Undersold(5)

“Okay Amy, this is where the meeting will take place. Mr. Green and Mr. Brown will be with you shortly,” Janice said. She opened the doors and moved aside for me to enter. It was a basic conference room, dominated by a single large table in the middle, and it could have seated twenty.

“Is there anything I can get you? Anything at all?”

“No, thank you,” I said. Janice nodded, and turned to go.

However, before she got out of the conference room, it sunk in that I had no idea who Mr. Brown was. “Oh, I’m sorry!” I said. Janice turned back patiently. “Who is Mr. Brown?”

Janice smiled. “Mr. Brown is Mr. Green’s lawyer.”

“Thanks,” I said, and felt a little embarrassed. Of course he was the lawyer, obviously there would be lawyers. I had never done something like this before, and I suddenly felt like I should have someone here with me. Panic rose up for a second, but I took a deep breath to stay calm.

“Don’t worry. Royal Brown is a nice man, you’ll get along,” Janice said. For a second I thought she could read my mind, but she must have noticed my anxiety leak out onto my face.

“Thanks, I hope so.”

“They should be here shortly.” Janice turned and left, closing the doors behind her.

I sat down in the center of the room and placed my notes and my laptop in front of me. I turned the machine on and looked around. It was simple, not ornate like the lobby, and not quirky-colorful like the main office was. I felt more comfortable here, even though a stone of anxiety was sitting in my chest. I wasn’t used to fancy places like the lobby, having grown up with Dad in a suburb called Levittown. We didn’t have much, but Dad worked hard to provide for my two older brothers and me. I had never been in a space so clearly modern and light, like the main office was. Columbia had some spaces like that, but I mostly stayed away from them. I preferred the older buildings, big and blocky, with simple layouts and designs. They were more comfortable to me for some reason.

The self-doubt returned, but I pushed it away. It was going to be fine, I told myself, and tried to think about meeting my handsome stranger later that night. About his body pressed up against mine in a dark alley while he tried desperately to slide his hands up my skirt and to run his lips along my neck. Before I could get too lost in the fantasy, there was a knock at the door, and it opened.

I stood to greet them. In walked two men. The first was older, probably in his mid-fifties, rounder and tall. His hair was mostly greying but still shaggy like a teenager, which made him look kind. He walked right up to me and extended his hand, a big grin on his face.

“Royal Brown, lawyer to the stars, good to meet you,” he said, and we shook.

“Amy Woodall, app developer, and future app seller.” Royal laughed at my joke, which instantly made me like him, then moved to sit at the other side of the table.

Then I saw him. The second man moved to approach me. And my jaw nearly hit the floor.





5.


I didn’t know how or why, but this man was my handsome stranger, the same one I messaged just this morning. I was positive it was him, and I could only stand there staring. He looked as surprised as I did though, and there was an awkward pause as we stood facing each other.

In his pictures, he was never looking straight into the camera. His head was turned and the lighting was dim, which made it hard to make out the details of his features. Plus, Shane Green, the billionaire owner of Adstringo, was notoriously private, maybe obsessively private if the blogs were true. There weren’t many pictures of him out there. But this was definitely Shane Green, and Shane Green was definitely the same man I had sent very explicit, very dirty texts to.

He was better looking in person. Maybe late thirties, mature looking and handsome. His eyes were the same flint blue from the picture, but close up they were deep pools, enough to get lost in. His tailored suit clung to his well-worked body, and I couldn’t help but run my eyes up and down him. He looked and felt like he owned the room, and radiated a confidence that I was completely unfamiliar with. I suddenly felt like I didn’t belong there, even more than I already had. I noticed he was doing the same thing to me, running his eyes up and down my body, and I was suddenly conscious of the way my skirt clung to my hips and my shirt accentuated my breasts. I hoped he could still take me seriously, even if he had already seen a picture of me pressing my tits together for him. I had never met someone I felt such an immediate and powerful attraction to, and now I understood why a single picture had made me want to suck his cock with abandon. I felt embarrassed but excited all at once. His nearby body was like a beacon for me, and although we were still complete strangers, I found myself wanting to press as close against him as I could.