Chapter 10 : The Meeting

Simone ​​It had been three weeks since Michael left our listing. Or, more accurately, since I begged him to leave. I'd been so guilt-ridden over it, that I barely put in any effort at work. I'd pulled a few more listings for Rob, but we hadn't had a chance to schedule a showing yet. He'd been so busy with some merger that took him out of the country for an entire month. Nick had similarly been hard to nail down. I'd called him not long after the open house, and he told me he was still considering his options. I couldn't help the sinking feeling that I was just on his string. With the stress of it all, I wanted to curl up in my bed and forget the world. It was tempting. I didn't, though. I came into the office every day and showed my face. I smiled at all the girls, especially Crystal, as if I was on top of the world. When they asked how my listings were going, I kept my answers intentionally vague. I tried to engage more in conversations about their listings and recent interactions with clients. The façade was going really well until Jake called a staff meeting. "It's been a while since we've done one of these," he said cheerily as everyone in the office sat around couches in our multi-purpose space. "As you all know, we've added Simone to our team and she's been working her little butt off for the last few weeks. Do I hear right that you've got three clients on the hook?" I wanted to shrink into the couch. My ears were hot, and I felt faint all of a sudden. I glanced briefly at Crysta,l who was just smirking at me, then to Mandy, who smiled encouragingly. "That's right," I nearly croaked. Suddenly, my voice was really dry. "We're still looking at properties, but I'm super close to getting some contracts started," I lied. By the way Jake was looking at me, he knew I was lying. "That's fantastic, Simone," he said flatly. "Everybody else, tell me what you have going on." We went around the group as each woman told Jake about the fabulous deals they had in progress. I could almost see the dollar signs adding up in Jake's head. He was excited to hear how everyone was doing and was very encouraging. With every person that spoke, I felt more and more discouraged. Some of the agents were juggling multiple properties and were managing to get them all sold. Mandy had just closed her biggest deal to date and had an even bigger deal in the pipeline. I couldn't even get my clients to answer the phone, not to mention the client who'd given me the best head of my life. "We'll get back to our weekly meetings now that summer is ending," I heard Jake say. I was so lost in thought, I'd forgotten I was still in this damn meeting. Then Jake looked at me and said, "Simone, I'd love to discuss your clients a little more." I saw Crystal and Stephanie shoot each other conspiratorial looks. Great. This wouldn't be a pleasant talk then. I followed Jake into his office. "Why don't you close the door?" he asked in a friendly voice. Still, there was an edge to it that told me that I was about to get my ass handed to me. Once I'd sat down, he took a deep breath. "You know, Simone, I really like you," he started. I'd learned in my life that the best way to deal with conflict is to pretend you don't realize it's happening. So I smiled at him and said sweetly, "I like you too, Jake!" "Can I be honest, though?" he continued. "From what I'd heard about you, I was sure you'd be a little further along at this point." "What do you mean?" I asked, again faking ignorance. "Listen, Simone, you know that this is a business that thrives on commission. If you don't sell a house, you don't make money. If you don't make money, I don't make money. Yet, I'm fronting all of the business and marketing costs. So, until you make me money, I'm actually losing money." I swallowed hard. "I understand," I said simply. "I'm working really hard showing my clients houses. They're all just a little particular." "Everyone is particular," he snapped. "Our job is to make them see the value of the homes we're selling. I find it hard to believe that all three clients are being difficult. At some point, Simone, you have to question if the problem is your selling techniques." My face felt hot and my throat tightened. Tears were already racing toward my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. "I understand your frustration," I said calmly, "but you have to know that I'll come through for you. I'm new to this firm, but I'm not new in this industry. I've got what it takes to close these deals." "See, that's part of my frustration too. I've heard only good things about your selling abilities, yet I'm seeing no evidence of them. You've got a month to close a deal, or I'm going to have to put you on probation." I felt anger rise up in my chest. I wondered with a certain amount of pettiness if Crystal had ever been given such a talk. Then I wondered if she was the reason I was having this discussion in the first place. "I understand," I said coolly. "I look forward