Corporate Wars Part Two

by

Diana Walker and Reagan Kavanagh
This work of adult fiction, loosely based on characters portrayed by Russell Crowe, includes adult language and experiences; you have been warned.  No copyright infringement on the original work is intended. Copyright Diana Walker and Reagan Kavanagh 2007



TERRY    
Diana managed to keep her nightly “Beer or scotch?” greeting neutral during the ensuing weeks.  Each night, once she heard my answer, she adjusted her approach to suit my mood.  She supported me; she nursed my broken spirit or danced a small victory jig; she led me.  If my frustration level was high, she sat on the pool coping with her legs dangling in the water whilst I beat the water.  Thank Christ I could respond “Beer” most nights.  The only part of her full-bodied welcome hug and kiss that changed when we were at home was my drink.  If we were out when we first met at the end of my workday, she soon dragged me off to a secluded corner for a more intimate greeting following our public one.
 
We kept up our normal set of professional social obligations.  Even though we now had the Juniors to feed the horses dinner, in keeping with Diana’s mandate that perceptible change in my behaviour was not good in the office, she would not meet me there.  She would join me at the parties.  It was at one of the never-ending social events that I came to appreciate fully how her innocuous question in public could convey everything she needed to know.  To anyone standing near by, Diana was simply asking me for my choice of drink as we walked to the bar.
 
Ah, the fucking bystanders.  They were starting to get on my tits.  I was starting to get invitations to dinners without ‘and Guest’ or Diana’s name on them; she hadn’t received the invitation separately under her own name.  As soon as I sent my regrets, those invitations went immediately into the shredder as it gave me such a visceral pleasure to see them destroyed.  It seems I’ve been relegated to the spare bachelor every hostess needs periodically.  Worked a treat for me.  Declining the singular invitations meant more evenings at home.
 
Diana was always her fetching, charming self at the society functions we did attend, though the uncomfortable moment of silence as we joined a group was becoming old to both of us.  Diana’s hand has wandered to grasp Gran for confidence as she took my arm, smiled up at me, and forged once more into the breach, greeting the society mavens as if she hadn’t a care in the world. 
 
She’s only cried once about the way we are being treated that I know.  As Diana and I were making our exit for an additional two hours of corporate infighting work to finish once we were home, Camille Hershberg asked about a dinner whose invitation I’d shredded.  I saw the light of understanding dawn in Diana’s eyes though she didn’t speak about it until we were well away from inquisitive ears.
 
“Do you think I ought to start stitching a scarlet letter ‘A’ on all our clothes?” she asked as I handed her into Truck.  She leant out the door and put her forehead on my shoulder.
 
“I’d wear it proudly, Diana.”  Her soft kiss conveyed her gratitude. 
 
We stayed that way, oblivious to the other guests leaving, until the valet brought the Porsche.  I followed her home and saw a hand go to her face four times in a gesture that could only be wiping away tears.  My suspicion was confirmed when we entered the house.  Diana cannot conceal when she cries; her red-rimmed eyes and red nose are in evidence for hours following a crying jag.  That night her face was flushed from emotion as well.
 
Those who know us well – our chosen family, our neighbours, our acquaintances in the small community where we live, even Mrs. Lilja – didn’t care a whit about our marital status or had grown to accept it.  In the larger, ‘small town’ of society Dallas, it seemed a ground swell of animosity was growing.  Dallas can be cruel.  However, charity event hostesses couldn’t fail to invite us; TEO’s donations to their causes were significant enough that they couldn’t shun Diana and me.  There were also my Australian roots; I’m considered quite the exotic in North Central Texas and quite the feather in the hostess’ cap if I choose to accept her summons disguised as an invitation.
 
Certain other Chief Executives of very large concerns who are headquartered in Dallas have carried on long-term extra marital affairs for years with the whole town aware of them; there’s not been a breath of concern.  TEO and, by extension, Diana and I, is too small a company for its CEO to be immune from gossip.  The larger the enterprise, the fewer the rumours are likely to be.  TEO is in the uncomfortable grey area – large enough to be noticed and small enough to be a target.
 
Diana folded into my arms in the foyer and began to cry in earnest.  “I love you.  How do I fix this?”
 
A simple ‘Marry me’ wouldn’t repair the damage the whispers had created.  If Diana were ever to marry me, I wanted it to be willingly rather than out of guilt.  I stroked her hair.  “Shh, shh.  Don’t cry.  I love you as well.  Fuck ‘em for the time being.  We’ll work on it after we get Max successfully sorted.”
 
*
 
That was one of the few nights we didn’t spend with Diana leading discussions on Max’s motivations, my contributing actions, and timing on possible resolutions.  She’s taught me as much as I could absorb nightly and helped me relate the concepts to TEO’s situation.  Diana’s the expert on corporate wars; I‘m the specialist on K&R.  I followed her lead in the early days since we were clearly in her theatre of operations.  She gradually shifted more of the responsibility to me as time passed.
 
“I know business in general.  You’ll have to be the one who determines what will work in TEO.  You’re the expert on that corporate culture.”
 
We’d brainstormed all the underlying causes that Max might have and any complaints Dino and Sooze might bring to the table if asked; we had several possible solutions I found palatable for each.  We were now down to deciding when to start implementation.
 
“It’s risky either way.  If I start making changes before Max makes his challenge, it moves from your advice on maintaining the current balance.  Waiting to jump off forces a lot of actions into a two week window.”  I let out a deep breath.  “What do you think?”
 
“I think I agree with you.”  We started laughing.
 
“You’re acting like a typical consultant now.”
 
“Oh, good.”  She smiled in a flakey, self-satisfied way.  “That was my intention.”
 
*
 
“I think we have the Rosetta Stone to Max.” 
 
We were still in bed, and Diana snapped my laptop shut effectively ending my newspaper reading.  I’d been about to check the Sydney Morning Herald article about why South Sydney would be a stronger club next year; the Bunnies had been saying that my entire life.  Her words certainly got my attention.  I waited for her to continue.
 
