Authors: Jake Ainsworth
But that is what he loved most about her. She didn’t feel the need to put on a show for him. She was comfortable with herself and expected him to be as well. It wasn’t that she didn’t take pride in how she looked. It was just important that some days don’t require showering or putting on make-up and high heels. And he knew that she didn’t expect that of him either.
In just three short days, it was as if they had been together for years. They knew everything there was to know about each other. They confided in each other, disclosed fears and dreams; let each other into places in their lives that had previously been off-limits to anyone. And the best part was the contentment that they each felt. There was nothing else that was necessary to make the day more complete. Everything that was important was cuddled up on the couch under an afghan, watching reruns of the Cosby Show and sharing popcorn.
The good night kiss that evening was longer than the previous night. Neither wanted the day to end. Their embrace was full of passion and love, an experience that neither had previous felt and therefore wanted to hold on to for as long as possible. The night ended there as Neville bade her goodnight. He was a gentleman after all. Still, his love for her made leaving one of the most difficult things he had ever done. But tomorrow was a new day; a day that would be amazing for the simple fact that Victoria was in his life.
10
Victoria couldn’t sleep. Her mind stayed fixed on Neville and the events of the weekend. She couldn’t believe that there was actually a decent person out there, let alone the fact that she had found him and he proved to be an attractive, successful guy.
Every experience in her past told her to run for her life, that this would end badly. There was no way that two people could be in the same field and not be competition. Her rational mind was at war with her heart. But, just this once, she was going to let her heart win out. She was tired of being alone. Sarah was a wonderful person and an amazing friend, but Victoria wanted more than that. She wasn’t getting any younger and the prospect of a family was slowing slipping by her.
Still, there was more apprehension than she was willing to admit. She wanted nothing more than to give herself fully to a relationship. She wanted to be able to completely and totally fall in love with a guy. There would be a comfort level then that would put her at ease. She wouldn’t have to worry about being hurt anymore by stupid men who didn’t care. She would have a safe place to go in times of trouble, a harbor in which to ride out the storms of life.
But was all of this just the romantic fantasies of a young girl resurfacing in her adulthood? Was that kind of love a reality, or just the stuff of fairytales? She had to believe it was real. To deny it would be to sentence herself to a lonely life where bitterness would rule and her only companionship would be of the feline nature.
Determined not to talk herself out of a good thing, Victoria reached over and turned off the bedside lamp. In the darkness she continued to wonder about the possibilities of love. She had never been in love before, so she didn’t know what it must feel like. But there was no denying that her feelings for Neville were special. No one had ever made the gestures he had made to put her before his career and money. No one had ever cared enough to find out about her like he had. And no one had ever put in the effort to pursue her that he had. He was special. He was hers.
11
Neville had never really considered himself capable of love. His career had always come first, before money, before family. After all, that was what was modeled to him as a kid. His father cared nothing for family, only of getting ahead. He was determined to be different.
Thoughts of Victoria clouded his mind. He lay in his bed, not sleeping, but still dreaming. Happiness had always come at a price for him and he was more than a little worried about the price that love would demand. He wasn’t naïve enough to think that he wouldn’t have to sacrifice for a girl like Victoria. But it wasn’t the sacrifice that troubled him, it was that he didn’t know if he had what it took to make the sacrifice for her.
Sammy would not be happy. He knew that the crazy assistant would want to do something like bomb her car or burn her house down in order to ensure that they get the contract. It would not be an easy task to reign in the over-ambitious Sammy. But he would have to do it. He couldn’t let something like this ruin their relationship. He had no doubts that he would win over Niroki and secure the contract. But if he acted like a jerk, then he would lose Victoria.
No. He needed to show her support in this. He needed her to know that he wants her to succeed. Then, when he succeeds over her, she won’t be mad at him or think that he did something underhanded to get the account. He couldn’t let that happen.
No matter what, he was going to take the high road. He would probably even call her in the morning to see if she wanted any pointers for her presentation. That alone would show her that he cared about her. Then, when she fails to get the account, he will be there to comfort her and pick up the pieces of her broken career. After all that was past, perhaps she would even be willing to settle down with him, give up the career thing and just support him.
