The Elevator Pitch

There was another time, during the office potluck, which took place a few times a year, that Jess fumbled and nearly fell with a plate of food. Byron, somehow, managed to swoop in and save Jess. Not just caught her in mid fall, but managed to catch the plate before everything spilled out.

Despite the applauses and cheering, Byron played down the move and put some distance between himself and Jess. Mia seemed to think that it was the coolest thing to have happened and teased Jess about liking the save.

Jess was a bit annoyed. Byron was a jerk. A professional one at that. All Byron cared about was himself. But this act of kindness with no showboating was not typical Byron.

Everyone knew that a leopard could not change it’s spots instantly, overnight, or at all. But, Byron seemed like a changed man. Nevertheless, Jess was not interested in romance. What kept bothering her more than anything was how secure she felt in Byron’s arms. That was not a feeling she felt very easily. Most men did not elicit that vibe in her. Byron had. The question was how and why.

A few months later, while climbing a step ladder to get some files, Jess noted, with great annoyance, how some of the guys in the office had stopped to watch and chat instead of offer help. The extra annoyance was fueled by the fact that Jess had run out of pants and long skirts to wear that week. Laundry had been backed up. The office was seeing Jess in a shorter skirt for the first time since her employment.

Hoping to not attract more attention, Jess tried to jokingly make the men aware that their lack of help was not helpful. For reasons that eluded her, they kept chatting in total oblivion of her plight. Had this been Byron, Jess would have been fuming, as everyone knew that he moved in for the kill whenever a woman was in a precarious position.

“Guys, leave the lady alone” Byron’s voice thundered professionally.

Instant mortification gripped Jess. Byron had showed up just as she was reaching for the top drawer. Her sudden stiffening had thrown her balance off and the step ladder slid away a few inches. It was not the end of the world, but the difference in angle mean that Jess was reaching ever higher than before, leaving her skirt plenty of room to rise.

Jess looked down before deciding where to jump off the ladder, as the guys were dispersing quickly. There was one leg in view that seemed to be holding the ladder from slipping further away. Jess jumped. A hand held her and guided her down and secured her so she didn’t stumble.

Swiveling around to see which gentleman had helped, although Jess knew from the cologne who it was, she saw Byron going up the step ladder to pull the file she was struggling to get. He handed it to her unceremoniously and replaced the step ladder closer to the wall and took off indifferently.

Mia rounded the row of cubicles and teased Jess.

“I think there is chemistry here” Mia teased.

“No there is not!” hissed Jess.

“Oh, you have it bad then” Mia giggled before returning back to her desk.

Jess prepared herself to get teased the rest of the week about this. This was a classic textbook opportunity for Byron. Many women had fallen victim to his charm with the fake rescue on a step ladder. However, unlike the other times when Byron had jinxed the women by moving the ladder, Jess could not square what she had witnessed. Byron had come to her aid and defense.

What was going on? Where was the predator she understood and enjoyed beating?

Unexpected Elevator Pitch

Mia was wrapping up her day when Byron showed up to her desk. There was a look of sadness and worry on his face. Mia had uncovered all the dirt she needed to bury Byron if the occasion was needed. A girl can’t be too careful when hearing the history of a man’s checkered past.

In her short year on the team, Mia had learned plenty about women who had wanted to be with Byron and had been met with heartbreak.

The foolery that Byron had used to mask his insecurities was nothing short of legendary. Mia had found a way to work into Byron’s heart and uncover a surprising truth. Byron had not been as devious as he appeared. The long legged model women, who seemed to have been the talk of the office, were long gone. With good reason too.

Byron used to spend money to buy the attention. In a prior career, he was tasked with filling up clubs with attractive model types. Now that Byron had gone corporate, he was trying to shed off his bad boy image and settle down in his own skin.

Initially, Mia thought that the bad boy image Byron had was his actual persona. Now, she understood that beneath all that polished flash was a heart worried about Karma. The friendship had blossomed better than Mia had expected. Byron was deep, thoughtful, caring, respectful, and very charmingly funny.

When not working hard at work, Byron was busy working on acting. Mia figured that it was a great way to take his skills from the club marketing scene and move them into a more noble outlet. The most impressive from of this outlet came in the area of Byron putting on productions for children in hospitals. Mia could not understand why Byron was determined not to have anyone from the office know about his hobby. It would go a long way to cleaning up the bad boy image… especially with Jess.

According to Byron, Jess was not going to be impressed with the truth about who he really was. No matter how much Mia tried to explain to Byron that his assertion was false, the man stubbornly held on it. All the nice things Byron did should have helped build his confidence but instead it made him punish himself all the more for the actions he had done in the past.

Mia had also uncovered another secret. Byron was not a closer. If anything, he was a teaser. His specialty was getting women attracted to him and convincing them that there was a physical relationship coming. However, things fell apart quickly when hopes met reality. Most of the women in the office secretly knew this but few dared challenge Byron and expose his secret.