Disclaimer: Don't own Fruits Basket or the song. Song used: Crazy Bitch by Buckcherry
Warning: This chapter is rated M for language and some situational things.
A/N: As you can probably guess, I have an affinity for song fics, hence this one is too... as are the next couple in the story...
The late afternoon sun was streaking into the kitchen when Serina stepped into it to grab a glass of water. She was stripped down to her intimates, but didn't particularly care if anyone saw her like that. No one but Shigure was home to see her anyway, so it didn't particularly matter. Her hands moved of their own accord and she was soon setting the glass back down on the counter, having emptied it in one long drink. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly before heading back to Shigure's study.
"Break me down, you got a lovely face
We're going to your place, and now you got to freak me out"
Shigure was draped over the small futon he had in the room in a nonchalant manner when she entered, his yukata tied around his waist loosely. The annoyance on his face when she passed right by him, though, made it easy to see why he got up and wrapped his arms around her.
"Leaving so soon?" he whispered in her ear huskily.
She shivered and tried to pull out of his arms. "A girl's gotta work if she wants to pay the bills."
He frowned as he released her then watched her pull on her jeans. "You can't stay even a little longer?"
"Scream so loud, getting fuckin' laid
You want me to stay but I got to make my way"
"No," she said firmly, pulling on her shirt. "I've already missed three days this week. If I want to keep my job, I'm going in."
"But... other men will see you there."
"They, however, can't touch me while I work. And if they do, I'm allowed to physically harm them – to a certain degree. I'll be back to visit tomorrow morning." And with one swift motion she grabbed her overnight bag, shoes, and wallet before giving him a quick kiss and walking out the door.
"That's what you think," he whispered, a devilish grin creeping across his face.
"Hey! You're a crazy bitch
But you fuck so good I'm on top of it"
Work, Serina noticed as she walked in, was as busy as it ever was on a Monday night. This, of course, meant that it was full of drooling men, many of them on the older side, who came to see all the half naked girls serving drinks and dancing for their entertainment. All of her regulars were there, along with a few new faces. Her eyes checked each of them over as she headed for the small door to the right of the stage. None of them looked like they'd try anything, but she'd keep a watch on them anyway.
'Hello's and 'Where the hell have you been?'s flew her direction as she stepped into the small backstage dressing area. The rest of the girls were already dressed in their usual outfits, which ranged from the classic angel with wings to the devil with horns. Serina walked straight to her small station and dropped her bag, pulling out the leather studded vest, leather boy shorts, fish nets, black pumps, and leather cap that completed her outfit.
"Trunfield!" boomed a voice from the doorway. "You're serving in ten minutes! Get a move on!"
Serina rolled her eyes. It appeared that everything was just as she'd left it when she'd last worked.
"When I dream, I'm doing you all night
Scratches all down my back keep me right on"
Exactly nine minutes later, she stepped back out through the door by the stage and headed straight for the bar. She nodded to the bartender and grabbed the tray he said was headed for table four.
"Gloves, Trunfield! Gloves! Where the hell are they?"
She turned to see her boss practically tearing his hair out. The middle-aged man wasn't good with dealing with any imperfection, and Serina's outfit was incomplete without her fingerless leather gloves.
"Probably at home," she replied with a shrug. "I'll check for them again before I go dance."
"Hey! You're a crazy bitch
But you fuck so good I'm on top of it
When I dream, I'm doing you all night
Scratches all down my back keep me right on"
As the hands on the clock started to make their way toward Midnight, the patronage in the club started to pick up. It was almost her turn to dance, she remembered. Her boss liked putting her later in the night because of her tendency to walk in late. She didn't mind though, seeing as the drunker the patrons were the more money they gave in tips.
She smirked to herself as she headed backstage just a few minutes before 11:30. She pulled her leather trench coat out of her bag and pulled it on. When the angel had finished her dance on stage, it would be her turn, and it was Serina's plan to outshine the girl who had once been considered the best dancer at their little club.
"Take it off, the paper is your game
You jump in bed with fame
Another one night paid in full"
Shigure sat down at the last empty table that was even decently close to the stage, cursing the fact that it had taken forever to get to the little club. He was three rows back from the stage, but still in the dead center of it. He grinned to himself then grabbed the arm of the devil gently as she passed.