“Reags and I were talking yesterday, and she told me her thoughts on why Max wants to displace you.”  Her words were halting; her information came out sporadically.  Diana speaks in paragraphs, and I’ve learnt to wait until she’s finished.
 
“If you’re talking yourself out of bringing up the topic, please do it aloud so I’m not thoroughly irritated with you when you change topics.”
 
“Hmmm?  No, no, I’m trying to remember all of it.  Reags wouldn’t have said anything if she didn’t intend for me to use it; she’s way too careful to make a slip like that.  Besides everything is fair game in love and corporate takeovers.  That’s why everyone starts going to lunch by themselves when positioning starts in a big company.  It’s every man for herself.  How’s that for being politically incorrect and correct at the same time?”  I shook my head in disbelief at her mangled attempt at political correctness. 
 
“Really, Terry, the smallest tidbit of information may be the other side’s key to unlocking your strategy.  It’s odd what the crucial piece is.  During one reorg, I was actually working HR and stayed incredibly busy; the reason I was busy was I had inherited a few tasks from each person in the department.  Each of them came to me individually to beg a favor; they couldn’t tell me why they needed the help.  I think I finally realized I was on the layoff list when the fourth person asked me to help them.  If someone in HR was getting the axe, the Director was the only one who had the knowledge and the paperwork, so I knew before the people working on scrubbing the layoff lists did that I was out the door.  I took my knowledge and had another job lined up to start the day after I got my notice.  We all had a good laugh about it.  What really pissed me off was that I didn’t even get a vacation between jobs. 
 
“Everybody knows talking is a very bad thing during a reorg, and if you’re stupid enough to say anything valuable and the other side uses it, it’s not a breach of friendship.  It’s just business.”
 
“So what’s Max on about?”
 
“He doesn’t have enough responsibility.  He wants to influence more of the decisions.”
 
The only way Max could have more responsibility and make more decisions would be to become CEO.  “He’s got his own continents.  The only way he can take on more responsibility is to sign the fucking paycheques.”
 
“Hold on there, Boomer.  Look at it from his point of view.  He’s been retired, for lack of a better word, from being a General for a very brief time.  This is going to sound contradictory, but you have to convince him you’re his modern day Caesar and give him more freedom while still holding him accountable for his decisions.
 
“Wanna hear the good news?” 
 
I nodded.  My head was still reeling from becoming a dictator and creating anarchy simultaneously. 
 
“Reags may not go so far as to tell him not to challenge you, but she won’t help him if he tries it.”
 
That may be the best news I’ve had since Diana became my consultant.
 
 
DIANA
Terry looked at me in amazement when I sounded particularly ruthless. 
 
“I’m not sure ‘fun’ is the correct word, but you’re having far too much fun with this.  What happened to the concept that we all come out of this on good terms?  You’re treating this like a military campaign without tanks.”
 
My warrior spirit had invaded all sorts of places in our lives.  My physical activity level had increased tremendously.  Holly and I went running with Terry in the mornings; she’s lost almost two pounds.  The horses were doing a lot of long, fast gallops; Jack may think he’s getting ready for racing season, not eventing.  I was eating everything in sight.  My sexual appetite was also heightened and had precipitated Dino’s hasty retreat one evening when he arrived unexpectedly for dinner; Terry did like the way I attacked him in bed.  Both of us were using sex as stress relief.  Even with all the exercise, keeping Terry at the top of TEO was always on my mind.    
 
In keeping with my militaristic mindset, I hadn’t gone so far as to start feeding us MRE’s, but I wasn’t far from it.  The night I made chipped beef on toast was when Terry put his foot down and made me realize the battle planning had to stop, and I needed to focus on the peace.      
 
“I’m flexing intellectual muscles I haven’t touched since grad school.  Your happiness means so much to me.  I don’t want to overlook something that could make the outcome turn in your favor.”  It was a weak defense even in my own ears.
 
To simplify Terry’s life, I had two personalized ball caps made to identify which of my three roles was speaking at any time.  It was a strange request for the tack shop, but they were the only place I knew who had access to monogramming.  One cap said CONSULTANT, the other PARTNER.  The third persona wore a blatantly sexy, little nothing from Victoria's Secret.  That message was clear.
 
“It’s a beer night!” Terry announced from the front door precluding my question. 
 
“Oh, good!”  I was still in the bedroom fresh from my shower and wearing only my knickers, trying to find my clean Levis and long sleeved T-shirt.  I didn’t bother continuing the search when Terry followed my voice into our room. 
 
He stopped in the doorway long enough to see me standing beside the bed.  When his look in the doorway changed from one of being glad to be home to hungry, my body started preparing for him but not nearly fast enough for my desires or his.  He can go from 0 to ready faster than any man I’ve ever known.
 
He crossed the distance between us in no time, stripping out of his clothes as he advanced, and had me flat with only my back on the bed.  He dropped to his knees between my now splayed legs, trailing his fingers up my thighs.  I lifted my hips and started to slide my knickers off.
 
“Let me.”  His voice was already husky.  I propped myself on my elbows.  Terry has taught me to enjoy the show and watching his cock fascinates me.  It takes on a life of its own with its jumps and sways, but I hated just watching, particularly these days.  I wanted my hands and mouth on him. 
 
He gathered the sides of my knickers in his fingers, tugged the waist gently down below my crotch, and stopped.  I liked the feel of his warm hands on my thighs, but my frustration at this pause became readily apparent when I groaned, “Not even a kiss either.”  He looked up to my face and gave me a teasing half smile as he released the sides of my underwear.  His half halt was short; he was letting my arousal grow and my wetness catch up with how ready he was to enter me.  He hooked his thumbs in the gusset so his fingers brushed my entire slit; the backs of his hands were in full contact with my inner thighs when he slid my nothing-special knickers down and off.  My anticipation was growing exponentially as he sat back on his heels looking at my legs and lips. 
 
“Hello and how was your day?”  My voice was as rough as his was.  I sat up fully and leaned over to follow my words with a kiss. 
 
