Red Bottom Line by Kevin Maney

Author:Kevin Maney
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2024-01-17T13:02:25+00:00

CHAPTER 12

“…and the delegation from the American financial community may meet with Russian officials as early as this summer. By then, the Russian officials hope to settle the argument over where the nation’s main stock market should be located. Moscow seems likely. But St. Petersburg has…“

Natasha turns off the radio on her desk. She’s been listening to the English-speaking station every spare moment since Jeff arrived, trying to pick up the nuances and accents of the language so she can speak more easily with the American. Dubchenko has scurried in through the front door of Mirsovamco — as usual, the last person to arrive on a Monday morning. Dubchenko is often in a fog, but Natasha doesn’t want to take a chance that he’ll realize an English-speaking radio station is playing in his office and maybe ask why.

He nods to her as he passes through the reception area, barely making eye-contact. Natasha turns and watches him lope through the rest of the office, not looking up at any of his other employees. He seems to be more and more detached every week.

Natasha has to wait a few minutes. She drums a pencil on her desktop. She stops drumming and leans back. She spies a mark on the wall where Maxim threw the chair. She gets up, inspects it, wets her fingers on her tongue and tries to see if the mark will come off. It won’t. That Maxim. Throwing chairs. Calling first thing this morning and telling her to do a list of things. Find out if any of the consultants at the cooperative have any business coming up with a client. It sounded like an order. And if they don’t, Maxim said, call Peter and see if he can arrange something so Jeff can meet someone who at least pretends to be our client. Pretty bossy. The thought makes Natasha uncomfortable.

Dubchenko should have had plenty of time to take off his coat and hat and get settled behind his desk, probably ready to read a newspaper, eat a pastry and, after such a hardy start to the day, then take a nap leaning back in his chair. Natasha glides through the main part of the L-shaped office, down the center aisle past all the desks. She knows that all the men sitting there have stopped what they’re doing to watch her go by. She rounds the corner into Dubchenko’s cubicle of an office.

“Good morning, Sir. Did you have a good trip in?”

“Unnnh.”

Natasha wants to slap him. Maybe that would wake the guy up.

“Is there anything going on this week that I need to know about?” she asks.

“I have a terrible cold.” His Russian words sound all nasally and clogged.

“Maybe you should go home and rest for a few days. Or else you’re really going to be in trouble when the weather turns worse.“

“I know, I probably should.“

“Yes, absolutely. You shouldn’t have even come in here at all.“

Natasha hadn’t been able to figure out whether it would be better or worse if Jeff ended up meeting Dubchenko, but now the picture is clearer.

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