Her Client?

HER CLIENT?

By

littleOneWon

CH 01

There are no sexual escapades in this story. If you are still reading after that opening sentence, I must warn you that most of this story consists of conversation. If you don't like dialog, this will not be your cup of tea. I have, however, avoided using a bundle of quotes during the long conversations by prefacing her words with "She said," and mine with "I said." If you are still reading, here we go---

My name is Allan. My wife is Tammy. We became friends when we were pursuing the same major in college. We married when we were both 25 years old. We now have similar jobs with competing firms. It is the nature of our chosen occupation to remain in the background as we represent our well-known or even famous clients. Early on, we adopted a policy of never discussing our clients or their current projects lest we find ourselves on opposite sides of the proverbial fence. We each knew which people our spouse represented, but we didn't share any details of current projects or future plans.

From the beginning of our marriage, we both wanted a family. We now have a seven-year-old girl, Gloria, and a five-year-old boy, Dave. We have been very happy, first as a couple, and now as a family.

Both of us have stuck to our "no disclosure" rule religiously until today when Tammy chose to nudge it more than a little bit.

My first clue that this day would be different was when she shook me awake at 5 am. We usually get up at 6, but this morning, a full hour earlier than normal, she placed two steaming cups of coffee and two warm apple fritters on our bedside table. This marked the very first day that we enjoyed breakfast in bed together.

I asked her what the occasion was, and I'm sorry to say, she told me.

She said:

As you know, Allen, rules are made to be broken. I need to consult with you about a couple of my clients. Please let me say my piece without interruption. When I finish, I encourage you to react verbally to what you've heard me say. Don't hold back. Empty your mind and your heart. That's the whole reason for this conversation. I want and need to know the reaction of both your heart and brain to my words. You have always been there for me and your advice has always been spot-on. With that in mind, here I go!

Something is happening at work today that I need to discuss with you. I probably should have mentioned it earlier, but I never thought it would get this far. It concerns my most valued "client," the only one that I just can't afford to lose. I will keep within our "no discussion" policy as much as possible. I will mention no names and I won't compromise the people involved in any way, but I need to tell you enough to get your advice. Only someone that understands our profession can help me with this matter.

I'm fairly confident that you have experienced something similar with one or more of your clients. You are the one that I always turn to when I face any difficult situation, so with the above-mentioned stipulations in mind, I beg you to listen to my story and help me find a solution to my dilemma.

It started several weeks ago when I saw an appointment on my calendar with a person whose name was familiar to me and probably to most everyone that enjoys his chosen music genre. He scheduled a meeting to discuss getting me to represent him. Just let me say that to do that would put him in direct competition with the person that I'm calling "my most valued client." I will resort to using the Greek alphabet and just call that client "Alpha." Alpha has two associates that are very close to him. I will refer to those associates as "Gamma" and "Delta."

It goes without saying that it's not in my best interests to deal with anyone that could endanger my relationship with Alpha, Delta, and Gamma. In fact, if I were to lose them, my whole world would crumble. Having said that, it was too late to cancel the aforementioned meeting, so I just decided to be very careful when talking to this new potential client. In keeping with the Greek alphabet ruse, I will refer to him as Beta.

I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by Beta when he arrived. He was quite a bit older than me. It only took a few minutes for me to learn to appreciate his wealth of experience. It was obvious that he knew his field very well. After all, he's nothing short of a superstar.

He started by saying that he had terminated his relationship with his former agent and he wanted me to assume that role for him. He presented some pretty persuasive arguments as to how he could enhance my status in the industry and improve some important aspects of my life, all with no threat whatsoever to my relationship with Alpha. He called it a win/win situation.

During our sixty minutes together, we were able to get farther than I've ever ventured with a new client before. There just seemed to be some immediate simpatico. He even showed me a few new tricks that he guaranteed would improve my relationship with Alpha. Nevertheless, I was somewhat uncomfortable during our meeting. I didn't want others in our office to know that I was talking with an Alpha competitor--or even worse--to have someone that knew Alpha see me with Beta.

Beta could see that I was uncomfortable and he suggested that we continue our meeting over lunch at a restaurant. I informed him that I was participating in a working lunch with some colleagues. Then he suggested that we meet for drinks and business after work. I informed him that my daughter was pitching in a softball game that evening. There was no way I was missing that. Beta was disappointed but he understood. He left the door open by saying perhaps we could arrange something the next time he was in town. We left it at that.

