AN: I don't own LWD
#56 Desperation
Casey was a dancer. She had been since she was five; it had been a part of her life a lot longer than Derek had. He knew that dance was important to her, he understood it completely. When Casey announced that she planned to major in Dance and hopefully pursue a career in the field, people were surprised. They expected her to become a doctor or a lawyer, or something that required her to wear a power suit. However Casey just ignored them, she knew what she wanted and was willing to go for it.
Derek and Casey moved into together in their own apartment after college. Derek had majored in Business, but was such a star on the school's hockey team that after graduating he was immediately drafted into the NHL (don't own). Derek was doing well, Casey on the other hand was struggling. Finding good work was hard, and Casey was growing more desperate by the day.
Day in and day out she was scanning the internet, flipping through newspaper ads, making phone calls, signing up for interviews, the whole works. One day she was eating some food in a café when suddenly, an ad on their bulletin board caught her eye. She set down her cup of coffee and walked over to investigate the ad more. The sign read, "HELP WANTED: Girl Entertainers, Dance and Host for our paying guests! Moon's Bar". Casey quickly jotted down the number and called for an interview.
Two Weeks Later
Casey had finally found a job that would allow her to dance and make some money, however she was having a hard time telling Derek exactly what her job was. Moon's Bar was a busy night bar, filled with female only staff. The place was rowdy, and rugged, and crazy; girls would serve alcohol and dance on the tables and bar. Yes it wasn't exactly something that Casey would normally do, but the girl was desperate and they were hiring.
Though Casey leaped into this job, she didn't accept it without some research first. She looked up the bar and found that there were a couple of past workers who had made it big after working at the bar.
The uniform wasn't exactly standard; as the manager described to her, 'wear something hot, tight but not too tight, danceable and something flashy'. So she usually just changed after she left the apartment so to not draw attention to Derek's awareness.
One night Casey headed out for a shift before Derek came home, but she knew that he was going out with some of his hockey friends. Little did Casey know where Derek and his friends were going that night…
Derek's POV
"This place is packed, it's gonna take hours to get some service around here." Derek complained, trying to push through a sea of drunks and space takers. "You're right, let's go somewhere else. I know just the place, it's right across town." Derek's friend Rod suggested with a smirk. "Okay let's go!" Derek and his other friends said.
Casey's POV
"Okay Case, you're up, we're playing you're song now." Melinda Kur, Casey's boss and owner of Moon's Bar informed her. "Okay." Casey replied, hoisting herself up on the large, wooden bar top. Music started blaring from the speakers, Casey started a routine that she had come up with herself. Casey was able to choreograph her own routines, she had a couple for the bar and a few for when she was on the small stage that was set up.
Casey started really getting into her routine, when a customer jumped on top of the bar, joining her.
Derek's POV
We had just entered Moon's Bar and got inside pretty easily. The place was crowded, but nowhere nearly as bad as the last bar they had been at. "You guys are gonna love this place, the staff is very entertaining and exciting." Rod explained, causing the boys to laugh. "Ladies and Gentlemen, please give a warm welcome for our next girl!" An older lady's voice boomed from the stage. "Oh a new girl let's investigate more." One of Derek's friends said. The boys all walked closer to the bar area, and Derek's eyes bulged when he saw the dancer.
Before he knew it, some drunk guy had hopped up on the bar and started dancing really closely with Casey, his Casey! The guy grabbed her waist and wouldn't let go, and finally Derek couldn't take it any more. He ran up to the bar and grabbed the guys legs, pulling him down. "Hey pal, what the hell do you think you're doing with my girlfriend!" Derek asked angrily, shoving the drunk against the bar, punching him directly in he face. "Don't you ever touch her again!" Derek exclaimed, continuing to punch the guy.
Casey was stunned, everything was happening so fast. She hopped down from the bar and grabbed his arm, trying to stop Derek from killing the guy. Suddenly the bouncers stepped in and stopped the two.
Once two of the bouncers separated the two men, Casey stopped them from throwing out Derek. "He's with me." She informed them and they reluctantly let him go. "Derek, what happened back there? Why are you here?" She asked him. His eyes were still bulging out of his head, "What am I doing here? What are you doing here?! Why were you dancing up there and why the hell did you not tell me?" He asked furiously. "I work here, and I was just doing my job!" She explained, "I needed a job within my major, and there isn't just jobs lined up for me as a dancer. I'm not you, I don't have luck like you, it was either this or I would have to have been an exotic dancer." Casey said, her eyes not quite meeting Derek's. "Why didn't you just tell me?" He asked, his voice quickly softening. "Because of what just happened and because I as embarrassed. I mean look at me in this outfit, I feel degraded and look I'm going against what I stand for as a feminist and betraying the art of dance. But I couldn't take being jobless anymore. I'm sorry I didn't tell you." She apologized. "I was just surprised and jealous when I saw all those guys, especially that one guy. I'm sorry for losing it, but Case c'mon you're better than this. I'll help you find something." He said gently, kissing her cheek.
"Besides, the only one you should be dancing for is me." He said with a smirk, wrapping his arm around her neck, leading her out of that dark and dingy bar for good.