"That's the only reason I let her run a tab."
"And now you're backing out?"
The instant she finished, she spun toward my clients and raised her voice. "Gentlemen, is this really the kind of person you want to keep doing business with?"
The clients stayed silent.
Janet's face had gone ashen.
The pressure was supposed to work. I was supposed to fold rather than lose these clients. But the room hadn't moved—not one of them bought her act, and I hadn't even bothered to look at her.
By now her expression had changed completely.
"Ms. Dickerson, since you refuse to pay, you leave us no choice."
She turned to the security guards behind her and barked, "Pin them all down!"
"I noticed when they walked in—every single one of them is wearing a luxury watch."
"Those watches ought to cover the bill just fine!"
My stomach dropped.
The clients trusting me was one thing. But if they got manhandled at a restaurant I'd invited them to, I'd never be able to face them again.
"Don't you dare!"
I shot to my feet. "I spend over a million a year at this restaurant. Is this how you treat your customers?"
My voice was shaking with anger. "Where's your owner? Tell him to come see me."