Playing hard to get

"Thank you, Miss Lowe, this is certainly-"

"Please, call me Lisa."

"Lisa. Yes, this is certainly an interesting presentation, though I must admit the other ones I've seen today too are equally impressive," you lie. Hands down, there was no contest, and Ashley knows it too, which was why she was giving you a weird look from across the long conference table. She's seated across from you, next to Kerry, while Lisa is on your side and facing you. Robert is standing at the head of the table and packing up their charts and equipment.

"Of course, I understand. When do you expect to have a decision?" Lisa asks.

"Well..." you rub your chin as though you're thinking. "Hopefully by the end of the day, which I guess is right around now." Since you mention the time, everyone in the room looks at the clock and realizes that the meeting is almost over.

"Ashley, do I have anything else for today?" you ask, knowing the answer.

"No, mister mayor."

"Is there anything we can do to help you make a decision?" Lisa asks. She rolls her chair closer to yours and you can smell her perfume. You think it's Chanel.

"I don't know... I guess, what I'm looking for is the human factor and customer dedication..."

"Well, if you go with our firm, we'll be on-call for you 24/7 for anything related to the public relations campaign, or any other services we can provide. Kerry will be your point person on this project. I'll even take her off a few of the other accounts she's on so that she can focus on this."

You look across the table at Kerry and she smiles confidently.

"Hmm..." You continue to pretend to think about it, staring down at the conference table. You're just looking to build suspense and it's hard not to look at everyone else. You're not quite sure how to proceed to get what you want, and your plan partially depends on what Lisa is willing to do to get the city's business.

About a minute goes by before Lisa speaks. "Robert, why don't you go get the car and pull up out front. Kerry and I will be right there." Robert mumbles an acknowledgment.

"Ashley, see him out, will you? You can go home after that," you add.

"Are you sure?" Ashley narrows her eyes and looks at you.

"Yup."

Shrugging, Ashley leaves, right behind Robert, and when the door closes, it's just you, Lisa, and Kerry in the big conference room. You look at Lisa, then Kerry, then back to Lisa again, not saying anything.

"Mister mayor, we work for Fortune 50 companies, tech companies, **** and tobacco companies, and a few politicians. This account would be very big for us and we'll treat it with top priority. Your success is our success, I assure you," Lisa says. You stare at her crystal blue eyes with no expression on your face. It turns into a minor staring contest, until Lisa blinks and smiles. She gets up and walks to the door.

Thinking you've blown it, you start to panic, wondering if you should use your mind control ring at this point. However, when Lisa gets to the door, instead of opening it, she locks it and turns around. Kerry hadn't moved from her seat, which means she knew Lisa wasn't leaving. For a moment, the only sound you can hear is the loud air conditioning of the building, and you're sitting there with excitement and eagerness. You obviously have very little real working experience or meetings at this level before, so you're not quite sure what to expect next. Lisa walks slowly around the conference room table back to her chair, but she pushes it away instead of sitting, until she's standing in front of you. Lisa pushes her jacket open and places her hands on her hips, thrusting her chest out just enough to strike a powerful yet sexy pose.

"Mister mayor, we're willing to do anything to secure this contract. I know it's getting late and you have to make a decision soon, but if you choose to go with our firm, Kerry can cross the Ts and dot the Is with you in a more comfortable setting. The lobster at the restaurant in the Ritz is to die for, and we've reserved the presidential suite upstairs for you so you don't have to worry about going home. What do you say?"