Pulling himself back from the table he plays over what she just said. “Reliable lawn care with your purse in mind.”
“Yes, most people who have lawn care services are middle aged women or families where the wife makes most of the financial decisions. Therefore, by stating that you have their purse in mind, you are reaching your target market in a greater way. By using the word purse it is something that will initially single out your largest target market that it would be ok.
He was definitely taken aback. He knew that Paul would never hire anyone that was dumb, but her knowledge put her in a league of her own. She had obviously done her homework about the industry before he came. I can definitely get used to that. Pulling himself away from his thoughts,
“Yes, I do like it.”
“Ok, we can now start a marketing campaign centered on that.” Tisha starts to ramble about the details that would go into the marketing campaign when her stomach growled.
“I am so sorry,” turning red in the face and looking down. “I guess I didn’t realize what time it was.”
Amused by her actions, he let out a loud laugh. Calming himself down he struggles to get the word, “WOW” out.
“What are you wowing about?” she asked looking up at him. His laughter was contagious, and she found herself chuckling at her own embarrassment.
“I don’t see too many people with your skin tone able to turn that shade of red.” Seeing her state of shock she immediately let her hands go up to cover her face; leaning back in the chair in a now uncontrollable laughter.
“This is so unprofessional! I am so sorry. Please forgive me,” she said in between laughing and almost crying.
David decided to seize the moment and ask her out. “You know what? All will be forgiven if you allow me to take you to lunch. Obviously, you have worked up an appetite from working on this project, so this is the least that I could do,” as he looks with a sincere look on his face at her.
Pulling herself together from laughing, Tisha ponders for a moment on the lunch invitation as he waited on her answer. Well I am hungry, but I normally don’t take a real lunch break. I normally just order something from the café downstairs and they would bring it up. What the heck? It’s free lunch and it looks as if I have gained this client so why not?
Looking up at him, “Ok, exactly where you are talking about going?”
Looking at her with laughter in his eye, “I got the best place in mind and it is not that far. In fact, I will drive. Come on; getting up and circling the table to pull her and her chair out he found Tisha already standing up about to meet him.
“Ok let me get my purse and let me inform Beverly.” Walking past him with a quickness David was stunned. Under his breath as he watched her walk through the door of her office “This is not the average run of the mill girl. She is definitely not a girlie girl.” Pulling his thoughts together as she came back through the door and going to her desk with lightning speed.
“Ok, so where is this place?”
“Ooooh I think you may have heard about it, but let it be a surprise anyway.”
Chapter 5
Out of the Box
Tisha ignored all the stares she was receiving as they crossed the office. She knew that everyone was in shock because she never took a lunch before. Even though she was pleasant with her staff, they all knew work came before anything. Normally outside of the good morning that she did as she crossed the office floor into her office and the occasional times she would come out to speak to Beverly they rarely saw her because she was normally one of the first ones in and one of the last to leave. She was what they deemed a work alcoholic, and no one dared to say anything to her about it. This was all dismissed as David placed the palm of his hands in the center of her back. She felt a sense of tension leave her as she allowed him to guide her.
Even though she had a lack of a social life, no one could say anything about her work ethic. She had landed the most accounts and was one of the most highly sought-after marketing consultants in her field. When a big contract came up many waited anxiously to get on her team. She was one of the few that rewarded hard work and while you were on her team, she let you know how much she appreciated you. From having a surprised breakfast, to coming in with little trinkets on their desks, she made them feel as though they were special while they worked on her team.
It was a rarity that they saw her during the day outside of working on a project and to see that she was with a man that was even more intriguing. Feeling the uneasiness of Tisha as he had placed his hand in the center of her back release, he knew that Tisha was feeling more comfortable with him. As he continued to walk with her through the office he noticed that they were the main attraction and couldn’t help but ask.
“Tisha?” as the approached the elevator and she pressed the button.
“Yes, David?” Looking at him
“How do I ask this?” Shrugging her shoulders, “Simple. Open your mouth and speak.” Looking at her to see if she was joking, he saw a straight face as he wondered what happened to the playful person back in the office. I better hold off thanking Paul for this one. She seems like a handful.
“Do you have a boyfriend? It seems as though we are the main attraction?”
“Oooh that,” pushing the button again hoping the elevator hurried up. Turning around and looking at him, “No, I don’t have a boyfriend, but it is not that often I come out of my office during the day. I normally work until 7 or 8 at night. The café downstairs brings me my lunch and normally I am the last one to leave so….” she shrugs her shoulders and turns around.
Finally, the elevator arrives, they both enter, and David pushes the button to the first floor. Replaying the conversation that he had just had with Tisha moments before turning around he looks at Tisha as she stood in the corner of the elevator. Her suit fit her body well. Seizing the moment to speak to gain some personal information from her as the elevator descended to the first floor. “So, Tisha do you have any kids working those types of hours?”
Slouching in the corner answering an email on her phone, she looks up at him, “No,” quickly putting her head back down. “Ok…” he turns around as the elevator doors open up. “Right this way Tisha,” as he escorted her off the elevator. “Let me take you to one of the best places on this side of town.” Turning the corner of the office building he makes another quick turn and stood in front of the Café. “Here we are!”
