by Unknown
“Good morning, welcome to Vandalay!”
“Good morning,” Shane and Satra said almost in unison, both smiling graciously.
“You must be Ms. Sinclair and you must be Mr. Evans. I’m Alex, and I can take you to the conference room where you’ll be meeting Mr. Davis, Mr. Johnson, and Ms. Walker.”
“Thank you, Alex. Please, lead the way,” Shane said as he let the ladies walk ahead of him. The boardroom was just down the hall and to the right and in there were the three VP’s that she mentioned. One smiled warmly, the other looked very irritated, and the lone woman of the group suddenly perked up at the sight of Shane. She looked like a hungry lion ready to pounce. Satra read her right away. She was a beautiful woman, there was no doubt about that, and she looked to be in her mid-40’s but could pass for 35 due to Botox and plastic surgery. Her skin was too wrinkle-free and tight looking to not have had work done Satra concluded. She had long blonde hair; her face was heavy with makeup and blue eyes. Satra had to admit that the red suit she was wearing was killer.
‘If nothing else she has style. I’ll give her that much,’ Satra thought to herself.
“Everyone, this is Ms. Sinclair and Mr. Evans.”
Alex announced before scurrying quickly out of the conference room and quietly closing the door behind her. An older gentleman sitting at the head of the table stood up first to greet Shane and Satra. He offered a kind smile and shook Satra’s hand first.
“I’m Davis Gordon, President and CEO of Vandalay. It’s a pleasure to meet you Ms. Sinclair.”
His eyes were kind, and Satra had the feeling that he was genuinely a nice person. She also had the feeling that in his years of experience this wasn’t his first time going through this type of thing. He had a quiet calmness about him.
“Hello, Mr. Gordon. It’s very nice to meet you as well,” Satra said smiling as she shook his hand firmly. He then exchanged introductions with Shane. The second VP with the sour look on his face was partly and bald with just a little hair on the sides. His face was pink, just like a pig, and his eyes were squinty. He had a white mustache and wore round glasses on the tip of his nose. His fingers were short and fat, and he stuck his hand at Satra a little too aggressively for her liking, but she ignored it and listened to his half-assed introduction of himself. She could do nothing but smile even though she really wanted to laugh. Shane had a scowl on his face when he saw how he approached Satra.
“I’m Eli Johnson, nice to meet you,” the man said gruffly as he quickly shook Satra’s hand and released it as though she had cooties. Satra smiled extra big and said in a syrupy voice “It’s very nice to meet you too Mr. Johnson.”
When Mr. Johnson got to Shane, his demeanor changed. If looks could kill the look on Shane’s face would have killed this man three times over. Shane never cracked a smile; he just stared the man down until he didn’t know whether to shake his hand or just walk away. Finally, he pushed his hand out and said, “Err…. Aaaah… I’m Eli Johnson.”
“Shane Evans.” Shane squoze the man’s hand harder than normal. Satra wanted to elbow Shane to make him stop torturing the man like that, but she thought better of it.
Just then, Ms. Walker stood up and sashayed towards them. She walked past Satra and went straight to Shane. Satra closed her eyes and smiled. ‘Did this heffa really just do that?’ She wondered to herself in disbelief. The urge to grab her by her blonde tracks and beat her face in started to take hold of her.
Shane could feel the anger radiating off of Satra as she struggled to keep her cool despite the blatant disrespect. Ms. Walker invaded Shane’s personal space and didn’t care how rude and inappropriate her actions were. Mr. Gordon closed his eyes and shook his head, his embarrassment and disgust evident.
“I’m Charlene Walker, but everyone calls me Charlie. The pleasure of meeting you, Mr. Evans, is all mine.” She held her hand out for Shane to shake, but Shane ignored it for a long, agonizing moment before he finally shook it and quickly released it.
“If you need anything, and I mean anything at all, please don’t hesitate to let me know.”
Shane’s face was expressionless. He was fuming on the inside, but his eyes, full of anger and disgust, said it all.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Walker, but it looks like you bypassed Ms. Sinclair; surely an unintentional oversight on your part. Ms. Walker, this is Satra Sinclair, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Advertising and legal counsel for Lucas and Daniels.”
