Who: Isabela, Aria and Miranda What: Isabela gets the VIP treatment at Aria's club, and gets a private moment with Miranda. When: Late January-ish Where: Afterlife Warnings: PG-13 given they're in the strip club part of Afterlife and there's a lap dance at the end
Afterlife was definitely taking off. A lot of people came into the dance club, and a lot of people came into the strip club. It was nothing compared to the Afterlife in her dreams, but this was still Aria’s. This was all hers. She hadn’t taken it away from anyone. This one she built from the ground up quite literally. Both sides of the club were well packed tonight. Perhaps it was a little more packed in the strip club than normal considering Aria’s new dancer, Miranda, was attracting quite some attention. Finally, she might be able to compete with Logan’s succubus bartender.
Aria had been up in her office which overlooked both sides of the club, protected by one way mirrors so no one could see her from in the club. She headed downstairs and into the dance club half of the building. The dance floor was crowded, some people were hanging out by the bar, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. She slipped through the crowd, multicolored hair being attention catching, but she didn’t pay any attention to the catcalls and whistles.
She headed into the strip club, which was separated from the dance club by a well-guarded door. Aria was making a personal appearance there in order to make someone’s night very special. Much of the clientele in the strip club were men considering Aria’s dancers were all female, that wasn’t surprise. However, a few women occasionally came into the strip club, and those women were the ones who caught Aria’s eye.
Which the woman that was there had caught Aria’s eye. “I trust that you like what you see thus far?” She asked as she approached the brunette woman. There were a couple dancers on the stage, and others milling around the crowd. Miranda was not one of them, though she would be dancing a little later.
With a place like this in town, Isabela'd found it almost a crime it had taken her this long to get in and take a good, long, look at all of the amenities. She'd peeked in a few times when on the prowl for this or that flavor of the evening, but it was far too nice a place to keep on treating it like a come-and-go. That night, she'd dressed up in something particularly eye catching. A short, white dress with shimmering gold sequins embroidered into geometric patterns, and a tonne of body glitter. She'd even tossed some into the curls of her hair.
Of course, Aria was even more eye catching. So much so that Isabela nearly immediately tore her eyes away from the gorgeous dancer she'd been drooling over and fixed Aria with her eyes instead. She purred, "I definitely like what I see, you sweet sexy thing, you. And I have to say you've got quite a fine looking set of dancers, too."
Aria knew that look that she was given. She’d been in this line of work more than long enough to know when someone found her attractive. She liked the purr to Isabela’s voice. It certainly suited the look she had. Clearly she was here to enjoy herself, and Aria knew she’d come to the very right place for that to happen.
“I’m flattered on both counts,” she responded with a smirk and a glint in her blue eyes. “I pride myself on my dancers, though my newest one is probably the best of them all. She’ll be dancing later. If I may say so, you look as though you’ve come to fully enjoy yourself tonight.”
"Oh, you definitely may," Isabela replied. The smirk she wore was the warm, confident kind that told a person that this woman knew exactly what she liked. And had zero shame. She folded one leg over the other and leaned towards Aria a bit, as if she was about to share some sort of secret with her.
"This place is far too nice to simply continue using it as a hook up outlet. Your girls make it easy to find all manner of starving individual with itches that just need to be scratched, but tonight I'm here to enjoy the show. Your new dancer, especially. She's the one that's posted on the network recently, isn't she? I like her attitude."
And it said something about Aria that all of the dancers were so high quality. "You're running a damned fine business, here. I'm sure you know it."
“I am happy to hear that you’ve decided to take in the full experience here. Though using it as a hook up outlet is all well and good, you just miss the best parts.” Aria knew how that went. She’d been in this line of work more than long enough to know some people used it to hook up. She wasn’t offended, but she was glad that this woman was going to make it a night, and not just a short stay.
“Very astute, but you are correct. Miranda is my newest dancer. If I am honest, she will have dreams about the same universe I do. She doesn’t like me very much in the dreams, so I am intrigued to see how she responds once she begins dreaming.” Aria smirked, her eyes sparkling with some mischief.
“I do know it, but thank you. Would you perhaps be interested in a VIP treatment? I could introduce you to the girls, and you can have a private room, if you so wish with whomever you want.” Aria was intrigued to see what Isabela would say to that.
"Oh-HO..." Isabela's eyes widened a bit, one eyebrow arching up in pleasant surprise. Her grin widened, and her head tilted off to one side as her head began to dance with visions of girls and private sessions. That was a dream come true for anyone attracted to women, really. Her mind caught on the mention of the shared dream world, though, and her expression changed. "You know, I have no idea what I'd do with a golden opportunity like that. Both of them, actually. Your VIP offer and this interesting dream world sharing. There are a few people from my dream world I'd love to torture in some way or another. Some out of fun, and others for... other reasons."
"What would you want in return for this lovely VIP treatment, though? Perhaps a tour on my yacht later? Money I'm more than glad to give you in return for it? Or are you simply feeling extremely generous?" Isabela asked.
