Chapter 6. Suffering Talbot
"Fuck ethics!"
"Arrica!" Lucas said. "Control yourself. If you go back into that meeting and fly off the handle, you will be sent back out like a tomahawk."
"Don't tell me about negotiating with these Talbot hacks."
"Arrica, listen to me. Your father spent a long time building this partnership between Pelius and Talbot. You can't toss it away over a single patent. We have lots of other things going on right now. This is a small fish."
"But it's a loose fish. And we had it first."
"We caught it, but they had rights to it, so we move on. It's a sunk cost."
She threw a stack of papers against the wall. "We'll take them to court."
"And lose."
"We'll draw it out."
"And bankrupt ourselves. Arrica!"
"Don't Arrica me! I know my own name. Don't you tell me to back down. I'll light a flame from here to Chicago and douse Marcus Jovan in kerosene."
Lucas grabbed her by the sleeve and yanked her toward him. "You can put down the flamethrower, little Pelius, before you hurt yourself. You think you can go head-to-head with Talbot? Get a grip. You can't. Not yet. And you want to try to hurt me, call me names. Go ahead, I'm an easy target. You want to talk about burning bridges? I'll tell you about burning bridges."
She freed her sleeve from his grasp, and paced the room, spinning chairs with her hand as she passed them.
"I'll tell you a story about unchecked anger, Arrica."
"I don't want to hear any human interest stories, thank you very much."
"Well, listen anyway! Dammit, get some scope on things. This will be a lesson for you. Before I met you in San Francisco, I was on the same track as you, set to inherit a company. I came out here to hide."
Arrica sneered. "What? What does this have to do with..."
"Your father." He interrupted her by speaking loudly. "Conrado reminded me of my father, except Conrado was a much better man than my own. Mine, he and I had a falling out, one that can never be undone. I was young, eighteen. My father spent most of his time on the road, and I grew up hating him for never being around. Because of it, Mom and I had a special bond. She had my trust. When I wasn't with her, I spent time with my friends, hanging out, racing cars, bumming, chasing girls, whatever kids do. I tried to ignore my father. My mother, too. I have no respect for either of them after what they did. They tried to make up for something that was missing from their life, but they didn't tell me until I was used up.
"Dad had a secretary. She was my age, a beautiful girl named Ione. I'm sure you can guess where this is going. Well, he had a lot of secretaries and girlfriends over the years. But this particular girl, he fast-tracked her to be his executive assistant. Apparently, he saw her walk into work one day and he just had to have her. By the end of the week, I'm certain of it, he'd already tried to seduce her, quid-pro-quo, in exchange for the promotion. Not long after that, he started coming home wearing a strange perfume. My Mom, she was not a slow-witted woman. It didn't take long for her to suspect that Dad had a mistress, but she had no proof, so one day she stormed into Dad's office. He was there, and so was Ione, dressed in tight clothing and leaning over Dad's desk, exposing the strings of her thong. Mom played it cool, suppressed her anger, and then introduced herself to Ione. Dad claimed that Ione was a temp, with a contract ending in four days. Mom hooked onto that lie and said, 'Well, she is just darling! She can work for me.' With that, Ione was hired on the spot to assist with Mom's charity work and event coordination. Prior to Ione, Mom had hired people on a temporary basis, so the request was legitimate and Dad was between a rock and a hard place. 'Sure, she's yours at the end of the week,' he said. That was a small victory for Mom, but then, that was only the first battle. It turned into an all-out war after that, during which time I was told nothing - not a damn thing. I was a pawn to the King and Queen, just waiting to get played."
Lucas moved to the window of the meeting room and put a hand on the window frame.
"One thing is for sure: my parents knew how to turn the screws on one another. Some of this I didn't find out until later when I looked at the financial statements of my father's company. That was after the fact, of course. Anyway, Mom kept Ione working at home during the day, but at night Mom couldn't watch Ione. If you can believe it, she hired a surveillance company named Argus to watch Ione during non-work hours and weekends. These Argus guys were small, a startup company with no scruples, maybe one hundred employees, and all ex-military from a psychological operations unit.
