“Ooh, I like the sound of him.” I interrupted again.
Again, she glared at me. “Well then you hire him.” Snappy Abbie. “So, like Sebastian was saying before he so rudely interrupted me… we have three candidates to choose from. The first is Jane Greiner, a 26 year old female who got her bachelor’s degree in Communication and MBA from the University of Arizona. She’s got a good solid background in social media and knows what people want to see and what they don’t want to see. She was the one that headed the Beanz campaign a few years ago that turned that company around in a matter of weeks. So she definitely knows what she is doing. Then we have Martin Trumpor, a 32 year old male, no postgraduate degree, went straight to work with some of the top companies and moved his way up until he was heading their social media and marketing team. He might be different in terms of what we’re used to, but he is a hard worker and doesn’t stop until he gets what he wants. He’s had quite a few jobs over the past years which can be a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it but it seems that when he gets a job he certainly does it justice. Lastly we have Molly Earnest. Like Jane she also received a bachelor’s degree in Communication. She has lived in New York her whole life and has lead the marketing team in four of her company’s divisions. She is also a graphic designer and creates beautiful vision representations for her marketing campaigns. This is always a good thing to have – because a vision without an eye for design often doesn’t work. Having said that we already have some great graphic designers so we probably wouldn’t need much more than just her input. I have a copy of their CV’s to show each of you,” Abbie handed one out to everyone, “And then I’d like to take you through the ideas that each of them had for the company. You’ll be surprised at how different their visions are and hopefully after that you’ll be able to figure out who you like best. Sebastian, I think we take it to a vote at the end. I know who I want already.”
I nodded and signalled for her to continue. Abbie took the team through the slideshows and I was impressed at just how much time and effort these people had gone through to prove that they were the ones for the job. I liked people like this. All three were proving that they wanted this badly and it was hard for me to not just hire all three. There was merit in all of the ideas and I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t taken steps to do this before. But I was also quite proud that I had managed to get the casino to where it was today without the help of social media. I had a feeling I was about to see this casino explode to even greater heights. My parents were going to be very surprised. And hopefully very proud. I wondered briefly if my brothers were going to be jealous of my success.
“That was great and very interesting. Thanks for that Abbie, I know people don’t see the work that you do behind the scenes but I know it was a long process to get to where we are today. Trust me everyone, Abbie literally had piles and piles of paperwork to go through.” I noticed that she was back to her sweet and smiling self. She always perked up when she was asked to do her job, and I’m sure the coffee helped in making that happen. She was a good girl and a great assistant and I just loved messing with her. Also, she was a girl and so was easily swayed by compliments. “Now, let’s go around and see what everyone thinks. Let’s take it to a vote.”
In the end it was down to either Jane Greiner and Martin Trumpor. Three votes for Jane and three for Martin.
“I honestly think Martin is our guy. He’s by far the most interesting one. Also he’s a bit older than everyone else and for once that might be a good thing.” David Ellis was the main marketing director at the casino and someone that I had hired because of his ability to stand up for his beliefs at all time. He had a good eye for people and it was important that the right person was chosen for him – because he would be working with them closely. However, for probably the first time, I disagreed with him.
“No, I don’t think so. I’m sorry to disagree with you but I have an inkling not to go with him and I think I should follow my gut. It’s never lied to me before. I think Jane’s our girl. Martin seems great but he seems a bit all over the place. That can be good in a lot of ways, but I want someone with a more clear direction. I want to be able to see their vision clearly and to see how they are going to execute it without me constantly wondering what they’ll do next. Jane sounds like someone with a good head on her shoulders.”
“You can’t say that though, you haven’t even met her. Okay, let’s ask Abbie. Abbie, you’ve met everyone – what are your impressions of them compared to what they showed you on paper.” I knew that Abbie had voted for Jane so I was confident that this was going to help my case. Not that it mattered, I’d choose Jane regardless. But I’d like everyone to think that they at least had a choice in the matter.
“Well, my vote is for Jane too. Now, don’t get angry David. I know exactly why you wanted to choose Martin. Martin is great. I chose him for a reason too and if the majority were going to go with Martin then I would’ve been happy with that decision. But there was definitely something about him that I didn’t like. I had a feeling that he would be the one that would flip decisions easily. Jane is a solid choice.”
“I think that as the marketing director for this company I should have the biggest say in the vote. It’s three for Martin right now so surely I have the right to choose him? I’m going to be working with him after all.”
I looked at David then and felt bad that I was going to undermine his authority. But I always believed in going with my gut and gut was telling me to definitely not go for Martin. “David, I do appreciate your input. That’s what this whole thing was about. And like Abbie said, if everyone went for Martin it would’ve been another story. But as the owner of the casino I do believe the final choice is ultimately mine. And with that I’d like to hire Jane Greiner to head this marketing campaign. But, having said that, we can keep Martin’s details on file so that if something does go wrong and we need someone else then we can have a back up.”
David looked at me and then sighed. He knew that he didn’t have a leg to stand on when it came to final decisions. At the end of the day, I was still his boss, even though he was ten years older than me. “Fine, Sebastian. We’ll take Jane. I’m sure it will all work out just fine. But please do keep Martin on file.”
