" John said, looking her straight in the eyes, "We can WORK it out." John said, looking her straight in the eyes, "We can WORK it out. How much do you need?" Linda didn't like the tone of his voice, but replied in a whis- pered, low throaty, deep voice "Eight Hundred and Fifty Bucks --- I know it's a lot, but the damn bank repo'ed my Firebird last night --- the bastards hot wired it and drove it away in the middle of the night --- I had to take a cab to work this after- noon." "That's a helluva a lot of money, Linda!" John said after whis- tling lowly and, again, smiling at her. "But, OK --- I'll do it and you can work it off. When you get through, we'll discuss it --- AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS --- YOU'RE UP! Hustle it, girl!!!!" "THANKS, BOSS!" Linda exclaimed as she came around the end of the bar and mounted the stairs to the raised dancing stage in the middle of the U-Shaped Bar. "Don't thank me, babe --- you got to pay it back --- one way or the other!" she heard him say as she hit the raised platform with her bare feet, some eight steps above the sunken bar's floor. The music started and Linda swung into action, glancing into the mirror toward the other end of the bar. "SHIT!" she thought --- "He's gone!" The chair where the bearded blue eyed stranger had been seated was now empty. She glanced quickly and searchingly around the room, but he was no where in sight. She looked back at the empty place at the bar and saw that there were no drinks, cigarettes or bar napkins sitting there and knew he had left while she was "recovering" in the back dressing room. She finished her three songs and wandered through the semi-filled bar, from table to table, talking to some of the customers she knew. The rest of the shift went pretty fast as she sat with one customer after another sipping their "gifts" to her, slowly, so she wouldn't get plastered to the gills before dinner. She danced three more sets before seven o'clock rolled around and the music and dancers ceased. |