by R. R. Banks
A year prior to being sent to Dubai, Alexis and Hannah were dispatched to Azerbaijan, a small country located south of Russia off the Caspian Sea. Once in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, both women set to work from their hotel rooms, arranging meetings with various foreman and rig owners, making progress and building relationships. Ultimately, Alexis learned that her unfamiliarity with her surroundings made her nervous, making it difficult for her to perform her job optimally. She vowed to never let that happen again.
She looked over her desk and nodded in approval, leaning back in her chair and looking out into the office. Without being able to see over her cubicle, she listened to the conversations around her, eavesdropping slightly before turning to face the files on her desk. She knew her first day would be an administrative nightmare, having to go through and confirm the filings of the work done in the past, checking behind the people before her and catching them up to her system. Organization was what made Alexis Matthews successful, and she knew that she would have to get organized quickly because time was not her ally.
Her knowledge of the restrictions regarding the Port of Jebel Ali was also not where it needed to be either, with the documents on her desk all being related to the laws, customs, and limitations she faced when bringing goods into the port for transfer. The port ran efficiently, which pleased Alexis tremendously. With solid organization and a dedicated plan, she knew that she would be able to export the product Hannah acquired with a relative ease.
As she stared at the documents further, gaining a better familiarity with the procedures of the port, Hannah stepped into her cubicle and sat down in the chair across from her desk. Huffing slightly, placing her hands on her knees while glaring at Alexis. “Wanna talk about it?” asked Alexis without removing her eyes from the documents, scanning them over intently before marking them with a highlighter.
Hannah huffed again. “I don’t see how you’re able to work like you do,” she quipped rudely. “I don’t understand how you are able to function in this place full of people that are not our coworkers.”
“On a certain level, they are our coworkers, though,” replied Alexis, still looking intently at the documents. After a few short moments and a realization that her best friend wasn’t leaving, she removed her gaze from the documents and set the papers down, looking across the desk at Hannah. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Everything,” Hannah replied, venting her frustrations while sitting in the cramped cubicle. “Nothing is going right for me today. Everything in this building is disorganized. Every contact that I thought I could call hates women. Nothing is working for me today.”
Alexis nodded, trying to look concerned. “Hannah, you’re in the United Arab Emirates, and more importantly, the Middle East. No one here likes women,” she mentioned sarcastically. “And as for the disorganization, unfortunately, I have to agree with you. It has been rather ludicrous how disheveled this place is.”
“Great!” exclaimed Hannah. “At least I’m not the only one who sees this place as a professional train wreck.” Hannah paused, forcing herself to slow down and breathe while nodding quickly. “Do you want some coffee? I think I need to walk a bit.”
Alexis grinned, looking down at her papers and over to her computer monitor. “Sure,” she said, realizing that she was at a stopping point and could use a break. She stood up from her desk and pushed her chair under, before walking out of the cubicle. They made their way down the row of cubicles, to a small room with a few tables, a refrigerator, a vending machine, and a coffee pot. “Well, at least the break room reminds me of our office in New York,” she said, leading the way with Hannah following. The room was empty of anyone, though not undisturbed as the chairs were still out and some napkins were left on one of the tables.
Hannah walked up to the coffee pot, noticing it was empty before looking back at Alexis with a pathetic look. “You know I can’t,” she said, holding up the pot with an apologetic look on her face. “The office revolts whenever I decide to make coffee.”
“That’s because you don’t make coffee,” replied Alexis as she walked up and grabbed the pot from Hannah. “You make hot, brown water with a smidge of coffee flavoring.”
Alexis reached for a filter and the grounds to start making the coffee as Hannah stood at her side, slightly bemused to how this was going. “Well at least I don’t have to worry about angering people from different nationalities today,” stated Hannah joyfully, trying to find a positive in her awful day.
“Alright, spill it. What’s really going on?” asked Alexis as she turned her back to the coffee pot, leaning against the counter with Hannah sitting down at a table in front of her. “Hannah, I love you, but you and I both know how high strung you are and how you don’t react well to change or hardships. So please, tell me, what’s going on?”
Hannah smirked, nodding in agreement before looking at Alexis intently. “Four different fields are having issues,” she began, stating with a harsh degree of intent. “Each one possesses a very different challenge. Two of these fields, we’ve never had a deal with before, but they’re already COT certified, so I’m confident I can make it happen. However, the fact that there’s a vagina between my legs is making them not want to negotiate with me.”
Alexis giggled. “Wow, normally it takes men at least a week to not like your vagina. These guys have never met you and they already can’t stand it.”
Hannah paused, stopping her story as she squinted her eyes. “Men love my vagina,” she said calmly, prompting a hearty laugh from Alexis as the coffee continued to brew behind her. “Anyways, before you derailed my train of thought, one of the other distributors is not certified or affiliated with COT yet, so I was going to try and take the initiative to get them to come to the table with us, but they denied my request for a meeting on the grounds that my spiritual beliefs do not align with theirs and that discussing any trade with me could be viewed as heresy.”
“Sounds like another vagina problem,” joked Alexis. “Clearly something is going on down there if men across this country are telling you no.”
