Sealed With a Kiss

Six

VI: Smile For the Camera

I WAS LATE. Dressed in a mustard yellow blouse with a dangerously low cut and a charcoal coloured pencil skirt so form fitted that it might as well have been painted on, I stood fidgeting in the lift.

My eyes lifted to the screen as I watched the numbers change. Richmond Inc was on the top floor and gave a stunning view of the Empire State building.

The doors opened, and left feeling uncomfortable in clothes that made me feel like a silicone wrapped sausage, I stepped out of the lift and approached the reception.

"How may I help you?" the woman behind the front desk asked disregarding my presence as she typed away on the computer.

"H-Hi, I'm late for a board meeting. If you'll just point me in the right direction I'm sure I--"

The woman eyed me with interest. "May I see your security pass?" I held up a laminated pass with a picture the security guard downstairs took.

"Miss White!" the receptionist stood and walked around the desk. "Yes, please follow me."

Weirded out by her behaviour, I shrugged and walked behind her down the hall and into a conference room.

Every single last person in the room was a man, and they all stood as I walked in.

It was surreal, like I was suddenly in an old movie where the stunning black and white protagonist confidently approached a table full of men with a puckered smile and they all stood to greet her. Granted this was completely different because I'm neither stunning nor confident, but was treated just like a lady from that era as I stepped inside.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," I said following the line from the movie I saw. It seemed to be the right thing to say because they immediately sat back down and greeted me pleasantly back.

All but one, anyway.

Cole sat scowling at me. His hands were under the table, but I was sure they were balled up in fists.

Quickly breaking his gaze, I looked to the man that had stood and offered me his hand. "Nicholas Richmond."

I shook his hand and smiled back. "Poppy White. Sorry I'm late."

"Nonsense," Nicholas said. His grin grew as he starred down at me. "You're right on time."

Relied flooded my chest. I was afraid they were going to be upset that I'd arrived a full ten minutes late.

Nicholas, an attractive man that looked in his early forties, still holding my hand, lead me forward to a chair on the left of the head.

I made to pull back my chair but Nicholas beat me to it. Smiling gratefully, I sat down and eyed the rest of the board. They were all in their old age and it looked like Cole, Nicholas, and I were the youngest present.

"Now that Miss Poppy White has joined us," Nicholas said with another smile thrown my way, "Let's begin."

AFTER AN AGONIZING HOUR AND A HALF of being shown pie chart after pie chart and enough table of statistics to make me cross eyed, we were dismissed.

I stood and anxiously smoothed down my skirt. I had understood very little of what they said, but it appeared as though the Richmond company funds were being intelligently utilized and the investment was being rewarded generously.

"Miss White?" I looked up to see Nicholas staring down at me.

"Please, call me Poppy."

He smiled. "Poppy then, do you have lunch plans? I'd love to get your take on a few things mentioned at the meeting."