Fifty Shades of Newt

by itmezoelicious1004

When psychology student Thomas Steele goes to interview the British entrepreneur Newt Isaac, they collide and goes to an erotic adventure together. What do will happen with Newt's coldness and Thomas spirit?Will it have a happy ending?

1. Chapter 1

p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 14.0000pt;"Chapter One/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10.5000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"I scowl with frustration at myself in the mirror. Damn my hair – it just won't behave, and damn /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho Kamayaki/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" for being ill and subjecting me to this ordeal. I should be studying for my final exams, which are next week, yet here I am trying to brush my hair into submission. /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"I must not sleep with it wet. I must not sleep with it wet./span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Reciting this mantra several times, I attempt, once more, to bring it under control with the brush. I roll my eyes in exasperation and gaze at the pale, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"black-haired Asian boy /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"with bl/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ack/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" eyes too big for h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" face staring back at me, and give up. My only option is to restrain my wayward hair in /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"gel with its usual flyaway bangs in front /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" is my roommate, and he has chosen today of all days to succumb to the flu. Therefore, he cannot attend the interview he/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"'d/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" arranged to do, with some mega-industrialist tycoon I/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"'/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ve never heard of, for the student newspaper. So I have been volunteered. I have final exams to cram for, one essay to finish, and I'm supposed to be working this afternoon, but no – today I have to drive a hundred and sixty-five miles to downtown Seattle in order to meet the enigmatic CEO of /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Isaac/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Enterprises Holdings Inc. As an exceptional entrepreneur and major benefactor of our University, his time is extraordinarily precious – much more precious than mine – but he has granted /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" an interview. A real coup, he tells me. Damn h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" extra-curricular activities. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" is huddled on the couch in the living room/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Thomas/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", I'm sorry. It took me nine months to get this interview. It will take another six to reschedule, and we'll both have graduated by then. As the editor, I can't blow this off. Please," /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" begs me in h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" rasping, sore throat voice. How does he do it? Even ill he looks gamin and gorgeous, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"night black /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"hair in place and /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"black eyes as dark as I can feature/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", although now red-rimmed and runny. I ignore my pang of unwelcome sympathy./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Of course I'll go /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". You should get back to bed. Would you like some Nyquil or Tylenol?" "Nyquil, please. Here are the questions and my mini-disc recorder. Just press record here. Make notes, I'll transcribe it all." "I know nothing about him," I murmur, trying and failing to suppress my rising panic. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""The questions will see you through. Go. It's a long drive. I don't want you to be late." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Okay, I'm going. Get back to bed. I made you some soup to heat up later." I stare at h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"im/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" fondly. Only for you, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", would I do this./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" "I will. Good luck. And thanks /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Thomas/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" – as usual, you're my lifesaver." Gathering my satchel, I smile wryly at h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"im/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", then head out the door to the car. I cannot believe I have let /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" talk me into this. But then /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" can talk anyone into anything. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"He/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"'ll make an exceptional journalist. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e's articulate, strong, persuasive, argumentative,/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" handsome/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" – and he's my dearest, dearest friend./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"The roads are clear as I set off from Vancouver, WA toward Portland and the I-5. It's early, and I don't have to be in Seattle until two this afternoon. Fortunately, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"'s lent me h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" sporty Mercedes CLK. I'm not sure Wanda, my old VW Beetle, would make the journey in time. Oh, the Merc is a fun drive, and the miles slip away as I floor the pedal to the metal. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"My destination is the headquarters of Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Isaac/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"'s global enterprise. It's a huge twentystory office building, all curved glass and steel, an architect's utilitarian fantasy, with /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Isaac /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"House written discreetly in steel over the glass front doors. It's a quarter to two when I arrive, greatly relieved that I'm not late as I walk into the enormous – and frankly intimidating – glass, steel, and white sandstone lobby. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Behind the solid sandstone desk, a very attractive, groomed, blonde young man smiles pleasantly at me. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e's wearing the sharpest charcoal suit jacket and white shirt I have ever seen. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e looks immaculate./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"I'm here to see Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Isaac/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Thomas/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Steele for /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho Kamayaki/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Excuse me one moment, Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Steele." /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e arches h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" eyebrow slightly as I stand selfconsciously before h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". I am beginning to wish I'd borrowed one of /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"'s formal /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"coats /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"rather than wear my navy blue /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"hood/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". I have made an effort and worn my one and only skirt, my sensible /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Coverse shoes/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" and /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"some jeans/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". For me, this is smart. I /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"comb/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" my hair /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"with my fingers/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" as I pretend he doesn't intimidate me./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Ka/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"mayaki/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" is expected. Please sign in here, Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Steele. You'll want the last elevator on the right, press for the twentieth floor." /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e smiles kindly at me, amused no doubt, as I sign in/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e hands me a security pass that has VISITOR very firmly stamped on the front. I can't help my smirk. Surely it's obvious that I'm just visiting. I don't fit in here at all. Nothing changes, I inwardly sigh. Thanking h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", I walk over to the bank of elevators past the two security men who are both far more smartly dressed than I am in their well-cut black suits/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"The elevator whisks me with terminal velocity to the twentieth floor. The doors slide open, and I'm in another large lobby – again all glass, steel, and white sandstone. I'm confronted by another desk of sandstone and another young blonde man dressed impeccably in black and white who rises to greet me./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Steele, could you wait here, please?" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e points to a seated area of white leather chairs. Behind the leather chairs is a spacious glass-walled meeting room with an equally spacious dark wood table and at least twenty matching chairs around it. Beyond that, there is a floor-to-ceiling window with a view of the Seattle skyline that looks out through the city toward the Sound. It's a stunning vista, and I'm momentarily paralyzed by the view. /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Wow/span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"I sit down, fish the questions from my satchel, and go through them, inwardly cursing /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" for not providing me with a brief biography. I know nothing about this /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"boy /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"I'm about to interview. He could be ninety or he could be thirty. The uncertainty is galling, and my nerves resurface, making me fidget. I've never been comfortable with one-on-one interviews, preferring the anonymity of a group discussion where I can sit inconspicuously at the back of the room. To be honest, I prefer my own company, reading a classic British novel, curled up in a chair in the campus library. Not sitting twitching nervously in a colossal glass and stone edifice./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"I roll my eyes at myself. /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Get a grip, Steele/span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". Judging from the building, which is too clinical and modern, I guess /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" is /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"as the same age as me/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;": fit, tanned, and fair-haired to match the rest of the personnel/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Another elegant, f/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ormally/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" dressed blonde comes out of a large door to the right. What is it with all the immaculate blondes? It's like Stepford here. Taking a deep breath, I stand up./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Steele?" the latest blonde asks. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Yes," I croak, and clear my throat. "Yes." There, that sounded more confident./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" "Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Isaac/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" will see you in a moment. May I take your jacket?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Oh please." I struggle out of the jacket. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Have you been offered any refreshment?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" "Um – no." Oh dear, is Blonde Number One in trouble? /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Blonde Number Two frowns and eyes the young man at the desk. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Would you like tea, coffee, water?"/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"he asks, turning h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" attention back to me. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""A glass of water. Thank you," I murmur. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Oli/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ver/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", please fetch Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Steele a glass of water." H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" voice is stern. Oliv/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"er/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" scoots up immediately and scurries to a door on the other side of the foyer. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""My apologies, Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Steele, Oliv/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"er/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" is our new intern. Please be seated. Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Isaac/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" will be another five minutes." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Oliv/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"er/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" returns with a glass of iced water. "Here you go, Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Steele." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Thank you." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Blonde Number Two marches over to the large desk, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"the heels of his black shoes/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" clicking and echoing on the sandstone floor. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e sits down, and they both continue their work/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" before they arrive/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Perhaps Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Isaac/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" insists on all his employees being blonde. I'm wondering idly if that's legal, when the office door opens and a tall, elegantly dressed, attractive African/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"-/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"American man with short dreads exits. I have definitely worn the wrong clothes./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"He turns and says through the door. "Golf, this week, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Isaac/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"I don't hear the reply. He turns, sees me, and smiles, his dark eyes crinkling at the corners. Oli/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ver/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" has jumped up and called the elevator. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e seems to excel at jumping from h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" seat. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e's more nervous than me! /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Good afternoon /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"gentlemen/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"," he says as he departs through the sliding door. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Isaac/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" will see you now, Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Steele. Do go through," Blonde Number Two says. I stand rather shakily trying to suppress my nerves. Gathering up my satchel, I abandon my glass of water and make my way to the partially open door./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""You don't need to knock – just go in." /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e smiles kindly. I push open the door and stumble through, tripping over my own feet, and falling head first into the office./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Double /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"klunk/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" – me and my two left feet! I am on my hands and knees in the doorway to Mr./spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Issac/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"'s office, and gentle hands are around me helping me to stand. I am so embarrassed, damn my clumsiness. I have to steel myself to glance up. Holy cow – he's so young/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" but as suspected, I was wrong-he was as old as me/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter Kamayaki/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"." He extends a long-fingered hand to me once I'm upright. "I'm /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt Isaac/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". Are you all right? Would you like to sit?/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"." he has that British accent painted on his voice and it just adds charisma on him./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"So young – and attractive, very attractive. He's tall, dressed in a fine gray suit, white shirt, and black tie with unruly dark copper colored hair and intense, bright /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"brown /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"eyes that regard me shrewdly. It takes a moment for me to find my voice/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". My gay subconsious squeals and has hearts in his eyes./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Um. Actually–" I mutter. If this guy is /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"as the same age as me, I have some chance-little-but still have some/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". In a daze, I place my hand in his and we shake. As our fingers touch, I feel an odd exhilarating shiver run through me. I withdraw my hand hastily, embarrassed. Must be static. I blink rapidly, my eyelids matching my heart rate/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter Kamayaki/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" is indisposed, so he sent me. I hope you don't mind, Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Isaac/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""And you are?" His voice is warm, possibly amused, but it's difficult to tell from his impassive expression. He looks mildly interested, but above all, polite./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Thomas /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Steele. I'm studying with /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Min/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho…/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"um… Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Ka/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"mayaki/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" at Washington State."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I see," he says simply. I think I see the ghost of a smile in his expression, but I'm not sure./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Would you like to sit?" He waves me toward a white leather buttoned L-shaped couch. His office is way too big for just one man. In front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, there's a huge modern dark-wood desk that six people could comfortably eat around. It matches the coffee table by the couch. Everything else is white – ceiling, floors, and walls except, on the wall by the door, where a mosaic of small paintings hang, thirty-six of them arranged in a square. They are exquisite – a series of mundane, forgotten objects painted in such precise detail they look like photographs. Displayed together, they are breathtaking./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""A local artist. Trouton," says /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" when he catches my gaze. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""They're lovely. Raising the ordinary to extraordinary," I murmur, distracted both by him and the paintings. He cocks his head to one side and regards me intently./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I couldn't agree more, Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Steele," he replies, his voice soft/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" with that British accent that seems to be natural/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" and for some inexplicable reason I find myself blushing. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Apart from the paintings, the rest of the office is cold, clean, and clinical. I wonder if it reflects the personality of the Adonis who sinks gracefully into one of the white leather chairs opposite me. I shake my head, disturbed at the direction of my thoughts, and retrieve /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"'s questions from my satchel. Next, I set up the mini-disc recorder and am all fingers and thumbs, dropping it twice on the coffee table in front of me. Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Isaac/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" says nothing, waiting patiently – I hope – as I become increasingly embarrassed and flustered. When I pluck up the courage to look at him, he's watching me, one hand relaxed in his lap and the other cupping his chin and trailing his long index finger across his lips. I think he's trying to suppress a smile./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Sorry," I stutter. "I'm not used to this."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Take all the time you need, Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Steele," he says/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Do you mind if I record your answers?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""After you've taken so much trouble to set up the recorder – you ask me now?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"I flush. He's teasing me? I hope. I blink at him, unsure what to say, and I think he takes pity on me because he relents. "No, I don't mind."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Did /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Min/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", I mean, Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Ka/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"mayaki/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", explain what the interview was for?