Jigsaw Lovers by William Shenton Read Free Book Online Page B

going to say. ‘Do you pay bribes or incentives,’ she asked mischievously, ‘or do you subscribe to a code of ethics that prevents you from taking advantage of a situation.’
    He was in two minds whether to be honest or to lie, but she was so captivating and so obviously a supporter of the free market, that she would probably be impressed by the truth.
    ‘Well to be perfectly candid I have actually made arrangements with one or two of my clients.’ He lowered his voice and looked around the room in a mock conspiratorial fashion as he spoke.
    ‘Do you mean you bribe them? Gosh, how exciting!’ She whispered loudly and looked at him with a gleam in her eye, such that he couldn’t resist telling her more. He felt he could take her into his confidence, even on such short acquaintance, and, after all in a few days’ time she would be far away.
    ‘When I first started I found that to get the big accounts it was expected to make a payback to whoever was handling the account,’ he said.
    ‘So my sister wasn’t making it up. It really does happen.’
    ‘This wasn’t necessarily the case with everyone. It was more likely to be the really big companies. For instance, our kind hosts of the other day at the races, Amalgamated Magazines. They’re my biggest client and the only way I secured that account was by paying for it.’ He paused to light a cigarette.
    ‘This is fascinating. Do tell me more,’ she prompted eagerly.
    ‘I approached them because I had a friend from university who was working for them in their research department. When he found out about the type of business I was trying to start he invited me in for a chat and to see if he could help. During the course of that meeting he indicated that he could give me as much work as I could handle, but he made it abundantly clear that he would want a cut, in return for his help.’
    ‘How did he do that?’
    ‘Oh, he was quite blatant. He just asked “What’s in it for me?” I wasn’t sure that I’d heard him correctly, or if I had that I believed what I was hearing. When I asked him what he meant he said fifty per cent of every contract he put my way should be all right.’
    ‘That’s incredible. I didn’t think things like that happened in real life.’
    ‘I can assure you, they most certainly do.’
    ‘What was you reaction?’ she asked.
    ‘Like your sister I was suitably outraged and went on about it being dishonest and illegal, and how I didn’t want my company to be built on that sort of behaviour. I told him that I didn’t want my reputation and good name to be tarnished if people were to find out. I thought that if people found out they would never do business with me again. You know, the usual sanctimonious, holier than thou, bullshit that people come up with when they’re young and innocent.’
    ‘I assume this didn’t have any effect on him.’
    ‘Well it did, but it wasn’t the effect I had hoped for. He just laughed and told me I was a naïve fool. If I didn’t do it there were many others who would, that he was more than happy to work with. He wanted to work with me because we were friends and he wanted to see my business succeed, and for that to happen I must be realistic. He told me to think about it and come back to him in a few days.’
    ‘So you gave it some thought and decided that moral principles don’t pay bills,’ she laughed.
    ‘Something like that. Basically, the long and short of it was that if I didn’t do it, somebody else would, so why should I lose out? We started working together and the arrangement has been very beneficial to us both. I’m able to employ ten full-time and fifty casual staff, and make a reasonably good living without too much effort. He’s had the benefit of considerable amounts of cash, skiing holidays, Caribbean cruises and a house that would be way beyond what his salary could command.’
    ‘Sounds like you’ve both ended up with quite a good deal,’ she mused.
    ‘Oh yes, but