Part 2:
"Dang she works us like bunch of rented pack mules," Jet griped, setting the last liquor crate on the basement floor.
"Hard work is good for the soul and builds character," Chang said, with a bright smile as he checked through the crates and checked off the inventory on a clipboard.
"It also pulls out the back and makes the feet sore," Jet countered and crossed his arms.
Pyunma threw his head back and laughed. "Better than digging wells and herding goats. You ever milked one?"
"Milk a goat? Over my dead body! I'm a proud city slicker."
Both Chang and Pyunma shook their heads at him. Chang said, "I think you need to spend some time in the country."
"No way," Jet said, slow and low.
"You could visit Mwanba with me next time I go," Pyunma teased. "My sisters will put you right to work."
"Your sisters and mother sound just like Frances, and there is no way I'm getting around four dames like that," Jet said. "Oh! By the way, how are things going for your family?"
"Great, my youngest sister just got braces for her teeth, and my oldest one just had another boy," Pyunma said, getting out the photo from his back pocket.
"Aw! Too cute," Jet said. "Man, I don't know how you can stretch the money far enough to support your family. I can barely do it and there are three of us."
"Money goes a whole lot farther in Mwanba than here." Pyunma tucked away the picture of his family.
Jet's cell phone jangled a jaunty tune. He sighed, fished in his pocket, and answered it with rolling eyes. "What do you want? I'm at work... We're unloading a boat..." Jet lofted his crossed fingers. "You have to work on Friday? I can't miss Friday... How about old lady Gardner? I'll make some good money on that night and can afford to pay her to watch Jimmy... Good... Sorry about the schedule, weekends are just too tight over here at the shipping docks... M'kay... later."
Pyunma started laughing and shaking his head. "Still lying to her, I see."
"Are you kidding me? Cathy's a lunatic! If she found out I was shaking my backside for a bunch of women during the evenings, she'd skin me alive."
"Wouldn't it be easier to come clean?" Chang butted in.
"Nope! My cousin just got dumped by that creep she was married to; he cleaned her out and left her with a mountain of debt. She's got a ten year old she's raising. That's why I took her in and am helping her out. She's working two jobs to pay down the debt, and she relies on my pay check to help support Jimmy since that creep won't give her a dime of child support. Plus, this job has a great schedule where I can watch Jimmy while she's at work most of the time."
"You think she'd be thrilled and proud you were bringing home steady pay and maintaining a job," Chang said, setting aside him clipboard.
"Cathy is the biggest prude on the planet. She's extremely uptight. It's bad enough she knows I swing both ways, and she doesn't give me too much flack about that anymore. If she knew I was a stripper, too, she'd haul my ass to the parish priest, which happens to be our extremely strict great uncle. Just... no... way."
Chang shook his head. "I think this will come back and bite you on that wiggly backside."
GB came running into the basement and doubled over in laughter. He finally got composed. "You guys got to see the new applicant!" With that, GB doubled over, laughing again. Jet and Pyunma exchanged looks and then jogged upstairs.
Frances glanced over to Natalie, who sat beside her at the table. The redheaded applicant was patting his gelled up, spiky hair and flashing them a too bright smile. "And did I mention I was voted Mister Hot Bod in high school?"
"Uh... yes, I believe you said that, Mister..." Frances consulted her clipboard. "Gaia?"
"Yes, first name Apollo. You know, like the Greek god," he said, leaning in a little too close to Frances. His eyebrow quirked suggestively and she inwardly groaned. A big ego like this was attractive to some customers, but she'd hate to see how her other strippers would react to his personality.
Speaking of which, she glanced over her shoulder to see Chang, GB, Jet, and Pyunma all clustered in the doorway to the basement.
"So how about it, Miss Arnoul? I won't even need a stage name." He flexed his right bicep and gave it a kiss. To which, she noticed her employees biting their knuckles as their eyes watered. "This says it all."
