I do not like these negotiations very much, but I am a psychologist and a consultant on our part, it is my responsibility to suggest what the client thinks about, how he reacts and what, why he is slowing down with the answers or categorically disagrees with our proposals. It is my job to follow the eyes and facial expressions, gestures and how the client is dressed, how he holds the pen and how he drinks tea or coffee, according to these movements, a lot can be said, but not always, sometimes I myself am trapped.

Today there were heavy negotiations, they were already the third, I was present at the first and second, the difficulty is that completely different representatives came each time. We supply wood, good wood, but for some reason they decided that if we have a lot of it, it is possible and cheaper, there are enough competitors in our market and we also fight for our client, if we grab it, we try not to let go.

Edmont, a beautiful name, dark, but not black, not a single crease on his forehead, seems to him to have the concept of a smile, his mouth has no creases, his nose is not even flat, but his lips are puffy. I absolutely do not understand races, but the man that was sitting in front of me and clearly pronounced everything I said was surprisingly cute, even as a woman, but why so. At some point I even caught myself thinking that I was examining it, white teeth, a little noticeable bristle, an earring in the right ear lobe, a blue stone, its luster all the time distracted me, but my eyes were dark and dark brown, like old pine bark.

- Ol, what do you say to that?

From surprise, I started and shook my head a little, as if throwing off my last thoughts and trying to understand what I had missed in the conversation.

- I think the conditions for the sixth paragraph fit?

Alexey Valerievich, our lawyer and our main representative in the approval of all the nuances of the contract. Usually he is a little loose, he always chews the cud and twists a pencil in his hands, but when the question concerns the negotiations he simply won’t be recognized, strict, ironed out, like from the cover of a magazine and a whirlwind of thoughts, you don’t even need to look at it, It was released in Russia and abroad, the walking encyclopedia.

- I do not quite agree, but ... - I always did this in negotiations, in order to let the opposite side know that there is still a concession to be given. To be honest, I still could not catch the last thought in a conversation, but Edmont nodded his head in agreement.

In an hour everything was finished, the main points were settled and now it remains only to put everything on paper and sign it for dinner. The plant received a five-year contract, the load was approximately 23% of the capacity, and this is a good start to the year. I sighed with relief when the signatures and seals were put, now you can relax.

I worked in the place of Vitaliy, my husband, although he was not my boss, but today he was with us as well, he was in the finance department and in the place with the commercial director Galina Petrovna, a very fat woman, but clever, today I sat and counted. In recent times he has become squeamish, it’s not so, sometimes it has enraged me, it has been nagging me for the second year that we don’t have a house, but a hotel, and what did he want if I was constantly on business trips, he insisted, almost made me work factory. Probably he was annoyed by the fact that I sometimes earned him more and was a little more free than himself, I don’t even know, but today he was out of sorts and this despite the positive result of the negotiations.

I was tired, I wanted to go anywhere and not to see anyone, cats scrubbed at heart, I wanted to do something filthy, throw out my anger, it rarely happens, but today for some reason it was especially disgusting, even ashamed of myself. But he could tell me at least thanks, but he said nothing.

I stood and looked through the window at the bare fir, January, it was very cold on the street today, probably under thirty, and even the wind drove fine snow.No, I don’t go anywhere, we are going to a restaurant soon, all together, to say goodbye to our guests, they fly away tomorrow, and then I will stop in the room until Friday and I don’t go anywhere, nor do I want to.

I heard English, I knew that hoarse voice, even though English was not native to them, but they still preferred to speak this language. I turned to the voice and smiled. Edmond, accompanied by his colleagues, came out from behind a large and magnificent variegated ficus, it seems they were heading to a restaurant. Seeing me, he smiled at first, surprisingly, but the smile was pleasantly calm, but gentle, it was strange to see it on his face. I don’t really know English, Edmond, said something to his comrades and they went to the elevator, the door opened and they disappeared like ghosts among the mirrors. He looked out the window, then at me, I, as a girl, could not stand his gaze and lowered my eyes, he began to say something, but I literally forgot everything, even those meager knowledge about the language disappeared from my head.

I listened to his voice, calm, lulling, hypnotic, I did not interrupt him, but simply listened, and then he touched my hand and only then I woke up that it was with me. Smiling in response, I spread my childish palms to the side, making it clear that, alas, I did not understand anything, he understood what I meant, laughed, squeezed my palm, and then rummaged in my pocket and took out a business card of the hotel and put it in my a hand. I blinked with no understanding and mumbled something in response, but he coldly opened my fingers and put the hotel business card in them, then squeezed my fingers so that the card would not fall out and turn my back to go down the stairs. Not yet out of sight, I looked at the business card, 1248, this is a living room, the 12th floor and 48, I lived on the 11th floor in the 6th room, and that it jerked me up to the floor above. However, my heart ached, so childishly pinched, it always happened to me when I was waiting for a gift or something unusual. After looking again at the number, I slowly went to the huge variegated ficus, as it grows here in general, turned behind him and went along the long corridor. Almost at the very end of the hall there was a door with the number 1248, without hesitation, I lowered the business card into the slot of the electronic lock, the click, the door opened by itself. Without turning my head around, I confidently entered as in my own room.

The evening was boring, for some reason everyone was eating, as if hungry, especially everyone was eating more, Galina Petrovna didn’t keep up with the other and Acne, as if he wanted to overtake his chef in eating food, was disgusting. No one danced, so only some company at the end of the hall laughed and jumped, I envied her. Our guests said goodbye, Edmond, got up and bowed in appreciation of the reception, I hurried to get up just the same and extended my hand to him as a token of gratitude. He came closer, squeezed my hand, his fingers were hot, no, not warm, but hot, surprisingly, there wasn’t that smile on his face, but he wanted to see her and understand what he wanted to tell me, but in that place he stepped forward and touched my stomach. I shuddered, yes it was an accident, but I seemed to feel through the fabric of my blouse, the warmth of his hand. The smile did not appear on his face, he bowed his head, said goodbye and left, his heart ached, it became so sad and even offensive, but why, so, why. I sat down at a table and no longer paying any attention to anyone, poured myself a glass of wine and drained it in small sips. I thought that would help, but with every sip, my heart ached more and more, it seemed that I had lost and always lost something. I drained another glass, my legs felt warm, it sank right down to my toes, and then it began to slowly rise, light languor, weakness and calmness, that's what I felt. And I felt the joy.

I went to dance with the company that was hanging out at the far end of the hall, they were glad when I joined them, it turns out they were celebrating their wedding anniversary.Oleg and Alenka, they celebrated it a year ago in the same hall and now they gathered in a narrow circle to remember ....