“Then how come you can see it?” Killian questioned.
“Hmmm…the spell is quite crude, which is why I can see it or perhaps it was intended only for witches and warlocks,” Daric explained. “Although I can’t use my powers, magic is still part of me.”
“What does it say?” Quinn asked.
“The address is 235 Princeton Street,” Daric read, then handed it back to Killian.
Quinn quickly punched in the address into the built-in GPS unit. “Let’s go.”
The drive to Princeton Street wasn’t very long, and it was only a couple of blocks from the police station. Princeton Street was a small alley in Soho, just off one of the more fashionable shopping streets.
As Killian cut the engine, he looked back at Daric. “Did you read that address right?”
“Yes,” Daric confirmed.
“I don’t see any sign. Can you see one?”
Daric peered out the window, in front of the warehouse with the numbers “235” above the door. “No, there is no sign. Perhaps we should investigate?”
They filed out of the vehicle and walked to the warehouse door. It looked just like any converted factory in lower Manhattan. The building was about four stories tall and made of solid brick. It looked well-kept, but the windows were darkly tinted. The main door was made of steel, and there was no signage or anything else to indicate what was inside.
“Should we try to pick the lock?” Quinn asked Killian.
“How about if we simply knock?” Daric asked. The four Lycans looked at him with strange looks on their face. The warlock shrugged, then rapped his knuckles on the door.
A few seconds later, the sound of metal scraping against metal screeched through the air, and the large door opened a crack. A short, balding man with sharp green eyes peered at them.
“Finally!” he said, opening the door wider. “You’re here.” His voice was high-pitched and nasal. “You’re late, by the way, Mr. Merlin has been waiting for 20 minutes. He doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
“Our apologies,” Killian said smoothly. “We got lost. GPS isn’t worth shit these days, you know.”
The man rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine, just follow me. I’ll take you to the dressing rooms, and you can begin.”
Dressing room, Meredith mouthed to Killian, who shrugged. As they followed the man across the warehouse, she looked around, trying to piece together what this place was. Red seemed to be the dominant color, judging by the red velvet curtains, the tables and chairs scattered across the floor, and the various decorations on the wall. The decor was classy and sleek, and it looked like any high-end club or bar in Manhattan. The ceiling was high, and there was a second lofted level that wrapped around the walls, allowing patrons a clear view of the main stage.
They walked towards the stage, which for now, wasn't fully set up. It wasn't too large and had a catwalk in the middle, while various props and set pieces were scattered around.
The balding man led them to the side, drawing a curtain apart to let them through. From there, they followed him down a narrow hallway, until they reached a door at the end.
“Dressing room’s in there,” he said, jerking his thumb towards the door. “You can change in there, but I suggest you don’t take too long. The boss’ll be down in five minutes, don’t take longer than that to get on stage.” With a final nod, he left them.
Meredith opened the door and walked in. Inside were rows of dressing tables, chairs, and mirrors. She suddenly realized what type of establishment they were in. “Merlin’s is a strip club!” Her eyes swept across the room, looking at the various bits of sparkly, furry, and bejeweled costumes hanging all over the chairs and dressers.
“A magical strip club, apparently,” Quinn said, his eyebrows wagging. “Hmmm…I’ve never been with a witch before. You think any of these girls will give a wolf a chance?”
“Ugh.” Meredith smacked him on the arm.
“What the hell was Archie doing at a strip club?”
“Well, he was single—ow! Quit it, Meredith!”
“Oh, shut up, that didn’t even hurt,” she said. “Well, there’s only one way we can find out what Archie was going here.” She pivoted and began walking to the door.
“What are you doing?” Connor asked.
“What does it look like? I’m going to audition.”
“No,” four voices protested.
“What the fuck—”
“You can’t—“
“No way are you—“
“I forbid it!” Daric’s voice was tense and strained, his sea-colored eyes flashing with anger. “You will stay in here and keep your clothes on. I’m a warlock; I’ll go and see what this Merlin knows about Archie.”
