Scarlett appreciates the way that Bennett manages to play her part, even somewhat impressed as she watches her shift into what could only be called a money-making demeanor. Scarlett was right to pick her as the main attraction for tonight. Even if this man ended up being a lost cause for their business, there was no doubt that Bennett would be raking in more money elsewhere further into the night.
Then the man decided to speak again and a sneer broke out onto Scarlett’s face before she could control it. This man must have been drunker than she realized, or maybe just dumber. Either way, she attempted to cover the shift in her attitude by taking one final giant gulp of her drink and setting it on the bar. She crossed her arms tightly across her chest and cleared her throat. This was no longer the welcoming hostess, but instead the domineering boss that was meant to be feared and respected.
“No, no… I don’t think I’d be much fun, actually.” She spoke with a hint of venom, while attempting to maintain her composure. She’d always been told she had an anger issue, but in her defense the issue was more so people being dumb enough to make her angry. The man, despite his drunken stupor, did seem to feel the shift in energy, and subconsciously took a step back while still looking between the two women somewhat hopeful. Maybe he was a masochist and actually found this dynamic enticing, but Scarlett was growing bored and annoyed. Maybe this was why she tended to stay away from her own establishments aside from the occasional check in and free drinks.
“Haven’t you ever heard of the phrase, ‘Take what you can get’?” Scarlett then pointedly looked at Bennett once again, and then back at the man with raised eyebrows. He couldn’t have possibly missed the message this time, and yet, here he was getting himself comfortable now between the two men, an arm wrapping around each one.
“I prefer the saying, ‘The more the merrier.’”
That was it. The last straw. Scarlett whipped out of the man’s grasp and captured his wrist in her hand, bending it at an angle that was undoubtedly uncomfortable and hopefully at least somewhat painful. Now looking to Bennett who had also been released from his grasp the moment he’d been put into a compromising position, Scarlett nodded at her as a way of checking in.
“Would you say he’s even worth the trouble?”
He was making stupid decisions.
Perhaps it was the alcohol — their bartender was never one to skimp, and Cigar Man’s table was littered with empty glasses, a testament to tonight’s debauchery. Or perhaps it was because his team had secured a win. Ego, adrenaline, a fat stack of cash and beautiful women lounging on every available couch and chair.
Scarlett and Bennett’s approach must have tipped that ego over the edge, but it was a very deadly fall.
‘No, no… I don’t think I’d be much fun, actually.’
The other woman downs her drinks, folds her arms across her chest with a noticeable chill.
God. Bennett wished she had that edge. That instantaneous switch, the frosty stare that made the man falter momentarily before regrouping. She was good at masks; her job required all sorts. But Bennett longs for the intimidation factor.
She wanted to make men stumble.
“Haven’t you ever heard of the phrase, ‘Take what you can get’?”
“I prefer the saying, ‘The more the merrier.’”
It all dissolves very quickly. The man slings an arm around a woman each, and Scarlett sheds any remaining civility. Bennett can only watch in shock as the other woman twists from his grasp, pins his wrist into what must be a painful configuration.
‘Would you say he’s even worth the trouble?’
Bennett is still experiencing a mild degree of shock, but she nods slowly, once, twice, eyebrows raising in appreciation and amusement. It was funny; this man squirming like a fish on a dock, mouth opening and closing in soundless whimpers.
Her skin still remembers his damp, clammy touch.
“I don’t think he’s worth the Greyhound he rode in on.”
“Maybe he gives us the rest of what’s in his wallet to make up for that dumb little stunt.”
