool, and every now and then, looking over her shoulder at the trio.
“
Leeta, having already done her set earlier, sat at the bar, nursing a drink. She wasn’t really paying attention to anything or anyone, pretty much off in her own little world. She released a melancholy sigh and signalled for another Rum and Coke. The bartender strolled over and started making her drink. “What’s got you lookin all dog-eared pitiful?” came the question. Leeta looked up, eyes hot with anger. “None of your damn business.” she snapped. The bartender held up her hands in a warding off gesture and moved to help someone else. Leeta took a sip of her drink and smacked her lips against the taste as she contemplated the best way to murder someone and hide the body without ever being caught.
Flashback:
Earlier in the day, as she was walking across the base, she had come across Eric and Neytiri in a heated embrace. It caused her to stop in her tracks, staring with her mouth open in shock and her heart feeling as if it was shriveling up in her chest. She knew the two were together and had been lucky (or unlucky, depending on how one looked at it) enough not to have proof of it. But here was the proof she didn’t want, smacking her in the face. Her fists clenched until the nails bit into her palms, drawing blood. She had turned on her heel and stormed away…
Shaking her head to rid herself of the images, she turned on her barstool, leaning back on her elbows to watch Ashley at work. She refused to think about HIM and his BITCH any more that evening.
However, as he stared at the man, his eyes caught the opening of the doors to the club and they darted over, to see someone he held closest to his heart enter, and his grip on the man’s wrist loosened as much as his expression. Rissa, as he called entered with another man, and he rose a brow, curious at this. He allowed the man’s arm to leave his hand, but held his eyes tightly onto Rissa’s form as she made her way to the bar.*
“Get your wrist looked at.”
*The words came soft, and things started up again.The man scrambled away, and Leon’s eyes held fast to Rissa as she sat the bar, with who Leon could only guess, was her date. the problem with the thinking though? Clarissa Grant on a DATE is almost as rare as him loosing a fight. It just didn’t happen, at least, not to the best of Leon’s knowledge. He turned away from her though, allowing Ashley to push his thoughts form his mind with her dancing and found himself being mesmerised by her body, all his worries leaving him in one instant. Though many soldiers came to the club to watch the dancers, none did so for the reasons Leon did.*
-The crowd had swelled in size and number, as Ashley began her routine in earnest. Working the golden stage pole, and practically having sex with it. She was a professional, there was no doubt about it, and with the strobe lighting beaming lasers, and adding to the mix, along with the heavy beat of the base, she gyrated and bent her body in ways that would tantalize the crowd, including Leon. In fact, Clarissa could see, how Ashley was gazing down at Leon as she performed her routine.
It wasn’t lost on Clarissa that Leon had seen her enter, and the fact she had the young officer with her, might have had questioning if she was at the bar on a date. Clarissa quickly averted her gaze away from Leon, as it hit her. ~Oh god..he must think I’m here with Johnson.~ she thought to herself, wanting to hide from the unwanted attention.
Clarissa was a career officer, first and foremost, so the fact she was even in the club was a shock for those who recognized her. But Johnson, was lapping up being by her side. There was no mistaking it, Clarissa was a very beautiful women, whether she was in fatigues or dressed in civilian clothes. The young officer watched her order a drink, then he found his eyes going over her svelte frame, and he was no longer interested in the wild dancing of Ashley. He honestly thought he might have a chance with his superior officer…if she had enough to drink.
“Ma’am….can I get you another?” Johnson asked, as he took the bar stool beside her.
“You don’t have to call me that here, Johnson. I have a name.”
“Sorry, Ma’am….can I ask what that is?’
“Rissa..”
Johnson practically bounced in his seat, and struck his hand out to get the attention of the bar keep.
“Another JD and coke for the lady here…”
<3>
((Not relating to the RP, but I had to!))
