Carla’s curiosity increased once she was in the middle of the gang; they were all at least twice her age, mostly not particularly fit or good looking. Her father had taught her how to size up a typical businessman’s economic status by looking at their clothing, shoes, and watch; this group seemed prosperous but didn’t really show any sign that they were wealthy. They told her they were all partners in an accounting firm, though a couple of them were also lawyers. Without being vain, Carla guessed an impartial observer would say that at least based on appearances, she, a fit, statuesque blonde just entering her mid-20’s, was way out of their league.
It only took Carla a few minutes of conversation to recognize qualities in them that most of her usual would-be suitors lacked. They were funny, relaxed, curious about her, appreciative of but not focused on her looks. They were all married, and spoke well of their spouses, with some mentioning how they missed them when traveling; that alone made Carla like them even more, having frequently been the target of husbands looking for a fling. Their very unsuitability as romantic partners made Carla comfortable with them, enough so that she had a second drink with them before saying goodnight by 8:15 PM.
Tuesday’s work went well enough, though Carla detected an undercurrent of uneasiness in the local employees, as they worried about whether their new employer would keep all of their office’s personnel on once the transition was complete. Carla told them, truthfully, that she hadn’t heard anything more than they had, and that she assumed that she wouldn’t have been sent to train them if the bank wasn’t serious about keeping them as employees. The tension made her glad to leave right on time, getting back to her hotel by 5:30.
Carla intended to go straight to her room and log in to her office’s server, but seeing Ed, Eric, Tim, Bill, and Joe already at the bar she joined them. Their banter cheered her up, and she joined them for dinner at the bar. They were complaining about the outcome of the previous night’s football game, being long-suffering NY Giants fans. The pounding their team had received from the Buccaneers led to Ed asking her, “You’re not a Tampa Bay fan, are you?”
“Nope, born and raised a Steelers fan,” she replied.
“Oh, that’s okay, then,” Tim said, “It’s even longer since your team made it to the Super Bowl than it’s been for ours!”
“And the Steelers haven’t won one in like, forever,” Bill chimed in, “You probably weren’t even born yet the last time Pittsburgh won one!”
Getting into the trash-talking spirit, Carla shot back, “Wow, you guys are being kind of mean. I guess that’s what having to cheer for a team under.500 does to some people.”
The good-natured ribbing went on throughout her dinner and a couple of rounds of drinks, with Carla exhausting her knowledge of which teams were doing well and which weren’t pretty quickly. Her companions knew way, way more than she did about most of the league’s teams, their players, and how the next few week’s matchups would affect the upcoming playoffs. Rather than let them mock her lack of detailed football knowledge, Carla tried bluffing her way through the conversation. Ed and Tim saw through her attempt to fake it, testing her by asking several nonsensical questions about various teams, including her Steelers. She took the bait, trying to bullshit her way through with equally nonsensical answers.
Around 9:00, Carla announced that she needed to get some sleep.
“Carla, you’re fun to have around and all, but you’ve been such a party-pooper, leaving us so early every night,” Tim complained
“Dude, I like a late night out as much as anyone,” Carla protested.
“Says the woman who’s tucked in before the 11:00 PM news!” laughed Ed.
“I can be every bit as wild as you guys, believe me!” she answered.
The men all laughed. Ed finally replied doubtfully, “If you say so.”
“Well, I’m guessing none of you have ever stripped naked in a bar,” she shot back.
Their laughter stopped; Tim broke the silence, asking, “Are you saying you’ve done that?”
“Well, yes, as a matter of fact, I did, once. It wasn’t as crazy as it sounds, it was just me and a couple of friends there.” she answered, blushing, “I made a bet on the Cowboys game last Thanksgiving which went bad because of that freak play at the end of the game.”
“Okay, you win. You might go to sleep earlier than we do, but you clearly have a wild side,” Ed admitted.
His companions all agreed, bowing to her while saying, “We’re not worthy!”
Eager to change the subject, Carla got the guys talking about their beloved Giants. She stayed for one more drink, then told her companions she really did need to go. As she was about to leave she asked, “so, as I came in tonight I noticed a sign saying the bar is closed for Thanksgiving. What do you guys plan to do with yourselves without this place to hang out in?”
“Probably just find a sports bar, drink beer and eat mediocre pizza,” Bill said, not sounding very enthusiastic, “would you like to join us?”
“Not my sort of scene,” she replied, thinking about a couple of times she had visited a Hooters knock-off bar with her ex-fiance. “In my experience, those places are usually noisy and full of drunk dudes, I think I’ll pass.” Though she had no interest in spending her day at a sports bar, she also wasn’t looking forward to a full day of hanging around her room by herself. She had been thinking about an idea for how to make the day more fun for herself and her new buddies, and made them an offer. “My employer put me up for the week in a suite, with enough room for you all to come watch the games if you’d like. If you can stand to miss the waitresses wearing booty shorts, I’d be willing to spring for some higher quality pizza and wings to be delivered if you bring the beer!”
“Sounds pretty good, but we like to make the games more interesting by having a little bet or two on a couple of games, and at a bar, we can usually find someone interested in doing the same,” Ed answered, “Can we think it over and let you know tomorrow night?”
“Sure, see you then!” she replied, hoping they’d take her up on her offer.
Nursing a mild hangover Wednesday morning, Carla made it through Wednesday’s training sessions, but was glad to be done when 5:00 PM finally arrived. With no work to worry about getting up for in the morning, she was happy to join her new buddies for a steak and a glass of Cabernet at the bar. She enjoyed chatting with them and accepted a couple more glasses of wine. By 8:30 she was beginning to get tired and told the group she was about to leave and asked if she’d be seeing them the next day.
“We’re in if you can at least make a few small bets with us to back up your misplaced confidence in the Steelers,” Tim answered, “We’re thinking $200 each, with us betting that your team loses.”
“Hold up there!” Carla replied, “I’m not exactly making a huge salary, and I’m trying to save up enough to move out of my parent’s house. I really can’t afford to lose that much!”