Epilogue 1 - Enter Julie

Julie sat and used the plastic straw to stir her drink, more out of boredom than to actually mix what little was left in her glass. The ice made satisfying clinks against the sides, but she could hardly hear it over the din of the convention. Even in the cozy confines of the speakeasy booth, the raucous excitement of the patrons was hard to ignore. Unfortunately, Julie didn't share their enthusiasm.

She didn't want anything to do with any of the people, products, or services there. Her boss, Mr. Wu, insisted that the trip was about networking and gaining business insights, but it only took. Julie half an hour to realize that it was an excuse for perverted billionaires to gawk at overly sexy women. She was not one of those sexy women, and she did not wish to be one.

Seemingly all the other women there were dressed like they were in a competition to wear the sluttiest outfit, while Julie was wearing a professional blouse, sensible slacks, and comfortable black shoes. She felt like a fish out of water, but she wasn't about to dress any differently. Her long dark hair was tied in a bun, unlike the other women who must have spent close to an hour styling their hair for the day, and her prescription eyeglasses were demure and unassuming unlike the one woman wearing just a pair of hot pink frames.

Julie really wished that she had stood her ground with Mr. Wu and stayed at home. She could have spent the week curled up on her couch, stroking her cat while reading books, but Mr. Wu demanded that she come. Apparently, he wasn't responsible enough to stick to a simple itinerary.

She glanced at her watch. She still had twelve minutes before she had to tear him away from the virtual reality karaoke so he could attend his meeting with Mr. Fairstone. It was enough time for another drink, but she didn't really want to throw away another eight dollars on a virgin cocktail.

A voice from behind Julie startled her. Up until that point, she had been the only person seeking refuge in the speakeasy, so the woman speaking with a strong Brooklyn accent readily cut through the convention's white noise.

"Oh my gawd! I still can't even with the size of that rock!"

Julie winced. Somehow the woman had managed to make "god" a two-syllable word. It was cringe-worthy to say the least, but it seemed on par for the female denizens of the convention. She looked over her shoulder to see who had walked in, more to judge than anything. She saw two women, a blonde and a brunette, walking into the booth, their heels clicked in near unison on the hardwood floor of the speakeasy. They were both dressed in the slutty bimbo couture that was evidently very popular, outfits that emphasized their ridiculous figures and displayed sex appeal rather than professionalism. The blonde was dressed in a tight gold sequined mini dress that threatened to slip off her overly inflated boobs at any moment. Her hot pink stiletto heels matched an equally pink pair of sunglasses that she wore in her hair like an expensive hairband.

The brunette's outfit would have appeared slightly more reserved and professional, but her ridiculously proportioned body put the blonde's to shame. Her butt projected like a shelf from her backside, causing her tight crimson mini skirt to appear as if it was painted on, but it was her blouse that tipped the scale into obscene. On Julie, the white button-up shirt would have been completely presentable, but the brunette had no hope in hell of fastening any button above her bust line, leaving the shirt completely open to display her matching red lace bra.

The blonde continued talking as they approached the bar, paying no mind to Julie even as they stood beside her. "Like, I knew it was big because of your posts, but seein' it in real life.. Wow!" Julie returned her attention to the straw in her mostly empty glass, but it was impossible not to listen in to their conversation.

The brunette giggled. "I know. I was kind of self-conscious about it at first, I thought it was too obnoxious, but I think I've gotten used to it."

Julie scoffed before she was able to stifle it. When both women looked her way, she knew she probably shouldn't have done it, but it felt right nonetheless. Seriously, a woman dressed like that was worried that a ring was too obnoxious? She needed a reality check.

"Did you have somethin' to say?" asked the blonde, her voice had taken on a tone that made it clear she wasn't afraid of a fight.

Julie shook her head and pushed her glass away. The aggression from the blonde was more than Julie had expected, and it triggered her to start damage control. She adjusted her glasses and looked up at the two women with a smile meekly. "No, no, I'm sorry. I just feel a little out of my element here, I'm not used to this... lifestyle." Looking between the two women, Julie decided to lock eyes with the brunette - she had a **** expression. "And hearing extravagant women like yourselves feel self-conscious about wearing a ring... it felt a little... silly?" Her eyes flicked between the two women for any sign of response. The blonde still had her brow furrowed and her jaw clenched in a furious expression, like she was still ready to take off her dangly earrings and throw blows like she was part of some bimbo fight club, but she turned to look at her friend to gauge her reaction.

The brunette had a mildly amused expression, as if she found her friend's reaction entertaining. After what felt like an eternity to Julie, who really would have rather been at home with a book, the brunette smiled and chuckled. "It really is silly, isn't it?" she said sweetly.

Julie let out a sigh of relief before joining in with the brunette's infectious laughter. She really didn't want to get in a fight with the locals - that would be so unprofessional and embarrassing for Mr. Wu.

"But just look at this thing!" The brunette thrust her left arm towards Julie, showing off her hand adorned with ridiculously long red nails and a ring containing the largest diamond Julie had ever seen.

Julie's eyes bugged out of her head. "Whoa, that's huge! I can see why you'd be self-conscious wearing that!" This time, the blonde decides to laugh alongside the brunette.

"Right?" said the brunette, "Isn't it ridiculous?"

Julie looked up at her and scrunched her face slightly. The ring was so gawdy and over-the-top. "A little," she said, "Sorry."

The pair of women laughed again, and Julie felt herself relax. They weren't so bad, but she still wouldn't want to socialize with them in her everyday life.

"It's okay, I might turn it into a necklace or something." The brunette held out her hand and looked at it thoughtfully for a moment, then she covered up her hand and looked back at Julie "Anyways, I take it it's your first time here?"

Julie sank back down into her stool. "Yeah.." She said morosely.

"Oh, you're gonna have so much fun," said the blonde. "I wish I could experience it all again for the first time."

"I don't think so," Julie replied, "it's not really my scene."

"Oh, nonsense. You just needta loosen up. Here, lemme buy you anotha' drink." The blonde waved the bartender over.

Julie waved her hand in protest, "Thanks, but I'm not drinking."

The blonde looked shocked and appalled, but the brunette replied, "Why not?"

"I'm on the clock," said Julie. "My boss needs to make sure I keep him on schedule."

The two women laughed just as the bartender arrived. "Trust me," said the brunette, "if your boss brought you here, he's okay with you unwinding a bit. You need to loosen up to enjoy a place like this and you deserve to enjoy yourself, don't you agree?"

Julie grabbed the counter and steadied herself. Her damn vertigo was back, and at a very inopportune time like usual. Hopefully, the two women didn't notice that she looked woozy, but the feeling was gone before too long. She looked up at the women and the bartender; all three of them were looking at her expectantly. "Sure, why not?" she said. The blonde clapped excitedly and ordered three cosmopolitans from the bartender. She had never had a cosmopolitan before, but she'd heard about them. She wondered what it was like, she wondered if she'd have enough time before she had to leave, or maybe... Maybe she'd just stay until she finished it. After all, she deserved to enjoy things every once in a while.

While the bartender made the drinks, the brunette leaned on the bar and looked at Julie. "So new girl, what's your name?"

"Julie."

"Nice to meet you, Julie." Replied the brunette. She pointed to the blonde, "This is Carmella, and I'm Kitty." Julie had to fight the urge to roll her eyes at the woman's name, but Kitty continued, "Take it from me and give the convention a chance. You'll learn a lot more at this convention than you think. You'll come out of this a new woman."