Page 7 of The Hang Up
“Damn straight,” Jason said, before it occurred to him he probably shouldn’t kick off his very first meeting with a curse word. No one seemed offended, but they were staring at him like he might be some sort of strange bird that had flown into the room and they weren’t certain whether he planned to perch happily on a branch or shit all over the table.
Also, he probably shouldn’t be thinking words like “shit” in a board meeting.
He looked back at Miriam, hoping maybe she could rescue him from himself. She offered a smile that left him wondering what it might feel like to run his hands up her naked body, and he tried to remember what the hell he’d been talking about.
“So, Mr. Sanders,” she began, but Jason cut her off. “Any chance you folks could just call me Jason?” he asked. “You say ‘Mr. Sanders’ and I’m looking around the room for my dad, thinking he’s going to bust my ass for losing a tent stake or crashing the snowmobile or something. Please, just call me Jason.” He smiled around the table to let everyone know he wasn’t really pissed.
Everyone looked a little confused.
Well, everyone except Miriam, who smiled back and began rolling a pen between her palms in a way that made him wonder what else she could do with those hands.
“Jason.” She held his gaze with hers as she rolled the pen back and forth with agonizing slowness. “Have you had a chance to look over some of the concepts First Impressions was developing with the Urban Trax executive team prior to your arrival?”
“I did,” he said, nodding a little as he held her gaze. “And?”
Jason cleared his throat and wondered if he should speak his mind or play it cool on his first day.
They hired you for your mind, dumbass. Might as well give it to them.
“To be honest,” he said, “they kind of sucked.”
Miriam stared at him. “I beg your pardon?”
“Not the work itself,” he said, and kicked himself a little for being a dickhead right out of the gate. For God’s sake, he could have done this with a bit more polish.
But it needed to be said, and he might as well be the one to say it.
“Look, it’s clear First Impressions does phenomenal work,” he said. “I’m not questioning anyone’s talent or skills or anything like that.”
“What are you questioning?” Miriam’s tone was surprisingly even, and she didn’t look pissed, which he took as a good sign. Still, there was a glint of something in her eyes. Pride in her work, which he could definitely relate to.
“I’m sure all the work you guys have done up to this point is exactly the direction the Urban Trax executive team asked you to go,” he said. “And I’m certain any other outdoor goods retailer would be thrilled with it. Hell, Urban Trax has probably been thrilled with it, I imagine.”
“They were,” Miriam agreed, still eyeing him warily.
“As well they should be.” Jason cleared his throat. “But it just seems a little too—I don’t know—snooty. The executive team can correct me if I’m wrong here, but I think part of the reason I’ve been hired here is to stir shit up a little.”
The marketing director winced a little, but he nodded. “We prefer the phrase ‘deviate from the status quo.’”
“Yeah, that.” Jason rubbed a hand over his chin, remembering that he’d forgotten to shave that morning. Or the morning before that. Or the morning beforethat.
“So let me get this straight,” Miriam said. “Instead of the polished, sleek, ‘don’t you wish you had a million-dollar backpack’ sort of campaign Urban Trax has launched in the past, you’re looking for something a bit dirtier.”
“Dirtier,” Jason repeated, and his mind veered a little at that. “Yes, I suppose you could say that.”
Miriam nodded, her gaze fixed on his. “I agree.”
Jason blinked. “You do?”
“Yes.” She set the pen down and rested her palms on the table. “As a matter of fact, the executive team may recall we proposed something along those lines after our first meeting with them back in October.”
From his peripheral vision, Jason could see the execs shifting a little in their seats, but Jason kept his gaze on Miriam.
“Do you still have that proposal?” he asked.
“We do,” Miriam replied. “Back at the start of this contract, I even mocked up several new logos and some ad concepts I could pull up fairly easily.”
There was an uncomfortable murmur around the room, and Jason glanced over at his executive team.The accounting director sat scowling and fidgeting, and Jason wondered if the little weasel had some sort of bug up his butt.