In his heart, he knew that she was not the kind of person to give up so easily, but a guy could hope. She would probably spend a few more years working on that business before finally facing the reality that it was a lost cause. Neville would be patient though. In the end, he knew that they were meant to be together. No matter what it took, he would make sure that that happened.
Was this love? Maybe. But he didn’t really know what love was, or what it meant. This was the best he could do for now. With no real love modeled in his life, he had nothing to go on except what he had seen in movies or read in books. But he was willing to give anything for Victoria. Surely that is what love was all about.
He switched off the light and closed his eyes. That night he went to bed with a higher purpose. He wasn’t living for money or power or a promotion anymore. He was living for Victoria. As he drifted off to sleep, he thought of a life far different from the one he had lived up to this point. This new life was filled with happiness and family. It was filled with love.
12
“So? Tell me all about it! Was he charming? Dashing? Chivalrous? Romantic? Hold nothing back from me.”
Victoria hadn’t even made it all the way in the door at ATA before Sarah has bombarded her with questions about her date on Friday night and the weekend that followed. Sarah had always been a romantic. From the time she was a little girl, Sarah believed that there was a prince charming out there for every virtuous girl. And when the faced with the prospect that one of her friends could have found hers, she could barely contain her excitement.
This all showed what kind of friend Sarah was. Victoria knew that Sarah wanted to find love more than anyone she had ever met. But, instead of lamenting her own single status, she rejoiced with her friend’s possible discovery of romance.
“It was alright,” Victoria said flippantly, intending to draw out the suspense as long as possible. With a smile, she power-walked to her own desk. Sarah was immediately on to the game and followed in step. Before she had a chance to say anything, Victoria spun around and grabbed her shoulders. She could barely contain her excitement.
“It was
amazing!
He was so sweet and wonderful and handsome. Ugh. I feel like a stupid little girl with a playground crush.”
The two laughed together as Victoria regaled her friend with the entire transcript of the weekend. Sarah sat captivated at the telling of the story, like a child being told for the first time of the amazing adventures Alice had on the other side of the looking glass.
Once Victoria’s account was complete, Sarah asked the inevitable question that she knew she couldn’t avoid.
“Aren’t you worried about the competition for the Niroki account putting a strain on your
budding romance
?”
“I think I was at first. But Neville assured me that it wouldn’t interfere with our relationship. He was so thoughtful that he even asked if I wanted some help preparing for my presentation this afternoon.”
“Are you going to take him up on it?”
“No. I don’t think so. I don’t really want to bring any work into our relationship. I think it’s best to just keep that part separate.”
“But what happens when he asks you about your day? What if he begins to pry?”
“I guess I’ll deal with that when it comes. I hadn’t really thought about it.”
“You probably should. The last thing you want is for him to come home from work and there’s tension at the dinner table. That’s no environment for you to raise kids in. They should have peace in the house.”
“Whoa! Kids? After one weekend? Don’t you think marriage and kids are a bit of a stretch at this point?”
“I’m just saying. You should probably at least consider the possibilities. After all, if you can’t see yourself with him in the future, maybe you shouldn’t be with him in the present.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a person go from elation to depression in such a short period of time. I thought you were all for him.”
“I am! But if you decide you don’t want him then I have dibs.” They laughed together and then got down to business. The meeting with Niroki was that afternoon and there were still a few details that needed to be hammered out. Victoria’s mind had been all over the place lately, but Sarah had pulled through for her, carrying the majority of the burden and doing a yeoman’s job when it came to researching the market statistics and possible marketing strategies.
Victoria was pretty confident in herself, but she wasn’t setting her sights too high. There wasn’t much of a chance that she would land the account, but she was going to give it the best possible effort. Even if Neville won the account, she was excited to see him again and congratulate him on the victory. Although, it did make her a little uncomfortable that she kept referring to it as a competition. She really did want the account. There was no higher calling than to help people. And what better way to help them than to help their businesses grow. If she was able to get the Niroki account and the subsequent commission, she would be able to help a ton of people, whether they could afford it or not.
