She hated being judged by a man in such a way. He'd appraised her like a farmer would appraise a prize bull. But she was going to be professional. Thank you, she said.
Party time. The day's for working and the evenings are for enjoyment. Come with me; I'm going to introduce you to the gang.
When they arrived at the Hopeless Sinner, a bar, restaurant and health club, Avaline could hear the beat of loud music from outside. Colten got out of the Rolls and opened her door. When she got out, he was careful to note how shapely her legs were as they slid from the leather seat.
This is our playground. The Hopeless Sinner. I own it, and a guy called Tony Jameson runs it for me.
They had stopped close to the waterfront. It was a curious building which Avaline would never have thought he would own. Built of wood it looked like an Austrian log cabin. There was a veranda at the front and a large neon sign on the roof advertising the best fish in town.
Tony, this is Avaline my new PA. Whenever she wants to come here with her friends you look after her and put whatever they have on my tab. Okay?
Tony was a young man of around twenty-five, tall and thin and very Hispanic looking. Sure boss. Do you want the usual this evening? Colten nodded.
Remember that Avaline. Bring your friends here whenever you want. Now let me show you around.
They were standing in the bar area. In front of the bar which extended down the side of the interior, there were wooden tables and chairs. She followed him through a door into the restaurant area.
Wow, this is pretty special, she said.
Yes. All the furniture was imported from Indonesia especially. The palm trees are from Egypt. We tried to get a real nice Colonial look.
Well you succeeded. It's really atmospheric. Avaline imagined herself transported back to the days of the British in India.
'Wait till you see this, he said.
They went through another door and down some steps. After they had walked down a corridor, Colten pushed a door open, and they were in paradise. Avaline was sure they were now underground. What she saw was a vast cavern with a domed roof and a serpent shaped swimming pool, she gasped. At the side of the pool were two Jacuzzi and more palm trees, only this time they were bigger than those in the restaurant. . When she looked more closely, she could see they were artificial. She assumed because there was no real daylight ones wouldn't survive there.
I'll tell you what we're going to do this evening. We're going to have a bottle or two of champagne, have some of Tony's best seafood and come down here and relax.
But I haven't got any swimwear with me, she said.
Don't worry about that, we don't need clothes.
Er......excuse me. I'm not cavorting around here in the nude.
He laughed. Then you're the first prudish PA I've ever had. Most of them we're only too pleased to get their clothes off. Especially when they saw what my friends looked like.
Well, I..... Avaline was caught. She didn't want to appear prudish, but surely this was beyond the call of duty. It was also quite unprofessional. She'd gone to CL Real Estate to start a career, nor prance around like a two-bit hooker. Sorry Colten, but I'd rather not be naked.
Okay. How long will it take you to chose a bikini?
Er.....a few minutes.
Great, then the chauffeur will take you downtown. You get a bikini and be back here by six thirty. Okay? Here're two hundred dollars.
Avaline was beginning to feel like a kept woman. She wasn't used to this level of attention, and it was a little overwhelming. She also didn't much fancy being in a bikini for all Colten's friends to gawp at. But she needed the job, and she'd already pissed Colten off by arriving late for work. The last thing she wanted was to have to join Penny on the set of some B porn movie.
When the chauffeur, whose name she discovered was Robert, dropped her off outside Raylene's Swim and Casual's, Avaline immediately saw a beautiful bikini in the display window
Raylene was about five feet nine and as butch as any woman Avaline had ever seen. Yes, we've got that in your size. It's great quality, look.
Yes, Avaline said looking at the multicolored material.
Do you want to try it on?
Avaline had heard a lot of stories about the dangers of trying swimwear on. Most of it had been tried on before by an average of five women. Has anyone tried it on before?
No it's fresh out of the cellophane. You don't have to worry.
Avaline stood in front of the mirror and admired herself. Even the harsh fluorescent lights didn't show up a single blemish on her skin. The bikini fitted very nicely. She took off the top, but quickly pulled it over her breasts again when Raylene popped her head through the curtain. Everything okay? Oh yes, I like those bottoms. Haven't got the top on yet, shall I help you?
Avaline declined and waited until Raylene had gone. Should she report her? How many women had she ogled, felt up or raped in the changing room she wondered? She got dressed quickly and went to pay. Raylene gave her a wide smile. Here's a voucher for twenty-five dollars, we're got an open evening next week. Come along and see if you can find anything you like. We've got more than swimwear as you can see. Raylene pointed to an array of other leisure wear. That will be ninety-nine dollars, thanks.