“Fine, but much better seeing you undressed.”  He kissed me back down to the bed; we lay there, letting our bodies reacquaint themselves, our tongues reaching for their own knowledge.  His kisses groped his way down my body, lingering at my breasts until he was sure they also knew he was home and wanted them.  My hands rested lightly on his head, happy to follow him.  As he retreated down, I did a slow curl up from my prone position to follow his progress; it stopped when his head rested on my thigh.  His fingers began their trek up my calves, pausing to hold my knees tightly to his sides.  We stayed in that new hug looking at each other. 
 
“Anything you want to tell me about work today so we both can forget it in a minute?”  I reached for my CONSULTANT cap and dropped it on my head eliciting his giggle.  He lifted my knees, pivoted us fully onto the bed, and lay down beside me.
 
I missed having both his hands between my legs, teasing me, but the feeling of his full body by my side was more than acceptable.  I reached for his cock; he teased my legs open again with one hand as he tucked a stray lock of my hair under my ridiculous hat with the other.
 
“Not at the moment.”
 
Our strokes found a matching rhythm with our groans, sighs, and kisses.  His fingers trailed up my legs and finally through my lips, opening me to his dancing fingers, to my clit hood.  He moved beneath the fleshy covering and began slowly massaging a circle in the hollow around it, floating down my inner lips, lifting my arousal higher.  He traded his caresses for my quiet ‘Mmph’s.’  His soft smile from my breast told me he enjoyed being able to give me such pleasure and that he was in no hurry.
 
I was getting wet from his touch but was not ready enough for either of us to enjoy his entry.  I’m so lucky he’s willing to delay his own satisfaction for mine.  His fingers moved to my opening again, drawing wetness to lighten his touch as he played with me, as if I was the best toy he could have at that moment, readying me for him.  He plied my sweet spot on the right of my clit with extra attention.  My breaths sounded more guttural as he brought me so close and then moved to caress the top before finding where I’m most sensitive again.  Each time he changed where he caressed me, it drove my excitement higher, and my back lifted from the bed sending his mouth to a different spot on my breast as I twisted upwards.
 
His fingers never varied on my clit.  He kept his movements constant and with the right pressure to make me come quickly. 
 
When I did, he moved over me, one arm around me cradling me safely, his other strong arm holding his weight off me as he amused himself with nips and nuzzles to my breasts.  His cock nudged between my dripping lips and into me before I cared about wanting to feel him do it.  His thrusts were small and shallow; he kept himself ready until I could open my eyes again, take a breath, and rejoin him. 
 
He giggled as he kissed my cheeks.  “Fucking consultant.”
 
“Quite well,” was all I could manage to get out.  I bore down on him and took him deeper.  His pleased grunt answered me as he began to drive into me in deep, sure strokes.  I wrapped my arms tightly around his shoulders and drew him down to me as we moved with each other.  I love the way his legs and butt flex as he comes into me; he loves the way my breasts slide on his chest.
 
His kisses on my nose and forehead knocked my silly cap off before I could feel his rhythm faltering; he wouldn’t last any longer today than I had, but our satisfaction would continue through the evening as we talked strategies later.   
 
“Loving Diana is better.”
 
*
 
I wish more companies in America had men like Terry Thorne at the top.  Though he hasn’t distilled it, his business philosophy is ‘do the right thing and the money will flow.’  I’d expand that to ‘do the right thing at the earliest possible opportunity no matter what it takes.’  Terry will live and die upholding his own vision of right.  I only hope his death comes decades from now with Henry, his grandchildren, and me at his bedside.
 
He becomes angry and frustrated like all good men do, and he lets it show.  I sometimes miss his temper flares because they normally come when we’ve been in a deep discussion, and his sheer intensity blinds me to the change. 
 
I never miss when he’s been hurt; his eyes express that eloquently when we’re alone.  In public, it’s there, but the pain passes through so quickly, if you blink, you’ve missed it.  In its aftermath, his mask drops into place, and that’s another way I can tell from across a room I need to go to him.  It still surprises me that I’m so willing to care for his emotional well-being.  He’s a big boy who can take care of himself or so I’ve tried to tell myself.  If I think someone is trying to hurt him intentionally, I’m ready to retaliate with every fiber.
 
“We need to play to your character strengths and minimize your …less than stellar qualities.”
 
“Diana, you can say character flaws.  You can even say negatives.”  He was smiling at me, and his eyes were twinkling.  I’d given up on the formal nightly meetings; we sat on the sofa most nights with an opened laptop actively discussing the day’s events and rehearsing possible future scenarios, but the physical distance between us was gone.  Tonight was Terry’s night to add information to our charts.  The laptop was somewhere above my head, and his forearms framed my head as he lay partially atop me.  Since we had been deeply in a kiss that normally leads us to a quickie, I’d say we’d even passed casual meeting etiquette.  My hips were still nudging his.
 
“Tell me what you think are your bad traits.  We’ll compare lists.”
 
“Mine is short.  I can be arrogant.”
 
“But you balance that with being pragmatic and come off your high horse quickly if it’s not working.”  He kissed at me as he typed.  I think he was aiming for my nose. 
 
“I’m pretty proprietary, particularly about you and the firm.”
 
“As long as you keep the two of us separate, we’re golden.”
 
“I can be quite stubborn.”
 
“See, I don’t think that’s a character flaw all the time.  Aw, hell, Terry.  I’m the wrong one to look at your negatives.  I think that they’re so small your good qualities outweigh them.  I really don’t understand why Max is doing this.”  Dammit.  Tears formed at the outer corners of my eyes. 
 
Terry gently wiped them away with his thumb as his eyes watched where they trailed.  “Let’s work on playing to what you see are my strengths.  Can you do that without being emotional?”
 
“Can you hear them without being conceited?”  We grinned and shrugged – stalemate.
 
“I have an idea.  I’ll do a spreadsheet tomorrow, and you can read it tomorrow night.  I can cry while I put your sterling qualities on it, and I’ll leave you alone so you can bask in your glory without me mocking you.” 
 
