Page 47 of Shar: A Woman Alone

“I don’t see you as the ‘dragged’ anywhere sort of gal. Icould see you dragging the right man, but never being dragged. So, Shar was it?To what do I owe the pleasure of you wanting to meet me?”

“I put the sign in the window for a receptionist, soultimately, I guess I’m responsible for you being here.” As I smile at her, Isee something in her eyes.

“I hate to burst your bubble, but I didn’t know there was asign in the window.”

“Then how did you know about the position?” I didn’tadvertise it anywhere else, so that’s odd.

“I overheard some trailer-trash skank saying she’d askedabout it, and she was told it had already been filled. She walked by a coupleof days later and they were still trying to fill the position, so she waspissed about it. To be honest, I wouldn’t have trusted her to watch over ahornet's nest.”

Scribe walks over and joins us as his client leaves, but notbefore he gives Autumn a big thank you.

“That guy came in with his own drawing for a tattoo a coupleof months ago, some tribal shit, and it was such a godawful mess, we just kepttelling him no way were we putting our name to it. He kept turning up butwasn’t open to any of our suggestions, either. Then he turns up again andSuperwoman here takes one look at it, tears it up into shreds and tells him ifhe wants tribal and something modern and trendy, he needs to check out thephoto folders or our website, but we sure as hell wouldn’t be doing somehomemade piece of crap. Ten minutes later and he’s booked in for one of ourgeneric tats, and Autumn wants him done as soon as possible so she can fuck himthe hell off.”

“Our time is too valuable to waste with idiots like that,”Autumn states loudly. “Our prices reflect the work we do, and the pride we havein that work. We are at the top of our game and if people want to throw theirhard-earned dollars to someone that hasn’t got the qualifications, expertise orself-esteem, then they can go to hell in a handcart for all I care. I choose towork for the best because I think I’m the best at what I do.” She gives us thebiggest wink I think I have ever seen, and that’s when I notice all the othercustomers listening to our conversation. She is definitely at the top of hergame, I think to myself.

One of the customers, a guy that obviously spends a lot oftime at the gym, asks Autumn about the steampunk and cyborg stuff that heoverheard. She shows him a few photos and then grabs Scribe from reception,where he’d gone to check the computer for his next appointment.

“You have an hour to kill, Scribe. Could you spend twenty tothirty minutes doing a personal design for this guy’s lower arm, please?”

The guy starts to protest because he wants the whole of hisupper arm, shoulder, and pectoral muscle done. Sitting him down, Autumnexplains that it would take several sittings to complete, and that he wouldn’tbe visiting the gym for some considerable time doing it his way. Following heridea, which was starting at his forearm and then working up in small sections,it would heal quicker and he could adjust his training easier to suit smallertattooed areas, that would eventually be one huge sleeve.

I watch him digest this and then agree. She has just soldhim a tattoo that will keep an artist going with several weeks’ work and thebusiness will make far more overall. The customer will pay smaller amounts at atime and end up with a stunning piece of artwork forever. Genius. Autumn andCord should get their heads together, I’m thinking.

Seeing the time, I nudge Trip and remind him I have to be atthe salon for Zara’s meeting in a couple of hours and need to eat first. Takingour leave, we bid the tattoo shop farewell and head for the clubhouse.

Once back at the clubhouse, I visit the little girls' room.All that throbbing and pulsing on that hog has me dying for a pee, among otherfeelings, and then it’s to the kitchen for lunch. Seeing Josie on her own, Iwonder what lunch is going to be.

There’s a buffet-style lunch of cooked meats and salad itemslaid out across one counter. By the stove there are plates of bread and butterbeside a couple of slow cookers filled with soup. Not too shabby, I think tomyself and give Josie a nod that says well done.

Having thoroughly enjoyed my meat and salad, I go for aquick freshen up and then meet Zara so we can head out to the salon. Onceagain, I’m pleasantly surprised by the work that’s been put in to get the placeready for opening day. From the outside, everything is clean and fresh, eventhe parking lot looks like it’s had a brush run over it.

Entering the salon, Zara walks me through all the work thathas been done to prepare for the big day. I can’t see a spot of dust anywhereand everything looks brand new. I know that almost everything I’m seeing wasleft behind by the previous owner, but Zara and her team have polishedeverything so you would never know.

Hearing Natalie call Zara’s name has me once again thinkingthat they’ll make a great team. They hug as soon as they see each other andthey look at each other more like siblings than boss and employee. Making ourway upstairs, I find a small patio table and four chairs have already been setup.

“I had these in my garage and I have never used them, so Ithought they’d fit in here until we ultimately decide what we’re doing withthis space. I hope that’s okay?” Natalie looks first at Zara, then me.

Holding my hands up, I say, “I’m only involved in this as abusiness consultant for Zara. You guys can do whatever you want as long as Zarais okay with it.”

“It’s okay for the time being, as long as you’re okay takingit home when the space is needed? If we decide to go with the nail bar, we’llhave nowhere for it. It’s not like we have a storage area or an outside spaceto use it at break times.” Zara looks at me with wide eyes and I’ll ask herabout that later.

“We already have the people in place that we need, so that’sa great start. We don’t want to be reaching opening day and be short a stylist,or anything else. We have Sierra, a qualified stylist with experience.”

“I assume she will be the lowest paid on the books?” Natalieasks, and I’m not sure why. That’s a bit of an obvious thing to say,considering the positions held by everyone else. Looking at Zara, I see herfrowning.

“I’m not planning on anyone being the lowest paid, longterm, Natalie. I want everyone to be multi-skilled and all at the same pay rateas soon as possible. You will have the highest salary as far as employees go,purely by being the manager. August, as a stylist and later, hopefully, thenail bar technician will be next. I won’t be taking a wage, as the majorityshareholder I will take my payment from any profits that I don’t put back intothe business. Until the business takes off, which I don’t think will be long,wages are going to be fairly low. Once the client base is built up and we’reworking at full capacity, the bonus should give everyone an excellent income.”

Zara is speaking like a seasoned owner and I could not beprouder of her. Natalie, however, has me a little worried. There seem to besome cracks appearing in her veneer, if I’m not mistaken.

“Let’s leave the salaries out of it for a while. No newbusiness is going to be flush with cash straight from the beginning. I’ll bethe apprentice stylist under your tutoring for the practical side of gaining myqualification. The study and theory side I will do via an online course or atthe local beauty college. I don’t know as yet what their curriculum is forthese studies until they release their schedule. I will still have the finalsay in any business decisions along with the President of the MC, as they arethe other shareholders.”

“This isn’t exactly the way I was seeing the business beingrun. I’m not comfortable being a manager in name only. I thought I’d be runningthe salon and teaching you along the way.” Natalie seems quite heated, and Ithought that was what Zara was explaining. “I don’t think I can defer everydecision to an apprentice whenever something has to be said or done.”

Zara folds her paperwork and replaces it in her folder.“I’ll help you put your table and chairs in your trunk, and then you can be onyour way, Natalie. I won’t take up any more of your time.”

Natalie looks stunned. “You can’t fire me, just like that.”

“I didn’t fire you, Natalie. You just quit in front of anindependent witness. You said that you can’t defer to an apprentice. Very well.Unfortunately, the apprentice, as you are well aware, is the business owner.I’m sorry it didn’t work out for both of us.” I am astonished at how Zara hasjust handled what could have been an unpleasant situation. I know I wouldn’thave been so calm and collected about it.

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