Chapter 29

"... so when you're working the counter," Jake continued, "you just have to watch for shoplifters, ring customers up and keep an eye on people coming in and out the door. We get a few of the underage crowd trying to get in from time to time and the best policy is to ask them for ID. If they're under 18, kick them out. We've had a few clerks busted for sales to under 18 and the boss will fire you on the spot for it."

Staci nodded and tried to appear interested in what Jake was telling her. She supposed that he was reasonably attractive in a gothic kind of way. Jake was only about an inch or so taller than herself, muscular with out being huge and bald. Staci had decided that he wasn't her type the moment he turned and she saw the edge of the tattoo across his chest where his shirt was currently unbuttoned. The fact that he had a nasally voice wasn't helping the situation. Staci fidgeted slightly as she tried to tune him back in.

"Now these cameras help us to monitor the situation in the viewing booths. While you're up here, just keep an eye on the people going back there. Usually they just go back one at a time, but later at night we get them going in groups of two or three. C'mon and I'll show you where they go."

Staci shrugged and followed Jake around the counter and through the short dark hallway that she'd seen Charlie - the nervous one who'd taken her application - in the previous day.

"The door to your right is a janitorial closet. We keep the mop and cleaning supplies in there. Now down here you'll find the viewing booths." Jake paused in front of a small case mounted on the wall. Through the glass front Staci could see several videotape boxes on display. "These are the movies we're showing this week in the booths. The key to open the case is in the register and if you're working on a Monday morning, Mr. Horvath will leave you a stack of boxes to replace the ones in it," Jake explained, "Theoretically, the booths are for previewing a movie before they buy or rent it. The numbers underneath are for the channel the movie is showing on. One person is allowed in the booth at any given time." Jake turned to the right and beckoned for Staci to follow him. He paused in front of an empty booth. The door on the booth stopped about a foot from the floor. "We have sixteen preview booths. They all run on dollar bills. As you can see from the light above the door this one is empty. When someone is in there, you can either see their feet underneath or if a movie is playing, the red light is on. Most of the time the guys will be here to help you patrol this area to make sure that no funny stuff is going on. If someone is back here, but not in a booth, we tend to start asking questions, especially if there are empty booths available."

Jake opened the door of the small square room. Inside, Staci could see two televisions mounted on top of one another on the far wall. Underneath and slightly to the right of the lower television screen was a bill acceptor, similar to what one might find on a soda machine. To the right of the door was a small, cheap, hard plastic chair next to an ashcan. Mounted on the wall next to the chair was a metal tissue holder with a box of tissues in it. Staci blushed in the dark when she realized what the tissues and ashcan were for.

"If you were to ever find more than one person in a booth at any time, come and get whomever you're working with and then confront them. Generally, they'll give you some line of shit about how one was just in there and suddenly the other opened the door and came in. Don't buy it. Just toss them both out. If they get really difficult, we threaten to call the cops and that usually shuts them up."

"Have you ever actually had to call the cops for something like that?" asked Staci.

"Nah, we usually just make the threat and allow them to go off together. We get a lot of guys here cruising for a piece of ass and sometimes they just can't help but test out the merchandise before taking it home," Jake replied matter-of-factly.

"So that's the booths. The tapes themselves are run off machines behind the janitor's closet. Since they run twenty-four seven, sometimes the tapes themselves go bad and the reception is crummy in the booths. In that case we sometime shut off the feed on that VCR, run the head cleaner, and slap the tape back in. If that doesn't help, we check out the movie itself and try and see if it's bad. We have a separate VCR/TV just for that purpose. If the tape is bad, we try to find another copy here in the store and the bad one goes into a bin. Eventually when the bin is full we sort them out and write them off." Jake had kept talking while he led Staci back to the front of the store.

"So do you have any questions?"

Staci shrugged, "I don't think so, but something might come up."

"I know what you mean. For now, why don't you wander around a bit, kind of get familiar with the store's layout, straighten the things on the shelves and get used to having time to kill. We probably won't get busy for at least another hour or so."

Staci nodded, "Mr. Horvath said there was some paperwork and a video I had to watch, is now a good time?"

"Shit, I forgot. Yeah, let me get that for you." A moment later, Jake reappeared with a video, pen, a plastic wrapped black polo style shirt and three forms. "Basically, this form is for your shirt showing that you got it. You look like you're about a medium, but if it's too small let me know and I'll give you a large. This second form is to be signed off after you watch the sexual harassment video, and this third one is a release to do a background check. Speaking of which, is there anything on you're application that you forgot to include or you need to make clear?"