“That’ll work.”
 
 
DINO
The travel schedule Terry, Max, and I keep is brutal but necessary to keep our clients up to speed and more aware of regional tensions than the average person living in the world’s multiple hot spots.  When Terry and I set up the firm, we decided to be proactive with our clients to minimize the possibility of their being kidnapped.  So far, we’ve been successful at being called in to negotiate or rather being successful at NOT being called in to negotiate.  Thorne and O’Reilly and now Thorne, Espan, and O’Reilly are well below the industry standard in client kidnappings each year.
 
When Terry and I set up as TO, along with being fed up with corporate politics, my dream for my own shop was to have a cash cow that ran on its own power.  For that to happen, clients needed to step up and strengthen their own safety measures with our guidance.  As a small, global company, we couldn’t be everywhere at the same time.  Hell, neither Terry nor I had even been south of the Sahara when we started.  Information, procedures, and personnel are the keystones to our success. 
 
Terry and I hadn’t waited to visit our money in the Caymans; Terry set up our initial corporate organizational sessions at a villa far enough away from Seven Mile Beach to entice me to focus on the basic company structure before starting the celebrations.  Terry didn’t need the motivation to buckle down to work.  I sometimes think when Terry has a job to do, you could sit him down in the middle of a nude beach with his laptop, and he’d finish the job before looking up to say, “Right, then.  I’ll just pop down the beach to the yellow brolly …there’s a lovely blonde with great tits.  She’s been there 48 minutes now and will be in need of some sun block.”  Bastard.
 
It helped that both of us had been in K&R long enough to form opinions on how to create an efficient, cost effective organization; fortunately, we shared similar ideas on what we wanted.  Our original plan of setting up in New York and London had quickly gone by the wayside; neither of us wanted to be that close to the power brokers and the possibility of being sucked back into the corporate world we wanted to escape.  I relished our small, maverick nature.  Certainly, it would mean more travel for meetings, but we could combine trips to meet with the larger organizations and then leave the bullshit behind as we moved on to some of the world’s better beaches. 
 
Our goal from the beginning had been to be the best in the industry.  Forbes doesn’t devote an issue to insurance each year; we had no objective way of judging when we made it.  I was pleased when Dee's anecdotal evidence as she worked on Sooze’s partnership package seemed to confirm our achievement. 
 
Our focus on being the best was why Miami was discarded quickly as a location; we didn’t want to be confused with International Security Network, the K&R firm already there, have to fight to be recognized separately from ISN, or be lumped in with what I think is a half-assed group.  They’re little better than hiring a local thug to handle a kidnapping response.

Los Angeles was the next location we considered – fine beaches, easy access to an international airport, a plethora of lovely women, but the cost of doing business was higher than we wanted.  The cost of office space is high; taxes are higher, and housing costs would eat into my good life. 
 
A fortunate meeting on Seven Mile Beach with two lovely Dallasites turned our thoughts to that unlikely location.  Dallas became more of a possibility over dinner that night with the two women.  It became home base after we stopped in on our way home from George Town.  We could keep as low a profile as we wanted, be in an out of the airport easily, and reduce office expenses.  We could always fly to beaches or incorporate some surf and sand on the frequent travel we knew would be required.  With our egos and healthy libidos, Terry and I knew we’d have our choice of beautiful women wherever we landed, and Dallas is big enough that we wouldn’t be tripping over each other’s leftovers. 
 
Terry designed our first sales pitch on his flight back to London.  Information, Procedures, and Personnel, or IPP, was the second slide in the briefing, and it synthesized our corporate philosophy; it’s remained nestled right there over the years.  When we take on a new client, we live with them for a week, and our own people install the necessary security devices.  We also put them and their families through a couple of practical exercises – how to avoid being taken and how to survive being kidnapped until we can get them out.  After the initial contact, we offer ongoing, extensive email contact with each of our clients between personal visits.  Sooze sends out regular corporate mailings reminding clients about our standard protection requirements that they must take.  Max, Terry, and I send personal emails each day updating individual clients if the risk in their area – geographical or professional – has increased.  It’s a shitload of work, but even I’d rather prevent problems over having to retrieve cargo these days.  Prevention also increases the profit margins. 
 
Some of the clients like our close contact; others can’t be bothered.  The poor saps who don’t take our advice are the ones who need us most.  The ones who aren’t particularly mindful of security recommendations find their premiums increasing so dramatically that TEO can make money off them even if they are kidnapped.  When they see the higher premium, they sometimes choose to find other responders with a lower cost. 
 
We only drop a contract as a last resort.  We don’t take the decision to drop clients lightly, and all the partners discuss the situation at length before any action is taken.  We review the client’s actions in self-protection.  Their carelessness increases their own and TEO’s visibility; we are – by necessity – high profile in small circles, but our preference is to be unknown outside of our niche.  The client’s carelessness might have an impact on our ability to negotiate their release; each contract has a cap on what we’re authorized to offer the kidnappers unless the family or corporation wants to dig into their own pockets to provide more funds for the ransom above the insured amount.  Sooner or later in the discussion around the conference table, TEO’s second goal – self-propelled cash cow – is brought up in some form or another, and the client is dropped.
 
Terry and I’ve seen sloppy security procedures when we’ve worked at other K&R companies.  We brought the best procedures from each of them with us when we formed TO.  When Max came on board, we standardized the initial response procedures from the notes he took when we trained him.  Each of us has our own negotiation style, and that’s cool as long as we bring ‘em back alive.  There are no ‘standard’ procedures if we have to go in and get the cargo.  I’m all for chaos and confusion; Terry prefers having a precise plan executed by a local government force that he accompanies on the extraction; Max stays with a precise plan he can execute.  Invariably in an extraction, both Terry and Max come to my fog of war.  The reality is something happens we didn’t – or couldn’t – plan for, and chaos rules.  Fortunately, we’re all good at improvising.
 
