Joe and Len week 5/5
We're still ironing the kinks into the second half of this night. It should be done in a week or two, hopefully. Worksafe here.
Friday
It was a pretty good Friday night, best they'd had in a while. The bar was packed and smoke-hazed, the juke box cycling through Johnny's Cash's greatest hits, and register hadn't stopped ringing, which was the sweetest music as far as Marie was concerned. The kids, however, weren't keeping up at all. In the short while she'd been in the bar, Brianna'd spilled some beer in a customer's lap and had had to use double-strength flirting to placate him, and Jeff had broken a pint glass. Now Bri was sweeping it up with a little straw hand broom, and he was staring at her ass instead of watching the full bottle of Jack in his hand. Clearly, no glassware was safe around him.
"Where the hell is Joe?" Marie shouted over a burst of laughter from the end of the bar.
"Probably in the bathroom again, entertaining," Jeff answered, then jumped. "Oh, damn, Marie, that's you! I meant…"
"Is he really? Well, I've had just about enough of that," she said, pushing past the pool-watching crowd into the hallway. "I don't care what he does at home, but he's ain't doin' that on the clock."
"Wait, wait, it's not that!" Jeff called after her. "This time, it's-"
"Back to work!" she snapped, and knocked hard on the bathroom door. "Joe, you in there?"
Joe's voice grunted, gasped, swore, and said shakily:
"Yeah, um, be right out! Gimme a sec..."
She kept pounding on the door till the latch clicked open, and then she barged right in, shoving Joe out of the way, drawing air into her lungs for a good yell.
There was another guy in there all right. Well-dressed, pretty-faced, tall, a really fine piece of ass even by Joe's standards. He zipped up his fancy black slacks, adjusted his glasses and smiled at her politely. At least Joe had the decency to look mortified.
"Marie," Joe said, flustered but still managing to turn on the charm, "We've only been in here five minutes, I swear, and look, no mess-"
"Joe," she began, slowly building up the volume, "Do I pay you to tend bar or do I pay you to slut around on my premises while your colleagues bust their asses trying to cover for you? Do you want this job or don't you?"
Joe opened his fool mouth, but the guy stepped around him and cleared his throat before Joe could say anything: "Please madam, I'm sure there is no need to…"
"You!” She interrupted, pointing viciously. ”Shut that pretty mouth and stay right there. I'll deal with you in a minute."
"But," he said sweetly. "I'm the one responsible, and I don't want Joe get in trouble because of me."
She squinted at his designer glasses, expensive tie and smooth hands. ”Look, knight in shining suit," she said, getting so close he leaned back into Joe. "If you care so much, you should've thought how Joe will come up with rent next month if he gets fired for this. Bet you wouldn't be doing him at your office between the conference and board meeting, would you?"
"Oh," the guy winced and turned to Joe, catching his hand. "I wasn't thinking - "
“Hey,” Joe said, white-knuckled, “don't.” There was something in his eyes that made even Marie's breath quicken, though that really wasn't for her.
"Right," she said before they could start making out again. "You are - you're suspended."
"Huh?"
"You're out of here for tonight, and your day's pay is docked. Go get a room already."
She stomped back into the bar while Joe was still gaping at her, shooing Jeff and Bri back to work with a glare. Joe followed, dragging his guy by the hand, waved to Jeff, grinned at her gratefully and ran for the exit.
"And not in the alley either!” she yelled after them. “I'll check! Jeffrey, wipe that smile off your face. You're cleaning the bathroom later."
Friday
It was a pretty good Friday night, best they'd had in a while. The bar was packed and smoke-hazed, the juke box cycling through Johnny's Cash's greatest hits, and register hadn't stopped ringing, which was the sweetest music as far as Marie was concerned. The kids, however, weren't keeping up at all. In the short while she'd been in the bar, Brianna'd spilled some beer in a customer's lap and had had to use double-strength flirting to placate him, and Jeff had broken a pint glass. Now Bri was sweeping it up with a little straw hand broom, and he was staring at her ass instead of watching the full bottle of Jack in his hand. Clearly, no glassware was safe around him.
"Where the hell is Joe?" Marie shouted over a burst of laughter from the end of the bar.
"Probably in the bathroom again, entertaining," Jeff answered, then jumped. "Oh, damn, Marie, that's you! I meant…"
"Is he really? Well, I've had just about enough of that," she said, pushing past the pool-watching crowd into the hallway. "I don't care what he does at home, but he's ain't doin' that on the clock."
"Wait, wait, it's not that!" Jeff called after her. "This time, it's-"
"Back to work!" she snapped, and knocked hard on the bathroom door. "Joe, you in there?"
Joe's voice grunted, gasped, swore, and said shakily:
"Yeah, um, be right out! Gimme a sec..."
She kept pounding on the door till the latch clicked open, and then she barged right in, shoving Joe out of the way, drawing air into her lungs for a good yell.
There was another guy in there all right. Well-dressed, pretty-faced, tall, a really fine piece of ass even by Joe's standards. He zipped up his fancy black slacks, adjusted his glasses and smiled at her politely. At least Joe had the decency to look mortified.
"Marie," Joe said, flustered but still managing to turn on the charm, "We've only been in here five minutes, I swear, and look, no mess-"
"Joe," she began, slowly building up the volume, "Do I pay you to tend bar or do I pay you to slut around on my premises while your colleagues bust their asses trying to cover for you? Do you want this job or don't you?"
Joe opened his fool mouth, but the guy stepped around him and cleared his throat before Joe could say anything: "Please madam, I'm sure there is no need to…"
"You!” She interrupted, pointing viciously. ”Shut that pretty mouth and stay right there. I'll deal with you in a minute."
"But," he said sweetly. "I'm the one responsible, and I don't want Joe get in trouble because of me."
She squinted at his designer glasses, expensive tie and smooth hands. ”Look, knight in shining suit," she said, getting so close he leaned back into Joe. "If you care so much, you should've thought how Joe will come up with rent next month if he gets fired for this. Bet you wouldn't be doing him at your office between the conference and board meeting, would you?"
"Oh," the guy winced and turned to Joe, catching his hand. "I wasn't thinking - "
“Hey,” Joe said, white-knuckled, “don't.” There was something in his eyes that made even Marie's breath quicken, though that really wasn't for her.
"Right," she said before they could start making out again. "You are - you're suspended."
"Huh?"
"You're out of here for tonight, and your day's pay is docked. Go get a room already."
She stomped back into the bar while Joe was still gaping at her, shooing Jeff and Bri back to work with a glare. Joe followed, dragging his guy by the hand, waved to Jeff, grinned at her gratefully and ran for the exit.
"And not in the alley either!” she yelled after them. “I'll check! Jeffrey, wipe that smile off your face. You're cleaning the bathroom later."