CharmSnake
Super-Earth
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2013
- Location
- In the Grass
Conferences
BethanUK & Charmsnake
BethanUK & Charmsnake
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Conferences (BethanUK & Charmsnake)
- Thread starter CharmSnake
- Start date
OP
OP
CharmSnake
Super-Earth
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2013
- Location
- In the Grass
Nobody wanted to be stuck up north in February, so Miami was an obviously choice for the quarterly meetings. All the branches were there with their managers and their entourages. Outside the windows, the Atlantic stretched out in deep bright blue in the sunshine and the storefronts and beach parasols gleamed an array of summery colors defying the time of year. Inside the hotel conference room was drab grey with the dull tones of import wholesale across all the tables. Those who were keen followed every matter while others found idle distraction in the monotony of the meetings, but all eyes snapped to attention when Lyndon McMillan was introduced as the Operations Manager for the Houston branch. Lyndon stood tall and lean in his steel blue attire as he addressed the room. Despite being backlit by the Florida sun, his stern brow and long sculpted face maintained a glow as he reported of the recently opened crossdock operation, complete with power point slideshow.
"The Galveston location accessible by sea and rail allows us to import all goods from Mexico, Central and South America for easy direct distribution throughout the United States," he continued. While most would button their jacket to stand, Lyndon left his open with one hand casually in his hip pocket. "Coupled with our in house customs brokerage, we've cut out significant middling and overhead and cut import costs by nearly forty percent." The images on the projection on the wall to his left depicted an efficient operation of forklifts, trucks, containers and cranes with people in clean uniforms and hard hats conferring and nodding at checklists. "Although we do not do the volume of our west coast branches, our profit numbers are catching up with theirs."
Keith Hickson, the Houston branch manager, and Charmaine Freel, Houston's accounts manager, sat silently smug on either side of him as he spoke. Lyndon's dark hair waved subtly, about as rebelliously as LFP Imports' stodgy guidelines would allow, and his light brown eyes accented by his coppery tie betrayed the trace of latin in his blood. He concluded to field questions.
"If, as you say, you don't have the volume of the west coast, why go to all the expense of such a large in house operation?" asked Tim Wheatley from the San Diego branch.
"Why don't you?" answered Lyndon. "San Diego has 360% of the volume that we have in Houston. We're the second largest wholesale importer in the country and San Diego is the second largest operation in our network." Lyndon peered expectantly Tim's way for an explanation that never came. "Start-up costs are always recoupable. Now we have a working blueprint."
"All right thank you Houston and Mr McMillan," grunted the old grey lump Mr Fillmore, the head of the board and the F in LFP. "I think it's safe to say that the Houston crossdock is a model for the rest of the logistical operations to follow."
Lyndon nodded quietly and retook his seat.
"You killed it Lyndon," Keith whispered. "You make us look good."
"I know," Lyndon winked as he scanned the faces through the room.
"The Galveston location accessible by sea and rail allows us to import all goods from Mexico, Central and South America for easy direct distribution throughout the United States," he continued. While most would button their jacket to stand, Lyndon left his open with one hand casually in his hip pocket. "Coupled with our in house customs brokerage, we've cut out significant middling and overhead and cut import costs by nearly forty percent." The images on the projection on the wall to his left depicted an efficient operation of forklifts, trucks, containers and cranes with people in clean uniforms and hard hats conferring and nodding at checklists. "Although we do not do the volume of our west coast branches, our profit numbers are catching up with theirs."
Keith Hickson, the Houston branch manager, and Charmaine Freel, Houston's accounts manager, sat silently smug on either side of him as he spoke. Lyndon's dark hair waved subtly, about as rebelliously as LFP Imports' stodgy guidelines would allow, and his light brown eyes accented by his coppery tie betrayed the trace of latin in his blood. He concluded to field questions.
"If, as you say, you don't have the volume of the west coast, why go to all the expense of such a large in house operation?" asked Tim Wheatley from the San Diego branch.
