To Tame a Tycoon (2 page)

“And what does that have to do with anything?”  he demanded.

“A lot, actually.”  She kept her tone cool and nonthreatening.  She had no intention of putting him on the defensive.  “You have a mixed European background but now you’re in an environment where you must relate to an American staff.”

“So?”

“There’s a cultural divide here, one which you have to cross.  And that’s what I’m here for - to help you make that leap.”

Rico gave a snort of derision.  “You book an appointment and tie up thirty minutes of my day to tell me this? 
Merde!
 This is all Psychology nonsense.”  He got up from the desk and walked over to the window.  He shook his head, looking tense and frustrated.  “Listen, Miss Miller-”

“Asia,” she said, calmly watching him, assessing his every move.

“Asia,” he repeated.  “I don’t have time to waste.  Europeans and Americans aren’t all that different.  Our cultures are quite similar.  Why waste time discussing my cultural background?  It’s irrelevant.”

Asia shook her head and gave him a gentle smile.  “That’s where you’re wrong.  Family background and culture have everything to do with the issues you're having right now.”

“I’m not having any issues,” he said, his tone defensive.  “The employees are.”

Asia nodded.  “I agree.  But as long as they're having issues you are, too.  The head can’t be okay if the body is in trouble.”

That silenced him.  For the moment.  As he stared back at her he frowned, seeming deep in thought.

Before he could come back with a rejoinder she continued.  “Now let's look at the cultural aspect of things.  From my personal observations I think it is safe to say that Europeans, particularly the French, tend to be more direct in their speech than Americans.”

He said nothing but cocked his head to one side and gave her a sidelong glance.  He was listening but didn’t want to seem too interested.  She knew that look.  At least he was paying attention.  And looking cute while doing it.

Asia shook her head. 
Focus, woman.
  She continued.  “The manner in which you communicate with your team is very different from the norm in this country.”

“What manner are you talking about?” He was frowning again.

“You express your anger very openly,” she said, keeping all judgment from her voice.  “You’re free with your expressions of frustration and often use swear words during discussions.  Using swear words is your own personal touch but such behavior does not sit well with the recipients of those reprimands.”

“But it’s all part of the discussion,” he said, looking at her like she was stupid to even bring it up.  “How else can you get new ideas if you don’t have spirited discussions?”

“Spirited discussion is great.”  She nodded in agreement.  “However, it gets difficult when the boss dominates the discussion and is so free with his judgment and criticism that his team members are driven into silence.”

He opened his mouth to speak but she put up a hand.

“No, let me finish.”  She was not about to let him dominate her, too.  “It may be out of self-doubt or it may be out of fear but the fact remains that your people are not talking.  They're not sharing their ideas and it’s because of you.”

He was biting his lips now and she could see the struggle on his face.  He wanted to speak but he was not about to let her halt him again.  Clearly, he didn’t like being told what to do.

“Your leadership style needs a touch of diplomacy, Rico.  Sometimes it’s not what you say but how you say it.”

“
Zut alors!
  That is enough.”  He threw up his hands, finally letting out his frustration.  “Do you think my people are stupid?  Why would they be afraid of me?  Just because I let off steam and express myself in meetings?  That is hogwash. 
Basura
."

“So why do you think they called me in?”  She gave him a tight smile.  

“I don’t know,” he said.  “Probably a stupid joke, just something to waste my time. 
Demonios
!"

“Rico,” she said softly, “you do realize you've been using swear words in my presence even though we've just met?”

“Swear words?”

“Yes, swear words.  Whether in French, Greek or Spanish, that’s what they are - swear words.  And whatever the language, they sound just as ugly.”

That seemed to take him aback.  He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe what she was saying then he walked over and pulled out the chair from behind his desk.  He sat down.

When he looked at her his lips were tight but his eyes had lost some of their fire.  Just a little.  “What do you want from me?”

Good.  Now she had him exactly where she wanted him.  It had finally sunk in and he was beginning to realize the error of his ways.  “I want you to allow me to coach you for the next few weeks, no questions asked.  I don’t want to make you who you’re not, but I want to make you the most effective leader you can be for your American team.”

She got up then, confident in the power she had to help this man if he would let her.  And, for the moment at least, he was ready to listen.  “If I am to work with you I need you to follow my instructions.”

That got her a glare but she pressed on.  “To the letter.  No objections.  And I want to start with this meeting you say you have in less than ten minutes.  I want to be in that meeting.  I need to see you in action, to observe you as you interact with your various departments.  This will be my starting point.”

He let his breath out in a whoosh and sat back in his seat.  He did not look at all pleased at her demand.  He looked like he was about to object but then he shook his head.  “Alright,” he said with a deep sigh.  “The quicker you get started the quicker I can get you off my back.”  He turned his narrowed gaze on her.  “You can attend my meeting on one condition.”

“Which is?”  She raised an eyebrow at him.

“I don’t hear a peep out of you.  Not a word or else you’ll be out of there so fast you won’t know what hit you.”

For a moment she just stared at him, letting the silence speak for her.  His comment really didn’t merit a response.  He was simply resorting to his tried and true technique of intimidation.  But he was trying it out on the wrong person.

