“No thanks, I’ll grab something later, but you get off and I will see you after my half one meeting,” she explained.
“Okay.” Rosie smiled before turning to leave. “I’ve got some post for you.”
“Just leave it on my desk for me and I’ll grab it after lunch.”
“Your desk?” queried Rosie.
“Yes,” replied Steph smiling as she realised that she felt that it was her desk in her office and in her department, but then realised that it wasn’t, it was Dave’s, and he was due back off leave the following week. “My desk.” She grinned at her assistant.
Armed with papercopies of the figures, the proposal and her laptop, Steph got into the lift and smiled at her reflection. She had deliberately put on the wiggle dress that she had worn just once before to the office and although Jon had told her on more than one occasion that he didn’t consider it suitable office wear as it distracted him and other male colleagues, she had deliberately worn it today because she hadn’t seen him personally for too long due to what he’d cited as ‘family stuff’ as the reason why he had been unable to see her. She’d readily accepted this and in no way objected. She certainly hadn’t questioned the nature of his ‘family stuff’, she could work it out for herself if she wanted to, and the truth was, she didn’t want to.She just wanted him to remember what he had been missing and insist on seeing her that night even though he had been vague on whether he would be free in spite of it being one of their nights to see each other.
She glanced behind her and wondered whether seamed stockings, complete with suspenders may have been too much, but it was too late and she had decided as she attempted to walk around the department that morning that the very high and expensive black stilettos were definitely too much.
The lift arrived at the twenty-third floor and as Steph wiggled down to the conference room she was glad that she had fixed her hair in a bun type of up do as she felt her temperature rising for a number of reasons including the unusually late heatwave and a little nervousness at the prospect of putting her proposal to the parties concerned.
She had set out the proposals at the places arranged by Andrea before she’d arrived. There was tea, coffee and water at one end of the table and a covered selection of cake and biscuits which reminded Steph of her own hunger, although as she was struggling to taste food right now due to some cold or something that seemed to be brewing, eating almost seemed pointless. She wondered whether she had time to run down to the canteen or coffee joint and grab something. She laughed as she thought that she had no chance of running anywhere in her shoes that were a little tight across the toes and were a little higher than her usual heeled shoes. Suddenly she felt very self-conscious and debated for a second whether to call Rosie and do a swap with her more sensibly heeled court shoes. After searching and finding the clock on the wall she realised that she was unlikely to have time to do this and was proven right when Andrea appeared in the doorway with Messrs Robertson, Mason and Alexander.
“Miss Pryor, Mr Brooker will be along shortly,” Andrea told her and then turned towards the men she was accompanying,“Help yourselves to refreshments, gentlemen, and if there is anything you need before the meeting starts I will be back shortly to get it for you.” She smiled amiably and left the room.
“There are a few things she could get for me,” Mr Mason sneered perversely making Mr Alexander smirk, but Mr Robertson looked uncomfortable, possibly by Steph’s presence and as Mr Mason continued with his lewd comments his two colleagues looked beyond uncomfortable. “Although I’m not sure Brooker would fully appreciate Miss Stewart’s attributes or Miss Pryor’s. I am suspicious of any man that remains that cool when surrounded by such hot totty. Maybe he bats for the other side because if they worked for me I would have them both bent across the conference table on a regular basis,” he muttered and seemed surprised when Steph looked up at him with an expression of disgust. “No offence, but you are very attractive,” he added as if that made his comment acceptable.
“Do you realise just how offensive you actually are?” asked Steph still semi stunned by his attitude.
“It was meant as a compliment,” he protested as Steph got to her feet and switched on the screen. “Plus I think you ladies know exactly what you are doing in the way you dress around the office.”
Jon had been right previously, her dress was inappropriate for the workplace, not that what she wore gave anyone the right to judge or make lewd comments, but whether it was fair or not, she needed to give consideration to wearing clothes that were professional rather than trying to entice her boss to make time for her. “Gentlemen, if we can get settled we can start the meeting promptly when Mr Brooker arrives,” she told them helping herself to a cup of tea and a slice of cake before taking her seat and turning on her laptop.
“Sorry for the delay folks,” came Jon’s voice from behind Steph as he appeared in the room, “I got held up on an overseas call,” he said in explanation.
Andrea followed him in and poured coffee for Jon before exiting the room after establishing that they were all ready for the meeting to start.
Steph began to talk them all through the proposal and she noticed that Gordon Alexander kept looking at the others and frowning. She smiled to herself as she waited for him to say something about the revised proposal that was now on the table.
He appeared to open his mouth several times, but said nothing until finally he blurted out, “I think we have missed something here because this deal bears no resemblance to the one we came to you with.”
“No, it doesn’t,” agreed Jon, apparently surprising him. “But unfortunately Mr Alexander, the original proposal you suggested was misleading and once Miss Pryor went through all of the figures this seemed the most appropriate deal to suggest and you are in no way obliged to accept it, but this is the only offer on the table,” Jon said forcefully.
Mr Mason sniggered and made a barely audible whispered reference to ‘I know what I’d put on this table’ and smiled at Steph lecherously.
“Are we interrupting you, Mr Mason?” asked Jon, irritated by the other man.
“No, sorry,” he replied nervously.
“Good, then shall we let Miss Pryor talk us through the deal?” he asked rhetorically and Steph took her cue perfectly.
She finished working through the proposal before Peter Robinson asked, “Can you explain why the original terms of our proposal for investment have been changed so considerably?”
Steph looked across at Jon who smiled at her and with a wave of his hand gestured for her to explain. “You didn’t askfor enough money. We, I, did some additional research and that, along with your own figures suggested that the amount of investment you were requesting would have been no more than a drop in the ocean, and in a year or so you would have needed more money or new investors and . . .” She looked across at Jon who picked things up.
“I didn’t want to become one of many shareholders Mr Robinson and I would have lost money if I had tried to get a return on the initial investment. So we have put on the table the best deal for your company, but also the best one for mine. Let’s have a comfort break and get some fresh tea and coffee in here and then Miss Pryor can give you the specifics,” he said pointing at the large projector screen that her laptop was linked up to.
The three other men looked between themselves before nodding as Jon got to his feet and looked across at Steph. “Miss Pryor, a word please.”
Steph nervously got to her feet and smiled as she walked towards Jon who stood at the door and held it open for her to walk through. She felt very self-conscious as she wiggled across the room and knew that of the three men still sitting around the table at least one of them would be watching her and would undoubtedly make some inappropriate comment once she left the room.
One of the women from the coffee shop appeared with a trolley of fresh refreshments as Steph walked through the doorway followed by Jon. They walked a short distance down the corridor before Jon was at Steph’s side and rested his hand on her elbow as he said, “I have missed you, Miss Pryor. How are you?”
“I have missed you too, but I am very well thank you,” she replied.
