It was three days before I saw Spike again. When he walked through the door of our apartment, his eyes were bloodshot and his clothes were wrinkled, like they had been piled in heaps for a few days. He was carrying a brown paper bag, which he set down on our tiny kitchen table. When he saw me, he surprised me by smiling.

"Hey pet," he greeted me with a nickname I had not heard in a very long time and planted a long passionate kiss on my lips.

When he bent down to kiss me, I could smell the faint residue of cheep perfume. "Why are you in such a good mood?" I asked suspiciously.

"Can't I just be happy to see my girlfriend?"

"Where have you been?"

The question instantly put Spike on the defensive. "I've been getting you a job, that's what I've been doing! All you do is sit around and get high, while I pay the bills. Its time you started helping out a little!"

Spike's words threw me off. I didn't want to work. When we moved, he promised me that he would support both of us. "Then why do you smell like sex and perfume?" I asked. I knew I was asking for it, but I was angry about his job search.

"Cordelia is the owner of 'Heat'. You'll be working for her."

"Heat' as in the strip club three blocks down?" I asked, shocked.

"Do you know of any other 'Heat' around?" He responded, sarcastically. "It's called a 'gentlemen's club' and your first shift starts in an hour, so I recommend you get dressed," he stated, shoving the paper bag into my arms.

I looked inside the bag. There was a pair of black lacy boyshort panties and a matching bra. Bitterly, I took the bag and its contents into the bathroom to change, grabbing a bag of white powder from Spike's sock drawer on my way.

After dressing in the undergarments, I covered myself with a long coat and announced to Spike that I was ready to go.

"Lets take a look pet," Spike said and removed the coat. He released a low moan at the sight of me and pulled me to him. I could feel is erection poking into my stomach. "I'd take you right now, but we don't want you to be late for your first day," he stated, pushing me away from him.

I knew I should have been disgusted, but I felt really flattered. It had been a very long time since Spike had shown any sexual attraction to me at all.

I was both surprised and thankful that Spike had actually walked me all the way to the club. It was a walk that I really did not want to make when all I had on was underwear and a jacket.

When we got to Heat there was already a line of men by the front door. Spike led me around the club and to a back door. Once we were inside, we were immediately greeted by a tall brunette.

"Hi Spike." She embraced him, placing a kiss on his cheek as his hands roamed her bottom.

Annoyed, I cleared my throat loudly.

"Oh, yeah. Cordealia, this is Buffy."

Cordelia turned to face me. "Hi Buffy! I'm so glad you are joining our dance crew."

She shook my hand and I wondered if she knew I was Spike's girlfriend. She seemed much too friendly to know that I was.

"I… um… don't know that much about dancing," I stated, nervously.

"Most girls don't when they first start. Don't worry, I'll show you the ropes. You'll be dancing like a pro by the end of the night." She smiled at me.

"Well, I'm glad to see you two are getting along so well," Spike stated as he shot me a warning glare. "Buffy, I'll pick you up around two after your shift ends. I don't want you walking the streets alone at that hour."

I silently chuckled to myself at the act that Spike was putting on for Cordelia. I knew Spike didn't care what hour or neighborhood I was walking around in. I nodded and didn't say anything to argue because I didn't want to upset him and lose my escort service.

Spike gave both Cordelia and I a kiss on the cheek and a pat on the butt before walking out of the club.

After Spike left, Cordelia proceeded to give me a tour of the club, pointing out the important places, like my dressing room. She explained that I could keep all the tips I made, but customers had to pay the club directly for any lap dances.

"We only have one rule," she stated, "no boyfriends allowed. I'm sure you can understand why."

I nodded in response.

"Okay, great! You're on in five, so I'll give you a chance to get ready." I could tell that she sensed my uneasiness. "Don't worry, I'll go onstage with you, just follow my lead."

When I was dancing onstage with Cordelia, I found that it wasn't as hard as I expected. The more comfortable I got onstage, the more money people handed me. I did just as Cordelia said to and slid the money into my underwear.

I had been dancing for two hours before he walked in. He wasn't wearing his uniform, just a black t-shirt and jeans and he looked amazing. I found myself dancing dirtier to get his attention, but he didn't even look toward the stage. Instead, he looked as though he was scoping the audience. He turned to a man standing behind him and I realized he wasn't alone. He was with the same guy that had helped him bust me at the party a few days earlier. I felt chills run down my spine at the memory.

