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Chapter 20
Rei came up to me and I cut her off with a hand, "We're outta here." I grabbed her arm and half led, half dragged her towards the car.
"Hey, what the hell happened in there?"
"The deal fell through."
Her eyes widened, "What? How?"
"Let's not talk about it now. Walls and ears and whatnot."
Rei shrugged of my hand and sighed, "At the very least, let me walk on my own power."
The sun was setting over the hills splashing red light over my eyes. I could barely see over the glare to the road ahead, and instead contented myself with watching the speedometer tick around 180 kph the entire time.
Rei was frozen in her seat, "Okay, I can see you're a little upset, Ryan. Care to pull over and talk about it? Or should we merely wait until we're decorating the pavement?"
I spared a venomous glance over, then slowed down by fifty percent. She visibly relaxed, "You know, I could get used to this."
"What?"
"Dana once told me that you tend to listen to women more than men and your secretary more than anyone else in the world. I'm glad to see that some things are constant. Now, let's talk about this."
I snorted, "Women. Always wanting to talk about things. Never wanting to accomplish anything. Never want to take action."
Levelly, "And what do you want to accomplish?"
Coolly, "Kill the fucking bastard. Wait.....no. That's wrong. Maim, THEN kill the fucking bastard."
Wryly, "I take it that the last ditch talks with Fukui-san did not go well."
"You might say that. I would say that they were a bloody fiasco."
Rei sighed, "Pull over at the next place that serves alcohol and we can talk about it, ne?"
"Large whiskey and an order of sake." I looked at Rei, "And you?"
She smiled encouragingly, "This is on the company account right? Glass of Chardonnay."
The waiter bowed low and escaped to the bar. Rei turned to me carefully and folded her hands on the table, "Now, if you can, tell me what happened."
I took a gulp of water, "You're not going to like it."
"Try me."
Before beginning, I took a deep breath and mentally ordered myself to calm down. I related the conversation we had had earlier. With each word, her face grew redder and redder. When the waiter came with our drinks, she grabbed my whiskey and gulped it down before handing it back to the waiter for refilling.
She coughed demurely into her hand and then looked at me, "Repeat that."
I filled a cup with sake and handed it over to her, before downing one myself. "You heard it as it happened. That is why I stormed out."
Rei blinked, "Jeez, I felt that guy was creepy. Now I know why."
I smirked, "It gets better. I think he threatened to ruin me somehow." "A difficult task at best, but Fukui-san is a powerful man."
I shrugged, "We are entrenched. If he wants to take us out, he's going to have to work at it." I felt a devilish smile crease my features, "Of course, then I'll get Ishigaki-san to revoke his export licenses."
Rei coughed, "You're insane. But I can't believe, that....that CREEP!"
I nodded and took another sip of alcohol, "It was messy. I am sorry that you had to get involved."
She shook her head, "It certainly wasn't your fault. We'll find another client."
"I know....but I still feel rotten about leaving it the way that I did."
"Kaitou-san, what are you worried about?"
"I let my personal feelings get in the way of a business deal. There are dozens of ways I could have exited that conversation better than I had. People won't be getting as much as they deserve this Christmas. Hiring will be stalled for a while. I failed my employees, whom I have an obligation to protect."
Rei would have called it a breakdown, but she knew the man across from her too well for those crass terms. It was cathartic, for Ryan Kaitou would vent, then wake up in the morning ready to do battle again. But everyone needs a little reassurance sometimes.
She took a sip of her sake, then unconsciously let her hand snake across the table and grasp mine. "Mr. Kaitou...Ryan. You are one of the few men I know that worries not about whether he is doing the right thing, but rather if he is doing enough of the right thing. You are kind, courageous, and ethical. We are lucky to have you as our leader. I am lucky to have you, both as my mentor and protector." Unbidden, the unspoken words wormed their way into her mind. 'And if I were to find someone like you to spend my life with, I should die a very happy woman.'
Rei blushed a little then withdrew her hand.
I smiled at her. At that moment, I knew what Dana had seen in her. I reached out to take her hand in mine, "Thank you, Rei. I really do appreciate the vote of confidence."
She blushed again. "It's my job. Just don't get your ego too bloated over it. Dana and I might have to take you to task again."
I pulled back, pretending to be shocked, "No fair, two against one!"
"Complain, complain, complain. That's all you ever do."
Shrugging, "That and get drunk."
"Too true. So what do we do now?"
I pulled a cigarette out of my pocket and lit it up, "We failed our people. The greatest and most dignified testmonial we can give them is to continue working to improve our and there lots in life. We can't win them all."
"No we can't." Rei snatched the cigarette out of my mouth, "But we can try our best, ne?"
