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Forty Three
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Possess Me Slowly Forty Four
“That’s what we’re looking at. From what marketing tells me, we’re already losing business because of our price, our quality, or a combination of both. Furthermore — and this is in your bailiwick — I understand that the magnitude of our sales allowances is increasing alarmingly. The reason for that is that our delivered quality — to be brutally frank — is a long way from great.”Instead of addressing Baxter’s points, Anders retorted, “Where in hell did this cockamamie idea come from, anyway? This airhead you brought to the meeting with you? She can’t know anything about machine tools. She’s just a pretty face, for God’s sake.”“Wait a minute!” Brad interjected. “While I agree that Miss Kane has a lovely face, it happens to be in front of the most powerful brain I’ve ever encountered. ‘Can’t know anything about machine tools’ I think you said? Well, I have a surprise for you: Miss Kane happens to have her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Cal Tech. Her dissertation deals with machin
Possess Me Slowly Forty Five
Kim and Brad were utterly stunned. They were speechless. Kim’s eyes widened, while all Brad could do was to slowly shake his head. “I just don’t understand, George,” he was finally able to say. “Kimberly has been killing herself the last two weeks for AT, and you’re saying we hate you? What’s going on?”“Let’s take it from the top,” Bill Miller said. “First of all, of course, there’s Kim’s court case against us.” He smiled weakly and continued, “Just a few weeks ago, if she won, George and I would have just signed over the company to her. It really wasn’t worth much. But then what happened? Kimberly happened,” answering his own question. “She presents us with the best-designed machine tools the world has ever seen! But there’s more: You two may not even realize it, but because of the integrated computer controls, a product changeover can be managed in a matter of minutes rather than the hours it used to take.“So what? you’re thinking. So it opens enormous new markets to us: companies
Possess Me Slowly Forty Six
“You may,” the judge replied, but then her brow furrowed and she asked, “But didn’t you used to be Candace?”“Yes, Your Honor,” Kim replied with a small grin, “but I got tired of being a piece of candy. While I admit to having a body with all the curves of a candy cane, I still don’t like the name. It’s Kimberly now, or Kim, which I prefer, Your Honor.”“All right, Kim,” Judge Kaplan continued. “What can we do for you?”“Your Honor, I would like to withdraw my complaint and apologize to the court for wasting its time this way—”“You can’t do that!” McCarthy screamed. “This case must continue to trial! It’s far too important to be dropped. Your Honor, please disregard my client’s statement. She doesn’t know what she’s saying.”One of Judge Kaplan’s eyebrows rose at McCarthy’s words. “And why, counselor, may your client not withdraw her complaint? She is the plaintiff; you are not. You merely represent her.”“She cannot because of the contract we have with her,” McCarthy answered smugly
Possess Me Slowly Forty Seven
“Ms. McCarthy, a few hours ago I extended greetings to Miss Harris from Judge Helen Carter. In the course of serving her client’s interest, Miss Harris put her career and her very freedom in jeopardy. She acted in the very highest standards of the legal profession and made us all proud. Her client’s interest was paramount regardless of the cost to herself.“You, Ms. McCarthy, are the polar opposite. You disgust me! You are a disgrace to the profession and your behavior demonstrates perfectly all the things that have brought the legal profession into such ill repute with the general public. Instead of working in your clients’ interest, you worked strictly in your own. To you, a client was nothing more than a cat’s-paw. She served your interest; you certainly never served hers!“You and the foundation you represent claim to be working on behalf of all women. But I find it both alarming and disconcerting that you’re willing to destroy the lives of the women who are your clients in the na
Possess Me Slowly Forty Eight
Kim stood up straight, returned his grin and extended her hand. “As one kid just out of school to another, will you shake on that?”Suddenly Hopkins’ eyes widened. Almost under his breath he murmured, “Kimberly Kane...” Then, sounding excited, he added in his normal voice, “You just received your Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Cal Tech, didn’t you?”Then he laughed out loud. “Kim, this is really going to be funny. Are you aware of the fact that Cal Tech is selling your dissertation at a hundred bucks a copy? Because they are. No wonder the university-press people are falling all over themselves to get the book out on the streets. They’ll have the second printing going before the initial printing is even off the presses.”Then with another laugh he added, “This is going to be fun. What’s next?”“‘What’s next’ is I would like to get Chester Klem, the plant manager, and the vice president of manufacturing down here right away.”Again Mark laughed. “Klem will be here in a few moment
Possess Me Slowly Forty Nine
At that point, Mark Hopkins spoke before Brad had a chance to. “Jack...” he grinned and interjected, “Since I’m no longer on the payroll, I guess I can call you Jack...” Then he continued, “Miss Kane most assuredly has a pretty face, although to be honest, she’s just plain outrageously beautiful. But she’s something else.”Turning to Klem he said, “Chester, I really think you should address Miss Kane by her more appropriate title. She’s Dr. Kane. More specifically, Dr. Kimberly Ann Kane, BE, ME, Ph.D. in mechanical engineering. Her dissertation is now being published and is scheduled for use in graduate courses in machine-tool design and engineering at both Cal Tech and MIT, although I’m certain it will be used wherever such courses might be offered.“You see, gentlemen, Dr. Kane is considered the world’s foremost authority in the field. And a new line of machine tools solely designed by her is sweeping the entire industry. Single-handedly, she has virtually obsoleted every machine to
Possess Me Slowly Fifty
“And what’s going on? he asks stupidly,” Jack said with a wry grin. “Pamela Canfield, who is the father? It looks like you’re about to deliver any minute.”“Not till next week, Dad,” she replied insouciantly. “And the father is my husband. Who else would it be?” Then with a look that was as phony as a three-dollar bill she added, “Oops! Maybe I forgot to tell you that I’m now Mrs. Mark Hopkins? And have been for quite a few months now ... almost a year, in fact.”Jack took his daughter into his arms and kissed her lovingly. Then he took Mark’s hand in a congratulatory grip.Trying to change the subject, Pam said, “You asked Mark what he’s doing now, Dad. The answer is he’s looking for a job. And I came in to talk to you about severance arrangements, particularly medical coverage since I’ll be delivering in about a week or less.”“Severance?” Jack asked, baffled. This was news to him.“Mark was fired first thing this morning,” Pam replied.“What happened?” Jack asked Mark.“I got too i
Possess Me Slowly Fifty One
“And I haven’t, so what’s your problem?” Pam retorted. “But you still haven’t answered my question. What brings you in here?” Then to Kim and Brad, she said, “As you’ve probably gathered, this is Betsy Smith, Dad’s secretary. Oh, yeah, that reminds me...” she added. “This ... thing ... who just came barging in is my mother, Diana Canfield. Although,” she added, “her surname wasn’t Canfield when I was either conceived or born. Her maiden name is Chambers, and I wish to hell she would go back to it. Why she and Dad are still married is a puzzle to me.”Kim looked at the three other women with growing amazement. All were about five feet eight with wavy brown hair and green eyes. Aside from Pam’s pregnancy, the only differences were that Diana appeared much softer than the other two — they appeared to be as muscular as Kim herself — and the fact that Betsy Smith did not appear to have yet filled out. Kim wondered how old the girl was.“I ... I have the information you asked me to get,” th
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