Earlier that day, Dell watched triumphantly as her client signed the documents before him. General Engineering was a tough client to bag, but she wasn't one of the youngest vice presidents of Kelly Bank for nothing.
"Anything else I need to sign?" The middle aged CEO of the engineering firm beamed at her as he looked up from the forms he was signing.
"That's all I need," Dell replied. "Your loan will be released in three days."
"Thank you, Ms. Santos. I normally find it so hard to be working with banks when it comes to loans. But you've made it simple for me and my firm. And I appreciate that."
"We aim to please, Sir. Thank you for choosing Kelly Bank for all your business needs."
Dell entered her office and placed the folder with the contract on her table.
"Contract signed!" She exclaimed happily as she sat at her desk. Then, remembering something, she pulled up her bag and started sorting through folders on her desk, occasionally stuffing a notebook or a pen from her desk into her bag.
"That was some hustle there." She heard a voice from the door. She looked up and saw her colleague, William Jake, leaning on the doorway with a smile on his face. "But then, I wouldn't expect anything less from the Vice President of Business Loans of Kelly Bank."
Dell had always thought William looked the stereotypical bank executive. He was always in a well-fitting dark suit (but then she had never seen him outside of work so, it wasn't surprising she wouldn't see him in anything but work clothes). His hair was combed away from his smooth clean-shaven face. He wore thin silver-framed glasses. And his movements were very controlled. Will was a little stiff for her taste, but she respected him as a colleague and friend. Well, at least she considered him a friend. While he was kind to her, the way he kept his distance made Dell unsure if she hadn't quite passed acquaintance as far as this guy was concerned.
Hmm, come to think of it, she might look like a stereotypical bank executive, too. Her shoulder-length straight brown hair was pulled back and tied in a low ponytail. She wore thin-framed glasses, too. Only hers was gold. She preferred subdued colors and conservative designs for her skirt suit. And she wore perfectly shined black pumps. Yep, she would say she had packaged herself well to give off an image of a woman who was intelligent, successful and reliable.
Dell shrugged confidently. "All in a day's work. But then I'm sure the Vice President of International Relations could do the same with his eyes closed."
Will chuckled, a bit embarrassed. Then he stepped into her office and sat in one of the chairs before her desk. "Are you done for the day?" He asked.
Dell returned to her packing. "Nope," she replied. "I have to rush home, change, and head out to an industry event tonight."
"Oh, the tech summit?"
"The after party." Dell looked up mischievously. "That, my dear William, is where you do real business." And she winked at him conspiratorially.
Something must have caught William's eye on her shelf, since he suddenly looked very interested in it and moved to inspect it. For a moment there, Dell thought she saw him blushing. But what would he be blushing for? That she called him 'dear' William? She shook her head and dismissed the thought. The very proper Will doesn't blush. She returned to her packing.
"Hey, uh..." Will said, turning to her, at the exact same moment she also spoke as she slung her bag on her shoulder.
"Well, I'm off!" She had said.
Will stopped mid-sentence.
"Sorry," Dell said with a chuckle. "You were saying?"
"I-it can wait."
Did Will just stutter there? Dell dismissed it as her imagination. "Okay! I'll see you tomorrow!"
"Yes, see you."
Picking up the folders on her desk, Dell flashed him a goodbye smile and headed out the door.
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