"Excuse me, do you happen to know when Serina will be dancing?" he asked sweetly.
The girl simply nodded. "She's up next. Can I get you anything to drink?"
"A vodka shot, please." The girl nodded again then wandered off to the bar. Shigure leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms in front of him, his devilish grin returning to his lips. Serina was up next, and if the girl's performance in bed was any indication, the show he was about to see would be the best he'd ever seen.
"You're so fine, it won't be a loss
Cashing in the rocks just to get you face to face"
Serina stepped out from behind the black curtains on the stage in a very slow, deliberate manner. Her chin was tilted down slightly as she looked out over the crowd, her dark brown eyes alight with mischief and a grin on her face. She slowly stepped out of her coat, revealing her long pale arms as it dropped to the floor behind her. As she stepped up to the pole at the end of the stage, she wrapped one long leg around it and grinned even more as she heard a few whistles of appreciation. Oh yeah, this was the kind of crowd she liked.
Shigure watched her every move with the same mischievous eyes that she looked over the crowd with. Every move she made – every spin, every arch against the pole, every split, bridge, and bend – caused him to grow just a little harder, his grin to grow just a little wider.
"Yes, yes, just like that," a voice was whispering somewhere off to his left. Shigure looked up to see a middle-aged man standing next to his table. He was nodding nervously as he watched Serina, almost as if he was afraid of something going wrong. "I just wish you'd remember those gloves..."
Shigure coughed a bit conspicuously to get the man's attention. "Excuse me, but would you happen to be the club owner?"
The man nodded, not taking his eyes off of the stage. "That's me."
"I have a proposition for you."
"Hey! You're a crazy bitch
But you fuck so good I'm on top of it
When I dream, I'm doing you all night
Scratches all down my back keep me right on"
Serina stepped down off the stage into the crowd with a smug smirk on her face. She grabbed the bills being waved at her, stopping only momentarily to brush her fingers across the cheeks or lips of her customers.
"Serina!" the devil called from a table on the far left of the stage.
Serina quickly moved through the tables to her. "Yeah?"
"Special business for you, handed down directly from the boss. Table 18."
"I never said I was going to be his—"
"You don't get it," she answered, her tone frustrated. "The guy asked for you specifically, and he's only been here for the past half hour."
She raised an eyebrow at her co-worker suspiciously. "Table 18, you said...?"
"Hey! You're a crazy bitch
But you fuck so good I'm on top of it
When I dream, I'm doing you all night
Scratches all down my back keep me right on"
When she finally had made her way across the room to table 18, she found her patron speaking with her boss in whispers. The room was fairly dark, and after the bright lights of the stage, she was having trouble making him out, but she could tell already that he was handsome. There was also something vaguely familiar about him.
"You called?" she said when her presence went unnoticed for a few seconds.
Her boss immediately turned his attention to her. "Ahh, Serina, yes, I did." The man smiled at her then down at the man he'd been conversing with. "Serina Trunfield, I would like you to meet Shigure Sohma. Shigure, this is the girl who was dancing on stage when we first spoke, Serina."
Shigure hid his grin with a smile as he finally turned to Serina. "It's nice to meet you Miss S—"
"It's Serina, sir," she said flatly, trying to keep her cool.
"Get the video, fuck you so good
Get the video, fuck you so good
Crazy bitch, crazy bitch"
"Ahh, yes, so it would seem." He coughed to transition the conversation. "Your manager and I were discussing a bit of an arrangement... I hope you don't mind." Shigure could barely hold back his grin, and Serina could already see it through his smile.
"What kind of arrangement?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at her boss.
"Nothing that would happen off the premises," he replied with a nervous smile. "But this gentleman has offered a good deal of money to spend a few... private minutes with you. If you agree, that is."
"Crazy, bitch"
Serina crossed her arms in front of her chest and leaned into one hip, smirking. "No."
"No...?" her boss repeated, a look of terror on his face.
"No," she repeated. "I'm sure he'll expect me to sleep with him, and I am not a whore. He'll simply have to take his money elsewhere."
Anyone who had looked at Shigure at that moment would have thought he was upset. Serina, however, could see the mischief in his eyes. He had started the game, and she was going to play right along with him.
