Calculating Probability (Susan & Gabe)

The sun was down and the day was long done and Susan was feeling overworked as usual. It was back-to-back meetings all day, which was normally a healthy respite to sit quietly, observe, and take notes but she had given presentations in literally all of them. She cursed the scheduler for sticking her in one spot all day. But... she did sort of place them all in herself... That was right, she wanted to get it over with as painlessly as possible and thought that knocking them all out in one day would be the best use of her time. That way she could relax and not have to worry about them all week, she could even come in late on Tuesday since nothing would be going on. But it wasn't a good idea. Not at all. Susan had been glued to one spot for the entire day talking non-stop with no bathroom breaks. She didn't even get lunch. Now that that was all said and done she really needed a breather. Typically she would take this time to stay inside, read a book, and play with her bengal Mimi but to be frank she was rather tired of it and had no good books to read having lost her opportunity at BookSmarts when she accidentally threw that boy to the ground. That was her favorite book store too...

So tonight she would go out. B-but she was at a loss at where to go... Susan wasn't one for clubs, the loud music was an assault to her senses and all those people. Bars were similarly out. Karoake clubs weren't even in the same room as the list was. Unfortunately there weren't that many places she could go by herself that she would enjoy. Susan almost felt that she should go to a bar or a club to meet new people but she was afraid of getting creeped on by strangers.
...that's it! A casino! If you didn't think you would win any money because, let's be honest, the House has rigged the game then you could spend a decent amount of money like it's a huge arcade. She could have a mimosa, focus on the games where no one would bother her, and there would be security that would stop anyone from harassing her. It was perfect! Oooh, but what to wear? What did you even wear to a casino? ...a slinky black dress? No, no that would be too much... or would it?

This would be the first time in a few months that Susan cut loose, she may as well make the most of it. I-it would be fun to play dress-up and pretend to be someone she wasn't for an evening. Besides, she might meet someone there. Unlikely as that was. Susan doubted that anyone that met her standards would be hanging around a casino. But still, it could be fun! The businesswoman managed to convince herself that she wanted to indulge in this little fantasy and began to commit to the idea. Tonight she wouldn't be Susan, the meek and mousy businesswoman. Tonight she would be Sue, the debonair temptress that played with hearts like marionettes. Enraptured in her own fantastical plan Susan began to doll herself up, liberally applying her makeup and picking out something impressive to wear.


Nearly an hour and a half later Susan pulled into the parking lot of The Lucky Clover. This casino was the one with the highest reviews of, well, only two of them in Endymion. She guessed that Kimosabe Casino wasn't as popular. In any case it was just as she had imagined. Large, bright, distracting... there was a certain wonder that lent itself to these brands of evening. Some sort of... magic. It was larger than life most certainly and that was the fantasy that Susan wished to cater to that evening. Tonight she would get to be the boss, the big shot, the star. She was certainly dressed the part.

...her confidence fell through the floor as soon as she walked inside. Sure, it was glamorous and as spectacular as she had imagined but she knew deep inside that at some point the facade would slip and it would be awkward. A-at least she could distract herself with some games of chance, even if she were more gussied up to be at the forefront. Slot machines... no, those were always Skinner Boxes designed to take money away from the hopeless. Poker required too much interaction with others. She supposed she could see a show or something... Susan meandered aimlessly among the flashing lights, dressed way too confidently for a woman of her posture and temperament as she muttered to herself in hesitant decision on what exactly she should do here...

OOC: Please try not to burn yourself you, one or two paragraphs is more than enough for me XD



The Lucky Clover


Even though Gabe had a lot on his plate as a terrorist, as well as tragedy striking down at Gabes very core, he still needed to be focused and positive when it came to his job. Gabe was lax enough, and his semi-charming personality along with a tinge of seriousness was what always reassured his staff and the wealthy patrons that came along. Walking the floors and greeting a few new and recurring visitors,  it was always worth putting a smile on his face while he went around and about.

