I love to visit the USA. I've been every year for the last six years. It's always been business related but to do business there is only a pleasure.
I think it would be true to say that America and Americans don't enjoy the best of reputations in today's world, but first-hand experience reveals a different story. In real life I have almost always found Americans to be warm and welcoming, charming and humourous. The only exceptions I have met were both politicians so I guess I shouldn't count that as real-life.
Last year I had a special interest in visiting Atlanta. When I go somewhere new, I find it very effective to hire a local public relations company with experience in my own line of business. That's how I handled it on this particular visit. It was expensive but it saved a lot of frustration in the end, and you may interpret that as you wish.
*
I was met at the airport on a Sunday afternoon by a young man named Carlo. He was medium-height, slim and well-groomed with nicely cut dark hair and small-framed glasses which gave him a very serious look. I placed him at about 25 years-old. The public relations company had assigned him to me for the week of my stay.
'He's young but he's very capable and enthusiastic, and he's going places,' they'd assured me.
I was old enough to be his mother though I am far from the motherly type and I was happy to have him as my guide. He took control of my baggage and we eventually found our way to his car. He wasted no time in presenting me with a preliminary itinerary which included details of meetings with prospective customers and an amended agenda for the conference I was attending. He took a copy of the speech I was going to make and promised to get it reviewed by his seniors. It was all very efficiently organised and in less than an hour I felt confident that the public relations people would earn their fee.
And Carlo had beautiful soft, brown eyes and very nice, angular hands.
*
I won't say that I planned to seduce him from the outset but perhaps I just don't want to own-up to my salacious intentions. It certainly had the potential to be a risk to my reputation but what is life without taking a little risk.
Throughout the week, Carlo and I met for breakfast each morning to go over the plan for the day. He'd brief me on the people I was meeting and I'd ask him to do various tasks and make last-minute arrangements for me. We'd meet during the day for an update and sometimes he'd accompany me to a meeting with a business prospect. As is usually the case, evenings were taken up with formal social events and I was glad to have him as my escort.
In the main it was business-like but from time to time I'd flirt with him a little; a touch that lingered a moment longer than necessary, a prolonged view for him down the front of a low-cut top, an arm around his waist whilst he held the umbrella on a rainy day.
I discovered that he'd split-up with his last girl-friend six months previously and he was finding it difficult to meet someone else.
'I guess they think I'm a nerdy type of guy,' he said.
'You?' I responded. 'A nerdy type of guy? I don't think so! I'll give you that you are very serious and a bit intense sometimes, but you are certainly not a nerdy guy. Stop thinking like that. You are only making things more difficult for yourself.'
'Well, maybe,' he said, and then we were interrupted and the conversation moved on.
On one of our customer visits I got him to divert to the Marietta area so I could drop into Victoria's Secret and buy goodies for myself and a couple of friends (we don't have VS back home in South Africa). He waited around for me and I'm sure he felt out of place but he took it in his stride.
I danced with him at the conference dinner function and got a little smoochy but I didn't get any indication from him that might encourage me to take things further.
I started to wonder if I was losing my charm, or if I was just too old for him, but it was clear that Carlo felt awkward with women in general. I noticed it not only with myself but also with those we'd meet in the course of the day. The sales assistant at Victoria's Secret, a lovely looking girl, had tried to make small-talk with him but he wasn't sure how to respond. A very attractive young woman, in a group with whom we'd had lunch, had big eyes for him but he'd seemed very ill at ease with her. Despite all his capabilities and attractiveness, he was just lacking in confidence in dealing with women. Perhaps I could do something about that for him.
It was at our breakfast meeting on the Thursday morning that I finally got a breakthrough. He took off his glasses, placed them in front of him on the table and gazed at me with those sexy brown eyes.
'I've never met anyone like you before,' he said. 'I mean, you are just so different. You give me responsibility and you actually treat me like I'm an equal. And I've learnt so much with you this week. But it's not just that. You are so ...'
'Go on,' I said, 'say what you want to say.'
'You are so charismatic and ...,' he hesitated again.
'And?'
'I shouldn't even be thinking this let alone trying to say it. Please let it go. If I'm offending you I'm really sorry. I didn't mean ...'
'Be quiet,' I said. 'You are not offending me and I'm very flattered that you think I'm charismatic and whatever else you were thinking.'
After that we got back to business but I'd finally got a sign of interest. Seduction works that way; a step at a time and see what happens.
Before we parted to get on with the day, I played my final card: 'Tomorrow is my last day as you know. If you are free, I think it would be very appropriate for us to have dinner together - how about something casual so I don't have to dress-up too much.'
For the first time since I met him I got a full, smiling grin.
'That would be really great,' he said and then he was back to his business-like self, adding another item to his list.
'I'll make the arrangements,' he confirmed.
'Just one more thing;' I said, 'please don't wear a suit.' For a moment I thought he was going to add that to his list as well but he just smiled.
The whole of Thursday followed the same pattern as the earlier part of the week. Friday was different; for the first time I awoke to a clear blue sky and sunshine. I had nothing much arranged - no breakfast meeting with Carlo, just a wrap-up session with his boss (of course, I gave a glowing report) and then the day was mine.
I booked myself into the hotel salon for an afternoon session of facial, manicure and the like and I spent the morning by the pool, relaxing and soaking up some welcome sun..