Weekends Required (Danvers #1)(10)
She looked at her watch surprised to see that so much time had already passed. “I’ve most of the revisions complete if you’d like to look over them before I close the program.” said Claire.
“No, that’s ok; we will go over everything in the morning so go ahead and close up for the evening.”
Claire gathered her papers in a neat stack and noticed how stiff her back was when standing. Without thinking she took a long leisurely stretch, and she looked up to find Jason watching her intently. With her face flushing she looked away from his gaze and said, “If you don’t need anything else, I’m going to change and get going.”
Jason cleared his throat and said, “Um no problem, have a good evening.”
Claire quickly walked through the adjoining door, quietly clicking the lock into place behind her. She would rather have Jason find her unconscious than walk in unannounced after another mishap. In the bathroom, Claire looked longingly at the bathtub but knew that it was a luxury she didn’t have time for. She settled instead for the shower, letting it warm up as she undressed. Claire gave a murmur of bliss as the hot water cascaded over her tired shoulders, wincing when the water hit the new bump on her head. She gently worked some shampoo through her hair and enjoyed the feel of the water soothing away the fatigue of the day. Loath to cut the shower short, she finished up quickly knowing that she was pressed for time.
She quickly wrapped a towel around her hair and shrugged on her old, pink, ratty bathrobe she’d thought to bring along. She plugged in her small dryer and started the task of drying her hair. She knew she should really get it cut in a shorter style to reduce some of the drying time, but Claire considered this her one item of vanity even though it was worn up more than down.
When Claire first started working the bachelor parties for Pam, she’d arrived for her training and Pam immediately removed the clip from her hair and told her that men loved seeing long hair. This statement really gave Claire a pause as she’d understood from Pam that the clients for these parties were strictly upper class and instead of expecting a stripper performance at a bachelor party, they were content with a pretty girl in a corset and garter belt; no articles of clothing removed.
Claire had originally turned Pam down flat when she explained the wardrobe for the show; she’d never worn less than a one-piece swimsuit in public so she certainly didn’t intend to lose her inhibitions in front of a room full of strange men. The following day, she received the news that her mother’s furnace would need to be replaced. There was no way she could afford the new furnace and her mother’s medicine thus she ended up with a second job that she would have never imagined in a lifetime.
The theme for most bachelor parties offered by Partiez Plus was what Claire would imagine a country club for wealthy golfers would offer. Expensive furniture, including luxurious wing back chairs, and mahogany tables were arranged into several intimate seating areas. There were crystal decanters at each sitting area offering an array of liquors. A box of imported cigars was also offered for those more adventurous. Wait staff circulated discreetly seeing to every need.
Of course, no matter how dignified, since this was after all a bachelor party. A few hours into the evening, a large cake was rolled into the center of the room and the bachelor in question was given a ring side seat, or in this case a cake side seat and the music for the evening was cued. At just the right moment, a small spotlight flashed to the cake and ‘Wala’! Out pops a girl with her arms raised in the air! In this case, the girl was Claire. She would then smile and wave to the guest of honor as well as to the others in the bachelor party. After a few moments, she would be assisted down from the cake and would walk up to the bachelor, give him a hug, a bottle of Cristal and wish him a very happy life.
Generally, she would then exit the area and change into the traditional uniform of the other wait staff and continue assisting with the party. Claire couldn’t believe she’d gotten so comfortable with these parties that she hardly gave them much thought anymore. The men were indeed generally very well-behaved, and her moment in the spotlight was short. The tips were very generous and were split between the party staff. Some tips were left specifically for Claire, but she always insisted that these be divided among everyone as well.
She hurriedly finished drying her hair and went into the bedroom to pull on a tan pair of slacks and a soft purple sweater. Claire took out the small bag she usually carried to the parties and checked to make sure she had everything she needed, then went back to the bathroom to reapply her make-up. Unfortunately working the parties required it to be heavier than she would usually wear it. The spotlight tended to make her face seem very pale, and her eyes seemed to disappear. She applied a heavy base liberally to her face along with a pink blusher, black eyeliner and mascara.
Claire’s green eyes were sparkling by the time she finished adding some dark shadow to her eyelids. Even though she didn’t like the feel of the makeup, she had to admit that it gave her a somewhat exotic look that she normally lacked. Claire returned to the other room and gathered her bag and her purse and stepped out into the hall. She looked down to open her purse and locate her car keys while she started to walk towards the stairway. Suddenly, the air left her body in a whoosh as she ran into a hard wall. Hands reached out to steady her as Claire looked up into Jason’s amused blue eyes.
“I believe this is your third mishap of the day, but who is counting, right?” laughed Jason. He continued to hold onto her arms as though he had suddenly forgotten what he was doing. Claire was frozen as she watched his intent gaze sweep from the top of her head to pause at her lips and then continue on to her br**sts. She pulled herself from his grip, her face starting to flame. He slowly, almost reluctantly, released her. “Is there some special-occasion today with your family? You seem really dressed up.” asked Jason.