“There is an intense level of satisfaction of knowing who she is in the dreams and how much she is going to hate her current situation once she dreams far enough.” Aria liked to take pleasure in these sorts of things. As an asari, she was used to playing the long game, to being patient because she viewed time differently. Living for one thousand years did tend to lend one to being patient and watching things ripple outwards over time. “I do hope that you have the opportunity to torture people from your dreams.”
And then came the question of what Aria wanted in return. Was she feeling generous? Not particularly. Aria rarely made an offer without wanting something in return. “A tour on your yacht would suffice. I am curious.” And, well, perhaps other things could occur on the yacht. Isabela was highly attractive. Aria’s eyes did wander a little.
The wandering eyes made Isabela smirk, and she was glad that the attraction seemed to be mutual. Perhaps other things could occur on the yacht, something that always occurred to Isabela. Many a racy evening had been spent after promising a tour, sometimes before the tour had even been started. She recalled a particularly fine morning in December that had begun the night before with a tour and had ended with a delicious breakfast that morning.
Isabela held out her hand to shake Aria's, the usual way that someone indicated a deal had been struck. "You're on. I'll make sure it's a particularly thorough tour, you'll have my word on that one."
Aria could definitely appreciate beauty in many forms. And she definitely enjoyed sex where she could get it. She definitely wouldn’t mind if a tour turned into more than a tour. Or anything but a tour. But of course, Aria had a little confession of the not-being-human variety to make before clothes ever came off. And she knew not everyone would take a blue alien with head tentacles as well as Logan and Neena had.
“Excellent, I look forward to it.” Aria replied with a smile, shaking Isabela’s hand to seal the deal. “Now, do you know how many of my dancers you would like to have in private?” Miranda had yet to come out, but she would be gracing the stage soon.
"Goodness, what's the line between annoyingly greedy and simply taking advantage of a good situation..." Bela trailed off, while eying the stage. She leaned forward, taking on the appearance of a plotting villain in some bad animated series, tapping her fingertips together. Miranda was on the top of her list, and she was Aria's newest dancer. Asking for her alone was already asking for a lot.
"As I don't want to outstay my welcome and I'd like the VIP treatment again sometime, why don't we just agree to let me have Miranda for a bit after her set? All of your ladies are lovely, but I have to admit there's some fire in your new girl. I'd like to see it first hand, if you'll let me."
It wasn’t exactly a surprise that Isabela was interested in Miranda. There were a lot of people that had shown interest in her since Aria had hired her. She could certainly let Isabela have her for a while. Eventually, Aria would need Miranda to tend to other customers, but there were plenty of other ladies that could entertain Isabela if she still wished it.
“Consider it done,” Aria said with a glint in her blue eyes. One day, Miranda would probably reign holy hell down on her once she dreamt, but for now? Aria was going to enjoy every second of this. “Speaking of, her set should be starting in a few minutes, so that should wet your appetite.”
"I can hardly wait. My mouth is already watering just thinking about it." As if Miranda was a tasty morsel to be eaten instead of a grown woman who belonged to no one but herself. Bela'd had an interesting conversation with Miranda and was well aware of how fiercely independent the woman was. That just made her even more thirsty, and the thought that Miranda would slap her for referring to her like a haunch of meat was titillating.
"You know what? I think a night like this ought to be celebrated appropriately. Nothing says 'I'm a VIP' like cracking open a bottle of champagne." Isabela waived someone over to place the order, then winked at Aria, "Care to stay around and share a glass or are you off to be very busy running this place?"
Aria smirked at that. She wasn’t quite certain how Miranda would react to that. “It certainly sounds like you know what you like. I like a woman who knows exactly what she wants.” She wasn’t always one to flirt, especially with patrons to her place of business, but Aria did make an exception for anyone on that Valar network.
“I agree, it should certainly be celebrated to the fullest.” Aria expected people to indulge when VIP treatment was given. It would be a travesty if they didn’t. After all, why come to a place like this, get VIP treatment and not indulge? “I’ll share a glass. I always make time for beautiful women and VIPs.” She then told the person who’d come to take the order to bring a bottle of the best champagne with two glasses.
"Life's short, sweet swing. If you're involved with anything that isn't getting off or getting paid, there's really not much point, right? Or getting happy, that one's important, too." There were plenty of people who did things for others and weren't all about themselves but were still pretty happy in their lives. That wasn't for Isabela at all, but she could acknowledge their choices, anyway. "Not much time left for regrets or sitting around wondering why it is you didn't grab what was important to you. That's how I see it, anyway. I'm singularly minded, and that works for me."
"Your hair is fascinating by the way. I've never seen anyone manage bright colors like that while still having hair that looked soft as a feather. It almost makes a girl want to run her fingers right through it. But I know better, and shall endeavor to keep mine to myself." Isabela added that last part with a wink, one which implied it wouldn't take much convincing to get her to misbehave.
