Chapter 4

Grace

What am I going to do? It’s the end of the evening and I haven’t been able to get Leo to talk about Mini Motivations, no matter how hard I’ve tried.

And now he thinks he’s taking me back to his hotel room and having sex with me.

That is most definitely not happening.

But I can’t give up this easily. I have to get him to agree to let us license his brands.

All I can feel is fury. One of the executives, most likely Shawna, obviously knows I’m a virgin, and set me up. Someone obviously told Leo, and he’s clearly really into the idea of deflowering me.

So. Not. Going. To. Happen.

Part of me thinks screw the company, they deserve to go under. But at the same time I can’t forget the twelve people, including me, who would lose their jobs.

“Mr. Newbury,” a man with a beard says, inserting himself between me and Leo.

More people appear, all chanting his name and asking for a minute of his time.

Leo grabs my hand and drags me through the crowd. I follow without resisting, hoping I can get him to talk about Mini Motivations between here and the exit. After all, we are in the far reaches of the building and it’s a long walk to the door.

We step into the hallway, and it’s deserted. No one else has left the event. Unsurprising, given what an amazing networking opportunity it is.

“Leo,” I say and stop moving my feet. At this point, I figured I’d better just come out with it. “I work for an amazing startup company, and we really need to license your brands.”

“What?” he roars, spinning to face me.

“If we could just talk about this.”

“You lied to me and misled me all evening,” he says, his eyes narrowed.

“I did no such thing. You just assumed I was going to sleep with you. That’s nothing to do with me.”

People start to spill out of the event. Leo grabs my arm, and drags me down a side hallway.

“You came to my hotel and posed as my whore for the night.”

“I did not.” My voice is high, with a slight waiver in it.

“Look at how you’re dressed,” he hisses.

“So what? That doesn’t mean I’m a prostitute,” I yell.

The conversation of everyone in the nearby main hallway ceases. People turn to stare, but as soon as they realize it’s Leo, they rush to us.

Leo takes my arm and drags me, zigzagging deeper into the depths of the building.

“Mr. Newbury,” several people say as they follow us.

Several break into unashamed jogs, as they race each other to get to him first. More people notice the commotion, and follow suit.

There’s an unmarked door around a corner, and Leo opens it and half drags me through it.

He quickly pushes the door shut behind us. It’s pitch black except for a tiny crack of light from under the door but otherwise it’s the darkest place I’ve ever been. I can’t even make out Leo’s shape.

“What are you—” I start to say but Leo clamps his hand over my mouth.

I try to pull my head back, but Leo grips the back of my head with his other hand. My blood is pumping fast. Through the hand covering my mouth, I let out a muffled cry.

“Shh,” Leo says into my ear, his voice low. “Don’t let them hear us. I don’t want them to find me.”

Breathing through my nose, I try to calm myself. He’s right, it’s better if those people don’t find us. That way I have him to myself and can talk to him about Mini Motivations and licensing his brands. It’s my last chance.

Leo keeps his hand over my mouth, but relaxes his grip on the back of my head when I stop struggling.

Though the only thing I can see is the silhouettes of our feet, I can feel him standing close to me. Apart from his hands, our bodies don’t touch. But it seems like they are.

His scent envelops me. I’m now standing in the darkness with the most attractive man I’ve ever seen. Fluttering fills my chest, only I know it’s not from a nervousness to discuss business.

I feel like a middle-school kid playing their first game of Spin the Bottle.

The fingers laid across my mouth are thick, and the temptation to poke my tongue out and taste them is overwhelming.

I fight to get a hold of myself. Although at this point, he could run those hands all over my body and I wouldn’t do a thing to stop him.

We stand like this, motionless. The longer we stand here, the more excited I get. It’s like the darkness has heightened all my other senses. Especially my nose. He smells incredible. The longer I stand this close to him, the hotter I become.

Eventually the noise of the people in the hallway dies down, and then vanishes. Leo drops his hand from my mouth, leaving me gasping for air in an attempt to calm myself down.

“They’ll be waiting. Let’s wait a bit longer, but in the light,” Leo says.

He shifts his body away from mine, and noisily runs his hands over the wall. A switch clicks, and the space fills with light. My eyelids blink furiously, adjusting to the sudden brightness.

After a moment, I can take in my surroundings. We’re in some kind of janitor’s closet and storage area.

The room is small. Widthwise, I can touch both walls at the same time. It’s maybe seven feet long, with a bare-bones utility sink at the far end. Mops and buckets are crammed alongside it. Stacks of packs of toilet paper run along one wall.

This is my chance. The big break I’ve been waiting for.

“Mini Motivations aims to be the most effective yet positive way for parents to motivate their children in everything from chores to schoolwork to simply rewarding behavior,” I start.

“For fuck’s sake,” Leo says, rolling his eyes.

“And it’s done in a way that’s fun for parents and children. But at this time we need real brands to motivate most effectively, rather than our in-house created virtual toys and games. We would like to—”

“I am not discussing this now,” he says, shaking his head.

“If you’d just hear me out, I’m sure it’s something you would love to be a part of.”

“I ran into this cupboard to get away from people trying to pitch their ideas to me.”

“But this one is different,” I say, my voice pleading.

“No, it isn’t.”

“If you would listen, you would understand that it is. I’m just asking for a chance.”

“I’m out of here,” he says, and grabs the door handle.

His hand yanks back and forth, but the handle doesn’t budge.

“We are all about making life fun, even the boring parts of life. “

“Fucking hell.” He wrestles harder with the door, pushing and pulling and jamming the handle and door every way he can.

“Because what’s the point of living if everything’s a chore? Your brands are safe with us. They are loved by children and parents everywhere, and we will do everything to ensure our app only increases their brand value.”

“Would you stop talking!”

“I can’t. We need them to make our app a success.”

Leo turns to me, puts his hands on my shoulders, stares into my eyes and growls, “We’re locked in a fucking storage closet. We have to get out of here. This isn’t the time to talk about whatever hare-brained idea you have.”

My shoulders sink. I’ve barely registered the situation. I’ve been too focused on pitching the company. Is it more important to focus on getting the license for his brands or on getting out of here?

I open my mouth again. “We’d be willing to take a short-term contract, say a period of twelve months?”

“What is wrong with you? We’re stuck in a cupboard.”

“If you listen I think you’d find our idea is solid. There’s nothing hare-brained about it.”

“Save your breath, I’m not giving you my brands.”