13. Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Ryan
The woman ran her hand down my arm and gave a loud and obnoxious giggle, and it was everything I could do to not roll my eyes. She had been over the top flirtatious for the past hour, and I was more than a little annoyed.
She was an undeniably beautiful woman. She was tall and shapely, with stunning features. She was well dressed, and not a single hair was out of place. Her make up was tastefully applied, and she had an air of sophistication about her - until she opened her mouth. When she started speaking and flirting the sophistication disappeared, and she reminded me of a giggly teenager.
Michael, the junior agent sitting next to her was clearly captivated, which I found to be very amusing. The more the woman carried on, the less I wanted to do business with her. I could see that she was very wealthy, and I knew that she was looking to buy a large retail center that she could use to open up a day spa. Although it would be a hefty commission, it was not worth it to me to have to be around her. I decided I had had enough, and I was going to excuse myself from any further interactions.
“Well, Miss Parker, I hope I have answered all of your questions today. I know you have mentioned a few times that you wanted me to be your main agent, but I regret to tell you that just isn’t an option. Michael here will take excellent care of you, and, although he is a junior agent by title, he is fully qualified to handle everything you need. He will be your main contact, and he can give you the number for his direct supervisors in case you have any other questions.”
I looked over at Michael and had to fight back a laugh as I saw the expression on his face. I knew that he was immediately calculating the commission check, and he couldn’t believe that I was handing it all over to him.
Normally I was the lead for the high-end clients. We needed to make sure that everything was done exactly right, and we also wanted them to realize how much we appreciated their business. However, I couldn’t do it this time. The last thing that I wanted was to have to be around her one second longer than I absolutely had to.
Miss Parker looked at me, stunned.
“Wait,” she said, pouting. “You aren’t going to be working with me?”
I shook my head.
“Not directly, no,” I answered. “I will of course make sure that everything is handled correctly, but Michael is going to be the one working with you.”
She folded her arms across her chest and stuck out her lower lip.
“But I wanted to work with you,” she said, her voice almost a whine.
“I appreciate that,” I said. “But it just isn’t possible. I have so many other projects going on right now, and I am also out of the office quite frequently. There is no way that I can guarantee that I will be here when you need me, and I don’t want to do that to you. One of the things we really pride ourselves on is our ability to deliver impeccable service and to make sure that you have a dedicated agent. The only way this is possible is for you to work with Micheal. Trust me, he is a fantastic agent. I trained him myself.”
Michael smiled, but I could see he was confused. Although it was true that I had to be out of the office quite often, I was still responsible for several clients in town. This was the first time that I was handling a client in this manner.
However, he was not going to complain.
“There’s nothing I can do to change your mind?” Miss Parker said, batting her eyes and leaning towards me.
I felt another surge of annoyance but forced myself to be polite. “I am sorry, but no. I want to make sure you get the very best, and this is the only way to do it.”
“Okay, fine,” she said, leaning back in a huff.
I knew I wanted her out of my office and so I looked down at my watch and abruptly stood up.
“I hate to rush you out of here,” I said, hoping that I sounded more upset than I felt. “However, I have a meeting later and I need to meet with my office manager to make sure that I have everything taken care of.”
Micheal nodded and stood up, while Miss Parker stared at me definitely for a minute before reluctantly getting to her feet.
“Well, okay,” she said, turning her attention to Michael. “I guess it’s just the two of us, then.”
“I guess so,” Michael said, glancing at me one more time.
“Have a good afternoon,” I said, trying not to smirk. “I am glad you have chosen to work with our company, and I know you will be happy with Michael.”
Miss Parker rolled her eyes and stomped out of my office, following Michael down the hall.
I chuckled as I followed them out. Once we were in the hallway I turned and headed towards Jenna’s office.
I knocked on the door and waited briefly for her to wave me inside. When she did I hurried in and closed the door behind me.
“Hello,” I said. “I am meeting with you to make sure that I have everything I need for the meeting that I have later today.”
Jenna looked at me, confused, and then glanced down at the schedule she keeps on her desk.
“Oh, yes,” I said. “It’s a last-minute meeting. Can we please meet in ten minutes?”
“Uh, sure,” Jenna said. “Provided you explain to me what you’re talking about, because you aren’t making any sense.”
I couldn’t stop myself from laughing as I sat down into the chair across from her.
“That annoying woman didn’t want to get out of my office, and wasn’t really accepting the fact that I am not going to work with her. So I told her I had to meet with you to make sure that I was ready for the meeting later. So… we have a meeting later. In ten minutes. Are we ready for it?”
Jenna laughed, and I thought I saw a look of relief flash across her face.
“”Yes,” she said. “We are ready for the meeting in ten minutes.”
“Oh, good,” I said. “You’re so efficient.”
I realized that I was bordering on flirting with her, so I stood up to leave before I crossed the line.
“Wait,” she said. “Did you say you aren’t working with her?”
“I’m not working with her,” I answered.
“Is someone working with her? That’s a huge account!” she said, looking at the spreadsheet that was open on her computer screen.
“Michael is taking care of her. He’s doing this one solo,” I explained.
“Solo?!” she exclaimed. “As in you’re handing him the entire commission?”
I nodded.
“That’s tens of thousands of dollars,” she said. “You’re walking away from that?”
“Yes,” I said. “I am walking away from it.”
“Why?” Jenna asked softly.
“I didn’t want to be around her,” I said, simply.
“But she’s beautiful,” she replied.
“For a minute,” I said. “But then she speaks, and I have to see her personality. Once that happens she is in no way beautiful.”
“Oh,” Jenna answered, trying not to smile.
“Yep,” I said. “And to answer your next question: Yes. It really is that simple.”
She laughed. “How did you know that was exactly what I was thinking?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “It seems like a natural next question.”
“Well, okay then,” Jenna said.
“Alright,” I said. “Now that we have that settled, thanks for this meeting. And I”ll see you at our next meeting in ten minutes.”
Jenna nodded solemnly. “Yes, sir,” she said. “ I shall see you then.”
I laughed. She had a delightful sense of humor, and was so smart. I loved the way that she picked up on all of the little things, and that she often said little comments that caught me off guard.
I went back to my office and as I sat down at my desk, I realized that I was truly looking forward to our “meeting.”