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."Hello, Mark.I'm pleased to meet you.I'm a very brief interviewer.One wayPage 216ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlor the other, I make up my mind quickly.Your statistics credentials areimpeccable for our needs," she said."Why do you want to work here?""I like living on Earth.The money and your company's status goes a long waytowards making sure I won't end up swept onto a slow boat to Dulain," heanswered."And, candidly, you pay well."The nails of one hand tapped on her knee.He noticed idly that they wereblack tipped with a masterful illusion of dripping blood.She was certainlyintent on making a specific impression."The primary reason I'm interviewing you has to do with a job that isn't onyour resume.You worked at Celini and Gorse Consulting from 2048 to 2051.You've done a nice job of covering it.You were one of the few accountants whomanaged to come out of that without prison time and without speaking a wordill of your employers or any of your coworkers and especially of theinvestors.You don't run off at the mouth.We handle highly confidentialbusiness, so we prize that attribute.You're a practical, goal oriented man.Ilike that," she smiled.It was a charming smile that did reach her eyes.Itgave no indication of the cold psychopath he knew lived behind those warm,brown, feline orbs.She was good; highly dangerous even to him.He smiled backwith what he hoped was the right degree of polite avarice."You do your homework," George, aka Mark said."Your own investors, ofcourse, have no lack of resources when they want something.It reassures methat I can trust your organization's ability to meet its generous commitments.I like to be able to trust the people I work for.""Mutual trust, backed by natural situational guarantees, is essential to ourcorporate mission.We can certainly offer you better job security than anyother offers you might have.No worries about getting fired if your dirtylittle secret comes to light.We know, and consider your discretion an asset."She pressed a couple of buttons on her PDA."I see here that Joseph Espinozais your cousin?" she asked."Yes.We spent a lot of time together growing up."This smile was predatory rather than charming.Even though he was sure it wascalculated to the nth degree, a finger of ice prickled on the back of hisneck."If he's your cousin, I'm your mother," she said."Relax." She waved a handas he fought the sweat trying to emerge on his upper lip."You just passedanother of my little tests.You're resourceful, and you go along with thesystem instead of getting your briefs in a twist the first time you have tobend a rule.Apparent kinship links keep the investors happy.See, I can bepragmatic, too." Her playful grin, though perfect, put him in mind of apiranha.She stood, perforce drawing him to his feet as well."As long as you neverbreak any ofmy rules, we'll get along fine.The first of which is that fromPage 217ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlthis moment onward, you will never, ever lie to me.In return, I will neverask about anything you did before you worked here.My rules are simple,reasonable.I expect loyalty and obedience.Which constitutes doing your jobcompetently, unquestioningly, and keeping your mouth shut.From your record,that should be easy enough." She cupped his cheek with one hand.He could feelher nails against his jawline and had to think of least squares graphs toavoid embarrassing himself, amazingly."Breaking my simple, easy rules is atermination offense.Understand?"He nodded, swallowing staying in the role.He wouldn't have thought it waspossible for anyone to look coldly sociopathic and gleeful at the same time.One or the other, but not both, not that charmingly terrifying way.It was anexpression he might have to practice.It could be useful for interrogations."Great.Still want the job?" she asked cheerfully.Her mercurial moods were frightening to a professional.The best swordsmandoesn't fear the second best.He fears the tyro who knows just enough to bedangerous.He vowed to interact with her as little as possible, and to handleher as carefully as a crate of Tennessee antimatter balls."Yes, definitely," he said."Can you start Monday?""No problem.""Then we're all set.Give your salary requirements to personnel on your wayout.As long as they're reasonable, they'll be met.If they're not, we'll giveyou our own offer on Monday." She put a hand on the small of his back,ushering him out the door.He didn't flinch."Got any plans to celebrate tonight?" she asked."Dinner with my girlfriend.""Been seeing each other long?" Her teeth were a glaring white against theretro red lipstick."We're pretty serious.She's applying for a reception position." He shruggedat the raised eyebrows."For a liberal arts major, your live reception jobsare one of the best paying gigs on offer.""I see.Thank you for telling me.In spite of all our fictional interlinks,we do try to get real ones when we can.You just gave your girlfriend an edge.I hope she's appreciative." Now her grin contained a distinct air of sexualpredation.Page 218ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlHe wordlessly conveyed a certain opportunistic interest, eliciting an extrasparkle from the brown eyes."I'm sure she will be.""Until Monday." Prida Felini turned and walked away, offering him a stunningrear view which he took open advantage of, deciding a leer was in characterafter all.Cally tucked a strand of her shining black bob behind one ear.DespiteHarrison's edict of "no more color changes," he had managed to find her atemporary hair color that she could wear for a month or two before it washedout naturally, with no further damage.He claimed it was protein nourishing,moisturizing, and shaft-reconstructing, whatever that meant.All Cally knewwas that he had made her swear to God she'd brush a hundred strokes, fourtimes a day, with a boar-bristle brush.Whatever.She'd do it because he knewhis stuff.He could worry about the damn details.Her contacts were a deep brown that was nearly black, skin left ghost pale.She was eye-catching, and she was meant to be.The adversary would be watchingGeorge, and her intent was to leave an indelible impression as his girlfriend.The watchers would have no trouble describing her, making security slot herautomatically into a known category when she showed up at his job.She wouldbe meeting him for lunch, daily when possible, until mission execution.Girlfriends were curious.She wouldn't get past the security checkpoint untiland unless she was called in to interview.However, up until they got someoneelse in or went to plan B, she would be the designated man for up close andleisurely reconnaissance everything through the front door and up to thecheckpoint.George could give his full attention to all that was beyond thecheckpoint, and the rest of the team to the other directions of approach tothe target zone.So long as she behaved in character, she would befunctionally invisible.Ogled, yes, but her curiosity unremarked.George was late [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]