When all is said and done, any K&R group is only as good as its field operatives.  For our foreign-based corporate accounts, a well paid pseudo-gardener in the compound who has ears everywhere suffices for our onsite operative; often, he also has to shepherd our individual clients in the area as well.  Our individual stateside accounts are more problematic.  Ideally, we’d like to have someone on staff with each of our families.  Sometimes that isn’t feasible.  We spend the most one-on-one time with those clients because not everyone immediately accepts our advice.  It’s a PIA, but it’s the way Terry and I decided we wanted to do business; when Max signed on, the system was already in place, and originally, he slotted into it.  Max had been used to giving orders and having them followed; fortunately, he’s also very good at interpersonal communications and persuading people to his way of thinking when his clients weren’t immediately receptive to his requirements for their behavior.
 
Our ongoing education in world affairs comes from as many different sources as we can cultivate.  We do our own research; the office can be quiet as a library even when we’re all there.  All three of us have developed information sources in our parts of the world.  By the time CNN is putting out their ‘Breaking News’ headline,  we’ve already been notified and have as full an understanding of the underlying causes as possible from our field operatives in the region.  Terry and I’ve kept up our contacts within the military intelligence agencies for deep background information.  With Reags’ addition to the TEO family, we don’t have to lean on Zack Grant so heavily any more; it’s always good to have a couple of sources within the same organization.  Max has developed his own means of data gathering since his last personal affiliation with government organizations ended a long damned time ago.  For our basic operational maneuvers, a paid street snitch is as good as it comes.  Of course, we have to throw them a bone every so often; even snitches need to feel the love on an on-going basis.
 
I’m damn proud of TEO.  I hope to God Terry and Max don’t fuck it up with their pissing contest.
 
 
SOOZE
Terry and Max were on a collision course.  It’s hard to have two men with such strong personalities in such close quarters.  Frankly, I thought it was to both men’s credit that they’d worked so well together over the years.  They’re both command presences; Dino may have been an officer, but he has a grunt mentality.  He’s good at his job, but he couldn’t lead more than a squad of ruffians on a boys’ night out.  Terry and Max are the leaders men like Dino will follow through hell. 
 
Books have been written on ‘leadership qualities,’ and after a thorough examination of many traits that great leaders have shared, most authors come back to a single word, ‘it,’ and apologize to their readers who weren’t born with that attribute since no amount of study and improvement could give them that magic.  Leaders have ‘it.’  Terry and Max have that indefinable quality. 
 
I had written a paper in one of my management classes on leadership using Terry and Max as my models.  I didn’t do any better a job in defining what made them great than other authors had in studying other leaders; my list of traits was longer because of my affinity to my subjects, but I still ended with that unknown essence.  I did get an A on the paper, but my professor wrote a comment to me.  “You’ve identified some additional traits of leaders, but ‘it’ is still elusive.”  I had to agree. 
 
The ease with which they had co-existed over the years had broken down, been strengthened by their stint in jail, and now was at risk again.  This time the issues are minor, and Terry and Max ought to be able to settle them with a conversation or two; it wasn’t going to happen.
 
I wasn’t surprised when Dino took me out to lunch; we needed to talk away from the office.  Dino and I needed to formulate our strategy.
 
The waiter left us to our meal.  Our entrees would be cold by the time we finished our discussion.
 
Dino began.  “Terry and Max have been doing well lately.”
 
“I haven’t seen them treating each other or us any differently since the Sheik left but there is a certain …atmospheric change I can’t quite place.”  There, I gave Dino his opening.
 
Small towns and small companies share a feature.  All inhabitants know everything but choose to leave some topics unconsidered and unspoken.
 
“Have either one of them approached you yet?”
 
“Not yet.”  Dammit, Dino!  Your reluctance to discuss the office problem openly is why you aren’t the leader Terry and Max are.  “When I made partner, I didn’t think my first set of decisions would have such an impact.  Who are you backing?”
 
“Neither.  This problem is between them, though I feel partially responsible for starting it.  Terry was responding to me when we walked in the door.  Terry’s guided us very well.  Without him, we wouldn’t have a company for them to fight over.  I wanted my own firm, but I knew I couldn’t make it on my own.  I needed Terry.  If he hadn’t thrown in with me, I’d still be commuting to London to deliver monthly reports.”  He shook his head in concern.
 
“I like the way the firm was operating before the pissing contest started.  Maybe I’m being an ostrich, but I want the two of them to settle it without involving me.”   
 
Dino surprised me with the self-knowledge he revealed to me.
 
“Are you saying if it comes to a vote of no confidence in Terry, you’ll abstain?”
 
He ran his hands through his hair in a gesture of exasperation.  “I’ll have to.  I want both of them to stay.  I like being dominant in our field; we won’t be if either of them leaves.
 
“Sooze, my abstention will leave you as the most powerful woman in the K&R industry.  I’m asking you to sit on the sidelines with me.  Force them to work this out without our intervention.”
 
Unless Terry and Max work out their differences, for the few moments it would take to cast my ballot, I would be a very powerful woman.  If it came to that, who could my choice be? 
 
I’ve come a very long way in a very short time.  I won’t be the deciding vote in what could be the dissolution of TEO.
 
“I have one condition.”  Being a pacifist does NOT mean I can’t lobby for a peace treaty.
 
“Shoot.”
 
“We actively encourage them to settle whatever’s bugging them amicably.”
 
“Agreed.”  He took a deep breath and let it out.  There was more on his mind.  “I want you to consider the unthinkable.  TEO goes under.  I won’t be able to live off my investments, and I won’t have my wife support me.  I sure as shit don’t want to become a security consultant; most of them are glorified bodyguards.  I’ll still want to have my own shop.  I’d like for you and I to work together.  We wouldn’t be global, but the two of us could make Latin America ours.  Think about it.” 
 
“I will.  No offense, but I’d rather it not come to that.”
 
He nodded his agreement.
 
“Let’s work towards keeping TEO in business.  We, you and I, need to present a unified front to Terry and Max.  Let’s draft the words of encouragement we’ll use on both of them.”
 
