The video meeting was supposed to start at one but Laurie was still waiting for James, their boss and host, to start the meeting. It was odd that James had only invited the female auditors to this meeting. Laurie hoped that it wasn't anything bad.
At ten past one, James finally started the meeting. He didn't waste any time and got right to the point.
"Ladies, I've called this meeting because we've had an unusual request. We have a client who has requested a two-week training session on auditing and applicable standards and specified that they want a female consultant for this. I won't lie to you, normally, we would have advised this client that we don't discriminate but with the money they're offering, we thought we'd offer you the chance to do this."
James went on to describe what standards the client wanted to learn. It was twenty two product standards as well as two quality management standards. He told them that the client wanted to do a few mock audits and understand the systems and processes. Olivia, one of the other ladies pointed out "That is more like a month's worth of work, not just two weeks."
"They want it compressed into two weeks and they say they can work longer hours and will happily pay extra for the overtime."
James described the proposed payments and it was indeed very very interesting. He then added that all travel expenses would be included and that it also included meals, accommodations and more.
It sounded too good to be true. Olivia obviously thought the same as she asked "Okay, James, what's the catch?"
"It's in Sweden. And it's in a week from now."
Two of the ladies each said "Well, I'm out, I've got kids."
Two others indicated that they couldn't go at that time because they had prior commitments with other clients so that left Olivia and Laurie. James added "There's one more thing. The client's rep said that their client could be a tad difficult to handle at times."
Olivia then said "I'm out. Laurie is the best for that type of client. Besides, that'll be prime PMS week for me and you all know I have no patience during my PMS so not a good first week to spend with a difficult client."
And so it came down to Laurie. James told her that he would give her name to the client's rep who would send her all the necessary information for her flights and logistics. They also had her sign a confidentiality and non disclosure agreement that specifically stated that she was never to reveal where precisely she had gone and who she had worked with. Although she found it odd, she saw nothing in the agreement that was a problem so she signed it.
Laurie spent the week preparing the lessons and documents she would need. She had been told that there would be a power converter available for her computer as well as a projector and screen and the necessary cables to hook up to it. Not knowing if there would be access to printers or photocopiers, she had it all ready ahead of time. It was a lot of work for only one person but with what she and the company were going to get paid, it was worth it. The instructions she had been given indicated the best way for her to beat the time difference and she followed the advice.
Laurie made her way to Sweden, being flown first class where she could actually lay down fully and sleep comfortably. There was a layover of a few hours in London and then her final destination. Once there, she was met with a chauffeur holding a sign with her name on it. When they got to the town car, he put her suitcases in the trunk and then opened the back door. She asked "Will this be a quick drive or a long drive?"
"It will be a three hour drive ma'am."
"I've never been to Sweden before, would it be acceptable if I sat up front with you and get a better view? If you could also point out the sights and places, that would be great."
"While it's unusual, I don't see a problem."
He closed the back door and opened the front door and allowed her in. He then went around and got into the driver's side. Along the way, he pointed out the sights and special places to her and was an excellent tour guide. When they got to their destination, he told her to go inside and that he would bring in her bags.
When she walked in, she was greeted by the client's aide who introduced himself as Victor. He showed her the main floor of the huge villa they were in. He introduced her to the chef who asked her what she would like for dinner and showed her a menu with five options. Laurie picked what she felt was the simplest dish and the chef told her it would be delivered to her room in an hour. Victor showed her the dining room where meals would be served starting in the morning; he showed her the living room, the games room and the meeting room where the teaching would take place. He also showed her the restrooms they could use during the day.
Victor then showed her the second floor where the rooms were. All but three of the doors were open. He told her that he was occupying one, the housekeeper was occupying a second and that the chef was occupying the third one. He showed her the four other rooms and had her pick one. Laurie picked the room with the most feminine decoration of old dusty rose wallpaper and a white ruffled bedspread. Laurie saw a staircase going further up and asked about it. Victor told her that the staircase lead to the attic suite and that it was reserved for his boss. Victor then showed her the balcony at the end of the hallway. While they went out to look at the view from there, the driver put her suitcases in the room she had picked.
The view from the large balcony was amazing. It overlooked a beautiful calm lake surrounded by rolling hills. This was truly an amazing place.