"Like what?"

"Oh, any arrests, problems with the law, things like that. Most of them won't disqualify you from working here, but they like to know before they do the background check."

"Oh, no nothing like that," answered Staci with an embarrassed grin.

"Cool. So follow me and I'll show you where you can watch the video."

Jake led her back to the janitorial closet and opened the door. To the right of the large industrial sink was another small door leading into a small closet and flipped a switch. Jake stepped back to allow Staci in and then followed her into the long narrow corridor.

On the left side of the closet were several VCRs stacked on shelves. All of them were currently running and had numbers in white paint on the front of their consoles under the eject buttons. On the right was a short counter with a combination TV/VCR model on it and a small chair.

"Go ahead and have a seat," said Jake as he turned on the TV and slid the tape into it. "The video is about forty five minutes long, so this could take a while. I'll leave the door open from here to the janitor's closet or it will probably get too stuffy for you. If you need a break, the pause button right here." With that, Jake left and Staci turned her attention to the video.

Jill flopped onto the new couch in the locker room area of the club as she came off the stairs from her last routine. She didn't bother getting dressed yet as she wouldn't be missed for several minutes on the floor. Not that she was getting solicited for many dances with the lack of clientele that was here this afternoon. Jill sighed and slouched a little lower on the couch. She hated working weekday afternoons, but her boss had asked her to come in and work three to ten because one of the other girls had suddenly had to go home.

Jill was also wondering about her roommate's new job. Staci had only told her that she'd gotten the job last week, but nothing about which bookstore and where it was. All in all, Staci was being very secretive about the job, which worried Jill a great deal. Jill closed her eyes and tried to imagine just where Staci might be working that she could possibly be embarrassed about, but the image turned to one of her roommate on her knees in front of Jill with her face between the brunette's thighs.

Jill giggled at the thought and then briefly entertained the thought of trying to seduce both Denise and Jack, since Staci would be working late again tonight and Jack was bringing Denise over to watch movies when Jill got off work. "Hmmm... , " she thought, "seduce them both, tie Denise to a chair, Jack to the bed and then make her watch while I have my way with him."

Jill shook her head violently and opened her eyes. She was just horny and Staci had been too distracted last night to be much good. Jill sighed. She'd just gotten done with her period and she was always horny during that time of the month. Now that she was done, Staci had been too distracted with her new job and their schedules were complete opposites with Staci seeming to work every night that Jill was off. In fact Staci had been at work the three days Jill had been off this week, and would be working again tonight until 1 am.

Jill sighed again and reached down into her pile of clothes for her magenta thong.

"Oh you're not gonna cover up already," came a teasing voice, "you look good enough to eat right now."

Jill's head snapped up to make eye contact with Marie, who was changing at her locker. Jill gave the older woman a smirk and deliberately spread her legs as she grabbed her bra off the floor instead of the thong. Straightening up, Jill slowly put the front closure bra on while keeping her legs spread.

Marie laughed and turned away. Jill grinned in spite of herself and pulled on her panties. With grunt she pulled herself off the couch and wandered over to the bench by her locker.

"Something wrong dearie," asked Marie as she adjusted her apple sized breasts in her sheer black bra.

"Yeah, I'm horny as hell and I'm not getting anything for it any time soon," groused Jill as she pulled on her sheer white blouse.

"Hmm... that so... So how late you working tonight?"

"'Til nine. I was supposed to be off all day, but Lauren had some emergency and couldn't make it."

"Yeah, I'll bet it was some emergency. Probably had to go suck off her coke dealer boyfriend and get her weekly fix," replied Marie sourly.

"Well, as long as she's not doing it in here," agreed Jill, "that girl is bad news."

"So what are you doing after work since you're getting out of here so early," pressed Marie as she began searching for shoes in her bag.

"Meeting a couple friends at my place for popcorn and movies. Pretty boring I guess."

"Probably not going to do much for your libido either, is it?"

Jill laughed, "No not likely unless I decide to seduce them both."

Marie shrugged. "Not that it's any of my business, but if you want, I'm getting out of here around ten and I'm sure my husband would love to help you with your problem. He's always threatening to trade me in for two twenty-year olds anyway."

Jill grinned, "Maybe some other time. How old is he anyway?"

"My age, thirty-five."

"Ahh... then I doubt he could keep up with me. Being so old and all," Jill teased.