"Um... well... get up on the stage and lets see what you can do," Frances said. As Apollo leaped to the stage, Frances looked over at Natalie's clipboard. She had checked off a few good points and few bad points. Well, if this guy had as nice a rump as his biceps, Frances was for hiring on a trial bases.
Apollo strutted up and down the stage as if he were trying out for the Next Top Model show. He posed at the end of the stage, once again flexing his muscles and twirling around. She frowned and tapped her pen on the table. "No, Mister Gaia, that's not how it's done." She turned in her chair towards her gaggle of employees. "Jet, take the stage and show him what I expect."
After Jet got rid of his snickers, he hopped up on the stage as Apollo leaped down defiantly, looking disgruntled. Jet kicked off his shoes with swaying hips and undulated down the stage in a smooth sensuous motion. Jet took to the poll at the end of the stage just as Albert was coming down the staircase.
Albert's eyes were glued to his watch when he came around the edge of the stage. It was just as Jet lofted himself and spun around the poll with an extended leg. Jet's foot, to Frances' horror, connected with the back Albert's head. The German accountant went sprawling on the strip club floor, his briefcase skidded across the floor and came to rest at Frances' feet.
"Not again!" Jet wailed and leaped down off the stage.
Albert sat up and waved his hand at Jet. "Get back, you walking disaster!"
"I'm so sorry, Mister Heinrich. I really didn't see you there," Jet said, totally red faced. "Please let me help you up." His co-workers were now howling in laughter in the basement doorway, and the Greek applicant was wearing a smug expression. Frances jumped up from her seat and helped Albert to a chair.
"What happened to your nose? It looks bruised," Frances asked. Her accountant just shot Jet another dirty look as Chang came forward with a towel wrapped around ice. She shook her head at Jet. "Why is it every time Albert comes around you turn in to a totally graceless, accident-prone klutz? I swear this is the twentieth accident that's happened when you two are in the same room!"
"Sixty-three, but who's counting," Albert growled, putting the ice pack on the back of his head.
"So sorry," Frances said. She turned to Apollo. "Alright, you can have the job on a trial bases, but drop you pants and let us see you butt."
"My best feature," he declared, swirled around and dropped his pants.
A loud scream from the doorway jolted everyone. Ivan, quick as a flash, ran through the tables like an obstacle course and took the stairs three at a time.
"I think you're going to have to get that boy some therapy," GB said to Frances.
"Oh he's just a stick in the mud. He'll get over it once he discovers girls," Frances said, dismissively. "Jet, show the new hire around."
Apollo pulled his pants back on and said, "By the way, my sister is looking for a job, too. You said you had an opening for a waitress?"
"Oh yes. Natalie can't cover all the tables any more. Has she waited tables before?" Frances asked.
"During college," he answered. He walked over to the door and waved in a dark haired girl. They walked over to Frances. "This is Artemis."
"Good, Jet will show you around while we interview her."
"Come on," Jet mumbled, casting a vexed glance at Albert before leaving.
Frances chatted a little with the girl and then inquired, "Now you're sure your not embarrassed easily? I've hired other girls that get a little squeamish and quit."
"No, Ma'am, that's fine. Besides, I can keep a close eye on Apollo for you. He can be a little high strung," she said. Frances agreed, Apollo would probably needs some reigns to work at her establishment. Besides, this was killing two birds with one stone.
"You're hired. You'll be working with Natalie and Chang tonight to learn the ropes."
"Great, thank you very much."
"Oh, the uniform is in back. I think we have something your size," Natalie said, leading Artemis off.
"Albert, what do you think of my new hires?" Frances asked.
"Me? I like to keep my opinions to myself about your business venture. I'll add them to the payroll when I get back to my main office."
"Great! And I'm so sorry about Jet. I really don't know what gets into him."
"Don't worry about it. He doesn't really mean to do those things, and I was a little too hard on him. I'll apologize next time I see him. " Albert said, laying the ice pack down. "Give me a call if you hire anyone else."
