Whoa. I didn't see that coming. After such a heated buildup, they were back to talking shop. Kay leafed through the document-a contract with another company that wanted to buy Yorick's trucks. This was obviously some sort of test, so she checked the numbers on the summary page to see if there was anything unusual.
"This looks like a standard contract. But it does seem to have an awfully high closing fee here." She pointed to the number on the summary page.
Dan's eyes widened, and he sat up in his chair. "Yes!" He shouted like a schoolboy and pumped his fist back and forth. "You're good! You saw that fee instantly." He leaned across his desk toward Kay, a look of delight on his face as his eyes continued to study her. "Wow! Sharp as a tack and beautiful too-you're perfect! I can't believe it, you're the killer colleague!" He pounded the desk. "I've been searching a long time for someone like you."
Those warning bells were clanging again, but this was more than just a horny man on the attack. Way more. "What's going on, Mr. Avery . . . Dan?"
Dan took a deep breath. "Kay, I know you're supposed to start work in the negotiations group, but I'm going to offer you a different job. It's really an experiment, but I think you'll be good at it. You still get to do negotiations, you work directly with me, and the pay is better. And yes, I know what you're thinking, so let me add that this job does not involve having sex with me or anyone else. However, what I'm about to tell you is sexual in nature and definitely inappropriate work talk, so if that bothers you, we can stop this meeting now."
"I'm listening . . ."
"Good. First the obvious: you are an incredibly beautiful woman, by any man's standard. What's more, you dress well, allowing your beauty to shine for all to see. I'm sure that you know the power this gives you over men." Dan leaned even closer toward Kay. "So here's the deal: I want to harness this power."
"That sounds like sex to me."
"Look, I know that some businessmen sweeten their deals by sending prostitutes to please their clients. I do not want to please the people I deal with-I want to distract them, by bringing a beautiful woman with me to the negotiation table. A woman who is just as savvy as I am and who is on my team. A woman who understands the situation so completely that she knows exactly when to be distracting. I think that woman is you."