With that done, I forward my ideas to Kathy, not really caring if she likes them or not. There isn’t much that could put a damper on my mood right now. A message pops up a minute later from Kathy with the entire team attached, asking all of us to meet her in one of the conference rooms upstairs.
I head to the elevator, and my forgotten anxiety returns when Samantha smiles at me with a knowing look in her eyes. Not wanting her to think she has something over me, I press the up arrow while asking, “Did you guys have fun last night?”
She shrugs. “I took off not long after you left with—” She pauses, glancing around. “—Mr. Adams. I didn’t know who he was until Mat said he’s the CEO of IMG.”
“Yep, he’s the head honcho,” I say like an idiot, and she laughs.
“Do you guys know what this is about?” Chris asks, joining us just when the elevator doors open and we all step on together.
“No idea,” I reply, taking a step back as Chris holds the door open for more people to get on with us. Once the doors close, everyone starts asking each other what this meeting could be about, and the more they talk, the curiouser I become. The way they are making it sound, this isn’t a normal occurrence.
When we get upstairs, we file into the conference room and are asked to sit wherever we find our names. That’s when I notice small boxes placed around the table, the same type of small box my watch came in. The watch I haven’t worn since Braxton forced it on me.
“Hello, everyone.” Kathy stands and moves to the head of the table. “I asked you all here this morning to talk to you about a product IMG will be launching in a few short months. If you would all be so kind as to open the boxes placed in front of you.”
She pauses, and everyone does as asked with abandon, while I reluctantly join in. With the top off, I glare at the blinking red light, absently hearing everyone else ooh and ahh over the new watch they just received.
“The watch each of you are now holding is part of our new lifestyle line. This watch is designed to connect to all your current apps and devices along with all IMG exclusive products without you having to do anything but tap it to whatever you are connecting it to, which will make it more user-friendly with our older customers and even those millennials who don’t want to waste their time programing another device.” She smiles, holding up her wrist to show off her watch. “The goal is that you will never have to carry your phone, credit card, or even your keys again. Everything you need will be available to you twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, right from your wrist.”
Again, everyone oohs and ahhs while fastening the watch to their wrist. This time, I don’t follow along I set the box down and turn it away from me as Kathy continues.
“This product was originally only given to the members of the board to test out, but Mr. Adams asked that I allow the team that will be selling it to experience the watch firsthand. He wants you to believe in it as much as he does.” She smiles, glancing around the room. “I can tell you from personal experience that this little watch has made my life easier, and I hope you all feel the same. I want you to wear it and give your honest feedback over the next few months. If you find anything you don’t like, please let me know so I can pass it along.”
I smile along with everyone else then look over to my side when my shoulder is nudged by Samantha, who is now proudly wearing her new tracking device.
“Aren’t you going to put yours on?” she asks, nodding to my box.
I don’t want to. I really don’t want to, because I have a feeling Braxton has manipulated this entire scenario. He knows I haven’t worn the watch since he forced it on me, and by doing this, I no longer have a choice when it comes to wearing it.
“Yeah.” I shake my head like I just had a moment of ditsy forgetfulness. “I just got caught up in what Kathy was saying.” I pick up my box and take out the watch, the blinking light taunting me as I wrap it around my wrist. Once I have it secure, I pull the sleeve of my blouse down over it. I might be forced to wear it all the time, but that doesn’t mean I have to take the time to charge it. If it dies, it dies; there is nothing he can do about that.
“You might have noticed there is no charging cable in your box,” Kathy says, and I look at her, feeling my heart plummet. “This watch is charged by the sun, unlike some of our competitors’, which allows you to never have to worry about plugging it in.”
“Great,” I groan, and everyone looks at me. “Sorry.” I hold up my wrist. “I’m just so relieved I don’t need to charge this beauty.”
Kathy clears her throat, and everyone turns to focus on her once more. “I look forward to hearing from each of you, and as you know, my door is always open. Now.” She motions toward the door. “Let’s get back to work and sell, sell, sell.”
I stand with everyone else, the weight on my wrist feeling heavier than ever before. I swear I’m going to kill Braxton for once again using his position to get his way.
“Are you okay?” Samantha asks as we wait for the elevator.
“Yeah, totally. Are you?” I ask automatically, glancing over when she laughs.
“You’re a horrible liar. Has anyone ever told you that?” She grasps my wrist to pull my hand away from my mouth. Damn, I didn’t even notice I was biting my nails. “My friend Mary back home always bites her nails when something is wrong or when she’s worried. What’s wrong?”
Knowing I should give her something, I sigh then lower my voice as we step out of the elevator and walk across the office toward our desks. “I’m a little nervous about what Kathy is going to say about the talk points I sent her this morning. She hasn’t exactly been very open to anything I’ve given her so far.”
“Every time I’ve seen you on air so far, you’ve been amazing, and like Mat said, Kathy doesn’t have the final say, so I don’t think you should worry too much about her opinion. Just do your best; that’s all any of us can really do.”
“You’re right, thanks.”
“Anytime. Also, I’m here if you ever need someone to bounce ideas off of. I know for me it helps my process.”
“I’d really like that. We should exchange numbers and get together sometime,” I say then shake my head. “Sorry. I don’t mean to sound so desperate, but I could use a friend here.”
“Well, you’re in luck. I’m in the market for a friend.” She laughs then asks, “Do you want to get lunch this afternoon? I was thinking of trying out that new chowder place a couple blocks over. I read a review that said they have the best sourdough bread bowls in the US. Something I doubt, since I grew up in San Francisco. Still, I want to try them out.”
“I’m not sure what a sourdough bread bowl is, but I’d love to join you.”
“If this place is any good, your mind is going to be blown.” She says then looks at her new watch. “Wow, so cool. It just reminded me that I’m due on air in an hour.” Her eyes widen. “Shit, I have to get to makeup.” She starts to take off then turns back toward me, walking backward. “I should be done around one, but I’ll let you know if I get done before then.”
“Sounds good. And good luck.”