It Had to Be You

In the Boardroom

Nina had managed to get James to agree to a lunchtime meeting in the Horse and Hound offices. She had insisted they order enough food for the entire team to join them and James seemed uncomfortable seated at a table with not one, not two but five employees bearing witness to their conversation.

"So, you said you wanted to discuss the sequel plot. I'm ready to jump in if you are." Nina took a bite of her salmon avocado roll and opened her notebook. She felt it was important to say little and instead let James back himself up into a corner.

"Yes, I had wanted to discuss this in private as I didn't want to embarrass you in front of your colleagues." He pointedly looked around the room.

"Oh that's okay. I think it's important to discuss the book with a wider audience that way there's no confusion about where the story will go." A few heads bobbled around in her periphery.

"So if you could share your thoughts on what I've produced so far, I think we can go from there." She watched as James shifted uncomfortably in his seat. His eyes had narrowed slightly and she tried to remain as neutral as possible. She didn't want to key him in to what she knew or the potential outcome of any conversation they had.

"From what you've submitted so far it's clear that these characters lack depth. They are one sided and often fail to embrace the Horse and Hound approach of love conquering all. As we had previously covered in our other meetings, it is critical that the readers feel emotionally connected to the leads. We want them to fall in love from the start and of course, the woman has to represent a sort of maturity not found in women today." Nina clocked an eye roll from one of the women seated at the table and James cleared his throat.

"Present company excluded of course. Perhaps what I should say is here at Horse and Houd, we prioritize tradition and invest our resources acquiring talent that abides by those standards."

"I understand your note about character depth and will take it under advisement. I also think it's important to address that tradition means something different to every individual and embracing some of each writer's traditions may be an interesting approach this book."

James sat forward and put his elbows on the table.

"Nina, as I've said before, tradition is a cornerstone of our work. We acquire writers and encourage them to embrace our values in order to provide readers with a reliable, straight forward, no-nonsense approach of romance. We have a skilled team of editors who are on hand to help you shape your story and ensure that it's everything you need."

"I understand." She tried to nod in agreement but it felt unnatural.

"I don't believe you do. I would like everyone but Nina to leave the room please."

Nina froze. This hadn't been part of the plan. She watched in silent horror as one by one, the employees at the table gathered their items and began to file out. Kiera, one of the employees from their previous meeting accidentally knocked over the phone with her notebook and she apologized profusely before fleeing.

"It's quite fine Kiera." James voice was ice. "Pull the door behind you please."

The hairs on the back of Nina's neck stood up. The conference room was glass and she could see everyone just as easily as they could see her. It was unlikely that he'd physically try something with her but Nina remembered what Yujin had said. James had a way of taking a situation and turning it into something that it was not. She had to choose her words carefully and always maintain a distance.

"Nina" he inched his chair closer to hers, their knees almost brushing. She quickly pushed back and maintained a three foot distance.

"I am afraid we're not seeing eye to eye and I wanted to ensure that you understood, your happiness is our first priority. She watched as he extended a hand and tried to touch her knee but she was thankfully out of range. Nina stood and went to the back of the room where there were waters on a credenza. When she turned around James was inches away from her. She couldn't see over his shoulder but she hoped to God there was someone on the outside watching what was happening.

"You're very important to us Nina." His fingers grazed down her arm and she took a step back towards the center of the room. She needed to find her voice.

"James you're making me uncomfortable. While I appreciate that you admire my work I don't appreciate being physically touched by you." She watched as his face contorted slightly. What she once viewed as handsome, she now saw as calculated.

"Come on Nina. This game of cat and mouse you started has to end sometime. We've been spending a lot of time together and you have enjoyed it."

The way he was speaking in declarative sentences made her skin crawl. If someone was privy to this conversation they would think she was leading him on even though it couldn't be further from the truth. She needed to set the record straight even if it was just for herself.

"James, there is no game of cat and mouse. We have a strictly professional relationship. I don't appreciate you implying that I've been leading you on when you just touched me without my consent."

"Please Nina. Without your consent? We've been out to dinner or drinks seven times by my count. You've enjoyed it haven't you? Letting me pay for the drinks, the entertainment, the cabs home to your apartment."

"You're making it sound like you came home with me."

"You probably wanted me to but I have some restraint." Nina was enraged. He really was a master manipulator.

"James, let me be incredibly clear. We have a professional relationship and I have never wanted you and I to engage in any form of relationship whatsoever. I have never wanted you to come home with me. I've certainly never asked you to come home with me or encouraged an intimate dynamic to take place. I do not want that and I need you to understand."

James leaned on the boardroom table with both palms pressed firmly into the mahogany. This power stance was meant to be intimidating and she felt scared. Scared of who he was and what he could do. Scared of what this meant for her career and what would become of her work. But she had come too far to let someone like James take her words and her work, who she was as a person and turn it into something it wasn't. She would not let him do that.

"Nina, when you're done with this game you're playing, you will fall in line."

"Like everyone else?" His eyes flashed practically black.

"Like all the other women before you who all said they wanted independence and instead found that they enjoyed being taken care of, yes. We have a great history here of cultivating female authors by encouraging them to embrace the beautiful that is masculine power and soft femininity. It seems to be taking you some more time than most and I hate to say my patience is running thin." He ran his hand over the table towards her and she instinctively backed away moving to the other side. From this vantage point her back was to the office but James was clearly separate from her. She wondered why no one had come in. Surely they could see how uncomfortable she was. They had to have seen the way James had cornered her and run a hand down her arm. But what if he was really good at making it seem innocent? The idea that she could not be believed crossed her mind once more and she swallowed the bile rising up in her throat.

"James I will not be falling in line like everyone else. My values don't align with Horse and Hound and I have made a decision to break our contract. Our professional relationship ends here." James smiled and it was a smile that would stick with her forever.

"Unfortunately Nina, that's not your decision to make. Let me know when you land on the correct choice." She backed away from the table and headed for the door. She had put her hand on the handle as she heard his voice once more.

"Oh and Nina, don't forget about your contract. You owe us your work. We owe you nothing." She pressed the door to the conference room and tried to hold her head high as she navigated through the open floor seating plan of the office. She could feel all the eyes on her as she headed towards the elevator. She would not cry. James Buchanan and this wretched place had no right to see her emotions.