"Why don't you?" answered Lyndon. "San Diego has 360% of the volume that we have in Houston. We're the second largest wholesale importer in the country and San Diego is the second largest operation in our network." Lyndon peered expectantly Tim's way for an explanation that never came. "Start-up costs are always recoupable. Now we have a working blueprint."
"All right thank you Houston and Mr McMillan," grunted the old grey lump Mr Fillmore, the head of the board and the F in LFP. "I think it's safe to say that the Houston crossdock is a model for the rest of the logistical operations to follow."
Lyndon nodded quietly and retook his seat.
"You killed it Lyndon," Keith whispered. "You make us look good."
"I know," Lyndon winked as he scanned the faces through the room.
BethanUK
Moon
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2015
CharmSnake said:
As Lyndon sat down, knowing he had won that battle, Tim Wheatley turned to his left and whispered "God that guy is a jerk. He may have them eating out of the palm of his hand now, but let's see how they do as volumes increase and they have to take on more people."
Sitting to Tim's left was Bethan Roberts, the new accounts manager at the San Diego branch. This was her first quarterly meeting since she had been appointed to the role and she sat wide eyed taking in all the political machinations that were unfolding in front of her. She was glad that she was only expected to be a spectator to the gladiatorial combat taking place in the boardroom arena.
This was so different to her experiences back in her native England, where she had been accounts manager at a smallish privately-owned haulage company. The owners liked and trusted her and were devastated when she told them she was emigrating to the USA due to her husband transferring with his job. Steve worked for a biotech company and his employer wanted him to help open a facility in San Diego. It was too good an opportunity to refuse, though Bethan had been upset about leaving her role. Fortunately she found something almost immediately after arriving and here she was.
Bethan didn't really know how to reply to Tim, so she just nodded and whispered "I agree", hoping he wouldn't notice she didn't have a clue. She ran her fingers through her brunette hair, something she often did when a little nervous although she hardly ever noticed she was actually doing it.
Soon they were on to the next agenda item and two more rutting stags took to the stage.
OP
OP
CharmSnake
Super-Earth
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2013
- Location
- In the Grass
Wheatley wasn't the only one to embarrass himself. Moving on to the next matter, Woitowski from Philadelphia put out a feeler for some money for more space. He reasoned that since Houston got a small cash injection to launch their new operation then Philly could use some to expand their 100,000 square foot facility. Sims from head office in Chicago (and Fillmore's right hand man) asked why they needed more space with such low volume.
"We still need space to hold it until it sells," Woitowski explained. "Sometimes it can be in stock for a year before we can move it." The comment drew a few muffled smirks from around the room. It was bad buying and bad logistics. European imports to the east coast were few. Seventy-five percent of the firm's entire purchasing came from the far east, which gave the west coast its high volume. Most of the rest was from Mexico which fell on Houston and San Diego. Philly should have probably been doing their crossdocking by third party let alone expanding their own facility, and they should have been shopping their wares before they sign the production contracts to ensure that the stuff will sell before they buy it. Sims confirmed this.
"Your pre-marketing is weeding out the poor sellers, no?" he posed. Richard Sims was a distinguished black man with greying temples and thin rim glasses. "If you're having inventory issues ensure that you purchasing and your sales are communicating. You're only buying stuff that you can sell." Pudgy Woitowski slumped back into his chair.
Lyndon left it to Sims to sort out. He always did that well, and with such tact. What was more interesting to Lyndon was the young lady sitting next to that putz Tim Wheatley. San Diego had a new recruit. She was nervous, like a kitten in a room full of rocking chairs. If her stoic face façade didn't give her away, he could tell by how she kept habitually tugging at her own hair. Needing something to occupy her anxiety, she had been subtly doing it since the moment that she had walked into the room. He had seen that too. She was soft, certainly on the inside, and Lyndon had sensed that immediately. He shifted his eyes from Woitowski's smouldering squirms to the new girl's rigid queaziness and locked his gaze upon hers. He knew that she had noticed him, but he was curious as to whether or not she would admit it. Perhaps her eyes would tell. Before the week was out he was going to show her the ropes. She needed it.
