Uncontrolled Spin: The Power and Danger of Spin ("Un"missable Series Book 1) (2 page)

“Damn it. I hate it when you present your thoughts without empathy for the other person’s feelings.” She frowns. “Especially mine.”

Nate takes her hand. “Honey, I adore working for you and love you even more, but I have never lied to you. Quite frankly, you needed to hear where you screwed up. The only question now is what are we going to do to fix this dilemma? Assuming you still want to work with SGM…”

She sighs. “I don’t know… Mr. Green really is a prick. I do think he felt we set him up though, by prearranging the meeting. That’s why I stopped and had a ‘thank you’ gift sent over, in spite of his rudeness.”

“That’s good, Jess.” Nate pats her hand. “You need to swallow your pride for once and recognize that if you are going to take the Beauty Boutique to the level you want to take it, you need Sean Green’s help. Don’t be afraid to quit thinking you have all the answers and listen carefully to what he tells you. Honey, he knows what he’s talking about, even if he is a world class jerk. Tell me about the gift?”

Jess explains how she questioned Evelyn, about her stops at Cost Plus and the courier’s office, the basket of goodies, and her note to Mr. Green. Nate listens closely but remains quiet as he ponders all the possible ramifications. When he finally speaks, it’s with a touch of apprehension.

“Okay, the gift basket was a nice touch, but the note seems a bit pouty and immature. Here is what I suggest: don’t call or contact Mr. Green until he attempts to contact you, either directly or through Mark or Bonnie. When he does call, don’t take it. Force him to leave a message. That way, when you call back, you are in control. Let Bonnie know you were disappointed in how you were received, but don’t elaborate on any of your discussion, because it would be inappropriate if she took it back to Mr. Green. Next, do your research on Sean and SGM. Get your design portfolio organized with your anticipated new lines and a put a presentation together for your next meeting with him,” he pauses.

“Wait, why would I have another meeting with Mr. Green? He clearly isn’t interested in representing Beauty Boutique Clothing,” Jessica interrupts.

“Jess, let me tell you something about men like Sean Green. He is arrogant, maybe even a bit narcissistic, but he isn’t stupid. If he thinks there is money to be made, and especially if it is copious amounts, he will be all in, ready to rock and roll—”

Jessica once again interrupts. “The dollars I’m looking at probably aren’t large enough to get Mr. Green’s attention.”

Nate shakes his head. “Sister, you underestimate the Beauty Boutique’s potential, and your personal charm. The easiest person to sell in the world is a salesman, and Mr. Green is nothing more than an extremely overpaid salesman.” Nate finishes his espresso and lemon, gets up from the table, kisses Jess on top of the head, and says, “Get back to work on these designs. I’ll do the research you need on SGM and Mr. Green.”

Jessica smiles. “Nate, you are a lifesaver.”

“You know it. Remember that when salary considerations come up again.” He winks.

“I always do, love.”

Nate giggles. “Sure you do. Now get back to work, dear.”

CHAPTER 2

LESSONS IN ATTRACTION

T
he courier walks into the executive offices of SGM, and Evelyn chuckles to herself as he approaches her desk. “I have a delivery for Mr. Green. I was told he must receive it immediately,” the courier says upon reaching her.

“I bet you were,” Evelyn replies. “I’ll personally make sure Mr. Green gets this package, thank you.” Evelyn signs for the delivery and surveys the basket’s contents.
Shrewd and classy with a touch of eloquence,
she thinks. She grabs the basket and heads into Sean’s office. “I have a delivery for you,” she announces, smiling, and places it on his desk with a flourish.

Sean looks at the contents and says, “Someone knows what I like. Who is it from?”

She shakes her head. “Well, I’m not sure, but I would suspect it’s from Ms. Silva. You know, the woman you went out of your way to irritate and offend this morning?”

“Is that what she told you? I only explained reality to her in simplistic terms, so she could grasp the certainty of my decisions. But I’ll give her more credit this afternoon than I did this morning. She obviously spoke to someone who knows me quite well to determine the contents of this gift.” Sean smiles slyly. “Who could that have been?”

Evelyn shrugs on her way out of his office. “I have no idea. Maybe Mark or Bonnie?”

Sean chuckles. “Yeah, I’m sure that’s it.”

He grabs a handful of pistachios and settles behind his desk to open the enclosed card. It is blank, but made of expensive paper. He opens it and reads the enclosed message, then bursts out in laughter, apparently loud enough to draw attention, since Evelyn appears in his doorway, confused.

“I’m glad offending others is amusing to you, Mr. Green,” she murmurs.

“Oh, come on! Read this drivel from Jessica Silva. It’s full of childish drama. If she can’t handle criticism, perhaps she should get married, have a couple of kids, and hire someone to run her fledgling apparel company with the god-awful name. What was it? Beauty Factory or some bullshit like that.” He tosses the card onto his desk.

“It’s Beauty Boutique Clothing, Sean,” Evelyn says disapprovingly.

“Whatever, it’s still a bad name!” Sean exclaims, not understanding what the big deal is.

“Then perhaps you should take on a fledgling company with a bad name to see if you’re really as good at this business as you’ve convinced yourself you are,” Evelyn says with a challenge in her eyes.

Sean raises his eyebrows. “Wow, you must really like Jessica. Or you’re becoming more charitable in your advancing years.”

