To Tame a Tycoon (3 page)

“Don’t give me that crap about the budget being cut.”  Rico almost slammed his palm on the table.  He caught himself just in time.  “Don’t talk to me about what you don’t have.  Tell me what you’re doing with the money you do have."

“That’s what I’m trying to do, Rico.”  Sarah spoke again, her voice stronger this time.  “Each time I try to explain you cut me off.  And you do the same thing with Ben.  You do it to all of us.”

This time Rico did slam his palm on the table.  “Listen, I don’t have time for whining.  All I want is your plan of action to turn this ship around.  We have to see a return to profit by the end of this quarter.  This time failure is not an option.”

Silence.  For a moment Sarah said nothing.  She just stared back at Rico, the tightness of her mouth revealing her anger.

“May I say something?”

All eyes turned to Jim Henessey.  “Sarah’s right.  Every time someone tries to give you information or tries to make you understand a situation you cut them off.  You never listen-”

"
Carajo
!  I listen to you all the time.”  Rico threw up his hands in frustration.  "That’s why I have these meetings so often, to hear all the problems, issues and reasons why we’re losing business.  But also to hear solutions, Jim.  Suggestions on how to resolve the problem.  And that’s what I’m not hearing from any of you.”  He shoved his chair back and stood up.  "And that’s what I’m paying all of you for,
n’est-ce-pas
?  Solutions.”

No-one answered.  They all stared back at him in their strange way as if they were afraid to express their feelings.  For the life of him Rico could not understand why they refused to speak up.  When the silence stretched on he decided to continue.  “Sarah, Ben, what about that competition we instituted last year between the sales and marketing departments?  Hasn’t that stimulated some creativity on your teams?  And Jim, where is the creativity from the operations department?  Come on, guys, I need to see results.”

It was Jim who spoke again and his voice was strangely calm.  “Rico, since your previous CEO left and you set up headquarters in this office you’ve called these meetings and they’ve not been successful.”

Irritated, Rico opened his mouth to respond but Jim kept talking.  This time it was Rico who found himself on the receiving end of an interruption.

“Nobody wants to talk, Rico, so here is my suggestion.  Instead of these round table meeting you always call, let's do formal presentations with charts outlining what each person plans to say.  That way, if we get sidetracked with questions or…disturbing comments we can still get back to the main topic.”

“Fine.”  Rico spat out the word, too pissed to argue with the man.  “I don’t see the need for all that but if that’s what it will take to get some information out of you all, we’ll do it.”

“It's what it will take for us to have our say,” Jim said, his eyes unwavering.

“In that case, this meeting is over.  I suggest you all decide on a time for these presentations and let me know.  Till then, I have work to do.”  With that Rico turned and walked out of the conference room, not even stopping to acknowledge his very quiet observer.

He was mad at Jim.  The man had made it look like he was the one who’d been disrupting his own meetings.  And he’d done it in front of Asia Miller, the hired busybody.  He'd looked bad in front of the ‘consultant’ and he didn’t like it.  Not one bit.

He was halfway down the hallway to his office when he was stopped by the voice of the woman in question.  “Rico.  One moment, please.”

He stopped and heaved a sigh.  He did not turn to face her.  She’d catch up to him soon enough and, of course, she’d give him her professional opinion.

She stepped up beside him.  “I’d like to accompany you to your office,” she said quietly.  “We need to talk.”

Rico did not answer.  He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked on.  Just what he needed.  Another lecture.

CHAPTER THREE

“I have an assignment for you.”  Asia struggled to keep from smiling.

Rico was sulking and he looked so cute doing it.  He was slumped in his chair, his face set like a thundercloud, and he was angry.  He was embarrassed, she knew, because she’d seen him at his worst.  She knew he’d started off trying to make a good impression.  And he’d failed.

“What assignment?”  he asked, his voice a grumpy growl.

“Based on my observations,” she said in her sweetest, most charming voice, “you have two main problems.  Number one, you let your emotions get in the way which results in your bullying your employees.  Second, you institute systems that have built-in incentives for your departments to work against each other rather than together.”

“What systems?”

“You mentioned a competition between the sales and marketing departments.  Such systems foster a rivalry that may not be in your best interest.  Research has shown that giving teams a common goal to work toward is far more effective than setting up competitions between them.  Hence, my assignment.”

“Which is?”  Rico growled.

“I want you to come up with a program that will force the sales, marketing and operations teams to work together.  Design it, implement it and after two weeks, assess it.  I want you to report the results to me at the end of the period.  I guarantee you’ll see a huge difference in the results of your teams’ combined efforts.”

“Uh, huh,” Rico said sardonically.

“Don’t knock it, just try it.”  Asia was not fazed by his sarcasm.  “That’s your assignment number one.  Remember, you agreed to work with me so I expect you to keep your word.  Do I have your commitment?”

She could see the reluctance flit across his face.  He wanted to say no but how could he when he’d already told her he would fulfill her requirements?  He may be a lot of things but she could sense that he wasn’t the man to back out on a promise.

“Alright,” he said finally.  “We'll reconnect in two weeks.  And if what you say works, I’ll eat my hat.”

