Page 14 of I Accidentally Hired a Shadow Walker
“Yeah, thanks, man.” Deonta looked over at me once again. I could see the question in his mind. Could he convince me to give in? Apparently, he told himself the answer was no, because instead of asking me another time, he shook Raymond’s hand. “Good luck with her. I hope she gives you a better chance than she did me.”
“You know what? I have a feeling I’ll need it. Thanks.” Raymond shook Deonta’s hand then sent him on his way. He watched closely until he got back into his tiny sedan and drove off.
This isn’t good,I thought to myself as Raymond turned to me. The smile stretching across his face told me he would never let me live this moment down.
“What was that?” I asked as he made his way over to me, shit-eating grin still firmly in place. “I’m a flu he has to flush out of his system?”
“That was me diffusing the situation without it coming to blows.” He clapped. “Tell me something, Jericha: am I going to have to do that often? Do you have a slew of men vying for your attention, just hoping you will choose them?”
“No. Usually, my stalkers don’t come to my job.” I lifted my chin. “This one slipped through the cracks.”
“Stalkers as in plural, you have more than one?” He raised a brow. “So that’s what you do in your free time? Gather up all the crazy men?”
“Well, they’re not typically crazy when I meet them.” I tapped my chin with my fingernail. “What can I say? I’m addicting. I drive them wild.”
I stepped aside, allowing him to enter the office again. Just as he passed, his chest close to mine, he leaned in, looked me square in the eyes. “I’ll be the judge of that.”
5
Dinner with the pest
It took a week to get the contracts settled and then another week to train our teams. Between the new hires we settled on and the contracted men from Raymond’s service, we had more than enough personnel to get the job done. The relief I felt was akin to seventeen orgasms! All that was left was the final in-person meeting with the studio, then we would be off to the races.
Natalie and Raymond attended the meeting at the studio with me. I needed Natalie because I knew she would pay close attention to all details, and it made sense for Raymond to be there, since he would effectively be my second-in-command for the initial contract. As a final amendment, we’d agreed that for all intents and purposes, Raymond would be an employee, since he was planning on phasing out his company at some point. It would just make things easier for me down the line not to have to dissolve the official partnership or contend with new owners.
“Jericha, it’s so good to see you again!” Von greeted us just outside the conference room. “All those video calls are so impersonal.”
“Von, great to see you as well.” I shook her hand.
“And this must be Natalie. Your face matches your voice,” Von said before turning to Raymond, who stood at my other side. “And Mr. Statton?”
“It's a pleasure to meet you.” He greeted her friendly.
“Wonderful! Let’s head inside. I know we’re all eager to get things settled.”
Inside the conference room was a long table. On one side sat five members of the studio team, three empty seats for us on the other. Von joined the side with the other studio members.
“Everyone, this is Jericha Brown, her assistant Natalie, and her partner, Raymond Statton,” Von made the introductions.
The first man, an older gentleman, stood. He was shorter than me, and from my vantage point, I could see the bald patch forming at the top of his head.
“Hello, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Mr. Watson.” He held out his hand—not to me, but to Raymond! “Happy to be working with your firm.”
“Actually,” I placed my hand in his and shook it with a firm grasp, “I’m the owner. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Oh, my apologies.” He nervously glanced at our connected hands as if I was hurting him. “I shouldn’t have assumed.”
“That’s quite alright.” I smiled politely. “I understand there are few women in this space, but I’m happy to be working together and look forward to a blossoming partnership.”
I let his hand go and looked at the others. One woman, who wore a blue suit, nodded approvingly. She clearly appreciated my skillful correction of Mr. Watson’s behavior.
“Shall we get started?” I suggested. With masterful skill crafted through many years of proving men wrong, I ran the meeting. Every detail of our partnership was laid out, including scheduling, team changes, inventory needs, and even uniformrequirements for team members. Raymond remained quiet, Natalie took detailed notes, and by the end of it, Mr. Watson had no questions.
The meeting ended later than I expected, so I sent Natalie home. There was more to do at the office, but there was no need for her to waste another night babysitting me. I parted ways with Raymond in the parking lot, and headed to the office. On the way, I stopped at a gas station and got myself a treat—those little pink donuts.
When I arrived at my office, Raymond was standing by the door. He leaned against the wall and waved at me.
“It's about time you got here,” he teased as I approached the door.