Aria couldn’t quite contain a smirk at Isabela’s comment about life being short. Sure, Aria might be an old asari, but she could probably still outlive most people here. Assuming something didn’t kill her along the way, of course. But if she was going to die, she was going to go out fighting at the very least.
“Thank you. Perhaps I shall tell you my secret sometime.” Before she’d become an asari, Aria had managed to maintain soft hair while coloring it the way she had. But now? Her secret was the hologram. But that was a conversation for another time, especially as Miranda took the stage, much to the appreciation of the audience.
Miranda was a very graceful dancer. She knew her angles and how to best utilize her curves. It was little wonder why she was so popular. It wasn’t just her looks that gave her an edge. Once she’d finished her dance, Aria excused herself from Isabela’s company, after leaving her number with her of course, and went to direct Miranda to the private room that Isabela was in. Aria being Aria didn’t disclose that the customer was female. She’d let Miranda handle that all on her own.
After touching up her hair and make-up, Miranda made her way to the private room. Suffice it to say she was surprised to see a woman there, but she didn’t show it at all as she stepped in. “I hope that you are enjoying your evening.” Though she thought that she recognized the woman. “Have we spoken before?” She asked.
The touch up was something that women working at lesser clubs would have overlooked - either because they were being pressured to work too quickly, or because the girls simply weren't taught to think about it. Isabela appreciated the fact that Miranda looked fresh and ready to go, and she swept that appreciative look up and down Miranda's body before nodding.
"Oh, I definitely am, kitten. Your set was absolutely amazing, a nice cap to an already entertaining night. And yes, we have. I’m the woman from the network, the one with the yacht and the brother situation. I hope that doesn't make this extremely awkward for you." Isabela still had that purr to her voice, and she still had that bottle of champagne. She took a long sip off her glass. This entire place was horrible for making a woman thirsty.
Miranda never went without touching up her make-up. It seemed like the appropriate thing to do after dancing and getting sweaty. Plus Miranda always preferred having an impeccable appearance. The way the woman ran her gaze over her was something she wasn’t quite used to coming from a woman. She didn’t dislike it, it was just...different.
“Thank you. I always aim to be the best I can be.” At the confirmation, Miranda tilted her head a bit. “No, not awkward, I can handle it. The awkward comes from the fact that I did not get your name.” And maybe a little bit from the fact this was a woman, but she could adjust quickly to the situation. She walked closer to her, keeping her gaze fixed on her. “And what can I do for you tonight?”
"I can't see you being any other way, you sweet sexy thing you. You look exactly the type to make sure everything's in order, no matter what business you're pursuing."
Isabela set her champagne glass off to the side and leaned forward, clasping her hands together eagerly. "What are you allowed to do? I know there's rules, and I won't have myself asking for things I can't get. I respect you and your boss far too much for that. The name's Isabela, by the way."
Miranda lifted her chin a bit, a show of pride and confidence as an easy smile crossed her face. She shifted her stance, popping her hip out and setting a hand there. There was confidence and sexuality written all over her body language.
“Very considerate of you, though I appreciate your respect. Not everyone has such respect.” And that was when Miranda typically punched them, then alerted security to deal with the transgressor. “Lap dance and a striptease is within the realm of possibility. Though you should know, Isabela, that you’re the first woman who’s asked for me.” Before this point, it had always been men. So this was a new experience, but she was more than willing to do it. If she wasn’t, she wouldn’t be there right now. She’d no doubt be having Words with Aria instead.
"Ooo, is that so?" Isabela looked extremely pleased by Miranda's confession, and the truth was she was also incredibly turned on. That part she didn't admit, though these things were often a given in Miranda's line of work. "It's just a little hard to believe, I mean look at you. You're really very extraordinary, but of course you know it. You'd better, anyway."
She leaned back in her chair, then, and crossed one leg over the other. "Well, I don't bite. But if you were worried about it you wouldn't be here. But really it's not different than performing for a man. You'll dance, I'll look and enjoy, but if you sit here there won't be any of that unfortunate wood to deal with. That's got to be a boon, right? Plus, I like to think my lap is softer."
“Thank you, though it is true. I get swamped by men that if any other women made an attempt to get a private dance from me, they never quite made it through. Until you.” Not to mention that whenever she mingled with the crowd, Miranda tended to gravitate towards men moreso than women. Not that she wasn’t attracted to women, but that was something she kept secret from everyone.
Miranda chuckled a bit, a smirk crossing her face. “I have to say, not having to deal with unfortunate wood is a relief. Sometimes it’s rather off-putting to me. But you definitely look like you have a very soft and comfortable lap.” And Miranda switched right into the charm. It came quite easily to her and she gave Isabela a sultry smile. “Lap dance it shall be.” She stepped up to Isabela, keeping eye contact with her as she started the lap dance.
"Mmmmm," Isabela hummed, the sort noise of appreciation that rumbled deep down in her throat. She settled her legs down next to each other, providing Miranda with a smooth and even surface to perform on. This was going to be a serious treat, and she wanted to make sure her charming new friend was as comfortable as possible.