A Curve Ball Called Love

Chapter 3

Tiffany Meyers wasn’t just a woman who handled public relations at one of the world’s largest media companies. She was also a brand on her own and it wasn’t exactly easy for a brand to handle another brand. She did a lot of work behind the scenes to make what she did look effortless. She’d learned earlier on that she was in the minority. Not just as a woman in a man’s world but as a plus sized black woman in a man’s world. She had to make sure that everything she did seemed effortless and that began with her waking up in the morning.

Most nights, she went to bed way after eleven and was up at the literal crack of dawn. Even though she’d gone home a little earlier than usual on Thursday, she knew that there was too much going on in her head to have a relaxed evening. So, she did the only thing she could. She got home, took a long relaxing bath as she sipped on her wine before she had her dinner: a grilled salmon and salad. She then took a Melatonin and went to bed before the clock even struck nine. It was no wonder she felt so rested when she woke up at quarter to five on Friday morning. She reached for her iPad and checked on her messages and Entity’s social media platforms. Everything seemed to be quiet save for what people were saying about Xavier. That wasn’t such a big deal at that moment. She already had a plan of action. By the time she was done with it, Xavier would once again be in the country’s good graces.

She then got up and got on her treadmill for a quick workout before she went ahead and took a shower. It was already a few minutes to seven by the time she got dressed. For that particular day, she’d chosen to go with an all-black outfit, breaking the monotony with a grey waterfall. It was a simple look but with her curves, it was perfect. Her hair was styled in an elegant side part and pulled back in a low braided ponytail. She made her way out of her house and got into a cab headed to the office. Her breakfast would be waiting at the office as it always was. Ian always made a point to bring her a power-packed breakfast burrito that she’d grown quite fond of. There was nothing better than a convenient meal she could have at her desk in the fifteen minutes it took her to catch up with the news. Besides, it had everything she needed. Protein, greens and a high score in her delicacy scale. Her caffeine fix of the day came from a special delivery Ian brought from a food truck round the corner. She didn’t know what it was about that particular truck but she did know one thing for sure; the chef there had some good Colombian blend.

As she rode in the cab on her way to work, she couldn’t help but wonder how it was going to work with Douglas Ingram. Having him in the same space as her wasn’t something she was particularly looking forward to. The brief conversation she’d had with Douglas in the cab the previous day had only assured her of what she already knew: that she wanted to stay as far as she possibly could from him. But at the same time, she knew that he wasn’t being a tool because he wanted to be. He was just a sad man deep inside with no way of expressing what he truly felt. In a way, Tiffany felt sorry for him, but at the same time she had to face the reality of having a party boy as her boss.

My boss.

That thought echoed in her mind. She’d been so overcome with Douglas’ dramatic entry into the meeting, into the company, and by extension her life, that she hadn’t once thought of how the new reality affected her. That thought made her feel a little panicked. The way she’d talked to him in the cab on her way home… it was pure emotion. Ridiculously vile thoughts based on judgments she’d made from the little information she knew about him. And yet, he hadn’t once taken the opportunity to make her feel less than she was. He hadn’t belittled her, telling her that he could fire her with a snap of his fingers. That was the language people in Douglas’ position usually used. But for some reason, he’d just sat there and taken in every word that she had for him all the while being respectful and nice. She knew that it was probably not easy for him to do that given his background… or was that an assumption she made as well? She took a long deep breath and leaned back on the headrest. For the first time in a long time, she didn’t know what to anticipate and that bothered her.

As the cab pulled up in front of her office building she made a decision. She was going to treat Douglas like she did every client because that was what she was doing with the new majority shareholder. She was handling him. He was her assignment. He was her new job and she was going to ace it like she did every other account.

***

Over the next few days, Tiffany was playing catch-up in the Douglas Ingram game. She’d come to learn early on in her career that the only way to stay ahead of the game was to know what she was dealing with. That was the only way she could control the narrative.

The name Tiffany Meyers wasn’t only familiar but a force to be reckoned with. She was one of the few women who rubbed shoulders with the high and mighty and still managed to keep her cool even when they berated and belittled her. It was one of the hardest things to do but she always did it. Apart from that, she’d invested heavily in an information network that went as high as Washington DC to the lowest office in the county. That was the only way that she always remained in the know and when it came to her new assignment, she wasn’t planning on doing anything differently. She had her ear on the ground and Ian was doing a great job of keeping her informed. Unfortunately for Tiffany, her new assistant had taken her directive a little bit too literally.