Seeing one of his well-trusted friends and foster brother come around to Gabe, Kok Young-Min would bring his arm around and edge Gabe over to the direction of the beautiful lady in the black dress. " Ay little brother, black dress at 12 o'clock, shouldn't you be giving her the lucky clover treatment? I'm pretty sure I haven't seen her around. "As the son of the owner, he was seemingly lax, as well as a little bit tipsy.



"Min, you know we have to keep an appearance right? Try not to drink too much."

"Ahh, it'll be fine, it's fine!  You know that stockbroker only talks to people who can hold their liquor, just call it a strategy of mine. You have been a little sad as of late,  so maybe a pretty woman would cheer you up, no?"


Gabe would look back at the woman in the distance once more and proceeded to get to work. Afterall, it was his job as the manager of one of the many esteemed Lucky Clover branches. In a way, this was as much as Gabe's domain as was Susie Q was Invidia's

After making his way over to the beautiful lady in the black dress, Gabe would give her a small bow as welcomed her with a charming smile.  



"Good Evening, and welcome to the Lucky Clover. I'm the manager, Gabriel Gatsby. It seems as if this is your first time, are you interested in anything? Miss......."

At this point, Gabe was hoping she would give her name for a proper introduction.

OOC:

The bright lights. The arcadey sounds of the slots. The fervor of action. ...it was a bit much, to be honest. Susan had initially been in love with the idea. The fantasy of being a Bond girl, a femme fatale, where the roulette tables were her domain and the men were her slathering servants. To be big and important for once... but like all fantasies reality was much harsher. It was busy and noisy and she was regretting leaving her comfy home. Dressed for the part and with absolutely no spine Susan fretted and worried about what she should do in the Lucky Clover. She was already here, she couldn't leave now, even if she spent the entire night wasting her time and money on the slots she had resolved herself to persist. This idea sounded so much better in her head...
"I guess I could always see a show... oh, but I don't want to go by myself and not wearing this, I would get picked out of the audience for sure... the slot machines are boring wastes of money... Craps? ...Nnnnnrgh no no..." she would mutter to herself, fidgeting anxiously and looking more lost in her own head than anything.

That was until she was approached by a fine-dressed gentleman of the establishment. Susan had to stifle a jump, settling for a flinch instead. Her fault really for not paying attention. At least she didn't fall out of her heels. She would grow a little flush when he introduced himself as the manager. Was she... really dressed so finely to garner that kind of attention...? H-he was certainly quite handsome too... The businesswoman could feel her pulse race, this was in fact just the kind of experience she was hoping for after all. Now that she was here in her own fantasy she was at a loss.


Well, some sort of introduction was better than nothing. Even if she felt it a little forced and awkward. Pleased to meet you? This wasn't a business exchange, this was a casino. She needed to be more relaxed, more commanding, sure of herself and a woman that knows what she wants and demands it be given to her in no uncertain terms.
"I... I'm not really sure." Darn it. There goes that facade. Unless... Susan put on a polite smile despite the quaking panic her eyes were conveying. It took all the courage she could muster to keep from melting into a stuttering mess. My my he was so dapper though...
"Y-yes, you are correct. This is my first time here. Why don't you show me what you have to offer...?"
That was more like it. Flirty, coy and confident. A-at least she hoped she came across that way. She was so terribly anxious that she was starting to get dry mouth.

"Of course, part of my duties is to make sure that our cherished guests, which is everyone who finds the time to spend at the lucky clover, is given proper accommodations. From what it seems like fort he moment, Miss Groves, you'll be having the majority of my attention. I'll see t it that you are widely educated as to the forms of entertainment the lucky clover has to offer. "

Walking side by side with her, Gabe would bring off the feeling of a professional escort as he went about main floor with Susan. " There is live entertainment every night in the form of our own house band. However, once a week, we try to get someone or something of a bit more stature. Just the other week, for the fund raising event that we do before the end of the year, there was a group of gymnasts that performed acrobatic tricks at the rooftops just above us, a sight to behold if i do say so myself. "

Walking over to the slot machine, Gabe would motion over to a few games. Of course, we have the standard slot machines. we also have out tables for games such as blackjack, craps , and Russian roulette. But if i may let you in on a little house secret, the tables have a higher percentage of landing you some wins as opposed to the slot machine, so don't ever feel intimidated. "

Moving over to the circular bar, Gabe would also motion his hands for the seats. "Finely crafted leather to maximize ascetic texture and comfort, you might not wan't get out of this chair after you had your first drink. Easy time to socialize during that time, there is also a lounge and small buffet on the second floor. But speaking of drinks..... would you like one? On me, of course...."