“Ugh, stop!” She put her hand up. “Seriously? You think this guy will just tell us about Archie? Why? Out of the goodness of his own heart? If he had anything to do with Archie’s death, then you know he’s not going to say anything to us. Our best chance to find out what happened is for me to get in here, sneak into his office and search for any information that could lead us to Archie's killer.”
The four men looked at each other. Finally, Killian let out a sigh. “Fine, but you need to be careful.”
“What?” Daric asked incredulously. “You’re going to let her get up on that stage and take her clothes off?” He looked at Connor. “Don’t you have any honor?”
“I don’t like it,” Connor replied, crossing his arms over his massive chest. “But, she’s right. If Merlin suspects what we’re up to, I doubt we’ll have another chance to get into this place.”
Daric grabbed Meredith’s arm. “There is another way.”
“What?” she challenged.
“I don’t know…but we will find another way.”
She yanked her arm away from his grip. “Keep looking then. In the meantime, it’s time to put those dance lessons to good use.”
Meredith walked out, not waiting for Daric’s protest. She was glad she at least had her brother’s support. Frankly, though, she was nervous. She’d never taken her clothes off in front of an audience. Archie had sent her to modern, ballet, and ballroom dance classes, but she doubted stripping was what the master thief had in mind when he wanted her to learn this particular skill set.
When Meredith reached the main stage area, the props had already been cleared. The lights were also dimmed and a single spotlight was on stage. Assuming that’s where she was supposed to go, she walked across the stage, into the spotlight. With a deep breath, she gripped the bottom of her shirt, and began to lift it up.
“Darling, what are you doing?” a voice said from the darkness.
“Uh…auditioning? Your guy said—“
“No, no, no!” came the exasperated voice. “House lights on!”
The lights in the club flickered on, and Meredith squinted, trying to see who else was in the room. At the foot of the stage was a tall man, dressed in all black. He climbed the steps and walked over to Meredith.
“Darling, I appreciate the effort. I like the hipster, look it’s very in,” he said, waving at her t-shirt and leggings. The man was handsome, tall, lean, and his black hair was slicked back. The most curious thing about him was his eyes. Meredith had never seen eyes that dark. They were like pools of ink. “However, you’re not what I’m looking for.”
“I’m not?” Meredith frowned.
“Did an agency send you?” he asked. “Those guys are always mixing up appointments; perhaps you were supposed to go to a different audition.”
“Different audition? Isn’t this Merlin’s, the strip club?”
The man let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “Darling, this is Merlin’s, but I’m afraid you’re all wrong for us. We're not some some sleazy titty club. We only cater to the most discerning patrons here. Some very wealthy and very special witches.”
Meredith laughed out loud. “Oh. My. God. This is a male strip club?”
“Of course,” the man said. “I’m Lucien Merlin, owner an
d proprietor…and you…” He narrowed his eyes at her. “I’ve never had a Lycan performer here before. Hmmm…say,” he scratched his chin. “Does your agency have any men performers?
Meredith bit her lip. “Don’t move from that spot, Mr. Merlin—“
“Lucien, please. Or just Merlin. Mr. Merlin was my father.”
“Right, Lucien. I’ve got just the guy for you,” she said. “I mean, guys.”
“All right, but I haven’t got all day.”
Meredith skipped off and ran offstage. She nearly collided into Killian, who was walking towards her with a scowl on his face.
“Meredith, we’ve changed our minds,” Killian said. “We’ll find the information another way. We can’t let you strip in front of slimy businessmen and God-knows-who-else.”
“I won’t have to,” she said with a smile.
“Good,” Daric said. “Now let’s get out of here.”
“No, wait, we can still get some good intel here, come with me,” she said.
The four men looked at each other and followed her to the stage. “How about these guys?” she said.
Merlin’s eyes lit up. “Oh…hmmm…” He looked at the three Lycans appreciatively. “My oh my,” he said, fanning himself. “You’ll do. But I don’t need all of you.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Killian asked, stretching to his full height.
