He moved from left to right, shaking our hands. When he got to me, he stared into my eyes.
I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. I didn’t know what to say.
Should I act like I don’t know him? Should I let him take the lead? Should I—
“I thought there were four brand ambassadors,” Russ said, sliding his hand over mine.
“We have five now,” Remedy responded. “I met Nina at a conference and added her to the lineup. Her style, social media presence, and relatable content make her perfect for RLF. She fits in with the others beautifully. With these five, you are looking at our social media marketing campaign.”
Russ cleared his throat as he removed his hand from mine. Looking around, he took a step back from me.
“And now that you’re caught up”—Remedy gestured to Sasha—“we need to go over the mid-quarter projections for you.”
Sasha nodded. “We are heading out now.”
In a single-file line, we followed her out of the conference room. Even though I felt his eyes burning into me, I didn’t look back. I was in a state of confusion and disbelief.
Russ is the president and CEO of Real Life Fashions?
“I hope you all have a great rest of your week,” Sasha told us as we reached the unmanned front desk. She turned and handed me a folder. “Your information and your parking pass. Welcome to RLF.”
I thanked her, grabbed my tote, and then joined the models in the elevator.
“Whew! I thought he was one of the models when he walked in,” Jacqueline gushed, fanning herself.
“I met him a few weeks ago when I was first doing my measurements. He’s the sexiest man I’ve ever worked for,” Taisha commented.
“I wouldn’t mind being his arm candy,” Jacqueline joked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.
“How’s your man going to feel about you talking like this?” Matias asked.
“Talking like what? Telling the truth?” Taisha tossed her hands in the air. “She’s just pointing out the obvious.”
“And he might be mad, but he’ll know it ain’t a lie!” Jacqueline added.
Both ladies giggled as we walked out of the elevator.
“We have eyes!” Taisha looked over at me with a full smile. “Ain’t that right, Nina?”
I nodded, still unable to find my voice.
The three of them continued their playful conversation.
“You good?” Jonah asked quietly. “You haven’t said a word since we left the meeting.”
Looking at him, I nodded again. “I’m okay.”
“Are you overwhelmed?” Jacqueline asked gently.
I looked up, realizing all four of them were staring at me. Walking slowly and watching me with each step, they were waiting expectantly for my response.
My eyebrows flew up. “Um… yeah, something like that.”
I was overwhelmed, but not for the reasons they were thinking.
“You don’t strike me as the nervous type,” Taisha replied, cocking her head to the side.
“And I’ve done one of these deals about a year ago and it’s pretty chill,” Matias informed me. “Nothing to worry about.”