"My, such a gentleman..." she would coo, comfortable in her facade. Simultaneously very uncomfortable at the same time. She was unsure of what to do as Mr. Gatsby led her around other than follow, not asking questions, not making comments. She felt as if she should take his arm in hers but refrained from doing so, as haughty and flirtatious as she acted it was an easily-broken ruse and she was much too shy to go through with it. Her hands stayed clutching her purse instead. The Lucky Clover definitely seemed as grand as he made it out to be, though she was having problems listening and was more lost in the moment. It wasn't every day that she had such attention and mustered the courage to act as confidently as she did now. Susan frankly was quite bad with male attention but she was drinking in every drop she got from her handsome escort. ~<3

He spoke of the usual attractions yet no less impressive. Most casinos had live entertainment but certainly not every single night and more still did not have their own bands. The perks of monopolizing the industry in Endymion, she would guess. As suspected she was right about the tables paying out more often than the slot machines, it was only logical that a game you had a modicum of control over would be less favorable to the house. She hazarded a guess that if she were to pick a game it wou- ...wait what was that...?!
"Russian Rou... N... Never mind...!" Susan chirped this assurance happily yet her cheerful grin did not hide the sheer terror behind her eyes. Was this one of those casinos...? J-Just like in the movies, run by the mob or the yakuza o-or some evil organization. She may have been playing the femme fatale for the evening but daring she was not. Susan would stay away from the games for now.

And yet there was one more dangerous game that Mr. Gatsby would play. Drinks, and all the risk that lied therein. The businesswoman wasn't much of a drinker, only a glass of wine or two with dinner on the weekends and never on Sunday, but she felt compelled to agree. She wouldn't want to turn down his hospitality, not after he had been so kind to her.
"Well... I guess one or two couldn't hurt..." she would mutter to herself, even in front of Gabe. As if talking to oneself was a completely normal occurrence. It ran through her mind what could possibly go wrong by getting drinks this evening. She could drive drunk and crash, she wouldn't be up in time for work tomorrow, she would drink too much and embarrass herself in front of her gracious host... the list kept going as Susan mentally checked out for a moment. But soon the light would return to her expression with a small jump of realization.
"Oh! Y-yes, that sounds lovely. Very chivalrous of you, Mr. Gatsby. ~<3 ...um, may I have a sangria blanca...?" Her fears of dangerous games were all but washed away at her request. It was the first time ever in the history of her whole life that a man had offered to buy her a drink. And such a gorgeous, polite man too... *sigh* B-but there was just one tiny concern of hers: would he leave her once she was "taken care of"? It wouldn't be a good feeling to be given all this attention and made to feel special if he was going to walk away.
"...will you stay and drink with me?"

The bartender would nod her head as she gave the woman in black a polite bow.

"Coming right up.."


Taking a medium sized glass, it started to get filled up with different kinds of fruits. Small slices of pineapples, lemons, limes, oranges, and blackberries reached two-fourths of the cup before the bartender finished.  Small crystalline cubes were then placed in an assorted order at the top of the fruits while reaching for the nearest white wine. However, Gabe stopped her before she poured it.

" No...Top it off with something nice... get the Chardonnay instead."

With another nod, the choice liquor to finish the drink was replaced with a bottle that contained a yellowish hue.  After a fresh pop of the cork, the drink was finished and sent off over to  Susan's side of the table.

