Dar took a mouthful of rice and chewed it, while she considered the words. ”Our corporate culture?” she repeated, then waved her fork at the walls. ”You don’t like oak paneling and maroon carpet?” she queried, honestly puzzled. ”What corporate culture are you referring to?” He hesitated. ”It seems to us that your company has a very...open policy on personal behavior,” he stated. ”As well as a great deal of diversity in your employee base.”

One of Dar’s brows rose. ”Most people consider that a corporate asset,” she informed him. ”But what exactly are you getting at?” She paused, and chewed another piece of chicken. ”Whose personal behavior are you getting offended by?”

He cleared his throat, obviously discomfited. ”Yours, actually.”

Dar stopped chewing, and just stared at him. Then she swallowed and took a sip of water from the glass on her desk. ”Excuse me?” She almost laughed. ”What is it you find offensive...my tendency to doodle Hurricane Watch

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in meetings, or my eating lunch in front of you without offering you any?”He looked at her. ”We spent some time in your cafeteria this morning, and heard of a situation between you and your assistant.”

It stopped being funny. Dar felt a cold wave sweep over her, and she knew it must have showed in her face, because she saw his reaction.

She put her fork down slowly and precisely, then folded her hands on her desk. ”And your problem with that is what?” She heard the drop in her voice, and felt the dark anger stir in her guts.

Dead silence for a dozen heartbeats. ”We come from a God fearing part of the country, Ms. Roberts...and I, personally, find that kind of behavior disgusting.” He looked right at her, lifting his chin a little.

”And my colleagues feel the same.”

A dozen nasty retorts crossed Dar’s mind, and she discarded them.

”Well, Mr. Evans, our company’s official policy is one of non-discrimination, and I’m pretty damn proud of that. I’m sorry you don’t feel the same.” She paused. ”Let me make sure I understand, though...you’ve got a problem with me because I’m gay, right?”

His face twitched at the word. ”I accept God’s word on his views about that, so yes.”

”Let’s not get into a debate on religion,” Dar replied. ”You won’t like my views on that, either, I’m sure.” She took several deep breaths, to bleed off the angry tension. ”All right. Well, Mr. Evans, in the first place, my personal life is no business of yours.”

”I don’t think we’ll be comfortable dealing with you,” he interrupted. ”And even if that were not so, your bowing to foreign culture here is something we find very upsetting. Ms. Roberts, do you realize a good portion of your employees do not speak English in the workplace?”

Dar felt her nostrils flare. ”Mr. Evans, fifty percent of our employees have something other than English as their native language, based on the fact that they are citizens of another country,” she reminded him. ”We are an international organization, in case that slipped your mind.”

”We find that—” He never got to finish. Dar stood up and came around the desk, cold sparks flashing in her pale eyes.

”Do you know what I find offensive?” she growled, leaning on her desk. ”I find your small mindedness offensive, Mr. Evans. So I’ll tell you what, I’ll call down to our marketing group, and we’ll just call this little arrangement off, all right?”

”That was my objective, yes.” He stood stiffly. ”I’m sorry you cannot understand our feelings in the matter.”

”I’m not.” Dar let out a short laugh. ”But let me tell you. I’m going to have the publicity group release a statement saying we cut you loose because you were too prejudiced for us to deal with.”

He drew himself up. ”It’s not prejudice, Ms. Roberts. It has nothing 316

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to do with that. It’s just how we see ourselves, and who we prefer to deal with.”

Dar just shook her head. ”Then you’ll find yourself on the inside of a circle growing smaller day by day, mister...and you know what?” She leaned closer, watching him edge back. ”We’ll go in there and take all the business away from you anyway.”

”Not after we talk to those clients, and let them know what kind of people you are,” he told her, smugly. ”The rest of the country isn’t like this place, Ms. Roberts.”

Dar smiled at him. ”Mr. Evans, when I’m done cutting a deal for them, they won’t care if I’m a cross dressing transgendered muskrat.”

She dropped her voice to a low growl. ”Now, get out of here, before I have you thrown out.”

He walked to the door, and looked back at her, his hand on the latch. ”You are an abomination in the eyes of God, Ms. Roberts.”

”Any god I believe in doesn’t know what the word hate is, Mr.

Evans,” Dar replied mildly. ”I pity you.” She watched the door close after him, and let her held breath out. ”Shit.”

