Bimbo

Wednesday evening. She’s sitting next to Sam in his big white sofa, watching the news, waiting for the latest update on the economy news. The table in front of them are covered in newspapers, notes, and, on top of it all, Sam’s laptop. They are eagerly waiting to see if their stock has gone up over the weekend. After Ellenor’s stockbroker / one night stand had left, she told Sam about what she had heard. At first, he was hesitating a little.

“It’s risky, Ellenor,” he told her. “Okapi hasn’t even been let out on the market yet. This is inside information, it’s illegal. I’d hate to end up like Martha Stewart, wouldn’t you?”

“It’s nothing illegal about it!” Ellenor assured him. “Okapi’s going to be on the market on Thursday. It will be free for anyone who’s willing to take a risk. And the fact that I happened to overhear someone guessing that it’s going to be successful… I could just as easily have overheard it passing the guy in the street, couldn’t I? It’s not like I went to bed with him IN ORDER TO get this information!”

“If Okapi’s going to be as successful as you say it will, those stocks are gonna be very expensive,” Sam whined. “I don’t have very much money to spend these days.”

“Neither do I, but that’s the thing – Okapi’s not gonna be all that expensive at first, not until they’ve proven to be solid. All we need is a small sum, and then invest that in a little stack, and then we’ll get our money back as soon as the stocks go up!”

“Just how much is `a small sum´?”

“$10,000.”

“Forget it!”

“Sam, please! Listen to me! For $10,000, we should be able to get at least??? Okapi-shares, and if they äll go up with as little as 2%, they’ll be worth??? in just one week!”

Sam had paced in front of the window, pulled his hand through his hair, and bit his lip.

“I don’t have more than $4,000,” he said.

“I’ve got $3,000,” said Ellenor, her heart beating hard. “I’ll make you a deal, Sam: we go together over this, and get as much shares of Natora as we can. If those stocks haven’t gone up – no, even better – if we’ve lost ANYTHING by Wednesday, we forget about Okapi, and I’ll pay you back your $4,000. But if we’ve got $10,000 by Wednesday night, we invest all of it in Okapi. Deal?”

“You’re really sure about this, aren’t you?” Sam looked at her as if he had never seen her before.

“Dead sure, Sam!”

He sighed, as if he still wasn’t convinced.

“OK,” he said, finally. “I trust you.”

And that was why they were now watching the financial news, waiting for the official declaration that Okapi would go on the market, at the same time as Sam was logging in to check the results on the stock market.

“Over to our financial section…”

“Here it is!” Ellenor grabbed hold of Sam’s arm.

“Two corporations declared today that they’re going on the common market; Visual Support Ltd., and last year’s new-comer, Okapi Inc. Shares will be available from tomorrow. Visual Support’s vice president, Desmond Bell, stated in a press conference yesterday…”

“Oh, my god…”

“What?”

“Natora… The stocks have gone up by 12%.”

Ellenor grabs a pen and pencil, and starts to count.

“Fuck!” she says, throwing the pad away. “It’s not enough!”

“Yes, it is.”

“No, it’s not. It’s not $10,000.”

“Close enough,” says Sam. “I’m sorry, Ellenor. I shouldn’t have doubted you. Must be that Bimbo Experiment that’s getting to my head. You, my dear, are a financial genius!”

“You mean… you want to buy Okapi shares?”

Sam pulls her close and kisses her cheek.

“Damned right I want!” he says. “First thing tomorrow, I’m selling all our stocks in Natora, and buying Okapi shares for the money! Hell, I’ll even throw in my advance for next week’s article!”

Okapi’s a big success. Within two weeks, the price on the stocks have skyrocketed, making small fortunes for both Ellenor and Sam. And that, Sam explains, when he shows up at her door one Wednesday night with a bottle of apple cider; is why they need to celebrate. Ellenor gets her finest glasses out, and they toast in apple cider, toast for their success, and for similar success stories in the future.

“You should do this for a living,” Sam says.

“What?” Ellenor chuckles. “Pick up and fuck stock brokers for investment tips?”

“Don’t be silly! He may have put you up to the idea, but it was you alone who trusted your instinct and made me buy shares as well. Don’t sell your talent short, girl, that’ll never do you any good!”

“But I’m not sure if I could do it on my own! When I heard that guy talk about it over the phone, I just KNEW they were going to go up – but how do I know what other stocks are good or bad? It was just intuition with these.”

“So use that intuition with all shares you see! Playing the stock market really isn’t that hard. You just have to tune in to what people want, and then buy shares in the company that will give it to them. And if there are more than one company in the field, then that’s where your wonderful intuition comes in!”

Ellenor refills her glass, smiling. The idea is tempting…

“You know, Ellenor… I wanted to ask you for a favor.”

“What is it?”

“You speak Spanish, right?”

“French, Spanish, German… why do you ask?”

“I’ve been offered a new job,” Sam explains. “A full-time job for a Spanish magazine, `¡Dígame!´. They want me to work for them and write my articles in English, and then they’ll have them translated before printing.”

“That’s great!”