*Leon’s eyes held onto Ashley’s figure as her’s held onto him. His “Girl”, as she liked to flaunt herself, worked the pole like no other, and it’s why she was given her position. That and because she got the owner to become sweet on her, and he gave her the job way too quickly without even seeing her dance. It was mere luck she ended up knowing what it was she was doing. Though his bright blue eyes held onto Ashley’s forms as the bright lights carried over her, his mind would find it’s way back to Rissa and dwindle on her and the man she was with. He wasn’t worried. Not at all. But, it did bring him pause. His eyes constantly dwindled over to the two at the bar, and he saw her get her second drink…and accept it. <Maybe it is a date….> He thought to himself as his shoulders rose and feel in a deep breath.*
*He turned from Ashley, and found his way outside, where he reached in the pocket of his black jeans and pulled out a box of cigarettes. Opening it, he pulled the lighter out of the box and a single cigarette from the box. He put it to his mouth, and lit it, inhaling it’s sweet deathly smoke. Thanks to his Genetic enhancements, he was practically immune to diseases, including cancer. He’s been up to this hobby for years now, and it has hardly affected him. His mind traveled to Rissa, and her male friend as he leaned against the wall about ten feet from the door, staring up to the night time sky. The Avalonia night time sky was always one that amazed him in it’s beauty, with stars and almost three moons over it’s body that lit the sky like the strobes of the club. It was a sight to behold, and though he should be used to it, it was the one thing that calmed his mind from thought completely.*
“Doesn’t matter anyway…duty first. As always.” *And their duties were too large to be disturbed.*
The atmosphere within the club was electric, for the patrons were whooping and cat calling at Ashley’s performance and antics on the stage. But back at the bar, it was another story, as the bar keep placed a second JD and coke in front of Clarissa, and she had barely touched the first one. Glancing sideways at Johnson, she caught the way he was looking at her…no…leering at her, like he was hyena and had just spotted “lunch”. It became clear, that his order for the second drink was more to get her in the mood, like many of the patrons there. Some of the other club dancers were going around from table to table, offering to do lap dances, for the right amount of cash. This was when Clarissa spotted Leon leave. As he cut through the crowd, her face fell, only imagining what he must have thought. He wouldn’t walk out on Ashley’s act. She was the reason he was probably here.
Clarissa bit her bottom lip, when Johnson leaned over and whispered in her ear;
“I bet you would slide on that pole better than Ashley…Rissa.”
“Excuse me?” Clarissa nearly fell off her bar stool, but instead steadied herself using both hands to grip onto.
“I…don’t dance…or slide on poles. Thank you very much…Corporal Johnson.”
Just then, one of the dancers was strutting passed wearing next to nothing at all, maybe a post it on each breast and a hanky for a thong. Clarissa ripped out a fifty dollar bill and waved it at the dancer.
“This gentleman would like..to hire you for his “Johnson”…for I dunno, whatever the number of bounces you give for fifty dollars”
The dancer snatched the fifty dollar note from Clarissa’s fingers, and then grabbed hold of Johnson’s tie, as she dragged him off to a private booth. Clarissa chuckled, and wiggled her fingers at him as he was dragged away by the class act, and Clarissa sat back down staring at her two glasses of JD and coke. She knew this probably got attention of the dark skinned beauty sitting beside her and she said over the heavy beat of the music.
“Wanna free drink?”
<3>
-While Clarissa toyed with pushing the second glass of JD and coke towards the girl beside her, Leeta kindly declined, then sat for a moment, not saying another word. With the background of heavy bass music and coloured lights, it was hard enough to hear the person next to you as it was. Clarissa simply moved the drink back towards the bar keep, not wanting to drink it just cause it was there. She let out a sigh, only to turn to look at the girl beside her, who was looking back at her.
“What is it with men thinking they can try and be your friend but then they go and do something totally stupid…like dating someone you loathe?”
Clarissa was about to interject, her lips parted slightly when….Leeta continued…
“Makes me just want to drop them all off the face of a cliff into an active volcano.”
“I wouldn’t go that…” Clarissa tried to get a word in, but Leeta was on a roll.
“I mean, is it just me or are men that blind? I swear I wake up some days and wonder what the hell is wrong with me that make men all over think that I’m some pushover and don’t know my own feelings.”
Clarissa suddenly found herself smirking, since she couldn’t finish what she was trying to say, so let Leeta have the floor.
“I really don’t understand what he sees in her. She eats rodents for God’s sake!”
The part about the rats, had Clarissa’s eyebrows shoot up and all she could think of was to mouth the sound; “Ewww”
And that was when Leeta came to the end of her rant.
“Sorry for ranting at you like that. I don’t normally just toss all that out there. *her hand outstretched, she introduced herself* “I’m Leeta, by the way. Leeta Bradley.”
Clarissa took the offered hand and shook it firmly, saying “Clarissa Grant..Eternium Class Officer of Echo Base. Pleasure to meet you, Leeta.”
Clarissa slowly removed her hand, then asked of Leeta. “This is going to probably sound like some kind of pick up line, but….what are you doing in a place like this?” She clearly didn’t realize that Leeta was one of the star attractions.
<3>
