the pole dancers innocence

It Gets Heated

     Two more weeks and nothing. It was actually anticlimactic. Donavan had expected more from his brother. After all. He was the leader of a large bunch of bad ass Irishmen. Why wasn't he making more of a play? What was he waiting for?

     He had been staying at the motel nearby and spending everyday at the club with Saoirse and The men who were protective and watchful as he. He had also been able to watch her daughter perform her dances and watch how very talented and exotic  she really was. He had at first been concerned because he thought it would be taking her clothes off and shaking her ass in front of a bunch of horny men. It was that, sort of, but Saoirse always remained clothed and she was tasteful and classy. He wasn't going to lie. It did disturb him that she danced like this in front of men, but Ballet was stolen from her, and she was thriving here. Damian and Dominic protected her. He could get used to it.

     He had been watching Saoirse work on her death fall stunt. It scared the crap out of him, but he knew she was always safety conscience when it came to dance. Especially after Ivan. She had made a decision to perform the stunt this coming weekend. They were scheduled to have a full house. So security was beefed up as well. 

     Saoirse stepped off the stage and joined her Da at the bar. Sitting beside him and getting a long drink of iced water.

     Donavan pushed a brown paper bag towards her. "Here, I got you some lunch." She reached into the bag and pulled out a tuna salad sandwich. "Thanks Da." She bit into it with a smile. "Da, are you planning to go back to Seattle when all this is done?"

     "Well yes girl! There's my job, and the house. Why? Don't you want to come back home and deal with Ivan and get back to normal?" He was surprised she asked.

     "Da, you know I'm happy here. Well aside from this Saints business. I have good friends here, and Damian lets me call all my own shots, and I make good money. I'll have enough to finish paying the hospital, and then start looking for studio space so I can start teaching. "I want to stay Da. I mean Seattle is beautiful, but home is in my heart. Not a place." She looked at him with pleading eyes. 

     He shrugged his shoulders. "No...I had a feeling you'd say that. You have good friends here, and an excellent support system. I just guess I miss you, you know?"

     "Da, you could move here. We could look for a place and you'd could find work here." She was hopeful. 

     "I'll think on it girl. I promise." He hugged her. 

     Later that night Dominic put Donavan to work behind the bar for a while. The bar tender had a family emergency and called in, and since Donavan said he'd tended bar before he went to work. It made him feel more useful than just hanging around back stage.  Saoirse wasn't set to go onstage till late anyway, and Damian would be downstairs by that time, and  Dominic was never far away.

     This was the first night Saoirse was doing the death fall. That was why they decided to have her dance last, because she needed the rest and they needed to clear the stage well so she could go over the equipment before her performance. She was standing behind the curtain off stage just out of sight. Silently waiting for the dancer to come off after collecting her money off the stage floor. Then the stage hands were going to clean the floors real quick. She just wanted to take one last look at the pole before they announced. Arms slide warmly around her. She recognized Damian's cologne. She leaned back into his arms. "Paperwork finished?" She whispered.

     "For now." He kissed the side of her neck. "Can I not talk you out of this?" He spoke against her ear. "You know I'm not fond of this move no matter how many times I have watched you do it this week."

     She chuckled. "You an Da both!" She turned to look up at him. No longer watching the stage hands.

     He turned her completely around in his arms. Hooking them behind her back. "I really like your Dad. He's pitching in behind the bar, and quiet honestly he's very good!" He complimented.

     "Da strives to be good at everything he attempts." She reached up and ran her hand softly against his cheek. "I have decided that perhapes after we close tonight you and I could get some alone time. You think you can arrange that?" She smiled seductively.

     His brown eyes followed down her face to the top of her breasts pushed up into her costume. "If I can't then I'm not much of a boss. For time with you, I'd move mountains." He kissed her lips in a promise.

     The stage hands moved off the stage and slipped pass them. Saoirse leaned out from him and watched them pass. "Hey Tory call in sick too?" She asked noticing One of the stage hands wasn't one she had been working with all week.

     "Tory?" Damian looked confused.

     "Yes, one of the stage hands. I've been working with him and Chris all week. I didn't see him just now." She turned back to the stage. "I better go check things, make sure everything is safe." I didn't recognize that guy helping Joe and Chris."

