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He was glad that he had bought a first-class ticket for this trip. The confined space of the plane combined with the amount of people on board was making him feel claustrophobic. He wasn’t looking forward to going, but it was something that had to be done. The pilot announced that they were about to take off, and he braced himself. Flying wasn’t something he did often, and definitely not one of his favorite modes of transportation. The older woman sitting to the left of him looked over and gave a reassuring smile. He forced a smile back and tried to relax for the ride. At least it wouldn’t be a long one.
Max stepped out of the airport and immediately felt as though he couldn’t breathe. He could already feel beads of sweat forming on his chest and forehead. The air felt thick and heavy, as if there was an invisible weight on his skin. He was pretty sure he now understood what people mean when they say, “It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.” It wasn’t too far of a walk to the car rental place, and he was thankful for that. He didn’t want to arrive looking and smelling like he had just come from the gym. He had an important meeting first thing, and wouldn’t have time to go to the hotel to freshen up first.
As he arrived at the rental dealership, he lingered a little by the adrenaline collection. The corvette that they had looked so inviting that he couldn’t help but picture himself behind the wheel. Max knew better than to choose a car like that, so he picked out a Cadillac Escalade. He needed something that would give him a lot of leg room. Having one’s knees in one’s chest while driving was not a very pleasant experience. This was the best vehicle out of the selection he was offered to pick from. Tossing his suitcase in the back, he put the office’s location in the GPS and pulled out the parking lot.
Teagan was the first one to arrive for the big meeting with the new company owner. The packets were neatly laid out and had everything in them from each department. She was the newest hire, and in charge of getting this all together. With nothing left to do, she took her seat, picking her nails and tapping her foot nervously as she waited for the others to arrive.
Max parked in the visitor’s space on the first floor of the parking garage. After getting out, he straightened his suit and headed for the lobby. There was a blonde woman wearing too much makeup seated behind a desk. He was hit with an overpowering stench of perfume as he approached her, and tried not to breathe in too deeply. She smiled at him and asked how she could be of service.
“I’m here to speak with Mr. Perry, please.”
“One moment, Sir,” she said as she picked up the phone. There was a brief conversation and then she was apologizing. Taking the phone away from her mouth she asked, “Who shall I say wants to speak with him?”
“Well, dear, you can tell him Mr. Maximus Kemp would like to speak with him, if he has the time.”
The receptionist spoke into the phone. Her face turned red and more apologizing came out of her mouth before she hung up. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Kemp, I didn’t realize it was you... I mean, I didn’t recognize you. Of course, go on in. They are waiting for you in the conference room. Sara will show you the way.”
The woman reached for the buzzer for the door and knocked over a container of pens. Frantically, she put the pens back and hit the buzzer. Max didn’t know what to do other than smile. It wasn’t his intention to get her all flustered. After walking through the doors, he was met by another woman who he assumed was Sara. She was a nice-looking lady and a bit older than the office assistant there. They shook hands and moved down to the room where the meeting would be held. Max could feel the employees staring as he moved down the hall.
Everyone was there and waiting. Teagan tried to stop her leg from bouncing up and down. She really wanted the nerve-wracking meeting to be over with. The door opened and she sat up straight as Sara escorted their guest into the room. Teagan had to make sure her mouth wasn’t open as she laid eyes on the big boss. He wasn’t at all what she had expected.
Jonas Perry stood up as Max walked in. He moved over to him and shook his hand, then introduced him around the room. Max smiled and nodded at each employee as he was introduced. His eyes stopped on one employee in particular, as Mr. Perry introduced her. Max mumbled under his breath, “Incredible.” She sat perched on the seat with her long red hair flowing in waves down to the middle of her back. Her skin was almost porcelain-white and her green eyes looked like emeralds. Max had to shake his head in order to concentrate on the others in the room. It was going to be a difficult meeting with her sitting across from him. He reminded himself inwardly to think with the head that was on his shoulders. This was business and very important. He didn’t have time to fantasize about this incredibly gorgeous creature.
Teagan picked at her nails until one fell right off. Did he keep looking at her, or was it in her imagination? This man was certainly not what she had thought he would be. In her mind, company owners were men in black suits with ties that were red or blue to give them a touch of color, so they didn’t look like funeral directors. They were middle-aged or older, and their closely-cropped hair was predominantly grey. This man wasn’t anything like that. Either he was really young-looking, or he was actually in his thirties. She could be wrong, but she had a definite feeling that she wasn’t.
“Ms. Morgan? Oh, Ms. Moran? Don’t you have something to share with the rest of us?”
Mr. Perry’s voice snapped her out of her daydream. She moved to pick up her folder and it slipped from her fingers. Papers slid all over the table, and her face was instantly a deep red. She gathered her papers while stuttering about the report she had compiled on a new herb that could be the next best thing in alternative medicine. She looked up to see where the last paper had landed, and there was Mr. Kemp holding it out to her. She took it, her fingers brushing over his hand. She was caught off-guard for a moment before she thanked him and sat down again.
The rest of the meeting went by without incident. Mr. Perry took Mr. Kemp down to his office to discuss a few details that didn’t concern the others in the room. Teagan waited for everyone else to leave before standing up. She hated the looks she received when people commented on her height.
It was even worse when she was a child. Not only did she have an unusual name, but she was always the tallest kid in her class. They called her names like giraffe and tree, and she felt like a freak. By the time she got to middle school, she towered over most of the boys in her class. In high school, there were a few boys that were taller than her, but not many, so dating was difficult. Things didn’t get much better when she got to college. Everyone assumed she was there on a basketball scholarship. Of course, a woman this tall had to play basketball, because “all it took to play was height.” You didn’t need real talent to play. Teagan quickly tired of people asking if she played, and when she said she didn’t, they would always respond with, “well you should, you’re tall enough.”
