“Quota?” Esme slurred in the most offended way possible. “Quota!? I’m the cities 6th most important financial advisor — I don’t have a quota and I don’t need a quota…” Her words were slow, long, and crashed into each other to the point where understanding the woman became quite the challenge. “And I sure as hell won’t be kept from the service that I’m paying for.” She raised her drink in protest, the contents splashing out over the edge of the glass to punctuate this ridiculous vibrato — a word which here means ‘her very loud proclamation’.
In addition to being drunker than a sailor and talking in a rather loud and tumultuous fashion, the cities 6th most important financial advisor was making quite the scene — as in, everyone in the restaurant was looking at her. Had she not been drunk, Esme would have been overjoyed to receive such attention, but seeing that she was, and simply couldn’t comprehend how unprofessional she was being, this occasion was sure to be an embarrassing one.
That is, when she sobered up.
Larry stood there, his eyes locked on the drink spilling all over her pantsuit that probably cost more than the monthly salary of someone in food service. That’s what power looks like. A stained sleeve. Imagine that. “YesofcourseIhearyou but there are laws that apply.”
A smile was plastered to his face like floral wallpaper in a powder room. there, but the corners were peeling. Lips were not made to stretch this wide for this long, and Larry swore he felt them slowly crack. But what could he do? Absolutely nothing. His eyes looked up from the stain, searching the see of faces now turned in their direction for answers. For a room so rich (in wisdom? G O D no, but in money), he was left with nothing.
“Yes, of course. You’re absolutely right,” was the fourth biggest lie Larry had told all day.