"It should go down much nice, no bartender makes their way to work with us without a degree in mixology. I can vouch for the mindfulness of the precise mix of flavors, as well as the aesthetic presentation and avoidance of mess. The glass is made from a Duralex compound, two times more resistant to breakage and chipping than regular glass. "

Even though it seemed like Gabe was showing off (and he was), he was also trying to ease the worries of his guest. The lucky clover was a place of high establishment, or better yet, they carried themselves in a way that is to be expected of them.  However,  Gabe found it surprising that she asked to drink with him.

"Of course, how could I resist the company of such a beautiful woman?  Like you said, one glass shouldn't hurt. "

Waving his hand at the bartender, who already knew what Gabe liked,  a glass of red wine was sent his way in under 10 seconds.  Picking up the glass, he would move it towards Susan for a toast.

"Cheers..... "

After the small toast and a small sip, Gabe felt like he earned the right to ask a question or two.

"Are you native to Endymion? I almost assumed you were from out of town, or does work and such keep you away from places like this?"

The woman in the black dress would squirm in her assuredly comfortable seat as she turned seven shades deeper crimson... though with a shy smile painted on her lips. He certainly was giving her the royal treatment and she could not say that she didn't enjoy the attention. No one ever treated her this nicely unless they wanted something from her but she felt as if he genuinely did have her best interests in mind. Though he was her host and it was his responsibility to make her feel welcome no one had gone this far before to make her feel special before. Certainly not anyone as gorgeous as Mr. Gatsby either. Her logical brain would have made the connection that perhaps he wasn't trying to woo her and instead he was persuading her to stay and spend money (an economic strategy, her specialty) but honestly she was too clouded by her newly-forming crush to pay it a first thought let alone a second one.
"T-thank you kind sir..." she sighed, forgetting her manners entirely. She'd thank Gabe rather than the bartender, at the moment no one else held her attention.

While most people would roll their eyes at the handsome host's assurance that the bartenders of The Lucky Clover were experienced when he worked there besides what the drinking glasses were made of it the businesswoman was most certainly impressed. She was aware that most drinking establishments used cheap glasses that they had a fund to replace when shattered or chipped because scratched or stained glasses would need to be discarded anyway so it was clear to her that the casino was truly going the extra mile. It almost felt too rich for her, but for just a short time she could afford to be luxurious to her heart's content rather than throw her money into a promising stock return never to be seen again. She returned his toast of course, how could she not?
"F...Flattery w-will get you everywhere, Mr. Gatsby..." Susan managed to squeak, attempting to sound like the cool and level-headed viper he likely thought she was. She didn't care that was not how she came across with her tiny voice. The woman in black would also take a sip, eyes opening wider from the subtle taste of the wine overpowered by fruit. She would need to be careful if she wanted to drive home tonight...

"I am and I'm not..." she began, a little less nervous as she sipped generously from her drink. Now was the time for Susan to brag herself. "I was actually born and raised in Des Moines until I was accepted into Penn State. I got my Master's and came here three years ago with my parents, i-it made sense after the Eternal Divide."

"U-um, yes, work does take up the majority of my time. I work as the lead economist for Salem Limited if you've heard of it. Oh, also the marketing liaison, market researcher, and financial advisor when it suits me. I-I wear many hats, h-ha ha." She would chuckle nervously and rub her arm, beaming through her shy veneer. B-but she didn't want to talk about herself the entire time, that would be impolite and she really wasn't that interesting. She wanted to hear about him, so Susan would use the FORD method. Family first, which included history.
"W-what of yourself, Mr. Gatsby? Have you always been in Endymion? D...d-do you have any f-family here...?" Of course she had another objective besides idle conversation. It would be wise to know if he were single before she became too attached.

"An Iowa girl? From one big city to the next, it seems you made yourself right at home. Also, congratulations on your masters, not a lot of people would want to go back to school after acquiring their bachelors. Even before that, some people think that they can't cut it. I'm glad that you didn't give up. " Gabe said this with a small smile as he took another sip of his drink. "What exactly is salem limited? I do know, from what you told me, that you manage quite a lot of roles for the company. However, i'm not well versed in how that organization operates. Do they........sell whares?"