13
Neville didn’t like being in a funk, but his conversation with Sammy a few hours ago did just that. Sammy would never understand the excitement of finding love because Sammy cared nothing for anyone other than himself. He was much more like Neville’s father than was his own son. How could he possibly expect Neville to play dirty when it came to the Niroki account? After explaining that he thought he was in love with Victoria, all Sammy could think about was how that was going to affect the meeting that day. He didn’t care at all that Neville was happier than he had been in years. All he cared about was money, that insensitive jerk.
The limo ride over to Niroki’s offices was long and lonely, giving Neville even more time to stew on his previous conversation with Sammy. The part he was most angry about was that he knew deep down, Sammy was right. There was no way that he could hold on to his objectivity when dealing with Victoria. He had been compromised. But still, he couldn’t bring himself to do anything shady. He had no doubts that it would be he who emerged victoriously with the Niroki account. So why would he jeopardize his future with Victoria by being petty and childish? If he played his cards right, he would earn millions of dollars and still walk away with the girl. That was his plan and he was sticking to it, regardless of what stupid Sammy said.
Walking into the Fifth Avenue Business Complex was like taking a step onto a movie scene. One side of the revolving door was the dismal gray of the New York sidewalks, and the other side was adorned with impossibly shiny tiles leading the way through a great room that extended for what seemed like miles up in the air. Three magnificent chandeliers hung from the ceilings. Their crystalline protuberances reflected dancing beams of light that seemed to be people from a different world walking around the lobby, conducting business as usual in their radiant alternate universe. The polished onyx desk at the end of the hall stood in stark contrast to the bright and lively main foyer. Above the desk, the words ‘The Hanson Group’ protruded from the wall in a stunning display of visual art. The Hanson Group was the company who owned the Fifth Avenue Business Complex and several other buildings in lower Manhattan. Their quest for perfection and unnatural splendor didn’t stop with the décor, but also bled over into the conduct of their employees. The man woman behind the desk was the very picture of professional. Her hair was neatly and tightly pulled back behind her head and her attire was amazingly pristine: a black pant suit, perfectly pressed, and a white shirt, buttoned to the neck with a silk neck-tie wound into an impeccable Windsor knot. There was no make-up on her face that was visible, as if she gave up any indication of her gender in order to provide the most professional appearance possible.
“May I help you sir?” Although she was clearly American, her annunciation was so proper that it gave her a slight hint of a British accent.
“Uh, yes. I have a four-thirty appointment with Mr. Niroki.”
“One moment please.”
She turned to her computer and, with robot-like proficiency, began to type in the information necessary to confirm that he was who he said he was.
“Yes. Mr. Pearson, right?” Neville nodded his head. “He is finishing up with an appointment right now. If you take the elevator to the twentieth floor, there’s a waiting room off to the right. Please, make yourself comfortable and enjoy a cup of espresso while you wait.”
Neville politely thanked the woman and went over to the elevators on the west wall of the foyer and pressed the
up
button. Looking at his watch, he realized with satisfaction that he was twenty minutes early for his meeting. On-time was late. He never arrived late.
The elevator opened and Neville stepped inside of the ornately decorated place. A chandelier also adorned this ceiling. It was an exact replica of the ones in the entryway, although only about one-fourth the size. The left and back walls were exquisitely painted with a mural of what looked like an Eastern European palace interior. The way the artist was able to capture the nuances of depth and perception made it feel like he had actually entered into a mansion a half a world away. Indeed, had the wall to the right been completed, he might have actually believed such a transport was possible in the enchanted elevator car. But the pale white wall to the right diminished the effect of the illusion.
The lights on the number panel to the right of the door continued to rise and eventually came to rest on the number twenty. As the doors slid open, Neville almost ran into Victoria in his haste to exit.
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
But instead of accepting his apology, she practically jumped on him and pushed him back into the elevator. Her hug was enthusiastic and the high-pitched squeal was definitely an indicator of excitement.
“That was amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever had a meeting like that before. I was so poised, so professional.”
“Meeting?” It hit Neville then, harder than Victoria did when she embraced him only minutes ago. So hard, in fact, that it threatened to sweep his feet out from under him. “You just met with Niroki?”
