Another Day in Paradise (Ash/Caleb/Open)

[Abigail Sykes]

The music was flowing, and Abby took a deep breath as she was set to take the stage. It was her first night at the Wolf’s Den, and she was a little intimidated. It was a bit more high class than she was used to. Most of the places she stripped at had cigarette butts on the floor, and guys who smelled like body odor and liquor. This place was, well nice. It almost seemed above her pay grade.

Ash was giving her a shot though, and Abby was not one to let people down. When the music changed and signaled that it was her time on stage she sauntered up and started on her routine. The music helped her flow, and she pretended like it was any other place. Guys were guys and whether it was a rundown hole in the wall or a high class place like this, they were all looking for the same thing. Abby just made sure she gave it to them.

When the music was over she gave her trademark smile and waved before going off stage. As soon as her feet hit the floor a man walked up to her.

“Hey there Cowgirl,” He said pertaining to her outfit. “That was quite a show you put on there.”

She smiled at him. “Thanks.” Abby went to move past him, but he stepped in her path.

“You know I’d be willing to pay a good amount for a private show.” He reached out to brush her cheek and Abby pulled away.

Her smile turned icy. She knew guys like this. The ones who thought that just because she took her clothes off meant that she was willing to spend an hour in the backseat of his car. If it were any other place she would have picked a few choice words and went on her way.

The Wolf’s Den was different. She couldn’t just go around cursing people out if she wanted to keep her job. She didn’t want to piss off Ash. Not on her first night anyways.

Abby was a bitch with low tolerance for idiots, but she needed the cash so despite the tension that had rolled into her shoulders, she bit back her first response. “Sorry darlin’, the only show you get is the one on stage, like everyone else.”

She pushed past him, and he grabbed her arm. Anger washed over any sensibility she may have head. Abby did not like being touched unless she was a willing participant. If her permission was given, it was one thing. If it wasn’t, well then that was a totally different story.

“I don’t think you understand,” He said in a low seething voice. “I want a private showing.”

Abby jerked her arm from him and glared. He was a business type, wearing a gray suit with slicked back hair. The type that made a lot of money, making him think he was entitled to just about anything he wanted. He was in for a rude awakening if he kept this up.

“I don’t do private showings,” She replied with just as much venom. “Get your kicks somewhere else.”

Clenching her fists at her side, Abby once again went to walk away. He grabbed by the arm again and pushed her up against the wall. When her back hit the wall, any amount of rationality was pushed away by rage. Before Abby knew what was happening her clenched fist was slamming into the man’s nose.

She felt the satisfying crunch of cartilage. He screamed in anger, and before Abby knew what was happening he backhanded her across the face. She tasted the tang of blood in her mouth and brought her hand up, pressing against the sting that was left behind. Her eyes watered from the pain, but she looked back at him glaring.

“Bitch!” He yelled at her. He raised his hand to strike again, but Abby quickly ducked under him and away from where he pinned her at the wall.

He turned towards her, blood trickling down his nose. One hand covered his now broken nose, the other was clenched in anger. Abby had a feeling he was going to try and punch her. She'd already been hit once by him, it wouldn't happen again.

"Well, there goes my job."

[cal]

Caleb stood near the bar, leaning against the wall behind him with his arms crossed over his chest. He wasn’t the tallest man around, but yet his instance was imposing. Obviously someone you didn’t want to mess with, the man exulted danger and his eyes showed that menacing glow of the untamed beast underneath the surface.

The were was the head bouncer of the Wolf’s Den, Derek sometimes used to say he had way too much fun throwing the troublemakers out the door…and the man was right. What was there to complain? Sexy women dancing on the stage and the chance to kick the ass of anyone stupid enough to start trouble on his watch.

The women there were hot, of course there was no harm in looking, but there was only one that stirred his inner beast like she did. Looking across the room, Caleb saw her. Ash was just walking back in from the office. She was his perfect woman fantasy, sexy as hell and badass. Could kiss a man just as easy as she could break one.

Off course if she was to kiss another man he would be the one doing the breaking, to every bone the poor schmuck had.

Sure he got jealous and not too comfortable with the men leering at her on the stage, not to mention that if she was with another man he would easily smell it on her, but he knew it was only her job on the stage and trusted her completely. The jealousness was still there, but he kept it bottled down.

