Just Your Average Night {open}

[Mimi Marquez]

Mimi grumbled as she made her way offstage between songs, discreetly rubbing her right breast with her forearm. Some guys just didn't know how far was too far. And it often lead to pain on her part. Maybe Roger was here tonight and he'd kick the other guy's ass for her later? She'd hope so. It was always funny to see Roger beating the shit out of some drunken asshole, especially because he got away with it. Mimi had been able to convince the manager that it was better for business if these jerks got the crap kicked out of 'em once in awhile; it weeded out bad customers who wouldn't pay what the girls were worth. That won him over pretty quick.

However, no amount of entertainment that her boyfriend provided changed the fact that men were pigs, and the women who were misfortunate enough to have to do this sort of thing for a living were made miserable by them. She'd been dealing with this fact for three years now, and it had gotten her a pretty steady, well-paying job as lead dancer at the club. Speaking of which, she was on again. Lovely. Hopefully the jackass had moved from the front row.

As her signature song began playing, Mimi smiled, getting into character. Oh, how she loved this song. This was the one that had begun winning Roger over. She'd burst through his window via the fire escape and kissed him before he had time to comprehend she was there. it was quite amusing, in her opinion. Roger'd found it funny too when he was done being pissy. A cue from the stage manager pulled her out of her thoughts and sent her onstage, her usual robe forgotten behind her.

"What's the time? Well it's gotta be close to midnight..."

[Roger Davis]

All right. So Roger wasn't going to say he absolutely hated watching Mimi on that stage. That would be lying and considering how Mimi looked, there was no point in denying the fact that she looked beyond hot. If this was just between the two of them, he knew that he'd have absolutely no objections. Okay, so the time back on Christmas Eve, he had a couple, but he was past that now. He loved being in the company of the beautiful Latina dancer that lived downstairs from him. Now there was simply the matter of the conditions in this little club. In fact, while he was waiting for Mimi to arrive, he found himself glaring at the customers that surrounded him, daring them to pull something when her boyfriend was around. If they knew what was good for them, they wouldn't. Sure, he tended to avoid physical fighting, but for Mimi, he'd make an exception.

In spite of himself, the minute the first notes of her theme song came up, he found his eyes going back to the stage and smiling as he leaned back. It wasn't as if he could take his eyes off of her if he tried, especially when you considered the fact that very little was being left to the imagination. He had at least expected her to be wearing her robe first, so the fact that it couldn't be seen at all was quite a surprise. He could hear the rowdy cheers around him, reminding him that this wasn't a private thing and that his girlfriend was being objectified to these poor excuses for men. He let out a sigh, trying to concentrate on his beautiful girlfriend rather than that. At least it'd be easier to see someone going too far that way. And too far wouldn't be very far, not if Roger had anything to say about it.

[Mimi Marquez]

Glancing around, Mimi was quite surprised to see that Roger had slipped in between songs. Of course, this didn't mean she wasn't beyond glad to see him, she just hadn't expected it. It was a rare occurence for Roger to leave the house, let alone show up in her place of business. He was more often voicing his distaste for the place and being seen in it. Nevertheless, he was here, and it made her happy. Meeting his gaze, she gave him a wink and wiggled her hips, letting the poor chums in the club think it was for them.

Deciding to skip the stairs and use a pole to get to the stage, she jumped a little to reach one further out the would allow her to twirl as she slid. Unfortunately, the extra velocity screwed up her landing, and she twisted her ankle a little as she hit the stage. Making it seem like it was part of the act, she kept on, but knew it would hurt like a bitch the next morning. Maybe she could get Roger to ice it for her later... Pulling her wandering thoughts back to what she was doing, she continued with the routine, her gaze resting on Roger for longer than was necessary. Really, she needed to watch that. He'd wind up getting hurt.

[Roger Davis]

For a moment, their eyes met. Now Roger really couldn't stop himself from smiling. Did that girl have any idea how gorgeous her eyes were? They were debatably the best part of her. Then again, how could he possibly isolate the best part of a generally radiant looking girl? That was probably impossible, no matter who her smile reminded him of. She winked at him and Roger got the message right away. That was their secret little moment. While all the desperate guys thought that was for them, Roger would know the truth, and honestly? He'd have to desperately hide his urge to laugh at them. They weren't as lucky as he was...not that this was the best way to rub it in their faces. In fact, he thought it was the worst way. It gave the jerks ideas, ones that only he was allowed to have about her, thank you very much.

He all but jumped when he noticed that she fell down a little. It seemed like she bounced back from that pretty quickly, but Roger couldn't help but think that it was a bit worse than she led on. He was all for 'the show must go on,' but he didn't like the fact that that umbrella of disasters that could be ignored included injury from dancing. He attempted to smile again when she rested her gaze on him again, but Roger felt himself wishing that she would be more careful. There was enough trouble to be had from customers; he didn't want her to get seriously hurt because she couldn't concentrate.