Angel looked to the other officer and pointed to a man at the bar. I kept dancing, but my eyes were glued to him as he crossed the club and made his way over to the man. I watched him pull out his badge and place the man in handcuffs. As Angel stood up to escort the man out of the club, his partner must have recognized me because he tapped Angel on the shoulder and pointed in my direction. When our eyes met, I felt Goosebumps rise up all over my body. He continued to stare at me for what seemed like forever without moving. I searched him for a reaction, but couldn't find anything. He didn't give me the smile I was hoping for, he just stared, emotionless. Finally, he turned to his partner and said something. His partner nodded and took over the arrest, leading the man out of the club. Angel sat down at the bar and ordered a drink. I waited for him to look back to the stage, but he didn't, he just sat there and stared into his drink.

I wanted him to look at me so badly. Here I was on stage, trying to be sexy and he wasn't even the least bit interested. I was crushed. I had really believed that I'd felt some kind of connection between the two of us, but his lack of interest in me made it very clear that he did not feel the same way.

I continued to dance for a little while longer until I saw Cordelia from the wings of the stage. She motioned for me to come to her and sent another girl onstage as my replacement.

"Congratulations Buffy, you just got your first lap dance!" She smiled at me.

I felt my throat dry up at her words. "What? I can't – I mean I don't know how," I stuttered.

"Relax. You'll do fine. Just run your hands through his hair and grind down a little bit. There's really nothing to it. He's waiting for you in the back room." She pointed to the private room. "You're lucky; he's a cute one too." She winked at me and walked away.

Nervously, I made my way towards the room with the "Private – Do not enter" sign on the door. I drew in a long breath of air before turning the knob and walking in. I let out a small gasp when I saw Angel, with his back toward me, examining some small detail on the red wall paper. I was shocked to see that Angel had ordered a lap dance. He really didn't seem like the kind of a guy who got lap dances or even hung out at strip clubs. With those eyes, I knew he could get laid whenever he wanted. He didn't need to pay any money to get off. Although, I can't say I wasn't flattered.

He turned to face me. "Buffy," he greeted me with a lack of emotion in his voice.

"Hi." I smiled, but he didn't return it. I was suddenly feeling very subconscious of my lack of clothing and crossed my arms over my bare stomach.

We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity of awkward silence.

"You… uh… have to sit down to do this," I stuttered nervously, pointing to the red velvet couch against the wall.

"Buffy-"

"You're my first, lap dance that is, so I'm sorry if I'm not good." The words came flying out of my mouth. As soon as I heard them, I cringed. I decided I needed to be a little sexier if I didn't want to seem like a stuttering idiot. I quickly pushed Angel down on the velvet couch and hopped in his lap, straddling his legs.

Angel's eyes were wide and I figured I must have surprised him. I began working my hips, grinding against his crotch as Cordelia had instructed.

Angel placed his hands on my hips, ignoring the no touching rule, and once again I felt the electric current between our bodies. "Buffy, I don't want a lap dance from you," he said as he pushed me to the side, off his lap.

"Oh." I felt my blood rush to my cheeks. I'd just made a complete fool of myself and he wasn't even interested. I was naive for even thinking he might have been interested. A great guy like Angel wouldn't bat an eye at a stripping junkie like me. Subconsciously I brought my knees to my chest, hiding my bare stomach as I sat next to him on the couch.

"I'm sorry. That's not what I – That came out wrong," he said quickly as he saw my disappointment. I was never very good at being able to hide my emotions. "What I meant to say was that I didn't come here for a lap dance… from anyone," he corrected himself.

"Buffy, what are you doing here?" he asked me before I had a chance to speak.

"I could ask you the same thing."

He sighed. "You saw why I was here," he responded indicating the arrest. "Why are you here?" he asked again.

"Everyone has to make a living." I tried not to let on how much I hated being there.

"Did Spike make you do this?" He read right through me.

I didn't respond. I bit down on my bottom lip. Angel's reference to Spike made me remember how much trouble I could get in if Spike knew how much information I already had given him.