His eyes searched the place in bouncer mode. Man he would love someone to bounce around, it kept his own ghosts locked down. And as if following his wish, trouble started. Some stupid suit and tie was grabbing the newest dancer and a smile appeared into the bouncer’s face. Signaling one of the other bouncers that he had it covered, he started to make his way towards them. It was no surprise that everyone in his way stepped aside to allow him passage.

Before he reached them, he saw the man push her against the wall, saw her broke his nose. The girl had spunk, and then the idiot hit her. Hell if didn’t give him an extra dose of ass kicking.

Standing behind the man just as his fist clenched, Caleb made his voice be heard.
“I wouldn’t do that if I was you.”

The man looked back at him over his shoulder and snarled. “Get away short stuff or I will mess up your face too.”

Smirking, the short wolf tilted his head for just a second before his hand moved in a flash, grabbing the man’s shoulder and forcefully turning him around to face him and release his hold of the dancer. “I would like to see you try,” Caleb told the man, hitting him squarely in the broken nose.

As the man held his nose in pain, he pushed him forward and kicked him towards the door. When the man fell out, Caleb followed and the door closed behind them. For the last few minutes, loud sounds followed by pained screams of the man in the suit followed before silence fell again.

When the door opened again, the bouncer stepped in, walked over to the bar and reached for a napkin to clean the blood on his knuckles while he smirked.

[Ashling Lawerence]

All my girls get down on the floor
(Oh snap!)
Back to back, drop it down real low
(Oh snap!)
I'm such a lady but I'm dancing like a **
(Oh snap!)
Cause you know I don't give a ****, so here we go!
(Oh snap!)
How come every time you come around
My London London Bridge wanna go down like
London London London, wanna go down like
London London London, we goin down like

Another day, another dollar. Or in this case, another night, another crowd of idiots. In the last few weeks, Ash had adjust to her new nature and was back at the helm but that didn't mean there weren't some nights that tested her every nerve.

Lucky her, this seemed to be shaping up to be one of them.

After one of the girls had come back to the office to let her know that her fill in set was coming up, Ash had closed the books and headed out on to the main club floor. Dressed in a sexy little black number, she was confident enough in herself that the scars on her shoulder no longer gave her any pause. Caleb had no complaints and as far as she was concerned, that was all that mattered.

That thought alone had the power to put an unconsciously seductive sway to her hips and deepened the blue of her eyes. Man, the way that man made love.... It truly outta be illegal. There was absolutely nothing better than being truly worshiped by a male like him to restore a woman's confidence in herself.

Bitting her bottom lip at the images that brought to mind, Ash forced herself back to business. Work before play, after all.

Moving through the back level, Ash stopped here and there to chat with a familiar face and was just about to head to the back dressing rooms when a flurry of action caught her attention. Frowning, she tried to see over the crowd but only caught a glimpse of Caleb's face before he obviously had some trouble maker by the collar and was hauling his ass out. The sight of her newest dancer with blond on her lip was enough to set Ash's feet moving, however.

What the hell had happened? And how dare some asshole rough up one of her dancers?

The look on her face must have been fierce enough to delay anyone trying to stop her and soon enough she'd reached Abby's side. Concern puckered her brow before she slipped an arm around her waist and propelled her towards the back VIP bar where there weren't many people to bother them.

"JAKE!! GET ME AN ICE PACK!!!" she called out before turning to the other woman. "Are you OK? What happened? Who do I need to kill?" she continued in a deceptively calm voice.

[Abigail Sykes]

After the bouncer kicked the asshole out of the club, Abby saw Ash stalking towards her. The look on her new boss’s face clearly said she was not a happy person. Abby chided herself for not having more control over her anger. She needed the cash, and while she was looking into some available road contstruction, the Wolf’s Den was her only means of income at the moment.

“Or was.”

Abby was about to set a personal best on how long it took her to lose a job. She hadn't even gotten through one night. That had only been her first set.

“Look, Ash,” She started to say, but was cut off when the woman put an arm around her waist and started leading her away from the prying eyes of the crowd. She tensed a bit, but let Ash lead her away. Better to get fired in private anyways.

Ash took her to the VIP bar and called to someone for an icepack before turning back to Abby and asking several questions that left Abby’s head spinning for a moment. Was she okay? What happened? Who did Ash need to kill?

