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“Sorry if it’s been a bit overwhelming,” he adds as we walk into the lobby. “I know it’s been a whistle-stop tour, but there’s a lot of ground to cover.”
“It’s okay, I’ve enjoyed it,” I say honestly.
We return to the fifth floor and head toward the boardroom to discover Jade in the process of organizing caterers to lay out the lunch on the big table. “We discussed whether we should take you out for lunch,” Alan says, “but we were advised you’d prefer this.”
Advised by whom? I go to ask, but he’s busy talking to Jade, and the other members of the leadership team are filtering in, so I take a seat at the table and resolve to ask him about it later.
Alan might have decided against a four-course meal at a posh restaurant for lunch, but they’ve pulled out all the stops. The food is exquisite—everything bite-size and easy to eat: turkey, ham, and cheese wraps rolled and cut into slices, chicken taco salads in mason jars, hot bites like pizza-stuffed crescent rolls and chicken meatloaf muffins, and a variety of other attractive salads, with plenty of vegetarian options.
We talk while we eat, and it doesn’t take long to see that Alan has surrounded himself with like-minded people—intelligent and hardworking, but likable and with a sense of humor. They all seem keen to make me feel comfortable and at home, and ask me lots of questions about my work, as well as about New Zealand.
It’s an enjoyable lunch—not in the least because I’m ravenous—but as it draws to a close, the butterflies in my stomach begin to flutter again as the time for the board meeting nears.
I don’t know why I’m so nervous. Mainly because I don’t want to let Elizabeth and Mack and Saxon and all the others who are involved down.
“Right,” Alan says as if reading my mind, “are we all done? Titus, let’s go back to my office and get you ready for the meeting.”
I say goodbye to the members of the team, visit Alan’s private bathroom, splash cold water on my face, and check to make sure I don’t have any spinach in my teeth. I check my phone then, the first time in a while, and smile as I see a message from Heidi.
Good luck! Hope it goes well. xx
Me:Thanks! So far so good. About to go into the board meeting. Wish you were here.
Her:Aw, me too! I’ll be with you in spirit, if that means anything.
Me:It does. Miss you, sweetheart. Looking forward to tonight.
Her:Me too. Love you! x
My eyebrows rise, and my heart skips a beat.
Seconds later, she sends another text.
Her:Shit, sorry. I didn’t mean to get heavy. I just meant… jeez. you know what I meant.
My lips curve up.
Me:Yeah. And in the spirit of reciprocity, I love you too. Gotta go x
Her:Good luck <3
I pocket the phone, feeling warm all the way through. Whatever happens today, I know she’s there waiting for me.
I head out into his office. He’s out talking to Jade, so I take a few minutes to center myself and get in the right headspace for the meeting. Focus, Titus. Don’t think about what you’re going to get up to with Heidi tonight. About her soft thighs, and the way her golden hair swings forward when she kisses you, and how her face and neck flush when you’re having sex. I give a silent groan. Now it’s all I can think about.
“Ready to go?” Alan asks, coming into the office.
I clear my throat. “Yep.”
“Come on, then.”
He leads me out, but instead of turning toward the boardroom, he heads the opposite way along the corridor, then opens one of a pair of wooden doors and gestures for me to precede him. I go into a much bigger boardroom, and realize the previous one must have been just for internal meetings, whereas this is geared for visitors and meant to impress. Twenty comfortable-looking leather chairs are tucked under the long wooden table, and there’s a huge interactive whiteboard and a TV. A coffee machine sits on top of a sleek sideboard that probably contains office stationery. In front of each chair is a notepad and pen and a glass, and in the middle are bottles of still and sparkling water, and plates of cookies and small cakes. The table also contains several areas where you can plug in your laptop, and numerous USB ports.
“I’ll help you set up,” Alan says. He takes the seat at the head of the table and sits me on his right side, then shows me where to plug in my laptop and how to project what’s on the screen onto the interactive whiteboard. We’ve just finished when the door opens, and the first people start coming in.
There are twelve members on the board, and Alan introduces me to them all. The men and women are an impressive mix: there’s an ex-member of parliament and cabinet minister, a senior lecturer at the University of Exeter, healthcare executives, a director of a Chartered Accountancy firm, and several doctors and scientists, most of whom are leaders in their own field.
Once they’ve all helped themselves to tea and coffee and taken their seats, Alan stands and begins the meeting by welcoming everyone and giving me a formal introduction. He then hands over to me for my presentation.