"We still need space to hold it until it sells," Woitowski explained. "Sometimes it can be in stock for a year before we can move it." The comment drew a few muffled smirks from around the room. It was bad buying and bad logistics. European imports to the east coast were few. Seventy-five percent of the firm's entire purchasing came from the far east, which gave the west coast its high volume. Most of the rest was from Mexico which fell on Houston and San Diego. Philly should have probably been doing their crossdocking by third party let alone expanding their own facility, and they should have been shopping their wares before they sign the production contracts to ensure that the stuff will sell before they buy it. Sims confirmed this.
"Your pre-marketing is weeding out the poor sellers, no?" he posed. Richard Sims was a distinguished black man with greying temples and thin rim glasses. "If you're having inventory issues ensure that you purchasing and your sales are communicating. You're only buying stuff that you can sell." Pudgy Woitowski slumped back into his chair.
Lyndon left it to Sims to sort out. He always did that well, and with such tact. What was more interesting to Lyndon was the young lady sitting next to that putz Tim Wheatley. San Diego had a new recruit. She was nervous, like a kitten in a room full of rocking chairs. If her stoic face façade didn't give her away, he could tell by how she kept habitually tugging at her own hair. Needing something to occupy her anxiety, she had been subtly doing it since the moment that she had walked into the room. He had seen that too. She was soft, certainly on the inside, and Lyndon had sensed that immediately. He shifted his eyes from Woitowski's smouldering squirms to the new girl's rigid queaziness and locked his gaze upon hers. He knew that she had noticed him, but he was curious as to whether or not she would admit it. Perhaps her eyes would tell. Before the week was out he was going to show her the ropes. She needed it.
BethanUK
Moon
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2015
Bethan felt a fraud for even being there. As each person spoke it was as if they were talking a foreign language to her. It wasn't as if she didn't try to understand and listen but nothing seemed to be sticking.
As the guy from Philadelphia stood up and made a plea for investment to expand his operation there, she smiled. She had heard something that made some sense to her at last. "Of course you will have cash flow difficulties if your inventory holding periods are too long. That either means your supply chain on the purchasing side isn't right or you are buying in things that your customers don't want to buy, well at least at the time you bring them in." she told herself. What then pleased her even more was that the distinguished looking guy from Chicago told him pretty much the same thing, although maybe a little more eloquently.
Continuing to smile she randomly gazed round the room until she noticed the man from Houston, "what was his name? umm Lyndon something" who appeared to be looking in her direction too. She blushed a little and started doodling on the notepad in front of her wishing the ground would swallow her up.
After everyone agreed that the Philadelphia branch needed to sort out its inventory issues before a single cent would be provided for expansion plans, the conference broke for lunch. Bethan slowly stood up, brushing down her businesslike black dress, which had ridden up slightly after sitting for so long. She shuffled out of the room with Tim, almost hiding behind him, hoping that no one would come and ask her about her thoughts on the benefits of in-house customs brokerage or the like.
They all made their way into the restaurant area reserved for them and as they did so Bethan quickly detoured to the Ladies. She washed her face with cool water to help calm herself. She took a hairbrush from her bag and ran it through her long brunette hair so that it at least looked passable. Finally she sprayed a tiny squirt of perfume, Britney Spears' Intimate Fantasy, on her neck and wrists.
Her toilette complete, she emerged to discover there was no seat left on the table Tim was at and she looked round in a panic. It seemed the only space near where she was standing was next to Lyndon.
As the guy from Philadelphia stood up and made a plea for investment to expand his operation there, she smiled. She had heard something that made some sense to her at last. "Of course you will have cash flow difficulties if your inventory holding periods are too long. That either means your supply chain on the purchasing side isn't right or you are buying in things that your customers don't want to buy, well at least at the time you bring them in." she told herself. What then pleased her even more was that the distinguished looking guy from Chicago told him pretty much the same thing, although maybe a little more eloquently.