Victor escorted her back to her room and said "The chef will bring you your meal soon. When you're done, simply put the tray back out on this table in the hallway. There is an alarm clock in the room. You will be served breakfast at the dinner table around 8:30 am and then be expected in the meeting room at 9:15 am to start teaching. Now, do remember this, you have signed a non disclosure agreement so you are never to reveal who your student is nor are you ever to even pronounce his name. If you need to, you address him as 'sir'. You are not to ask him anything about his work. Is that understood?"
"Yes."
"Do you have any questions?"
"May I go set up the training material in the meeting room tonight or should I wait for tomorrow?"
"That is entirely your decision. Whatever you put in there will not be touched at all, even if you leave your computer, you have my word. Anything else?"
"No, that's good, thank you!"
Laurie went into her room and unpacked her suitcase. Just as she finished, dinner was delivered to her room on a beautiful wooden tray. The chef put it on the small table in the corner of her room and wished her "Bon appetit".
Laurie devoured dinner. For one, she was super hungry but two, it was absolutely delicious! When she was done, she relaxed with the tea that was included and started thinking about the work to be done in the days ahead. She took out her planning and went over it once more.
After she finished her tea, she took her teaching material down stairs and went to set it up in the meeting room. She tested the power and the projector and was satisfied that it was all good. She put her own copies close to the computer and projector. Then, she set the copies for her student on the table close to the door. The student would then have the liberty of taking them and sitting wherever they wanted. She was impressed that next to the screen, there was a white board with several markers and an eraser. There were note pads, pens, highlighters and stickie notes available for their use too.
There was a sidebar set up with glasses, cups, spoons and tea bags. There were stations ready to receive coffee, hot and cold water dispensers. There were mints, chocolates as well as napkins and tissues too. Whoever had set this up was amazing.
She went back up to her room with the intent to take a long shower so she could wash her long hair and style it for the morning. She did just that and, tired from a long day of travelling, went to bed early. Their advice on taming jet lag seemed to be working as she was tired at the right time to go to bed for the first night in a very different time zone.
Laurie got up the next morning and got dressed. She had chosen a navy blue pant suit with a light pink blouse. She had a long dark pink scarf that she put around her neck and down under her lapels. If she got cold, she could wrap it around her shoulders. If she was warm, she could take it and the jacket off. She had options. She finished getting ready and, grabbing her purse, she went down to the dining room.
Laurie was surprised that she was alone but she ate her breakfast and complimented the chef. At 9 am, she made her way to the meeting room and turned on her computer to get her presentation ready. She poured herself a glass of water and a tea. She nervously fidgeted with her documents, waiting for her student to show up. Victor came in and asked "Do you have everything you need? Your student is on his way down."
"Yes, thank you."
"If you find anything missing, dial 200 on that phone there. And remember, discretion is key."
"Thanks."
Victor left.
The student showed up at exactly 9:15. Walking in, he was turning his back to her to close the door behind him. When he turned around, Laurie couldn't help but gasp. There, in front of her stood one of the richest, most powerful men in the world. For one, she couldn't believe he could take the time off from his busy schedule to be there and then, she couldn't understand why he would want to learn all this. Normally, she would have asked but she maybe she should skip this part today. He came up to her, put out his hand and spoke first "Hello Laurie. I trust you understand the need for confidentiality?"
She shook hands with the man, looking him in the eyes. He had beautiful light blue eyes which surprised her. Somehow, when she'd seen pictures of him or seen him on tv, they hadn't seemed that blue.
"I do, Sir. You have my word that all of this will remain confidential."
He grabbed a tea. Laurie said "I've prepared documents for you there. I'll let you pick your seat."
He opted to sit not far from her and said "Do proceed."
Laurie started by fully introducing herself and sharing her qualifications as well as a bit of a summary of her career as an auditor and consultant. He seemed impressed at the number of audits she had performed. She then went over the program she had set up. They would review between three and five product standards a day and then move on to the management standards and finally, the auditing.
After that, she gave him a bit of a history of the standards they were going to work through.
"Any questions so far?"
"No."
"I have a question for you. Do you wish for me to verify your comprehension of what we go over or would you just like an overview? How in depth should I go?"
