Stacy Levons? That was a name I actually knew, an actor I really admired. My heartbeat upped a tiny bit as I slowly moved the cursor to click on her article.
"Hey, Effie, are you ready?" It was Sam, standing right behind me. He was dressed up a little more nicely than usual, his slightly oversized red dress shirt buttoned almost to the top. His black khakis definitely fit him better than the shirt did. I kept my cool despite the fact that he had startled me.
"Uh, yeah, okay, one second," I said. I closed the window I had opened and turned to face him. "Is it time already?"
"A couple minutes away." He kept nervously checking his watch, a fancy gold-banded thing that glimmered whenever sunlight struck it. "This is a really big deal. You're about to witness history."
I let out an awkward chuckle. "Well, I hope he doesn't back out, because I barely know what I'm doing."
"You're not there to negotiate," he said. "Just watch—and look pretty."
"Thanks a lot for believing in my abilities, Sam," I said playfully. "I'm always glad to be your doormat." We had a great rapport. In fact, aside from a minor awkward period at the beginning—sometimes it could be difficult to deal with a man a blunt as Sam—things had been pretty good. I liked that the atmosphere wasn't so strict, even though it was a corporate environment.
He started to walk toward the boardroom where our meeting would take place in a few short minutes, sending me a non-verbal hint that I should follow him. I took a seat next to the one he chose. The other side of the table was empty, but it wouldn't be for long. Soon it would seat Jack and anyone else he chose to bring along to the meeting.
Did he have anyone else to bring? Eh, it didn't really matter anyhow.
"This is so big for me, Effie. I've been trying to get Jack in here for a long time." He kept nervously tapping his fingers against the smooth surface of the table. I'd never seen him this nervous before. "I just hope I can break through to him. He's brilliant."
"I'm sure you'll be fine," I said. I didn't really know what else to say. He was sort of making me nervous, even though I was just supposed to be an observer.
We sat there for what seemed like hours, staring at a nice blank spot on the wall where a clock would have fit nicely. "Dammit, where is he?" Sam kept muttering those same words under his breath. As far as I could tell, he was essentially terrified that he had already blown his big opportunity.
I slowly nursed my coffee, taking tiny sips as we continued to wait for the infamous Jack Teller. Even though Stacy Levons was only in her late-twenties, for some reason I imagined Jack as being an older, more seasoned veteran of the entertainment business.
"I can't believe this shit," Sam said. "These big guys are so full of themselves. I'll be right back." It was such a blatant departure from his former optimism. He stood up and briskly walked out of the boardroom, his steps pounding into the carpeted floor. I could only hope Jack hadn't been standing outside as Sam cursed him...
I played with my phone for a couple of minutes, distracting myself from the fear that this big shot was going to walk in while I was all alone—but it didn't happen. Eventually, my restlessness got the best of me and I stood up with my coffee, slowly pacing around the office as I waited for Sam to return.
After doing a couple of laps around the room, a business card from a hair salon fell out of my pocket and fell on the floor right in front of the door. I leaned down to pick it up, my coffee still in hand.
"Hey, I'm so sorry I—"
The voice hit my ears at the same time the body struck mine, a collision for the ages. My cup of coffee flew out of my hand and spilled across the front of my dark blue blouse. "Shit!" I stood up and set the now-empty cup on the table, examining the damage. There was a huge, dark stain across the front, all the way from my chest to my stomach. Thank God it had cooled off by then.