years is still left inside you.”
“I think so.” Jansten’s tone remained even.
“You’re sure now? You’re sure he hasn’t been entirely consumed by nice breakfasts, sailing days, and all the sweet nonsense I heard out at your house?”
“I’m sure,” Jansten said, comfortably. “And I can prove it by kicking your ass out of this company any time you want to continue this line of conversation.”
“Not a problem,” Geoff said, looking at Jansten frankly. “Because this second-in-command shit has nothing to do with me. I’m not staying here in that capacity—not for long anyhow.”
“Well, that would be a shame. And I certainly realized this might happen, given your ego. But I thought that you and Steve might cross-pollinate, so to speak. The company would be all the better for it. Frankly, you would, too.”
“The company is going to fail under Dern. You realize that, don’t you?”
“I realize no such thing. His division has done remarkably well, better than your own.”
“It’s grown, yes, but it hasn’t brought in a fraction of the total revenue,” Geoff snapped. He waved back Jansten’s response, and was pleased to see the old man keep his mouth shut. Geoff had no intention of quibbling on that level. “Steve is a nice guy, but you’ve got a company full of sharks. And he’s going to make them soft. He’ll turn Jansten Enterprises into some sort of matrix system, make sure everyone is happy and nothing gets done.”
“I’m looking at what he’s accomplished already,” Jansten said in that infuriatingly mild tone. “And I’m looking at what you’ve accomplished. Admittedly, it’s a tough choice. My plan, at this point, is to make the recommendation to the board as I described. I had dinner last night with McGarrity, and he agreed to go along.”
At this point. Geoff smiled to himself as he looked back up at the wall. McGarrity would go along. An opening left. And if Geoff was hearing the code of corporate language correctly, McGarrity was agreeing only under pressure. Geoff had done more than a few favors for that old bastard, including sending two teenage hookers to his room one night out in San Francisco. He was sure McGarrity would pop back into line once Jansten let him.
Geoff said, “You know that fat boy I’ve got working for me?”
“You mean Harrison?”
“That’s right. What do you think of him?”
Jansten lifted his eyebrows at the change of topic, but answered. “I don’t know. Sort of a kissass.”
“Would you expect him to go beyond a day’s work?”
“Not much.”
“How about risk? Would he be willing to risk it all?”
“Not that I’ve seen,” Jansten said, tiredly. “What’s your point?”
Geoff pointed to the ledge. Harrison was now visible climbing up the rockface alone. There was no top rope. No one was belaying him from below.
He was free-climbing a rockface far beyond his skill. Even at that distance, they could see that he was terrified.
“What the hell …” Jansten said. “Did you put him up to this?”
Harrison’s wife, Geena, approached them. She moved stiffly, looking up at the wall, then back at Jansten and Geoff. “What’s going on?” she said, looking up at her husband and then back at them. She was struggling to be polite, trying to keep calm. “Michael!” she called out to Harrison. “Cut it out, honey, come on down.” She moved closer to the fall line, and glanced back again at Geoff and Jansten.
When her attention returned to Harrison, Jansten said, quietly, “What the hell did you promise him?”
“My old job,” Geoff said. “If there is any of the man I once worked for left inside of you, he’ll recognize that Dern could never bring himself to push Harrison that hard. If there’s any of you left in there, you’ll recognize that you and this company have succeeded because you’ve hired people like me who can make losers like him succeed. And that’s your legacy whether you like it or not.
“I think so.” Jansten’s tone remained even.
“You’re sure now? You’re sure he hasn’t been entirely consumed by nice breakfasts, sailing days, and all the sweet nonsense I heard out at your house?”
“I’m sure,” Jansten said, comfortably. “And I can prove it by kicking your ass out of this company any time you want to continue this line of conversation.”
“Not a problem,” Geoff said, looking at Jansten frankly. “Because this second-in-command shit has nothing to do with me. I’m not staying here in that capacity—not for long anyhow.”
“Well, that would be a shame. And I certainly realized this might happen, given your ego. But I thought that you and Steve might cross-pollinate, so to speak. The company would be all the better for it. Frankly, you would, too.”
“The company is going to fail under Dern. You realize that, don’t you?”
“I realize no such thing. His division has done remarkably well, better than your own.”
“It’s grown, yes, but it hasn’t brought in a fraction of the total revenue,” Geoff snapped. He waved back Jansten’s response, and was pleased to see the old man keep his mouth shut. Geoff had no intention of quibbling on that level. “Steve is a nice guy, but you’ve got a company full of sharks. And he’s going to make them soft. He’ll turn Jansten Enterprises into some sort of matrix system, make sure everyone is happy and nothing gets done.”
“I’m looking at what he’s accomplished already,” Jansten said in that infuriatingly mild tone. “And I’m looking at what you’ve accomplished. Admittedly, it’s a tough choice. My plan, at this point, is to make the recommendation to the board as I described. I had dinner last night with McGarrity, and he agreed to go along.”
At this point. Geoff smiled to himself as he looked back up at the wall. McGarrity would go along. An opening left. And if Geoff was hearing the code of corporate language correctly, McGarrity was agreeing only under pressure. Geoff had done more than a few favors for that old bastard, including sending two teenage hookers to his room one night out in San Francisco. He was sure McGarrity would pop back into line once Jansten let him.
Geoff said, “You know that fat boy I’ve got working for me?”
“You mean Harrison?”
“That’s right. What do you think of him?”
Jansten lifted his eyebrows at the change of topic, but answered. “I don’t know. Sort of a kissass.”
“Would you expect him to go beyond a day’s work?”
“Not much.”
“How about risk? Would he be willing to risk it all?”
“Not that I’ve seen,” Jansten said, tiredly. “What’s your point?”
Geoff pointed to the ledge. Harrison was now visible climbing up the rockface alone. There was no top rope. No one was belaying him from below.
He was free-climbing a rockface far beyond his skill. Even at that distance, they could see that he was terrified.
“What the hell …” Jansten said. “Did you put him up to this?”
Harrison’s wife, Geena, approached them. She moved stiffly, looking up at the wall, then back at Jansten and Geoff. “What’s going on?” she said, looking up at her husband and then back at them. She was struggling to be polite, trying to keep calm. “Michael!” she called out to Harrison. “Cut it out, honey, come on down.” She moved closer to the fall line, and glanced back again at Geoff and Jansten.
When her attention returned to Harrison, Jansten said, quietly, “What the hell did you promise him?”
“My old job,” Geoff said. “If there is any of the man I once worked for left inside of you, he’ll recognize that Dern could never bring himself to push Harrison that hard. If there’s any of you left in there, you’ll recognize that you and this company have succeeded because you’ve hired people like me who can make losers like him succeed. And that’s your legacy whether you like it or not.
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