“Wonderful! That’s decided then. Abbie, you can give Jane a call in the morning and set things up. Right guys, that’s a wrap. Party time!”
Chapter 7 - Jane
“Psst. Danielle. Over here.” I waved to Danielle the moment I spotted her. She waved wearily at me and carried on working. I had rushed all the way to Palms Casino to see her with my big news. I’d been a waitress before and I knew that any distraction was normally welcomed, but it seemed that things were very different when you waitressed in a casino. For a while Danielle completely ignored the fact that I was even there. She carried on with her work and focused on the job at hand and didn’t once look my way. I had to admire her for that. I took a seat at one of the empty chairs and watched her. She was wearing a very short, very tight and very revealing dress which I’m sure was part of the reason why she was tipped so well. I noticed all the men looking at her – the way her legs looked as if they went on forever and ever. She might not have big breasts, but she certainly made up for it with those legs. Most of the time she was delivering drinks to the black jack players, who played in a separate room to the rest of the casino. I couldn’t see what was going on but from what Danielle had told me in the past I knew that these were the high rollers who played with a minimum bet of $500. I couldn’t imagine ever taking a chance with that much money but I knew the deal – in order to win big you had to bet big. Every time I saw her coming out of the room I hoped that they treated her well in there and that they appreciated her hard work. But she always came out with a smile on her face and I knew that she loved what she did. She was good at it too. It was clear to see that. And after watching some of the other waitresses I knew that she was the best at what she did. She had a no-nonsense attitude, a bit
of sass, and enough flirtation to get her what she wanted. I made a mental note to remind her that drinks were on her that night.
I spent some time watching the rest of the people. Some looked ecstatic, winning wads of cash at a time. Others looked despondent and I could see them doing calculations in their head and trying to figure out if they could still carry on playing. It was both an exciting and depressing place to be in and I was fascinated by the different characters that milled around. I’d always been a bit of a people watcher and this was probably one of the best places to do it in. Mostly because people didn’t seem to worry about anyone other than themselves and it was easy to just sit and stare.
“How you doing lovely lady?” I looked up and saw an elderly gentleman leering down on me. That’s when I noticed one of my buttons had come undone and a good portion of my cleavage was showing. I wanted to quickly do up the button but I didn’t want to make it obvious so I just left it.
“I’m doing great. How about you? Making lots of money today?” I knew I had to be polite. This was where Danielle worked after all and it was not fair on me to make a scene. Plus, he seemed like a nice enough man.
“Oh yes. Today is a good day. A great day in fact. Yesterday, not so much. But you know how it goes – you win some and then you lose some.” I wanted to ask him what the point was then but I decided against it. These casino people did not want anyone telling them what to do with their lives. This was their little escape from the world and in a way I did understand it. Sometimes all you needed was a bit of a break and if the casino was the place for them then who was I to tell them otherwise.
“Well, I’m glad today is good.” I wasn’t in the mood to talk but he certainly was as he made himself comfortable next to me.
“You’re not playing?” he asked.
“Oh no, not me. I’m actually here to see a friend. She’s working so I’m just waiting for her to take a break.”
“Oh, which friend? I come here often, I probably know her.” I wanted to say that it was obvious that he came here often – from the bloodshot eyes and the pale skin. This was a man who didn’t spend a lot of time outdoors.
“That one over there. Danielle.” I pointed to her. At that precise moment she was bending down to give a seated customer a drink. She is all legs.
“Danielle. Of course. The pretty one. She’s a doll.”
“She certainly is.” Danielle would hate hearing someone call her a doll and I tried not to laugh, putting it in my mental notebook to tell her later.
“Can I get you a drink?” His attention was back to me, although I noticed how he had stared at Danielle’s legs.
“Oh no, that’s okay. Thank you though, that’s very kind of you.” A drink from him would only make him stay longer and I was never one to take drinks from people that I didn’t know.
“Nonsense. I will not take no for an answer. If you’re going to sit here and wait you might as well get a drink. I could do with a few moments more of rest anyway. Excuse me Michelle, can you please get the two of us a glass of champagne. You can put it to my account. Thanks my darling.” He said to a waitress that had walked past. She grinned at him and told him that it would be her pleasure. He wasn’t lying when he said he came here often. When Michelle got back she handed us each a glass.
“Thank you.” I said and took a sip. And I had to admit, it tasted good. It tasted far better than the bottles that I bought myself. But that could very well be because of the environment I was in now. Everything just seemed expensive. Even my taste buds.
“No, thank you. It’s lovely to take a break. I’ve been on my feet forever.” The man continued to talk without rest and I found myself getting agitated. I wanted to sit in peace with my drink and watch the rest of the people. But he had given me a drink and I felt bad just getting up and leaving him. Thankfully I saw Danielle coming my way and I shot her a grateful smile.
“Hi Peter. I see you’ve met my friend Jane. Thank you so much for keeping her company while I worked. I have a small break so I’m going to steal her away from you. But I’ll see you in a bit, okay?” She looked at him with so much sincerity that I even believed it.
“Absolutely, have a good break my lovely. You deserve it. And Jane, it was a pleasure to meet you.”
