2007-12-22: Get Off (Of Me)

Starring:

Benjamin_icon.gif Church_icon.gif Niki_icon.gif

Summary: Church takes Benjamin for some "therapy", but when he recognizes Niki, the result is anything but therapeutic.

Date It Happened: December 22nd, 2007

Get Off (Of Me)


Therapy (Exotic Bar)

Queens, New York

The pulse of the music is the first thing one tends to notice about this establishment. The hard guitar and sexy rhythms make it somewhat obvious that it's not a normal bar — granted, the numerous women in states of undress do a pretty damn good job of explaining its purpose, too. And so, the strip club known as Therapy is a popular joint this evening, even with the holidays fast approaching, luckily for its employees. Everyone needs therapy around Christmas, right? Four of five stages are graced with dancers lit with more of a glow — partially due to blacklight — than the rest of the club, and there are yet more ladies sitting at the tables, doing their hustling thing.

Benjamin gets therapy on a regular basis.. just not /this/ kind of therapy. Alice would probably laugh her ass off at him if she could see this. He's still in his suit from work, his arm is now out of a sling, and he looks ready to crawl under the floor. "I don't know why I let you talk me into this," he says in a weak tone towards his companion for the evening's festivities. He thought this was a club, not a /club/. The frivolity is probably good for him. Of course, Ben might end up under a table, or loosening up. Who knows?

There's only one partner in crime that is perfectly suitable for this manner of thing, and that is Church; who else would possibly drag Benjamin here? Really? While everyone else needs therapy around Christmas, Lawrence could probably use a little bit every day(if you get my drift). He may have been in the usual suited look earlier, but now his blazer and tie are both gone, and both sleeves of his shirt are rolled up just past his elbows. Hooked under one arm, he has his coat, which has the familiar dust of white still on the shoulders. "I could have talked you into worse things, just think about that. It's nice here, so relax." Or don't think about it and be a Party Pooper. Either way, Lawrence leads the reluctant Benji further inside, finding one of the free couches close enough to see all the necessary action, but just far enough away so that Ben isn't going to turn the color of a tomato in no time flat.

When the two newcomers just start to get settled, they're approached by a sauntering redhead in a white string bikini and black satin tie, balancing a tray filled with a neat array of multi-coloured shooters. She leans down, to show of the-drinks. Yeah. The drinks. "Can I get you two a drink?" the shooter girl asks above the music. "Two-fifty a shot."

Meanwhile, the current heavy rock song ends and there's a moment where some of the stages are unoccupied, including the one at the end closest to Church and Benjamin.

Benjamin's ears are red. It's a start. He's seen women naked, that part is nothing new. It's just the performing in front of a crowd that has him embarrassed. This isn't his usual type of entertainment. It's just.. different behind closed doors. "Worse things? Like what? Wait, don't answer that," he says, giving Church a look as he shrugs off his coat and throws it over his arm. "Woah, hello .." Boobs, don't say boobs. "Drink, yes, I need a drink, but not from those.. I mean yes from the one of these, but not those." He means the glasses and not.. oh nevermind.

There's a split second where Church is absolutely ready to answer that. He almost looks disappointed when he is asked not to. If it weren't for that silly grin on his face, anyhow. Unlike Benjamin's series of fumbles that he introduces, Lawrence is more than accustomed to dealing with scantily clad women. First lesson: Talk to their face, not those perky things on her chest. Eyes up. "Don't mind him, I think it's his first time." Church even makes a show of fake-whispering this to the hostess with a white smile the entire way. "Put his tab on my bill, sweetie, and wouldya leave us a handful of those? He might need them more than me."

The shooter girl obliges with a knowing smile and a wink. "Sure." She leaves a handful of assorted shooters on the table in front of the two men. "Have fun, boys," she says before sauntering back toward the bar.

The next set of songs starts with Prince's "Get Off" and a few new dancers get on. Among them, hitting the stage near Church and Benjamin? A certain blonde mom with a rockin' bod who doesn't realize she work and other parts of her life are about to collide.

Niki — or whatever she's going by here — might not be recognizable right off the bat, what with the surroundings… not to mention the darker, dramatic make-up that plays up her eyes, the black sheer babydoll and garter belt and five inch clear, pink-tinted stripper shoes … not to mention the fast and sultry twirls around the pole that accompany the beginning of the racy song. As soon as the chorus hits, her back is to the club and she slides to the floor down the pole, the lingerie dress sliding up

…just another night at work, right?

