for the sake of her pursuit of this account to know he had been raised in Hong Kong, educated at the Harvard School of Business, and made his home in Canada. Seems he saw an opportunity to make his mark in petroleum and went for it. Blah, blah, blah. Nothing of interest there. Her job now consisted of finding that something-of-interest about the business. Using said information to the company’s favor.
In the business of marketing and promotions, there was no room for knee-jerk reaction. Therein lay the thrill for Lorna. It was what kept her interested. She was the iron on the board with a job to smooth the wrinkles. At the moment, she was just waiting to see if U would be granted the contract before she sunk her teeth fully into the project.
“Here you are, Ms. Tymchuk,” the pretty blonde behind the tall reception desk said, handing her a visitor ID badge.
Lorna laid her bag gently at her feet, rising to hook the clip to her lapel. “Thank you.” She nodded.
“I’ve already notified June of your arrival. She said to head on up.”
Smiling politely at the security officer stationed at the bank of elevators, hearing the whirr of the approaching lift, she stepped on and the doors whispered closed behind her. She nodded and waited for the man to run his card over the panel. For the few times she had been to the building, Lorna always found the security more like mob dog than law enforcement. Perhaps it was their calculated stare rather than friendly observation?
Even after so many years, Lorna continued to be haunted by the faces that attack with purpose and without remorse. She saw enemies in strangers at every turn and struggled every day to control the urge to hide. You’re not a vulnerable child anymore , she chided to herself as she wiped a hand across her brow and smoothed her hair.
“She’s a warm afternoon.” He nodded his head without allowing his face to break the mask of stern stoniness. “What floor?”
“Penthouse,” she answered, lowering her hands to her side, her voice mirroring his lack of expression.
“Top floor?” The large gorilla of a man stopped in mid motion. “Right to the boss then?”
“Yes,” she said, positioning her back against but not touching the wall of glass.
His eyes swept her like an x-ray from her two-toned shoes to her neat chignon. “Well, you look like you can hold your own.” The big man suddenly broke his mask with a quick wink.
Strange . She turned her attention to the view from the elevator while being whisked up thirty-six floors, her hand hanging onto the rail. The bell dinged, and she strode off the elevator exuding what she hoped was pure confidence. I really need to land this one .
Heels clacking, Lorna pasted her most professional smile to her face, bracing for whatever June might toss her way.
“Ah, Ms. Tymchuk,” the receptionist rose from her chair. “June asked me to show you straight into the boardroom.”
“Call me Lorna, Mary,” she replied, remembering the woman’s name from the last time she was there.
Compensating for her own insecurities she prayed never showed, Lorna had a strict rule of first names in business. Notwithstanding her assistant’s—Tia—demands for formality when referencing clients, Lorna held firm everyone needed to be on equal footing to get the job done. She didn’t stand on titles and wouldn’t work with clients who did. Fortunately, it hadn’t hampered her so far, and Tim, the president of Aqua Oil, responded well to her casual approach, despite his probably being a gazillionaire .
“Ah, yes. Lorna,” Mary’s words faltered only slightly. “Can I get you a coffee, tea, water?”
“Water would be great. Tall glass. No ice.” She stopped to make eye contact before adding. “Thank you.”
Lorna had barely taken her seat when June and Tim joined her in the glass-walled, ultra-chic room. Standing to shake hands, they congregated in seats at one end of a table large enough to seat thirty
In the business of marketing and promotions, there was no room for knee-jerk reaction. Therein lay the thrill for Lorna. It was what kept her interested. She was the iron on the board with a job to smooth the wrinkles. At the moment, she was just waiting to see if U would be granted the contract before she sunk her teeth fully into the project.
“Here you are, Ms. Tymchuk,” the pretty blonde behind the tall reception desk said, handing her a visitor ID badge.
Lorna laid her bag gently at her feet, rising to hook the clip to her lapel. “Thank you.” She nodded.
“I’ve already notified June of your arrival. She said to head on up.”
Smiling politely at the security officer stationed at the bank of elevators, hearing the whirr of the approaching lift, she stepped on and the doors whispered closed behind her. She nodded and waited for the man to run his card over the panel. For the few times she had been to the building, Lorna always found the security more like mob dog than law enforcement. Perhaps it was their calculated stare rather than friendly observation?
Even after so many years, Lorna continued to be haunted by the faces that attack with purpose and without remorse. She saw enemies in strangers at every turn and struggled every day to control the urge to hide. You’re not a vulnerable child anymore , she chided to herself as she wiped a hand across her brow and smoothed her hair.
“She’s a warm afternoon.” He nodded his head without allowing his face to break the mask of stern stoniness. “What floor?”
“Penthouse,” she answered, lowering her hands to her side, her voice mirroring his lack of expression.
“Top floor?” The large gorilla of a man stopped in mid motion. “Right to the boss then?”
“Yes,” she said, positioning her back against but not touching the wall of glass.
His eyes swept her like an x-ray from her two-toned shoes to her neat chignon. “Well, you look like you can hold your own.” The big man suddenly broke his mask with a quick wink.
Strange . She turned her attention to the view from the elevator while being whisked up thirty-six floors, her hand hanging onto the rail. The bell dinged, and she strode off the elevator exuding what she hoped was pure confidence. I really need to land this one .
Heels clacking, Lorna pasted her most professional smile to her face, bracing for whatever June might toss her way.
“Ah, Ms. Tymchuk,” the receptionist rose from her chair. “June asked me to show you straight into the boardroom.”
“Call me Lorna, Mary,” she replied, remembering the woman’s name from the last time she was there.
Compensating for her own insecurities she prayed never showed, Lorna had a strict rule of first names in business. Notwithstanding her assistant’s—Tia—demands for formality when referencing clients, Lorna held firm everyone needed to be on equal footing to get the job done. She didn’t stand on titles and wouldn’t work with clients who did. Fortunately, it hadn’t hampered her so far, and Tim, the president of Aqua Oil, responded well to her casual approach, despite his probably being a gazillionaire .
“Ah, yes. Lorna,” Mary’s words faltered only slightly. “Can I get you a coffee, tea, water?”
“Water would be great. Tall glass. No ice.” She stopped to make eye contact before adding. “Thank you.”
Lorna had barely taken her seat when June and Tim joined her in the glass-walled, ultra-chic room. Standing to shake hands, they congregated in seats at one end of a table large enough to seat thirty
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