She rolls her eyes. “You’re an asshole. It’s not just that I like Ms. Silva, which, by the way, I do. I really like her designs. She has found a niche market between retail outlet and designer stores; though I don’t think she knows it yet. By the way, most of the clothes I wear that you like are Ms. Silva’s designs, purchased at the Beauty Boutique’s stores. So why don’t you get over yourself and your success and help someone else for a change?”

He snorts. “Because I don’t run a nonprofit organization. I do what I do because I make money, and lots of it.” He pauses, considering those dazzling green eyes, then says, “But I tell you what. I’ll make a deal with you. Please send Ms. Silva a bouquet of Asiatic blackout lilies with this note attached: ‘Jessica, Thank you for the delightful snacks. They are appreciated very much. Please also accept my sincerest apologies since I apparently offended your delicate sensibilities. Sean.’ Our deal is you cannot give Jessica any more advice or insight into me. If she contacts you, go ahead and schedule another meeting, and book this one for an hour. If she comes into this meeting prepared, I’ll consider working out a benevolent contract with her to launch her organization and career. But the flip side is if Ms. Silva comes into the meeting unprepared, again, you will never bug me about her and her piss ant company again. Deal?”

“Boy, have you got yourself a deal. I’m going to have fun watching you represent Beauty Boutique Clothing.”

Sean laughs. “We will see, won’t we?”

Evelyn turns to go but stops partway through the door and says, “By the way, Mr. Green, I do believe you find Ms. Silva attractive.”

“This is between you and me and has nothing to do with Ms. Silva’s physical attributes,” Sean says firmly.

Evelyn quirks an eyebrow. “Really? I have never been able to bait you into doing anything you didn’t want to do, and appealing to your sense of benevolence never works. So why this time?”

Sean leans back in his chair, considering. “Well, you believe in Ms. Silva’s product, and I have always respected your opinion. Therefore, I’ll give her one more chance to prove me wrong.

Evelyn rolls her eyes. “That is such bullshit, and you know it!”

“Evelyn, just send her the lilies, and let’s see how this chapter plays out, okay?” Sean says, frowning.

“Very well,” Evelyn replies, exasperated.

Evelyn picks up the phone at her desk and dials the florist. She orders the lilies as instructed, reciting the note for the florist. She then instructs the florist to deliver the flowers first thing in the morning, to give Ms. Silva ample time to reflect upon the implied message and how to handle it appropriately.

Meanwhile, Sean sits at his desk and starts to analyze the fashion and apparel industries’ annual sales. He quickly learns that the United States fashion sales are around $250 billion per annum. Additional inquiry demonstrates that the retail fashion industry is segmented into several niche markets, ranging from loungewear to high fashion. Further potential markets include children’s wear, accessories, and fragrances. Sean also discovers that the typical retail fashion store averages $1.5 million annually, and that approximately 65 percent of the apparel industry is dominated by fifty of the largest companies, totaling approximately $97 billion annually. Sean’s analysis reveals that the fashion industry has been in a steady but slight decline since 2005, which he quickly calculates as being due to the worldwide economic downturn. He writes a few notes to remind him to ask about the types of metrics Jessica uses to quantify her stores’ performance against her competition, puts his new file on her away, and returns to more pressing client matters.

In reviewing his daily calendar, he sees he has a dinner meeting with Mark Stevens in an hour to discuss a marketing dilemma due to the questionable mining practices of one of Mark’s vendors in Brazil. Sean reviews several options he wants to discuss with Mark, then wonders if he is going to get the full-court-press on Ms. Silva and her company. Sean picks up the phone and calls Mark.

“Want to do sushi tonight instead of French cuisine?” Sean asks when Mark picks up his phone.

Mark hesitates. “Bonnie is joining us tonight, and she has her heart set on French. Can we do sushi next time? You know how she dislikes sushi…”

Sean rolls his eyes, thinking,
What a pain in the ass Bonnie has become, constantly interfering with business decisions she knows absolutely nothing about while simultaneously imposing her social and environmental agendas on Mark and Global Metal Refining.
“No worries, of course we can. Anything for you two. Meet you at the usual place for French?”

Mark sighs in relief. “Yeah, thanks. I appreciate your flexibility. I know how you feel about constantly eating French food.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll just have a little more really good French Bordeaux and a lot less of the cream sauces. See you and Bonnie at seven,” Sean replies smoothly.

“Great,” Mark says. “Oh, and let’s keep our business discussion light and casual tonight. No storyboards or ad copy, okay?”

“Fine, but I don’t think Bonnie is going to like some of my suggestions about this vendor. Should I fill you in now?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“My professional advice is that you publically separate Global Metal Refining from Diablo Mining, Inc., while privately supporting their contracts. Then I can work with Diablo Mining to improve their reputation not only in Brazil, but also in the United States. In essence, we can buy enough time so that they complete their contract with you, and after that we can let the negative publicity take its toll on Diablo. When the outrage starts to spill over, we will claim you were unaware of their environmentally unsafe procedures and Global Metal Refining won’t do business with them again until they correct those deficiencies. You’ll get the gold you contracted for, and this will position Global Metal Refining as a conscious, environmentally friendly, pragmatic, and stewardship-sensitive organization. I don’t think Bonnie needs to be in on this, given her political views on the environment, but I needed you to know the back story. This way, my proposals will make much more sense to you, my friend.”

“I understand. It sounds like a good plan, as always. Thanks for the heads up.”. “See you at seven.”

Sean arrives at the restaurant promptly at 6:45 p.m., pulling his black BMW 633 CSi up to the valet. The valet opens his door, saying, “Good evening, Mr. Green. Will anyone be joining you tonight?”