 
REAGAN
Camille Hershberg.  Miranda Lewis.  Gema Bowyer.  Toni Langham.  The names zipped through my mind as I sat drinking coffee after Max left for the office on Monday morning.  As soon as my husband mentioned having lunch with Jonathan Hershberg and the topic of gossip arose, I knew precisely what was happening.  Miranda Lewis, Terry’s old flame, and Camille were ‘friends.’  Miranda had done very well at ingratiating herself with the wives of some of Dallas’ movers and shakers …criminal courts judges, attorneys, business brokers.  Gema Bowyer was married to Dallas' currently favourite personal injury attorney; Toni Langham’s husband was a force with which to be reckoned in the acquisition and sales of businesses in North Texas.  Miranda was smart enough – and enough of a chameleon – to worm her way into Camille, Gema, and Toni’s good graces and stay there until such time as their small mindedness made them look like fools.  Given time and Miranda’s egocentricity, I could insure their being revealed for the small-minded fools they are, and I would enjoy doing it.  What Miranda wasn’t counting on was my ability to make her look like the Queen of Fools.
 
Miranda ‘loved’ the same things Camille, Gema, and Toni did; she ‘loathed’ the same things – and people – they did.  She detested nouveau riche and skillfully avoided noting that, with the exception of Camille, the other two fell into that category.  I felt quite sure she’d portrayed herself as having been thrown over by Terry in favour of ‘that horsey woman, Diana Walker.’  Miranda’s mistake was that she wasn’t just taking on Dee; she had now taken on me as well; however, that was a matter for another day.  At present, I needed to deal with my husband when he returned home tonight.  I’d managed to postpone the discussion over the weekend but knew my time was up.  Tonight I’d have to tell Max that I could not – would not – support him in his bid to become CEO of Thorne, Espan, and O’Reilly.
 
*
 
He came in the door with heavy footsteps, placed his briefcase on the cart, and walked toward me.
 
“I need your counsel.”  I stood to meet him.
 
“I can’t offer it, Maximus.  Please don’t ask this of me.”
 
“You are my wife, my companion, my help-meet in this life.  How can you not offer your counsel, your support?”  I reached up to touch his face with my fingers.
 
“You put the Army and Caesar ahead of Ileana and Marcus.  Is it again your intention to put your profession ahead of your wife and child or children, to put business ahead of your family?  Has Thorne, Espan, and O’Reilly become your lord and master such that you owe fealty to a corporate entity?  Is that fealty more compelling than your duty and fidelity to your family?  Do we mean so little to you?  Were not your last words to Quintus, ‘Take care of my family’?  You said on Saturday that men in certain positions were expected to marry …is that why you married me?  Am I – is this child – nothing more than window dressing for the showcase of your position?”  The look of shock on his face was painful, but it seemed that I had his attention, so I thought it best to say it all and say it now.  I hadn’t bothered to fire a warning shot across his bow; he would have ignored it.  I’d have to bring down the mainmast to get his attention and hold it.
 
“We took vows before God, Maximus, vows in which we promised to put each other and our love before everything else in this world.  I’m trying to do that, but you’ve made it very difficult in recent months.  Love is bidirectional …it can’t survive without receiving love in return. 
 
“I’ve felt you pulling away from me; I don’t know if the underlying reason is the firm or a woman or both.  I’d prefer it be a woman because I could fight her.  I can’t fight a corporation.  I can’t fight your need to control.”  His face was now rigid with anger.
 
“How dare you fling Ileana and Marcus in my face?”
 
“I dare because you’ve clearly forgotten them, just as you’re now forgetting me and the child I carry.  I dare because I want a husband, not an automaton who uses me occasionally to slake his physical desire whilst giving his love to a thing!
 
“I can’t support your pursuit of this, Maximus.  Your loyalty, your duty now – and for the next 50 years – belongs with your wife and any children we may have.  You can’t give your family the attention and nurturance we require – and which you promised us – if all your energy is redirected toward the firm.”  He found his voice for a moment, and I could tell I’d finally found his underbelly.  He was seeking reasons for my support in any quarter he might find them.
 
“Diana will ….”
 
“Yes, she’ll support Terry because she’s a corporate animal.  Make no mistake about it, Maximus.  Dee and Terry combined may be the first time you’ve gone up against truly overwhelming odds.  She loves watching office politics; she always has.  She has a long history there.  When she brings that expertise to Terry, you won’t know what hit you.  When she became involved with Terry, she accepted that in some ways, she would be second in his life, and she understands that; it works for them.  He’s offered to walk away from her if it would bring her peace; he’s never offered to walk away from his firm.  I’m not content to be in any position in your life other than first; that isn’t negotiable.  I don’t have that level of compromise in me; I never have, and I’ve made that very clear in the past.  Your children and I deserve better.”
 
“Terry has used poor judgment in some instances.  He has allowed his attention to wander; he has permitted himself to be distracted by personal matters.”  He was clearly trying to distract me at this point, hoping to get me off my point.  He’d given me the worst possible example, and he’d like what was next on my agenda even less than what I’d said thus far.
 
“You don’t want to discuss anyone’s lack of attention or tendency to become distracted.  That’s a bit too close for comfort, Maximus.”  I turned and walked toward the kitchen; he followed me.  His hand on my arm wasn’t rough, but its presence did demand I turn back to him.
 
“When have I ever permitted myself to be distracted?”  I took a deep breath.
 
"Damascus.  You didn’t want to make the trip and likely should have asked Terry or Dino to make it for you; that isn’t relevant now.  What is relevant is that you were preoccupied, distracted with thoughts of us, of our pending wedding; you said so each time you called me.  If you’d been paying full attention to your surroundings, you’d have realised you were being observed and followed.  You’d have taken the necessary precautions, and you’d never have been abducted. 
 