A puzzled look washed over Abby’s features. Ash seemed concerned about her and not the customer. It wasn’t the first time Abby had roughed up a drunken idiot for laying his hands on her, but most of the places she’d worked out fired her straight away. They figured they were losing money because Abby couldn’t keep her temper in check.

“I’m fine, Ash,” She finally said. It was true. The sting in her face was already fading. “I’m pretty sure I did worse to him, and the bouncer kicked him out.”

Realizing that she owed Ash more of an explanation than that, she quickly continued. “I’m sorry for making you lose a customer. He was some rich, business jerk who wanted a private showing, and when I turned him down he got physical. I know I should have called the bouncer straight away, but when he grabbed me I punched him. I’m pretty sure I broke his nose.”

Abby didn’t see any reason to lie. Her job was as good as gone, and she wasn’t going to lie just to try and keep it. She figured the guy would be back in here tomorrow demanding an apology, and that was going to put Ash in a tight spot.

Sighing she went over and sat on the bar stool. Grabbing a napkin she wiped the blood from her lip. She looked back over at Ash. “Sorry I messed up. I’ll get myself cleaned up, and get out of your hair. Thanks for giving me a shot though.”

Abby threw out the napkin and headed for the door.

[Ashling Lawerence]

All righty then... Over react much?

Ash could help but stare after the girl in amazement as she shook off her arm and started to walk away. Was she truly thinking she was going to fire her for the actions of some asshole who had the smack coming? Especially after that same asshole had hit her? Evidently so because she had every indication that she was going to collect her things and leave.

Christ on a crutch. Her former employers must have been real jerks.

Shaking her head, Ash straightened her slender frame and headed after her. Reaching out, she laid a hand gently on her arm and waited for Abby to turn around. When she did, she meet her gaze with a level one of her own.

"Whoa there, girl friend.... What makes you think I was talking about you? Or that I was going to fire you? I dont' know what crowds you have been running with but around here... We protect our own. The only way that little play would have gotten you fired is it it had been your boyfriend lighting into a patron for simply asking to buy you a drink and since I highly DOUBT that was the case...." she said, letting her voice trail off for a moment before continuing.

"This is a private club. Anyone who comes in here knows the rules and they sign a release of all responsibility if they get out of line. As much as we try to screen our members... a few assholes still get through the process but that is why Caleb and the rest of the boys are here. I'm just sorry we didn't see the idiot sooner...."

Tilting her head sideways, Ash saw Caleb come back in and nodded to him. He had the look of a man who'd delivered a wicked ass kicking and was now just daring anyone to step over the line again.

Then again... That was his normal look, wasn't it?

Grinning a bit wickedly, Ash turned back to the moment at hand and sobered.

"You don't have to dance anymore to night if you don't want to but I hope you won't give up on us completely. Occurrences like this are a rare thing indeed and I can promise you that you probably won't have to deal with another like that for awhile. However, if you still want to quit.... I can get your check...."

[Abigail Sykes]

Not fired?

Abby blinked at Ash, taken off guard. Most of her former employers had been more worried about making money than what happened to the girls. Then again those places had been nothing like the Wolf’s Den. They were more like the shlums with crack addicts and criminals acting as most of the customers. Hell usually the owners were snorting something up their nose or shooting something into their vein, and often times called one of their own girls into the office for a private show.

That was when Abby left. She wasn’t going to let some asshole take advantage of her just because she worked for him. There was always another strip club to dance at.

Growing weary of those types of places, Abby decided to try for the Wolf’s Den. She was happy when Ash had decided to give her a shot, but honestly she thought she’d stepped out of line punching one of the customers. Yet Ash wasn’t kicking her out.

Relief flooded through her. She really needed the money. Abby was getting tired of sleeping in her car. Laughing sheepishly Abby walked back over to the bar. “No, he wasn’t my boyfriend. I don’t even have a boyfriend.”

She saw Ash smile at someone, before turning back to Abby. When Ash offered to let her have the rest of the night off, Abby blinked again. She even offered to get a check if Abby wanted to quit.

Abby tilted her head and looked at Ash curiously. “No, I don’t want to quit, and I don’t have a problem doing my next set.”
Bringing a hand up to her jaw, Abby gingerly touched her skin where she’d been slapped. It was slightly tender. It wouldn’t bruise, but she figured there was probably still a red mark. “Just let me go cover this up and I’ll get ready.”