[Mimi Marquez]

To be perfectly honest, trouble was an understatement. Most of the girls had been almost attacked by guys who'd had too much to drink and didn't take no for an answer on multiple occasions. It was just part of the job. Hence why the managers encouraged a "no boyfriend" philosophy for al the girls who were working. It just made life easier. But, Mimi'd always been one to break the rules. Hence why Roger was sitting there now, and even though he was smiling, she could tell he was about ready to bust a vein.

As if to test his limits, one of the younger guys in the front row, a newbie, jumped onstage after being encourage by his buddies, and attempted to insert himself into the routine. "Woah, hey buddy," she said, taking a step back. "Did they not tell you the rules? No guys onstage!" she smirked, pushing him back toward his seat a bit, but not so much that he'd fall offstage. He only mved forward again, coming closer than before. "Come on, hon, back to your seat," she said a little more firmly, only barely able to squirm away from his spaghetti arms and brandy breath. Gross.

[Roger Davis]

The minute some guy went onto the stage, Roger began to rise, his green eyes darkening as he watched the drunk walk toward Mimi despite her protests and attempts to get him off. Roger gritted his teeth, although you couldn't really tell unless you were studying him closely enough to see his jaw become tighter as he did so. He clenched his fist, preparing himself to intervene. Sure, he knew that Mimi could take care of herself if need be. There was no way she could have survived in New York City as long as she had if she couldn't. He was aware of that fact. That didn't stop him from being more than willing to get himself kicked out if it stopped this creep from trying to get his hands all over her.

He began bringing himself closer to the stage, glaring at the guy and trying to figure out the best way to hurt him enough to make him back off. He wasn't exactly sure if him climbing on the stage would help matters at all. Maybe he could figure out a way to make the guy trip...that would definitely work. Might give the guy a concussion. Roger wasn't one to pretend that perverts like these didn't deserve a good bonk in the head. If any of their wives weren't going to do it, they were going to have to get it from somewhere else. He certainly saw a good number of wedding bands as he walked in. Just try to get further than you already have, just try. I want a reason to beat you senseless, he thought sarcastically.

[Mimi Marquez]

Apparently, this guy was one of those that didn't understand "no." Backing further upstage, Mimi entered the protective circle of other dancers, knowing they'd help her set this guy straight. "Come on, buddy, you're ruining it for the rest of the guys who came to see a show," one explained, trying the group intimidation method. While the other girls tried to talk sense into him, Mimi noticed Roger edging closer to the stage. She shook her head discreetly, her heart racing a little. She didn't mind him coming to the rescue when she was backstage or working the crowd, but not while she was on.

The girls started moving downstage again, the group of them making this kid realize he'd gotten in over his head. When she noticed he'd sobered up, Mimi escorted him to his seat, promising a lap dance or something later to keep him where he was. Of course, she'd conveniently forget once she was offstage and leave for the night before Roger started cracking skulls, but this guy didn't know that. Picking up where she left off, she finished the routine quickly, scoring a couple drinks and a few extra bucks before heading offstage, winking at Roger again before she vanished.

Once backstage, Mimi headed to the bar, getting herself an oversized shot glass of Stoli. "God, what is with these clowns tonight?" she asked no one in particular before throwing it back. "That's twice now some asshole has come onto me while I was onstage. Twice!" At this point, the stage manager had come back as well, and she turned to him to continue her rant. "I'm not going back out there until you weed out some of these pricks. I'm gonna get raped before I get out at this point." Crossing her arms over her chest, she glared at the man, daring him to contradict her.

[Roger Davis]

It seemed like they were having a night where nonverbal communication was being put into practice. He saw her shaking her head, and despite what his instincts were telling him, he relented, nodding and back away a little bit. That didn't mean his eyes weren't still glued onto the jerk, even when the dancers were able to lead him off the stage, Mimi making promises that he just knew weren't going to be kept. He let out a sigh. At least that crisis was averted. If he was being attentive before, however, you could just call him Eagle Eye now as Mimi completed her routine. He had to admit, the fact that she winked at him again was a source of comfort, even if he was unable to stop himself from shooting a slight glare toward the kid before he started heading backstage.

By the time he made it there, weaving in and out through the crowds of half naked girls and only thinking of his girlfriend, he noticed that she was talking to the manager. And she wasn't happy at all. That much, he could understand. In fact, he had to fight back a grin when he heard her standing up for herself, demanding that they got some of the guys who didn't learn to keep their hands to themselves in kindergarten get weeded out. He'd certainly like that. He'd get to see those jerks get their just rewards and not have to crack any skulls. He wasn't the violent type, just as he had said before. As she awaited the manager's answer, he brought himself behind Mimi, hugging her around the shoulders. "Hey," he greeted. He didn't even care if the manager minded when he kissed her on the cheek. Honestly, if they weren't used to him by now, they weren't ever going to be. "You're okay, right?"

