Right - I can ask you guys this.
Client who was in yesterday's valkyrie costume expose debacle is in the country for another week supervising final delivery of this project.
I can't tell you the name of the client or the company he's from - just to say that it's a biiiig middle eastern company working for a great cause.
In a meeting today it was just me, the MD and the client where I was going through our latest round of creative work, my MD popped out and the client suddely turned to me and asked what I usually do at the weekends.
I was like - er - reading, running [struggle] dressmaking...?
And he said 'so what are you doing this weekend?' I thought it was normal chit chat and I said 'nothing much - apart from a party tomorrow night at a friend's house'.
So he said 'great - would you like to come to Kew Gardens with me tomorrow?'
It was such a random question I was caught off-guard. This is a client. A very important client, who will bring in about a quarter of the agency's billing going forward. I'm not sure he knew that I couldn't say no. SO I said 'that would be lovely'. MD came back in - subject chaged abruptly. Later in meeting when MD popped out again - client asked what I was doing on Sunday as well - would I like dinner?
he's married - and I'm hardly worried that he will pounce in the hallowed shrubberies of Kew, but I can't help feeling it's a bit odd, and I'm not that comfortable with it.
At teh very least - it's my bloody relaxing Saturday spent sodding schlepping into bloody Euston to his hotel for ten am and then maufacturing small talk for the next 6 hours until I can decently say I need to go. Possibly followed by my lovely snoozy Sunday evening schleppihg into town again for more small talk.
At the other extreme, it's a very uncomfortable situation which could threaten this client's goodwill towards the agency.
Wise loser friends - what should I do?
(this took me ages to write as my keboard's still on the blink)