Oh alcohol. The only reason Ben managed to produce a child, and possibly get married. Wait, he was sober for the marriage part. Poor sod. Relaxing so far doesn't seem to be coming easily for him. He downs two shots quickly, finding them tasty with minimal burn. Oh that's a dangerous mix there. It's like drinking Schnapp's. Liquid candy. Which is good, because he glances towards the stage and his first action is to avert his eyes and grab another shot. The drink is choked down, and as much as he'd like to not stare at the women who put themselves on display, it's kind of like a train wreck. Can't exactly look away.

"You know you can look at the ones dancing, right?" Lawrence asks what might be an obvious question at Benjamin as he picks up one of the drinks for himself. His smile crooks slightly as he leans into the seat cushions, elbows propping up on the back and the hand nearest Ben motioning towards the farther poles. "If it helps, then watch the ones that can't watch you. Relax a bit, man, you're throwing off the groove. 'S not like I'm going to bring a bunch of them over here." About halfway through the sentence, Church turns his attention back to the closest of the stages; Niki's stage, of course. And boy, is it her stage. There is something striking a Roger Rabbit-esque chord in his brain, though it certainly doesn't leak through that relaxed exterior. Mental whistling, foot-tapping, howling, you get the deal.

It is only after a few moments of watching that blonde that something else strikes a chord- she's familiar. Has he seen her somewhere before? Lawrence downs the sweet drink while he watches her, not quite losing that nagging feeling even as she sinks lower and the dress hikes higher.

The striptease part of the dance kicks in, and as the nearest dancer slides, snakes and shimmmies her way back up the pole, the clingy sheer not-a-dress goes goodbye, much like Benjamin and Church's states of mind are about to in about ten seconds. After the article of clothing is pulled off, dropped, to reveal a black bra and g-string (…hi everyone), Niki climbs up the pole, spins skilfully and drops down upside-down with a gracefully arched back, strong legs keeping her poised there as she starts to spiral down-which is when she takes in the crowd. But her sultry eye contact with her fans lands on two familiar faces. You can practically see the gears click.

".. That's a good idea.. Sorry. I'm trying to relax.. it's just different here with women doing this for money in front of a lot of men. I don't have a problem with Alice when she comes over .. and I'm not going to divulge further details." Benjamin's ears turn a darker shade of red. No, he's not a kiss and tell guy. Three shots down, and they're starting to work a little. So he takes a page from Church's book. Watching the ones who aren't looking in his directio.. hold the phone. He sits up straight and leans forward. The same blonde that's familiar to Church, well she's familiar to him too. He's no longer embarrassed about the lack of clothing she's wearing, or the funny sensation that he shouldn't be getting… which is promptly gone as his eyes lock with Niki's. "Son of a …" He jumps up from his seat. This is.. She shouldn't be doing that up there! His coat is grabbed up and without an apology to Church, he's rushing for the stage, but not like some of the other men in the place.

Church is a kiss and tell guy. Not that he has had much to tell as of late. Not his fault! He's perfectly studly- it is not his fault that New Yorkers are so picky. He says nothing even to himself now, because really- who needs to think when they're watching dancers? At least Church is appreciative of talent and athleticism and is not just a dirty old man. As Niki's eyes land on his face, there is a mimicking click right back at her; instead of anything drastic as Ben is about to commit, his smile only wanes into a less dazzling and oogling one, but it is still a smile. Niki's state does not seem to bother him one bit, but Lawrence has a different outlook on dancers, et cetera, that he actually knows. It is a far more gentlemanly outlook.

As Benjamin rises from his seat and grabs his coat, Church finally adjusts his eyes to look. With an audible 'whoa', the older man reaches out from where to try and grab Ben by the elbow before he can get too far.

Well— she can't just stay here like this, firm as her acrobatic grip on the metal pole seems to be. By the time Benjamin reaches her stage — only peripherally aware that he's coming this way — Niki has twirled onto the floor with a spill of long, loosely curled blonde hair. There isn't a single move, from crawling on the stage, to perching on a crouch in her super-high-heels, that isn't, in some way, sexy. Experiencing the same trainwreck feeling Benjamin was experiencing earlier, she stares at him even while a man tucks a twenty into her garter belt.

