A Close Inspection - Part 1

‘Please sit down, Mr Giles’.

Stephanie Nelson motioned towards the large leather couch that sat against a wall of her office.

‘Thank you’, Giles moved past her a little nervously, looking away from the woman’s gaze, he continued past the couch and toward the business chair which faced the large wooden desk.

‘We’d be more comfortable over here’, Stephanie smiled and again gestured to the couch.

‘Thank you Dr Nelson, but I’d sooner we keep this as brief as possible.’ There was no trace of humour or warmth in the man as he took his seat opposite the desk. He placed his briefcase on his lap and, still not looking Stephanie in the eye, he continued, ‘I’m really very busy and I’m not sure that we should be meeting at all. I prefer to work only with the numbers and leave the rest to the lawyers.’

Stephanie moved gracefully around to her chair on the other side of the desk, perhaps this man would be more of a challenge than most?

‘Well, now’, Stephanie began, ‘I’m a very hands-on kind of executive. So when I hear that the IRS has sent one of their top men in to scrutinize my books, naturally I’m a little concerned’.

‘Concerned?’ Giles raised an eyebrow and, for the first time looked directly at her. ‘Why? Do you have something to hide Dr Nelson?’

‘Hide? Of course not.

Mr Giles, this company exists to help people. We like to --’

Giles interrupted,  ‘You like to take their money. Dr Nelson, please spare me the sales pitch.

I have no problem with you making money, just so long as you do it legally and pay your taxes.’

Stephanie tried to remain calm, ‘Well, Mr Giles, I’m sure that if you let me show you what we do, you’ll realize that there’s no problem here at all. In fact, solving problems is my specialty’. Stephanie was letting her voice take on a softer, gentler tone, but the effect on Giles was not as she expected.

He immediately looked away from her, grabbed his briefcase from his lap and began to stand, ‘Well let’s hope you don’t have any problems of your own Dr Nelson.’

Stephanie was intrigued. Jonathan Giles was well known as one of the IRS ‘hawks’ who had built himself a brilliant career. He had a reputation for getting results and always through the most meticulous searches and analyses. In his late 40s, Giles was single and not unattractive. He took good care of himself physically but there was no vanity about him. He favored  unassuming business suits and kept his hair in a simple military style. He was very well paid but lived alone in a quiet part of town. He had little or no social life. Stephanie’s security people had prepared a thorough report on Giles but there was no obvious weakness in his profile. He simply lived for his work. And his work was raising millions in taxes from companies that everyone else thought were beyond reproach. Stephanie didn’t mind paying taxes but her ‘Motivational Consultancy’ Empire was built on the use of erotic and, often covert, hypnotic techniques. If this man kept digging he was sure to uncover some aspects of the business which would not look good in court.

‘Dr Nelson?’ Giles was standing, ready to leave, but waiting for Stephanie to complete their conversation. He looked at her quizzically, wondering whether he’d touched a nerve. Perhaps she did have something to hide.

‘Humm? Sorry’, Stephanie apologized, ‘I was just thinking about a business report I was reading last night.’ She returned the man’s gaze and tried to weigh him up. The security report gave no clues about a possible way into Giles’ head. Now she could see him for herself she was beginning to understand him a little better.

Initially he had seemed very nervous. He had avoided eye-contact and chosen to sit in the business chair. That was confusing in itself. Most men, if nervous, would have automatically sat on the couch (as she suggested) even if they didn’t want to: they would have been unwilling to offend her. After all, not only was she rich and beautiful, she was also very powerful. To walk past her and choose his own seat was a very confident act. Indeed, it was almost rude.

Similarly, his demeanour once seated seemed to be full of contradictions. He had placed his briefcase across his lap. This was clearly an extremely defensive posture. He was physically covering his genitals with his briefcase (a symbol of his work). And yet he had made direct eye contact the moment he sensed some unease about her accounts.

Stephanie realized that she had played Mr Giles wrong from the start. She had under-estimated him. When acting as a man Giles was uncomfortable - he wouldn’t share a couch with her and couldn’t look her in the eye. But Giles the accountant – the auditor – was confident and direct. Stephanie suspected that Giles was uneasy with some aspect of his masculinity. The security report gave few details about his past lovers: all women, all slightly younger than he. None had lasted long and at the moment he wasn’t seeing anyone.

Stephanie had been so shocked by his decision to sit in the business chair that she had unthinkingly responded to the perceived challenge. She had automatically taken her chair behind the desk. To an onlooker it appeared very business-like, and that was her problem. Business was Giles’ home turf, she needed to de-stabilize him again. Get him thinking like a man, not an accountant.

