As she sat across from him in the office, attempting to focus on her laptop screen, she reflected on possibly one of the most uncomfortable business lunches she had ever had. She recalled noticing the two men who sat at the table parallel to hers, and the tone of their amiable conversation in comparison to her table's terse one. She could almost feel their attention on the conversation between her and her boss, and imagined they noticed it also lacked the typical cordiality involved in business discussions, what with the frequent interruptions of, "This is a business lunch, stay on topic. We are to discuss business."
She remembered him stopping mid sentence to inquire as to whether or not she was paying attention, and she knew she had an odd look on her face due to the bitter bite of salad in her mouth. How to look interested in conversation, business conversation, when the taste in your mouth is as distasteful as, well, the conversation?
"Are you paying attention? It's important that you focus on what is being said, because if you were with a client, you would need to be aware..." he stated to her in his almost demeaning fashion.
"I'm sorry," she said, whilst half covering her mouth as she attempted to diminish the awful taste that she must finish chewing. She took a sip of supposedly sweet tea, which was not actually that sweet considering this was a restaurant in the south.
"Yes, I heard everything you said, but I was distracted by this bitter taste in my salad. Most of it was ok up until this last bite, and it distracted me, hence my disappointed expression."
She then began to repeat everything he had said to her, albeit a summary, but the general idea.
She really regretted ordering this salad. She was mistaken to think it would be easy to eat a salad and maintain conversation, and the occasional unpleasant flavor didn't help. She wanted to look at her salad and analyze what could possibly create that foul flavor. However, she did not want to look intently at her salad, or else he would scold her again for lack of attention.
She would occasionally attempt average conversation, maybe a humorous anecdote, and would see a glimmer of a smile on his face, his eyes would relax...but then, no, it would just as quickly dissolve into business face. As if he were striving to not break character.
He would remind her, for perhaps the sixth time now, "This is a business lunch, we are to only discuss business. Any other time, I would be happy to hear your stories, but for now, let's keep it professional; treat me as you would a prospective client. We are only to discuss business."
Any other time that she was around him, she could be herself. She could ramble, use her sarcastic wit, voice opinions, and he would follow in kind and the conversation was enjoyable, something she truly looked forward to, but not this time. She honestly did not know where to start, and quite simply, felt flustered, and annoyed. They usually had a casual conversational flow, a repartee, and it was never dull, in her opinion. But this...if she had to hear, "This is a business lunch..." one more time! Well, she wouldn't really say anything rude, or do anything physical. After all, she needed the job, and she could behave professionally and cordially. That would not stop her, however, from frequently mentally slapping the side of his head for every time he stated, "This is a business lunch, we only discuss business...". Her employment could not be terminated for imaginary slapping. Besides, she didn't truly want to inflict violence upon him. Occasionally, in their exchanges aside from this day, a seemingly real side of him would emerge; it was intriguing and she couldn't help but feel that twinge of interest.
He was a curious character, always back and forth with his attitude, depending on whom he was surrounded by. "Catering to the demographic" is how she considered it. "Know your audience" was another good term. She could not really credit her marketing and customer service knowledge for that, as she had been reading people most of her life, analyzing to see what worked best based on body language, interests, and so on. She may be the stereotypical "baby in the family" in regards to learning how to effectively argue; her mother always said she should have been a lawyer! It did not mean her actions were insincere, she was merely aware of what should and should not be said depending on who she was around. Or so she thought. She had a tendency to say everything that was on her mind, if she became too comfortable.
That was part of the conundrum in this instance, with this man; she felt comfortable with him from the first time they met in regards to conversation. Yes, they had different backgrounds, to her knowledge, and they were the same age. She doubted that he came from a family as dysfunctional as hers. It was highly unlikely that he carried a multitude of emotional baggage that clouded his judgement. He was a more factual and precise person, whereas she was emotional, analytical, and in the process of mending so many emotional boundaries. They both seemed to be "people pleasers", although, she suspected it was for different reasons; his was most likely for profitable reasons, whereas hers was more in relation to an emotional defection.
She could not fathom that he would surround himself with people that he found intellectually deficient or lacking in humor, so she doubted that he would strive to please people he cared about by pretending or omitting too much of his true self. He probably associated with people that had similar interests and backgrounds. In that respect, she could not imagine that someone like him would actually show genuine interest in someone like her. This may sound a bit redundant to make such assumptions, but that was how she felt.
She was immensely relieved when the check arrived at their table, as she simply wanted to end this business lunch as quickly as possible. Oh please, let's go back to normal conversation, she thought. She could always break that evil monotonous cycle of conversation and mention that one sex dream she had about him. That would change the atmosphere quickly! It was a surprisingly vivid dream. At the time, she awoke with a start, and for a full second, maybe two, she could still see him above her, rhythmically thrusting, as she moved her hips with his, grinding against him, bringing him deeper. As she awoke, she could still feel herself throbbing as if he were still there, and she felt quite wet. It was just a dream, but oh goodness, for a second she almost said his name aloud because it seemed so real. Yes, that would definitely switch the track of the conversation, but not for the better, as this was a professional situation.
