Tuesday, September 18
Rebecca sat in her supervisor's office, staring at him
across his desk. Mark Danforth used to work in the group
with her, but thanks to a very successful deal with a Latin
American country, he recently got promoted to run the
group. Now he thought he was the only one at Ultra
Threads who understood international negotiations.
Smug idiot. Rebecca tossed the letter she'd been reading
onto his desk. "You can't bribe people in the Czech
Republic, Mark."
"Sure you can. Everyone wants more money. You deal
with Russians all the time. Don't they demand a little extra
on the side here and there?"
"It varies from country to country. People in unstable
countries, like the Latin American one you're so famous for,
expect bribes. Everything is so uncertain for them that they
need satisfaction up front. Russia is much more stable, so
you don't bribe them up front, you just give them a little
extra at various stages to speed things along. And the Czech
people don't want it anywhere-they expect a fair deal. If
you bribe them, they become suspicious that the deal is
bad." She threw her hands out and shook them. "You've got
to know the culture."
"Sorry, Rebecca. But the Czech deal is very important-
we can't afford for it to fail. I think we should add a little
extra on the side to sweeten your offer. That way, there won't
be any hitches."
"Trust me. The deal I wrote has no hitches in it. If you
add a bribe, they're going to reject it. Please don't do that."
Mark scowled. "Hey! I'm the boss here-I know what
I'm doing. You just stick to deal writing, and I'll polish them
so they get signed." He waved his hand toward the door.
"Anyway, aren't you on your way to Moscow for a little powwow?
Maybe you should wear some sexier outfits-tilt
things in our favor."
Offensive bastard. She considered reporting him for
sexual harassment. Then they would fire him and she might
get to run the group. She could certainly do a better job
than Mark.
But Rebecca knew it wasn't that easy. Reporting his
comment wouldn't do a thing to him and would only make
her position in the group worse. If she'd learned anything
from her first job, it was that the world worked that way.
Rebecca didn't need any more of this today. She got up
and gave him an icy stare. "Don't you ever tell me how to
negotiate-I know these people better than you ever will.
And don't treat me like a sex toy either. This company has