At the end of my spiel, when he asks a question, all I can think about is the way he squealed on that last strike. I really thought he liked it. Poor guy.
Despite that, I manage to answer all the questions thrown at me. The clients seem pleased with my pitch. Anderson dismisses our team, then he and I step into the hall to let the clients discuss what they’ve seen before we get their final approval or disapproval.
“I’m sorry,” I breathe as soon as we’re alone.
Anderson’s brow crinkles. “For what? You did an amazing job. There’s no way they’ll turn this down.”
“I—froze a little in the beginning.”
He nods and tilts his head. “Do you know him?”
Crap. “Know who?”
“Cary Hullings, the assistant to the advertising director.”
Cary! That’s his name. I was on the right track.
How do I answer this? Yeah, sure, I spanked him and made him promise to never forget his homework again. “Oh, I don’t really know him. I mean we’ve met, but—”
The door to the conference room opens, and Harlow Bradshaw, the director of advertising for their company, smiles at us. “We’re ready.”
Saved. That didn’t take long.
As soon as we enter, Mr. Bradshaw sticks out his hand to shake Anderson’s. “When can we get this into production?”
My chest loses all its tightness, and I can breathe again.
Anderson shakes his hand. “We’ll get things rolling right away. I can get with you on Monday with the target dates if that’s acceptable.”
The other men talk amongst themselves, except for the one who’s trying to look at me without looking at me.
“Sounds good to me. You do fine work. We know who to come to from now on.”
Anderson smiles and gestures to me. “Thank you, Mr. Bradshaw. Ms. Hunt was actually the creator and brains behind this campaign. She’s the lead, and your people will be working with her as we get closer to completing the project.”
Mr. Bradshaw’s smile is wide and not the least bit patronizing. When he offers me his hand, I shake it. “Very well done, Ms. Hunt. Excellent work. We’ve shopped this brand around and you wouldn’t believe some of the suggestions we’ve seen. Everything from a skateboarding llama to a beer drinking cat. You’ve captured exactly the message and tone we were going for.”
I could cry. Not because I’ve successfully nailed this account, but because Anderson didn’t hesitate to let the client know it was me. He didn’t take the credit. He respected my work, and this man followed suit. “Thank you. I look forward to seeing it on the screen.”
A few minutes of small talk finally end, and the men start filing out. The last to leave is Cary, and I stop him. “Could I have a minute?” My voice shakes with embarrassment, but I feel bad and there’s something I need to do.
He’s caught off guard and stammers, “Ah, of course.”
Anderson is too busy leading the others down the hall to notice we didn’t follow. Once I’m sure we can’t be heard, I take a deep breath. “I just wanted to thank you for not saying anything about how we know each other. I know that was…awkward.”
He sighs and runs his hand over the back of his neck. “Yeah, I was surprised. But it’s fine.”
“Look, about that last date. I want to apologize.”
This is so embarrassing I want to crawl under the table, but when I think back, what I did wasn’t exactly right and consensual. “I was…new to sex and had some wrong ideas about what most men would want. I should’ve asked. I’m sorry.”
How would I feel if I went home with a guy who just started waling on me or choked me or something without asking?
His smile is kind. “Apology accepted. It’s okay. And you don’t have to worry about me telling anyone around here.”
“I appreciate it.”
Anderson sticks his head through the doorway. “Is everything okay?”
“Fine,” I reply, and make a quick exit. No doubt he’ll want an explanation later.
Once the clients have gone, Anderson calls me into his office. I’m expecting him to ask about Cary, but there’s something else on his mind.
We both sit down, and he runs his hand through his hair. “I’ve been giving some thought to your concerns about our relationship in the workplace. I understand you’re the one most at risk, being the newest one here.”
What’s happening? My stomach knots. Am I being fired? Is he breaking up with me?
He lets out a long sigh. “I was being selfish because I didn’t want to let you go.”
My heart beats in triple time. My tongue has mysteriously become glued to the roof of my mouth.
“But we need to move you to a new team.”
My entire body feels like it sags with relief. “I can’t work on Roman’s either,” I point out.
“No, but Jessica Riles has just been promoted and is putting a team together. She’s asked for you.”