#...she's sober rn tho

         When his brows arched, hers furrowed. He was a taciturn man, and not without reason, so when it came time for him to speak like this, he certainly couldn’t have minced words. “Don’t repeat it. You make me sound like a dummy.” Her fingers crossed. “It’s really sinister, okay? It’s totally sinister.” How well could he read lips? If she launched into a full tirade, would he keep up? She rolled her eyes. Her arms alternated between crossing and resting with her fists on her hips. Her lips puckered as she tapped her toe. There had to be an elegant way to say it.

        “It’s the sample people.” Cherry huffed. “They’re so insidious!”

        She locked eyes with him to make sure he was on the same wavelength. “See, it starts off real simple, right? Why not try a bite of the product? It’s there for the tasting! It’s free real estate—there’s no law saying you can’t walk off with every sample on the tray! But it is frowned upon. That’s not the point.”

       A thumb and forefinger pinched between her brows. “Anyway, it’s a trap. You think you’re home free, so slick, got to try a new product, or maybe even a food you already like and you just wanted another taste. But it’s no good at that point, no sir! They got you hooked. You’re in their domain now. Any power you had is gone. G-O-N-E. Those sample people, they’re a smart bunch. They know you’re human and that you’re capable of feeling guilt. That’s what they bank on.” She waggled a finger.

       “Now that you ate something, you gotta buy something or else you look bad. No one wants to be the ass that stands there munching samples and asks about the product, then just walks off. That’s a surefire way to make the workers hate you. And you know what happens if they hate you, right? The news, it spreads. Soon enough, that cashier you were so buddy-buddy with, the one that occasionally gives you coupons or hooks you up with discounts, she decides that you’re above all that. Surely you’ve got money, you can pay full price. Why not, right? You saved all that money not buying samples. So now you’ve lost your insider! You’re just like any other customer—you got nothing.” Even if he can’t hear her tone of voice, it’s clear from her posture and the red tint to her skin that she’s ready to blow up.