| Chapter 3: You’re Hired One week later Laura and Lauralee looked through a ton of resumes sitting on a folding table they had out in the middle of the dance floor. The search was on, much thanks to Howie’s club contacts, and an ad in the newspapers. They had to have someone with experience managing a club, plus someone who just didn’t want to be part of the “Elegance Empire.” They had about 10 interviews that morning alone, none of them went well, just people staring wide-eyed at them as if they were goddesses. “What about this one?” Laura picked one out of the pile of interviewed people. “He seems good.” “But look at his experience,” Lauralee grabbed the resume from her hand. She had been extremely cross since her phone call with her mother, and this was no exception. “He was a bartender for Christ sakes. He probably just wants some tail, like all men do.” “Whoa Lau, is there something wrong?” Laura patted Lauralee’s hand. “Did you have a fight with Alex?” “No,” Lauralee closed her eyes real tight. “Just a bad week.” “Come on, there’s got to be someone good out of this pile,” Laura sifted through the papers. “Excuse me, am I late?” Laura and Lauralee looked up and saw a woman standing there. She was about 5’4”, in her mid-twenties, long auburn hair, and hazel eyes, wearing a white short sleeved dress shirt, and black pants. “No, not at all,” Lauralee stood up and shook her hand. “I’m Lauralee, and this is Laura.” Laura stood up and shook the woman’s hand. “I’m Celia, Celia Graveri. It’s nice to meet you.” Celia had a strong handshake as Laura offered her a seat and got her resume out of the pile. “So, Celia, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?” Lauralee started as she looked over her resume. “Well,” Celia cleared her throat. “I’m originally from Miami, where my father runs a bar on South Beach. It was a family business, and we all took a part in it. I was responsible for all of the back stuff: inventory, spreadsheets, and payroll, that sort of thing. I went to Miami State on a scholarship, and worked nights at my father’s business. I graduated and worked full-time when my father retired, then I decided to move to Orlando while my brother took over the business.” Lauralee looked over her resume again. “Majored in business and finance,” Lauralee nodded. “Quite a haul, and a 4.0 GPA.” Celia smiled. “I handled it as best as I could.” “OK, it looks like you have experience managing a bar,” Laura folded her hands together. “But you have to understand that this isn’t a bar. Not only is this a nightclub, but since, well, of who we are, you have to handle more than just the business end.” “I know what you mean by that,” Celia smiled again. “Look, I know that this will be a lot different than managing a bar in Miami. But I’m always up for a challenge, and I know that this club will get a lot more press than others will, because of your status. I’m honest, hardworking, and I’m not the type of person who screws people around. I’m very forthright about how I handle things, and if people don’t like it, they can kiss my behind. But I also know how things are ranked, and I will do whatever is necessary to keep Club Passaro to the standard you want it to be.” Lauralee leaned back. She automatically liked this woman. Just the type of person who would be able to handle things, and was not starstruck or afraid of who they were. “OK, Celia. We’ll call you within the next few days with our decision.” “Great,” Celia stood up and shook their hands as she left the club. “Well? What do you think of her?” Lauralee asked. “I like her. Just the type of person to get this club off the ground.” Laura smiled. “That girl’s got balls.” “We’ll have to do a background check, but it looks like she’s our woman,” Lauralee took the pile of already interviewed resumes and threw them in the trash. Chapter 4 Contents Chapter 2 |