Goddamn George Bush anyway Janice thought as she pulled up in front of the address that her friend Joan had given her. Just when she and Tom were finally getting their financial act together Bush had to activate Tom's reserve unit and ship him to some god-awful place in case we have to fight Saddam Hussein. All well and good for making Bush look tough, but not good for the Johnson's who now didn't have enough money coming in. She hoped that she could land the job that Joan had told her about. If she could get it the pay would definitely be more than she could make as a secretary. She would have to keep Tom from finding out though. If he knew she was bartending at a men's club he would have a fit. She checked the address one last time, checked her makeup in the mirror, took a deep breath and got out of the car.
From a window on the third floor two men watched as Janice got out of her car. "What do you think?" asked the shorter of the two.
"Looks good from here, but I'm going to want a much closer look. You think she'll be gullible enough to take the bait?"
The short man shrugged, "It just depends on how bad she needs the money. What's Joan got against her anyway?"
"Nothing. She hates the husband for some reason and sees this as a way to break them up."
"What's the saying, with friends like that who needs enemies?"
Janice walked up to the bar and when the bartender came over she told him that she was there to apply for the vacant bartenders position. He turned and picked up a phone, punched a button, said a few words and then hung up. " Mr. Petrosian will be out in a minute. Can I get you something, on the house?" Janice thanked him and asked for a Screwdriver. She was halfway through it when a short, stocky man came up to her and stuck out his hand. "I'm Ara Petrosian. Bring your drink and come on up to the office." Janice followed him to the back of the club and they got on an elevator. They got in and rode up to the top floor of the three-story building and when they got off she followed the man down a hallway and into a fairly large office where another man was seated and waiting for them. He stood up as Janice approached, "Mrs. Johnson. I'm John, Ara's partner. So good of you to come." Petrosian led her to a conference table, pulled out a chair for her and then when all three of them were seated Petrosian said, "Joan speaks highly of you, but I'm sure that you realize that we need a little more than just that. You are interested in the day bartender's position so why don't you tell us a little about yourself and your qualifications for the job."
For the next twenty minutes Janice described her background, but as she talked she sensed that she was not telling these men what they wanted to hear. When she was done she looked hopefully from Ara to John and wanted to cry when Ara said:
"What do you think" and John replied "I don't think so."
Turning to her John said, "If we were a corner bar you would do admirably, but we are not a corner bar. We are an exclusive men's club and we cater to a clientele heavy into exotic mixed drinks and you have no experience in that area. I'm sure you could learn in time, but we need some one who can hit the ground running, so to speak. I'm sorry, I just don't think we can use you."
Then Ara spoke up, "What about as a replacement for Alice?"
John looked at her, "I don't know. She could probably handle it, but she's married and that never seems to work out well."
Janice got her hopes up a little and said, "If I might ask, what's the job and why is my being married a problem?"
John nodded at Ara who said, "Alice was our daytime hostess. We cater a lot of daytime parties for members who bring in people from out of town for sales meetings, seminars and the like. There are three reasons why married women don't work out in a job like Alice's. First is the costume that you would be required to wear. It is an extremely low-cut blouse, and extremely short skirt and the kind of high heels that are referred to as Come Fuck Me pumps. The costume fairly invites lewd and lascivious behavior on the part of the clientele, but quite frankly - it is meant to. Next, and I make no apologies for the language I'm about to use, is that this is a men's club and you will be constantly exposed to words like cock, fuck, pussy, cunt and ass all the time. The third problem is jealous husbands. Most married women are too embarrassed to wear the costume and they always seem to have a problem with the language. The real problem is the husband. When he finds out that his wife is parading around a bunch of men in the costume that she has to wear they either go ballistic or start getting jealous of the men who are members of the club and they cause problems. Problems are things that we don't need."