Continuing to smile she randomly gazed round the room until she noticed the man from Houston, "what was his name? umm Lyndon something" who appeared to be looking in her direction too. She blushed a little and started doodling on the notepad in front of her wishing the ground would swallow her up.
After everyone agreed that the Philadelphia branch needed to sort out its inventory issues before a single cent would be provided for expansion plans, the conference broke for lunch. Bethan slowly stood up, brushing down her businesslike black dress, which had ridden up slightly after sitting for so long. She shuffled out of the room with Tim, almost hiding behind him, hoping that no one would come and ask her about her thoughts on the benefits of in-house customs brokerage or the like.
They all made their way into the restaurant area reserved for them and as they did so Bethan quickly detoured to the Ladies. She washed her face with cool water to help calm herself. She took a hairbrush from her bag and ran it through her long brunette hair so that it at least looked passable. Finally she sprayed a tiny squirt of perfume, Britney Spears' Intimate Fantasy, on her neck and wrists.
Her toilette complete, she emerged to discover there was no seat left on the table Tim was at and she looked round in a panic. It seemed the only space near where she was standing was next to Lyndon.
OP
OP
CharmSnake
Super-Earth
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2013
- Location
- In the Grass
While everyone rose to bottleneck through the doors, Lyndon's eyes followed the young lady from behind as she adjusted a crease or two in her attire. Just like her hair, it was more distractions for her anxiety. Conservatively clad in black, she was dressed as to not draw much attention (and in an environment more social she may not have) but being one of only a handful of females many subtle glances went her way regardless. She certainly was no Faye Wang all decked out in her heavily painted face and gold buttoned and double-breasted suit stretched over her plump hourglass. He watched the new girl wade through the crowd faithfully and protectively behind her boss Tim. She wasn't going to learn anything from that guy. It was one thing to be less knowledgeable - that in itself was not a crime - but to try bumping chests with someone out of your league, as he had tried with his pointed question, was the act of a brazen fool. Woitiwski on the other hand wasn't a bad fellow. He just had more to learn. The crowd began to filter in for lunch.
"Carl," Lyndon called out to Woitowski and offered him the seat to his left.
"Thanks," said Carl and sat himself in his dark tan suit and maroon tie. His thinning hair was neatly combed. "Don't mind if I do." Charmaine sat across from them, in her mid-fifties and with her coiffed bob highlighted blonde. Keith took a place across the room sitting with Fillmore and Sims. Cox from Denver approached.
"Sorry, this seat's taken," Lyndon told him. The restaurant area was nearly full. Glancing over his shoulder Lyndon saw the shy one in black finally enter the room, one of the last ones to do so. When she looked about tentatively as if in some distress, he rescued her with a casual wave of his hand.
"Welcome," he said, resisting the instinct to rise and push her seat in. Things had to remain casual at this stage. "Lyndon McMillan, Houston," he introduced himself and offered his hand.
"Carl," Lyndon called out to Woitowski and offered him the seat to his left.
"Thanks," said Carl and sat himself in his dark tan suit and maroon tie. His thinning hair was neatly combed. "Don't mind if I do." Charmaine sat across from them, in her mid-fifties and with her coiffed bob highlighted blonde. Keith took a place across the room sitting with Fillmore and Sims. Cox from Denver approached.
"Sorry, this seat's taken," Lyndon told him. The restaurant area was nearly full. Glancing over his shoulder Lyndon saw the shy one in black finally enter the room, one of the last ones to do so. When she looked about tentatively as if in some distress, he rescued her with a casual wave of his hand.
"Welcome," he said, resisting the instinct to rise and push her seat in. Things had to remain casual at this stage. "Lyndon McMillan, Houston," he introduced himself and offered his hand.
BethanUK
Moon
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2015
Bethan's fears were realised when Lydon signalled to her with a flick of his hand in her direction. "Oh god I can't do anything but go and sit there now. He will be offended if I don't" Bethan said to herself.
