‘Only four,’ said Jake, ‘we may as well see it through. I don’t think it’s been wasted, some of it has been funny, and I also see why we’re so busy. Men come in to see pretty women, not their old dinner ladies.’ He nudged Ashley in the ribs. He could see Tony wasn’t happy and was trying to make light of it.

‘Well, you can watch them; I’m going to the bathroom. Enough is enough, as far as I’m concerned.’ Tony got up and walked down the corridor to the bathroom. Once in there he washed his face with cold water and stretched his neck. What would have been most men’s fantasies, watching naked women all day, had been a nightmare for him and the others.

By the time he got back, Sharon was seeing the last of them out. He looked up at the monitors and saw the doorman locking the doors behind them.

Sharon came into the office. ‘Well, guys, these are my choices.’ She read off some numbers, accompanied by names, and waited for a response.

Ashley was the first to speak up. ‘Personally, I liked the black girl and her friend,’ he said. ‘The last two. Although I didn’t think her friend… what was her name again?’

‘Francesca,’ said Sharon. She looked down at her clipboard to make sure she had the right one.

‘Yes, well, that Francesca, I didn’t think she was going to bother doing her audition, but she’s definitely pretty and her boobs pointed upwards, unlike some of the others.’ He shook his head. ‘Cow’s udders and fried eggs. You’d think they’d do something about it.’

‘Yes, to be fair,’ Jake said, ‘it seems Sharon saved the best until last, Tony. Do you want to rewind the monitors and have a look? They weren’t bad at all.’ He looked up at Sharon; he didn’t want to sound too enthusiastic.

‘No, don’t bother, I’ve seen more than enough.’ Tony poured them all a well-earned drink. The others continued discussing the women. Tony finished his drink and left them to it – it was Sharon’s project and he’d had enough of it.

Sharon had given a few of them jobs, and to start with they were doing the graveyard shift. There weren’t a lot of people there, but they were paid decent wages. A lot of the regular strippers and pole dancers also got the added bonus of tips. The men would beckon the strippers towards the end of the stage and pop a twenty or a fifty pound note down their cleavage or in their stocking top. As long as it was a quick exchange and no fondling, Sharon let it go.

Mainly, when Sharon was there, the men would leave their tips on the side of the stage, like naughty schoolboys, waiting for Sharon’s frosty glare. The tips were not only a welcome extra but boosted the women’s confidence and made them feel popular and sexy.