"As for Ione, she was a poor girl and lived in a tiny apartment. The Argus employees watched her through the cheap blinds of that sketchy place and recorded everything that happened. Before all this, poor Ione, she was innocent, I know it."
Arrica sat down in one of the chairs in the room. Lucas felt his voice getting shaky, so he cleared his throat.
"I shouldn't tell this story right now." Lucas raised and lowered the blinds on the window, in a failed attempt to control his emotion. "We'll be called back into the meeting soon."
"No, go on," Arrica said.
Lucas looked out the window and moved nervously. He felt unbalanced as he spoke, jarred by his story, too close to the truth for comfort. "You've never met a man as shrewd as my father. Dad couldn't stand being apart from Ione, so he figured out a way to outgun Mom. I don't know how he found out about Argus, but I do know that he found a way to continue sleeping with Ione. He solved problems in ways that no one else could even imagine. My father purchased Argus, the whole company - lock, stock, and barrel. He sang them a sweet song, and put them to sleep - promised them permanent contracts, I imagine. The deal must have happened quickly, but before the ink dried on the papers, Argus was dissolved. They were bought on a Tuesday and liquidated by Friday. He put them out of business. It was a hostile takeover for the express purpose of sex. When Mom found out that the company had gone out of business, she knew that my father must be involved. That's where I come into the story."
Arrica put her hand over her mouth.
He looked over his shoulder at Arrica. "Don't worry, I'm fine." He dropped the mini-blinds and turned to face her. "I've never told anyone about this before. I'm not sure I want to tell it to you now, either, but I've made it this far. Well, guess what? Mom arranged a date for me with Ione and we hit it off. I fell in love with Ione. Those were the best days of my life. We spent every moment together, and I forgot about my friends. At first I didn't notice, but both of my parents suddenly took a real interest in my life. Mom asked me all kinds of things, how things were going, if I liked Ione. She even asked about our sex-life, multiple times, until I told her that, yes, we were sleeping together. It seemed bizarre at the time, because she lit up with delight when I told her. Her eyes dazzled. Soon afterward, Dad became very interested in my future. He claimed to be tired of my 'staying out all hours with that girl' and thought the time had come for me to grow up. Since I was in love, I took offense. He had not cared about me for eighteen years, and suddenly he wanted control of my life. He suggested that I not forget my friends. It didn't make sense, because my friends did destructive things that he despised. Just to burn him up, I spent several days away from home, at Ione's apartment. It worked. He hated me. My own father hated me for the sake of a fling. Hated his son, dishonored his wife, and still dishonors us both to this day.
"But Mom was guilty, too. One night, she invited me to be her guest at a company party. As I later learned, she wasn't even invited. This was a sales meeting for men only. Arrica, to let you know what kind of a company my father ran, this was a party for married men and their girlfriends."
Arrica said, "You're kidding."
"I wish. At a
Marriott Hotel, Mom and I sat on a balcony near one of the convention rooms. She made sure we sat in a spot with a good view of the lobby. For an hour, she acted strange, kept looking down at the entrance to the hotel, until finally Dad showed up. Mom said, 'Oh, there's your father!' After how he'd been treating me, I didn't want to look at him, but Mom insisted that I look. Then she played dumb: 'Who is that with him?' I turned and I saw Ione in a swaying dress, sparkling in jewels from the feet up, hanging onto Dad's arm, and both of them were dressed to the nines. I was stunned. Mom said, 'That's not...that's not Ione, is it? It looks like Ione. What would she be doing here?'