She looked one last time despairingly in Tim's direction, hoping against hope that he would rescue her but he was already deep in conversation and paid her no attention. Her legs felt like lead as she trudged slowly to the seat indicted to her and sat down.
After Lyndon introduced himself, Bethan replied "umm yes I remember you spoke earlier about how well the Houston branch is doing" tactfully ignoring the fact that he had made Tim look stupid at the same time.
She went on, "I am Mrs Bethan Roberts, I am the new accounts manager at San Diego and these is my first one of these things, so apologies if i seem a bit nervous or if I put my foot in it at all." As soon as she finished that introduction she felt like she had already made herself look stupid "why did I have to add Mrs ? It's just a boring business event. I might as well have stood up and shown everyone on the table my wedding ring !"
She was relieved when the serving staff began bringing starters to the table and she found out that it was a set menu. Her palate was reasonably unsophisticated and she had been scared that she would show herself up. Indeed her plan was to order exactly the same as the person before her if it had come to it.
As she was eating her melon starter the restaurant's sommelier arrived at the table with a choice of wines. Bethan's face froze in fear of him asking her to choose
She looked one last time despairingly in Tim's direction, hoping against hope that he would rescue her but he was already deep in conversation and paid her no attention. Her legs felt like lead as she trudged slowly to the seat indicted to her and sat down.
After Lyndon introduced himself, Bethan replied "umm yes I remember you spoke earlier about how well the Houston branch is doing" tactfully ignoring the fact that he had made Tim look stupid at the same time.
She went on, "I am Mrs Bethan Roberts, I am the new accounts manager at San Diego and these is my first one of these things, so apologies if i seem a bit nervous or if I put my foot in it at all." As soon as she finished that introduction she felt like she had already made herself look stupid "why did I have to add Mrs ? It's just a boring business event. I might as well have stood up and shown everyone on the table my wedding ring !"
She was relieved when the serving staff began bringing starters to the table and she found out that it was a set menu. Her palate was reasonably unsophisticated and she had been scared that she would show herself up. Indeed her plan was to order exactly the same as the person before her if it had come to it.
As she was eating her melon starter the restaurant's sommelier arrived at the table with a choice of wines. Bethan's face froze in fear of him asking her to choose
OP
OP
CharmSnake
Super-Earth
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2013
- Location
- In the Grass
Lyndon found her proper English accent more than charming as she introduced herself so wordily. Even her name, so ornately placed somewhere between Beth and Bethany was thoroughly unamerican. He took her hand tenderly by the fingertips, her wedding ring not at all unnoticed. It mattered little as her husband was not anywhere nearby. Her perfume surprised him as he did not expect something so sugary, then again Bethan could not have been thirty, significantly younger than himself approaching his forty-seventh birthday, and it was a scent of the generation after his own.
"Bethan," he confirmed calmly, the warmth in his smile cutting subtle yet distinguished lines into his cheeks betraying his otherwise youthfully sculpted features. He bade her to sit.
"Might I interest you in some wine?" asked the waiter as he pushed the wine cart next to their table.
"The Chardonnay will be fine," Lyndon opted as he waved a downward pointed finger at both his and Bethan's glasses. Although not assuming her politics so soon in their acquaintance, he had deduced enough of her to be not so feminist as to resist all traditional romance such as ordering her drink. He did so with a swift and decisive ease.
"I'll have that too," said Carl with a nod.
"Don't be afraid of Sims," Lyndon confided to Woitowski. Carl perked up. "Richard is a good man. Go to him for advice. Be genuine. He will help you."
"You think?" asked Carl.
"I know," said Lyndon assuredly. He wasn't lying.
"Richard is very approachable," confirmed Charmaine with a nod as the hotel's sommelier finished pouring and with a crisp tug of his vest, straightened up and moved on to the next group.
