"She's compromising her own personal beliefs and morals, putting her heart on the line just because he asked her to. She feels slightly sick at her stomach when she thinks about it, so she takes a page from his book and tries not to.
But trying not...
I couldn't help but breathe a nervous sigh of relief as the Rolls Royce dropped us off at the roundabout in front of Shutters on the Beach, the bougiest of hotels on Santa Monica Beach. It's opulence was grandiose, but it still managed a cool, calm "beach vibe." The fire places were rampant, and the views made you feel like you were in a New England cottage, perhaps even dining in Martha's Vineyard. Yet the pier was just outside, filled with foreigners and tourists, and if that wasn't annoying enough, the smog wasn't too far away. Los Angeles was so ironic to me.
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As I walked in and scanned the crowd of mostly older men dining with startlingly younger women, I couldn't help but feel out of place.
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I looked back as Eleanor waltzed in, wearing the most dazzling of casual outfits, looking like the Manhattanite Lead in Devil Wears Prada that was just too unwilling to leave the Left Coast. Her brand new Louboutins made her already tall model frame tower above everyone else, continuing to incite fear and apprehension in everyone in her wake.
I watched her tap the reservations desk impatiently, the same way Frank Underwood does in House of Cards. It only adds to the fear factor for her, I think, which is why she does it. If there's one word I could use to describe Eleanor, it's calculating.
Lost in thought, I wasn't even listening to what she was saying as we started walking to our table because I was silently cursing myself for having shoes that I bought from Macy's three years ago that were suddenly on display for all who wanted to watch my walk of shame. Eleanor had given me a talking to already about my wardrobe, but changing was a slow process for me. I wish I had picked the nicer shoes today. If only I had known I would be eating with my boss at the most exclusive of places.
"I don't want a table on a wall -- it has to be either in the center of the room or by the window for the beach view." I could hear her whine from a mile away at this point. I was trying to keep my distance in hopes she didn't notice my shoes.
There were parts of me that were inspired by Eleanor. She could walk in and not only command a room because she was beautiful, but she damn well knew how to get what she wanted. Meanwhile, up until a few weeks ago, I had been struggling to get a new job. I wish I had her hutzpah.