Sam makes a face.

“It’s not as independent as working as a freelance reporter, like I’m doing now,” he says. “As it is today, if I don’t like an assignment, I just take my business elsewhere. But working for this magazine… the pay is higher. Much higher. I’m meeting them for dinner on Friday night, to discuss the details. I’d like your help.”

“With what?”

“I don’t speak a word of Spanish, but you do. You can listen to what they’re saying, and then tell me, so I’ll know what their plans are.”

“You want me to SPY on them for you?”

“Definitely.”

She giggles. The idea is crazy. Crazy – and funny.

“Don’t you think they’re gonna wonder if you show up with me on your shoulder?”

“Not if you giggle like that. They’ll just think I’ve brought a date who’s a real bimbo.”

“And they won’t be suspicious when you bring a WOMAN as your date?”

“Of course they will. But they will think that I’m trying to distract them with your beauty in order to get a better deal. They won’t expect a bimbo to be a linguistic genius. We’re talking double-cross and triple-cross, honey!”

“What do you want me to wear?”

Ellenor has already accepted his proposal.

“Something strict yet sexy. A short skirt. A buttoned-up blouse. And… yes! BRAIDS!”

Sam’s eyes have a mock-mad glimpse in them, and his voice is a deep base that sends chills down Ellenor’s spine. She laughs. Now, THIS will be a challenge!

Friday night, they meet up with Eduardo Lobito, owner of `¡Dígame!´, and possibly Sam’s future boss. Lobito has brought with him his chief editor, Enrico Navarra. They are having dinner at a Mexican restaurant called `El Gordo´, The Fat Guy, a name that must originate from the owner himself, Ellenor concludes, as the fat man greets them heartily before waddling out into the kitchen. She can only hope that his food won’t have the same effect on his customers as it has had on him. Lobito and Navarra are two handsome Latin men in their late 40’s. They are polite to Ellenor, but it’s also clear that they don’t understand why Sam has brought her along as his date. Especially Navarra, whose voice and manners are even more feminine than Sam’s, seem confused. Has he been dragged along to be a temptation for Sam? She wonders. `¡Dígame!´ must be really desperate to get him. But is that the best they could do? A 40+ man in a buttoned-up silk shirt, with his curly hair glittering of gel, and a thick gold chain hanging around his neck, disappearing in the fur on his chest. Who does he think he is, Julio Iglesisas? She throws a glance at Sam, and finds to her surprise that Sam’s paying very close attention to Navarra, who’s trying to persuade him to try out a plate of Ropa Vieja, which is `El Gordo´’s specialty. Seriously, Sam can’t be attracted to that man, can he? It occurs to her that she really doesn’t know what type of men Sam prefers. But she just can’t imagine that he would actually fall for a sleazeball like Navarra...!

“Señorita, may I recommend the bean casserole?”

Lobito is focusing as much attention on her as Navarra is on Sam. Like they were on a double date, she thinks to herself.

“It’s not too spicy, is it?” she asks, putting on her squeaky voice.” My tummy doesn’t like spicy food!”

“Well, let’s see what we can find for a sensitive tummy, then,” he says, and turns the page over to the children’s menu. “What do you think of paella?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever thought of that,” says Ellenor.

Hey, if she’s going to play the part, she might as well do it well! Lobito gives her a weak smile.

“It’s rice and chicken and vegetables,” he explains. “Not too spicy.”

“OK,” says Ellenor. “That sounds yummy!”

The waiter takes their orders and disappears out into the kitchen.

“Well…” says Lobito, and manages to take his eyes off Ellenor’s deep cleavage. “Business…”

That wonderbra is every bit as good as Alicia told her. Sam discusses salary figures and benefits with Lobito, while Navarra tries to keep up a conversation with Ellenor. She’s rather interested in hearing what Lobito has to say, but Navarra’s constant yapping is drowning out most of the other men’s conversation. She listens with only one ear to Navarra, and her little squeaks of “oh?”, “uh-huh?”, and “no way!” are even more lofty than usual. There’s an alarm bell ringing in the back of her head. There’s something fishy going on with this deal, she can feel it. Lobito’s hiding something, she’s sure of it. They get through dinner, and the waiter asks if they want some coffee and dessert.

“Not for me, thanks!” she says. “I gotta watch my weight!”

An utter lie, as her metabolism can digest a freight train, but she wants to get out of there. She can only hope that Sam will pick up on her little hint. He knows that she’s crazy about desserts.

“Surely you don’t have to worry, señorita,” says Navarra. “You’re very beautiful.”

“You think it’s easy to stay slim?” she says. “I do a LOT of exercise, and I never eat white bread, and I usually don’t eat anything after 6pm, I just made an exception tonight, because Sam invited me to this dinner…”

“I like women with a little… volume,” Lobito interrupts her babbling, and looks at her cleavage. “I assure you, you’d be beautiful even with a little more weight!”

“You’re CRAZY!”

Ellenor laughs, loud and shrilling.

