Читать книгу The Two Antonias: Two Sassy and Sexy Short Stories From the Wonderfully Wicked Women Series - T. Goodman - Страница 11

Chapter 5

Stix showed up at the base the next day prepared to assist Jamie with his presentation. She had worn her most conservative suit and looked very professional. Her hair was in a bun, and she had on very sensible shoes. Jamie greeted her at the entrance of the base. He appeared to be very nervous. He had a lot riding on this presentation. He wasn’t sure about what they would say about his having a civilian assistant—and a woman at that.

Jamie really wasn’t a good speaker. He had been preparing for this presentation for weeks. This new version of the manual had really thrown him off. He really suspected that his superior officers knew about the new version and just wanted to derail his presentation. The bottom line was his men needed to be prepared properly, and he was glad that Stix was there to assist him.

Jamie began his presentation, and although he seemed very nervous, Stix was the ultimate presenter and gave him the support he needed to settle his nerves. She had even prepared extra handouts, which fit into the presentation effectively. The handouts looked like they had been printed by a publishing house. Jamie was impressed, and he knew that his men were too.

When it was over, his superior officers had no choice but to praise his presentation. It was excellent. The only one that had some criticism was his immediate superior officer, Captain Tommy Rivers. He had been the most critical of Jamie since he had been there. He was a prejudiced son of a bitch. Jamie braced himself. “I don’t see why it was necessary to bring in a civilian to help with a military presentation,” Captain Rivers snarled.

Before Jamie could say anything, Stix stepped in. “If you will turn to the front of the manual on page 1-B, you will see under acknowledgments, F. A. Grimaldi.”

“That is me, Francessca Antonia Grimaldi. I was part of the team that put the manual together. I was asked personally to assist by General Jack Robertson. I probably know more about this manual than you do,” Stix said. With that, the men broke out into laughter. Captain Rivers still wasn’t convinced. He shot off a few questions. Stix was so skilled at answering his questions that Captain Rivers gave up and shut his mouth. The men, including the officers, gave Stix a standing ovation. Captain Rivers had to stand also so that he would not look stupid.

Jamie was highly impressed and feeling very proud. Stix had made his presentation flawless. He could use someone like her in his corner. After the room cleared, Jamie thanked Stix profusely.

“What can I do to repay you?” he said.

Stix already had something in mind. “You can take me to dinner,” she said enthusiastically.

“Done!” said Jamie.

They made arrangements to go to dinner the next evening. On a first date, Stix liked to meet her date at their destination. Just in case it didn’t go well, she could drive herself home. She would meet him at the new restaurant that opened downtown at 7:00 p.m.

Mission accomplished, Stix thought.