[Mimi Marquez]

Mimi smiled a little as she felt Roger come up behind her even before his arms were around her shoulders, responding to the kiss by nipping his earlobe. It was probably a bit more intimate than the manger needed to see, but once she was in character, so to speak, it was hard to break. It was easy to see that the older man wasn't pleased by the display of affection but he didn't object, telling them both he'd clean up the crowd before the Latina's next act. For now, she had about a ten minute break.

With that taken care of, she turned around and hopped onto a stool, hooking her ankles around Roger's waist and pulling him close to her. She winced a little afterward, having forgotten what she'd done to her ankle and the sudden, jarring motion reminding her. "Yeah, I'm fine. A little sore, but I've seen worse. I'm just sorry you had to see that. But, you know how the guys can be, one drin ktoo many and they forget that we're human beings. We're on that stage flaunting what we've got, so it must mean we're objects put in place for their own particular use."

[Roger Davis]

It took all of Roger's self control to not go absolutely crazy at Mimi's eager response to his presence. It was going to take a while before the absolute fire inside of him that he felt from a simple touch to finally become something he could be used to. Besides that, it was kind of fun watching the manager who allowed this sort of crap to happen to his dancers. Serves you right, he thought, unable to stop himself from smirking with satisfaction when he agreed to get some of the jerks out before Mimi had to go on again. Once the guy was gone, he squeezed Mimi a little bit more tightly before she brought him closer.

However, he blinked when she winced a little. He was about to go into "worry-mode" when she began explaining that she was a little sore. "This doesn't have anything to do with that spill you took onstage, does it?" Yet before he could get an answer, he heard her sympathy for him having to see that. "Hey, I'm more upset over the fact that you have to live through it. And no amount of drunkenness excuses it and you know it." He let out a sigh, twirling a strand of her black hair with his finger. "I just hate the fact that they all look at you like that...they don't know you."

[Mimi Marquez]

Mimi winced again as Roger asked about her fall. Shit. She'd been hoping he hadn't seen it and she could blow it off later. To be honest, this was nothing. She hurt herself all the time with her theatrics, but felt it was, again, just part of the job. If it earned her a few extra tips, well, she'd deal with the pain. "Only a little," she replied, not wanting to lie to him. "But it's nothing to worry about. I've done worse. Didn't realize that pole was so close, and I put too much into the jump. No big deal."

She couldn't help but grin a little as Roger responded to her nonchalant comments, getting more than a little possessive. Any girl would be lying out their ass if they said they didn't like it when their man got jealous. It was flat out sexy sometimes. "I've gotten used to it. You have to, in a job like this. Yeah, the first time some guy came up to me while I was working the crowd, I cried my eyes out afterward. But you learn to deal with it, and learn that they're just slimebuckets who need a third party to get their kicks. So, don't let them being slimebuckets get to you. You know I'd rather be doing stuff like this in my room for you than out there for those pricks, right?"

[Roger Davis]

Roger nodded after examining her expression a little bit. She seemed to be completely honest and besides that, he didn't want to think that she would lie to him about getting hurt. That would be just plain ridiculous. "Okay...so long as you didn't break anything. Although I guess you wouldn't have been able to continue your little performance if you had," he responded, chuckling weakly before he kissed her on her forehead. "I'm just glad you're all right." All the same, he found it a little upsetting that she was being so nonchalant about all of this. Maybe she didn't care, but he did. He cared about her and hated to think of what those guys must have been thinking of upon seeing her. He supposed he could've been more understanding. After all, who could resist someone like Mimi? That didn't matter to him though; they still should remember that she was still a human being.

He winced at the thought of Mimi crying over one of those jerks. "Well...I guess I'm glad that you're not crying anymore..." Anything else he wanted to say would just be redundant. It wasn't Roger's fault that he was naturally protective over people he cared about. Although he had to admit, Mimi's words made sense. His only issue was the fact that she had to work with slimebuckets in the first place. It just didn't seem right; Mimi was a determined girl, he knew that first hand. She could do so many other things, something she genuinely enjoyed. Still, he couldn't object to the latter comment. In fact, he had to smile. "Well...I guess that's comforting," he responded, inching closer to her so he could kiss her again. "A little bit, anyway," he added. He didn't really want this to become an argument about her job, but he couldn't help how he felt about it.