     Damian was watching the guys walk down the hallway. Two of them went into the break room, the other was headed to the back door. He called Dominic and had him send the guys to watch the guy going out the back door and followed Saoirse out onto the stage. She was looking up at the pole. checking lights and rigging. Walking along the floor and looking for any debris. She was just scanning her eyes around. Not sure what she was looking for just looking to make sure nothing was out of place. Dominic called to say the guy that went outside was just leaned up against the wall smoking a cigarette. 

     Suddenly Saoirse got real still. She moved closer to the pole. Her eyes scanning the base. That's when Damian notice the floor appeared really shiny around the pole too. Saoirse hunkered down by the pole and lightly ran her hand along it. She pulled her hand away and was staring at it.

     "Damian," She said so quietly he had to lean down to hear her. "Someone is trying to kill me." She turned her green eyes up to look at him. Turning her hand up to show him. "Someone oiled the pole. If my hands would have hit this nothing would have stopped me from plowing head first into the stage. Most likely breaking my neck." She was whispering with tears in her eyes. He immediately called Dominic to the stage.

     The curtains were still closed around the stage area, and the three of them were there talking in hushed voices. "I had the security guys haul all three men down to the basement. Why don't you go upstairs with Irish and look at the video. Maybe you can see something there that will help." Dom suggested. "In the mean time I'll start the interrogations." 

     Damian nodded. Taking Saoirse's arm they went upstairs. In his office he backed up the stage security feed and they slowly watched it from the end of Honey's dance to when the stage hands walked off camera. It was the new guy who had taken a rug and wiped down the pole. He wasn't be sneaky about it. Just appeared to be doing his job. Only he didn't wipe the whole pole just stayed at the bottom. "You stay here. I'll send Silver up to stay with you. I'll have two guys at the bottom of the stairs. Don't open the door for any one aside from your Dad, Dominic or me." Then he went to the basement.

     Dominic had all three men sitting there casually in the basement. He walked up to Joe. The older of the three. "How long have you worked for me?"

     Joe thought a minute. "Going on three years boss." Damian looked at Chris." Four years boss." Chris answered.

     "Am I a fair boss?" Damian asked.

     "Oh absolutely boss!" They both chorused.

     "And how did you come to work for me?"  He met their eyes.

     "Carlo sent me boss." Joe answered. "Me too boss!" Chris replied.

     Then Damian turned and pinned the new guy with a look. "See, these men I know. You, I don't, and someone made an attempt on Irish tonight. Can you guess who I'm thinking it was?" He stared the man down.

     The man swallowed nervously. "I...I didn't try and hurt Miss Irish." He blurted.  Dominic slammed a fist into the mans gut.

     "Really? Because it looks like you on camera greasing down Saoirse's pole before her performance.!" Damian yelled. Then Dominic slammed a fist into the man's face. knocking him from his chair onto the floor.  The man climbed into the fetal position. Held a hand in the air pleading. "Please. I only did what I was told." He gasped. "My kid needs medicine. This guy promised one thousand if I came and worked today. That's all! He said just to help clean the stage and wipe down the bottom of the pole. Make sue it shined. That's all. Really!"

     "What man?" Dominic growled.

     "I don/t know! Some guy! About 6 foot. Blue eyes. Blonde.. Oh and he had a scratch along the side of his face." The guy said.

     "A scratch?" Damian asked.

     "Yeah, well it looked like one. I mean it was dark red and scaby. Like someone scratched him real good. But it's healing." 

     Dominic went to a table and grabbed some of the mug shoots he had of blonde men in the Saints. "Is he one of these men?" 

     The guy looked at the faces. "No. I don't see him." He was still sitting on the floor. "He called and spoke to me on the phone first. Then asked me to meet him here this afternoon. He gave me the money and the oil. Told me to do a good job or I'd never work for him again. Then he left." He blinked a couple times. "Oh, and he had a strong Irish accent." 

     Damian leaned in. "You met him here where?" He barked.

     "Out...outside in the parking lot." He stammered. "Silver Mercedes."

     Damian whirled for the door. "Keep him here! Send a couple guys over to Tory's apartment. To check on him. I'm going to look at security footage of the parking lot." He barked on his way out.