Elegant Secrets was a rather upscale place for a strip club. It wasn’t one of those raunchy places that had waitresses walking around topless with a skimpy little scrap of underwear. Hell, the girls that worked the floor for lap dances never took off their clothes either. The only times clothes were discarded were on the catwalk stage that was shaped like a “T” or in the privacy of the Lust rooms. Where the unspeakable acts can be requested, albeit for a very high price.
There were tables that could seat 2-3 people in the middle of the floor around the stage. Most of the customers that came alone sat there. On the side of one wall silk fabric hung from the ceiling to the floor in a billowing affect with lush red padded booths against the wall. Most of the bigger parties sat there and enjoyed their beers while watching a few strip acts. The lighting in the whole place was set up so even a priest could be easily seduced. Low lights with a red tint to it. The color of lust and passion.
The whole place was two stories high. On the upper level were the Lust Rooms and there was a balcony that hung over where the sound system was set up and run by DQ the D.J.
Buffy walked over to her station, a large bar with a dazzling case of alcohol behind it. Matthew, her assistant stood behind it but was currently leaning over the counter to flirt with Candy, a new waitress, who was currently occupying a stool. It was obvious Matthew was trying to get the blonde server to give him her phone number. Moreover, to any onlooker Candy liked playing hard-to-get-yet-still-flirty-role.
Matthew was three years older than Buffy. When Buffy had been hired, which she still found to be quite surprising, it was an even bigger surprise that her job was as head bartender. Jack, the owner of Elegant Secrets, had liked Buffy’s attitude and had passed over Matthew and put Buffy in the head position. At first the girl had no experience making drinks and at that time, she was just barely legal enough to smoke let alone serve drinks. However, Jack didn’t care and had taken some nights to teach Buffy the basic tricks and how to make almost every drink imaginable. Buffy was a quick learner, thanks to Jack’s infinite patience and the help of the bartending books she had bought. Now she could whip up drinks better (and more stylishly) than Tom Cruise could in Cocktails.
Buffy stepped in behind the bar and Matthew finally noticed her. “Hey Buffy,” He greeted.
Buffy just waved him off, unsmiling as she walked over to put her things in one of the empty cabinets beneath the bar. She tried to ignore the words that passed between Matthew and Candy.
“Is she ever nice?” Candy asked, whispering to Matthew.
The young man just shook his head negatively. “Jack says she’s had a hard life.”
Buffy turned to head downstairs to grab the needed cases since it was clear Matthew had not done that yet. Guess I have to have a little chat with Jack. She thought, hating the fact that her boss was telling the people she worked with that she had a hard life, which was the reason why she was so cold to others sometimes.
She didn’t want anyone to know. Couldn’t really blame her if she didn’t want to have a nice girly chat with some of the strippers. Besides, it’s not like anyone even liked her. She came, she did her work, and she stayed out of the drama between the girls when one used another’s lipstick without asking. Buffy really didn’t want anyone to know because there was always a chance they would butt into her business. If she wanted that, she would go back to her old friends.
Buffy picked up two cases of Classic Rum that were stacked up on top of each other with little effort. Walking back up the cellar steps, she kicked the door open with her foot to find Matthew standing in the doorway. He took the case from the top and set it down, followed by Buffy.
“You shouldn’t carry two of these by yourself. You’re just a little thing.” After working almost a year at Elegant Secrets, Buffy found it surprising that Matthew hadn’t figured out Buffy wasn’t like most girls. If she wanted to, Buffy could carry more items heaped together than Matthew could any day.
Buffy just waved him off again as she faced away from the bar to fix her black camisole top and twist her hair up into her black dragonfly adorned clip.
“Can you just start serving customers please?” Buffy asked Matthew, turning around to serve one herself.
Matthew held up his hands in defeat, getting the hint that she was not in a good mood tonight. She never is.
“Dry Whiskey and a glass of water with a slice of lemon.” Came her first customer order. Buffy didn’t bother to look up to see who it was. Only ‘suits’ ordered their drinks with water and lemon. Suits were businessmen who worked behind desks all day in a nice air-conditioned office. The slayer knew she’d be getting a lot of orders like this seeing as it was Friday, a day for a lot of suits to unwind and watch the goodies but not to touch. Later that night they would go home, lay down in bed (sometimes next to sleeping unsuspecting wives) and dream about everything they had watched at Elegant Secrets.
