Impulse: Book Three

Impulse: Book Four

MOVING ON

"Impulse: A sudden inclination or urge"

The American Heritage dictionary

By Mezzo

DISCLAIMERS: (see INSTALLMENT ONE)

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INSTALLMENT ONE

INSTALLMENT TWO

"Jordan?" Barbara was concerned. Victoria had never left in the middle of the day like this. The only time she did so was when she scheduled it ahead of time and she rarely did that unless it was business related.

"Yes Barbara?" Jordan was working on budget reports for the next fiscal quarter.

"Umm...Miss Hull has asked that all appointments be cancelled this afternoon and would only be available through her cell phone."

"What?!! Did she forget we have the meeting with Mills Textiles today?!"

"No she didn't mention it. She seemed like she was in a rush to get to where she was going. It must be very important. She never does anything remotely like this." Barbara and Jordan worked very hard to ensure things ran smoothly. And usually everything did primarily due to the fact that Victoria Hull ran a tight ship. She expected nothing less of herself and accepted nothing less from her employees.

"I know. But lately she seems.... I don't know...a lot happier. Until today, she seemed to be right on top of things. You should have seen her in L.A. She had them eating out of her hand. She did mention while we were out there that she was eager to complete her visit to L.A in a timely manner. She simply stated that she needed to return home as quickly as possible. I don't know how she manages sometimes. I thought for sure we would be out in L.A. for at least a couple more weeks. And then out of the clear blue sky she comes up with a solution that satisfies all parties involved and next thing we're headed home. You know the funny thing is she did it in a way that kept everyone happy. That hasn't happened in a long time. She was getting a real reputation there. She was getting to a point where it didn't matter whose feet she stepped on as long as her goal was achieved. I'm telling you Barbara, something has definitely changed and it couldn't have happened soon enough. If I'm correct, I'd say our fearless leader is in love. But don't quote me on that." Jordan had watched her boss throw herself into her work these past few years. Jordan admired Tori and was fiercely loyal to her, but she wished she would find someone who would put the light back into her eyes. Lately, it seemed the light was coming back and Victoria was not only a force to be reckoned with in the business world-she seemed to finally find peace in her personal life as well.

"So what are we going to do about Mills Textiles?" Barbara knew how important this deal was to Victoria and she would be upset if the deal slipped through her hands or was fumbled because she forgot about the appointment.

"I'll call Tori and find out what she wants to do. I'm pretty sure I can handle it without her being here. I have all the prelims on my desk and I know what Tori's going after. So let me see what I can come up with before you cancel." Jordan took out the paperwork and opened to the cover sheet.

"Okay. I'll get hold of Miss Hull and patch her through when she calls back."

"Sounds good." Jordan read through the notes and jotted down a few questions. A few seconds later Barbara patched Tori through.

Tori had been a few blocks away from campus and had asked Gibeau to drop her off at the English Department when her cell phone rang.

"Hello.....Victoria Hull." Tori was in no mood. She just wanted to get to Brett at the moment.

"Tori, it's Jordan. I'm sorry to bother you but..." Tori interrupted her before she could finish.

"Look Jordan. Didn't Barbara tell you what I said? I'm taking care of something right now and time is of the essence." Tori concentrated on keeping her voice calm. She tried not to take out her frustrations on her employees no matter how tempting it was.

"Tori, I understand. But what about Mills Textiles? We've had this meeting set up for a month. What do you want me to do about them?" Jordan knew an "Oh Shit" was going to come out of Victoria Hull's mouth in just a moment.

"Oh shit!!! That's today?! Damn!" Tori sat back in her seat in the limo and blew out a sigh. What to d? What to do? It was 12:30 and the meeting wasn't until 1:00. She could go back but she really needed to see Brett.

"Look Tori....if you don't mind, I can do the meeting. I mean... I know the points back and forth. What do you say?" Jordan had sat through all of Tori's negotiations and, though her boss was a master at playing the game, Jordan knew enough to at least get the ball rolling.

"Hmm...well it could work to our advantage. Not that I doubt your abilities. I just think if I'm not there, they might think we're losing interest in their business. That their offer isn't good enough. That's not a bad idea. Let them squirm a little. Ian just left for L.A. and my father is in Chicago so they won't be of any help. Okay Jordan. Do your thing. You know what I want out of the deal, so present it to them. Tell them I won't come to the table unless they come down a few percentage points." Tori knew Jordan could handle the job. She had been carefully training her for the last few years and had complete confidence in her abilities.

"You got it boss!! By the way, is everything okay? Not that you're not allowed, but this isn't like you?" Jordan had complete respect for Victoria. She had seen her at her lowest and had seen her at her best. In all that time, Tori never once gave her a reason to not want to work for her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Couldn't be better actually. It's just there's a matter that needs my attention today and I'm afraid it just can't wait. I'm sorry to put you on the spot like this." Tori really meant it. She valued her employees almost as much as she valued her friends and family.

"Hey, no problem. If I botch it up, I know you won't fire me. You... won't.. fire me.... right?" Jordan all of sudden got butterflies and the reality of what she was about to do hit her.

Tori laughed hearing the uncertainty in her assistant's voice. "No I won't fire you. But that's all I'm going to promise at this point. Seriously though...I have every confidence in you. Go get em', slugger!!" Tori tried to sooth Jordan's nerves. She remembered what it was like to lead her first negotiations and, fortunately for her, she hadn't fallen on her face yet.

"Okay, but keep your cell phone on just in case." Jordan requested.

"Sure. I won't even put it in my purse. I'll hook it to my waist." Tori reassured.

Gibeau pulled the car to the entrance of the English department and turned to tell Tori they had arrived.

"Okay, well I hope you resolve whatever you need to this afternoon. I'll call you once the meeting 's over if not sooner. ....bye." Jordan hung up, grabbed her case, and said a prayer on her way out the door to the conference room.

TO BE CONTINUED. Installment Three

Impulse: Book Four

MOVING ON