Disclaimer

I don't own anyone mentioned from the original movie, any places you might recognise, any other famous person mentioned etc etc…lol

I took a lung-ful of fresh air before pulling the door to "The Sugar Bowl" opened; the smoke scent of the room was not something that appealed to me. It wasn't one of the worst places to work though, it was sort of flattering being hired in the first place, -you were only hired if you were considered pretty- it was well paid, it wasn't as sleazy as some of the clubs around town and it was fun to work in it was sort of "Coyote Ugly" themed only the bar staff didn't dance on the bar, we had dancers dancing on stages dotted about the bar.

Of course, the cliental was a downside not all of them I suppose just a few who couldn't control themselves - unrefined idiots who just wanted to ogle us. It wasn't a pole dancing club or a strip club, but we still got the scum that would go to those places in our club. The club got the attention mostly because of the all female staff –not including the bouncers- we didn't have to dress slutty, but we did still have to wear clothes that were quite binding and because of that the animals of the cliental believed they could grope us but we were well protected with the bouncers standing by and some of us even took a couple of self defence classes.

"Hey Mitchie." Ella greeted as I ducked under the flap to get behind the bar with her.

"Hey Ells." I smiled as I stored my bag in an empty shelf. "I managed to scrounge together my half of the rent so we can pay it tomorrow."

"Forget about it." Ella smiled excitedly, waving it off quickly. "You'll never guess what happened earlier, one of the dancers walked out this afternoon." Ella finished singing the last word.

"Yes!" I exclaimed hopping over the bar leaving her giggling behind me.

This was my chance, I thought excitedly jogging to the stairway and began taken the steps to John's office two at a time. I was finally gonna get to dance, The Sugar Bowl was famous for its dancers but that wasn't why I wanted to be one, I wanted to be one just for the salary; they got paid three figures almost reaching four because of tips a week just to get up and dance on stage; with that money I could pay for my final year at school, finally.

I knocked twice on the office door, even my knocks sounded excited.

"C'mon in." A rough New York accent called from the other side.

"Hi." I smiled brightly as I let myself in.

John had his feet prompted up on his faux wood desk leaning back on his leather seat when I walked in; it amazed me that the legs of his chair or table didn't buckle under his weight. He was a large man in size and weight but his face was still very gentle just like his nature, he loved and looked after all the girls working for him as if they were his daughters and he brought the sense of family to the work place another reason I liked working here, when the sense of family was missing in your real family. His face however fell slightly the second he seen me and I knew instantly what was about to happen.

"No, John. You promised." I whined like a five year old.

"I know Mitchie, I'm sorry but…"

"You said." I frowned interrupting him. "You said the minute any of the dancers quit you'd give me a shot."

"I know, I know but Mitchie I heard through the grape vine one of these socialite upper class boys was having their bachelor party tonight and he's coming here."

"So?" I huffed falling against the door frame crossing my arms.

"I need my best barmaid behind the bar." He smiled, complimenting me to soften me up.

I narrowed my eyes, "And?"

"I need the professionals up on stage tonight, Mitch." He confessed. "If this guy comes tonight with his little rich friends we need to make an impression, a good one, financing for the club is going south, you know that. If it wasn't I would have given you a raise by now and you wouldn't even have to consider dancing."

I frowned again this time it was directed at myself because I felt myself given in and even feeling guilty for pushing it so hard, "Fine." I sighed. "But next time I'm getting on that stage." I warned.

"Next time, kid. You have my word." John smiled.

I sighed again before pushing myself up right using the door frame, "I'll see you later, I'm gonna go set up and change."

"What's wrong with what you have on?" He laughed.

"Since it's an important night, I guess I should pull out the leather pants." I said rolling my eyes a little before turning my back to him and making my way downstairs again.

I heaved a sigh as I slid off the counter when the first customers began making their way in.

"Cheer up, Mitch. He said next time." Ella smiled putting her arm around me to give me a sideways hug. "You'll get your shot, John always keeps his word. Now buck up, customers don't want a cranky bar-tender." Ella smiled as the first customers began to shout their orders at us.

A few hours later and the club was in full swing the dancers were performing all out on the stages to the music blasting throughout the dimly lit room, John was down on the floor making his rounds with all the regulars, all the booths and tables were full – except one which John insisted to leave in case the socialites landed - leaving a lot of customers lounging by the bar it was hard to believe the club was hitting a slump financially when it was this packed.

"Socialite incoming." Ella called over the music and demanding voices.

I turned around instantly, socialites had it easy in New York all of them had parents that owned big companies which meant they had the money, to get whatever they wanted from nice cars to clothes not to mention getting into the best schools so they had the best education not that they needed an education to get a good job when they could just go work for daddy or mummy…of course my close minded stereotype might have been mostly due to jealousy.

These socialites weren't much different to what I'd expected them to look like, well dressed and groomed, I couldn't see any of their faces though as John steered them towards the reserved booth that was placed to the right of one of the stages, one of them was staggering behind the others wobbling from side to side obviously he started the party early. I kept serving as I watched John exchange pleasantries with them, I wonder what these ones do I thought as I watched John leave them with a huge smile and began making his way towards the bar.

When he managed to push to the front of the crowd surrounding the bar he waved us over to him.

"Ten dollars says he wants one of us to play personal waitress." Ella laughed.

"Ladies, I need one of you's to waitress that table tonight." John asked pleadingly.

Ella and I laughed the moment his request was voiced before I sighed and slipped the ten dollars I had been tipped earlier to her. John took in our exchange but just shook his head as if to shake it off.