to showing you what I'm capable of." He smiled at me and dismissed me. As I walked out, my legs were shaky, and I felt nauseous. I made a beeline for the bathroom and locked myself into one of the stalls. I took a few deep breaths, but it didn't stop the hot tears that were flowing down my cheeks. Everything was such a mess right now. I hadn't even told Mandy about my encounter with Michael, and I felt like it was causing a distance between us. Maybe I was just being paranoid, though. I tended to think of everything in extremes when I was upset. At that moment, my friend walked in and knocked on the stall. "Simone? You okay, love? You looked as white as a sheet." Great. Did everyone see that? "Don't worry, most of the girls left after the meeting," she said as if she were a mind reader. I swear, sometimes I thought she was. I still couldn't answer her though. My throat was thick with emotion, and I didn't want her to know that my meeting with Jake had upset me so much. Mostly, I was worried she'd barge into his office and give him hell. I didn't want to cause any strain on their relationship on top of everything else. "Just know I'm here, okay?" she said through the door. "I'll just be sitting on the counter until you're ready to talk." Twenty minutes went by as I cried my eyes out, and Mandy sat on the counter as a supportive presence. She didn't say a word the whole time, and I have no idea what she did out there. But when I'd finally calmed myself down and emerged from my hiding place, she was right there to comfort me. She pulled me into a tight embrace and rubbed my back. It was nice. She was the closest thing to family I had out here, and I loved being able to lean on her for support. Even if sometimes I was too stubborn to open up to her. Mandy looked me dead in the eye when we broke apart. "He used the 'p-word,' didn't he?" she asked darkly. "The 'p-word'?" I asked, confused. "Probation," she explained. "He told you if you don't sell a house in a certain amount of time, he'll put you on probation, right?" I nodded weakly, sure I was going to burst into tears again. "Oh, sweetie, don't worry. Probation really doesn't mean anything around here. One time he put me on probation for sneezing too loud." "He sounded pretty serious," I muttered pathetically. "It's like I could see my whole career slipping through my fingers." "But," she said, "you're a badass, and no man, not even Jake Owens, can stop you from shining. You have nothing to prove to anyone. You just go out there and do what you do best!" "And what if I'm not best at selling houses? What if I never sell anything, and I get fired?" "That's not going to happen," she answered confidently. "You had the top sales in your firm last year. You're just in a different league now. The clients you're working with aren't looking for forever homes, they're looking for their next playhouse. The great thing is, once you get them one house, they almost always come back to you for more. You're establishing a foundation right now, and that's just as important as getting a sale." "Foundations don't make the firm money, though," I pouted. She looked at me thoughtfully. "No, that's true. But in a year or two, you'll have made this firm so much money, Jake will be begging you to stay forever. Trust me on this!" She was so positive and cheerful; it was hard to stay upset. Still, I had this huge secret standing between us, and I couldn't hold it in any longer. "Michael went down on me," I blurted out with no warning. "What?" she screamed in amazement. There was no judgment or shame, just genuine astonishment. She looked almost giddy. "Oh, my god. You have to tell me everything." So I did. I told her how much tension we'd been building. I told her about our make-out session in the second house. Then I vaguely told her how I'd ended up naked on a client's bed with a hot man using his tongue to drive me crazy. "Holy shit," she whispered reverently. "God, I wish we had a client hookup hall of fame because this would be at the top of it." "You don't think it was horribly unprofessional and possibly career-ruining?" She shrugged. "What are you, a nun? I mean, don't shout it from the rooftops or anything, but nobody cares if you get some on the side. You're both single. This isn't hurting anyone." "It's hurting my business," I pointed out. "I told him never to call me again." "That sounds like a personal problem," she joked. "Seriously, babe, nobody cares. Call him and tell him you changed your mind. Maybe don't have sex at any more clients' homes, just to be safe, but you're allowed to be a great agent and have great sex." "Shouldn't I set up some professional boundaries?" I asked seriously. "I don't want to get a reputation that I only sell homes to my lovers." "Oh, sweetie," she said with a glint of mischief in her eye. "I think you should take as many lovers as you possibly can and sell them all homes!" This made me laugh out loud, and suddenly, the world didn't seem like such an awful place.