Undeterred, Merlin came closer. “Your friend here said she brought along some male Lycan strippers. You are looking for a job, right?”
“What the fuck?” Connor cursed and the air grew heavy.
“Oooh, boy, put those pheromones away.” Merlin shook his head. “No, not you, definitely not. I want to thrill our clientele, not scare them. Though I may know one or two who would love a private booking with a guy like you if you don’t mind a little rough role playing.”
“Wait, this is a male strip club?” Killian asked.
Another long sigh escaped Merlin’s lips. “Look, is this your first time to an audition? I’d really rather not waste my time here,” he said. “Just get out if you’re not interested.”
“We are,” Quinn said. “And hey, I’m your guy,” he said, flashing Merlin a smile. “I’d love a chance to perform for your clients. They’re witches, right?”
Merlin nodded. “Most of them, and a few warlocks, too. But, you know, most warlocks are so uptight, present company an exception,” he said in a low voice. “Can’t let the secret out, right? We put a glamour on our building and our marketing materials to make sure we only attract the right clientele. Some do bring their human friends, but only if they’re in the know.”
“Right,” Killian said, flashing Meredith a pointed look.
“Ok, so blondie’s got the job…what about…” he looked over to Daric. “Oh, my. Four Lycans and a warlock walk into a strip club…sounds like the beginning of a corny joke.”
Meredith snorted.
“Hmm…women go crazy over the Viking look these days,” Merlin said. “How about it? You two?”
“Yeah!” Quinn side, pumping his fist. Daric remained stoic but gave a curt nod.
“No!” Meredith protested. Eyes swung over to her. “I mean…no problem, right, guys?”
“Of course,” Quinn said, giving Daric a friendly slap. “My boy Daric and I will be drowning in witch pus—” He stopped when Meredith gave him a dirty look. “I mean, yeah, we’re professionals and everything.”
Merlin’s eyes narrowed but then turned to the others. “Well, lucky for you all, I’m always short staffed. That’s kinda what happens with places that cater to the magical, you know? It’s easy to lose employees, and confusion potions are a bitch to hand out. Do you all need jobs? I could use a bartender and a couple more bouncers.”
“I’ve worked a bar before,” Meredith said.
“And Connor and I will take care of the front door,” Killian added.
“Excellent. Now, go and grab your tax forms from Ivar,” he said, gesturing the to balding man who had let them in. “We’re all legal here, you know, with the all the authorities. You can start tomorrow night.”
Chapter Eight
“A male strip club?” Killian groaned as they left Merlin’s.
“I know, right?” Meredith said. “Hmmm…I wonder why I’ve never heard of that one?”
“And what would you know about male strip clubs?” Connor asked.
“Um…purely research purposes,” she answered quickly.
“Woohoo, I can’t believe it! A job that finally calls for my good looks, instead of my stunning intellect,” Quinn said, rubbing his hands together. “And all those horny witches stuffing dollar bills down my g-string.”
“Uh, I don’t think it’s that kind of place, Quinn,” Meredith deadpanned.
“You’re right, Mer,” Quinn replied. “Merlin’s is too classy. They’ll be stuffing at least twenties.”
Meredith groaned. She did not want to think about those witches—with a b—shoving dirty bills down Daric’s underwear. Whatever possessed the warlock to agree anyway? She glanced over at him and Quinn, who was still obviously psyched about the whole stripping thing.
“C’mon, dude,” the Lycan said to the warlock. “Tell me about these witches—what do they like? Do they prefer their men shaved clean down there or a little bit of hair? Because I can groom if necessary, though I already keep my pubes pretty trimmed.”
“Ugh, Quinn, no one wants to hear about your pubes,” Meredith groaned, sticking her fingers in her ear.
“You’re just jealous of me and my man Daric here, cuz we’re getting all the attention tonight.”
“Jealous?” Meredith said defensively. “I’m not jealous!”
“Oh yeah, well why are you all red, huh?”