The missus of D.L. Hawkins may be a beautiful woman, who any man would want her curves wrapped around.. that's just not the way Benjamin views her. He's just a little too fast for Church to grab his elbow.. and Ben's about to do something that'll make him very unpopular with the appreciative audience of Niki's. Although, the woman getting off the stage makes this easier and he won't have to climb up on it. He rushes for the woman, "Niki! What are you doing! What would your son think!" Oh how little Ben knows! The coat he's carrying? He tries to put it around Niki to cover her up. "Put another twenty in her skimpy underwear and you'll be napping on the floor," Ben snaps to the customer who just tucked the bill into Niki's garter.

Part of Lawrence wants to cover up his own face with his free hand, but somehow it only makes it to the side of his head, where he leans his skull onto his knuckles and watches Benjamin make a thousand instantaneous enemies by being the most naive man within five city blocks. It would be endearing if what he was doing was necessary- but it isn't. Church still has that relaxed, cool-as-beans smile on his face while he remains seated and reaches promptly for another one of those little drinks at the table. You should have let the lady do her job! She was very good at distracting Lawrence from following a less sober path.

"You're going to get kicked out and get me in trouble," Niki all but hisses to Benjamin, taking his arm after she hops off the stage-not so much hops as glides languidly over the railing of, because in shoes like these, you don't do much hopping. After walking a few feet with him, she turns to face him, takes the coat off of her shoulders, and reaches around to drape it back over his, like a cape. "Benjamin," she says somewhat sternly, looking him in the eye, hers much more long-lashed than usual, lined with eyeliner and shimmering with make-up. Behind them, customers boo — at Benjamin, destroyer of good times. "This is where I work now." Since their path takes them closer to the couch Benjamin abandoned, Niki glances again at Church. "…Mister… Church." As if that wasn't awkward enough, she looks between both men and lifts her brows. "…You two know each other?"

Benjamin is oblivious to the embarrassment he's causing Church, and the ire he's attracting his way. Maybe he should have let Niki do her job.. and he has it half in his mind to throw her over his shoulder and cart her out. What stops him from that, and stopping Niki on giving his coat back, is the comment that this is her job and he could get her in trouble. "You don't have to work here," he says in an equally stern tone to the woman. "You can get a job doing anything else. I've offered to .." A dark look is turned towards some of the booing customers as he pulls out his wallet. All the cash he has inside is folded into a wad. It's probably close to two hundred. He almost tries to press it into her hand, but thinking she might refuse it, he actually slips it into Niki's garter. The question about him knowing Church isn't answered, he turns and heads right back out of the club. For air, or for a taxi, who knows. He's just a little upset that this woman he knows is doing this sort of work.

While she's still dressed like that, there's no harm in still looking, right? At least until Niki gets within speaking range, and then Church has his brown eyes dart to her face. Luckily for him, her face is just as nice to look at. Schmooze schmooze. He then quietly watches Benjamin as he deposits his entire cash-stash into Niki's garter, and immediately takes off. He'll have to talk to him later, apparently. Poor guy.

Oh, you were asking me a question too. It occurs to him to only now answer the blonde woman closeby. "My name is Lawrence." He smiles almost too sweetly. Or just Church, outside of school. And wow, is this outside of school. The absurdity of the moment is not lost on him! "He does my taxes, hon."

Niki looks more offended at Benjamin giving her money under these circumstances — the mockery of it being a tip — than she would have if it actually were a tip. She's left looking just a stern, but there's a hint of imploring in those made-up eyes. "Benjamin…" she trails off as her friend trails out. She almost seems to forget Church in that instant, but her attention snaps back. "…Mine too." If Church can go to a strip club with his accountant, Niki can get into a stripping-related altercation with hers.

The blonde stripper sashays (there's no other way to walk in such shoes) in front of the couch area and folds her arms over mostly bare skin. "I know this isn't the time— or place," she glances around the club that's gradually becoming familiar. She still sounds slightly bitter after the fly-by Benjamin incident. Or maybe it's something else entirely that has Niki eyeing Church critically. "But I wanted to talk to you." Come to think, maybe it is the right time and place. It's on her turf. Niki leeeans over the drinks on the low table with the intent to grab the guidance counsellor by the front of his shirt … and … urge him to his feet. "You're coming to the back room with me."

To Be Continued

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