nothing
else since. She had to pull this one off, it was her big break,
however it was lonely setting up in a strange city, if
exciting.
“Now what can I
do for you madam?” Peter was asking.
“Not madam,
Miss, I mean Ms Simmons, or Janet if you prefer,” she corrected as
he came and shook her hand.
Peter brought
his coffee and went to the head of the conference table. He
appraised his visitor over his cup as he sipped his coffee, which
was beginning to get cold.
She uncrossed
her legs and simultaneously leaned forward to pick her cup of
coffee from the table. Peter had a momentary glimpse of soft thigh
and then a split second glimpse of cleavage as she leaned towards
the cup. All in a split second and he was mesmerized. Was it
possible that she had nothing on under that suit?
Janet smiled
pleasantly. She sensed that she had his attention and could do no
wrong. Funny, it was the same with Mr. Crawford, except he was old
and ugly. This one seemed a bit immature but was very attractive in
an unsophisticated provincial sort of way and pleasant to look
at.
“ISO
Registration, you understand that Associated Finance is seeking
registration in the retail area?” she said.
“Yes, I was
briefed when I spoke to Central Procurement at AF.”
Janet smiled
warmly. “Therefore you realize it is necessary for us to inspect
suppliers.”
“Of
course.”
“First Mr.
O’Byrne...”
“Call me
Peter.”
“Peter,” she
smiled some more. “First your product range, may I ask you some
questions?”
“Of course, but
Janet please tell me, what is your role?”
“I run a small
consulting business. We are a specialist firm and are retained by
Associated Finance in connection with registration for the
International Quality Standard, better known in Ireland as
ISO.”
“O.K.” Peter
said agreeably “ask away.”
“This
questionnaire will take about an hour and a half. It is fairly
comprehensive. Also I will need to visit one or two of your
processing plants and storage units.”
“An hour and a
half?” Peter was shocked as he realized his lunch might be
delayed.
“Sorry, is that
a problem? You were warned I would need some of your valuable time.
If necessary we can split the interviews. There are sections to my
questionnaire. It is one our consulting group has devised and we
are very proud of it.”
“What happens
if this quality assessment goes our way?” Peter asked, attempting a
mature shrewd expression.
“Then rest
assured; there will be a recommendation from me to the Associated
Finance Procurement Director. This could result in you becoming a
supplier for long term partnering and as you would expect this
would lead to a substantial increase in business over the long
term. AF strongly believes in partnership with suppliers.”
“Hmm…” Peter
had an inspiration, brought on by the fact that she crossed her
lovely legs again. “I would not want to rush an important interview
of this nature. Let me clear my diary.”
He went to his
desk and picked up the phone, “No more appointments today,” he
instructed.
“You have
none,” his secretary replied, “you wanted to be stress free for
your squash match this evening.”
“Thank you,”
Peter said and hung up, happy that Janet had only heard his side of
the exchange.
“Now young
lady,” he announced, “I can take you to lunch. We can spend an hour
or two on this ISO business. Does that suit you?”
“Perfectly.”
Janet could
sense that Peter was out to impress. Funny how so many young men
wanted to impress. It could do no harm to encourage him. And Janet
decided she would not mind too much. Peter had a vulnerability
about him, he looked needy, almost appealing to a maternal
instinct. And he was reasonably attractive. Janet was pleased. She
was enjoying the encounter and began to feel less tense, more
relaxed.
Peter put
Dorothy’s report on the takeover of Howlette Holdings into the
inside pocket of his Gucci Anorak. He
else since. She had to pull this one off, it was her big break,
however it was lonely setting up in a strange city, if
exciting.
“Now what can I
do for you madam?” Peter was asking.
“Not madam,
Miss, I mean Ms Simmons, or Janet if you prefer,” she corrected as
he came and shook her hand.
Peter brought
his coffee and went to the head of the conference table. He
appraised his visitor over his cup as he sipped his coffee, which
was beginning to get cold.
She uncrossed
her legs and simultaneously leaned forward to pick her cup of
coffee from the table. Peter had a momentary glimpse of soft thigh
and then a split second glimpse of cleavage as she leaned towards
the cup. All in a split second and he was mesmerized. Was it
possible that she had nothing on under that suit?
Janet smiled
pleasantly. She sensed that she had his attention and could do no
wrong. Funny, it was the same with Mr. Crawford, except he was old
and ugly. This one seemed a bit immature but was very attractive in
an unsophisticated provincial sort of way and pleasant to look
at.
“ISO
Registration, you understand that Associated Finance is seeking
registration in the retail area?” she said.
“Yes, I was
briefed when I spoke to Central Procurement at AF.”
Janet smiled
warmly. “Therefore you realize it is necessary for us to inspect
suppliers.”
“Of
course.”
“First Mr.
O’Byrne...”
“Call me
Peter.”
“Peter,” she
smiled some more. “First your product range, may I ask you some
questions?”
“Of course, but
Janet please tell me, what is your role?”
“I run a small
consulting business. We are a specialist firm and are retained by
Associated Finance in connection with registration for the
International Quality Standard, better known in Ireland as
ISO.”
“O.K.” Peter
said agreeably “ask away.”
“This
questionnaire will take about an hour and a half. It is fairly
comprehensive. Also I will need to visit one or two of your
processing plants and storage units.”
“An hour and a
half?” Peter was shocked as he realized his lunch might be
delayed.
“Sorry, is that
a problem? You were warned I would need some of your valuable time.
If necessary we can split the interviews. There are sections to my
questionnaire. It is one our consulting group has devised and we
are very proud of it.”
“What happens
if this quality assessment goes our way?” Peter asked, attempting a
mature shrewd expression.
“Then rest
assured; there will be a recommendation from me to the Associated
Finance Procurement Director. This could result in you becoming a
supplier for long term partnering and as you would expect this
would lead to a substantial increase in business over the long
term. AF strongly believes in partnership with suppliers.”
“Hmm…” Peter
had an inspiration, brought on by the fact that she crossed her
lovely legs again. “I would not want to rush an important interview
of this nature. Let me clear my diary.”
He went to his
desk and picked up the phone, “No more appointments today,” he
instructed.
“You have
none,” his secretary replied, “you wanted to be stress free for
your squash match this evening.”
“Thank you,”
Peter said and hung up, happy that Janet had only heard his side of
the exchange.
“Now young
lady,” he announced, “I can take you to lunch. We can spend an hour
or two on this ISO business. Does that suit you?”
“Perfectly.”
Janet could
sense that Peter was out to impress. Funny how so many young men
wanted to impress. It could do no harm to encourage him. And Janet
decided she would not mind too much. Peter had a vulnerability
about him, he looked needy, almost appealing to a maternal
instinct. And he was reasonably attractive. Janet was pleased. She
was enjoying the encounter and began to feel less tense, more
relaxed.
Peter put
Dorothy’s report on the takeover of Howlette Holdings into the
inside pocket of his Gucci Anorak. He
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