Executive Sweet (A Sample)

Thursday, May 31

Dan, Kay, and Doris sat down for an exquisitely catered working lunch in Dan's office at the conference table under the chandelier. The table had been transformed and looked like it belonged in a formal dining room, with a linen tablecloth and napkins, fine china, sterling silver cutlery, and crystal wine glasses. Kay picked up a wine glass and stared at it. She seems impressed. Wait until she tastes the food. Dan had an arrangement with a local chef, Ashok, who had his own restaurant in town. Today, Ashok served a spicy Indian/Mexican combination and as soon as the pungent aroma of the food filled the room, everyone's stomach juices flowed. For the next fifteen minutes, they spoke of nothing but the food, which captivated them with each bite, only freeing them when their plates were clean.

Dan leaned back in his chair and let the last bite of food dissolve in his mouth. A few more sips of wine remained in his glass, but that could wait. Doris was finishing up, talking and joking with Kay. Doris seems much happier since Kay started. Or is that me? Dan laughed to himself-both he and Doris were happier with Kay around.

Kay lingered over her meal. As she had done a few times during lunch, she stopped eating and raised her head to look around the room, staring in apparent disbelief. Dan clasped his hands together to keep them from accidentally grabbing her and pulling her to his side.

Kay laid down her fork and fixed Dan with a playful grin. "Doris and I have a surprise for you, Dan."

Your naked body, wrapped around mine? He could dream, couldn't he?

Kay pulled a folio over to her lap and took out a document. "Check this out. We just got this offer yesterday and Doris showed it to me. She thought I'd enjoy seeing a contract full of math." Kay flipped to the end and showed him the equations, running half way down the page. "The contracts people say it's one of the more mathematical deals from Roadmover Corporation."

Ugh, Roadmover. What's that bastard Lawson up to now? Dan shook his head, looking at the page of math. "Look at that crap! Let me tell you something, Kay. If you think my use of a killer colleague is unusual, consider this: George Lawson has killer contract writers. He hires lawyers whose undergraduate degrees were in math. Then these guys write the nerdiest contracts, full of endless, confusing, deceptive equations."

"Well that's exactly what this is: totally deceptive." She rolled her eyes upward and shook her head. "I had to write a computer program to figure it all out. Look at this analysis." She handed him a piece of paper, her mouth twisted.