"Hey! You're a crazy bitch
But you fuck so good I'm on top of it
When I dream, I'm doing you all night
Scratches all down my back keep me right on"
"Serina," her boss said softly, resting a hand on her shoulder gently, "are you sure you can't just...?" He left the question open ended.
"I said no." She shrugged his hand off. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." She nodded to Shigure then walked past the two men on her way to the bar, brushing her hip against Shigure's shoulder as he passed. He grinned then looked up at the now-shaking man next to him, quickly dropping the grin and looking concerned.
"Are you all right?"
"I-I think I need to sit down for a while..." he replied as he slowly pulled away from the table.
"Hey! You're a crazy bitch
But you fuck so good I'm on top of it
When I dream, I'm doing you all night
Scratches all down my back keep me right on"
The whole club was buzzing at closing time about Serina's refusal of a large some of money due to her morals. Most of the girls had assumed she had none and this change of events had given them a bit more respect for the tall blonde. Others were shocked by her refusal of money and even more were upset that they'd been cheated out of a bonus because of her arrogance.
Serina, however, was completely oblivious of the glares coming in her direction as she cleaned off tables. She had won their little game when she had seen Shigure walking out as the club closed. She'd make up for it tomorrow, of course, but for now, she was going to revel in her little victory.
"Baby girl you want it all
To be a start you'll have to go down"
With her bag slung over her shoulder and her outfit from the night still on, she headed for the front door. She was ready for a good night's rest after her first night working in four days. Her boss, however, wasn't ready to let her go.
"Wait!" he called to her just before she had reached the doorway. "We need to talk."
"There's nothing to talk about – he wanted something I wasn't going to give. End of story." She shrugged.
"But it was a lot of money, and he probably didn't want anything more than a—"
"It doesn't matter, okay?" She rolled her eyes. "I'll be back tomorrow night." And with that she turned on her heel and walked out the door.
"Take it off no need to talk
You're crazy but I like the way you fuck me"
"Leaving so soon?"
Serina turned suddenly to see Shigure leaning against the building next to the door, his arms crossed in front of his chest and a devilish grin on his face. Apparently she hadn't won the game like she had thought.
"I figured sleep was a good idea," she answered, smirking back at him.
"Really? What kind of sleep are we talking about here? Because I can think of a few different meanings of the word."
"What kind of sleep do you want me to be talking about?"
"Hey! You're a crazy bitch
But you fuck so good I'm on top of it
When I dream, I'm doing you all night
Scratches all down my back keep me right on"
Her bag lay quite forgotten by her feet as Shigure pushed her up against the brick wall, pinning her their with his body as he kissed his way down her neck. She moaned and shivered against him, her hands gripping the fabric of his yukata in an almost death-like grip.
"This outfit looks good on you," he murmured against her skin. "You should've worn it sooner."
"I don't wear my uniform to bed," she replied softly, running one hand up into hair slowly.
"Hey! You're a crazy bitch
But you fuck so good I'm on top of it
When I dream, I'm doing you all night
Scratches all down my back keep me right on"
As the last of the girls started to file out of the club, the devil stopped and gaped at the scene unfolding next to the door.
"Serina, what the hell are you doing?!" she cried, her eyes widening. Serina had only shed her coat, but with Shigure's yukata hanging open to covering the two of them, the situation looked much more compromising than it actually was.
Breaking the kiss she'd been holding him in, Serina grinned over at her co-worker. "Just a little extra-curricular activity, why do you ask?"
"He's the guy who was going to pay you!" All the girls who had been heading to their cars stopped to watch the scene.
"Now why would I make my boyfriend to pay for what's already his?"
"Your boyfriend?!" Everyone turned to see the club owner standing in front of the locked club door, his eyes wide and his fists clenched at his side.
"You keep me right on"
"I'm sorry, did I forget to mention that fact?" Shigure asked with feigned innocence. He frowned slightly for effect. "I thought I had."
"Y-you... you're... horrible..." he said, his gaze fixed on Shigure. As his eyes moved to Serina, he glared daggers. "And you're fired!"
"You're crazy but I like the way you fuck me"
"That's all right," she replied, a devilish grin forming on her lips. "I quit."