Hannah rolled her eyes and flared her nostrils, taking Alexis’s insults in stride. “Look princess, just because I don’t have to dust out any cobwebs before my encounters between the sheets does not mean that something is wrong.”
“Hey, I can’t help it I’m pickier than you are.”
“Yeah, well I can’t help it men like me more than you,” playfully insulted Hannah. “Anyways, this fourth field is a client of ours already and our deal is expiring. They’re not a particularly good client, but they’re a client none the less. My goal was to expand our business with them and get more from them, but unfortunately…”
“Let me guess, they won’t talk to you because of your vagina,” interrupted Alexis.
Hannah shook her head before standing up and walking over to the coffee pot. “No, they won’t talk to me over the phone, preferring that I negotiate with them face to face. The foreman at this supplier sounded Italian, so I don’t think I have any worries about my anatomy upsetting him on a spiritual level.”
Alexis shook her head as she poured both of them a cup of coffee. “So what’s the problem?”
“I have to drive into the mainland to this supplier,” she replied. “I have to go this afternoon and I’m not even unpacked yet or familiar with the terrain. I don’t know where I’m going; all that I know is that it’s near the Oman border.”
“Ouch, cross country negotiations,” said Alexis. “So you came to tell me good bye?”
Hannah nodded. “More or less,” she replied. “I didn’t want to have to travel inland during our trip, much less this early, but I need to make headway to get a little momentum. I’m hoping if I can get one domino to fall, then perhaps I can get the rest to follow suit.”
“So, you’re hoping that if you can get this supplier on board, he’ll be able to help you with the other fields that won’t talk to you?” asked Alexis, sippin
g from her coffee before sitting down at the table.
“Pretty much,” replied Hannah. “If I can get this one supplier to cooperate, maybe the rest of the region will fall into line.”
Alexis leaned back in the chair. “That’s not a terrible idea. Reputation can spread like wildfire in these parts, and if they see that you’re here for business, and that you came with a lot of money, they may be more willing to play ball. I guess that means that I’ll be organizing the acquisition and preparing it for transport.”
“You’re assuming I’m going to succeed?”
Alexis laughed. “You always do. Besides, they’ll agree to work with you just to shut you up.”
Hannah nodded. “It’s a great strategy.” She stood up from her chair and looked at her phone, holding the coffee in the other hand. “I’m headed to the mainland. Hopefully this GPS takes me there without much interference. I’ll let you know when I get there.”
“Please do,” said Alexis as Hannah walked over to the door, leaving Alexis alone, sipping her coffee.
Alexis continued to sit in the chair, reading a left-over edition of the Wall Street Journal, providing a reminder of home. She sat comfortably, crossing her right leg over the left while flipping through the daily business information, peering over the pages to see how some of her own personal investments have been doing.
“I wouldn’t read too far into that. It’s quite depressing,” announced a man walking into the room, speaking with a very familiar dialect and accent. “That thing has been the bane of my existence over the past year.”
Alexis smiled, setting the paper down to look at the man walking through the room. He was tall, slightly over six feet, with light brown hair and a lightly tanned complexion. He was toned, though not overwhelmingly built. He looked as if he took care of himself, electing to spend more time on the beach and in the water than underneath a mountain of weights. His hair was neatly cut with a finely trimmed neck and ear line while his clothes seemed to be tailor made.
“Oh, wonderful, someone actually made coffee,” he said gleefully as he walked up to the pot, reaching for a Styrofoam cup before grabbing the handle.
“I apologize if it is not up to your standard,” she said aloud, continuing to look the man in front of her over with great intrigue as he turned to face her with a confused look.
“New York?” he asked, listening to her accent and trying to guess where she was from.
Alexis grinned, nodding slightly as she paused, thinking of where he was from based off of his accent. “I know you’re from the United States, but that is as far as I’ve gotten.”
“Chicago,” he stated as he turned his back to the coffee pot, leaning against the counter while holding his cup. “I was born and raised in the Windy City.” He swirled the coffee in his hand, mixing his cream into it as he watched Alexis gaze at him. “It’s not often I get to see someone from the states here in Dubai.”
“Well don’t get used to me. I’m only here for twelve more days,” she replied back, smirking lightly as she sipped on her coffee.
The man shook his head. “That’s an awful short assignment…”
“Alexis,” she said, finishing his statement for him while introducing herself. “My name is Alexis Matthews and I’m here for the American corporation.”
“Right, I heard about them sending over a couple of people. You’re here to make me some more money,” he said sarcastically, joking with her a bit as he continued to lean against the counter. He paused, looking back at her before setting his cup to his side. “In all seriousness, I’ve heard amazing things about some of the up and coming analysts and negotiators in New York. I’ve heard that they have the best, brightest, and most resourceful group of employees in the entire consortium. I’m sure if they sent you, you must be incredibly good at what you do.”
