- truth hurts

“You… you want me to turn around?” He quirked an eyebrow at her. “Alright…” He shrugged and turned around so his back was to her and he was staring at the wall. “I don’t have to waste my time doing what?” He asked curiously. He wasn’t sure at all what she meant by that. He wasn’t exactly sure what to say, he didn’t want her to think that this was any kind of problem for him or that he like, judged her or anything.

“It’s…not important.” Cori spoke out as she moved to the corner of the room, reaching into a drawer and pulling out a thin black robe. It wasn’t much, mostly just for show and presentation to be used in more private sessions, but at least then she wouldn’t be standing there in only her underwear before the man. “Alright, you can turn back around. So…you now know I’m a stripper, I know that you go to strip clubs sometimes. It’s a thing. So, um, you go have a good night with your friends and I’ll…change into my outfit to work the floor.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” He looked her up and down, his eyes trailing back up to her face. “I mean, it’s not a super new thing, I usually go out to the bar with my best friend but since he’s busy, I opted to go with them.” He gestured back out to the main area where his coworkers were probably waiting for him. “If it helps, we also invited a couple of female co-workers, they just couldn’t make it out tonight.”

“Yeah, no, that really doesn’t help. Can you, could you just turn around or something. This is very uncomfortable right now.” Normally it didn’t bother her, knowing that people were staring her up and down with hardly anything on, but it felt different with him there. “Okay well, I don’t have to work the stage again for a few hours so it should be fine and I can just work the floor in an area away from you all so you can still have your night. And hey, at least now you know so you don’t have to waste anymore of your time doing...whatever this was so, silver lining right?”

His buddy hooted as Tyson was led back to a private room and relax a little as she whirled on him.

“I was having a night out with the guys what are you doing here? Okay no don’t answer that, I know the answer to that but like- I thought you were a nurse.” He was surprised and honestly a little hurt that she thought she had to lie to him and claim to be a nurse, like he was that close minded that he’d judge her for this. 

“I am a nurse! I’m just also a stripper on nights where I’m not as the hospital on shift as a nurse, but I am a nurse. This just pays a lot better and I have bills to pay while still liking to put a little back so -” Cori crossed her arms over her chest then, suddenly feelings remarkably underdressed. “This is...not how I wanted you to find this out. So, you got to strip clubs with your guy friends now?”

Holy shit. Tyson honestly felt like he should look away, at anything but her, but he also couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was hot. He did notice when their eyes met and she suddenly turned away going back to the pole. Okay so now she knew that he knew. He was about to get up and go when his buddy slapped his arm. She was coming their way. Tyson was doing his best to not look like a total spaz. 

“Just- enjoying a night off work.” He almost used her name but stopped himself because he knew that was not the name that she went on stage with and he knew better than to do that.  “How about you?” He asked, ignoring the weird look his coworker gave him.

“Yeah? I bet you really deserve it. Sure you work really hard.” He did, Cori knew that. Whenever she did get to spend some time with the guy, she always felt sympathetic to how many hours Tyson had to put in, but for now her questions came out more as a tease, an invitation to banter a bit. Reaching out, she ran her hand down his arm then gave his wrist a small tug. “Why don’t you come with me, handsome?” As another girl too the stage, Cori began leading Tyson to the back rooms where typically lap dances took place, pinching the bridge of her nose the moment the curtain was pulled and they were as alone as they were going to get. “Tyson what the actual fuck are you doing here?”

Tyson finally glanced up at the stage, getting an eyeful of the woman dancing. He nearly spit out his beer. His jaw actually dropped. It was… it was his cat whisperer. 

“What the ever loving fuck?” He whispered, his eyes wide. She… was a whole lot more than just a cat whisperer, everyone in the room had their eyes on her- okay not everyone but enough people that it felt like it. 

“Holy shit.” He thought she was… a nurse? Was this what she meant when she said nurse? That felt a bit like a stretch.

Making eye contact with the patrons was easy as Cori slipped off her first article of clothing, letting the skirt fall to stage as she moved down then wiggled back up again, never breaking eye contact with a man before her. Then, as she looked around for her next target, she saw him. There was no real mistaking who was there, though Cori tried her best not to let her break focus as she continued to dance, making her way back to the pole rather than focusing on the patrons again. At least while she was operating on the pole she could think of her next move. There was no way in hell that Tyson was there, and why in the fuck was he there anyways? Wasn’t he a cop? One of the good guys who didn’t frequent sleazy places like this? Finally, with a bit more resolve, she stepped away from the pole, making her way to the stairs leading down to the floor then right up to his table, focusing first on the friend next to Tyson. “Evening gentleman. What brings you here tonight?”

Tyson didn’t mind strip clubs. He knew a lot of guys were either super for them or super opposed to them but he didn’t have a dog in this fight. When a couple of the guys from work invited him out, he agreed to it. He held a beer in his hand, taking a drink, talking with one of the guys while the other was enjoying the lap dance he had just paid for. 

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever been to this club.” Tyson was realizing. He’d been to one club since moving to Lima and was completely unshocked to realized a town this small had more than one strip club, so figure.

As the music started, it was easy to get into the swing of things again, forgetting most of her other obligations and instead focusing on the crowd, locking eyes with those who seemed like they would be good tippers and approaching those who were seated closer to the stage. She accepted bills directly from some while others threw their money to the stage for her to get later and eventually Cori made her way back over to the pole near the center of the stage, pressing her back up against it. This was a longer number, one she would have to space her clothing removals out more so and instead work on hyping the onlookers up for each piece of clothing removed. 

Tyson: He's fiiiiine.

Tyson: Cori Griffin, alright, awesome.

Cori: Putting him on a diet while you're gone.

Tyson: A happy chunky boy.

Tyson: Well yes, I'm very good at bad choices.

Cori: Who needs a diet.

Tyson: But he's a happy boy.

Tyson: Because I'm going to be giving you a key to my apartment, I should know.

Cori: He's a chunky boy.

Tyson: He got one small bit of chicken.

Tyson: What's your last name?

Cori: Which he shouldn't have.

Tyson: He seems happy

Tyson: I do, but he's a fat ass.

Tyson: Its just chicken. right?

Tyson: Do you happen to know if cats can eat sweet and sout chicken? Without the sauce?

Tyson: cause google isn't really helping me.

Tyson: Sounds good, just text me when you are free

Tyson: Makes sense. If you want to come by I'll give you a key.