The look on Charlene Walker’s face was priceless. The sex kitten swagger she had was gone. The smile she had only for Shane melted away, and the color drained from her face. It took all Satra had not to burst out laughing.
Attempting to gather her composure again, Ms. Walker put on a fake smile and said in her strong southern drawl, “My Lord, where are my manners? My apologies, Ms. Sinclair. Please excuse my oversight.” She held out her fingertips for Satra to shake.
Again with the half-assed handshakes! Satra thought to herself.
Satra shook her full hand, even though Ms. Walker’s hand stayed limp. After quickly ending the handshake, Charlene Walker turned around and walked back to her seat with fire breathing out of her nose.
“Please, have a seat,” Mr. Gordon said gesturing to the two empty chairs next to him.
Shane pulled out Satra’s chair for her and seated her before he took his seat next to her.
“Thank you,” she whispered to him.
Sitting with his back straight and his hands folded on top of the table Shane started the meeting.
“I wanted to start off by saying that the purpose of our being here this week is for us to make this buyout as smooth as possible. I expect full disclosure of any and all information that myself or Ms. Sinclair may request. There will be many requests during our stay here, and we expect full cooperation from everyone involved. Any suggestions that you may have Mr. Gordon on how to make this a smooth transition will be greatly appreciated. You and I will be meeting a lot to discuss various things.”
“And you will receive our full cooperation,” Mr. Gordon said, as he looked at his other two colleagues who were still stewing.
“Absolutely,” Eli Johnson chimed in.
“You’ll have our full support,” Ms. Walker forced herself to say with a strained smile.
“Among the many talents of Ms. Sinclair, she is also a certified public accountant. She will need to look at your financial reports, payroll, AP and AE records,” Shane continued.
“My assistant will bring all of those files to you as soon as we’re done meeting,” Mr. Gordon said.
Satra couldn’t help feeling embarrassed yet grateful for the many compliments Shane was giving her.
The meeting didn’t last long at all, and Satra didn’t have to say much as Shane took charge from the very beginning. She always found a take-charge man to be sexy, but when Shane did it, it was very sexy. After the meeting, they split up. Shane met with the company president, Mr. Gordon, for a conference call with Mr. Di Amato, Grayson, and Mr. Daniels while Satra began looking over Vandalay’s financials in a small but comfortable conference room. She didn’t realize how much time had passed until her stomach began to growl. Then there was a light knock on the door.
“Come in,” Satra yelled while she continued to read.
“Hey. How’s it going?”
It was that familiar deep voice that made warmth radiate up her spine. Satra looked up as Shane was closing the door behind him and began walking towards her. It was then that Satra noticed something about Shane that she never noticed before. He was deliciously bow legged, another thing she found to be extremely sexy on a man. The bow in his legs was just enough to give his walk even more swag. His sex appeal was now through the roof. To keep herself from staring too much, she began to organize her papers and files into meaningless piles before offering Shane a tired smile.
As usual his heart skipped a beat when she smiled at him.
“I think my eyes are going crossed from read
ing all these financial statements,” Satra said as she closed her eyes for a moment to give them some rest.
Shane stood in front of her and looked at the piles of papers scattered all over the table. “I always hated accounting but for some odd reason I was good at it.” He picked up a piece of paper and looked at it. “Come on, let’s go get some food. I’m starving, and I’m sure you are too.”
“If you would have come in here a minute earlier, you would have heard my stomach growling,” Satra told him as she scooted back in her chair to get up.
Smiling at her honesty, Shane said, “Mr. Gordon wants to treat us to lunch.”
Satra frowned. “Please tell me it’ll just be the three of us. I wouldn’t be able to stomach those other two idiots.” She was gathering her things when she felt Shane’s eyes boring into her. When she looked up at him, she saw the anger brewing in his eyes. His face was very serious and his jaw line was tight. “Did something else happen while I was in my meeting? Did they come in here…”
Satra put her hand up to stop him before he got even more upset and said, “No, no, nothing happened. I was just talking about what happened this morning. I know you put the fear of God in Johnson and made Charlene look like a total idiot. I just prefer not to have to break bread with either one of them.”
