Snow Job by Jenni Ferchenko

Author:Jenni Ferchenko [Jenni Ferchenko]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781911525226
Publisher: Clink Street Publishing
Published: 2017-02-15T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

ODILE

First thing next morning in the office, I call Ahmad.

‘Katya, habibi, long time no speak!’ he exclaims. ‘Where are you now? Lehman is no good place anymore.’

‘All good, schukran. I’m in Moscow now, at the Swiss Bank. Found you a lithium seller,’ I say playfully.

‘A Russian seller?’ he asks, suspiciously, with a very strong R.

‘Yes,’ I affirm.

‘That’s great!’ he exclaims. ‘Much better taxes than in Chile and much closer. How much can you sell?’

‘How much can you buy?’ I ask.

‘A full ship … a few hundred tons. The sheik has almost signed a contract, but if you can do it cheaper and deliver sooner, he will go with you.’

‘OK. Could you hold on for a couple of days on that? Today is Friday, so by Monday you should have the terms.’ I try to sound calm, worrying whether that will give Akbar enough time to acquire the plant.

‘OK till Monday … but not much longer.’

‘OK. I’ll push for the contract. How much will you pay me?’ I ask the ever-uncomfortable question.

‘We’ll pay you very good commission … one per cent.’

‘Ahmad, the market practice is three,’ I argue, sensing there is room to push.

‘Habibi, the market is non-existent. You see the news about Northern Rock and AIG bankrupt today?’

‘Listen, the plant is in Siberia, and the brine is from Afghanistan. To arrange its shipment to Tripoli takes more than one per cent,’ I reason.

‘But it’s the transportation agency arranging the shipment,’ Ahmad says, trying to take it away from me.

‘I’m the driving force behind it,’ I retort. ‘Nothing will happen if I don’t push. People are so concerned about their cash that everyone is withdrawing everything they can from the assets, that are depreciating day by day. No one wants to invest in any new production.’ I make my case, hoping I sound convincing enough. ‘I know which buttons to push to persuade the relevant guy to take that risk.’

‘OK, send me the terms first and we talk again.’

‘Will do.’ I hang up and spend quite a bit of time writing a message to Akbar, trying to play it right so the deal goes through.

‘Hey handsome, I couldn’t stop thinking about you all night … your strong arms, your soft lips. Can’t wait for more …’

For the next two hours or so I feel massively on edge, getting more and more stressed with every minute that goes by without a response from Akbar.

Finally the message arrives: ‘I’ve got tickets for Swan Lake tonight. Meet me at six-thirty at the Bolshoi VIP lounge. The back entrance. They’ll have your name.’

Reading it, I’m almost jumping off the chair with relief. The game is on. The Bolshoi’s Swan Lake is a must-see in Moscow …

‘Sounds like a plan,’ I respond, booking an afternoon off in the internal system.

‘Off for your side job?’ Sergey asks, seeing me logging off. ‘The more you round your lips and take it deep down your throat, the longer it will last.’ He sticks his tongue against the inside of his cheek, crudely moving his fist to and fro.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.