Asia gave Rico a warm smile, making it clear that she was immune to his threat.  “I'm ready for the meeting,” she said, deliberately avoiding mention of his comment.  “Lead the way.”

For a moment Rico just stared at her, seeming nonplussed.  He’d probably expected his nasty comment to get some sort of rise out of her.  He was trying to put her on the defensive.  She knew that tactic all too well and it wasn’t going to work.  Not on her.

As Asia got up from her chair, ready to follow Rico to his meeting, she smiled to herself.  This assignment was definitely going to be fun.

Enrico Megalos would soon find out that he had finally met his match.

CHAPTER TWO

Zut
.  Rico marched down the hallway toward the conference room with Asia Miller close on his heels.  What the heck had he gotten himself into?  When Cynthia Haye, his head of HR, had met with him to discuss the little 'problem' in the office he'd been surprised.  He couldn't imagine that his employees took his little tirades seriously.  Still, when she'd expressed the concern he'd agreed to meet with the consultant just to humor her.  He'd had no idea that the consultant would have turned out to be a dark-eyed, ebony-haired pixie who looked like she took her job very seriously.

He'd been shocked when the immaculately dressed woman, her hair pulled up into a sleek bun, walked into his office looking little bigger than a child.  She was probably all of five feet three inches tall - in heels.  But despite her diminutive size he could see she was no pushover.  When he'd tried to bully her she'd refused to be intimidated.

But it was when he reached out to shake her hand that he got his greatest shock.  Their hands touched and right at that moment he went hard.   Rock solid.  Like a damn teenager with a schoolboy crush. 
Merde
.

Now he would have Miss Asia Miller in his meeting, watching his every move.  He would have to be on guard.  There was no way he was going to let this 'personality coach' catch  him in a faux-pas, no matter how beautiful she was.

They were the first to arrive so Rico took the opportunity to seat Asia at the very back of the conference room and out of his immediate line of vision.  Any closer and she'd be nothing but a source of distraction.

Jim Henessey, the air operations manager, arrived on the dot of eleven-thirty and took up his usual position at the end of the table on the side opposite to Rico.  They nodded in greeting then Jim's eyebrows raised as he caught sight of Asia.  His eyes brightened as he gave her a look of interest. 

Rico scowled.  What business did Jim have, eyeing a woman he didn't even know?  He didn't have time to ponder this further as Sharon Halliday and Nicholas Pringle entered the room, talking animatedly.  They were both regional sales managers reporting to Ben Sampson, the director for sales and reservations, who followed behind.

"Rico," Ben said, and walked over to shake his hand.  His sales managers nodded to Rico and took up their positions on either side of their boss.  Last to come were Sarah Snow, VP of Marketing, and Kyle Pitt, her marketing research analyst.  They greeted Rico and sat opposite the sales team as they always did.  There was an ongoing rivalry between the sales and marketing teams, partly driven by their leaders and partly by the spirit of competition in the office.  Each team was always trying to outdo the other.  On the sidelines was operations, making sure the business ran according to plan. 

Rico picked up his pen and leaned back in his chair.  "Morning, everyone.  Now that we’re all here, let me introduce Asia Miller who’ll just be an observer to our meeting.  She’s here to make recommendations on how we can enhance…our communication skills.”

At his words Asia gave a nod to the group but then her sharp blue eyes returned to him and in her gaze was a hint of amusement.  Rico tightened his lips and was just barely able to keep himself from scowling.  The woman was laughing at him, was she?  He turned his attention to his team, his mood moving from serious to sour in seconds.  He had to regain control of his emotions.  From here on he’d just ignore the woman.

The meeting started out on a less than positive note with Ben giving a sales report that reflected a decline in cruise ship passengers over the last quarter even though they’d already entered the summer vacation season.

“What’s your excuse this time?”  Rico demanded.  “This is the third quarter in a row.”

Ben heaved a sigh.  “And for the third time in a row, Rico, I have to tell you that the best-made sales strategies and customer calls are nothing in the face of this worldwide recession.  People just aren’t booking cruises the way they used to.  Some of our repeat customers are now without jobs.  That’s the reality-” 

“
Merde
.  That’s no answer to my question, Ben, and you know it.  Our competitors are beating the shirts off our backs.”  Rico gave a hiss of frustration.  “What?  The recession hit us but bypassed them?”

“Jeez, Rico, we’ve gone over this already.”  A pink flush was climbing up Ben’s neck.  “You keep ignoring the fact that our target market is the middle class, working folks who rely on jobs for income.  Fantasia Lines and Chrysalis Cruises both cater to the luxury market.  It’s recession proof-”

Rico waved his hand and silenced Ben mid-speech.  Then he turned to glare at Sarah.  “What are you doing about this?  Isn’t it your job to drive the business?  Obviously, I can’t rely on sales or else I’ll be locking up this shop.  So what are you doing to stop the hemorrhaging?”

Sarah started then she picked up her pen and began to tap it against her notebook.  “Well, Rico,” she began, her voice sounding high pitched and strained, “as you know, the budget was cut-”