Hampton Manor

went into their decisions.”

“That could be it, but companies of this caliber are usually driven by quality of product and the bottom line, personal likes and dislikes aside. Still, it’s always possible that they’ve gotten some bad information about us. I’ll try to nail them down.”

“Thanks, Marcia. If you need any help from Finance, IT or Legal, just contact them. I’ll alert them right away and then I’ll be at home if you need me.”

“I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can. It may be tomorrow morning though, before I can put all the figures together. The bottom line impact will take time to re-calculate.”

“That’ll be fine. Just do it as quickly as you can and get back to me,”

Marcia spent the next two hours hunting down the appropriate contact at each of the companies. A picture slowly formed about what had happened. Each of the companies had been contacted by representatives of a consortium of European Common Market producers and offered supply agreements and designer contracts too good to turn down. The five year contracts were going into effect within two weeks, the decisions were irrevocable. Marcia was assured by each company that no one at Preston Industries could have had any prior knowledge of the negotiations or contracts. Everything had been done under a cloak of secrecy at an Italian villa.

Marcia slumped in her chair. She glanced at the stack of files she had brought home. They represented untold hours of painstaking research. How much of that work is worthless now? The production and profits estimates require a stable sales base with a plus or minus variable of six percent. These five customers represent more than that; we’re screwed. She reached for the “Sales Projection” folder. Ten minutes later after a quick check of her original calculations she confirmed that the loss of the five companies would impact sales by at least thirty percent. How could Preston have allowed a small group of customers to have such a major impact on their sales and profits. Marketing was her strong suit and she knew that when a company or group of companies dominate the sales base, special customer support is required. Why didn’t Kane have a preferred customer list? Ones that he handled personally as “house accounts”. While she had assurances that no outsider could have known about the change, someone as sharp as Kane should have had contingencies for the possibility of aggressive competitive bidding.

He should have known that the contracts with the five were nearing expiration. Personal agreements with the appropriate decision makers at the prime accounts would have assured that Preston would have had a chance to out-bid the competition. Maybe he is not the business genius that he is made out to be, or he just got too complacent. Damn! This is the worst thing that could happen now.

Marcia tried several times to reach Kane, but his cell phone was busy. She pushed her worksheets aside and leaned back in her chair. What the hell are we going to do now? I’ve got to reach Kane. I’m going to need help with this mess. She tried his cell again. This time he answered.

“Kane?”

“Yes. Is that you, Marcia?”

“Yes, and we’ve got a very big problem.” She spent several minutes updating him on what happened.

He smiled when she mentioned that every customer assured her that only the negotiating parties had any knowledge of the agreements prior to today’s announcement. He felt bad that Marcia was getting caught up in the middle of what was supposed to be his private retaliation against Adam and Hampton Industries. He was just beginning to see past her tough veneer and was liking what he saw.

“How can I help?”

“I’m not exactly sure. I know that much of the data we compiled is meaningless in the light of what will be a major hit on our sales and earnings. I did a quick scan of the effect this would have on our sales estimates. It looks like it’ll be almost thirty percent.”

“Ouch! Look, why don’t I meet you? We can redo our estimates and put together a tactical plan. Maybe with some additional production cuts, we can keep the sales loss from having too great an impact on profit margins. We put a very generous cushion in our figures for anticipated increases in demand. We could back those out entirely.”

“I guess you’re right. It’s getting late, but I don’t think I could get any sleep anyway, not with this on my mind. Are you willing to work on it tonight?

“Absolutely! Are you still at the office? I can meet you in about twenty minutes.”

“No, I’m at home. Why don’t you come over here? I’ve got all the files we need except those that you’re working on.”

“Good! I’ll gather them up and bring them over.”

Marcia gave him directions and set about straightening up the room she used as a home office. She considered calling Adam, but at the last minute decided not to. He doesn’t need to know everything I do. Meaning, that she didn’t want him to know that she had invited Kane to her place, especially since she has turned him down three times since their last time in bed together. She reasoned, I can work better if I’m not being second-guessed on my approach. Meaning, that she knew Adam wouldn’t approve. He would want to join the meeting or suggest that it be moved to his office. He would just get in the way.

Marcia made a quick change into a v-neck sweater and jeans. She applied a dab of cologne on her wrists, neck and between her breasts. She returned the bottle to her make-up table, wondering, Why did I do that?

Kane showed up about twenty minutes later with a box of files. He didn’t notice the gray sedan parked about a half block from her entrance. The driver held a cell phone to his ear giving the impression that he had just pulled over to make a call. It was a perfect cover for the investigator Adam hired.

“I grabbed everything I thought might be relevant.”

She pointed toward the den. He placed the box on the floor and returned to his car which was parked next to hers in the carport. This time he carried in a bag from a local coffeehouse. He grinned as he said, “Given your history with this stuff, I was hesitant to bring it, but I think we’re going to need it the next few hours to keep us sharp.”

Marcia smiled, but didn’t reply. She was busy forming a new impression of Kane Masterson. He was wearing jeans and a white turtleneck that appeared to be molded to his body. At work he either wore a suit or dressed business casual with sports jackets and slacks, but she was always too busy to pay much attention. He’s quite a hunk. I wonder if he’s got anyone back in Wooster Square. He sure has a nicer disposition than Adam. Oh, well, back to business.

They spent hours reworking the merger plan. The changes didn’t improve the situation much, extending to at least three years the time required to absorb the impact of the lost customers. Hampton Industries would have to exert a major customer relations effort to assure that there were no additional defections of customers.

Kane left at 3 a.m.

The gray sedan that was parked near the entrance to the Sedgewick Arms Suites remained there long enough for the driver to complete his report. He checked the pictures he took of Kane’s arrival and departure. The date and time were recorded with the digital image.

Chapter 19

Adam paced his bedroom deciding what to do about the information that Chuck had just given him. 3 a.m.? What the hell were they doing until 3 a.m.? Is she having an affair with Masterson? Is that why she’s given me the cold shoulder for the last few weeks? I knew there was something peculiar in the way she was acting .I can’t let on that I know anything. I need her for this