Looking at him she couldn’t help, but grin. “If this is what you were talking about I could have ordered food and had it brought up to my office.” She stated as they entered the café.
“Yes, but I thought it would be a good change of scenery. Especially for you Ms. Workaholic,” opening the door to the restaurant portion of the Café.
Thanking him as she entered into the restaurant she was taken aback by his words. ‘Ms. Work alcoholic.’ Wow! Was her lack of a social life so apparent she thought as the maître d took them to their table? As they seated themselves at the table, the maître d placed the menu in front of them.
“Kimberly will be your waitress today. Can I start by offering you something to drink?”
David looking at Tisha to go ahead and order first, “I’ll take water no lemon and lemonade.” The maître d turns and looks at David who stated he will have a tea. Watching the maître d leave he turns to Tisha, “So a water with no lemon and a lemonade what a strange pair?” He looks at her with a raise eyebrow. “Well I don’t like the taste of lemon in my water, but I love lemonade.”
Shaking his head, “Are you one of those strange people who don’t like their food to touch?” Tisha looking at David as he had lost his mind. “No, that is definitely not me. Can’t you see a lot of things have been touching?” Laughing at her own joke she forgets that she is in a restaurant.
“Ok so I see that you think that you are a comedian.”
“What????” looking at him with a broad smile. “That was funny!” still chuckling at her joke.
&nbs
p; David sighs and drops his head and looks back up, “No it wasn’t. You are not funny.” Picking up his napkin and laying it across his lap as he picks up the menu again and totally dismisses her. Tisha immediately puts her head down and stops laughing. She starts to go over the situation that had just happened and immediately starts planning a getaway. Tisha feels embarrassed and starts thinking of faking a meeting she had forgot that she had to go back upstairs to prepare for it. Tisha knew that was a lie. Anytime she had a new client she cleared her day to work specifically on their account setting up everything they needed and setting up her team of people for that campaign. Looking up as she positions to tell him that she looks up to a pair of laughing eyes.
“Gotcha,” David said as he now busts out laughing. Looking mean at him she tries to keep a mad look but can’t help but to start laughing. “I was just about to cut this lunch short. You hurt my feelings.” Normally Tisha did not allow people to know when they hurt her or not. Tisha had learned a long time ago just to roll with the punches. Wearing her feelings on her sleeves has caused her too much heartache.
Grabbing her hand that was lying on the table, “I was just playing.”
Snatching her hand from him and grabbing the menu. “Yes, you were playing, and you will be paying… Let me find the most expensive thing on here for you to pay.” Grinning as she hid her face behind the menu, she was glad that he could not see it. The way he grabbed her hand, scared her. It is nothing she said to herself as she continued to look at the menu planning to fully make good of her threat. Kimberly, the waitress approaches them asking them for their order. David looks at Tisha, “Ladies first.” Closing the menu, she sets it’s on the table looking directly into his face.
“I do think lobster is calling my name.” grinning as she gives Kimberly her order and David proceeds with his. After Kimberly leaves, David turns his attention back to Tisha. “You know the only reason that I let you go first, is to see how much debt you were going to cost me.” He says as he grins at her.
“A very wise thing to do especially since I am not finished.” Seeing Kimberly, Tisha waves her hand at her. “Yes ma’am” clearing her throat, “Can we get the seafood fondue as an appetizer?”
Kimberly clearly amused by Tisha and David’s unsaid gestures, “Yes ma’am, I will go ahead and place that order it should be out in a few minutes.” Kimberly says as she turns around to walk away. “Kimberly,” Tisha says catching her before she leaves their table. Turning around quickly to her,
“Yes ma’am.” Tisha looking straight at David, “Make sure you put everything on his bill and please make sure you bring out a dessert menu when we finish our main course. I feel very hungry today!” Laughing as Kimberly walks away and looking at David’s shocked eyes.
“I really like this.” David says to Tisha while gazing at her laughing physique.
“Really like what?” Coming up for air and gaining her composure to look at him.
“You. I really like you.”
“Well I guess that is good. It makes it a great relationship to work with when my clients do like me.”
“Yes, it does. Yes, it does.” Picking up his glass he begins to take a sip of his beverage. The waitress interrupts them as she places their appetizer in front of them.
“Well, I am glad that you are not afraid to eat in front of men.”
“I may not go out a lot but eating in front of people has never been an issue. I love to eat. Do you know what my dream job would be if I wasn’t doing this?” The waitress comes and places the shrimp fondue on the table and leaves. After saying grace Tisha and David both start eating. Taking a bite of the shrimp fondue, he finished chewing it before motioning her to continue.
“I want to be a food taster on Iron Chef.” Coughing a little and having to drink some water “What?” looking at her.
“A food taster on Iron Chef, I think the food they have on their show is so awesome. I love to watch them cook.”
“Oh, you cook also?”
“Yes, I love to cook.”