That made her laugh.  “I have a better idea.  If my suggestion works you’ll have to agree to my next task, no grumbling, no questions asked."

“That’s it?”

“That’s it,” she said.  “Just be prepared to do anything I say because I know my experiment will be successful."

“And I know it won’t,” he countered, his look bold and confident, "so I agree.”

Asia got up then, her briefcase in hand, but she did not reach out to shake his hand.  This time she wasn’t taking any chances.

“I’ll see you in two weeks,” she said by way of farewell.

He got up and walked her to the door where he held it open for her.  This time when they parted he was smiling.

“I look forward to it,” he said confidently as she walked through the door.

******

“Robert’s on his way over,” Shelley whispered as the tall, gangly youth ambled toward them, his jeans threatening to fall off his lean hips, “and you know what he wants...”

Asia’s friend and fellow volunteer left the sentence hanging in the air.  There was no need to say another word.  They both knew Robert and they were more than prepared this time.  He walked up to the counter behind which both women stood holding long-handled ladles.

“Double on the mashed potatoes?’  Shelley asked with a stern frown.  “Triple,” Robert said, his thin face glowing as he gave them a wide grin.  “You know I’m a growing boy.”

Asia shook her head.  “Don’t we know it.  I’ve got double portions of chicken for you.  And,” she looked to the right and to the left then leaned forward,  "I’ve got something in back for you,” she said in a staged whisper.  “Half an apple pie.”

Robert’s eyes shone and his smile grew even toothier.  “Apple pie is my favorite.  You’re the greatest, Asia.”

“Hey, what about me?”  Shelley gave a perfect pout.  It made her look all of six years old.

That made Robert laugh out loud.  “I love you too, Shelley.  I wouldn’t give you guys up for the world.”

He gratefully accepted the plate piled high with food and rested it on his tray then headed for the table in the far corner by the window, his usual eating place.  There he sat down and dived into the meal.

Asia couldn’t help smiling.  She loved to watch him savor every bite of his meal.  “That kid’s an eating machine,” she said, her eyes still resting on him.

“Yeah,” Shelley said with a chuckle, “all six feet five inches of him.”

“D'you think they’ll pick him for the community center basketball team?”

“They’d better,” Shelley said, her voice indignant, “or else they’ll have me to answer to.”

“Yeah, right,” Asia said, rolling her eyes, “as if anybody’s scared of your little four foot eleven self.”

“I’m four feet eleven and a half inches.”  Shelley glared at Asia and straightened to her full height.

“Still a shortie,” Asia said with a laugh.

“And I’m in good company,” the smaller woman said, looking Asia up and down.

When Asia moved away to serve the next teenager she was still smiling.  She enjoyed the teasing fun she and Shelley engaged in each time they met.  They'd both started on the same day as volunteers at the youth shelter and community center and had become fast friends.  That had been four years earlier when Asia had been twenty-one and still in university.  Shelley, on the other hand, was a widow and the mother of two teenage girls.  But, as tiny as she was, everyone knew she was a no-nonsense woman who spoke her mind but who was always quick to offer guidance, comfort and love.

Sunrise Community Center was a refuge for the young people in the neighborhood.  It was a place where they could escape from the troubles of abusive homes and dangerous streets, and just be kids.  The land and the buildings were a donation from a long dead philanthropist but his legacy lived on in the positive impact the center was having on so many young lives.  Here, the kids could play basketball, soccer, squash and tennis and a warm meal was provided each evening to all who desired it.

Robert was a regular, and one they both loved.  At the tender age of eighteen he'd found himself alone in the world, no longer eligible for the protection and support of the foster care system.  He’d found a part-time job on a construction site but his wages were not enough to cover the rent and provide for his needs.  That was where the center came in.  He could count on getting one good meal each day and his entertainment requirements were satisfied with the variety of sporting activities available on the location.

Robert’s situation was not unique.  Even though some of the users of the facilities were children from working families the majority were disadvantaged and this place was their only means of escape.  Asia was glad she was a part of their world, a part of the solution to their problems.  She made a good living in her consulting business and made regular donations to the center.  Still, nothing was more satisfying to her than interacting with her young mentees.  Through her relationship with such a diverse group she’d learned courage in the face of adversity, perseverance and patience.

She’d also come to realize the importance of seeing each person as an individual with unique desires and dreams.  You had to see all the kids as seeds of hope and the volunteers as gardeners who would nurture them and let them grow to their full potential.  Some had already blossomed and moved on to better lives but there were always new ones who showed great promise, who tugged at your heart strings and made you want to give them the world.

Robert was one of them.  His greatest dream was to become a professional basketball player and so he spent hours on the court, practicing long after everyone else had departed.  He was dying to be discovered and Asia prayed that one day he would.  She smiled as she watched him rake his fingers through his curly blonde hair and slouch back in his chair, his ritual after a good meal.  It was the sign that he was ready for dessert.  Where he put all that grub, she could never tell.  He was as thin as a pole.  It had to be a combination of naturally high metabolism, daily manual labor and practice sessions that went on for hours.