The club was a hot spot for being between town and suburb. Men from all around the county clamored to get in; and the owners, Vale and Eason Hamelton, had made sure of that. It was the perfect place for exotic dancers; Raising The Bar certainly did what its name said.

It was a large building, almost looking like a warehouse on the outside. The walls were painted black on the outside, with colorful spotches all over of different bright, neon colors. The interior wasn't much different; it was dark floors, dark ceiling, dark everything. There were small lights at the bar, so Vale, the bartender, could see and so the men who attended the shows could see that much better. A stage with a catwalk lined one wall, with a pole in the middle. Around the sides were two cages, suspended above everyone for a better view of certain outfits.

On another wall there was a large, brightly colored fish tank; it stretched up the whole wall until it nearly hit the roof. Inside it was the most permanent resident of Raising The Bar; his name was Shode, a merman captured in a fishing net and sold into this life. His hair was long, and a pale blue, along with his pretty eyes that held the depths of the sea in them. He wasn't quite a dancer, but he appeased those who wanted to watch some tail swimming around.

Another permanent resident resided in a cage constantly; be it the cage in the main room or the cage in the back. At least the one in the back was more of a cell; it had a bed, a small but deep pool, and a closet full of beautiful but short kimono-like outfits. The male who resided in this cage was also kept against his will, but without enough water to cover his dragon form for miles, there was no way he could get out. While he hated having people grabbing at him, he was allowed to be kept out of reach as long as he danced. His own hair was long, down to his rear, and teal. His ears were simple holes in the sides of his head, prefaced by teal head fins that spread from his head. Right before the fin on his left side, was a tame braid with several beautiful beads in it. About the only thing not teal on his body was his alabaster skin and the golden pools that were his eyes.

Two more residents had a hard time being together. One, known widely for his ability to get men going quickly and keeping them going strong, was named Brae. A devious little cat, he'd sneak and slink around the club and lay himself out in someone's lap, only to flit to another almost instantly if he wasn't kept there. The other, known widely to be extremely excitable and faithful, but not very bright or aware of seduction, was named Benji. He would move from partner to partner much slower, playing with the boys and loving on them until he was told to move on.

They were the only ones in the club allowed to get away and go home with people, because they could be trusted to get back. As long as Brae kept track of Benji; they had to go everywhere together. Whoever paid for Brae got a surprise; an easier boy always went with him. Two for one deal, sort of thing.

Currently, the club was about to open up, and the twins that owned it were working on getting everyone in place, the music set up, and everyone fed.

After about half an hour, the club was hopping and awaiting the first bit of the tease that came with Brae's first arrival of the night. The dragon was already in his cage, dancing like a sexy maniac, his short kimono clearly able to see up into. He wore a little pair of feminine panties, barely holding him in it but doing an okay job. Shode, too, was working his body behind the glass, doing as he was fed to. Entertain the customers.

A little while into the club's opening, a rather taller-than-normal man made his way inside.



Despite his tall-ness, he had a charming smile on his face and looked a little gentler and less rowdy than the rest of the customers. He was also very handsome, with slightly messy emerald hair and sharp eyes the color of molten gold.

It seemed like this was his first time here. He wandered around a bit, looking at everything with a slightly childlike fascination in his expression.

Brae was already out in the crowd when this man entered, and he flopped against him and purred, running his fingers, outstretched and curled like claws, down the male's shirt.

"Hey there, stranger." He purred, licking his lips, "You're new..."

The man simply chuckled, scratching at his ears playfully.

"Feisty, aren't you?" he noted, amused. "Yeah, I'm new here. First time here." He scratched his head, blinking a bit. "Was it really that obvious?"

"Mm...only obvious to me, I think. I know all of the regulars, and I've never seen you before." He purred, nuzzling that hand and leaning up to kiss at his chin. "Would you like to play with me?" He purred, mewling a little afterwards.

A soft bark made him cringe and the young pup was over in an instant. "I haven't smelled you around here before!" He clung to the other with a hug, nuzzling under his arm.

He chuckled a bit more, scratching at both of their ears.

"I would love to play with you. But, a little later. I'd like to explore the place a bit first. Work before play. My name is Alaric, but you can call me Aric. I'll come find you later, once I'm sure I've explored all possibilities. Fair enough?"

"Mm...fine." Brae purred, licking his lips and nuzzling against his chest before getting off and heading back into the crowd.

"Nn...do ya promise?" Benji questioned, eyes wide as he looked up at the other. "Aric?"

Aric petted him, amused.

"Sure--you're adorable. I've got plenty of time for today, and the next two weeks or so, actually. I'm on vacation." He glanced around. "Are there any other cute dancers? I'd like to see all or most of 'em before the night ends."

"Well...if you look up," The pup pointed to the cage in the air with the slow, sensuous movements inside it, "There's Vigil...people tend to like him, but he's very..difficult. Not friendly like Brae and I are...well, not usually. He can be, sometimes." And a pause, then he pointed to the back wall, "And then there's Shode..."