Damn it all to hell. Stupid piece of shit righteousness stuffed up his butt son of a— Dar walked around her desk and dropped into her chair, shaking her head in disgust, as she considered what to tell José.

What a way to start out her new job.

”TWO OF THESE divisions aren’t showing much profit.” Duks pointed to a line on the page. ”I think some changes need to be made there. Perhaps you could take a look.”

Dar regarded the paper, and nodded. ”They’re not writing good contracts.” She shook her head. ”They’re just putting in new business, and not really adding to the bottom line.” The late afternoon sunlight reflected into the office, and warmed her back. ”I’ll have their new stuff put under technical review.”

”Good. ” Duks stretched. ”So, how’s it feel?”

Blue eyes regarded him in puzzlement. ”How does what feel?”

”Being the master of all you survey?” the Finance VP replied, with a twinkle. ”Did I hear a rumor you were going to cancel the Interlock agreement? What happened?”

Dar regarded her desktop. ”Mr. Evans didn’t think he could do business with us,” she replied evenly.

Her phone buzzed. ”Dar, is Mr. José on numero uno for you.”

Dar sighed. ”Okay.” She hit the button. ”Yeah?”

”What is this I hear, you cut loose Interlock?” José’s voice came through, thick with outrage. ”What’s this shit, Dar?”

”That’s right, I did,” Dar replied flatly. ”He said he couldn’t work with us, so I cut him loose. Got a problem?”

”Hell yes, I have a problem with that!” José shot back. ”What do Hurricane Watch

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you think you’re doing? We had a business plan in Idaho. I am having seven major contracts going in there.”

”Not with his cooperation. Try something else,” Dar answered. ”Go around him.”

”Merde. That’s a load of— What was his problem?” José demanded.

Dar hesitated, then her jaw clenched. ”I was.”

Dead silence. ”You?” José spluttered. ”Jesu, it figures. Did you tell him off or...no, I bet he found out you’re sleeping with that little slut of yours, and I tell you...”

Duks got around the desk and grabbed Dar’s hand, slamming his own down on the mute button. ”Dar!” He called urgently, seeing the pale blue eyes go gray with fury. ”Hold it.. ”

”Let me go, Louis.” Dar felt the tremors start. ”I’m gonna fire his ass.”

”Come on...listen to me.” The Finance VP stood his ground, speaking softly. ”He’s an ignorant jerk, but life’s full of them, and so’s the company. You can’t fire them all, my friend.”

Dar sucked in a breath, and released it, trying to keep a lid on the anger. ”I can fire this one, and maybe the others will get the message,”

she finally said, in a low voice. ”I am not going to put up with it, Louis.”

”Okay. Okay...but, please, please, my friend...give him one warning. Just one. Keep our asses out of the courts, all right?” Duks asked, reasonably. ”You know he’ll do it again, Dar...please.”

The CIO let her hands fall to the desk, and she leaned on them. For a long minute she stared at the wood surface, then hit the mute button.

”José?”

”Si? I knew this was going to get us into trouble, and I tell you.”

”Shut up.”

Silence.

”I want you to listen to me, all right?” Dar enunciated her words carefully.

”Si?”

”If you ever make a statement like that about anyone who works here ever again, I’m not only going to personally fire you, I am going to come down to your office, pick you up, carry you outside, and beat the living daylights out of you in front of the entire company,” Dar stated softly. ”Do you understand me?”

Long silence.

”I asked, do you understand me?” Dar requested softly.

”Si.” Came back, very subdued.

Dar exhaled. ”Good. Now he had two issues. My being gay and you’re being Cuban. I didn’t figure either of us was going to change any time soon, so I told him to take a hike.”

Long pause. ”That puta had a problem with me?” José’s voice rose.

”My father came over to this country with nothing but a cigar wrapper and six banana leaves, and ended up owning half the real estate in 318

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Hialeah, so he can kiss my Cuban ass.”

”Yeah, well... So find another way up there.” Dar repeated, then disconnected the call. She stared at the fighting fish as her blood pressure slowly dropped, aware of Duks’s close presence. ”I think he owes you a thank you.”

”Mm,” Duks murmured.

Dar glanced up. ”I think I do too,” she added, quietly.

The accountant shifted a little. ”My friend, it’s hard, I know. I understand.”

”Somehow I doubt the majority of the company considers you and Mari an abomination in the eyes of God, Lou,” Dar replied, as she sat down, and rested her hands on the desk. ”You try not to care, but it gets a bit much sometimes.”