“Ugh, I don’t want to talk to you.”
***
The ride back to Fenrir took longer than it seemed, at least to Daric. As he sat in the backseat of the vehicle, he could feel the anger rolling off from Meredith. And it seemed to be directed at him.
Confusing woman. He offered to remove his clothes in front of an audience, so that she could find her father’s killer. Why was she not more grateful? Of course, he was relieved that Meredith would not be the one stripping that he instantly agreed. The thought of her exposing her luscious body to an audience made something ugly rear up in him. When she left to go to the stage, he convinced her brothers not to let her go through with it, and they were easily swayed. He hoped it was not yet too late, and they were about to stop Meredith when she came back and told them what Merlin’s really was. He wasn’t judging Merlin. After all, men and women should equally be able to enjoy sex and express themselves.
The other warlock seemed none the wiser when he hired their group. However, Daric was suspicious that Merlin didn’t even blink an eye at their little ragtag group. Was Merlin an opportunistic businessman who saw the Lycans as a way to line his pockets or did he suspect more? Daric supposed they were going to find out soon enough.
As Killian parked the car, Meredith reached over Connor’s lap, unlocked the door, and quickly scrambled over the giant man to get out of the car. The Lycan gave him a menacing glare before he left the car. It was evident that despite his gruff exterior, Connor had a soft spot for his sister and was overly protective of her.
He followed the Lycans to the elevators. Meredith squeezed herself into the far corner, crossing her arms over her chest and refusing to look at him. Well, perhaps it was a good thing. He and Meredith were like oil and water. Or more like gas and fire. They were explosive whenever they were around each other, and would only leave hurt behind if they ever got together. Never mind that he couldn’t escape her delicious scent nor could he take the vision of her stripping—only for him—out of his head. He bet she would be a tease, giving him glimpses of her naked skin, before taking it all off.
The motion of the elevator jolted him out of his reverie as the elevator stopped on the 16th floor.
“I’m going to the g
ym,” Meredith said angrily as she stalked off.
“Jeeze, what’s gotten her panties in a twist?’ Quinn asked.
Killian sighed. “Who knows?”
Daric said nothing but walked down the hall to his room. He let out a sigh. Against his better judgment, instead of going inside, he pivoted and went in the direction of the gymnasium.
When he got there, Meredith was lying down on the bench, lifting the barbell. She had stripped down to her sports bra and leggings, her boots haphazardly discarded on the floor beside her. Above her, the blonde Lycan man who had been familiar with her during training stood and kept his hands hovering near the bar.
“That’s it, Mer,” he said, encouraging her. “Three more…two more…one more. Great!” He helped her put the weight set back on the support rack.
Daric stalked over to them, his eyes staring daggers at the other man.
“You’re not supposed to be in here,” the Lycan said, stepping in front of Meredith.
“The Beta said the training floor was the one place I’m not allowed to go to,” he explained.
Meredith grabbed her towel from the rack and wiped her face and chest. “Thanks, Tate,” she said gratefully, giving the other Lycan a smile. When her face turned to Daric, however, her smile turned into a frown. “What do you want?”
“It's clear that you are still upset over this morning’s visit to the police station. I wanted to see if you were all right,” Daric said, then looked over at Tate. “But I suppose you’ve decided to seek comfort elsewhere.”
“Thanks for pretending to care, warlock,” she spat. She stood up and took a swig from the water bottle she swiped from the floor. “I’m perfectly fine. I’ll see you later, Tate,” she said, walking away from the other Lycan.
Daric frowned and then followed Meredith out the door. “You did not seem fine,” he countered. “You just left.”
“Yeah? Well maybe I didn’t want to hear about how you and my brother will be drowning in witch pussy, okay?” she said, gritting her teeth. “But I suppose that’s your type, right? Classy, rich, went to college on daddy’s dime? Probably thinks the sun shines out of her own ass. Tell me, how do witches and warlocks fuck? With the lights off, under the sheets?”
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