Page 45 of The Fix Up

“I don’t know if you noticed this, but you started off at the very beginning of this session with a very dry, no-nonsense tone,” she said. “Your posture was atrocious, your eye contact terrible, your enunciation lousy, the pacing of your words?—”

“I think I got it,” he said. “I suck. Point taken.”

“That’s just it, though. The second you stood up and started talking about stiffness and elongation and?—”

“And looking down the front of your blouse?”

“Exactly! The instant all that happened, everything changed. You stood up straighter, you began speaking more clearly—hell, even your eye contact was better.” She grinned. “When you weren’t looking at my tits, anyway.”

“That’s true, I suppose.” He slid off the edge of the table, relieved she wasn’t offended. “I also liked watching you squirm when I talked about fukalite and the size of my equipment.”

“Making me squirm makes you a better public speaker?” Holly slapped her hand on the table. “That’s what it is!”

Ben scratched his head. “That’s whatwhatis?”

“Power. Confidence. Control. That’s what revs your engine. That’s what brings out your authoritative inner-CEO.”

“Not a bad theory,” Ben said, wishing she’d move a little to the side so he could look down her shirt again. “So you’re volunteering your body for the sake of my public speaking skills?”

“I suppose I might be.”

Ben nodded and folded his hands in front of him. “I approve this plan.”

“I’m not saying that, exactly, but you did give me an idea.”

“Any idea that involves you taking off your clothes is a good one.”

Holly rolled her eyes. “You know how I mentioned that old trick about picturing your audience in their underwear?”

“Particularly awkward with that grade school chess tournament speech I mentioned.”

“I think we should give it a shot.”

“Give what a shot?” He was still hung up on the idea of seeing Holly naked so maybe he’d missed some of the specifics of the plan.

“Start your presentation. Focus on the things we’ve been talking about, from the order of your presentation to your body language while you’re delivering it. Really pay attention to what you’re doing.”

“And not to your breasts.”

“You said you wanted to learn to handle yourself better with public speaking distractions.”

“I think handling myself will be the least of my issues if you’re taking your clothes off.” Ben cleared his throat. “Okay, so you’ll remove an article of clothing for each section of the speech I get right?”

“More or less.”

“Who makes the rules?”

“I do. My company, my rules.”

He grinned. “You know, it goes both ways. I find it pretty hot when you’re in take-charge career mode, too.”

Something flashed in Holly’s eyes, and Ben wondered if he’d struck a nerve somehow. She was looking at him like she wanted to takehisclothes off, so something must be working here.

“Okay then,” Holly said, fingering her top button with agonizing slowness. “Let’s begin. Address me just like you plan to address your audience on Friday. Here, let’s start with a little encouragement.”

She flicked open the top button on her blouse. Ben tried not to stare, but then remembered staring might actually be the point. Well, part of the point, anyway.

What was the point again?

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