"Cheers," said Lyndon as he clinked his glass with everyone around the table, starting with Carl to his left and completing the circuit with the English lady on his right. Mrs Bethan Roberts was plain but nonetheless very lovely in her dark waves of hair and simple attire. She was a quiet one. Lyndon liked that. It made her all the more alluring, like a jewelry box yearning to be unlocked.
"So what all did you leave behind in England?" he asked her.
"Bethan," he confirmed calmly, the warmth in his smile cutting subtle yet distinguished lines into his cheeks betraying his otherwise youthfully sculpted features. He bade her to sit.
"Might I interest you in some wine?" asked the waiter as he pushed the wine cart next to their table.
"The Chardonnay will be fine," Lyndon opted as he waved a downward pointed finger at both his and Bethan's glasses. Although not assuming her politics so soon in their acquaintance, he had deduced enough of her to be not so feminist as to resist all traditional romance such as ordering her drink. He did so with a swift and decisive ease.
"I'll have that too," said Carl with a nod.
"Don't be afraid of Sims," Lyndon confided to Woitowski. Carl perked up. "Richard is a good man. Go to him for advice. Be genuine. He will help you."
"You think?" asked Carl.
"I know," said Lyndon assuredly. He wasn't lying.
"Richard is very approachable," confirmed Charmaine with a nod as the hotel's sommelier finished pouring and with a crisp tug of his vest, straightened up and moved on to the next group.
"Cheers," said Lyndon as he clinked his glass with everyone around the table, starting with Carl to his left and completing the circuit with the English lady on his right. Mrs Bethan Roberts was plain but nonetheless very lovely in her dark waves of hair and simple attire. She was a quiet one. Lyndon liked that. It made her all the more alluring, like a jewelry box yearning to be unlocked.
"So what all did you leave behind in England?" he asked her.
BethanUK
Moon
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2015
Bethan was very relieved that Lyndon had taken control of the situation with regards to the wine order and smiled as her glass was filled with a white wine selected from the trolley, even though she didn't really know what it tasted like. It reassured her that others on the table did the same thing and accepted Lyndon's choice.
She took a sip from her glass as "the guy from Philadelphia what was his name ?" received a pep talk from the group from Houston, following his funding request earlier. Bethan was confused given that no one had supported him when he spoke in open forum previously, but not brave enough to say anything.
Lyndon clinked her glass as he had done with everyone else on the table, then asked about why she had come to the USA from the UK. Feeling more relaxed now Bethan replied "umm we came over with my husband's job. He is in Biotech and had a once in a lifetime opportunity to come here to open a US office for his company. I couldn't stand in his way, even though it meant me giving up my job. Fortunately i saw the position in San Diego vacant and well here i am."
The wine was nice though stronger than Bethan was used to. As the main course was served and the sommelier returned with another bottle, she wondered how much work really got done at these events in the afternoon. As everyone else had their glasses topped up, Bethan felt she couldn't refuse.
She took a sip from her glass as "the guy from Philadelphia what was his name ?" received a pep talk from the group from Houston, following his funding request earlier. Bethan was confused given that no one had supported him when he spoke in open forum previously, but not brave enough to say anything.
Lyndon clinked her glass as he had done with everyone else on the table, then asked about why she had come to the USA from the UK. Feeling more relaxed now Bethan replied "umm we came over with my husband's job. He is in Biotech and had a once in a lifetime opportunity to come here to open a US office for his company. I couldn't stand in his way, even though it meant me giving up my job. Fortunately i saw the position in San Diego vacant and well here i am."
The wine was nice though stronger than Bethan was used to. As the main course was served and the sommelier returned with another bottle, she wondered how much work really got done at these events in the afternoon. As everyone else had their glasses topped up, Bethan felt she couldn't refuse.
OP
OP
CharmSnake
Super-Earth
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2013
- Location
- In the Grass
As she told the details of her migration, Lyndon deduced that Bethan was a recent transplant. It would go a long way in explaining why she felt so much a fish out of water. Bethan had stopped tugging at her hair, replacing the habit with sipping her wine, the level in her glass of which was quickly lowering, almost as swiftly as Charmaine's. Houston's accounts manager was known to be a heavy drinker even if she held her booze quite well.