“You complain because Terry ‘cost’ you the contract with AlFouad.  Because of your inattention, you’re responsible for TEO shutting down for the month you were missing.  All their attention – Terry’s, Dino’s, Sooze’s – and all the firm’s resources were focused on getting you home safely.  Thank God, no client was abducted during that time because I don’t know how Terry and Dino would have responded.  They’d probably have subcontracted out the negotiation and recovery; they couldn’t have handled it themselves.  They were too emotionally involved with your safety.”  The anger was gone from his face now, and he was pale under his tan.  His lips parted in shock as he looked at me.  That hit harder than my reference to Ileana and Marcus.
 
“Maximus, I don’t tell you this to hurt you.  I tell you because, if you push Terry, he will bring it up, and it will destroy your relationship with him.  He’s a good manager, a good CEO.  You were a superior general; Terry’s a superior businessman.  He’s had his entire adult life in this time to learn corporate politics and investments, to understand strategy.  His business acumen is touted in the Dallas Morning News every bloody day.  You can’t fight that, Caro, because you can’t match it.  You’ve been in this life for seven years; you can’t match Terry Thorne’s lifetime of experience in the modern world because he was born in this time. 
 
“You were a general’s general, and even though your methods are those of the second century, I suspect Terry would follow you into battle and carry out your orders without question because you are ruthless in a close quarters, one-on-one combat setting.  You’ll do whatever is required of you to win.  Terry’s the same in business.  Follow his lead, Maximus, don’t fight him.  Don’t destroy what all of you have worked so hard to achieve.  Let this go.”  He stood three feet from me and looked at me without speaking for long moments.
 
“You will not support me in this?  That is your final word?”
 
“I can’t, Maximus.  Please don’t ask this of me; don’t ask it of us as a family.  You’ve told me that you want a family, that you want to be a husband and father.  You can’t do either if you find yourself head of TEO, assuming it could happen, and I don’t think it can.  If you pursue this, you’ll have to leave the firm because you won’t win this battle …you know that.  And in addition to losing your career, you’ll lose me and your child.”  The horror that struck him was reflected in his eyes.
 
“You would leave me over this decision?”
 
“I didn’t say I would leave you …you would leave us behind the day you changed the title on your office door.  I would become your consort, your housekeeper, the woman on whom you breed your children.  I would cease to be your wife and your partner.  Yes, in time, I would leave you, and in Texas, the Courts would award me custody of our children.
 
“You’re not just making a business decision, Maximus.  You’re deciding what you want for the rest of your life.  Make your choice carefully, Caro.  There will be no going back.”  I walked away from him and collected my coat and keys.  My overnight bag was already in a room at the Howard Johnson’s in Red Oak.  I turned back to my husband before walking out the door.
 
“I’ve taken a room at Howard Johnson’s for the night.  You need to think, and you don’t need me here to distract you.”  Bear came to nuzzle me as we walked out the door – I was taking him with me for comfort – and I tried to smile at Max.
 
“Whatever you decide, Caro, I will still love you …I just can’t support one of the possible outcomes.”
 
 
THE WAR COUNCIL
His hands were clasped behind his back, head high, shoulders back and wide.  If ever a Roman General lived in the 21st century, it was Maximus Decimus Meridius as he stood in the door of Terry Thorne’s office.  You could hear the resonance of his words to Caesar when he spoke.
 
Terry sensed Max’s presence in the doorway and looked up.  He stood and, with that motion, pushed his chair away from the desk.  He unconsciously assumed the classic male stance of confrontation, coat held open by his hands at his belt, pelvis thrust forward, and his back ramrod straight, as Max spoke.
 
“Meet me in the conference room.”
 
“It’s about damned fucking time.”
 
*
 
Max went to the far end of the conference table, windows to his back, and turned.  The general demanded a position that enabled him to see anything approaching from the door way or corridor.  Make your enemy come to you and fatigue him in the process.  He will be weakened when he reaches you.  Terry stopped at the end of the table closest to the door; any threat would have to go through him, and his firepower would stop anyone before they were fully into the room.  Two-thousand years’ difference in philosophy and strategy in warfare was being played out in a high-rise conference room in downtown Dallas, Texas.  The conference room had become a battleground.
 
“Speak your piece, Max.  You’ve waited long enough.”  Terry had spent enough time preparing for this moment that someone uninvolved with the confrontation might forgive him for his tone.  Max would not.
 
“I do not seek your consent to speak, Terry, nor do I require it.  Your actions have been of concern to me for some time.  I have reason to question your ability as a good steward of this firm.”
 
“Our profits are up seven percent over last year.  We’ve had three fewer abductions over the last 18 months.  What’s your problem?”
 
Both men stood firmly at opposite ends of the table.  The air in the room crackled with the hostility.  In spite of his anger, Max’s thought flashed to the reality that they would have had four fewer abductions the prior year had he not let down his guard and permitted himself to be taken captive.  He wondered how much greater the firm’s revenue would have been had it not literally shut down for a month whilst everyone put all their efforts into his recovery.  His body language softened unconsciously with his self-acknowledgment of his role in TEO’s reduced income. 
 
“I am not concerned with the statistics; it is your decision-making ability and sense of propriety that give me pause.” 
 
Terry’s curt nod acknowledged Max’s statement.  “My decisions are what made those statistics that good.  It’s been my decision-making ability that’s made you the wealthy man you are today.  My decision to hire you put you in this position.”
 
“I do not question that decision.  It is likely one of the better ones you have ever made.”
 
“Hiring you was a good decision; I hope it remains that way.  Now, what’s your problem with my oversight of this firm?”
 
“The loss of the contract with Sheikh Ahmed AlFouad is one matter.”
 
“What else?  I know that’s not the only thing bothering you.”  Terry reviewed his goals in this impromptu meeting – retain his position in the firm and keep Max in the fold.
 
“The issue of your termination of Alex Ross’ services without consulting either Dino or myself.”
 
“Anything else?”
 
“Your tendency to make unilateral decisions without consulting your partners.”
 
“There are occasions when decisions have to be made and made immediately; we all do it.  My name is the first one on the door; I’m responsible for all decisions made in this firm, yours included, whether they’re discussed in depth or made on the spot.  Good, bad, indifferent, they all come back to me.”
 