"That's what I thought," he said, running his hand through his hair. "Buffy, you know my offer still stands. You can stay with me until you get on your feet."

"It's not that bad. Sometimes Spike can be a really nice guy." I knew I was stretching the truth, but Spike was nice when I first met him. Angel didn't seem to understand how much I needed Spike. He had given me a somewhat safe place to live, but most of all he was my supplier. I highly doubted that a cop like Angel would let me use his bathroom to get high in.

"Look, Angel, I really need to get back to work." I stood up and got ready to leave the room.

"You are working. I paid for a full twenty minutes," he gave me a mischievous grin and reached for my hand, pulling me back down to the couch. We were sitting much closer than we were before I had gotten up. I could feel the heat radiating off his body and it took an enormous amount of self control trying not to lean into his perfectly muscular chest.

"Let's talk," he said, taking my mind off how beautiful he was, but only for a few seconds. "I'd like to get to know you more."

"Okay." I wasn't really sure what he would want to talk about besides Spike and that was a topic I wanted to steer clear of.

"So Buffy, what's it like being a stripper?" He flashed another perfect smile, making me want him even more.

"Well, I don't really know. This is only my first day on the job."

"Yeah, I got that," he responded and both of us broke out into laughter. I probably did look pretty bad beginning that lap dance. I guess I wasn't one for setting the mood.

"What's it like being a cop?" I threw the question back at him.

"Well technically, I'm a detective," he smiled, "but I don't like to brag. It's actually pretty cool." His voice turned serious. "I mean it can be pretty scary at times, but I mainly deal with drug busts and the people I bust are usually too high to be any real danger."

"People like me," I said, remembering the state I had been a few nights ago when he arrested me.

There was a long uncomfortable silence before he continued the conversation.

"The big dealers are the most dangerous. They typically have some kind of gang affiliation and they usually carry a weapon."

When he put it that way, Spike seemed like nothing. As far as I knew, he didn't carry a gun and while a few of his friends and customers were in gangs, but he didn't belong to one.

"How badly is Spike wanted?" I asked. I really didn't want to talk about Spike, but my curiosity got the best of me.

"Well, he's on the list, but I wouldn't say he is at the top. Arresting Spike would just lead us to his supplier, who is probably much bigger and more important in the drug world."

"And I pretty much gave you his home address," I stated. I could feel a wave of fear crash over me.

Angel must have sensed my fear as well because he took my hand and held it in his much larger one and looked me straight in the eye. "Buffy, right now my biggest priority is your safety. Spike doesn't mean that much to us and I'm not going to do anything that would put you in danger."

"What about your partner?"

"Gunn doesn't even think you know Spike." He smiled another prefect smile. "According to the police report, you just happened to be at the party and experimenting with drugs for the first time."

I was flattered that Angel had gone through that much effort to cover up my tracks, but I didn't want him to get in trouble either. "Can't you lose your job for that?"

"I could, but you and I are the only ones who know I changed it and for some reason, I'm not too worried about you telling on me."

"Yeah, that's not very likely," I agreed, half jokingly.

Angel looked at his watch. "Well, it looks like my time is up." He stood up and ran his backwards through his hair, messing it up a little before he smiled at me and walked out of the room.

Twenty minutes later, when I got back on stage, I looked over to the bar. Angel had returned to the same bar stool and had a new beer in his hand, but this time his attention was focused on the stage instead of his mug. I decided to put on a little show just for him. I could almost feel his eyes burning into me as I began swinging my hips suggestively to the music. I slowly pulled my hair out of the neat ponytail it was in and let it fall over my shoulders. I forgot about everyone else in the club. I imagined it was just the two of us and I was dancing for him alone. I ran my hands through my hair before moving them down my body, tracing my breasts. I made a v shape with my hands as they moved down my stomach to the black lacy panties Spike had given me. I placed my hands on the inside of my thighs and slowly moved them down my legs until they reached the floor. I stretched my legs out until I was lying on the floor of the stage. Dollar bills were being thrown at me from every direction and I seductively slipped them underneath my panties. I spilt my legs apart and moved my hands along the inside of my thighs. I slowly made my way back to my feet and continued to dance around the stage. I looked over to the bar and to my disappointment, Angel was gone. I continued to dance for a little while, no longer feeling the excitement I felt when Angel was watching me, until my shift ended.