Chapter 20
Rei came up to me and I cut her off with a hand, "We're outta here." I grabbed her arm and half led, half dragged her towards the car.
"Hey, what the hell happened in there?"
"The deal fell through."
Her eyes widened, "What? How?"
"Let's not talk about it now. Walls and ears and whatnot."
Rei shrugged of my hand and sighed, "At the very least, let me walk on my own power."
The sun was setting over the hills splashing red light over my eyes. I could barely see over the glare to the road ahead, and instead contented myself with watching the speedometer tick around 180 kph the entire time.
Rei was frozen in her seat, "Okay, I can see you're a little upset, Ryan. Care to pull over and talk about it? Or should we merely wait until we're decorating the pavement?"
I spared a venomous glance over, then slowed down by fifty percent. She visibly relaxed, "You know, I could get used to this."
"What?"
"Dana once told me that you tend to listen to women more than men and your secretary more than anyone else in the world. I'm glad to see that some things are constant. Now, let's talk about this."
I snorted, "Women. Always wanting to talk about things. Never wanting to accomplish anything. Never want to take action."
Levelly, "And what do you want to accomplish?"
Coolly, "Kill the fucking bastard. Wait.....no. That's wrong. Maim, THEN kill the fucking bastard."
Wryly, "I take it that the last ditch talks with Fukui-san did not go well."
"You might say that. I would say that they were a bloody fiasco."
Rei sighed, "Pull over at the next place that serves alcohol and we can talk about it, ne?"
"Large whiskey and an order of sake." I looked at Rei, "And you?"
She smiled encouragingly, "This is on the company account right? Glass of Chardonnay."
The waiter bowed low and escaped to the bar. Rei turned to me carefully and folded her hands on the table, "Now, if you can, tell me what happened."
I took a gulp of water, "You're not going to like it."
"Try me."
Before beginning, I took a deep breath and mentally ordered myself to calm down. I related the conversation we had had earlier. With each word, her face grew redder and redder. When the waiter came with our drinks, she grabbed my whiskey and gulped it down before handing it back to the waiter for refilling.
She coughed demurely into her hand and then looked at me, "Repeat that."
I filled a cup with sake and handed it over to her, before downing one myself. "You heard it as it happened. That is why I stormed out."
Rei blinked, "Jeez, I felt that guy was creepy. Now I know why."
I smirked, "It gets better. I think he threatened to ruin me somehow." "A difficult task at best, but Fukui-san is a powerful man."
I shrugged, "We are entrenched. If he wants to take us out, he's going to have to work at it." I felt a devilish smile crease my features, "Of course, then I'll get Ishigaki-san to revoke his export licenses."
Rei coughed, "You're insane. But I can't believe, that....that CREEP!"
I nodded and took another sip of alcohol, "It was messy. I am sorry that you had to get involved."
She shook her head, "It certainly wasn't your fault. We'll find another client."
"I know....but I still feel rotten about leaving it the way that I did."
"Kaitou-san, what are you worried about?"
"I let my personal feelings get in the way of a business deal. There are dozens of ways I could have exited that conversation better than I had. People won't be getting as much as they deserve this Christmas. Hiring will be stalled for a while. I failed my employees, whom I have an obligation to protect."
Rei would have called it a breakdown, but she knew the man across from her too well for those crass terms. It was cathartic, for Ryan Kaitou would vent, then wake up in the morning ready to do battle again. But everyone needs a little reassurance sometimes.
She took a sip of her sake, then unconsciously let her hand snake across the table and grasp mine. "Mr. Kaitou...Ryan. You are one of the few men I know that worries not about whether he is doing the right thing, but rather if he is doing enough of the right thing. You are kind, courageous, and ethical. We are lucky to have you as our leader. I am lucky to have you, both as my mentor and protector." Unbidden, the unspoken words wormed their way into her mind. 'And if I were to find someone like you to spend my life with, I should die a very happy woman.'
Rei blushed a little then withdrew her hand.
I smiled at her. At that moment, I knew what Dana had seen in her. I reached out to take her hand in mine, "Thank you, Rei. I really do appreciate the vote of confidence."
She blushed again. "It's my job. Just don't get your ego too bloated over it. Dana and I might have to take you to task again."
I pulled back, pretending to be shocked, "No fair, two against one!"
"Complain, complain, complain. That's all you ever do."
Shrugging, "That and get drunk."
"Too true. So what do we do now?"
I pulled a cigarette out of my pocket and lit it up, "We failed our people. The greatest and most dignified testmonial we can give them is to continue working to improve our and there lots in life. We can't win them all."
"No we can't." Rei snatched the cigarette out of my mouth, "But we can try our best, ne?"