Clapham Lights (14 page)

Chris locks the garage doors whilst Craig takes the broom back to the shed. When he gets back out the front, Chris is waiting for him:

‘Craig, if you want any more casual work, doing similar stuff, give us a ring OK? I might have a couple of house clearances coming up if you’re interested.’

‘Yeah, cheers I’ll let you know,’ Craig says with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. He looks through the front window of the house. ‘So do you own the house?’ he asks.

‘Yeah, me and a mate buy places at auction, do them up and sell them on. This’ll go on the market next week.’

‘Oh, really. Do you sell it privately or-’

‘No we use an agent. Cinq Estates, have you heard of them?’

‘Um, yes I have. Which office do you use out of interest?’

‘East Putney mainly. Why?’

‘Oh, I’ve got a mate that works there, that’s all.’

‘He must have a few quid. The amount of money the estate agents make around here is unbelievable. They’re all as bent as you like. I
honestly
don’t know how some of them get away with it. Nice work if you can get it though, eh.’

J
ulia stalks out of Justin’s office holding a brown envelope. Instead of returning to her desk, she walks straight out and disappears round the corner.

‘Do you know what I love about Julia?’ Amy says to Mark.

‘No,’ he replies, hammering away at his calculator.

‘It’s that she’s had so much Botox that you can’t tell if she’s thrilled to bits or suicidal.’

Mark grunts and carries on typing numbers into a new spreadsheet he’s called
GDA Portfolio Accelerated Standard Depreciation March 2010-March 2050
. The vertical columns are alternately coloured green and white.

Justin pops his head around the door and tells Mark that he’ll have to reschedule for this afternoon. Mark says that’s fine and starts composing an email.

‘Mark, is something up?’ Amy asks. ‘You’re a bit jumpy. Are you worried about your appraisal?’

‘Don’t be stupid, Amy. I’ve just got to get this finished.’

‘Your go,’ Justin says, handing Mark the putter.

Mark bends over and threads the luminous orange golf ball between the stapler and the coffee mug but it comes up inches short of the putting machine sitting five metres away on the carpet. He knocks the ball back to Justin and hands him the club.

‘Justo’s go,’ Justin says. He rolls the ball way past the machine. It pings off a wall panel and rolls under the printer. Mark fishes it out with a ruler.

‘Last putt, Mark,’ Justin says, ‘to win the Ryder Cup. Get this in and I’ll add a grand to your bonus.’

‘Really?’ Mark says, standing up in his stance.

‘You’ve got to get it in first.’

Mark tucks his tie into his shirt and strikes the ball powerfully. It clips the mug and rockets into the Puttmaster, stopping dead.

‘GET IN! OH YEAH!’ Mark shouts, dropping to one knee and wagging his finger.

‘Mark! Quiet! People will wonder what’s going on in here.’

‘If anyone asks what’s going on I’ll tell them I’ve just won a grand off you!’

‘Not me, actually. Ian. I’ve got a strict budget to work to. I’ll have to knock a thousand off his bonus. Don’t say a word, OK?’

Justin kicks the Puttmaster under his desk, stashes the putter and ball in a cupboard and jumps up onto his chair. ‘Right I suppose we need to get on with this.’ He takes an envelope from his drawer and places it on the desk.

Mark sits opposite, still beaming from his golfing triumph.

‘Now, Mark,’ Justin begins, ‘I was meant to send you a list of
questions
and boxes to fill in about your personal and professional goals, and whether you feel valued and all that rubbish, but I think it’s just an
exercise
to keep HR busy, so I haven’t bothered. Is that a problem with you?’

‘Not at all. I hate all that as well. Completely pointless,’ he says, shifting in his chair.

‘Good, I’m glad you agree. There’s only one goal here: make money. We’re not a counselling service. If people don’t like it here they should go somewhere else. Filling in a sodding questionnaire never helped
anybody
.’

‘That’s HR though, isn’t it? It’s all about ticking boxes and not upsetting anyone.’

‘Either you can do the job or you can’t. Either you like the job or you don’t. I’m fed up with hearing about equal opportunities and discrimination. Who looks out for the privately-educated upper-middle class white male these days?’ Justin chuckles.

The phone rings. Justin excuses himself and answers. He has a hushed conversation, turning away from Mark and giving only one or two-word answers. Mark bites his thumbnail and shifts onto his left side.

‘Sorry,’ says Justin, swinging back. ‘That was Julia. She’s having a bit of difficulty with a new contract.’

‘Is it a big deal?’

‘No, nothing important. Forget I said anything.’ He leans forward with his elbows on the desk. ‘I won’t lie, Mark, I’ve been really
unbelievably
impressed with you this year.’

‘Thanks.’ Mark sits up but his movements are jerky.

‘I remember we sat here this time last year and you told me how you wanted more responsibility and wanted to be given more freedom to take on new clients. At the time, I wondered whether you had it in you to get the big investments in such a competitive environment. But, as usual, my hunch proved right.’

Justin has a sip of water. ‘I’m very instinctive, Mark, and I was
confident
you were doing an excellent job, but, and I hope you don’t think I was going behind your back here, I got some feedback from your clients. I picked a couple of them and asked them what they thought of you, if they were happy with us and if they had any other comments.’

‘Who did you email?’ Mark asks, feigning confidence.

