Who: Chuck Bass and Kate Bishop When: December 10 Where: Victrola What: Job Interview Rating/Warnings: Low/None Status: Complete!
Victrola was somewhat functioning. It wasn’t ready to open just yet, but his staff was coming together. He had his burlesque dancers rehearsing and had hired a few bartenders and waiters. Today he was interviewing another bartender. Some girl named Kate Bishop. He had already seen her resume and it didn’t look like she had any bartending experience. However, one of his contacts had recommended her so Chuck decided to give her a shot. Or at least, an interview.
Chuck was seated at the bar waiting for her to come in. The bar was off to the side with a view of the door if he turned his head to look. The rest of the club was full of booths facing the stage. Since he would be conducting most of her interview at the bar it seemed like the appropriate place to wait.
Kate had been told that this place was swanky. She dressed to impress, and Kate was good at dressing to impress. Sexy but professional, hair up and makeup perfect. She poked her head into the club and glanced around, then bee-lined for the most put-together man in sight. Her bartending teacher told her all about what Chuck Bass looked like, and there was no mistaking the owner of the place.
“Mr. Bass?” Kate asked, stepping forward with confidence. The confidence she had to fabricate, but it was there. “I’m Kate Bishop, here for an interview?”
“Mr. Bass was my father,” or his uncle. Though it made him sick anytime someone called Jack ‘Mr. Bass.’ But then Jack just made him sick in general. “You can call me Chuck.” He was far too young to be called Mr. Bass, plus he didn’t ever want to sound like his father or Jack. So it was Chuck when being talked to and Chuck Bass when being talked about. Because really, who didn’t know the name Chuck Bass?
“Let’s get started,” Chuck said motioning for her to go ahead and get behind the bar. “Why don’t you start by making me an old fashioned?” He posed it as a question, but it wasn’t a request. “I notice you don’t have much experience,” he commented while she got to work. “Why do you want to go into bartending?”
Kate’s smile could light up a room when she wanted it to. And today was about impressing the man who would hopefully be her new boss. He looked to be around her age though it was hard to tell with the press of his suit. He could be quite a bit older with one of those young faces, or he could be a bit younger and the suit just made him look more mature. Businesslike. Kate was on the same page, though. She understood what it was like to have a young face.
“Chuck it is, then.” She said. Then she moved behind the bar, dusted her hands on her skirt, and took a moment to get herself situated. Every bar was a little different, the bottles and glasses all in a slightly different configuration. She’d gotten her training (something she never thought she’d use, but been dragged into because her Sorority sisters wanted to get formal bartender training in college) from a gentleman who now ran one of the most highly acclaimed bartending schools on the west coast, so an old fashioned? Child’s play.
She talked while she found glasses, bottles, ice, all the things she’d need for whatever drink he asked for. “My father cut me off.” Honesty was the best policy, right? “And this is something I’ve been trained to do. I figure it’d be a faster way to start working than trying to pick up a new skill.”
Considering he didn’t see any bartending experience on the girl’s resume Chuck figured he would start somewhat simple. Besides, the drink did get ordered quite frequently so she would have to know how to make a damned good one anyway. He watched carefully as she got to work preparing the drink.
“Fathers can be assholes.” Luckily his own had never been stupid enough to cut him off. No, Bart would rather thrown money at Chuck then actually talk to him. And now he was dead so he didn’t have to worry about that anymore. He just had to focus on getting the majority shares of Bass Industries back from Jack. But Kate was lucky that Chuck had somewhat of a soft spot (or at least as much of a soft spot as it got for Chuck) for people with daddy issues. “Teaching archery wasn’t cutting it for you anymore?”
“Archery and Fencing are passions, not big money makers. I was a national champion in both sports in college, and so it made sense to move into that field. Sort of. It doesn’t pay that well, but it’s a lot of fun.” She finished mixing the drink and set it on a coaster on the bar. “I do self-defense lessons, too, on the side. But that’s pro bono work.”
Chuck didn’t care much about archery or fencing or self-defense lessons. All three of those things were of little interest to him. Actually, they were of no interest to him. “Not the most lucrative line of business.” Chuck was all about making money. He picked up the drink she had just made taking a sip. It was decent enough. “Now a martini,” he instructed. Another that was a fairly common order.
Another fairly easy drink to make if a girl knew what she was doing. And this girl totally knew what she was doing. “No, definitely not,” she agreed, moving around to find a chilled glass, a shaker, ice, and the bottles she’d need to make the drink. With grace and poise, she mixed the martini and put it on a cocktail napkin on the bar. “Which is why I’m here.”
“Well we’ll see if you stay,” Chuck commented picking up the drink to taste. Again it tasted decent enough. He had her make a few more drinks that all met his standards. He still wasn’t sure about her, though. Her lack of experience was troubling. He would need some time to think about this one. “Thanks for your time. I’ll get back to you in a few days Ms. Bishop.”