“Wait till you see this,” he said.
They went through another door and down some steps. After they had walked down a corridor, Colten pushed a door open, and then they were in paradise. Avaline was sure they were now underground. What she saw was a vast cavern with a domed roof and a serpent-shaped swimming pool. She gasped. At the side of the pool were two Jacuzzis and more palm trees, only these were bigger than those in the restaurant. When she looked more closely, she saw they were artificial. She assumed that because there was no real daylight, real ones wouldn't survive there.
“I'll tell you what we're going to do this evening. We're going to have a bottle or two of champagne, have some of Tony's best seafood, and come down here and relax.”
“But I haven't got any swimwear with me,” she said.
“Don't worry about that; we don't need clothes.”
“Er...excuse me? I'm not cavorting around here in the nude.”
He laughed. “Then you're the first prudish PA I've ever had. Most of them were only too pleased to get their clothes off. Especially when they saw what my friends looked like.”
“Well, I...” Avaline was caught. She didn't want to appear prudish, but surely this was beyond the call of duty. It was also quite unprofessional. She'd gone to CL Real Estate to start a career, not prance around like a two-bit hooker. “Sorry, Colten, but I'd rather not be naked.”
“Okay. How long will it take you to choose a bikini?”
“Er...a few minutes.”
“Great. Then the chauffeur will take you downtown. You get a bikini and be back here by six thirty. Okay? Here's two hundred dollars.”
Avaline was beginning to feel like a kept woman. She wasn't used to this level of attention, and it was a little overwhelming. She also didn't much fancy being in a bikini for all of Colten's friends to gawp at. But she needed the job, and she'd already pissed Colten off by arriving late for work. The last thing she wanted was to have to join Penny on the set of some B porn movie.
When the chauffeur, whose name she discovered was Robert, dropped her off outside Raylene's Swim and Casuals, Avaline immediately saw a beautiful bikini in the display window.
Raylene was about five foot nine and as butch as any woman Avaline had ever seen. “Yes, we've got that in your size. It's great quality. Look.”
“Yes,” Avaline said, looking at the multicolored material.
“Do you want to try it on?”
Avaline had heard a lot of stories about the dangers of trying swimwear on. Most of it had been tried on before by an average of five women. “Has anyone tried it on before?”
“No. It's fresh out of the cellophane. You don't have to worry.”
Avaline stood in front of the mirror and admired herself. Even the harsh fluorescent lights didn't show a single blemish on her skin. The bikini fit nicely. She took off the top but quickly pulled it over her breasts again when Raylene popped her head through the curtain. “Everything okay? Oh yes. I like those bottoms. Haven't got the top on yet. Shall I help you?”
Avaline declined and waited until Raylene had gone. Should she report her? How many women had she ogled, felt up, or raped in the changing room? she wondered She got dressed quickly and went to pay. Raylene gave her a wide smile. “Here's a voucher for twenty-five dollars. We've got an open evening next week. Come along and see if you can find anything you like. We've got more than swimwear, as you can see. Raylene pointed to an array of other leisure wear. “That will be ninety-nine dollars.”
Avaline paid and left the shop. Robert was waiting for her on the other side of the street. Unfortunately, she didn't make it that far.
*****
“More champagne please, Tony,” Colten said. He was sitting at the bar with his best friends, Sylvester and Chris. Both were self-made real estate dealers, but not quite as rich as Colten.
“I'm getting too old for this, Colten,” Sylvester said. “My body won't take it anymore.”
“Crap. You're not even forty yet,” Colten said.
“Thirty-nine and counting. You're only thirty-three, remember. Maybe you can drink champagne and get laid every evening, but I tell you, I'm beginning to feel my age.”
“Jesus, you're not going soft on us, are you? This place will be full of LA's most beautiful women in a couple of hours. Just think of that.”
“He's got a girlfriend,” Chris revealed.
“You what?” Colten asked. “You've got a steady girl? So it's not your old body letting you down. Some broad has got her thumb on you. Great,” Colten said despondently.
“It's time to settle down. I want a family. All this partying has been great, but it's time. You'll feel the same in a couple of years,” Sylvester said.