By the time I had gone backstage and grabbed by coat, the last of the customers had left. The club seemed so much different without anyone in it. I found it much less intimidating.

"Do you need a ride?" Cordelia asked me as we walked to the back parking lot together.

"Thanks, but I think Spike is on his way," I responded, hoping my boyfriend had remembered to pick me up.

"Okay, I will see you tomorrow then," Cordelia said after locking the doors. I watched as she made her way to her red convertible.

I watched Cordelia drive away and I sat down on the back steps of the club. I didn't realize how tired I was until I sat down. My feet were aching from the stiletto heels I had been wearing for the past six hours. I'm not sure how long I sat there, but it must have been for at least an hour. I was dozing in and out of consciousness the whole time.

"He's not coming is he?" A familiar, velvety voice said as Angel stepped out of the shadows of the club.

I was surprised to see him there as I thought he'd left at least two hours ago. "Are you following me?"

"Like I said, my number one priority is to keep you safe. There was no way I was going to let you sit on the streets in downtown L.A., in your underwear, waiting for a ride that we both knew wasn't going to come."

"He said he'd be here." I instinctively defended Spike, but I knew Angel was right.

"Why don't you let me walk you home?" Angel held out his hand to me.

"You don't have a car?" I asked, surprised that Angel would be walking around L.A. at three in the morning without a car.

I took his hand and he pulled me to my feet. My hand tingled from the feel of his soft, but tough hand.

"Gunn took it when we arrested Simpson," he said, referring to the arrest that took place earlier that evening at the club.

"Simpson?" I asked as we started walking the three blocks to my apartment.

"He's a well known drug dealer in these parts. Most of his sales happen right here at 'Heat'. We got a tip from a rival gang that he would be here tonight."

I shuddered at the thought of Angel working with gang members.

He must have seen me shudder.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

"A little," I replied. After all, I didn't have anything but a bra and panties underneath my coat and it was three in the morning in January.

He put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close to him. While I wasn't toasty, his body heat did warm me up a little.

"Is this okay?" he asked. "I'd offer you my jacket, but I left it in the car that Gunn took."

"This is fine."

When Angel walked me home, I felt completely safe. I hardly even noticed the hookers and gangs that we passed as we made our way towards my apartment. We talked all the way home and I was surprised by how easily our conversation flowed. When I was with Angel, I felt like I could be completely honest with him and he wouldn't judge me. It felt as though I was talking to a best friend I had known for years instead of a complete stranger. When we reached my doorstep, I found myself wishing I lived farther away.

"Do you have far to walk?" I asked, putting off saying goodbye.

"I'll have to get a cab."

"Do you want me to wait with you? This isn't one of the safest neighborhoods."

Angel lifted up his shirt, revealing the gun that was tucked into the waistband of his pants. "I'll be fine."

"Okay, well then I guess I will see you around," I said, sad to see him go.

"Are you working tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"I'll be there when your shift ends." He looked up to the light that was still on in our bedroom window. "You still have my number right?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Take care of yourself Buffy." He pulled me in for a tight hug, which seemed to last a little longer than your typical friendly hug.

When he let go, I backed up to the door of the apartment. The light upstairs meant that Spike was home and I couldn't be sure he wasn't watching. "Bye," I said, in almost a whisper before opening the door and making my way to our upstairs apartment.

When I got inside, Spike was sprawled out completely naked on our bed. I figured he was asleep as I took off my coat. When I thought about the dance I had put on for Angel earlier that evening a small wave of guilt washed over me, but it wasn't a bad guilt. It was more like a guilty pleasure. My whole relationship with Angel a secret from Spike, something I had never had before. When I imagined myself with Angel, I felt like I was living a whole another life that Spike had no part in.

"Come here," Spike said from the bed, startling me out of my thoughts.

I slid into bed next to Spike.

"The money," he demanded and held out his hand.

Reluctantly, I pulled the wad of bills out of my panties and handed them to Spike.

"Good girl," Spike said as he counted the money and slipped it into his wallet.

That night, as I lay in bed next to Spike, I was already looking forward to my next shift at Heat when I would see Angel again.