A/N: I have a beta now! *cheers* So, thanks to Morri for being a wonderful Southern lady and fixing all my mistakes.  This is the new version of the story, enjoy!

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Siren's Song

Chapter 1: Calypso

Throbbing music pulsed as the tiny blonde girl took center stage.  She smiled and began to writhe to the music, her sinuous movements causing many a man to hold his breath.  Her white costume was a sharp contrast to the gold of her skin, and when she removed her top, her supple breasts spilled out. This quickly prompted many of the patrons to move in a little closer to the goddess on the stage.  A few expert moves around the pole, and a few more moved in.  Pretty soon, the majority of the club patrons were transfixed by sight of the woman dancing on the stage, feline grace and Amazon sensuality.  Murmurs circled through the audience, all the men wondered the same thing, "Who is she?"  The song stopped and the sprite that sent hormones into overdrive collected her money and walked off stage, breaking the spell.  The next dancer came out, and the patrons filed away, either to the bar or the back room where lap dances were held.

Buffy Summers was laughing.  Not outwardly, of course, but on the inside, she was almost in tears.  It was so funny how gullible men were.  A shake here and a twist there and BAM, putty at her feet.  She took off her thong and counted the money that fell from her body, around $250, not bad for one song.  She sat at the long white counter and began to apply more lotion to her body.  The counter ran along one entire wall in the back of the club where she and the other girls got ready.  Random mirrors were interspaced along the wall above.  On top, a cosmetic counter's worth of makeup and lotions were spread along the counter; the girls were generous with their "tools of the trade".  That generosity was something Buffy was not expecting, but greatly appreciated.  She never thought that she would be in a place like this, stripping for money, but then, life is full of surprises.  Shaking out of her reverie, Buffy finished with the lotion and fixed her makeup for her next set.  This time, she picked out a silk royal blue bra and matching thong.  She covered herself in a short dress and put on the prerequisite 6-inch heels.  Sometimes, being short was a real pain in the ass. 

"And now, once again….the siren Calypso!" With that Buffy stepped through the curtain and back onstage.  The rhythmic beat of the song was much slower than her earlier dance.  She deliberately smiled wide and began to move.  Truth be told, Buffy never really knew what she was going to do beforehand, she just let the sounds of the music flow over her and moved with it.  This song was familiar to her, "Nobody", by Keith Sweat.  She had used it before, liking the slow beat of the song.  She gyrated against the pole and looked out across the club.  Men of various ages were lined up at the bar and at the stage as well.  The club, as a whole, was dimly lit, but tastefully decorated.  The bar was oak and polished to a high gleam.  It has brass fixtures and decorative pieces that shone as well.  Between the stage and the bar sat the table and chairs for the patrons.  The stage itself was T-shaped and had a pole on both ends.  More chairs sat along the end of the stage, for those who wanted to see the girls up close and personal.  Right now, all of these chairs were occupied, and Buffy was pleased about that.  More men next to the stage meant a good change of large amounts of tips, large tips meant groceries could be bought and Joyce's doctor visit paid for.

Buffy shook her head and again concentrated on the music and finishing her set.  On her last song, one of the men in the audience decided he needed a personal dance with her.  He jumped up on stage and started to weave drunkenly.  He didn't last two seconds on stage, as the bouncers promptly grabbed him and showed him the exit.  Buffy just sighed and finished her last set of the night.  And thank God for that, she thought as she went backstage amid a chorus of catcalls and shouts.

"Damn girl, you saving any of them for us?" A redheaded dancer named Willow asked her.  Since her first day at 1st Amendment Gentleman's Lounge, Willow had been nothing but a friend, showing Buffy the ropes along with some beauty tricks.

"Nothing to fear, Will, it's Friday and they all have money to burn," Buffy replied with a chuckle, pointing to her thong.

"Nice, just what I like to hear," Willow said.  "Hey, I'm done after this set, you wanna go get some grub?"

"Sounds good, I'm just gonna change into something a bit less revealing and I'll wait for you by the bar."

"Ok then, see ya… oh, watch and point out who was tipping in the audience," Willow said with a grin before she disappeared through the black curtain. 

With another chuckle at Willow's behavior, Buffy headed to the back and pulled on some jeans and a long-sleeved top.  She liked to cover up as much as possible when she could, considering her occupation included much nude time.

Slipping out into the club, Buffy pointed some men out to Willow then ambled over to the bar to help serve while she waited for Willow to finish.

"Hey, Buffy," Riley said as she swung through the door leading behind the bar. 

"Hey, Riley, how's life behind the bar?" she asked, pulling a mug to fill from the tap.

"Warmer than it is on stage, that's for sure," he replied. 

Truth be told, Riley could see himself developing quite a crush on the young Miss Summers, or Calypso, as she was known in the club.

"Warmer, sure, richer, probably not," she retorted.  Truth be told, she thought Riley might have a bit of a crush on her, and as sweet as it was, she didn't think Riley was the guy for her. 

"Good point, however, at least I keep my clothes on," he snarked at her.

"Yeah, well I get paid lots of money to take mine off," Buffy shot back, a little pissed off at Riley's attitude toward her.  She noticed Willow was exiting the stage, so she quickly said bye to Riley and went to catch up with Will.  Riley just shook his head and watched her go.