"Welcome to America, Bethan," Lyndon gave the English girl a nod.
Across the room Faye Wang was the center of attention at her own table as she gave a magnanimous toast. Faye was getting old but was still as slick as vaseline on an ice rink. Even ten years ago she was a hot piece of Asian candy. As she moved well into her fifties she was putting on pounds and there wasn't enough makeup to cover up all the lines anymore, but with not a stitch out of place and a smile to charm a bald man into buying a comb, she still had it. Seattle always led the company in sales and Faye Wang was why. Bethan was the opposite - quiet, soft, demure. She would never dare to be so assertive. It wasn't in her to move and shake the company. She was a dilligent foot soldier, or perhaps even a field nurse (that was a pleasantly enticing image) and wasn't the type to give orders. Instead she carried them out promptly, and Lyndon imagined, in exact detail.
"I'll have the cod," said Lyndon as the waiter asked his order. "In Texas we have so much red meat all the time. Good to have something different," he explained. He didn't need to order the power steak to make a point. He was manly enough without it.
"So I hear barbecues are on the agenda next," said Woitowski.
"It's because of that new cable show," said Lyndon, already ahead of the conversation's curve.
"Cross Country Grill," Janz from Cleveland chimed in. He had ordered the steak.
"That's the one," acknowledged Carl.
"So popular they figure it'll be the summer craze. Barbecues and patio furniture. Anything backyard, so we're gonna push to get it in now," said Janz.
After lunch they'd all file back into the room and speculate about summer barbecues. It meant little to Lyndon. If he wanted to know what would sell, he'd talk to the sales staff. They knew what they could sell, and if they weren't sure, they'd find out pretty quick. If Faye Wang had much to say about barbecues he'd probably listen close but other than that he'd sit back and let everyone else get their two cents in. He was much more interested in the caress of Bethan's soft white fingertips upon the stem of her wine glass.
"Welcome to America, Bethan," Lyndon gave the English girl a nod.
Across the room Faye Wang was the center of attention at her own table as she gave a magnanimous toast. Faye was getting old but was still as slick as vaseline on an ice rink. Even ten years ago she was a hot piece of Asian candy. As she moved well into her fifties she was putting on pounds and there wasn't enough makeup to cover up all the lines anymore, but with not a stitch out of place and a smile to charm a bald man into buying a comb, she still had it. Seattle always led the company in sales and Faye Wang was why. Bethan was the opposite - quiet, soft, demure. She would never dare to be so assertive. It wasn't in her to move and shake the company. She was a dilligent foot soldier, or perhaps even a field nurse (that was a pleasantly enticing image) and wasn't the type to give orders. Instead she carried them out promptly, and Lyndon imagined, in exact detail.
"I'll have the cod," said Lyndon as the waiter asked his order. "In Texas we have so much red meat all the time. Good to have something different," he explained. He didn't need to order the power steak to make a point. He was manly enough without it.
"So I hear barbecues are on the agenda next," said Woitowski.
"It's because of that new cable show," said Lyndon, already ahead of the conversation's curve.
"Cross Country Grill," Janz from Cleveland chimed in. He had ordered the steak.
"That's the one," acknowledged Carl.
"So popular they figure it'll be the summer craze. Barbecues and patio furniture. Anything backyard, so we're gonna push to get it in now," said Janz.
After lunch they'd all file back into the room and speculate about summer barbecues. It meant little to Lyndon. If he wanted to know what would sell, he'd talk to the sales staff. They knew what they could sell, and if they weren't sure, they'd find out pretty quick. If Faye Wang had much to say about barbecues he'd probably listen close but other than that he'd sit back and let everyone else get their two cents in. He was much more interested in the caress of Bethan's soft white fingertips upon the stem of her wine glass.