He couldn't guess what was on Lance's mind, so he hesitated, unsure of how to phrase his words.
Testing Lance was also part of his job, and as he was still contemplating how to put it, Eric suddenly chimed in, "Since Lance is being so generous, then Ossen, go ahead and take those five hundred dollars. Just so happens my car is out of fuel and needs gas."
He took his feet off the table where they had been propped, stomped on the floor, walked over to the coffee table, and in the gaze of Lawyer Ossen, took the envelope. "Forget it, I'll keep it on me. I'm going to get some gas right now," he paused, "Are you coming, Ossen?"
Lawyer Ossen pondered for a moment. He had some work left to do—the Mayor's assets weren't just this little bit, and he would be quite busy around pay day.
Many people knew that he could, to a certain extent, represent the Mayor's stance, so his involvement was important.