"So?" He asked.

"Sure." Ella smiled. "Mitchie would love to play waitress tonight." She giggled patting me on the shoulder

"Damn." I sighed under my breath.

John heard though and gave me a sympathetic smile, "I've given them their complementary drinks so give it five before you go over to get their next order. Chin up Mitch these guys are in the money maybe you'll get some good tips."

I felt the corners of my lips move upwards involuntarily, every little did help.

It was more than five minutes later, when I was sure the crowds were tamed enough to leave Ella manning the bar on her own, that I began making my way towards their table to play waitress.

John gave me an encouraging smile from the next table as I made my way round to the front of their booth.

There was five of them, all guys naturally, all dressed in formal yet still casual clothing and all very handsome, I noticed a couple of them from features in magazines. The bachelor who was getting married, easily identified by the huge badge he was wearing, was one of those I recognised, did I read his engagement announcement?

"Hi." I smiled widely and fakely. "I'm Mitchie and I'll be your waitress this evening." I said with as much fake enthusiasm I could muster up, from the corner of my eye I seen John chuckle.

Four of them smiled and gave me acknowledging nods, the other one couldn't manage to pull his eyes off the dancers.

"Do you guys need anything?" I asked.

"No, we're good thanks." One of them answered with the cutest smile.

It was a struggle to take my eyes off him as I smiled back idiotically, it was so much a struggle that our smiling match was only broken when one of his friends cleared his throat.

"I'll just clear up." I muttered embarrassedly as I started collecting the glasses. "Just wave me over if you need anything else." I added about to take off before I noticed a glass I'd missed. "Woops." I muttered more embarrassed now as I reached over the boy who had been oblivious to my arrival to grab it.

"Oh, a private show." He slurred drunkenly before I felt him grab my ass.

Without thinking I set the glasses down and grabbed his wrist and bent it away from his body as I moved away from the table before twisting it up his back like a cop would do and slamming his face down onto the table. I smiled a little at the smacking sound his face made on the table, before waving off the bouncers and John who were making their way over to help me.

"Now, I'm gonna just think that was due to the alcohol and just cut you off instead of throwing your ass out." I hissed in his ear before letting go of him.

His friends had gotten to their feet but had been too unsure on how to proceed in helping their friend probably because it was a girl beating on him; shock became the predominant feature in their expressions as I let their friend go apart from a glint of awe in the boy with the cute smile's eyes.

"Enjoy your night." I smiled sweetly before making my way back to the bar.

"Jesus, Mitchie you could have dislocated his shoulder." John hissed when he made it to my side.

"Relax he'll be fine." I shrugged, brushing it off.

"I'm glad there isn't too many socialites lining up to get into this place the quicker we get you onto that stage the safer the customers will be." He chuckled before disappearing to greet some other regulars.

Needless to say Ella took over my waitress duties for the night, and the drunken mess that felt me up didn't even look near her I was glad he had learnt his lesson not that I would have been totally against beating on him again, it felt good being able to take a guy twice my height and weight but if I was being honest I probably wouldn't have been able to do that if he had been sober. I caught all of them glancing at me over the crowd a couple of times during the night, but I simply smiled and gave them a little wave each time I did making them look away quickly embarrassed they'd been caught with the exception of the boy with the cute smile who stared until he was ready to look away.

I expected them to leave after our little scene but they were one of the few tables that stayed till the last call bell.

"One of them is coming over to pay the bill. Can you manage taken that without trying to maim them?" Ella laughed.

I narrowed my eyes and stuck out my tongue after her as she disappeared into the kitchen with the dirty glasses she'd collected.

"Excuse me?"

I blushed as I turned to face the boy with the cute smile who'd just caught me in my moment of immaturity.

"I was just looking to pay the bill." He managed to say as he tried to stop laughing.

"Sure." I muttered embarrassedly as I got their total for him. "There you go."

"You know that was pretty cool what you did earlier." He said casually as he pulled out his wallet from his blazer pocket.

I looked at him confusedly, "What? When I nearly put your friend through the table?"

"No, although that was impressive." He chuckled. "I meant you not throwing him out, that was cool of you…uh..."

"Mitchie." I smiled helping him out when I noticed him scanning for a name tag.

"Mitchie." He smiled lopsidedly sliding his credit card and the bill back to me. The way he said my name made my smile wider.

"It was no biggy, really." I shrugged swiping his card through. "Sign there please." I tried to sound casual -play it cool- as I gave him the card and receipt back.

"I thought it was a "biggy"." He smiled signing the receipt and given it back to me. "I feel like I should make it up to you." He smiled flirtatiously placing his hand on top of mine when I tried to take the receipt so I would look at him. "Let me take you out?"

"I don't think so, sorry." I apologised breaking eye contact immediately and moving my hand. Although I was getting butterflies in my stomach just talking to him I couldn't date someone whose idea of fun was to come to a club like mine.

"Why not?"

The question came both from him and Ella who had been ease-dropping by the kitchen door behind me.

"Because I don't date people that come to places like this." I answered looking at both of them.

"This is my first and last time, promise." He pouted cutely.

"I don't think…"

"Aw go on Mitch." Ella butted in.

"Yeah, go on Mitch." He copied teasingly.

I narrowed my eyes at both of them but I felt myself given in not because of peer pressure just because I wanted to. "Fine." I sighed dramatically. "I'm not working tomorrow night so how about you pick me up here at eight, Shane Grey." I smiled waving the receipt when he looked shocked I knew his name.