Finished with making the customer’s drink Buffy topped off the glass of water with a thin slice of lemon before pushing it across the counter. “Five fifty,” she demanded, holding out her hand. Still not looking at the customer in the eye she took the three- dollar bills as her tip and put into her back pocket.
Out of the corner of her eye Buffy saw Matthew place Candy’s order of drinks on her tray. As she got the next order done she watched as the male bartender continued to stare at Candy’s retreating back. Mainly at her ass. Of course.
“Kippler,” she said in a strict tone, calling Matthew by his last name. His head turned to look at Buffy with the same dazed expression on his face, fantasizing about the big-breasted waitress. “Get back to work,” she ordered, pointing to the patrons lining across the bar.
Matthew quickly began to take orders and getting drinks ready. He sneered at the thought of listening to Buffy. She wasn’t even legal to drink, yet she was practically his boss. Hell when she first got the job, the girl had just turned 18. Though Matthew knew why Jack gave Buffy the position. Like all men, including Matthew, Jack found dominating, bossy women a turn on. Especially if they were hot. And, Matthew couldn’t deny the fact that Buffy Summers was hot. She had reasonable sized boobs, great curves, and an ass that he found even hotter than Candy’s. Of course in the
end it still infuriated Matthew Kippler that he was forced to take orders from a girl. He was only still doing it because he had seen little Buffy Summers take down many drunk men who were twice the size of Joe, the bouncer, without breaking a sweat.
“Hey can you go bring up another case of Jack Daniels?” Buffy called out and Matthew complied.
Candy came bouncing up to the bar but her chipper mood was put to an end when she found Buffy the only one behind the bar.
“Four bottles of Rolling Rock and four shots of ‘your hardest tequila’,” Candy said, doing air quotes and rolling her eyes. She jerked her thumb behind her to indicate a booth full of four college guys. Buffy couldn’t help but chuckle with Candy as she lined up four shot glasses.
“College boys.” Buffy stated.
This was the first time since Candy joined the staff at the strip club that they actually had a laugh between them, even if it was just a little one. Most of the time she was all giggles and flirts but that was with Matthew. With the fellow blonde bartender she was all professional and straight face.
Buffy knew why though. It could be the fact that Candy was probably scared of Buffy. It wasn’t like Buffy was the nicest person lately. Though, it was probably because she didn’t have a good enough reason to be nice. If she were nice, people got close. All she wanted to do was live her life. And live it alone.
That was how it was supposed to be, right? The life of the chosen one was meant to be lonely. Live alone and die alone. So far Buffy was pulling off the ‘live alone’ part really well. One night she’d slip up and she’d be free from this life. Free from this cruel idea of a world. Wasn’t this place hell? Because it sure felt like it to Buffy.
“Buffy?” Candy’s voice broke through the slayer’s thoughts.
“What?” she asked through gritted teeth, annoyed.
Candy jumped at the sudden aggressive attitude Buffy was projecting. “Umm…well I was just wondering if I could get that order from you.”
Buffy placed the four shots on Candy’s tray before reaching below and grabbing four cold bottles of Rolling Rock. She quickly sent Candy on her way.
Thirty Minutes later
Just as a new routine by another girl was starting, a young guy came up to the bar. Buffy recognized him as one of the guys at the table Candy had been serving. The college boys.
“Can I help you?”
‘Yeah,” The guy spoke. “Can I get another round of beers?”
Buffy just nodded and turned away to get them. “Fifteen dollars,” she said, sliding the bottles over to him.
Out of nowhere he slammed her with a question. “Do you go to U.C. Sunnydale?” Buffy just shook her head no. “Oh because you look really familiar.” The blonde slayer just stared at him, trying to look bored.
She had been twice to the University but not to attend it. Once had been to chase down a couple of vamps who had tried to outrun the slayer, thinking that by going through the campus they could lose her. Another time was when she had slept with a guy who was on his second year there. Buffy felt the need to throw up at that memory. That was even more horrible, because when she left Parker’s dorm, the guy she’d decided to sleep with, she’d felt completely used and her appearance was utterly horrid, plus she’d nearly ran into Willow and Oz. Though that was over two months ago. Since then she’d refused to set foot on the Sunnydale campus. Chasing vamps or not.