"That vacant stare from my mother - that's a face I'll never forgive as long as I live. Mom and I walked downstairs and spied on Dad's party in the hotel bar. His hands wandered all over Ione, and I felt rage. It seized me before I could think. Had Mom not interceded, I might have killed him. She grabbed me and said, 'Don't jump to conclusions, dear.' She pulled me outside and said, 'If you love her, you will keep seeing her.' Ione didn't know that I was my father's son. She had no idea and was being pulled apart by a lecher and his jealous wife. For the next nine days - it makes me sick to remember - I scheduled dates around my own father. I had sex with her and tried to convince her to run away with me, and..."
He wiped his eyes. Arrica stood up and hugged Lucas. "I'm sorry."
"I waited for Ione to decide, but after nine days I could stand no more. I bought a gun to use on someone in that incestuous triangle. But I didn't know who to kill first. The grime from those nine days, even to this day, I can't wash it off. I will never be clean of it. It's a stain that won't bleach. Time does not heal all things, it worsens some. With my gun, I thought I could solve the problem. I started prowling at night, spying on my father. One night I tailed him after work to Ione's apartment, where he picked her up in the company limo. I loaded bullets into the clip. In tears, I followed them to a restaurant." Lucas stopped and covered his eyes. "I double-parked my car, stepped out with the gun in my hand. God knows I would have shot my father in the face that night. But Dad's chauffeur was waiting outside to intercept me. Somehow he knew about my motives, but then again, Dad had a personal staff of Pinkertons working for him. Those unincorporated Argus boys became private spies, hitmen. An investigator and a policeman arrested me, not for intent to kill, but for intent to sell methamphetamines. They planted a small bag of drugs on me, stuffed a gram into my pocket and the investigator vouched for him, but neither of them worked for the government. It was all a show. I went to a mock jail for a night and they threatened me for eight hours straight. When I left the jail, I went home to Mom, who cried crocodile tears. She apologized and admitted setting me up with Ione to hurt my father, to cuckold him, so to speak. And she tried to kiss me! Bah!" Lucas spit on the floor. "The taste is unforgettable. I didn't know who to be more disgusted with, her or Dad. A vile night. The next morning, I withdrew my bank accounts and left town. I came to San Francisco to start over. It was the shame of my life. Betrayed by my own family."
"Oh my God, that's awful, Lucas." Arrica hugged him and patted his back. "It's beyond awful, it's...appalling." She leaned back. "What happened to Ione?"
"She killed herself. It was an overdose."
Arrica sighed. "Jesus."
"I haven't seen either of my parents since, and never plan to. That's the result of anger and envy, Arrica. It gets ugly. It tears things apart. You and Conrado, you've been like family to me, and I don't ever want to see you cross a line, especially in business, that we can't retreat from."
Arrica smiled and softened her gray eyes. "I won't cross any lines."
"Liar." Lucas wiped tears from his nose. Seeing Arrica yield made him relax.
They laughed together.
"I feel like...you're like my kid sister," Lucas said, "and I know you, Arrica. You have some fiery days ahead of you."
"No, I've given up my temper." She held up two fingers. "I swear. I'm at peace now. You've convinced me."
"I'm not convinced that you're convinced." He laughed and put his hand on her neck, his thumb on her cheek. "Just take that extra five seconds to breathe, Arrica. Keep your kerosene for another day. We'll need it later. In honor of Conrado, we are going to take Pelius Research to the top. And someday, soon, we'll cut down Talbot, light their fire, and then we'll smoke a fat cigar over their ashes, I promise."
They laughed and then held each other a little too long. They slowly separated, letting their cheeks graze each other. Lucas felt her nearing him, almost as if she wanted him to kiss her.
A knock sounded on the door, causing them to jump apart.
Basil peeked in and said, "They're ready for you again."
"We'll be right there." Arrica smiled at Basil.
Basil walked in and looked at their faces. "Marcus Jovan just showed up."
"What?" Lucas jumped.
"Yeah, he just got here, with full entourage," Basil said, exhaling loudly. "Frankly, it's a little intimidating."
"It's for effect." Arrica moved her arms wildly. "Not only unannounced, but he's fashionably late, too, that creep."