[Mimi Marquez]

"Nope! No broken bones, I promise. Although, I may have to have you ice this when we get home. It's gonna hurt like hell later." Mimi smiled as he kissed her, letting her head fall forward to rest on his chest. They'd only been together for two months at the most, but he was the best thing that had happened to her in her nineteen years on the planet. She really did love him more than she could put into words. Whether or not he was aware of this she wasn't sure, but she figured he'd come to that conclusion sooner or later. She hoped he would, anyway. "And yeah, I'm fine. You okay?"

She raised a brow at his comment, deciding to tease him a bit. "You guess you're glad I'm not crying over it? Gee, thanks Rog," she replied, trying not to laugh. She couldn't keep from smiling, however, and hoped that her grin would let him know she was joking. He had trouble knowing when she was really upset and when she was joking, sometimes, and she was doing her best to make the distinction clear. She smirked as he spoke again, tightening her legs around his middle despite her ankle's protests. "It had better be," she mock threatened before returning the kiss, reaching up to twine her arms around his neck.

Mimi couldn't keep from sighing a little as he kept up. She knew dating a girl like her would be difficult, but, really, focusing on the shitheads that came here was only making it worse for him. "Baby, I know it's tough, but could you maybe try a little harder not to focus o nthe fact that men are scum? Really, working here isn't my first choice, but who else is gonna take me? I'd quit, but I'd have a tough enough time finding a place who'll take an HIV positive junkie, let alone an HIV positive junkie who was formerly an exotic dancer at a less-than-reputable night club on Avenue B."

[Roger Davis]

Roger grinned at her request. "Your wish is my command," he responded, laughing a little as he pulled her closer into his chest. He hadn't felt like this in so long before Mimi came along, with her candle and a smile that could melt the hardest of hearts. Not that he was willing to admit that at first. But now, he could barely allow himself to be away from her for more than a few minutes. He started stroking her hair a little and nodded. "Yeah...right now, I'm doing just fine...once we start the cycle all over again...well, it'll depend. Although you do look great out there..." Now he was kind of rambling, like he often did when he had a lot of contradicting thoughts in his head.

Roger raised an eyebrow, trying to decide if Mimi was messing with him or not. She probably knew what he meant when he was saying that. He meant that it could've been worse, but it also could've been a lot better. The minute she slipped from her straight face to a smile, he knew he could breathe easy. "You know what I mean," he responded, holding back on laughter as well as he tickled her sides just a little bit. If she was going to play, so was he. This time, he wasted no time in not laughing at her mock threat. "Oh believe me, it is," he managed to say before they were kissing.

Roger winced a little as Mimi started pleading with him. Did she have any idea of how unfair that was? The woman could probably sell ice to a polar bear with her persuasion skills. Even when he said no back on Christmas Eve, everything inside of him was saying yes and her words resounded in his head until he finally decided to follow her advice. Sure, it would take a while for him to fully accept her mantra as his own, but he was getting there. He certainly wasn't as angry at his situation as he was before. That was why he cared so much about her, had fallen so hard so fast. It wasn't just her looks...she just had this charm in her personality that he couldn't get enough of.

"Yeah, I guess you have a point...okay, I'll stop fixating on all of that. But I think I'll come more often. Someone's got to make sure you're okay after incidents like that, right?" Roger said, clearly relenting, despite the fact that he really didn't like having to agree with this. He brought his hand under her chin and let his thumb go on one of her cheeks. "And you know I only worry like this because I care, right?"

[Mimi Marquez]

Mimi couldn't help but grin at how easily he bent to her wishes, and had a feeling that she could've asked him to do just about anything and he'd say yes. It was a comforting thought, but scary at the same time. Odd mix, really, and it was making her head hurt. "Well, it should please you to know that this'll be my last number, and then I pretty much work the crowd until we close, which isn't too far off. So, if I can get away with it, I'll come stay with you and look like I'm working. Would that make you feel better?" Though, really, she didn't have to ask. She knew it would.

She squeaked as she was tickled, nearly falling off the stool. "Yes, I know what you mean, please don't tickle me!" she squealed, biting back laughter. Some of the new girls watched her with looks ranging from shock to disinterest to disgust, while some of the veterans and her friends just smiled and shook their heads. Regaining her breath, she replied, "That's what I thought," despite the fact that her lips were still pretty much locked with Roger's and therefore the words were lost in a muffled jumble. Oh well.

Mimi could tell when Roger caved by the look on his face. Even though she knew he didn't like it, he'd agree with her, knowing that she made a point. She'd attempted to find other jobs several times, but she'd had yet to get an interview. One of the bummers about being one of New York's impoverished; opportunities for bettering your life were slim to none. She chuckled at his comments, nodding her agreement. "Of course I do. I just don't know how I've gotten by these past three years without you to make sure I don't hurt myself," she replied dramatically, trying not to laugh as she kissed him again. "I know you do. And you know I only give you a hard time about it because I love that you care so much, right?"