“Perhaps you would be well advised to use more care in making some of your decisions, given as you say, that all decisions come back to you.”  At that, Terry took a step round the end of the table and toward Max. 
 
“I take all due care with every decision I make, more than you will ever fucking understand.”
 
“There is no need to be profane.”  Max’s comment signaled to Terry that he had won a bit of an advantage.  Terry stepped back and hooked the chair at the end of the table with his foot, pulled it out, and sat.  It was a smooth, controlled move even for Terry Thorne.  He leant his elbows on the table and tented his fingers as he looked over the expanse at his opponent.  Finally, he could give a little more.
 
“Have a seat, Max.  Let me review some history with you.”  Max sat, though warily.
 
“You walked into a cushy job, and that’s thanks to Dino and me.  We’re the ones who took the chance of leaving good jobs.  We’re the ones who took on Luthan and Controlled Risk.  We’re the ones who put in the hard hours to make Thorne and O’Reilly the premiere firm in K&R response.  You walked in the room, and less than a year later, your name went on the door as a full partner.  We made it easy for you.  You’ve done a good job, and I appreciate it.  You haven’t put in the gut work Dino and I have.  Unfortunately, you’ll never have that as an option though I know you would have welcomed the opportunity to do so.  You’ve never shirked the hard work.  Now tell me why you think you can do a better job of running this firm than I can.”
 
“Your lack of propriety in terms of what may be discussed and in what venue is unacceptable.  You not only cost the firm Sheikh AlFouad’s business but quite possibly other contracts.  His family is large, as is his circle of friends.  A negative word from him and any consideration we might receive from his friends and colleagues disappears like chaff on the wind.  The cost is potentially incalculable.”
 
“Agreed.  It was a foolish – and costly – mistake.  It will not happen again.  What else?”
 
“Your termination of Alex Ross was ill considered.  It appears your decision was based more in his treatment of Diana in years past than in any lack of performance in his duty to this firm.  Your personal life – and its ramifications – have no place in business decisions.  If we are a partnership – and that partnership now extends to Sooze – we must all be consulted on decisions of both hiring and termination, and those decisions cannot be based on emotion.  They must be based on actions.”
 
“I did consult with Dino, Ross’ immediate supervisor, after meeting Ross in person.  There were valid and actionable reasons for terminating him, and Dino agreed with all of them.  I acknowledge that in that instance I got side-tracked and allowed irrelevant personal feelings to have a small influence; that will not happen again.” 
 
“I appreciate your candor.”
 
“You’ve brought up my past indiscretions.  I’d appreciate a straight answer on why you think you’re more suited to run this firm than I am.  What plans do you have in mind that would make the enterprise more profitable?  Where do you see us being five years from now and how will you get the company there?”
 
Max’s main focus had been on Terry’s impropriety and shortcomings in terms of abrupt terminations.  Terry’s questions were an ongoing learning process for Max.  He’d engaged his own consultant to broaden his outlook and prepare to manage TEO should Terry step down as CEO, but that man did not have an in-depth understanding of the K&R industry.  Their meetings had been educational for both. 
 
It wasn’t that Max had no plan; he did.  His plan was that he would have Terry as his adjutant, as Quintus has been so long ago.  Max had only begun to contemplate how his thought processes would need to change, that Chief Executive Officers in the 21st century had to carry out the work in addition to being able to envision it.
 
“Kidnappings are on the rise and in different areas.  What’s your philosophy on restructuring the premium base to adjust for those changes? 
 
“Have you given any consideration to what the World Bank will be doing a year from now and how this firm should respond …or were you planning to let Max Skinner take control of that?  If the latter, is that a wise decision?  He’s a financial raider, Max; it’s in his blood.  What are you going to say to the SEC when – and note that I said when, not if – Skinner does another managed windfall, because I can assure you in time, he will.  His improprieties may not involve any of this firm’s accounts, but once Federal auditors get started, they don’t know when – or where – to quit. 
 
“How are you going to fend off ISN when they come after you?  I assure you if word of our difficulties gets out, they’ll try either to buy this firm or steal the clients.  Do you know which strategy they’ll try?
 
“Till now you’ve only had your own sphere of influence and clients to concern you.  How do you keep your own clients happy whilst working with Dino’s and managing the firm?
 
“These are the easier things you need to consider; they’re what you should be thinking about on your drive to and from work each day.
 
“The harder bit is dealing with the society matrons right here in Dallas.  Which charities should this firm support, and how much is the right amount?  The goodwill appropriately placed donations can garner is important; it’s like advertising discreetly in a monthly read by our target audience.  How much do you know about which invitations to accept and which to decline?  You can’t attend Tamara Birchfield’s reception next week because you attended the one given by Wanda Dillon last month, and those two women detest each other.  Are you planning to start monitoring the society pages, or were you planning on your wife making those decisions for this company?  How much of your time with your wife and child are you willing to give up for this firm?  How much of you is Reags willing to sacrifice …and how long is she willing to make that sacrifice?
 
“Max, Diana is totally invested in being the CEO’s partner, wife, whatever her title may be.  She walked into my life understanding how much work goes into modern American corporations because she’s done it herself.  She accepts the hours I put in at the office, on the road, and at home, and she’s fine with it. 
 
“Diana and I are out two or three times a week during the season, and somehow, she makes it seem like a date night for us whilst we’re working the room.  Our lives revolve about this firm’s needs.  We find time together when and where we can.  Diana’s schedule is flexible enough that she can rearrange her life for me.  Babies keep their own schedules; they won’t comport to yours.”
 
The flash in Max’s eyes told Terry he’d finally hit a nerve.
 
“Mate, you didn’t buy that farm in Ellis County so someone else could work it for you.  You didn’t marry Reags so you’d always have a date for corporate functions.  How willing are you to give up your home and your family?  As CEO, your life is this firm.  It can’t be anything else.  It isn’t a sacrifice for Diana …can you say as much for Reagan?”
On to Corporate Wars Part Three


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