During the ensuing days, I began to very slowly phase in with Alpha the new tricks that Beta had taught me. Alpha didn't seem to detect the changes but I noticed that the bottom line had improved! That was encouraging and it made me rethink the possible value of a secret relationship with Beta.

The next week, my Tuesday morning began with a phone call from Beta. He suggested lunch at the Hilton, where he was staying. My warning lights began shining and red flags were waving. I countered with an offer to meet at a place near my office. It was called "The Watering Hole." It featured a well-stocked bar, some very private booths, and some surprisingly good food. When he rang off, I had a date scheduled with him at the Watering Hole!

We made some good progress for the first half-hour of our "date." He discreetly demonstrated several more tricks. I was gradually becoming more appreciative of the experience that he brought to the table. He was in his sixties, but he didn't look like it or act like it. His knowledge was impressive and his demeanor was infectious. We were discussing how our relationship could be formalized without Alpha becoming aware of it. I insisted that we couldn't let Alpha know or even suspect that I was contemplating becoming Beta's agent.

Our discussion ended abruptly when I saw an associate of Alpha walking through the door. I grabbed my purse and carefully slipped out of the booth without a word to Beta. I walked behind the bar and slipped out the side door. I silently prayed that I hadn't been seen.

When I was safely in the privacy of my office, I telephoned Beta to let him know why I left so abruptly. He said we needed to quit going to these public places. He said that we needed more privacy. I agreed.

As the days passed with me waiting for his next call, I found myself comparing all of my male colleagues to Beta. I agreed with myself that Beta had no equal among them. He was so knowledgable, so experienced, so eloquent, so debonair, so everything. No one else came close. I should say, no one but Alpha, who remained my most valued "client."

My next call from Beta was a short one. He just said he wanted me to call him from my personal cell phone as soon as I could do so in a private setting. I begged off from lunch with the girls and called Beta from a bench in the park. He told me that it was time to "shit or get off the pot."

He said that he had devised a contract that spelled-out in detail how we would work together and soar to heights where the air is rare and exotic adventures abound. He stressed that the relationship we would be embracing was designed to have no impact on my relationship with Alpha. In fact, Alpha would benefit from all the new strategies and tricks that I would be learning from Beta. As for Beta, his universe would be complete the minute I joined forces with him. It was the quintessential "flawless agreement." Everyone would benefit!

The next step would be for me to carefully consider all of the elements of his proposal. He wanted me to read it page by page and cover to cover. He stressed once again that signing on to represent him would in no way harm my relationship with Alpha. He guaranteed it.

He said that enough time had elapsed and I knew him well enough to make a decision. We needed to execute the agreement without further delay. It needed to be done in a place that provided complete privacy. He suggested his hotel room. It would be the perfect place to consummate our agreement.

Allen, here is why I'm telling you all of this. I agreed to meet Beta in his room at noon today. I need to hear you say that it's alright to bend the rules of our profession slightly when it benefits everyone.

I've never asked you about your relationships with your clients, but now I need to know your thoughts about an agreement like I'm considering.

I hope that you will tell me that you have done something like this before and it turned out well. I value your opinion above everything. Am I about to make an unconventional but auspicious career move, or am I about to make an irreversible mistake?

I hope that you understand the words that I've spoken and appreciate all of the related undercurrents. It is with hope, but also consternation, that I turn the floor over to you. What sayest thou?

I said:

Since we work in similar, if not identical, fields; I completely understand your dilemma in professional terms. There is always a temptation to take on a client that is in competition with one of your existing clients. While doing so could be profitable, it is very risky and, in my view, also unethical. That's my professional opinion in a nutshell.

Having said that, before I can give you an answer to what I perceive to be the question that you're actually asking, I need to talk about words. You have always been better with words than I am. You aced all of your English classes while I just barely passed. So, I'm at a big disadvantage here. I don't know the words to use to describe my innermost feelings about what I just heard you say. I'm convinced that there's more to your words than what enters the ear. I'm not sure of how to describe it. The word "duplicity" comes to mind, but I'm not sure it fits. You probably remember the discussion in professor Davison's English class about a word that might fit. As I remember it, the word was "polysemy," but I may have that wrong. Along those lines, it appears that I may have had quite a few things wrong about our relationship and our marriage. Perhaps I've been looking through rose-colored glasses, not seeing things as they actually are.

Keeping in mind that I may not be answering the question that you are asking, I will just proceed with my conception of your inquiry.

