"Thank you for coming to Elite Treats and we hope to see you again soon," Lizbet Tennyson smiled as she handed the 20-something woman her package. So far, working at Elite had been just the tonic she had needed after her marriage ended. Everyone who came into the story always seemed to be in a good mood, dressed nicely. As a matter of fact, most of Elite's clientele were dressed sexy and if they weren't when they came in, they would be by the end of the day or the next time. Each and every times of apparel Elite sold was of the highest quality.
Elite Treats was the newest, upscale lingerie store in Pine Ridge. A close friend of Lizbet's was a regular there and when she saw her best friend moping around the house, she decided that she had to do something about it.
"Jim's gone Liz, good riddance to bad rubbish," Amber told Lizbet. "He was a philandering, two-timing louse and your lawyer will make mincemeat out of him. Meanwhile, you're only 32; you're smart and very attractive. You need to get yourself out of the house. Elite Treats needs someone to work about 20 hours a week. I have set up an interview for you with the owner. Her name is Terry Nova; she's 28 and very nice. I'm warning you Liz, if you don't show up, I'm coming over here myself and dragging you there," She insisted.
Lizbet sighed, she knew better than to argue with her neighbor when the younger woman got into that kind of mood. Besides, Amber was right, she had to get out, maybe meet some new people, even start dating again. It was simple when you were a swimwear model like Amber, but a newly-divorced mother with a 4-year old wasn't exactly reeling them in.
Lizbet went upstairs and picked out something nice to wear, professional looking with a skirt that came to just below the knee and high heels. She brushed her dark red hair until it was all straightened out and went to her interview, deciding to project the kind of confidence the old Lizbet had had before wasting 7 years of her life in a rotten marriage.
She liked Terry Nova right away, the half-Asian woman showed Lizbet around the shop and they chatted amiably. She asked Terry when they were having the interview and Terry laughed merrily.
"We've been having it; I like my staff and customers to feel like family, so we're very informal. You have the job, but there is one thing. I like my girls to dress with a bit more --
flash
. You're gorgeous, but please wear much shorter skirts and tops that cling a bit more or are lower cut. A bit more make-up and maybe have some blonde streaks put in your hair. Vamp it up, we go for the classy-trashy look here, the women eat it up!" Terry told Lizbet.
Amber was thrilled for Lizbet and told her to take the advice to heart. "Every girl in the place is gorgeous, did you notice Terry? She's hot and so are the staff, which now includes you. Flaunt it a little and you'll make a lot of cash, you'll see. Terry can be very generous and often pays her staff extra if they go beyond their sales quota."
Lizbet had never been the type to flaunt it, whatever "it" was, so obviously, that needed to change. She went into the back of her closet and dug out short skirts that she had worn while still in her 20's, sexy blouses and several pairs of heels, a number of them stilettos from her clubbing days. She took Terry's advice about her hair and had that done. When she went to work on Monday, she made an indelible impression. Terry even wolf-whistled at her.
"
That
is exactly the look I wanted from you!" Terry said as she clapped her hands and whooped and carried on. Lizbet felt a bit self-conscious but Terry wasn't having it.
"You go girl, look at you!" Her new employer cheered. "You're going to attract
all
the hotties."
Lizbet didn't know what Terry meant by that, but she brushed it aside. The rest of the staff were very welcoming and her training was very thorough. She learned how to approach and customer and when not to. She was shown different styles and colors and regular customers were pointed out. Terry even had a little chart she kept for her most frequent customers that had their likes and dislikes on it. No wonder her new employer was so successful, she was very meticulous and so accommodating. Terry arranged her schedule around Jeannie's schooling as well as her scheduled visits with her father. This left Lizbet with a very flexible schedule and she worked when she could. Within a month, she was making a nice, steady income. Amber had been right; her extra pay was becoming quite substantial.
"Are you having fun, working there?" Amber asked her one sunny afternoon while they were having coffee.
"Yes, I suppose. Terry's nice, the girls are great, the customers are friendly," Lizbet told her friend.
Amber sighed. "No, that's not what I meant. I meant -- are you having
fun?
"
Lizbet still wasn't getting it and Amber kept staring at her with an odd expression. The blonde model looked at her newly-sexy friend and then realized -- she didn't
know!
"Oh damn baby, you had
no idea!
" Amber said, getting a fit of the giggles. "I just thought everyone knew so I didn't think to tell you," Amber was almost crying, she was giggling so hard.
Composing herself, Amber continued. "It's just that -- well, it's common knowledge," She began laughing again. Their waitress came over to see if everything was okay and Amber waved her away. Lizbet wondered if Amber had just lost it.
"Sweetie, almost all of Terry's clients are lesbians," Amber told her. "They come there to check out the pretty salesgirls, some to hook up with other girls, that's why she's such a success. It's an `open' secret," Amber smiled.
"Buh-but they're all so pretty and feminine," Lizbet sputtered.
"They're referred to as
Lipstick Lesbians
, girls who like dressing in a feminine style and in sexy things, but just happen to be into other girls," Amber explained. "Terry's been out since she was 14."
"You're putting me on," Lizbet protested. She looked at Amber and saw that she was serious and then she realized something. "You sent me there! Are you a ...?"
Amber nodded. "Yes. I've been out since I was 18; I've never been interested in men -- in that way. In my business, I meet stunning women and I can have my pick. At first, I thought you might be one -- whenever I'd come over for coffee, you'd check out what I was wearing -- or wasn't wearing," Amber chuckled.
"That's perfectly normal, all girls do that," Lizbet told her. "It's hard to ignore you; you are an in-your-face girl."
"Believe me, it's not just faces that I'm into," Amber giggled again. "Sweetie, I hate to point this out, but your looks lingered a little longer than most," Amber smiled. "Look babe, I'm not trying to push you into anything and neither will Terry or any of her girls. Just continue to be as pretty as you are, as friendly as you are and do your job and you'll be fine."
Lizbet nodded and then she blushed deep red. Amber picked up on it. "What?" She asked Lizbet.
"Yesterday, one of our regulars asked me if I'd like to have lunch with her sometime," Lizbet blushed again. "You think she meant ...?"
"What does she look like?"
"She's about 19 or 20, tall, black, hair down to her butt, high cheekbones," Lizbet answered.
"Oooh, that's Kory Sellars, I know her," Amber laughed, clapping her hands. "You're attracting the young hotties, good for you. See -- you do notice women, you described her clearly enough that I knew who you were talking about."
"You're being ridiculous, I'm not a -- a
lesbian
," Lizbet whispered. "Terry pays me well and she taught me to notice these kinds of things, so I can help the customers make good choices," She told Amber.