Alexis blushed slightly, smiling from ear to ear as she gazed at the man in front of her. “I’m the analyst and administrator,” she said calmly, informing him of her position within the organization while gazing at his striking physique. “My partner is an impressive negotiator, but my job is to…”
“Your job is to get what the negotiator acquires from one point to another without breaking the bank,” he finished for her. “Your job requires a lot more skill and knowledge, having to be aware of so many nuances and codes that surely all run together over time. I mean hell; I can’t even keep up with the regulations of Jebel Ali, much less New York Harbor.”
“No, New York Harbor has too many rules and regulations about what is allowed to come in from overseas, especially from the Middle East, nor is it prudent to have our crude delivered there when the bulk of our refineries are in the southwest. I actually ship everything to either Houston or New Orleans because it’s far closer, saving us thousands on land shipping, and the regulations are far more relaxed,” she explained, perplexing the man across from her as she explained how she handled importing crude oil.
The man chuckled, nodding his head as he tilted it sideways. “I’m impressed,” he said. “You clearly know your trade. I’m here, making small talk and flirting a little bit, enjoying the conversation with someone who is from the same hemisphere as me, while you can spout out port regulations and bottom dollar figures from memory. That is ridiculously impressive.”
Alexis nodded. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to steer the conversation too seriously or show off.”
“No, don’t be sorry, I actually liked it,” he replied, grabbing his coffee before stepping away from the counter. “Don’t think I’m running away from you, and as much as I loathe these gatherings, I have to get back to the board meeting down the hall before they think I left. It’s been a pleasure talking to you and maybe we could run into each other again sometime, Alexis.”
“I’d like that…”
“Oh, you never got my name, did you?” asked the man. “I have the option of actually shrouding myself in mystery to such an attractive, smart woman. Would it bother you if I left, not giving you my name, occupation, or any tidbit of information regarding my identity?
Alexis sat still, nodding slowly as she looked at him leisurely walk toward the door. “Yes, it would,” she said calmly and quietly, almost in a timid manner.
“Good,” he replied, stepping out the door and leaving her sitting there staring at the wall, confused as to who she just talked to. Her brain wandered, revisiting the conversation and trying to piece together the information he told her. He was from Chicago and from her deduction, was one of the many investors in COT since he was there for a meeting. She thought about all of the members, going through each one in her head. She sat still for several seconds, deducing and reasoning, yet coming up empty.
“My name is Nathanial Jenkins,” he said, tucking his head back into the room to see Alexis immediately smile, relieved to have that small bit of knowledge. “I figured a smart girl like you would’ve figured out my name eventually anyway.”
She laughed as he left again, leaving her sitting in a chair, looking at the beige walls of the break room. Her mind still wandered, but now started focusing on other things. Alexis was a very taciturn woman, not allowing herself to become romantically attached or emotionally involved with many people. While she had a great deal of friends, she never would commit to a long-term relationship out of fear of her career suffering. She would keep her head down and drive toward the objective, ensuring that her career stayed on track and the money continued to flow into her growing bank account. However, there were occasions where Alexis let go, allowing someone into her life briefly for the sake of intimacy.
Alexis’s best feature was her understanding of herself. She knew how she operated and knew what she needed to do to ensure that she functioned appropriately. Organizing things on her desk, keeping her closet organized by what she was going to wear daily, sorted and selected days in advance, and keeping a detailed ledger of every professional contact she had ever interacted with were several of the keys to her su
ccess. Alexis knew that when she veered off course, the results were not optimal, forcing her to stay within her shell and not branch out very often. She ate what she knew she would like, visited places she knew she would enjoy, and never stepped a foot out of her comfort zone.
Talking to Nathanial brought out an emotion that Alexis believed she had suppressed. After the brief conversation, Alexis’s normal level headed persona began to dwell on his beautiful, brown eyes, his tanned skin, and his well-toned arms and legs. She bit her lip slightly, thinking about him while a sense of warmth grew between her legs. She thought more about his attitude and carefree nature, wishing she could have that. “When was the last time…” she thought to herself, thinking back to the last time she experienced an intimate encounter with anyone.
Six months before flying to Dubai, Alexis and Hannah had had an amazing night out, celebrating that they had both had a record month, the two matched each other tequila shot for tequila shot until they had to hold each other up. “I haven’t seen you like this in a long time, Lexi,” slurred Hannah, calling Alexis by the unprofessional nickname she gave up in college.
“Shh,” gestured Alexis, putting her finger over her mouth while leaning against the bar. “I left her in high school.”
“And that was probably the last time you had any fun,” quipped a drunken Hannah. “You should let loose more often. I love you like this.”
The night was partially a blur for Alexis as she thought it over, making her slightly uncomfortable but realizing that no harm ended up coming from it. Her next memory of that night came in her apartment with Hannah and two men they had just met and that part was anything but hazy. They were in Alexis’s living room, one man sat on each end of the couch with one of the women straddling them. While they were still fully clothed, that was quickly about to change as the making out got more intense. Alexis pulled the shirt off the man she was straddling, revealing a few small tattoos and a very flat, unimpressive chest. He followed suit, reaching for the bottom of her shirt and pulling it over her head, showing off her moderately sized chest being contained by a pink, lace bra.
