Off the Cuff
April 2,
2011
Challenge:
Write a story in 1 hour with the following theme: expensive
*******
“No…. Not
that one… uh uh… I don’t think so… Definitely not.”
Ezra put a
hand on Vin’s arm and forced the other man to stop.
“Vin.”
“Yeah, Ez?” Vin asked, looking a bit
shell shocked.
“You have to
pick one.”
“But…”
“Don’t you
like the color?” Ezra asked.
“Yeah,
sure.”
“Okay, then,
what is it? The style? I tried to choose ones that would be comfortable.”
“Nah, it’s
not that,” Vin sighed.
Ezra echoed
his sigh. “I don’t understand.”
Vin ran a
hand through his hair. “These,” he said capturing a sleeve from one of the suit
jackets in the same hand, “they’re just not me, Ez,”
he trailed off as he fingered the price tag.
Ezra’s eyes
narrowed thoughtfully. “If you wish to accompany me on this assignment, you
must dress… appropriately. Mr. Larabee has authorized our shopping spree.”
“Yeah, I
know, but, I have a suit…”
Ezra started
to laugh, but quickly turned it into a cough. “Vin…
the gentlemen we are to be meeting with… they won’t consider a suit like yours
to be… well,” he shrugged, not wanting to insult his friend. “They would
recognize its quality in seconds and our cover would be blown.”
Vin nodded.
“I know.”
“It’s for
the case,” Ezra said, trying to help.
“But what if
I damage it? They’re all so expensive,” Vin said,
staring mournfully at the silk suits.
This time,
Ezra couldn’t help himself as he started to laugh.
Vin frowned
at him until Ezra finally managed to control himself.
“I’m sorry, Vin, but really, it’s funny if you think about it. How many
suits has the agency reimbursed me for? And you’re
worried about one?” Ezra chuckled, shaking his head.
Vin blinked,
a slight smile touching his lips. “So, uh, which one would you choose?”
Ezra grinned
and picked the most expensive one. “This one. It shows off your eyes and is
well tailored to your broad shoulders. It’ll have the ladies melting. Buck will
be envious of the sheer volume of phone numbers you collect.”
Vin
chuckled. “Well, I suppose the most important thing is that I don’t blow our
cover.”
“Right,”
Ezra agreed with a smile. “Now you’re getting the idea.”
“Besides,”
Vin said, “Chris has preapproved the expense, right?”
“Yes,” Ezra
said, uncertain where Vin was taking this train of
thought.
“So… he’s
the one who has to hand the expense report in to the Judge.”
Ezra’s
eyebrows rose and a wicked smile lit his face. “I like the way you think, Vin
Tanner.”
The end
Feedback is
appreciated. JudyL