Gabe really didn't know, which was only why he asked in the first place. If it was something illegal, Gabe wouldn't judge. He's been on the end of both sides as it is. "Family is very important, I hope you cherish them, another toast to their good health, as well as yours. "

Though, the question came to Gabe's own family, which had the potential to sour the mood. It didn't hurt gabe too much anymore.

"I lived in Endymion my whole life, and I lost my parents during the great divide. I was actually adopted by the owner of the lucky clover conglomerate and given this branch to manage. I guess things turned out for the better, besides, I would have wanted to spare you from anything that was sad enough to make you cry, unless it's opera night. "

"Mmm hmm," she would hum as she sipped more from her alcoholic nectar. It would be very tempting to for two of them but she would have to watch her time very closely, if she couldn't drive him tonight it would throw a wrench in things tomorrow.
"*phaaaah~* ...I could do without the traffic, but it is certainly nice to have everything in one place." Susan was starting to relax a little, most likely from the alcohol but she did appreciate his mild tone and keeping things fairly lighthearted. Though she was quite smitten with her handsome host she would clearly see his commentary on her education as "buttering her up". She happened to take her education and career very seriously, compliments were welcome but anything over the top was a little needless.
"Thank you Mr. Gatsby but it was really no ordeal," she returned in a neutral voice, "It was all part of my ten year plan, though I have to admit I would have liked to have had my Doctorate by now..." The businesswoman bit her lip as her eyes shifted from him slightly. True, her original plan was to continue her education and then start working but life got in the way. The money ran out and while she was successful in her current position she was much too busy to return to school.
"Mmmm... Perhaps when the work dies down I could..."

Susan would chuckle nervously and return Mr. Gatsby's toast, becoming lost in her own head long enough to nearly miss it. Honestly it was a prime reason why she was still single, she kept screwing everything up. Just like she did by bringing up family, a subject she should have realized may have been touchy for people after the Eternal Divide. Her face fell into a look of concern as Gabe expounded on what had become of his parents.
"I-I-I'm sorry...!" she gasped, touching his arm apologetically. She had wanted to laugh at his joke, really she did, but the humor didn't wash away the shock of the mistake that had come out of her own mouth.
"I-I should have realized that that may be a sore subject, truly sorry, I-I didn't consider that the Divide may have been hard on you..." And there she was, doing it again, driving that nail in deeper. Susan bit her lip in chagrin, looking away from her host once more. She never meant to hurt his feelings so irresponsibly and truth be told it wasn't the first time for it to happen that day but apparently she loved to put her foot in her own mouth.

"L-let's just change the subject, sorry..." She sat in silence for a few uncomfortable moments kicking herself for being so insensitive before recovering.
"S-so work...!" she exclaimed, putting on an almost-grimace in an attempt to mask how terrible she really felt, "Salem Limited is m-much like the Lucky Clover, a conglomerate... t-though we deal with technology instead of entertainment. R-rather than produce ourselves Salem owns several technology brands and firms and guides the market through acquisition, funding, and marketing. W-We're sort of like the Disney Corporation, but instead of media outlets we deal with computer hardware and software. Hehehe..." The businesswoman would normally feel most comfortable talking about her company but if her fear-stricken laughter was any indicator she was still beating herself up for her mistake. And on top of that she was probably boring him.
This is why you still live alone Susan, you can't just say what you want to say and no one wants to listen to you.

"Hmm? Oh, no I wouldn't want you to be too apologetic about it. This isn't something that you knew about, therefore, it would be unfair to shift the entire blame on you.  You didn't do anything wrong Susan,  that's more or less the things with conversations with new people.  Exploring the distances and fine lines that you can or can't cross. No one really knows anything about anyone, except for when they do, haha." Gabe was trying to be lighthearted about this, it wasn't fair to Susan for him to get mad or upset or anything, accidents like this do happen and he had no intention to hold it against her.

When she started talking about Salem Limited, Gabe was genuinely impressed. "They have such a hand in everything, it's almost embarrassing for me to openly admit that I didn't know who they were until just now. However,  for you to be apart of such an established company, Its a shame I didn't get a hold of you before they did. Such a capable and beautiful person in their company....makes..well.... good company. It's always the lucky ones..eh?"

