Heinlein, Robert A – Expanded Universe

the next show to see more of you.”

“You’ll see more,” she admitted and changed the subject. I gathered an

impression that she was proud of her figure and liked to be told she was beautiful

but was not entirely calloused about exhibiting it in public.

Estelle leaned across the bar to Jack. “Jackie Boy,” she said in sweetly

reasonable tones, “you held the lights too long again. It doesn’t matter to me in

that pose, but you had poor old Hazel trembling like a leaf before you doused the

glim.”

Jack set a three-minute egg timer, like a little hourglass on the bar.

“Three minutes it says-three minutes you did.”

“I don’t think it was more than three minutes,” Hazel objected. “I wasn’t

tired.”

“You were trembling, dear. I saw you. You mustn’t tire yourself-it makes

lines. Anyhow,” she added, “I’ll just keep this,” and she put the egg timer in her

purse. “We’ll time it ourselves.”

“It was three minutes,” Jack insisted.

“Never mind,” she answered. “From now on it’ll be three minutes, or mamma

will have to lock Jackie in the dark closet.”

Jack started to answer, thought better of it, then walked away to the other

end of the bar. Estelle

shrugged, then threw down the rest of her drink ~ left us. I saw her speak to Jack

again, then join so customers at one of the tables.

Hazel looked at her as she walked away. “I’d pad that chippie’s pants,” she

muttered, “if she wore an

“A bum beef?”

“Not exactly. Maybe Jack is a friend of yours- “Just an acquaintance.”

“Well . . . I’ve had worse bosses-but he is a bit ( jerk. Maybe he doesn’t

stretch the poses just out meanness-I’ve never timed him-but some of th poses are

too long for three minutes. Take Estel Aphrodite pose-you saw it?”

‘ ‘ I’Jo.’ ~

“She balances on the ball of one foot, no costum all, but with one leg

raised enough to furnish a fig li Jack’s got a blackout switch to cover her if she

bre~ but, just the same, it’s a strain.”

“To cover himself with the cops, you mean.”

“Well, yes. Jack wants us to make it just as stronl the vice squad will

stand for.”

“You ought not to be in a dive like this. You ough have a movie contract.”

She laughed without mirth. “Eddie, did you ever to get a movie contract?

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I’ve tried.”

“Just the same-oh, well! But why are you sorc Estelle? What you told me

doesn’t seem to cover i

“She- Skip it. She probably means well.”

“You mean she shouldn’t have dragged you into i

“Partly.”

“What else?”

“Oh, nothing-look, do you think I need any wrin remover?” I examined her

quite closely, until she tually blushed a little, then assured her that she not.

“Thanks,” she said. “Estelle evidently thinks She’s been advising me to take

care of myself lat and has been bringing me little presents of bea

preparations. I thank her for them and it appears to be sheer friendliness on her

part.. . but it makes me squirm.

I nodded and changed the subject. I did not want to talk about Estelle; I

wanted to talk about her-and me. I mentioned an agent I knew (my own) who could help

her and that got her really interested, if not in me, at least in what I was saying.

Presently she glanced at the clock back of the bar and squealed. “I’ve got

to peel for the customers. ‘Bye now!” It was five minutes to twelve. I shifted from

the end of the bar to the long side, just opposite Jack’s Magic Mirror controls. I

did not want that bright light of his interfering with me seeing Hazel.

It was just about twelve straight up when Jack came up from the rear of the

joint, elbowed his other barman out of the way, and took his place near the

controls. “Just about that time,” he said to me. “Has she rung the buzzer?”

“Not a buzz.”

“Okay, then.” He cleared dirty glasses off the top of the bar while we

waited, changed the platter on the turntable, and generally messed around. I kept my