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Yes. To appear in the graduation issue of the student newspaper as I shall be conferring the degrees at this year's graduation ceremony."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"emspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Oh/span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"! This is news to me, and I'm temporarily pre-occupied by the thought that someone not much older than me – okay, maybe six years or so, and okay, mega successful, but still – is going to present me with my degree. I frown, dragging my wayward attention back to the task at hand./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Good," I swallow nervously. "I have some questions, Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I thought you might," he says, deadpan. He's laughing at me. My cheeks heat at the realization, and I sit up and square my shoulders in an attempt to look taller and more intimidating. Pressing the start button on the recorder, I try to look professional./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""You're very young to have amassed such an empire. To what do you owe your success?" I glance up at him. His smile is rueful, but he looks vaguely disappointed./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Business is all about people, Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Steele, and I'm very good at judging people. I know how they tick, what makes them flourish, what doesn't, what inspires them, and how to incentivize them. I employ an exceptional team, and I reward them well." He pauses and fixes me with his /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"brown /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"stare. "My belief is to achieve success in any scheme one has to make oneself master of that scheme, know it inside and out, know every detail. I work hard, very hard to do that. I make decisions based on logic and facts. I have a natural gut instinct that can spot and nurture a good solid idea and good people. The bottom line is, it's always down to good people."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Maybe you're just lucky." This isn't on /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"'s list – but he's so arrogant. His eyes flare momentarily in surpri/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"se/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I don't subscribe to luck or chance, Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Steele. The harder I work the more luck I seem to have. It really is all about having the right people on your team and directing their energies accordingly. I think it was Harvey Firestone who said 'the growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.'"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""You sound like a /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"control freak/span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"." The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Oh, I exercise control in all things, Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Steele," he says without a trace of humor in his smile. I look at him, and he holds my gaze steadily, impassive. My heartbeat quickens, and my face flushes again. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Why does he have such an unnerving effect on me? His overwhelming good-looks maybe? The way his eyes blaze at me? The way he strokes his index finger against his lower lip? I wish he'd stop doing that./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Besides, immense power is acquired by assuring yourself in your secret reveries that you were born to control things," he continues, his voice soft. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Do you feel that you have immense power?" /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Control Freak/span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I employ over forty thousand people, Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Steele. That gives me a certain sense of responsibility – power, if you will. If I were to decide I was no longer interested in the telecommunications business and sell up, twenty thousand people would struggle to make their mortgage payments after a month or so."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"My mouth drops open. I am staggered by his lack of humility. "Don't you have a board to answer to?" I ask, disguste/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"d./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I own my company. I don't have to answer to a board." He raises an eyebrow at me. I flush. Of course, I would know this if I had done some research. But holy /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"klunk/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", he's so arrogant. I change tack./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"And do you have any interests outside your work?" "I have varied interests, Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Steele." A ghost of a smile touches his lips. "Very varied." And for some reason, I'm confounded and heated by his steady gaze. His eyes are alight with some wicked thought/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""But if you work so hard, what do you do to chill out?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Chill out?" He smiles, revealing perfect white teeth. I stop breathing. He really is beautiful. No one should be this good-looking./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Well, to 'chill out' as you put it – I sail, I fly, I indulge in various physical pursuits." He shifts in his chair. "I'm a very wealthy man, Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Steele, and I have expensive and absorbing hobbies./spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"I glance quickly at /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"'s questions, wanting to get off this subject. "You invest in manufacturing. Why, specifically?" I ask. Why does he make me so uncomfortable?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I like to build things. I like to know how things work: what makes things tick, how to construct and deconstruct. And I have a love of ships. What can I say?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""That sounds like your heart talking rather than logic and facts."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"His mouth quirks up, and he stares appraisingly at me./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Possibly. Though there are people who'd say I don't have a heart."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Why would they say that?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Because they know me well." His lip curls in a wry smile/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" as that accent makes that statement much hotter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Would your friends say you're easy to get to know?" And I regret the question as soon as I say it. It's not on /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"'s list/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I'm a very private person, Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Steele. I go a long way to protect my privacy. I don't often give interviews," he trails off/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Why did you agree to do this one?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Because I'm a benefactor of the University, and for all intents and purposes, I couldn't get Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Ka/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"mayaki/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" off my back. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e badgered and badgered my PR people, and I admire that kind of tenacity."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"I know how tenacious /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" can be. That's why I'm sitting here squirming uncomfortably under his penetrating gaze, when I should be studying for my exams/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""You also invest in farming technologies. Why are you interested in this area?