Albert left and GB and Pyunma joined her at the table with a pot of tea. She looked over to GB and asked, "How is the family and job search?"
"Sophie and Rose are doing fine. The job search, not so well. Sophie is just grateful I have this right now." Frances was fully aware the out of work actor was trying to find another full time job on a soap opera since his last gig had come to a close. He really relied on his employment with Frances to make ends meet until he landed another gig.
Chang lofted a cup of tea and said, "I remember when she wasn't."
GB growled and rubbed his forehead with two fingers. "I was an idiot when I came home and told her I got this job."
"You didn't tell me this story," Frances said, with a smile.
"Me either," Pyunma said.
GB's lips twisted in a wry smirk. "I came home after you hired me and announced I got a job at a strip club. I forgot to say 'male' strip club. She went ballistic before I could explain and kicked me out for the night. The next morning I explained the only naked flesh I'd be seeing was on men. All was forgiven."
Frances chuckled as the door opened. Junior lead in a young, sweet looking, Japanese man. He was gazing around the club with a gaping jaw and wide eyes. Junior pointed at the star struck young man and said, "He'd like an interview."
"Oh good! Junior, please join me on the panel," Frances said. Chang and GB attempted to slip away, but she caught their wrists in vice like grips. "You too."
Her three non-stripper employees groaned, but sat at the table. Pyunma, on the other hand, gave the young man serious attention. Frances really appreciated Pyunma's acumen when it came to the business side of their industry.
"Name?" Frances asked.
"Joe Shimamura. It's nice to meet you." He gave a slow, warm smile to Frances, and she had to pause a minute. It was the most charming smile she'd ever seen. It had an innocent quality to it that she found irresistible. His mussed up hair only added to the look.
"So have you ever done this type of work before?" she asked, seriously doubting it.
"No, Ma'am. Something about keeping women company?"
The men sitting at the table with Frances all laughed, even Junior was snickering. She tapped her pen on the table and shot them a cool look. She then turned to her applicant. "Yes, that is exactly what we do around here. Now, are you very shy?"
"Oh no, I like to talk to girls. That's no problem."
"Well, you won't be talking too much to them," Frances clarified. Joe was now wearing a confused expression. She turned to Pyunma and said, "Why don't you enlighten the applicant."
With that Pyunma bounded up onto the stage and busted out his Gangnam Style dance variation. During which he divested himself of sneakers, teeshirt, and then jeans, all smoothly. He ended up grabbing the poll, once down to his red briefs, and lofted himself up in a horizontal position for a minute before stopping and collecting his clothes.
Frances looked over to the young, fresh face man who just stared at Pyunma in a mixture of horror and fascination. "Don't worry if you don't know the latest dances. Pyunma will train you."
"Ah... I don't know if I'm right for the job." He was now blushing.
"Nonsense. Take off your clothes and lets us be the judge of that," Frances urged. Her instinct was that this one would be a diamond in the rough. He still looked indecisive. "You'll have the opportunity to make up to a thousand or more a night. It's great money, plus, meals."
"Oh, sure why not," he finally said. He took off his sweater vest and was shaky about unbuttoning his long sleeved shirt. Then there was an undershirt, and then a tank top before Frances could really glimpse the nice trim physique. He gave a shy smile. "The rest, please?"
"Pants, too?"
"Of course," Frances said, giving him an encouraging smile.
He nervously dropped his khakis, then his long johns. Under that were a pair of plaid boxers. She sighed and shook her head. "You really shouldn't hide those nice, trim muscles under all those clothes. Men?" she asked, looking at her employees.
Pyunma, still wearing nothing but his red briefs, gave Joe a critical look and walked around him, resting his chin on a balled up fist. "He can work."
Chang, GB, and Junior all gave thumbs up. Frances gave a delighted sigh and quick clap of the hands. She stood and extended her hand to shake Joe's. Her new employee grabbed one of his shirts and cover the front of his stomach and groin with it before shaking her hand.
"You can start tonight," Frances declared.
To be continued.