"I'm sorry ma'am, your card has been declined," the barista said and she didn't bother to look uncomfortable or sympathetic. She was bored, ugly, chubby, and probably took pleasure in Keli's humiliation. There were about ten people behind Keli and she felt her ears get red under her blonde hair.
Keli dug through her purse and tried to find her other card. There was no reason, or shouldn't be, why the card she chose didn't work. If Ed maxed it out without telling her there was not much she could do about it. He was so moody lately there was no talking to him without risking a tantrum.
After her work outs she rewarded herself with a coffee that was more cream and flavors than actual coffee. It was the worst thing she put in her body and it was a treat she allowed herself just three times a week. If Ed fucked this up for her she was going to say something. She could not find her other cards. She dug for cash she knew she did not have. What happened to her other cards?
"I got her, just add mine to hers and I'll pay for all of it," a woman behind her said. There was strength in her voice, steel, it came out more like a command than a request. Keli turned to decline the offer but her words got stuck in her throat when she saw the woman speaking.
"What are you having ma'am?" the bored barista said.
"Coffee, make it big and black, and give us a couple muffins too." She was all of six feet tall and towered over Keli's five feet and seven inches. She wore a sun dress that looked vulgar on her. It was black with brown vines running through it that matched her tan skin, it looked vulgar because it hugged the curves of her body and her body was vulgar. It was all long toned brown legs, big tits, and sensual curves. Her straight black hair and make-up were perfect and her silver jewelry clashed brilliantly against the brown of her ears, fingers, wrist, and ankle. And her shoes, sandals with high heels and straps that coiled around her ankles and halfway up to her bulbous fitness model calves, were hot as hell. She flashed a perfect toothed grin at Keli and Keli still could not speak.
The barista told her the total and the tall woman paid with a hundred dollar bill. "Names?" the barista asked as she grabbed the cups with a magic marker ready.
I'm Elaine," the tall woman said then looked at Keli. Keli felt a panic attack coming on. She still could not speak. The tall woman smiled down at her, with a knowing look, then looked pensive for a moment. "Let's call her Cleopatra, you can just write Cleo on the cup. "Let's sit over here," Elaine said as she accepted the muffins and change from the barista and nodded her head toward an empty section in the back corner. Keli didn't know what else to do so she followed her and sat across the table from her.
"So, do you want to tell me your name or should I just call you Cleo?"
"I'm Keli," she said and she stammered. Keli felt her face go red to match her ears. Her hair was up in a ponytail so all her redness was on display.
"Nice to meet you. Do I make you nervous?" Keli nodded and hated herself for admitting it. What was going on? "No need, I'm regular as anybody, but I will tell you; I have that effect on people."
"You do?" So there was something. It wasn't just Keli being a fucking spaz.
"I do. It's not on purpose. I think it's my height. It freaks people out."
"How tall are you?"
"Awe Keli," she looked disappointed. "You were doing so good. Don't ask obvious questions, they're boring, and what does it matter anyway. I am fucking tall, that's all."
"Elaine? Cleo?" another barista yelled across the restaurant. He was a young kid, skinny, nerdy looking.
"Do you mind?" Elaine said to Keli and for a second she didn't know what she meant. When she realized Elaine was asking her to got the coffees from the counter she jerked and stood up too quickly. Her thighs pushed the table and tilted it. Elaine quickly snatched up the muffins before they could roll off the table. "Whoa Sugar, you okay?"
"Yes, fine, I'm sorry." Keli imagined her face was turning even redder as she focused on not stumbling, then not spilling the coffees as she brought them back to the table.
"Thank you Keli," Elaine said and pushed one of the muffins across the table to her.
"Oh, no, I couldn't," Keli said. "Thank you for my coffee. I don't know why my card declined."
"It's because you didn't have enough available credit or money in your account to cover a cup of coffee. That's how those cards work. Eat the muffin. I can't eat two."
"Thanks." Well that was pretty fucking rude. She bought her coffee, and a muffin apparently, so Keli felt an obligation to endure the rudeness.
"So how did that happen?"
"What?"
"How did it happen that you don't have enough money to pay for coffee."
"That's what I meant when I said I didn't know why my card declined. There should be plenty of money in that account. I will have to ask my husband if he charged something without telling me."
"Does he do that often?"
"Not really, a couple times since he lost his job."
"How long ago was that?"
"Almost a year now."
"Wow, that's a long time to be unemployed. What does he do?"
"Well, it's a tough economy. He was a realtor but he was laid off from his agency. He is working on a novel and trying to launch a couple of internet businesses."
"Why was he laid off?"
"He says politics."
"Doubtful, real estate is sales, and the only reason to fire a salesperson is if they are costing more than they produce. What do you do?"
"I am an executive assistant to the CEO of Cybertek. He's out of town for three weeks so I am on paid leave until he gets back."
"Cushy. I love that. What's the CEO of Cybertek like?"
"Typical dotcom billionaire, misunderstood genius, eccentric tastes, handsy."
She threw her head back and laughed loudly. Louder than was socially acceptable. Keli looked about the Starbucks nervously to see if anybody noticed. Everybody did and Elaine did not seem to care.
"So tell me about handsy."
"He likes to give massages as he has me take notes. He'll stand behind me and work my shoulders and back as he tells me what I need to do for him."
"That sounds kind of nice. Is he cute?"
"He's young for a CEO, only a couple years older then me. He's more nerdy than cute."
"Fat nerd or skinny nerd?"
"Skinny."
"Damn, I need a fat one."
"A nerd? You need a fat nerd?"
"I do."