“I’ll have a caffe latte, please,” says Sam. “Ellie, señores… if you’ll just excuse me, I need to visit the little boys’ room…”

He gives Ellenor a piercing look before he leaves, a look which could be interpreted as “get a grip on yourself”, but she understands that what Sam’s really trying to say is “stay alert”. The real spying is about to begin!

“If you’ll excuse me, señorita, I’ll just have a quick word with my editor…” says Lobito, and turns to Navarra. “Qué piensas de lo?”

”¡El tiene un culo que me gustaría comer...!”

Ellenor quickly takes a mouthful of her soda to hide her grin, when Navarra tells his friend that he finds Sam’s ass sexy enough to eat. She can’t wait to tell Sam about that! Or should she? She would certainly hate to see Sam together with that old egomaniac! Lobito and Navarra discuss Sam’s demands, quickly and quietly. The fact that they’re talking Spanish in order to shut her out only strengthens Ellenor’s suspicions that there’s something wrong. She memorizes everything they say, while looking around the restaurant, pretending to admire the decorations.

“Well,” says Lobito, as he and Navarra has come to a mutual agreement. “I think we’ve been neglecting the young lady long enough.”

“Oh, that’s alright,” she says. “I’ve been looking at all the pretty leaves in the ceiling. But you know, I think I have to do the same thing as Sam…”

“Go to the little boys’ room?” Lobito grins, showing that one of his front teeth is made out of gold. “I think that would cause quite a scandal, señorita!”

“Oh, you’re so BAD, Mr. Lobito!” Ellenor shrieks, and slaps his arm.

She leaves the table giggling, and walks around the corner to the restrooms. Sam waits for her there.

“Finally!” he says. “I though you’d never show up! Did they say anything?”

“They are VERY keen on hiring you,” she says. “Lobito was prepared to pay a lot more to get you.”

“What else?”

“They said something about the contract binding you to them. I can’t be sure without actually looking at the contract, but I think it means that you’d agree to give them the ownership of everything you write – and I mean EVERYTHING!”

“Those little snakes! Are you sure about this?”

“Pretty much. But if you want to be on the safe side, I think you should bring the subject up and see how they react.”

“I will. Thanks, Ellenor!”

He goes back to the table. Ellenor freshens up her make-up before she joins them.

“Señor Lobito, there is ONE detail we haven’t discussed,” Sam says, as she sits down.

She’s grateful that he has waited for her, she doesn’t want to miss this.

“What do you mean, Sam?”

Lobito puts on a mask of politeness.

“If I were to sign up for `¡Dígame!´, I’d also like my freedom to continue freelancing for other newspapers and magazines,” says Sam.

“That’s not how we do things, Sam.”

Lobito’s voice is still polite, but his face is darkening.

“I’ve studied `¡Dígame!´, senor Lobito,” says Sam, tasting his caffe latte. “Your magazine directs itself mainly to the Hispanic audience. My work is more general. If I come up with an article that doesn’t fit with your readers, I want the freedom to sell that article to a paper with a broader audience.”

“Now look here, Sam! If you work for us, we don’t want to pay for the hours that you spend working on a story for another paper! If you work for us, you write for us only!”

“That’s not how I do things.”

Sam finishes his coffee.

“Is this a money issue?” Lobito’s sweating. “We could… increase our offer.”

“It’s not a money issue,” says Sam. “It’s a freedom issue. An independency issue.”

He stands up.

“Thank you for your time, Mr. Lobito,” he says. “But I can see that I wouldn’t fit in with your policy. Independence is very important to me. Ellie..!”

She gets up, and straightens her clothes, smiling sweetly at the two older men.

“Buenas noches, señores. Y muchas gracias para una comida muy agreable y interesante.“

They leave Lobito and Navarra sitting like frozen in their chairs. Sam helps Ellenor with her coat, and they walk out into the night. It’s a little chilly.

“Sorry about the job,” she says.

“No problem,” says Sam, and waves at a cab. “I didn’t really like them, anyway. They’re too narrow-minded.”

The taxi takes them home safely. Sam pays the fare, and escorts her up.

“You did a great job,” he says. “I just LOVED your little speech at the end. They looked like you had hit them or something!”

“I just thanked them for a nice dinner,” Ellenor smiles.

“Thank you, Ellenor.”

Sam takes her hand and kisses it.

“My pleasure,” she smiles. “I had fun.”

“What are you doing next weekend?” Sam asks. “I was thinking I could thank you properly by taking you to see that new romantic comedy.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Sam!” says Ellenor, and makes a face. “The company I’m working for is having a party. I don’t really feel like going, it’s usually very strict and boring, but I have to go, if I want to get that raise. I need to show them that I’m a team-player.”

Sam giggles.

“Oh, get your mind out of the gutter!” she scolds him.

“No thanks,” he answers. “It’s very comfortable down here.”

“Sorry,” says Ellenor. “I’d rather go out with you, but…”

“No problem,” says Sam. “I’ll give you a rain check on that! Goodnight, Ellenor!”

“Night, Sam!”

She watches him go into his own apartment. Navarra’s right. Sam DOES have a cute butt.