Coworkers: Part 39 - Cuffs And Glitter

     I never thought The Boss would hire her. She was a very pretty girl. The store crew was overloaded with females, and The Boss had an internal balance scale. He was overdue to hire more guys. Two or three more.
     She listened to Country, however, which was a big deal. The playstack featured Cash, lang, Strait, Yoakam. Individual employees had select favorites, but nobody knew Roy Acuff from Ernest Tubb from Don Williams. I marked COUNTRY on her application and high-lit my note in yellow. Placed hers on the top of the application stack so The Boss would see it tomorrow. She was watching and I told her what I had done. She gave me a movie star smile, and said thanks.
     Sissy knew Country, chart hits and oldies. She only needed part time work. Her other job was with the city District Attorney. She carried handcuffs. That was going to cause trouble. Four or five store colleagues would find that accessory unbelievably sexy.
     The Boss would never hire her.
     Sissy started a week later.

     She worked evenings, had soft brown hair, was tanned, toned, and curvy. Her purse, banging heavy on the table, would have triggered metal detectors. Staff members fluttered around her, but Sissy wasn't an easy damsel.
     Business picked up steadily in Country. Men flocked to the section. She was knowledgeable and helpful. The store had no policy about lunch breaks with customers. Neither did Sissy. She was busy, organized and discriminating. Retail wage earning coworkers rarely shared that lunch date or after hours drink with her. Law enforcement types, lawyers, businessmen, suits with Stetsons packed her dance card.
     In a way, Sissy became invisible. She didn't interact with coworkers, never went to parties, never lingered for in-store conversation. Dating, friends, adventures, none of that interested her. None of us even knew what she did at the DA.
     When she requested her hours be trimmed to Friday and Saturday evenings, we wondered how the DA would react. Working part time at Sound Warehouse was one thing, working part time at Sinbad's (a strip club) was another.
     Sissy worked the store floor till eleven, then changed in the back. Teased hair, low cut blouse, push up bra. Heavy makeup. Glitter dusted across her face, splashed down her cleavage. Cuffs hanging from her belt, bouncing off her backside. Sashayed to that gentleman's palace, where she was billed as Sassy Ryder.
     That lasted about three weekends. By then, Sissy must have decided the record store gig was no longer useful or worth the effort. Gave notice so she could dance, excuse me, hostess five nights a week. The money was extraordinary, beyond what she earned as retail buckle bunny.
     Came in for her final paycheck a week later. No one spoke with her. I was in the Manager's Box, working on a massive PolyGram order. I gave her a little wave. Sissy tossed her head back, and threw me a huge smile. She took my breath away. Strange moment.

     Down the line, there were isolated updates.
     Sissy lost her position with District Attorney.
     After that, things went downhill.

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