Shane relaxed a little, his features softening. “Oh. Good.”
“You seem to be on edge ever since this morning’s meeting. Is everything okay?” Satra asked as her big brown eyes searched his own. For a moment, Shane got lost in her eyes, but he didn’t like seeing the small frown of worry creasing her brow either.
“I guess you can say I’m on edge a bit. This is what I do for a living, and no matter how many times I’ve gone through this, I still have to be ready for any and everything. Johnson is an idiot who thought he could bully me and walk all over you. That’s why I treated him the way I did. Charlene Walker; hell I knew what she was about the minute I laid eyes on her, but when she disrespected you the way she did, thinking she could woo me with her flirting, that’s when I was ready to explode. I told you last night that I wasn’t going to take any crap from anyone, and I meant it. I don’t tolerate disrespect of any kind.”
This protective side of Shane was such a turn on. He had no clue how sexy he was to her right now. Get your mind right, girl. FOCUS! Satra yelled to herself.
“Well, when you put it that way I can only imagine how stressful these situations can be, on both sides. I do like Mr. Gordon though. He seems to be really nice and no nonsense. I got good vibes from him,” Satra said as she stacked a pile of files together that she was done viewing and would give back to the receptionist when she got back from lunch.
“I like Mr. Gordon too,” Shane said as he opened the door for Satra. “Something tells me he wouldn’t shed a tear if we were to get rid of Charlene or the other idiot.”
Before walking out of the door, Satra stopped walking, which caused Shane to almost crash into her backside. She turned around and looked up at him with her big eyes and said, “Thank you for taking up for me with Charlie,” Satra said in a mock southern accent. “It took everything in me not to snatch her by her blonde tracks and beat her face in with my laptop.”
Shane’s eyes got big at her last statement, and he could do nothing but laugh. She spoke with such a sweet, innocent face, but her words were laced with venom. He loved it. He knew she had spunk. Satra could do nothing but smile herself. When Shane finally got himself together, he shook his head and said, “What am I going to do with you, Satra Sinclair?”
Shrugging her shoulders, Satra said, “I don’t know. Ask my parents, they’re still trying to figure out what to do with me.” She turned around and walked through the door, and Shane followed behind her, still smiling to himself.
Mr. Gordon was waiting for them in the lobby. “There you are. Does either of you have a food preference? Any food allergies that I should be aware of?” Mr. Gordon asked as they headed outside to the limo waiting for them.
“That is so thoughtful of you to ask. I have none,” Satra said.
“Neither do I,” Shane added.
“Good, because I’m treating you to the best down home cooking you can get from a restaurant. It’s called Karen’s Kitchen, and it’s located downtown. It’s just five minutes away.”
“That sounds good to me.” Satra smiled as she climbed into the limo waiting for them out front. Mr. Gordon sat across from her, and Shane sat next to her.
As they headed downtown, Mr. Gordon was nice enough to play tour guide pointing out various historic buildings and giving interesting tidbits about the heritage of Columbia, South Carolina. What little they were able to see was beautiful. Such a quaint city rich in history. Satra wished they could get out and walk around and see things up close, especially the various shops and bakeries.
“I definitely need to come back here for a vacation, and the first place I’m going to visit is that bakery,” Satra said pointing.
Mr. Gordon smiled. “Ah, Fletcher’s Bakery. They are world renowned for their pastries and chocolates.”
Satra drooled. “Two of my biggest weaknesses.”