“I’m Riley. Riley Finn. Third year at U.C. Sunnydale.” He held out his hand for her to shake. Buffy just stared at his hand, making no effort to acknowledge it.
“Buffy,” The slayer said after a while, almost hesitant to tell him her name. She didn’t know why but she got this creepy vibe coming from him. And, the longer she stood across from this fellow Riley, the creepier she felt.
The guy didn’t seem dead or undead. In fact he looked to be the All-American football playing and college attending boy.
Getting the feeling she wasn’t ever going to shake his hand, Riley nodded his head, and retracted his large hand. “So…how long have you worked here?”
“Almost a year.” Both heads nodded. Buffy discreetly let her eyes roll when he turned his head away. Is he going to continue making small talk? Buffy asked herself.
“Uh…Bartender.” Buffy heard a patron call for her at the other end of the bar. Oh thank goodness. She praised the higher powers for saving her from the uncomfortable conversation she was having with ‘Riley’.
“I guess I better get back to work.”
Riley nodded and moved to take all four beers. “Yeah, gotta go deliver these.” He said goodbye to Buffy before walking away back to his table.
The guy was cute but Buffy could just not shake that feeling.
“Bartender!” The customer yelled, annoying Buffy’s nerves.
“Yeah!” she yelled back. “Calm down I’m coming.” Walking up to the customer she found a guy in a disheveled suit, what little hair he had left was messed up and he looked to be a little on the tipsy side. “What can I get you?”
“Well I’ll have a shot of Whiskey and make another for your pretty little self.” The customer slurred, giving Buffy a wink. He flashed her the double amount of money, a goofy grin on his face. Buffy tried not to grimace at the thought of having to down another shot. Jack said, if a customer bought you a shot, you take it.
Seeing as it was a gentlemen’s club, Buffy was the only one who got drinks bought for besides the waitresses. However, the servers could get away with it since the bartenders filled their drinks with either water or apple-juice. Buffy was out of luck though since she had to make the drink right in front of the customer.
Alcohol and Buffy had always been un-mixy things but she could never use that excuse on a customer seeing as she served alcohol. She brought the bottle of Whiskey out and two clean shot glasses. Handing them over, he smiled at her giving her a salute with the glass. His eyes raked over her body, looking at her lovely assets.
All Buffy could do was give him the most obvious fake smile before downing the shot in one quick swallow. The alcohol, plus the obvious leering from the customer just seemed to make her insides cringe more as the whiskey slid down her throat. She slammed down the shot glass onto the countertop.
God I’ll never get used to this. She thought as she opened the cash register. Already she could feel the effects of the drink taking a toll on her system. It sucked being the slayer. Just like the quick healing she got, her body also sped up the alcohol processing. This also meant reaching an uninhibited Buffy faster.
Then again Buffy would probably never drink even if she wasn’t the slayer. The taste was icky and she hated how it burned down her throat. Many waitresses had claimed that you get used to it. Now, nearly a year later she still despised alcohol just as much as she despised being leered at by the customers.
At first when things had begun to get bad Buffy had tried to turn to the comfort offered by alcohol but the next morning she’d always wake up feeling worse.
6:30 A.M. The next morning
The cold morning air was cold and crisp, biting their exposed skin. The sun was just barely rising, still leaving the girls in the dark. Darkness. It was a time of vulnerability. A time when you were stripped of everything, not allowed to be immune to things that went bump during the night. No one was aware of everything dangerous until they were faced with it. Darkness was equivalent to evil. It lurked in the shadow of shadows doing as it pleased. There was no escape. Just one hero in this town’s darkness but you were probably in God’s good graces if this hero came in the nick of time.
It was definitely way too early for anyone to be up. At least of the student body variety. But one group remained to get up at 6:00 and be at school by seven. They were students of the Sunnydale High swim team.
Who in their right mind would drag themselves out of warm beds before the sun even rose to go do laps in a pool? Well the three sophomore girls who were on the J.V. swim team for girls that’s who.
Jenna, Cara, and Lucy, all walked in a straight line across the sidewalk dressed in the official swim team warm-up suits with their swimsuits underneath. Their gym bags hung from their shoulders while their school backpacks rested on their back. The sounds of three pairs of flip-flops slapping the pavement filled the early morning air.
