"Okay guys you've got fifteen minutes, what have you got?" Michael asks the two men who shoot up from sitting on the sofa in his office as soon as he walks in from another meeting.
"The Kleinsman shoe account, you're going to love it!" One of the guys enthusiastically claims.
"I'll be the judge of that..." Michael picks the shoe up, his distaste for the two tone brogue shoe evident from the look on his face.
"Sorry!" The door swings open, banging on the wall. The voice comes from a coffee carrying man who looks a little nervous but seems to be trying not to show it.
"You looking for someone?" Michael asks.
"Yeah the Kleinsman shoe meeting, I've been told to sit in, apparently I might learn a thing or two..."
"Well Michael is the best!" One of the two account execs espouses enthusiastically.
"The best!" The other repeats.
"Thanks Josh," Michael smiles at the second one, there's nothing like a little flattery at ten am.
"Um I'm Joe, that's Josh."
Michael blinks, looking between the two of them. He could have sworn he's been calling Joe Josh for about six months now, although they do look a little alike.
"I'm Tom Kipling. I just started here." The guy at the door takes the opportunity in the confusion to introduce himself.
"Well take a seat Tom Kipling, the boys are about to put on a show." Michael indicates his sofa at the back of the room. "So boys how do we make this fucking ugly shoe exciting?"
"The same way we made those fucking ugly raincoats exciting last April..."
"Models. By taking your eye off this shoe and putting it on this face." Joe or Josh, Michael still isn't sure who's who, hands Michael a layout which he duly looks through.
"The problem, is that we're not selling this face. We're selling this hideous shoe! What do you think?" Michael asks Tom, turning the layout around so he can see it.
"I like it. I think it's really good," Tom says, making Joe and Josh smile and Michael groan inside. "Only...why hide what the product is?"
Michael's ears prick up, this Tom obviously has an idea, "Go on," He encourages him.
"I'd photograph just the shoe. With maybe a thought bubble saying something like 'I'm not hip, I'm a classic.'"
Michael looks at him as his mind churns.
"Michael may we continue please?" Joe or Josh asks, obviously dismissing Tom's idea out of hand.
"No, you may not," Michael says decisively, getting up from his seat, "I'm not hip, I'm a classic. You've given it personality, humour, and retained it's so called dignity. How long have you been here?"
Tom looks at Joe and Josh, "Two weeks?"
"They've been working here for two years," Michael tells him, indicating the two, now silent, men sitting behind him. "Draw it up."
"Me?" Asks Tom.
"Him?!" Chorus Joe and Josh,
"Him. The boys will help you out, won't you boys?" Michael smiles, before shuffling papers on his desk, indicating that the meeting is very obviously finished.
~~~
The gaggle of women fitting into Geordie and Maddie's front sitting room coo as yet another baby shower present is opened.
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Queer as Muke
Fanfiction"The thing you need to know is, it's all about sex. It's true. In fact they say men think about sex every twenty-eight seconds. Of course that's straight men. With gay men it's every nine." Twenty nine year old advertising executive Michael Cliffor...