"I-I guess I did get pretty lucky, didn't I...?" she muttered coyly, almost to herself. Of course she wasn't talking about her own company, instead referring to present company. Susan would normally prickle at the insinuation that anything she earned was through luck, she worked hard to be in her current state of affairs, but it was much easier to flirt with a drink in front of her and her handsome host covering her in flattering words. At the least she was happy that he didn't take offense to her mistake, she was very familiar with the pratfalls of casual conversation. Susan spent most of her time in them on her face. It made her feel... strangely paranoid, just a bit. Now she was certain there were little cues he was sending that she was missing, she'd never been good at those. She supposed that comment about exploring the distances and lines they could cross meant... s-something. The businesswoman turned a few more shades of red and finished her drink, maybe at the end of it she perhaps be just as brash.

Susan would shake her head back and forth with a little less restraint than was normal without a glass of fine liquor. The twisting in her head felt kind of good... like she didn't have to worry about things...
"It's okay, most people don't know," she remarked, trying not to sound curt or condescending about it, "Mmmmmit's liiiiiiiike... the Unilever Group. They own over 400 companies from popular ice cream to market-dominating soaps but no one has ever heard of them. It's the brand that does the marketing, they just own the brand. ...i-if that makes sense..." Susan began to frown, worrying that she was becoming boring again. Honestly she was the most comfortable talking about work but no one really cared and it wasn't that interesting. Global product trend reports weren't exactly skydiving and rock climbing. Hmm. That would actually lead farther into the FORD method...

"B-but I don't want to talk about nothing but work," she would lie to his face, "W-what is it you like to do for fun... Gabe?" She would try not to show it but Susan was tickled pink that she had graduated to first-name-basis with Gabe. Gabriel was such a handsome name...

It makes sense, branching out and having a good leeway for desirable products is something that any sensible business person would look into if it becomes something that they would really like to venture in. I think it's smart, but for some companies, they might only find success in one aspect, or as they say, the chosen golden goose of their time. With Salem Limited, I can see why you picked such a company to work with, you won't get bored if there exists a career path that can keep your interest for the time being. " Gabe was , in fact, impressed. Susan had alot going on for her, and he was happy to see people making great strides in their lives. That was one of the guilty pleasures of conversing with people, seeing how far they went in life, as well as knowing about what more they wanted to accomplish.

"For fun huh?" It was at this point that Gabe himself had a little bit of a mischevious smile. "Well, if you really want to know, when do you get off work tomorrow? I mean, if you even work tomorrow. I can show you what i like to do for fun, keeps a bit of the mysterious air if i don't just outright tell you."

Susan traced her finger along the rim of her glass as she listened to Gabriel compliment her, resting her head on her hand. The golden goose of her time. He certainly wasn't lying, she personally considered herself to one of Salem's better economists since she signed on with them three years ago. It just felt nice to have someone else tell her as much.
"Mmmhmmm..." she hummed dreamily. She quickly caught herself fawning over him and moved to fix her posture, taking her elbow from the counter and sitting more straight with her hands in her lap.
"I-it keeps me busy, heheh..." At least she wasn't boring him with all her company talk. O-or perhaps she was and he was being polite about it. But th-that would mean h-he was putting up with her dullness to keep talking to her. Susan whined a little, she wished she could take another drink to take her focus away from the conversation but it was all gone. She wouldn't order another either, she still needed to drive at the end of the night and didn't want to seem like a lush anyway.