The hypnotist let out a little yawn. ‘Oh, I’m sorry. You see I was working so late last night, reading that report. I’m afraid I’m still a little sleepy.’

‘Not at all. It’s perfectly understandable. I’ll leave you to your work’

‘Oh, that’s so sweet of you’, Stephanie purred, ‘Thank you, but no. Let’s get on. Please, do sit down’

A little uneasily, Giles took his seat again, placed his briefcase in its familiar position across his lap, and looked at Stephanie: ‘Well Dr Nelson. I’m afraid that I’ll need more information before I can complete my investigations.’

‘More information?’ Stephanie looked puzzled, and a little hurt, ‘Aren’t my people co-operating fully?’

‘Well, yes but –’

‘Oh I’m so pleased’, Stephanie interrupted, ‘I gave very firm instructions that everyone was to be on their best behaviour and cooperate fully. I always insist on politeness and cooperation.’

‘Er, yes.’ Giles looked a little surprised by this unexpected piece of information, but soon collected his thoughts, ‘Yes, well. Everyone has been very cooperative. But I need more, you see – ’ Once again Giles was interrupted by Stephanie, this time it was her decision to stand and stretch.

‘I’m sorry Mr Giles. I’m so sleepy, and these chairs are surprisingly comfortable. Do you mind if I move about a little?’ Stephanie was already moving around from behind the desk. She stretched once again and was delighted to see Giles momentarily stare at the outline of her breasts as her stretching forced her silky blouse to pull tightly across her.

Giles blushed and immediately averted his gaze back down to his briefcase. 

‘Oh that’s so much better.’ Stephanie seated herself on the edge of the desk, facing the accountant and looking down on him.

‘You were saying something about cooperation?’

‘Err, yes. Cooperation.’ Giles quickly gathered his thoughts and, never moving his eyes from his briefcase, continued ‘Your staff has been very cooperative but I’m having difficulty understanding the exact range of your business activities. I can see that you have diversified and that you’re making a very generous donation to the local university, but I need more information on the nature of your contracts with clients.’

‘My clients are very satisfied’, Stephanie smiled.

‘Well, they must be because lots of them keep on buying new products from the different ranges. That’s my problem, the patterns, the demographics, they don’t look like the normal trends.’

Stephanie was surprised that Giles had not yet looked up from his briefcase. She crossed her legs, hoping that the sound or the movement in his peripheral vision, would draw his eyes up toward her. ‘I’m sorry Mr Giles, I don’t understand – perhaps it’s the lack of sleep – why are you interested in my marketing demographics? I thought you were an accountant?’

‘I am – ’ Giles looked up, caught one glimpse of Stephanie, blushed and looked back down at his briefcase, ‘I am an accountant but the Service give me very wide powers of discretion in my work.’ Giles tried to regain his composure. His mind was filled with a snap-shot image of Stephanie sitting on the edge of the desk; her long legs, the silky blouse, the way she seemed to be leaning over him.

He cleared his throat and continued, ‘I am the most successful investigator the Service has ever had, and my methods are sometimes unorthodox. I like to get a complete picture of a business before I can be satisfied that everything is in order.’

Stephanie smiled. She could see the turmoil she was creating. But still he avoided eye contact.

‘Mr Giles, I want you to be completely satisfied. Really I do.

Mr Giles?’

Stephanie waited, she was determined to have him look at her.

‘Mr Gi-les?’ Her tone was a little playful, coaxing him to raise his vision.

‘Yes?’ He glanced up.

‘Trust me. I want you to be completely satisfied.’

Giles returned her stare but was once again composed, ‘Dr Nelson, I don’t trust anyone.’

Once again, Stephanie realized that she’d under-estimated her foe. By now most men would be gazing lovingly at her, letting her weave a cocoon of submission around them. But Giles was a man of extremes; at one moment he was awkward and painfully shy, avoiding all eye contact. But the next second he could switch, becoming the steely investigator, detached and unflinching.

This was going to be tough. Stephanie suspected that an instant induction would work on Giles. If she suddenly lent across, placed a hand on his forehead and commanded ‘Sleep!’, the chances of success were good. But not good enough. She would be happier with a slower induction but knew there was no way of getting him to fix his gaze on an object in the usual way. He only looked at her directly when he was in a confrontational frame of mind and that would be counter-productive.

Stephanie smiled, ‘Well Mr Giles. I think I can help you.’ She lent across her desk and activated the intercom to her secretary, ‘Diane, would you have Clare come see me, please. Immediately.’