My throat tightens to a pinhole. “I’m not a prostitute.”
His genuine confusion comes as a relief at first. Relief that soon turns to horror as Stefan’s expression shows I’ve got the wrong end of the stick.
Then his brow clears as he repeats under his breath, “Work the tables. Got you.” In a louder voice, he says, “Not what I meant at all. We’ll need you to sign a confidentiality clause as part of your employment agreement, but since Zach’s vouching for you—”
He waits until Zach tilts his head forward.
“—I should be fine to explain. Most of these men are private customers who enjoy betting above the limits of our public casinos. We cater to that and provide an elevated atmosphere in which to enjoy their pastimes. Some tables are serious gamblers, some are here for a nice evening, and we’ll instruct you on the different ways to handle both.”
A woman on the nearest monitor to me, draped across a man to the point she’s practically sitting in his lap, taps her forehead with two fingers and Stefan presses a button on the console.
“We like to give our customers privacy but also need to record a few conversations. When they’re asking for us to extend credit, for example.”
The same woman taps again a minute later, and he ends the recording. “Someone always monitors the floor from inside this control room and there are multiple guards stationed in the physical gaming space. If anyone does anything inappropriate, they’ll assist you. Most of the time, they’ll intervene before anything happens, but you can also signal them.”
The idea of such extensive security measures would only reassure me if they weren’t necessary. “Does that kind of thing happen often?”
“No. This is foremost a gambling establishment.” He waves at the screens. “The women you see on the floor are primarily there as participants, not our employees. They’re wealthy enough that they won’t accept poor behaviour, so their presence here tells you we’re not that kind of club.”
“And this is all legitimate?”
“We’re licenced for everything that happens here,” Stefan replies and I’m not sure that’s the same thing, but I nod.
This meeting feels more like I’m interviewing him than he is me, and it’s unsettling. I’ve been on the job market long enough to know my value there is close to zero. Why does he care enough to reassure me?
“We employ attractive men and women on the floor because it’s what our clientele expects,” Stefan says, as though he’s reading my mind. “I also need trustworthy employees, and they’re harder to come by than you think. Zach vouching for you means I don’t need to employ someone to keep eyes on you while you adjust.”
“But I’m young and never worked someplace like this before,” I argue, and in the back of my mind a horrified version of me wonders what the hell I’m doing. Trying to be unemployable?
His casual shrug tells me it doesn’t matter. “That just means we don’t need to break you of any bad habits.”
“Why is she hanging over him like that?” My voice is so constricted it comes out in an embarrassing squeak.
Stefan’s eyes don’t even flick towards the screen. He knows what I’m talking about. “Because she wants to. Ella has worked here for the past three years, and she knows how to maximise tips, but we pay a high enough salary that she doesn’t have to. Neither will you. Your contract will spell out everything I expect from you. Anything else is your choice.”
“Why do I have to be good at maths?”
“Because people cheat. They’ll say a bet and only put half the chips on the table. I need someone who can easily tell the difference.”
“And if I can’t?”
He cracks a smile and from the looks of it, that doesn’t happen often. “Then they’ll get away with murder and tell all their friends.”
“And I’ll get fired.”
Another smile. “From this job you’re quite determined to talk yourself out of.”
Zach laughs softly against my hair, but I don’t feel like they’re making fun of me. Gentle teasing at best.
A knock on the door raises a frown and Stefan nods to Zach to open it. Half of the guard duet stands there, appearing perturbed. “There’s a lady at the door for you. Elaine McClure.”
My heart bounds upwards and lodges in my mouth.Robbie’s mother? She’s here?
I want to turn and run, but there’s nowhere to go. The guard blocks the only exit.
Stefan sighs and catches Zach’s gaze. “Do you want to go or should I?”
“She’s asking for—”