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""We can't eat money, Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Steele, and there are too many people on this planet who don't have enough to eat."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""That sounds very philanthropic. Is it something you feel passionately about? Feeding the world's poor?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"He shrugs, very non-committal/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""It's shrewd business," he murmurs, though I think he's being disingenuous. It doesn't make sense – feeding the world's poor? I can't see the financial benefits of this, only the virtue of the ideal. I glance at the next question, confused by his attitud/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12.0000pt;"e/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Do you have a philosophy? If so, what is it?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I don't have a philosophy as such. Maybe a guiding principle – Carnegie's: 'A man who acquires the ability to take full possession of his own mind may take possession of anything else to which he is justly entitled.' I'm very singular, driven. I like control – of myself and those around me."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""So you want to possess things?" /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"You are a control freak/span/ememspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I want to deserve to possess them, but yes, bottom line, I do."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""You sound like the ultimate consumer."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"I am." He smiles, but the smile doesn't touch his eyes. Again this is at odds with someone who wants to feed the world, so I can't help thinking that we're talking about something else, but I'm absolutely mystified as to what it is. I swallow hard. The temperature in the room is rising or maybe it's just me. I just want this interview to be over. Surely /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" has enough material now? I glance at the next question./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""You were adopted. How far do you think that's shaped the way you are?" Oh, this is personal. I stare at him, hoping he's not offended. His brow furrows./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I have no way of knowing."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"My interest is piqued./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.5000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"How old were you/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.5000pt;" when you were adopted?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""That's a matter of public record, Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Steele." His tone is stern. I flush, again. /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"klunk/span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". Yes of course – if I'd known I was doing this interview, I would have done some research. I move on quickly./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""You've had to sacrifice a family life for your work."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""That's not a question." He's terse./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Sorry." I squirm, and he's made me feel like an errant child. I try again. "Have you had to sacrifice a family life for your work?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I have a family. I have a brother and a sister and two loving parents. I'm not interested in extending my family beyond that."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Are you gay, Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"He inhales sharply, and I cringe, mortified. /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"klunk/span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". Why didn't I employ some kind of filter before I read this straight out? How can I tell him I'm just reading the questions? Damn /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"and h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" curiosity!/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Yes Thomas/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", I/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" a/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"m." He raises his eyebrows, a cool gleam in his eyes. He does not look pleased/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" but he's smiling/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I apologize. It's um… written here." It's the first time he's said my name. My heartbeat has accelerated, and my cheeks are heating up again. Nervously, I /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"scratch my left ear/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"He cocks his head to one side/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""These aren't your own questions?"/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" the British accent is so hot, I quite like him,…I mean it./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"The blood drains from my head. /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Oh no/span/ememspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"!/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Err… no. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Min/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" – Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter Kamayaki/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" – he compiled the questions."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Are you colleagues on the student paper?" /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Oh /span/ememspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"klunk/span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". I have nothing to do with the student paper. It's h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" extra-curricular activity, not mine. My face is aflame./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""No. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e's my roommate."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"He rubs his chin in quiet deliberation, his /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"brown /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"eyes appraising me/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Did you volunteer to do this interview?" he asks, his voice deadly quiet/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Hang on, who's supposed to be interviewing whom? His eyes burn into me, and I'm compelled to answer with the truth/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I was drafted. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e's not well." My voice is weak and apologetic./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""That explains a great deal."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"There's a knock at the door, and Blonde Number Two enters/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", forgive me for interrupting, but your next meeting is in two minutes."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""We're not finished here, An/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"thony/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". Please cancel my next meeting."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"An/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"thony/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" hesitates, gaping at him. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e's appears lost. He turns his head slowly to face h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" and raises his eyebrows./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Very well, Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"," he mutters, then exits. He frowns, and turns his attention back to me/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Where were we, Mi/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ster/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Steele?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"emspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Oh, we're back to 'Mis/span/ememspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"ter/span/ememspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;" Steele' now/span/ememspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Please don't let me keep you from anything."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I want to know about you. I think that's only fair." His /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"brown e/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"yes are alight with curiosity. Double /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"klunk/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". Where's he going with this? He places his elbows on the arms of the chair and steeples his fingers in front of his mouth. His mouth is very… distracting. I swallow/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""There's not much to know/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" but I'm quite gay/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"," I /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"murmur the end/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", flushing again/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"He nods and scratches his chin./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""What are your plans after you graduate?"/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" he quickly changes the topic./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"I shrug, thrown by his interest. /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Come to Seattle with /span/ememspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Minho/span/ememspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;", find a place, find a job/span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". I haven't really thought beyond my finals./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I haven't made any plans, Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". I just need to get through my final exams." Which I should be studying for now rather than sitting in your palatial, swanky, sterile office, feeling uncomfortable under your penetrating gaze/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""We run an excellent internship program here," he says quietly. I raise my eyebrows in surprise. Is he offering me a job?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Oh. I'll bear that in mind," I murmur, completely confounded. "Though I'm not sure I'd fit in here." Oh no. I'm musing out loud again./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Why do you say that?" He cocks his head to one side, intrigued, a hint of a smile playing on his lips./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""It's obvious, isn't it?" /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"I'm uncoordinated, scruffy, and I'm not blonde./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Not to me," he murmurs. His gaze is intense, all humor gone, and strange muscles deep in my belly clench suddenly. I tear my eyes away from his scrutiny and stare blindly down at my knotted fingers. What's going on? I have to go – now. I lean forward to retrieve the recorder/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Would you like me to show you around?" he asks./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I'm sure you're far too busy, Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", and I do have a long drive."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""You're driving back to WSU in Vancouver?" He sounds surprised, anxious even. He/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"glances out of the window. It's begun to rain. "Well, you'd better drive carefully." His tone/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is stern, authoritative. Why should he care? "Did you get everything you need?" he adds./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Yes sir," I reply, packing the recorder into my satchel. His eyes narrow, speculatively./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Thank you for the interview, Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""The pleasure's been all mine," he says, polite as ever/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"As I rise, he stands and holds out his hand./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Until we meet again, Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Steele." And it sounds like a challenge, or a threat, I'm not sure which. I frown. When will we ever meet again? I shake his hand once more, astounded that that odd current between us is still there. It must be my nerves./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"." I nod at him. Moving with lithe athletic grace to the door, he opens it wide./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Just ensuring you make it through the door, Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Steele." He gives me a small smile. Obviously, he's referring to my earlier less-than-elegant entry into his office. I flush/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""That's very considerate, Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"," I snap, and his smile widens. I'm glad you find me entertaining, I glower inwardly, walking into the foyer. I'm surprised when he follows me out. An/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"thony/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" and Oliv/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"er/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" both look up, equally surprised./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.5000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.5000pt;"Did you have a coat?" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.5000pt;"Newt/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.5000pt;" asks/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.5000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Yes." Oliv/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"er/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" leaps up and retrieves my jacket, which /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" takes from h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"im/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" before he can hand it to me. He holds it up and, feeling ridiculously self-conscious, I shrug it on. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" places his hands for a moment on my shoulders. I gasp at the contact. If he notices my reaction, he gives nothing away. His long index finger presses the button summoning the elevator, and we stand waiting – awkwardly on my part, coolly self-possessed on his. The doors open, and I hurry in desperate to escape./spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;" I really need to get out of here/span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". When I turn to look at him, he's leaning against the doorway beside the elevator with one hand on the wall. He really is very, very good-looking. It's distracting. His burning /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"brown/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" eyes gaze at me./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Tommy/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"," he says as a farewell. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"," I reply. And mercifully, the doors close./spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Tommy/span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"? My subconscious screams with pom-poms in his hands. /span/p