Chapter 46 Negotiations
“Ahh, you must be Logan and Serena,” the company rep said when he greeted them at his office door.
“That’s correct,” Logan said. The rep held out his hand to shake and Logan paused in shaking it Serena nudged him in the shoulder to get him to use the proper greeting. Logan did, and the rep smiled at them. “Please, come in, let’s talk about this order of yours,” he said. “You can call me James.”
They went into his office where there were chairs prepared for them. Serena took her seat and got the files out of her backpack. She hoped that the rep wouldn’t defer to Logan on everything. Not only wasn’t he a doctor, but he wouldn’t necessarily understand all the human nuances.
“I wanted to meet in person, because the order you placed is rather large, and we need to get corporate approval before filling that large of an order,” he explained. “Was there a question as to our need for the supply?” Logan asked. Serena looked at him, impressed that he dove right in with the right questions. “No, nothing like that,” James said shaking his head. “It is more of a financial concern. You know, getting our money before the order is fulfilled.” Logan glanced sideways at Serena. She knew money wasn’t an issue. He’d told her not to worry about cost, and she hadn’t. “What numbers are we talking about?” Logan asked. Serena passed him her order form. It included the number of units for purchase and the price at the bottom. Logan reviewed it quickly. “As you can see, we have our concerns about why a small hospital would need so many units,” James went on. “We want to deliver a product and ensure we get
compensated for it.” Logan cleared his throat and handed the page back to Serena. “It sounds to me like you are questioning my honor in this matter, questioning my intentions,” he said. Serena winced, hoping he wasn’t about to blow their chances! Logan had a temper and if something else was bothering him, there was a chance he would take it out on this meeting. “No, no” James said, shaking his hands back and forth. Logan raised an eyebrow. “In my experience, business men don’t question a substantial
order unless they have something to lose,” Logan went on. “I have my suspicions, but I’d like to hear it from you” Serena chewed on the inside of her cheek nervously. What was Logan after!? “I’m sorry if I offended you,” James said quickly. “I want this deal to go through too, but I need the approval of my superiors. I just need to make sure it is all legitimate.”
“Legitimate?” Serena asked. Logan glanced at her and shook his head. Serena nodded, deferring to his authority. “You think we plan to resell these units for profit?” he asked. Serena was impressed again by Logan’s deductions. James swallowed hard. Serena could hear his heart pounding in his chest. “You claim to be from a small hospital,” he muttered. “That is a large order for a small hospital, and we are the only suppliers for this piece of equipment.” Logan scoffed. “If our hospital already has the funds to purchase this large of an order, what would we gain by reselling equipment for profit?” Logan asked. “I understand your concerns, but how many small hospitals do you know that have this solid of financial backing already?” “Not many,” James admitted. “That was part of my concern. You see, we offer payment plans. You wouldn’t have to pay it all up front, and then could sell the units, pay us back, and keep a profit.” Logan scoffed. Serena found her presence to be completely obsolete. Logan had taken charge, and even though he wasn’t familiar with the human world, he really knew what he was doing. She wondered it came from his work in trade negotiations. He didn’t necessarily need to be knowledgeable about the goods in question, he just needed to know how to negotiate. Clearly, he did! “I can assure you, our hospital is not as small as you might think,” Logan continued. “Our region has been hit by an influx of flue viruses that are drug resistant. We might not be large by your standards, but we still need the equipment for the health and safety of our community.” “And the payment?” James asked. “All upfront,” Logan confirmed. “I can write a check for your right now, today.” “Well, well,” James said. “Let me call my superiors and confirm the order.” Logan nodded. James stepped out of his office to make the call. Serena smiled and turned in her chair to face Logan. “That was really great,” she admitted. “I was concerned you wouldn’t know what to say as far as medical terms.” “This isn’t the first negotiation I’ve led,” Logan pointed out. “I used to head all trade for the entire pack.” “Yea, but, your quick thinking with the mention of flue viruses,” she said. Logan smirked. “Attacks by other
werewolves might not be understandable to humans, but drug resistant viruses…that seems to be universally understood,” he said. “I can’t take all the credit. It is a similar scenario to one my father used in a negotiation once.”
“Ahh,” Serena Sala. “I guess he taught you very well.” “He did,” Logan said with a sigh. Serena bit her lower lip. “Thank you for helping out,” she said. “Sometimes in the human world, powerful men don’t respond well to working with women. Logan hummed in thought. “That is…unfortunate,” Logan said with a small smile. “I’ve known many females who are far stronger and more powerful than males.” Serena smiled back. James returned to the office, tucking his phone back into his pocket. “I spoke to the corporate office, and they are willing to go ahead with the order,” he said. “I do have a specialized form you’ll have to fill out that include a notarization and signature from the corporate office,” he explained. “We can do that now,” Logan said, motioning to Serena. James got the form from his desk and handed it to Serena. The way he looked at her confirmed her thoughts about men struggling to work with women. She took out a pen and began to fill out the form.
“If you want to fill out the check too, I can submit payment and order at the same time,” James continued. Logan gave him a suspicious look. Serena was nervous based on the look in his eyes. It looked like he was about to challenge James.
“And what is my assurance that the order will be fulfilled when I hand over full payment?” he asked. “I’d like a copy of the order form and my check. I also want the number of your corporate office so I can follow up with them, should anything go amiss. If you have a business card, I want that as well.” James swallowed again. Serena kept her eyes on the form she was filling out, but she smiled to herself. Logan playing hardball was intimidating. She realized that when he had relented to her treating Moonshine pack members, he hadn’t really put up much of a fight.
Whether he had done that for her benefit, she didn’t know. “That is acceptable,” James said handing over his business card. Serena gave him the form and Logan gave him the check. He went to his
printer to make photo copies and also got the business card for the corporate office. “Is that everything then?” Logan asked, standing up and taking the packet handed to him. He handed them off to Serena. She sighed, putting the items in her file and back in her backpack. Logan shook hands with James and they left his office. “Again, I’m impressed,” Serena said as they went to meet up with Dana. “I have many hidden talents,” Logan told her, bouncing his eyebrows. She was glad to see he was opening up again. “Good to know.” she said. “At least, I know who to call when I need help making business deals.” She laughed a little. Logan smirked.
“Sure, sure, I can keep rearranging my schedules to go on these excursions with you, he said teasingly. Serena shook her head. She considered asking him about his moods from the past few days again, but it seemed like the wrong time, once more.
Logan had just started smiling and teasing her. She didn’t want to bring it up and push him back into that distanced, cold place again. They were in the city with the kids, and she didn’t want to ruin that for all of them. They wouldn’t have much time to enjoy themselves away from the pack, and it was important for the twins not to feel like there was a problem.
“I’m thinking we should all go to dinner,” Logan said. “As much fun as the takeout was it would be nice to experience some real human cuisine.” “I know a few places,” Serena said. “I’ll make a reservation.” Logan smiled and nodded.