“We’re here,” Mr. Gordon announced as the limo pulled up. The restaurant was nestled in between other café’s and shops and could easily be missed if you weren’t familiar with the area. Shane helped Satra out of the limo, taking her hand and carefully guiding her out. Satra smiled and thanked him. As they walked towards the front door of the restaurant, Shane let Mr. Gordon lead the way while he walked side by side with Satra with his warm hand guiding her in the small of her back. The gesture felt both innocent and intimate to her, but she said nothing nor did she move away from him. The butterflies in her stomach, though, were going crazy. Once they reached the front door, Shane held the door for Mr. Gordon and Satra. Inside the atmosphere was homey and relaxed. The smell of fried chicken and other goodies filled the air. They were seated immediately and given menus. Shane held out Satra’s chair for her and seated her before he and Mr. Gordon sat down.
A girl could get used to all of this chivalry, Satra thought to herself. None of her ex-boyfriends were ever this attentive to her.
“The chicken and dumplings are the best in the world, and that’s no exaggeration. The macaroni and cheese is also phenomenal. Hell everything on the menu is good,” Mr. Gordon said laughing.
“I’ll take your word for it,” Satra replied smiling.
Shane was trying to figure out what he wanted to try. He had smothered pork steak with rice and gravy and a side of fried okra for dinner last night. The fried catfish, fries and coleslaw sounded good though. He would definitely be spending extra time in the gym later that evening.
“I think I’m going to have the fried catfish, fries and coleslaw,” Shane announced from behind his menu.
“Good choice,” Mr. Gordon offered.
“I think I’m going to go for the gusto and have some fried chicken, collard greens, and corn bread. It’s been a long time since I’ve had some really good soul food,” Satra said.
“Well, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed,” Mr. Gordon told her. He waved the waitress over to their table. She was a pretty young lady, no more than eighteen years old with creamy honey colored skin, long curly black hair pulled back into a ponytail and hazel green eyes.
“Hi grandpa,” she said as she bent down to give Mr. Gordon a kiss on his cheek.
He kissed her back. “Hi baby.”
“Everyone, this is my granddaughter, Karissa. Karissa, these are some new people that I’ll be working with. This is Ms. Sinclair and Mr. Evans.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said shyly to Satra and Evan.
“Nice to meet you too, Karissa,” they both replied in unison.
“Are you ready to order grandpa?” she asked sweetly.
“I am, and I will have my usual,” he said as he handed her his menu.
Karissa rolled her eyes and said, “Chicken and Dumplings…..again.”
It made Satra chuckle.
“And for you Miss?” Karissa asked as she directed her attention to Satra.
“I’d like to have the fried chicken, collard greens, and corn bread... No, make that buttermilk biscuits,” Satra said as she handed Karissa her menu.
“Good choice,” Karissa smiled.
“And for you, sir?” she questioned Shane.
“I will like to try the fried catfish, with fries and coleslaw.”
Karissa smiled. “Another good choice. Can I get you something to drink while you wait?”
“I’ll take a lemonade and some ice water on the side,” Satra said.
“I’ll have the same,” Shane told her.
“Sweet tea for me, dear,” Mr. Gordon said.
“Great, I’ll be right back.” And then Karissa headed towards the kitchen.
“Your granddaughter is a beautiful young lady,” Satra said.
“Thank you. She’s been offered modeling deals, but she keeps turning them down. She’s very shy, been that way her entire life. She’s a sweet girl though. Just trying to keep her focused on college and away from the boys as long as I can,” Mr. Gordon said, pride beaming over his face.
“Good luck with keeping the boys away,” Shane said shaking his head.
Mr. Gordon smiled. “Nothing a loaded shotgun can’t handle.”
Satra and Shane both laughed. Satra knew Mr. Gordon was serious about the threat. She could see how protective he is over his lovely granddaughter. Just then, Karissa arrived with their drinks.
“Your food will be up shortly,” Karissa said after she handed everyone their drinks and walked away.
“One of the main reasons I wanted to have lunch with just the three of us was to apologize for the inappropriate and downright embarrassing behavior of Mr. Johnson and Ms. Walker. Mr. Johnson is an asshole… Excuse my French, Ms. Sinclair… And he’s an idiot and who hates change of any sort. Frankly, if he was doing his job in the first place, he wouldn’t have his panties in a bunch and sweating like a pig right now.”
Satra almost choked on her lemonade and Shane let his chuckle go.
