Page 17 of His to Correct

5. Launch a series of anonymous testimonials from satisfied female viewers, focusing on how NMB has improved their relationships and self-understanding.

As I typed, a small voice in the back of my mind whispered that I wasn’t just crafting a marketing strategy—I was outlining my own secret desires. I pushed the thought away, my cheeks burning.

Target demographic: Affluent women aged 25–45, married or in long-term relationships. Particular emphasis on the partners of high-net-worth individuals who may feel unfulfilled or curious about power dynamics in their relationships.

I paused, realizing I had just described myself, minus the billionaire partner. My fingers trembled as I continued typing.

Potential campaign slogans: Discover Your True Self… Embrace Your Deepest Desires… The Power of Surrender… Cultivate Your Secret Garden…

I stared at the words on the screen, feeling a mix of horror and exhilaration. Was this really me writing this? Had I somehow tapped into that hidden part of myself that I’d been desperately trying to ignore?

To distract myself from these unsettling thoughts, I dove back into the data. I wanted to look at what we knew about women in high-net-worth households that subscribed to other Selecta Entertainment content, but not NMB.

I hit a roadblock: I didn’t have access to client data at that granular level. I looked around the bullpen, feeling a little groggy from the deep immersion of my writing. I noticed my colleague Joe had come back from lunch without my even registering his presence two desks away.

“Joe?” I asked. “You got a minute?”

“Sure, Melissa,” he said. “What’s up?”

I explained what I was looking for.

“Cool,” Joe said. “Mandy can get you that data, easy. Assessment just has to anonymize it.”

Mandy, I remembered, was Stuart’s secretary. As a junior member of the team, I hadn’t yet had any real contact with her, but I knew she supported the rest of the team as well as our boss.

Hi, Mandy!I emailed her.I’m Melissa, the new exec on Stuart’s team. I have a query I’m hoping will be easy.

I went on, detailing the report I was looking for and saying that Joe had thought Mandy could help.

Less than a minute later, I got a reply.

Hi. Very busy today. Can probably get you that next week.

I frowned at my screen. “Well, that sucks,” I commented to no one in particular.

Joe chuckled. “Let me guess,” he said. “Mandy told you she’s very busy and can’t deal with your request until six months from now.”

I laughed. “Next week,” I told him.

“Frankly,” Joe said, looking from side to side theatrically as if to make certain no one would hear him say it. “Mandy is just really fucking lazy. Heather paddled her for it a few months ago…”

I swallowed hard and did everything I could to pretend this news had no effect on me at all.

“…and Mandy got a little better, but it seems like she’s back to her old ways.”

Joe leaned in closer, lowering his voice.

“Look, between you and me, it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to get you access to that database. All Mandy needs to do is make a couple quick calls to Assessment and IT. She’s just being lazy.”

I frowned, feeling a mix of frustration and uncertainty. “Are you sure? I don’t want to push if she’s really swamped.”

Joe waved his hand dismissively. “Trust me, I’ve been here long enough to know how this works. Mandy’s always ‘busy,’ but half the time she’s just scrolling through social media or chatting with her friends. If you want to get anything done around here, sometimes you need to light a fire under her ass.”

I chewed my lip, considering. The data I needed was crucial for this crazy-but-maybe-also-genius proposal, and waiting a week would seriously derail my momentum. “So what should I do?”

“Go talk to her in person,” Joe suggested. “Be firm, but polite. Let her know it’s urgent and that you know it won’t take long. Sometimes she just needs a little… motivation.”

There was something in the way he said ‘motivation’ that made my tummy churn, but I pushed the feeling aside. This was about work, nothing more.

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