Free Happy All the Time by Laurie Colwin

Denton’s teeth down his throat and save Misty. But when he thought of Misty, he felt that perhaps someone would have to come and save Denton.
    An hour later, she was back.
    â€œWhat are you still here for?” she said, grabbing her coat. Her face was pale and grim.
    â€œI was waiting for you,” Vincent said.
    â€œThen get me the hell out of here and just take me somewhere.”
    She did not speak in the elevator, in the taxi, or in the banquette of the expensive bar Vincent took her to. When the waiter appeared, Misty seemed unable to speak. Vincent ordered whisky and soda.
    â€œWhat will you have?” he asked her.
    â€œOne of those things they have in old movies,” she muttered.
    Vincent ordered her a gin fizz. Silence descended again until the waiter brought the drinks. This gave Vincent a little time to consider the options. If Denton had fired Misty, if he could not see Misty every day, he would simply have to throw himself at her mercy sooner. If she had not been fired, he had a few months to go before throwing himself at her mercy. He looked at her quickly out of the corner of his eye. She sat huddled in her green coat looking malevolent.
    â€œAll right,” said Vincent. “Drinks are here. Please take one long sip and tell me what happened.”
    Misty took a sip. “My, this is disgusting,” she said. “Well, here’s what happened. I found Denton coming down the hall looking for me. I said I was looking for him. We went into Roy’s office because it was nearest. He must have gotten out fast—there wasn’t a thing in it. Then I told Denton that he was a son of a bitch and that he may have gotten away with fucking around with other people’s jobs, but he wasn’t going to fuck around with mine, and that I quit. I said I was quitting because his kind of cavalier ownership, his brand of whimsicality came a little too close to threatening my livelihood and it was clear he either couldn’t see the connection or didn’t care. I told him I didn’t want to work for some prep school snip.”
    â€œYou said that?” Vincent said. “What did he say?”
    â€œHe looked sort of sick. He said he hoped I would stay, that the whole thing had gotten out of hand and that no one was ever going to be fired. I told him he ought to go out and get a job and find out what being an employee was like.”
    â€œWhat did he say?”
    â€œHe apologized,” said Misty.
    â€œHe did? Denton?”
    â€œYes. He said he was sorry and asked me to stay.”
    â€œAnd you said?”
    â€œI said I would stay and that if he ever used me as a pawn again, I would either kill him or sue him. I come from a family of pinkos and lawyers. We don’t screw around.”
    â€œOh,” said Vincent. “That’s quite amazing.”
    â€œNo, it isn’t,” said Misty. “It’s disgusting. The really awful thing about people like Denton is that they make people like me do things like that. Do you think I like behaving that way? Well, you’re wrong, buster. That’s the worst side of me. He just can’t use me the way he does the others. If they want to dance around him, that’s their business. I’m not going to be treated that way.”
    â€œI think you’re wonderful,” said Vincent.
    â€œOh, yeah?” she said. “Well, you would. I’m not wonderful. I’m the scourge of God. Now, do I really have to drink this thing?”
    â€œYes,” said Vincent. “Every drop. It’ll do you good.”
    What it did was go straight to her head. The glasses on the long, mahogany bar began to wink at her. The vase of flowers on the side table took on a deep, rosy glow. She leaned her head back against the plush.
    â€œMaybe I should have another one,” she said.
    â€œA very wise move,” said Vincent.
    â€œVincent?”
    â€œYes?”
    â€œCan we just sit around here