Michelle

I watched on as my perfect bride walked towards me. Hector would give her away as her Dad had passed away a year ago, this day had finally arrived. Today was the first day of ‘us.’

It was in that board room three years ago, when I first met Michelle. I was new to the company and the international directors had flown in that morning.

I remember, sitting there looking down at my shoes as the meeting started. I was thinking, ‘what the hell! I was wearing a luminous orange sock and a purple sock, oh great! Just in time to look like a complete dork in front of the directors. I really need to get that globe fixed near my sock draw.’

Looking up from the sock saga, playing out beneath the boardroom table, I was taken prisoner by her beauty and grace, her femininity and professional poise and confidence. She was just plain smoking hot! Michelle. I had seen her around the office, but I had been too shy to say hello, it was my first week, I wasn’t scared to speak to her, ok to be honest, I was petrified.

Why did I have to present after her? She was perfect, her presentation was perfect, and had everyone fully engaged. Michelle controlled the audience and commanded respect because of her knowledge. She was the type of woman that would silence the chatter in any room, because of her mere presence.

Michelle and I were sitting on a picnic blanket and we were surrounded by yellow flowers, in a beautiful meadow on a perfect spring day, she swings a pillow at me, hey where did the pillow come from? She is in her bra, she is lovely….. Then at once I am back in the ‘bored room’ that’s how it should be spelt. Except that when Michelle was presenting it was not boring, oh those lips.

I looked at our three international guests, they were extremely intrigued. They were all hanging on her every word. Each of them posturing for her attention by asking searching questions. Each one trying to show they understood our market. Their egos were on full display, it was pathetic. It was so obvious. She answered their questions with ease and they were impressed with her, they were drooling over her, but nobody saw what was going on except me.

I hated that day, because I was new, and I was next up. She had them captivated. I had them irritated and frustrated. I was not able to answer some rather detailed questions, but Michelle took pity on me and she answered some of the tough questions for me. She was my Joan of Arc, my liberator!

“Gentlemen I think you need to give Jordan a break he has only been with the company one week and his portfolio is rather intricate. I would know, it used to be mine.” She winked at me and I felt electric shocks, yes definite electric shocks, not the right place or time for these little bursts of pleasure, but they danced inside me anyway.

The directors had mercy on me and she had saved me from the circling wolves in that boardroom. That ice cold board room, with icy questions piercing me like sharp icicles. Michelle melted the icicles, a warm fire in an icy cave, she was my protector.

I had an excuse to approach her now, so I did. “Thank you Michelle, for assisting me in there, next time, I will be better.”

“Oh that’s fine Jordan. I think you did well for your first time. These pharmaceutical companies don’t give us much time to understand the business. Management seem to think that public humiliation is a good way to motivate people. I disagree…Oh excuse me that’s my mobile. Yes Hector, I understand, I told you that we had the international guests here today. I will be home later, you will have to have some takeout for dinner…….Oh don’t be ridiculous, you know I care about you, it’s just……. Hector we can discuss that later, I am busy and will speak to you later….. ok…ok bye bye.”

I walked away shattered, why did I think that someone like her would be alone? And why was I shattered anyway, it’s not like she has any interest in me? I must be the dumbest man in the history of the world! Of course she has a significant other, I am such an idiot.

I couldn’t sleep that night, and awoke to another day of my board room sentence.

The rest of the business leaders presented their portfolios and Michelle and I could watch them deal with the big heads, just as we had the day before. We had a dinner that evening with the directors and after the meeting we made our way to the restaurant.

At dinner two directors, Georges and Remy, the former being Belgian and the latter being Swiss, were having inane conversations about the best chocolate in the world, each backing their own home country of course.

In light of the stupidity, Michelle turned to me. “What Chocolate do you think is the best, Belgian or Swiss?”

“I think, umm Swiss”

“Well Jordan, on that we disagree, Belgian all the way for me!”

“Well to be honest I hadn’t really thought about chocolate until you asked me.”

“Are you saying that you now want to change your answer? I thought you were a strong confident man Jordan?” she winked and I felt my heart dance, yes it was unmistakable there was something going on in my heart, cascades of joy mixed with those electric shocks, the shocks were back.

Our conversation was rudely interrupted, well it was smooth, but I thought it was rude. “I would just like to say that your presentation was excellent.” Hilton, from the London office had oozed into our space like melted chocolate, he was so smooth he didn’t walk, he sort of drifted along, and he secreted himself between us. From that moment I hated the prick.