Aric seemed particularly interested in the cage. He scratched his ears a final time. "All right, then. I'll see you a little later, cutie."

He moved a bit to where he could see the cage easily and stood among the crowd. Unlike the rest of the crowd, whose occupants were reaching out greedily and attempting to touch the dancer, as well as hooting and cheering, Aric stood completely still, looking calm and composed in the crowd. He didn't seem to be too rowdy.

If there was one thing the caged male appreciated, it was that male that didn't grab at him. It made it much easier to dance, and he felt a lot better about it. The more he danced, the more he felt the outfit slipping off his shoulders. It would slip down until all he wore were those undies, and the greedy beasts below would rip and tear at his pretty outfit, trying to shake the cage down. He dreaded this; if they ever got it open, he knew there was nothing he could do to protect himself.

Aric could easily see that this one--Vigil, if he remembered correctly--didn't appreciate all the groping, something he was both impressed and confused by.

Carefully, he wandered away from the cage a bit so he had a good view of both it and the tank in the back.

Both longer-haired males did their jobs despite the drooling men they didn't quite enjoy. The difference, though, between Shode and Vigil, was that Shode couldn't be touched unless Vale was paid a good deal of money to let someone in the tank with him. But, they had to use protection, because Shode held the ability to get pregnant. They had no idea about Vigil, but he hadn't been touched, yet. The cage shook and buckled against the chains holding it to the roof, and the chains keeping Vigil in place were shown better, now. And it was clear he was in distress, as well.

Aric mulled it over and decided he would go for Vigil, first. He'd surmised it would cost a hell of a lot of money to be able get in that tank with Shode, and while he was on vacation, he didn't have the money to pay for the experience. Unless he contacted his...er...richer acquaintances.

He was also aware that the first two he had seen, Brae and Benji, were more than willing to play around with him. Better to get the more difficult situations over with first.

He headed back over to the spot he was in, originally, again acting calm and composed. He respected the dancer's wishes by not reaching out to try and grope him. He studied the chains securing the cage from the ceiling and looked a bit concerned--they looked like they'd seen a lot of abuse in their day, and one looked like it was going to snap at any moment...

A blow-horn sounded and soon two men dangled down from the other cage. "Hey! If someone wants to pay, they can have him for the night! We can't have another spill with the cage!" The longer-haired male called, eyes narrowed. Automatically, there were men shoving money in their faces, but both males were focused on Aric's face; how calm he was. They knew that was more what would work for Vigil; he'd never been with anyone, and for him to have one of these ravenous, needy pigs for his first time...that was just cruel.

Aric glanced up at the men, still perfectly calm and composed. There wasn't even a hint of alcohol on his breath or in his eyes.

He could...sort of sense their intentions, but he stayed put and didn't say anything, politely waiting for them to ask him, a charming, calm smile on his face.

After realizing he wouldn't step forward on his own, the lighter twin made his way over the crowd and hopped down in front of Aric. "Alright. You...you're not trying to gang-rape him, so you get him, if you can pay." They needed money to cover the new chains.

Aric dug idly in his pocket, unearthing his wallet and picking through it. He didn't mean to flash his money, but...there was a lot of money in there. He worked as a guard for a very rich family, and as a result, he got paid quite handsomely.

"Fair enough. How much?"

"How much are you willing to pay?" Eason looked a little amazed at how much money there was.

Vale grinned a bit, "We could get you two a room in the back. Three hundred."

Aric dug in his wallet and pulled out the money easily--there was still so much left over!

"There you go. And if you're wondering why I've got so much..." He leaned in a bit, to avoid revealing this to the crowd, "...I'm a personal guard for the grandson of the old Aisenyls."

The Aisenyl family was a very prominent family of inventors, scientists, and actors/actresses. They were quite well-known in this area. There were only three left, however...the two elders of the family and their grandson--his parents had been killed in a car crash overseas in Germany.

"You can keep him as long as you want, then." A pause, "As long as you remain nice to him. If he presses the call button in the room and we have to remove you, you don't get a refund." Eason told him, smiling a little, taking the money. "Not that we think you will, but if it happens...I'm just warning you."

Aric nodded idly. "Aw, come on--I'm not that kind of guy," he chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "I work with an adorable little teenager every day, for goodness' sake, and I haven't killed him yet. Uh. Not that I would..."

He seemed to like joking around a lot--he wouldn't take anything really seriously.

"All I'm saying is that I want you to take good care of him. If you can get sex out of him, it'll be his first time ever...so just be nice, okay?" Somehow, they managed to get the throng of men away and got Vigil out of there, taking him to a room in the back with Aric in behind him.

"I'll behave. For the most part," Aric promised, stretching a bit. He walked with them willingly to the back room with Vigil, still respecting his wishes and not even walking all that close to him. He would wait until he seemed at least a little comfortable.

Soon, Vigil was left in the room with his little kimono back on his body, alone with Aric. He looked a little fearful and..maybe spiteful, at first, as he took a seat on the soft satin of the bedsheets. It was a nice, soft, large bed; these rooms were made for comfort.