which is sure to come with tons of questions. Thank goodness Amanda Pressley is here today to answer all your questions, because that saves me from having to do it.”
The ladies laughed and clapped as Wade ceded the floor to Amanda. “Thank you, Wade. I’m happy to take one for the team today. Let’s talk about sex toys, shall we?”
A titter of laughter went through her captive audience. They’d been given a brochure that detailed each of the items that would be for sale in the store.
Using a PowerPoint slide show, Amanda went through a detailed description of each item, how it worked, what it did for the user and why past customers loved it so much. She was hitting her stride when Landon walked in and headed for the back of the room, where he leaned against a wall. She stumbled, but only for a second. Damn him! The man could flummox her just by walking in the door. “As I was saying…”
Landon grinned, clearly pleased that he’d messed with her groove.
She pressed on but stumbled again when she saw a young woman approach him and kiss his cheek. Would it be professional to stop her presentation to tell that woman to get the hell away from him? Probably not…
“One of the things we’ve found to be a fun and effective way to market our products in stores such as yours is to make the customers look for them. Make it a bit of a scavenger hunt, if you will. Once the catalog hits and the products are included, people will want to find them in the store, too. If you keep them somewhere that takes a little looking, it’ll keep customers in the store longer as they look for them.”
Amanda gave her audience a second to wrap their heads around that idea while she tried not to glare at the woman talking to Landon with animated gestures. To his credit, he was paying more attention to Amanda than he was to the other woman. He caught her gaze, smiled and winked.
Damned man would be the death of her.
“Let me take a few questions at this point.” She didn’t usually do questions yet, but her train of thought had left the station the second she saw that woman kiss Landon.
A woman with white hair and glasses raised her hand. “I’d like to know how people talk about the products with customers without feeling embarrassed.”
“That’s a great question,” Amanda said, and it was one she’d fielded many times before. “We’re so preconditioned in our culture to think of anything having to do with sex or pleasure as taboo. Let’s agree to leave that thinking out of this conversation. Human beings were given the ability to find physical pleasure within their own bodies. Sex isn’t just about procreation, it’s also about pleasure, and that doesn’t end just because someone has been ill or is widowed or doesn’t have a partner. Our product line is all about the notion that pleasure is for everyone, no matter their age or circumstances, with or without a partner. If you can approach it from that mind-set, you’ll find that it quickly becomes routine to talk about things that might’ve embarrassed you a short time ago. I hope that answers your question.”
“It does,” the woman said.
“Other questions?” Hearing none, Amanda said, “Excellent, now let’s get up close and personal with the products.”
“Your lady is good at this, son,” Linc said when he joined Landon at the back of the room.
“She sure is.” Landon looked over at his dad. “She gave notice to her mom.”
“We can certainly find a role for her to play in our company, and if it helps you out, too, that’s even better.”
“Thanks, Dad. I have a vested interest in keeping her in town.”
“I see that, and it sure makes me happy for you.”
“I’m rather happy for me, too. She’s… well…”
“She’s the one.”
Nodding, he watched Amanda as she interacted with the sales ladies, laughing and talking with her hands. “Is it normal to feel…”
“Everything?”
Landon shifted his gaze to his dad again. “Yeah.”
Linc nodded. “It’s perfectly normal, but it’s a lot to process at first.”
“Is that how it was for you when you met Mom?”
“Just like that, and it was immediate. When you’ve never felt that before, it’s shocking when you realize what it is. Although, your mother tells me this isn’t the first time for you.”
Landon stared at him. “She said that?”
“She reminded me of your affection for young Naomi, and I was