Let me start by saying that I perceive your words to be an attempt to turn a trashy, filthy, gutter story into a Greek tragedy. I'll just attempt to play along with that for now.

I have a "client" that is to me what Alpha is to you. In keeping with your Greek alphabet ruse, I will call my "client" Tau. I would not, and I mean never-ever, allow any other client to endanger what I've always thought was my padlocked connection to Tau. Tau is on a pedestal that can be reached only by a private ladder that belongs to me unilaterally. If someone else was to violate my ownership of that ladder and climb up to Tau; the ladder, the pedestal, and Tau would come crashing down, never again to be touched by me.

As to your question as to whether or not I have ever faced a situation like yours, I can recall at least four occasions when I faced a situation like the one that I think you are describing. Unlike you, I never allowed any of them to grow, much less blossom. I knew in my heart that if I allowed it to grow, every petal on the flower would have to be kept secret from Tau. As more and more flowers appeared, those secrets would be more and more difficult to keep hidden. In short, I chose not to till the ground, let alone plant the seed.

It's a little late to advise you to do what I did. Your plant has already grown. If the flower hasn't already appeared, it will soon. Petal by petal, it will grow and grow.

Finally, I have indeed noticed some changes in your behavior during the last few weeks. I must admit that they have been good changes and that they pleased me. I thought that you had just decided to be a little more adventurous. Now, I'm not so sure. Maybe you had a teacher! If so, I can only fantasize about what went on in his classroom and wonder how much time you spent there. Then again, maybe you've already told me.

Okay, enough with the Greek crap. Here's what I think you're saying. You've had a client of mine ask you to represent him. He has been a star in his field and he is older, more experienced, and so on. You swooned for him and fell hard, right on his you know what. At some point, you remembered me, Gloria, and Dave. What to do? What to do? How about getting my permission for what you're doing! So, you took your slime, wrapped it in a Greek scroll, and asked me to read it and sign it, thereby giving my approval to your ruse. Well, I will never sign it.

That doesn't mean you have to stop your sordid behavior, just that it has a cost that you need to be prepared to pay. Do I have everything about right?

She said:

After hearing what you've said and what you suspect, I'm reconsidering everything about my relationship with Beta. I think I'll call him this morning. I'll tell him that I have counted the cost and found that a trip to the Hilton today will cost me much more than I can afford. I will recommend burning the contract. Furthermore, I will inform him that he is no longer on my list of potential clients. All ties will be forever severed. I thank my lucky stars that I got up early to prepare breakfast for us. I now know what it means when they say that honesty is the best policy.

I said:

Honesty is indeed the best policy, but it is time-restricted. It has to happen before any lasting damage has occurred. Speaking of damage, here's some more Greek for you: I just examined the ladder that I told you about. I discovered that it has a badly broken rung. Once a rung breaks, the whole ladder enters a danger zone. It can never be trusted again. What I'm saying in my own duplicitous way is that you shouldn't make that phone call to Beta this morning. You should instead make the trip to the Hilton at noon. It's what you really want to do and you will never be happy with going back to what used to be. Don't worry about me. I'll be alright. After hearing your words today, I no longer feel the way I used to feel about our life together or our marriage.

I don't believe you learned those "tricks" that you shared with me in a restaurant. I don't believe that today was going to be your first trip to his room. In short, I don't believe you and I don't trust you. Love without trust is worthless. Go do what you have to do.

I'm not saying that I won't suffer, because I will. In keeping with your duplicity, so will "Gamma" and "Delta." I'm not certain about things between you and Beta, but I do know something that you need to hear.

First, I know that your Beta is Buddy Black. After all, I've been his agent for many years, as you well know. What you don't know is how much his numbers have dropped recently. He's still the revered "grandfather" of his genre, but that "grandfather" title is the problem.

He hasn't kept up with the ever-changing scene in this digital world. He's still thinking about yesterday's songs and vinyl records while a multitude of new performers that compete with him are thinking about tomorrow's songs and streaming.

I used every arrow in my quiver trying to bring him into this brave new world. Nothing worked. It finally got to the point where the only place I could book him was on the casino circuit.

He blamed me for his falling numbers and obscure bookings. He severed our relationship saying that he would make me pay. He promised to "get even" with me. I'll give him credit; he sure kept that promise. He found the only tool, yes, the one-and-only tool that would allow him to hurt me as much as humanly possible. He found you.

To be continued