Fatal Reaction

let him know the extent of the plotting that was going on against him.
    Rachel, his personal assistant, answered the call. She was the latest in a series of bright young business school graduates who all seemed to work for Stephen for about a year before moving on to positions of greater glamour and less responsibility at one of the big pharmaceutical companies.
    “He’s on the other line and he’s late for a meeting, but I’ll see if he can talk to you,” she said, crisply putting me on hold. Despite my best efforts to be nice to her, Rachel didn’t like me. I suspected she had a crush on her boss and didn’t think I was good enough for him. Having seen it before, I recognized the symptoms. I didn’t let it bother me. All it would take was one good loss of his temper and she’d not only get over her infatuation, but she’d get busy buffing up her resume as well.
    “Kate?” demanded Stephen, coming on the line a few seconds later. “I’ve got people waiting for me.”
    “Then I’ll keep it short. I just came from John Guttman’s office.”
    “That must have been fun.”
    “Jim Cassidy is on the warpath because he hasn’t been able to get hold of Danny.”
    “Danny isn’t in today. He’s at home getting over his jet lag. I told you, this last trip to Japan was very high impact. We were in meetings all day and went out with our hosts drinking every night. I’ve decided that all the books are wrong. Negotiating with the Japanese isn’t about subtle strategies; it’s about surviving the nightlife. I’ll make sure Danny calls Cassidy as soon as he gets in tomorrow.”
    “It would be better if it was today.”
    “Fine. I’ll try to catch him at home. What’s the big rush?”
    “According to Guttman, if you don’t make this deal with Takisawa, Cassidy already has the votes lined up on the board to demand your resignation.”
    “Really? Then he should be happy to hear that I got a fax from Tokyo this morning. Takisawa is sending a delegation of their top scientists and business people here on the nineteenth. They want to hear about our results, see our labs, and talk dollars and cents.”
    “Is there any chance of finalizing the deal while they’re here?” I asked eagerly. The board was scheduled to meet the Monday after Thanksgiving. If we could present them with a signed agreement with Takisawa, it would stop Cassidy and his buddies cold.
    “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves on this, Kate. I know what Cassidy wants. He wants to jack up the share price, sell his stock, and cash out of the company. He doesn’t give a shit what happens to us after he’s gone. I’m not going to let Cassidy or anyone else try to scare me into giving away the store just to come to terms with Takisawa. The way I see it, a bad deal can kill us just as fast as no deal at all. This negotiation with Takisawa is going to be very, very tricky.”
    “Do you think twelve days is enough time to get ready?” I asked. The Japanese are notorious for detailing Westerners to death. Before they wrote a check with that many zeros on it, Takisawa was going to want to know absolutely everything there was to know about Azor right down to the number of fillings in Stephen Azorini’s teeth. “It won’t be easy,” Stephen assured me, “but we’ll do it.”
    “Tell Danny to call me if he wants a hand,” I said, disgusted that I was letting Guttman get to me even this much. “I don’t want him to think I’m trying to muscle in on him, but you know I’m available if he needs me.”
    “I’m sure Danny will be thrilled to have your help,” replied Stephen, suddenly turning grim. “There’s going to be more than enough agony to go around on this one.”
     
    * * *
     
    When Stephen Azorini finished school, he had a medical degree and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry. He also had his pick of academic appointments, not to mention offers from all the big drug companies. None tempted him. He’d long before made up his mind to challenge the giant drug companies at their own game. His plan was to start a pharmaceutical company daring enough to ride the cutting edge of scientific discovery and nimble enough to capitalize on opportunities that the pharmaceutical behemoths with their massive bureaucracies were too slow and cumbersome to exploit.
    Danny Wohl was Azor Pharmaceuticals’ first employee. Danny and Stephen had known each other since college. Danny had gone to Harvard on scholarship, while Stephen had gone to prove