"This is very vanilla," said Adrien as he shook his head and stated his dull opinion. He adjusted his wide rimmed glasses and placed his hands on his hip inside his open blazer. The conference room went silent. Everybody looked tormented and some looked like they had not slept in days.
"I am looking to impress her! Not put her to sleep guys! You don't seem to understand the gravity of her visit." he said frustrated.
This was the third review of the corporate presentation that was prepared and this too failed to satisfy Adrien.
Adrien was the COO of Eminence Designs. He was an ivy league graduate and one of the best leaders the company had seen. His opinions were always revered, and his economic and market predictions were sought after. So, when Adrien said, "it doesn't impress", it really didn't impress.
Chris was standing at the corner of the conference room silently absorbing what was happening in the meeting and he seemed really puzzled. He didn't understand what all the fuss was about. In his 6 months in Eminence Designs as an intern he had never seen Adrien so worked up about a visit. Chris knew that an investor was visiting them, but he had no idea it was such a big deal. He kept looking at Adrien silently, trying to gauge how important this visit was for the company.
"Emily, please cancel all my meetings for today. We will need to fix this presentation. We have just two more days before Freya visits us," said Adrien irritated.
Everybody left the room other than a handful of people who's next few days were going to be messed up. Chris left the room following Emily, trying to chat with her and understand what was happening inside.
Emily sat down at her desk trying to complete her newly assigned task when Chris approached her and smiled at her. Emily looked up at Chris and blushed. Chris was a handsome man with the perfect chocolate boy body. He had an above average height and a perfectly toned body, not too broad shoulders and toned hands. He always pulled up his sleeves halfway showing off his strong hands and was always crisp in his appearance. He had a pleasant face and when he smiled he got cute dimples on his cheeks just beside his irresistible lips. He knew he was handsome, and he would sometimes use it to his advantage. Not only that, he was one of the smartest in his class and he had chosen to work for Eminence Designs despite the other offers he had, as he had a hunger for learning and he felt this internship would set him up on a great career path.
Emily had a huge crush on Chris, and he knew it. During his internship, Chris had turned his charm on Emily and pulled out information and gossip from her which helped him understand the power dynamics in his office and had also become a favorite among the mid management folks at Eminence Designs.
"What's up beautiful?" he said as he flashed his irresistible smile at Emily. Emily tried hard not to get carried away and said, "Not now Chris. I really need to get this done asap."
"Let me help you."
Saying this he walked across to Emily's side and placed his hand over her hand which was operating the mouse. Emily loved the move and could smell his musky cologne. She was getting shivers down her spine and was getting intoxicated. He kept moving the mouse while holding her hand and after a few clicks and a few minutes later, he lifted up his hand breaking off Emily from her daydream.
"There. Done! And you are welcome," said Chris and winked at her.
"Thank you Chris. Tell me how I may help you," said Emily tucking her stray strand of hair behind her left ear.
"Why don't i take you out for a quick coffee?"
"I can't leave my desk. I am really busy"
"I think you can take a 15 min break. Come on.. "
He bent down, moving close to Emily's face and whispered " And it's not like your boss is going to notice you are gone."
He said raising his eyebrows and pointing towards the conference room with his index finger to emphasize that Adrien was busy.
Emily followed Chris's eyes and peeped into the conference room. Her boss did seem really busy.
She said "Ok. May be just for a few minutes," and stood up from her chair.
Chris and Emily took the elevator to the coffee shop which was on the top floor and sat down at a table after picking up their coffee at the counter. Chris was complimenting her looks all the while and Emily couldn't stop blushing.
After settling down Emily tried to control her laughter, looked into Chris's eyes and asked him "So.. what do you need from me mister?"
Chris smiled and got straight to the point. "Who is this tycoon visiting us? I have never seen Adrien so worked up. What exactly is up?"
Emily smiled and said, "I knew your quick little help had something coming for me."
She took a pause and said, "Ok. Freya! Freya Arquette. She is one among the top 50 most wealthy and most powerful women in the world. She is one of our investors and not just that, the most influential member is the World Business Circle. She is a Business powerhouse and is the most sought-after women in entire of Europe. After chasing her and following up with her office for the millionth time in the last two years, she is finally visiting us. IT IS A HUGE Deal! Adrien wants to get Freya's attention and her backing on our new product line, and he will not leave any stone unturned."
"Interesting! I need to find..." started Chris when he was interrupted by Emily's phone ringing.
She picked it up and said "I gotta go. You sit down and finish your coffee. Bye." and hurried away.
Chris sat there intrigued about this fantasy figure. He made a mental note to learn more about Freya and sipped on his coffee. He took out his phone and started his mini research. What he found in the next few minutes blew him away. He knew he had to use this situation and become visible to Freya and that would open up all the desirable doors for him. He took one last sip of coffee and grinned as he brewed up an idea in his mind. He picked up his phone and walked briskly to the elevator.
He headed straight to the conference room and as Emily saw what he was up to, she tried to stop him, but it was too late. He entered the conference room, interrupted the meeting and closed the door behind him. Emily was shocked and kept staring through the glass doors as to how pissed Adrien would be for Chris's unprofessional behavior. She could see Adrien's face turn red with anger.
Chris did not waste a single minute. Emily saw Chris go up to the whiteboard and quickly make a drawing, his lips kept moving without a single ounce of fear. Emily knew Adrien is going to blast on him any minute now. But as she kept looking, she was surprised at how Adrien's face changed. His anger turned into interest and then into a faint smile which quickly turned into a proud smile. He walked ahead, shook Chris's hand and patted him on his shoulder, turned towards the rest of the members and started moving his lips. Chris was smiling too, proudly and confidently showing off his teeth and his cute dimples. Emily knew, he had played his charm and intelligence again.
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The day finally came when Freya was to arrive. The entire office sparkled and shined like it was ready for the arrival of a goddess. Adrien had an almost skipping pace in his walk and the entire office eagerly expected the guest. Freya was to arrive at 10am and Adrien was standing in front of elevator since 9.55am almost sweating. The clock struck 10 and the elevator door opened as if by divine intervention and there she was.
A stunning lady, in a black formal dress and stilettos. Cascading honey colored hair, golden colored skin, big bold blue eyes. When she looked at you, you would almost feel her sight boring into you. The moment she took the first step on the floor, it felt like all the lights dimmed and she was the only source of light, so radiant! Everything seemed to slow down, everybody faded into the background and she was the only focus of hundreds of eyes.
Chris was gaping with his mouth almost open. He felt a wave of wind brush through him. He had never felt so weak ever. He quickly checked himself and stood straight.
Adrien stepped forward and greeted her with a huge smile, a big bouquet and a strong handshake. "Welcome Ms. Arquette. It's a pleasure to have you with us today!"