Savage

Chapter 8: The Meeting

The meeting droned on for what I would call an eternity and I began to doze a little, which was interrupted by an elbow or two. The only enlightenment that I got was when Mr. Heinrich went straight into his report and immediately all the fatigue just evaporated from my body. Surprisingly, I was more alert, easily grasping the knowledge of the client's budget and the design solutions put in place to bring brand awareness to better their growing brand for the upcoming campaign. Eventually, it was Ronnie's turn to present the creative brief, she was sharp and to the point, as the head of the Graphics Department should be, in that simple polite manner that she has. I was elated to accompany her as one of the graphic designers under her belt. She was on top of her game as was Mr. Heinrich, who I could not get out of my mind. I observed everyone in the room eating up everything that Ronnie and Mr. Heinrich presented to the clients. Sher was throwing daggers at Ronnie during her presentation. I had to roll my eyes, but she did not know the time or the place. We were supposed to be seen as a united front and her stiff posture and evident scowl were such a turnoff. Luckily, no one was paying her any mind, because, she and I were to present the designs for the branding after Ronnie's speech. No talking is required from us. Thank God! I know she would have surely ruined our presentation by being manipulative and commanding attention for herself. I was not about to fight a bitch in front of our clients.

I scanned the room again as Ronnie was wrapping up her presentation and saw Mr. Heinrich regarded me intensely. My cheeks heated, but I held his gaze, and then I turned my attention back to Ronnie. I felt my palms beginning to dampen and rubbed them aggressively on my skirt under the table. I can still feel Mr. Heinrich's heated gaze across the table. He was at the head of the conference table and I was on his right in the middle. There was good distance between us and he made it feel like we were the only people in the room. I also saw Sher glancing between Mr. Heinrich and I. I ignored her. She needs to mind her fucking business. She was making it obvious and we were up next. Eventually, Ronnie took her seat. Sher and I stood at the same time to present the design brief and guidelines. Ronnie had already introduced us, but she was still talking while Sher and I flicked between images and pages of information. Mr. Heinrich caught my gaze once more and panic flooded me instantly remembering his last words. I tried desperately to slow down Ronnie's words in my head so that the meeting would take a bit longer to end. I was not prepared to face Mr. Heinrich at the end of the meeting, but I was torn between wanting to see him, and the fear of seeing him.

After some time, the clients gave their feedback. That's when everyone, leads and designers, were allowed to chime in and explain the reason behind the branding decision. I was at war with myself, I didn't realize the meeting was coming to an end so soon. Notes were made to incorporate a solution for both the clients' new direction and our solutions to get to that vision. A few improvements were needed here and there, however, overall the clients were happy with the branding we had created for them. The new changes would be the final ones for this project. Soon after, everyone started filing out of the conference room and Mr. Heinrich was waiting patiently with his hands in his pants pocket for me to join him at the door. Sher walked and watched Mr. Heinrich and me as she made her way out. She disappeared down the hall eventually. She was so nosey. Ronnie gave me a pitiful look before leaving me with him.

Oh my gosh, I'm screwed! I whispered in a high-pitched, tortured voice. Thankfully, he didn't hear me this time because I was halfway to the door. His scent greeted me again. I closed my eyes while drawing in a deep breath. I became lightheaded and by the time I got to Mr. Heinrich, I had dreamy, bright eyes staring at him. This was happily met by his infamous half-smile. This may not be so bad after all.

We walked down the hall before coming in front of the elevator doors. He pushed the arrow button that pointed downwards. The doors swung open, and he gestured for me to enter first with his hand and I obliged. My heart was hammering in my chest and I wiped my palms a little on my skirt. I stepped in right after. The elevator ride was silent for the most part. There was heat that I could not fathom which occupied the space we were in. The elevator dinged and I felt the cool air conditioning that wafted across my face indicating that it was time for us to step out. We continued walking down the hall and I could feel him behind. We came up to his office door and he opened it. Once more, gesturing for me to enter first. This walk felt like a journey, to be honest. We didn't say a word to each other, but basked in the heat radiating from each other and held our composure amid everything.