Getting up to leave she looked back at her boss and smiled. “Ash? Thanks.”

Abby meant it. She was grateful to the other woman for giving her a job, and for standing behind her when that guy got out of line. Giving Ash one last nod, Abby headed for the backroom to clean herself up.

[Ashling Lawerence]

Well, one disaster averted for the evening.

Thank God.

As Abby walked away and then turned back to thank her, Ash simply smiled gently and waved off her appreciation. She'd been a dancer long enough to know that it wasn't the most comfortable way to make a living even it it was good money.


When she'd started, she'd simply been rebelling against the pressure her family had been putting on her to join in the guardian business but it had quickly turned into another avenue that she was able to work the family business from. With a shifter for a boss and some of the big dogs of the world coming in and out of the clubs door, she often caught wind of important details before anyone else and was able to pass them on to the right hands without anyone getting suspicious.

That was... Right up until her own attack and waking up a were herself. That had put a bit of a damper on the whole human shield thing.

Now, she was just as much of a soldier as the rest of them. Her new abilities made her stronger and faster while her training made her deadly. She wasn't just a were.. she was a were with the ability to do real damage to anything that pissed her off.

It was a blessing and a curse all rolled into one.

Turning her attention back to the moment at hand, Ash watched after Abby for a moment before moving towards Caleb. She could see the questions in his eyes as she headed in his direction but her smile assured him that the worst was over.

Reaching him, the petite blond leaned on the counter and gave him a slow, heated look from beneath her lashes. An impish grin dances around the corners of her lips but her tone was casual.

Everything taken care of, Caleb? No problems out there, I hope. You should have waited for me... I would have loved to give him a piece of my... mind.. myself. He almost cost me a damned good dancer tonight...""

[cal]

Ash and Derek dealt with keeping the place running and he took care of the ass kicking. It was a sweet deal as far as Caleb was concerned.

His eyes traveled to the blonde, taking everything about her and his eyes showed the signs that he approved what he was seeing. Even her scent was enough to capture his attention. If this wasn’t business time and he didn’t owe the man that run this place, he’d throw her over his shoulder and carry her to the back office and look the door behind then right that instant. She knew a good ass kicking always had that effect on him.

“No problem at all Ash, heck, it was fun. Next time I will save a piece for you,” he smirked and leaned into the counter along with her.

“Everything alright with the dancer? I tried to reach to them faster but the place is too damned packed today.”

Caleb didn’t even wanted to think how he would react if some idiot had done that to Ash, he would likely freaking lose it, go full wolf and bite the guy’s head off. Motioning to the bartender, the man handled him a cold beer. Hell, it wasn’t like he could easily get drunk anyways, so what was the problem if he took one or two during work? Bringing the bottle to his lips, he took a long pull before placing the bottle back on the counter.

“She isn’t bailing out then?”

[Abigail Sykes]

Grateful to still have a job, Abby quickly cleaned herself up in the backroom. She used a bit of foundation and cover up to hide her still red lip, but there wasn’t much she could do about the puffiness besides put ice on it later. Right now though Abby had to get herself ready to go back on stage. No one would notice the little bit of swelling anyway.

After fixing her hair and makeup Abby readjusted her costume, putting all the bells and whistles back into place. Ash had stood up for Abby, she sure as hell wasn’t going to let her down. Besides it’s not like a slap in the face was anything horrible. As long as her legs worked Abby could dance.

When Abby was sure she was set to go she squared her shoulders and made her way back to the floor. Her set wasn’t up yet and she saw Ash talking to the bouncer who had kicked Jo Schmoe out on his ass. She moved through the crowd, doing the whole song and dance of exchanging polite banter with the men who sent comments her way as she passed. No one was dumb enough to lay a hand on her though, which was good. She was beginning to think Ash was right, the guy who had hit her was just one that had slipped through the cracks.

Abby made it to them in time to hear the bouncer ask if she was staying. She smiled at both of them. “Aww come on now, it’s gonna take more than some drunk bastard throwing a weak ass slap at me to scare me off. I just thought y’all would be pissed at me.”

Now that Abby was learning about the kind of person Ash was, she was becoming more comfortable here. She almost felt like she didn’t have to watch her back every ten seconds. As per her other places. They watched out for their own here.

“Thanks for tossing that guy out on his ass though. Maybe it’ll bring his ego down a few notches.”