“Yeah. And I think I hit a home run.”
Neville was in shock. He was certain that he would be the first to meet with Niroki and set the bar high for Victoria. He didn’t like being the second on stage, especially when he didn’t know what he was up against. He tried to retain some composure and try to get some information from Victoria.
“Why…Why would you say it was a home run?”
She could barely contain her excitement as she tried to answer his question. She was like a little kid who just got told they were going to Disneyland and had the entire park to themselves.
“Well…after I finished my presentation, he was so impressed that he asked me to go golfing with him tomorrow.”
Trying to sound happy for her, Neville asked, “Where? When?”
“Tomorrow, at the Siwanoy Country Club. Up in Eastchester. I think our tee time is at ten.”
“I didn’t know you played golf.”
“I don’t really, and I told him that. But he said it would be fun and we could talk more about the ad campaign. Isn’t that great?”
“Yeah….it’s…uh… wonderful.”
The doors opened back at the lobby. Neville hadn’t even realized that he had ridden the elevator back down with Victoria. She kissed him and said goodbye, then skipped merrily out of sight. Still in a state of shock, Neville habitually looked down at his watch again and saw the time: three fifty-two.
“Crap.”
The doors closed and he began his ascent once again. He forewent the coffee in the waiting room and went straight for Niroki’s office. To his surprise, it was Niroki himself who answered the knock. He must have been in his sixties, although, like most Japanese men, he aged so gracefully that any attempt at accurately guessing his age was most likely a futile effort. There was no secretary, no welcome area, just the office. But it was beautifully decorated. The desk at the far end of the room was more majestic than any Neville had previously seen. As someone who took great pride in his own desk, Neville had spent months looking for the right one. As he had never come across one so ornately carved and splendidly polished, he knew that it must have been a custom design and most likely cost a small fortune.
“Please, Mr. Pearson. Come in and have a seat.” Neville sat, but Niroki did not. Instead, he went to a hot plate that was sharing shelf space with some ancient looking books.
“Would you like some tea, Mr. Pearson?”
“Uh, yes, please.”
Niroki carried himself with grace and honor, always standing tall and proud as if royalty, yet speaking with such humility as one who dedicated his life to serving others.
“Well, Mr. Pearson. What can I do for you today?”
Neville, with years of experience and training behind him, launched into his sales pitch. He effortlessly spouted out numbers and demographic statistics. He reinforced the power of PMZ in the marketplace and how using such a big company would only benefit Mr. Niroki and his amazing product. He rambled on for close to thirty minutes, but Mr. Niroki never broke his gaze. His listened as intently as if this was the first time he had ever heard a sales presentation and was completely captivated by it. Once finished, Neville sat back in his chair, confident that Victoria would not have been able to put on such an amazing spectacle of knowledge and skill.
“Thank you for your time, Mr. Pearson.”
Hardly the response he was expecting, Neville didn’t move from his chair.
“I’m sorry?”
Niroki looked confused as to why Neville was having a hard time comprehending his dismissal.
“Thank you, Mr. Pearson. Your presentation was excellent. I will be in touch.”
Neville couldn’t leave it like that. If Victoria had gotten an invitation to golfing, he had to leave with something, anything.
“Did you not like my presentation, Mr. Niroki?”
“I thought it was very professional.”
“Then I don’t understand. Did I do something wrong? Say something offensive?”
“Not at all. Although your presentation was very professional, it was not very personal. I want to work with someone that can be relatable as a person.”
“I can assure you Mr. Niroki, that PMZ takes a very personal and hands-on approach to all of our clients.”
“I don’t care what PMZ does, Mr. Pearson. I care about what you do, and I didn’t feel like you were personally interested in me. Just that you were a representative of a company interested in my business. There’s a big difference for me. So, like I said, I will be in touch. Thank you for your time, Mr. Pearson.”
Neville couldn’t believe his ears. He had just been shut down. He had never been shut down. The trip to the elevator seemed to be happening as if in a dream. He didn’t remember moving his legs or pressing the buttons on the elevator. He needed to think. He needed Sammy.