Today they were forced to take another route to school since Scenic Road, their usual route, was currently being repaved.
Jenna stopped suddenly, causing both girls on either side of her to bump shoulders. Jenna Thompson, captain of the J.V. Team turned and looked over at the dark
house that she had stopped in front of. She shivered at the lonely vibe she got from the house. The other two followed her gaze, shivering as well.
It looked like any normal house but the kids knew along with half the neighborhood. They knew that 1640 Revello Drive was a depressing house.
“I heard that a girl lives in there all alone,” Lucy said, trying to make her voice sound spooky.
“Yeah I heard that too,” Cara said. “I also heard that she never comes out except at night and she always returns before sunrise.” All three girls turned their heads towards the horizon seeing the low rising sun in the distance.
“I heard from my brother that she’s like 19 which is how old Jason is, and that he had been in the same class as her. Except she never graduated. He said she got into a lot of fights and always got caught doing something,” Lucy stated.
“I heard…” Cara began but was cut off by Jenna.
“You two have too many ‘I heards’. Don’t you have any ‘I’ve seen’ or ‘I know’s?”
The two other girls looked at her weirdly, No one really knew the truth about who ever lived at 1640 Revello Drive. So many rumors had escalated in the neighborhood that not even the people across the street knew the truth.
Lucy started up again, “Well not me personally but Jason said that she hangs around a lot in graveyards.”
“Yeah I hear she’s a real freak,” said Cara.
“You know what else they say?” All three girls jumped up, too scared to scream and turned around to find a blonde girl standing behind them, obviously not pleased to see them. “They say she hates kids who stand in front of her property.”
The blonde girl looked at the identical shocked expressions in front of her calmly.
“It’s also obvious that it’s too early for you three to be out. The sun isn’t even up yet which means bad things are still out there to get you. And what does that mean, you might ask. That means I probably will have three dead girls on my hands. “
Jenna, Lucy, and Cara continued to stare at the girl as if she had two heads. Jenna spotted the crossbow contraption in the woman’s hand resting easily against her side. Her eyes went wide and she nudged both Cara and Lucy.
The woman stepped around them on the stone pathway leading up to the house.
“We were just on our way to swim practice,” Lucy finally spoke with a very shaky voice.
“Well get this, I don’t care. Now scram. You still have twenty minutes of no sun.” When the girls made no effort to move and just continued to just stand there and stare at her, the woman simply raised her arm and pointed the crossbow at the huddled group. They let out a small collective shriek before hightailing it down the street.
Buffy Summers stared after them, rolling her eyes. Stupid high school brats. Buffy thought as she began to walk up to her front door. She shook out of her black leather jacket and hung it upon the coat rack once inside. She didn’t bother to grab something to eat. She was excessively beat. On the way home from the club she had finally gotten the fight she had been itching for. A pack of vamps all looking for food. Moreover, it seemed they were looking to bring back something to their master. At least that’s what one of them let slip out when Buffy twisted his hand. So, there’s a new vamp into town calling himself a master vamp? The slayer had said to herself after she had dusted all vamps.
She walked straight up the stairs leaving the house dark, just the way it usually was, heading for her bedroom.
Walking into her room she pulled off her top and dropped it on the ground. Her room was completely bare and different compared to what it looked like a year and a half ago. Gone were the countless pictures of family and friends, having been packed away in boxes that now resided in her basement. All that was left in her room was her furniture, weapons chest, and a punching bag she had set up in the corner. Her room was practically the only room she went in besides the bathroom and kitchen these days. She refused to enter any other room. They reminded her of too many things, things she never wanted to remember ever again.
The house was too big for her but she couldn’t bring herself to sell it. Her mother had loved this house. Just like how she couldn’t sell the gallery. Instead, she left Giles to run it even though they weren’t on speaking terms. Besides, her father had said he’d continue to pay for electricity and other things just like he was paying for practically everything. Anything to keep Buffy out of his life it seemed. Not like she wanted to be in it anyway.
Walking to the bed, she sat down at the edge and pulled off her shoes and pants before pulling on her silk nightgown.
Slipping in-between the sheets, she let her head lay against the pillow with her blade next to her on her nightstand.
Closing her eyes, Buffy allowed herself to sleep.
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