"He's trying to catch us off guard," Basil said. "Or he wants to steamroll us."
"You're right. It's game time." Lucas rubbed his hands together. "We need to catch him off guard. Get him turned around and yank his pants down. Basil," Lucas pointed his finger, "you bring a dove into that room. Be the peacekeeper, no matter what is going on. Load your pockets with olive branches and talk compromise. We'll renege on all of it tomorrow."
"Basil doesn't know how to play any other role than the dove," Arrica said.
"Right. That's why I'll stay out of the meeting, but while I'm out, I'll light Jovan's shoelaces on fire under the table. We know that they won't budge on this patent, so instead we take the loss here. Let them have the victory. Don't worry - their smiles won't last long. I've got something prepared that will hit them hard, where it hurts. I was saving it, but, no, it has to be now. In the past two weeks, we've won three contracts that used to be Talbot's. I'll have the press releases sent out while the meeting is going on. By the time old Jovan gets back to his Chicago mansion, he will hear all about it. Arrica - you play bad cop. Focus on how they have endangered future collaboration, and browbeat them with that point. Just don't go overboard, understand? Remember what we just talked about. Don't throw flames. And Basil - you temper her remarks with your usual waffling."
"Oh, thanks." Basil looked at the papers scattered on the floor. "Arrica, is that the meeting notes?" Basil shook his head and started picking up the mess of papers.
"Yes. Don't worry, Basil. I don't need them. And by the way, about your waffling - it's a compliment, Basil."
"Oh, really? So surrendering is a good quality?" He dropped the papers again. "That makes me the resident doormat. I'm flattered."
Lucas smiled. He grabbed Basil by the shoulders. "You are the nuance man, Basil, just like you said in your interview. And sometimes, yes, you surrender to win."
Smoothing her suit with her hands, Arrica asked Lucas, "Ok, how do I look?"
Lucas looked her up and down. "You look like a stone-cold bitch."
"Perfect."
Lucas commanded her. "You're going to play it cool."
"Cool?" She raised her eyebrows. "I'm going to play it ice fucking cold." Her gray eyes froze.
Lucas said, "God, I admire you."
Basil added, "If only Conrado could see you now, Arrica..."
"He'd cover his eyes. Let's go."
In the evening, after the press releases went out, after Marcus Jovan and Talbot flew out of San Francisco, Lucas and Arrica watched the late breaking headlines on CNBC business news. In her office, Lucas and Arrica passed a single glas
s of champagne back and forth between them as the diving California sun slowly dimmed her office. They sat close together and rubbed shoulders.
Arrica saw the tagline come up on the screen.
"Talbot Labs is making late news today," a newswoman said, "with an ethics scandal concerning a member of the board. More on this coming up. The scandal comes at a difficult time for Talbot, as we have also learned today that Pelius Research, a San Francisco bio-tech, has pulled the rug out on Talbot's sterile injectables production line. In addition, Pelius has weakened Talbot's stronghold in the manufacture of oncology products."
"Oh, wow," Arrica said, "I love it."
Lucas put his hand around her waist and pulled her toward him. He said, "I love it more. I can hardly take it." He turned her head toward his face and then kissed her without asking.
Arrica put her hand on his chest and let him kiss her. She paused to find the remote and turn off the TV.
"No, let's leave it on," Lucas grabbed her hand. "I want to hear it."
Arrica leaned back for a moment. "You had better be good at this. Don't waste my time."
Lucas lunged and started ravishing her neck.
The sun went all the way down.
The two Type-A personalities grappled with one another over Arrica's desk. For Lucas, it was not love-making in any sense of the word, but an exorcism. Halfway through, he started to imagine Ione underneath him. Arrica acted equally aggressive. Devils were purged. Lucas didn't care if Arrica enjoyed it or hated it. Like every waking moment of his life, even during sex, he thought about revenge, and with the market news playing like music, the sound of Talbot suffering brought him to a maniacal ecstasy.