Page 37 of Shar: A Woman Alone

“Always a good start. Howabout costs? The tech store will probably take off fast and pay for itselfafter a couple of months. Do you have the figures to support the hardware sidefor, say, the first six months of business?” Shar pops out questions that I maynever even have thought of so soon. Sitting back watching and listening toShar, it’s a damn shame that she isn’t the one for me. She is certainly goingto be the complete package for some lucky fucker out there.

“The initial inventory isgoing to be the killer for us, as with any new business. Do we stock theshelves fully? Or do we have a token shelf fill and keep down on the initialspend? Thoughts?” Bank looks to Shar and I see her side eye me to get him to directthe decision my way.

“Let’s talk dollars nearerthe time, Bank. I don’t want to open a hardware store that looks like it’s beenransacked after an apocalypse, but I don’t want to spend a million dollars onstuff that we might never sell, either. Let’s do some research into what we’relikely to want on the shelves from the get-go and then make the call.”

Shar’s smirk tells me I justscored a home run. We spend an hour throwing ideas and thoughts into the mixbefore I get bored and need to move my ass. “Right, that’s enough for now. Wehave places to go, people to see. Shar, let’s get our asses in gear.”

Bank disappears, after givingShar a hug I notice, and I grin. Maybe there’s still hope, I think to myself.

“Not a chance, Sharp. Not afucking chance in hell. I’m ready to move on and there isn’t a brother herethat can stop me. When I’m ready to move, I’ll be in my SUV and gone.”

“Not if I speak to Axel, andhe tells me to look after the club’s SUV.”

“You can wipe that smug lookoff your face for a start. The SUV is mine, not the MC’s. Axel and Mia giftedit to me. It’s in my name and has been for a while. Suck on that,” she says,giving me the finger.

“The whole world is againstme.” Making our way out of the clubhouse, I follow her to the SUV and submit toher driving us to Dance Mecca. As we approach, I have to admit that it looks adifferent proposition altogether. It definitely has a much more upmarket lookand feel about it now. It’s only a coat of paint and a new sign, but thedifference is phenomenal.

Entering the club, I see acouple of guys at the bar and one or two dotted around tables near the stage.Still early, so it’s quiet and that should give us plenty of opportunity tospeak to Stella. Shar heads to the back of the club and tells me we should lookat the apartment first.

Walking into it, the firstthing I notice is the feeling of space. Everything is bright and fresh, as itshould, considering it’s only just been done. The kitchen and dining area lookamazing. A chef like Lira would kill for something like this, I’m sure. Theliving area has dual aspect windows and although they don’t have a spectacularview, they flood the room with light. There are two double bedrooms and thatputs paid to having brothers staying over in my books. We can’t use the placeas a carrot for the manager and then expect them to have brothers sleeping intheir spare room.

“This place is amazing, Shar.Money well spent, if you ask me.”

“I think so too. We looked atincreasing the number of bedrooms, but I didn’t see it working as anything morethan a two-bedroom apartment.”

“You made the right call,Shar. I don’t see it being a sleepover for the brothers, either. If the manageris taking a salary cut and this is the incentive, then it needs to be theirapartment, not a halfway house.” I look her way to see her response.

“I totally agree. Theoriginal idea only works if you rent the apartment out to a brother at adiscount for the right to use the spare room as a dormitory. I can’t say I’dwant a different brother crashing here every night.”

“Okay. Let’s go see how yourStella can sell herself to me.” Heading back downstairs to the club, we hearsome raised voices as we reach the back of the stage area.

“I’m taking my turn on thefucking pole. All the others are getting good money from working it and I wanymy share, too.” I see Electra in the face of someone that I have to assume isStella.

“You are not going on thepole, Electra. Not now, not today, not tomorrow. Not ever. You’ll hurt yourselfand probably the customer that you land on. It’s just not for you. Jazmine hasbeen working her ass off to learn the pole and she is getting better,gradually, but she has a long way to go. You didn’t want to spend the extratime you were offered, so that was your call. You are here to be a stripper.That’s all. If that’s not enough, don’t let the door hit your lazy ass on theway out. I’m done having this same conversation, day in, day out.”

Electra looks at Stella andwe can all see the thoughts running through that tiny mind. Can she takeStella?

Stella helps her decide. “Youcan’t. Let me make it easy for you. You can’t take me. Not on your best day andme on my worst. I’d tear you apart without thinking about it or breaking into asweat. Get your stuff together. You’re done here. I am not looking over myshoulder every day. If you’re not out of here in five minutes, I’ll put you outon your bony ass. The clock is ticking, Electra.”

Electra spins round and,seeing me standing there, arms folded, she throws her head back and marches offto the changing area. Seeing myself and Shar, Stella nods and tells us she’llbe free in four and a half minutes, then follows Electra.

True to her word, Stellafinds us at the bar and asks if we want a coffee. I accept, and Shar asks for alemon and lime soda. Once we have our drinks, we take a table in the corner ofthe room and I look Stella over. This time taking in more detail about herlooks, frame and dress sense.

“I liked the way you handledthat situation back there. She didn’t faze you in the least, and you never evenraised your voice while she was screeching at you. Nicely done, but who gaveyou the power to get rid of her?”

“Thank you. It’s not my firstrodeo and I doubt it will be my last. Some people are not made to pole dance,and she wasn’t even a good stripper. She was too focused on the big money andnot enough on how to get to the big bucks. She couldn’t tease the hot waterfrom a tap. Shar told me if I had to remove one of the strippers, I had theright.” Stella raises her soda in a toast and I have to say it makes me laugh.

“Give me your story and thenwe can get down to business,” I say and sit back to hear if Shar’s suspicionscome to anything.

“I’ve been a manager of somesort since I was seventeen. I started in a gas station and the boss caught thecurrent manager with his hand in the till. He asked me to watch over the placewhile he got someone in, but two months later, I’d made the place my own and hegave me the job. Between us we made the place earn its keep, and the sales wereon the up and up. The owner died and his son moved back to take over. I was outof there by the end of his first week when he thought I was a bonus for him.He’s probably still talking high pitched. I worked bar for a time in a coupleof dives before I got in at a reputable bar in my hometown. I worked my way upfrom bartender to bar manager to business manager. I got head-hunted from thereand, after making a success of another two bars, moved again. Once I was in thecorporate sphere of things, I lost the passion. For me, it was always about thepeople and the job. When it became all about the money, I lost interest. Imoved out of the corner office, so to speak, and back to the shop floor. Here Iam.”

“Husband? Boyfriend? Kids?”Shar asks, and I’m glad I didn’t have to ask it.

“Never had the time or theinclination. I’m not a virgin, but I haven’t found the right man yet.” Stellablushes a little at her own admission.

“Got anything following youaround?”

“If you mean trouble, exes orany such, nope. I do have high hopes for my future, but my past is clear. Iwanted a fresh start and I always get what I want, one way or another.”

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