The Cerulean Swan

by The Author's Mighty Pen

Anna Smith owns a jazz club called the Cerulean Swan and John Bates enters the scene to replace a lagging alcohol maker and distributor, Green. He invites her to come to his alcohol refinery, The Bubble Room, and specializes in refined champagnes and other alcoholic beverages. Together they will create a new kind of night club with his new brand: Ugly Duckling.

1. Welcome to the Swan

She rubbed at her eyes and then blinked rapidly as if she could clear her vision. Taking a deep breath she shook her head.

"How many times do I have to tell you? We want the order no later than two every Monday and Friday."

"It gets difficult to keep up with the orders."

"I don't bloody well care. I'm running a business and I can't have my customers being told before last call that there's no more for them." She held up her hands, "I've found new suppliers and they start tomorrow."

"What about this week's receipt?"

"I already paid you in advanced for the half shipping we had last week so you finish delivering this week and that's it."

"What if I don't?"

"Then, Mr. Green, I'll have to talk to the nice men I know down the street at the nearest precinct and they'll come and raid your trashy little dump for what you owe me and at least three other jazz clubs down this street." She stood up, "And by the way, the last batch you sold us was shit so you're lucky we paid you at all."

"Ms. Smith-"

"No," Smith waved Green out of her office, "Get out before I have someone haul you out of here."

She watched the man throw his chair back and stomp out of her office, slamming the door. She shook her head again, pacing behind the desk as someone knocked on the door. She sighed and turned to the door, "Come in."

A tall, lanky man came through the door and waved her, "Sorry to bother you, Ms. Smith, but I just wanted to make sure you're alright."

"I will be once we get all those bottles of Green Champagne out of our system." She snorted, "Maybe we give it to the drunk ones and we'll find ourselves out fractions of cost for the good stuff."

"I think we could use it to fill the toilets and save on water." The other man laughed and she pointed to the space outside her office.

"What's the view for the evening?"

"We've got a good take I think. Mr. Crawley is in tonight, probably because Mrs. Crawley is singing, but he's not bringing the younger Mr. Crawley. He's bringing someone with him but won't say whom."

"Probably some new investor Mr. Talbot." Ms. Smith took another breath, "Make sure we set aside the Grey Room for them."

"Will do Ms. Smith." Talbot left and Ms. Smith took her seat again, rotating in her chair to stare out the window with the large, blue swan in flight etched into its surface. She took a deep breath, staring down at the golden hued room below, decorated with blue over the walls and large chandeliers with bubble-styled lighting.

She stood up, folding her arms over her chest as she looked down at the room with her workers and cleaners making the room shine for the evening's activities. Her eyes went to the large artistic display on the wall of a larger, attacking blue swan, over the label, 'The Cerulean Swan'.