When we walked away I noticed that Danielle was laughing. She looked at me, “Well I saved you there. You looked like you wanted to run away. Oh well, at least you got a drink out of it. Peter is harmless though. He loves having someone to talk to. He’s here every day and has never tried anything with any of the waitresses. Trust me, when you’re here long enough you get to figure out the nice guys from the creeps. And he’s definitely a nice guy.”
“He was certainly looking at you like he liked you though. He was staring at those long legs of yours like he wanted to take a bite.” I told her.
“Yeah, but he never does anything more than look. Trust me. But anyway, listen, I’m sorry about ignoring you when you came in. They are very strict here about taking breaks or even talking to friends or family. And the big boss was walking around today so I couldn’t even try my luck. I’ve only got a little bit of time and then I need to go back out there again. What’s going on? Why are you here? Oh! Have you come for a job?” Her eyes widened at the prospect. I’m not sure why because she should know that I’d be terrible at the job.
“No, no. I haven’t. But I have come to tell you some news.”
“Yes?”
“I won the contest!” I declared and raised my arms in the air. As I did some of the champagne spilled on me. “You see,” I said, wiping it up, “I told you I’d be a bad waitress.”
“What? Oh Jane, that’s brilliant news.” Danielle came in for a hug and squeezed me tightly. “So what does this mean?”
“It means I have to start on Monday morning. They phoned me and gave me the news today.”
“Wow, Monday already!”
“I know. But I’m glad. I’d rather just get right into it. If it was any longer I’d just get more nervous than I am right now.”
“So what exactly are you going to be doing?”
“Well, I’m going to be heading this big social media campaign based on my own ideas and collaborating with the rest of the marketing team. Sounds like they have no intention of me leaving anytime soon either so there’s a chance this might be a permanent thing. But either way it means that I actually have a job! A real job!”
“So you can stay! You don’t have to go back to Arizona and you don’t have to bump into Justin the Idiot and Amy the Other Idiot.”
I laughed at that. “Exactly! I can stay!”
“I’m so happy for you Jane. You deserve this. And… you can start the job with a lovely tan now and a sexy Brazilian wax.”
I shushed her and giggled, “Danielle! Don’t say that out loud!” She laughed and then I laughed too. I felt on top of the world. Just then I heard someone yell “JACKPOT!” and for a brief moment I thought they were talking about me!
Chapter 8 - Jane
“Are you ready for the big day?” Danielle asked as I stepped into the kitchen. She was sitting in front of an array of healthy food which made me feel slightly guilty about the chocolate muffin I had scarfed down the moment I had woken up. A glass of orange juice, a bowl of yogurt and slices of avocado and eggs were placed on the table and I couldn’t believe that she ate like that every day. Granted, it was probably why she looked the way she did and I looked the way that I did. Perhaps some of her habits would rub off on me by the end of my stay.
“I guess so. It’s hard to be ready when you don’t know what to expect. I’m quite nervous but I’d be nervous on the first day of any job. Do I look okay though? I want to at least know that I look okay. I have some time to change if I need to so be honest with me.” I twirled around. I was wearing dark black jeans and a pretty green sleeveless shirt and black heels. It was elegant but not too fashionable which is what I wanted to go for – because fashionable was just not who I was. In fact, if
I could’ve rocked up wearing trainers I would’ve been far happier. Or pyjamas – now THAT was good work gear. But this was day one and I still had to make a good impression. Perhaps once they got used to me I would be able to wear what I liked. I had to giggle at the thought of going to work every day in my sleepwear.
“You look gorgeous Jane. Actually I wish you would wear heels more often, they suit you. Hang on though, you’re missing something.” Danielle ran upstairs and then came back with a beautiful silver necklace for me to wear. On the end dangled a little horse shoe.
“Danielle!” I gasped, “I cannot possibly wear this. It’s beautiful.”
“You can and you will. Because I got that for you to say congratulations on the job and I forgot to give it to you. It’s my way of saying how absolutely proud I am of you. Instead of moping in a corner you got far away from that jerk and found yourself a new job. You’re starting over and you’re doing it with such style. So this is not just a good luck for the job necklace but also a good luck for the rest of your life necklace. You’ve got this Jane! And you’re going to rock your first day today. This job is perfect for you.”
“Ah… you’re amazing. I don’t know what to say. Danielle, I love it. My lucky necklace.” I felt tears rushing to my eyes. Danielle had been so good to me since I had moved in with her. After what Justin did to me I seemed to get emotional every time someone did something nice.
“Don’t cry now! You’ll ruin your make up. This is meant to be a happy necklace.” She must be using the term ‘make up’ very loosely here because all I was wearing was a bit of mascara and a dash of lipstick. But still, she was right, I shook my head and smiled instead.
“Thank you. It is a happy necklace. No more tears.”
“So, what time do you have to be in?” She asked me, looking at the clock above her.
“They were quite nice for my first day, I must admit. I only have to be in at 10.30 today. But I’m going to go early to scope it out a bit. I always feel more comfortable when I have a better idea of a place. I actually should’ve done this before instead of on the actual day but alas it’s too late.”
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