“Well I think that I am a great cook myself.”
“You do?”
“Yes, I am quite a grill master. I have a summer cookout every year at my house. Maybe you can come?”
“Maybe I can.”
“It won’t be the Iron Chef, but I will let you be the food taster for my event.” Laughing they continue their lunch never once seeing a pair of eyes on them the entire time. Paul sat in the far corner of the restaurant looking at the two. He could not believe that David had gotten Tisha out of the office for lunch, then again, he was talking about David. David had ways about him, some good and some bad, but he knew that Tisha would be a match for David.
He thought of a familiar Scripture that he had been studying, about being equally yoked. Turning around with a grin on his face, he thought, ‘Yes, they are definitely equally yoked.’ Both of them had a mouth on them but would give you the shirt off their back if you asked and they saw a need. Stopping and looking up, he quietly said, “Thank you Lord for leading me to introduce the two and now Lord it’s your turn to make the two paths merge together. For what you have joined no man can pull apart, but what man has made will crumble. Lord I take my hand off so that you can merge this together if it be your will. Because I know what you have merged together will last even in the times in which it looks dim.”
Smiling, he quickly ran to the back of the restaurant so that the diners would not see him break out in a shout. While he was not ashamed of his God, he also knew it was a time and place for everything and he knew immediately where he would go, the place of sanctuary; the bathroom!
Chapter 6
~Tisha~
Sitting back in the office after a long day with David, Tisha caught herself smiling and anticipating the next work day that he would come by to look at the work that she and her team had put together. David had given them two weeks to pull up the preliminary sketches for his campaign ads. She loved how aggressive he was and how actively involved he was with his business.
Most companies she had worked with the initial face-to-face was all that she saw of the owner. After the initial face-to-face, she normally gained complete confidence from the business and then from contacting them with the final presentation, she rarely saw or heard from them again, but not David. David was by far different. When setting up her team and giving out tasks to be finished in two weeks. The team was leaving when David grabbed his coat and said I will see you in two weeks for that meeting. She didn’t want it to end, so she did something that she didn’t normally do.
“David if you can wait I will be happy to walk you out.”
“Leaving early?”
“Huh?”
“I remember you saying that you normally don’t leave until 7 or 8.” Looking at his watch it is only 4:30.
“Well I have some things that I need to do tonight so I decided to leave early.”
“Ok, I will wait.” Sitting back down in the chair, he watches Tisha as she sits down and starts typing out an email. He was very happy that she came up with the reason to continue to be in each other’s presence. He had never felt an immediate attraction to anyone as he did with Tisha. He did not want the day to end. After a few bumps, he knew that Paul was on the money by introducing them together.
“I’m finished.”
“Ok,” standing up and going to the door and opening it.
“So, do you have any plans for dinner?”
“Yes, I do.”
David tried hard not to show his disappointment. “So, what are your plans?”
“I made lasagna last night, so today I plan on baking it.”
“You really do like to cook?”
“Yes, I told you. Do you have any plans?”
“No, just going home to look at four walls.”
“Four walls? You don’t have anyone?”
“No, I do have a son, but he is with his mother.”
Grinning as she grabbed her coat to walk out of the door wi
th him. She knew that David would be unlike any other client that she had. Sighing, she turns off the light to her office and walks towards the elevator grinning big. Hitting the down button on the elevator.
“So how old is your son?”
“Well I talk like he is young, but he is actually 14. I love my boy.”
“That’s good to hear.” The elevator comes up and both get on.
“Yes, he is actually really good at football. He is one of the top linebackers in the state in the double A division. I think he gets it from his old man.” The elevator stops on the bottom floor and both head to the parking garage. Reaching her car, David opens her car door.
“Well Ms. Carter, I do believe this is where we depart from each other.”
“Well I have to say I have really enjoyed you.”
“I have to say the same; I look forward to seeing you in two weeks.”
“The same,” David closes Tisha’s car door and watches her pull out, waving at her as she drove away. “Yes, in two weeks Ms. Carter, in two weeks.”
~David~
Sitting in his bedroom cleaning out his pocket he comes across the infamous receipt. After Tisha had ordered an appetizer, entrée, a dessert, and then a round of handmade lemonades and miniature desserts for the staff that would be working on his account, his total came to $443.14. He laughed as he thought, yes, she definitely made sure I paid for playing. The total didn’t bother him, even though he dressed simple, and he lived in a simple neighborhood with a nice car, his net worth was over $15 million.
He didn’t let on that the restaurant that sat in the lobby of her business was his. He took it with stride and was thankful that the staff didn’t let on that he was the owner of the business not that it would have mattered anyway; he could tell that Tisha was a girl that worked hard and did not accept handouts. He laughed as he remembered how she kept thinking of things to add to his bill to make sure that he fully paid for hurting her feelings. He really enjoyed the conversation that was held at the table. Tisha was different, and he could tell she had a heart to give. Even though he paid for the gifts, that Tisha’s gave to her team that would be working with her, he could tell her team was very appreciative of the gifts.
Torn apart Tisha's Story Page 5