The pretend femme fatale would flush more with Gabe's grin and smile her own demure smile. He was just so... so... debonair. But her jaw would drop slightly as he asked her out on a date. Susan wasn't sure if she was lost in his charm or genuinely shocked that she was doing so well, normally she would have ruined this by now.
"Oh my, I-I didn't expect you to be this forward...!" she gasped, "I-I'm not sure, I'm s-supposed to get off at four b-but with everything going on it might not be until six and I won't be home until seven..." Her pulse began to quicken and she bit her lip, rubbing her arm. Not used to this sort of attention Susan's self-confidence was shattered. She would want nothing more than to go on a date with this gentleman but she was so used to living inside her own little box it was difficult to commit to it. She swallowed hard. No, not this time. This is what she wanted, it was being handed to her on a silver tray, why would she turn him away...? She would be insulting him just as much as she was letting herself down. E-even if it was scary.

"...i-it shouldn't be a problem, I'll make time. Y... yes Gabe, I would love you. Love to...! I-I w-would love to g-go out with y-you to... tomorrow night. Aha. Ha. Mmmmrrrrrnnnmmm..." Susan covered her beet red face in embarrassment after her incredibly unfortunate Freudian slip. It was personally worse for her because she'd been scolded by her friends before in college about being so quick to lose her head over these things but it wasn't anything she knew how to help. When an undeniably handsome man, a perfect gentleman at that, pays her a compliment she can't resist but to latch onto him. S-someone like that didn't come around very often...

Susan took to fanning her face with her hand, i-it was suddenly incredibly warm in here. But she would reach out to him first. To be honest she was terrified of getting his number because it meant she had to play the "When should I text him?" game and it would gray her hair before she saw him next. If she gave him her number then she could just react to whatever he did and in the meantime just panic inwardly to herself on what they would be doing and what she should wear and what first date etiquette was and...
...and she was missing her opportunity.
"Oh, u-um! This is my phone number...!" she exclaimed, nearly dropping her purse as she rifled through it to hand Mr. Gatsby her business card. She nearly thrust it at him too. "I-I'm mostly free any time after five and I answer calls better than text messages, s-sometimes I forget I see them..." Susan wanted to believe that she would be more excited for this but all she could feel was nervous. It had been a looooong time since she had done anything of this nature and she was never really good at it in the first place. Anyone had to do as Gabe had done and ask her first because she would never say anything nor try anything, she was too frightened of being rejected. B-but he had already promised so this was okay!

Taking the phone number with his own cellphone, Gabe would send a text to Susan with his name so that she could also have his number as well.

"There, now you can save my number in my phone. Besides tomorrow night, just know that you are free to contact me if you ever wanted my company or wanted to just talk for a while. "

Smiling to himself, Gabe would put his phone away as he checked the time on his watch.

"I have to go over the proceeds for tonight's intake and exchange of currency, so, unfortunately, I must leave you for now. However......"

Gabe would then move closer towards Susan's ear as he whispered.

"We will have a lot more time together tomorrow...."

The mere presence could have lightly tickled her ear as he moved away.

"Good day Miss Groves, feel free to continue the festivities that the lucky clover has to offer. I'll be sure to tell management to send a complimentary taxi in case you become too intoxicated. "

With that, Gabe went on to his duties.

Susan's heart skipped a beat with the chime of her phone. Success...! She had actually done what she set out to accomplish! Whether it was her formal dress, the alcohol, or simply the evening itself she had transformed from a dull corporate drone to the belle of the ball a-and she had even met someone! Of course it was nerve-wracking and embarrassing yet exciting and so much fun! She read it over again and again even though it was a simple name and number, just to be absolutely certain that what had happened indeed happened like she thought it did. The businesswoman was sure she would have shooed him away with her lackluster demeanor but it wasn't so. Her mind began to race into... she wasn't entirely certain. It was a hopeful sort of panic, she had already gotten his number but now Susan was at a loss at how she should continue. She would have to follow his lead and hope she would know what to do when the time came.

"I-I... *haaa... haaa...* ...I-I will be sure to... *haaa...* ...plan for it..." she breathed, fidgetting nervously as she peered past her phone to him, becoming even more shades of pink. Her head felt light and her chest like it may burst yet she could not have been happier than she was in that moment. Though, she was rather disappointed he had to leave. She could relate, one's career was very important yet she had hoped to keep him just a while longer.
"I completely understand Mister Gatsby, I-I would not want to get in the way of your duties,"