“Oh thank you Hilton, that’s kind of you.” The prick had her attention.

“Sorry to interrupt Michelle, would you like something to drink, I’m heading to the bar?” I had to say something, and that’s what I came up with, I was pathetic.

“Oh yes a glass of Chardonnay, and Hilton? Would you like anything?”

“Umm, yes, sorry Hilton would you like anything?” I had to offer the first class prick something, and in my stupidity I had now demoted myself to playing waiter for them.

“No thanks, I am on a special diet, Michelle I want your opinion….” He said focusing on her again, and dismissing me, as if I was hired help.

From there it just got worse. The entire evening he was stuck to her, she couldn’t move without him being at her side, he called the others to join them. The other two jerks surrounded her. The three were like hyenas circling their prey. They acted out their well - rehearsed routine, which I was sure they used while circumnavigating the globe, I felt sick.

I mingled with others, but I would glance over at Michelle. Now and again I caught her looking at me. Now what was that? Was she looking at me? Did she want me to rescue her from the jerks? What should I do? What about Hector? Was I delusional thinking she actually had an interest in me? Perhaps she wanted me to rescue her from the hyenas, I had to help her. I’m coming Michelle.

I walked over to her, and she seemed pleased to see me, but she also continued to smile and engage the hyenas. They were fully focused on her and I could tell that she was getting a little ‘happy’ because they kept plying her with wine.

I overheard two of them at the bar. “That Michelle is something, I reckon we keep pouring the wine down her throat and one of us is in there, a bit of ‘Chateau Legopener’ if you know what I mean.” They laughed like hyenas and ordered more drinks. My hatred for them grew, but they were directors what could I do?

I don’t know what came over me after hearing that bar chatter, but as Remy the Swiss pervert put the glass of wine into Michelle’s hand I bumped her and it spilt over him, mission accomplished! First wave hyena attack, averted. I apologised.

Later that evening as we were leaving Hilton was circling Michelle, ready to pounce! Another attack was imminent I had to act, so I punched him in the mouth. Twice. I just had to do it, she needed me.

“You know Jordan you are a big idiot!” said Michelle, in the aftermath, attending to Hilton. I apologised to Hilton, and he walked off to look for medical help, his mouth was bleeding.

“Jordan, I am not drunk and I can take care of myself, I am part of an internal investigation on these three.Tthis evening was a set up, so that we had evidence, and you have just destroyed the entire case, thanks for nothing!”

I was dumb -struck, Michelle had been acting all along!

“Jordan I think you need to come home with me.”

“What? Why? Hey I’m no pervert! I’ll have you know, I was just trying to…”

“And that’s why you need to come home with me.”

“What about Hector?”

“Hector, how do you? Have you been listening to my phone conversations?”

“No I haven’t, I just heard you speak to him once before that’s all.”

“Well Jordan, he’s my brother.”

“Oh, he’s umm… your brother?”

“I must say I do like the way, you stood up for me, that Hilton creep deserved a good smack in the mouth.” Her hands touched my arms and I was captivated. I was leaning forward, what was I doing? I had to kiss her soft lips, I was making fish faces, but she started talking.

“You do know you will probably lose your job, and you probably will have an assault charge against you too?”

“Yes well, he should not have tried to take advantage of you, you should have heard what they said at the bar!”

“I did it’s all recorded, the barman is part of the investigation too, now let’s go to my place and discuss what our future holds.”

“Our future?”

“Yes I kind of like you Jordan, I have since you joined the company a week ago, you are different, and I like that, so let’s go and chat, get to know each other better, you can meet Hector.”

Well it was the best and worst night of my life, I had punched someone due to a lack of emotional control and I had gone home with a lovely woman, also due to a lack of emotional control.

The following day I was summoned to the CEO’s office

“Jordan how long have you been with us?”

“A week”

“A week and you are punching our directors, not the smartest thing to do. Unfortunately I will have to let you go.”

I went and packed up my belongings from my desk, the silence in that office that day told me that everyone knew what had happened.

I had to find another job, but losing this one was enough to deal with for one day, the job search would begin the following day.

Losing a job for love was a fair trade in my book, and to this day I am no fan of hyenas. Although come to think of it, if it wasn’t for those corporate hyenas I wouldn’t be getting married, so hyenas are not all bad.

And that is the story of how Michelle and I met, and now we are getting married. And as for those hyenas, well they were all fired for sexual harassment of women at the office in Poland. Go Poland!!