Justin clicks his mouse and concentrates on his laptop. ‘I emailed Harry Todd from the KESRDA, and Steven Clarke from Hamilton Stewart Hamilton.’ He looks back at Mark. ‘I chose those two as they’re obviously a long-term client and a relatively new one. It’s easy to
continue
a successful relationship but not so easy to start one. The more established accounts pretty much manage themselves, wouldn’t you agree?’

‘Yes, definitely,’ Mark says, nodding.

‘Steven Clarke didn’t reply by the way.’

‘Oh, he’s been on sabbatical, that’s why he didn’t get back to you.’

‘His out of office said he left the company in February.’

‘Yes, that’s right, to go travelling.’

‘Hasn’t he got three young children?’

‘I deal with his boss anyway. He was the number two.’

‘Who’s his boss?’

‘A guy called… Craig. Craig House.’

‘I think I’ve heard of him. Did you update the client records?’

‘No. I should have done that, I know.’

‘It doesn’t matter. The point is, I expected good feedback from Hamilton Stewart Hamilton. What I didn’t expect was what I got sent by the guy from the development agency.’

Mark bites his thumb. ‘Really?’

‘I know how tough it is to make that initial contact and then bring in the money. So for you to seal the KESRDA investment so quickly is exceptional. Harry Todd’s feedback is superb.’

Justin opens Harry’s email and reads: ‘
Mark’s enthusiasm and professionalism really stood out and were deciding factors when it came to deciding who to invest with…
You have an
exemplary work ethic… It has been a privilege to have such an intelligent and capable young man as Mark working on our behalf
. Brilliant, Mark.’

‘Cheers.’

‘If you can get five mil out of this guy after a couple of meetings, and he likes you, there’s bound to be much more to come. What approach did you use?’

‘Direct. I used my business instinct. I could sense it was going to be substantial investment so I went in for the kill.’

‘The direct approach always pays. No point pussyfooting around.’

‘I take my deals seriously, Justo. If the clients don’t think you’re a serious businessman, they won’t invest, that’s my view.’

Justin turns on his rotating desk fan. ‘Do you know what I like about you, Mark? I can rely on you. I know that I can leave you to get on with the job and you won’t let me down. Between you and me there are other people in our team who I wouldn’t trust as far as I could throw them. I like to know what they’re up to, who they’re meeting, what they’re planning, but with you it’s different. I’ve not checked on the progress of your accounts for months and months because I know that you’ll tell me if there’s anything I need to know.’

‘Which there’s not.’

‘Just as I thought.’ Justin focuses on his laptop. ‘I’m just bringing up your client list. Here we go. How are the other accounts going? Any problems?’

‘No. None.’

‘How’s Philip Giles from Carter Dunce?’

‘Fine.’

‘That’s good to hear. His cancer’s in remission then?’

‘Umm.…’

‘When did you last talk to Samantha Harvey from Hunts Brothers?’

‘Last week. She had an issue, but I sorted it.’

‘Excellent. Is she still seeing that idiot from ZTN?’

‘I think so.’

Mark drums his fingers on the arm of his chair whilst Justin types. This lasts almost ten minutes.

‘Sorry, Mark. Just talking to one of my old school chums on MSN.’

‘Don’t worry, I haven’t got any meetings this afternoon.’

‘I’ll tell him to bugger off. Bugger-off-Simmo-some-of-us-have-important-work-to-do,’ he says as he types, emphatically hammering the return key to end the conversation. He picks up the envelope. ‘Your bonus,’ he says, handing it over. ‘Open it.’

Mark tears it open and reads the letter inside. He smiles, then frowns and folds it into his trouser pocket.

‘You’re not happy?’ Justin asks, surprised.

Mark hesitates. ‘It’s less than I was expecting.’

‘I’m sorry you feel that way, Mark, but I have to work within the confines of the budget. Obviously I can’t go into details about what the others have been given, but rest assured that you have done very well in comparison. And don’t forget at the end of October you’ll start getting commission payments from the KESRDA deal, which will be another five thousand or so.’

‘I know that you have restraints,’ Mark says, adopting a more serious tone, ‘but I don’t really feel that my contribution has been recognised. I spend more hours at my desk than anyone else and I have more meetings. I was here until seven o’clock three nights last week.’

‘Mark, please don’t think that your hard work hasn’t been noticed. I would like to give you all more, but my hands are tied. If it’s any
consolation
, my bonus wasn’t quite what I was expecting either.’

‘But hasn’t the department been performing well?’

‘I couldn’t give you exact figures but everything I’ve seen indicates to me that we’re doing very well.’

‘Why aren’t we being given a bigger bonus pool then?’

‘The money’s being swallowed up by the senior management. I know it’s not fair that has repercussions for us, but what
you
have to do is continue to work hard so that one day you’ll be the senior manager taking home the seven or eight-figure bonus.’

‘But I’ve got to think about my career. There are other people my age with my experience earning twice as much at our rivals. I don’t want to have to leave, but unless I’m given greater incentives I’ll have to start
looking for another job. I get three or four calls a week from headhunters as it is. What’s my motivation to work here if I’m not getting top dollar?’

Justin scratches his shaving rash-covered neck and grabs a pencil from his drawer. ‘What’s your basic salary at the moment?’

‘Thirty… three.’

‘How long has it been since you’ve had a pay rise?’

‘Six months.’

‘I’m sorry, that’s an oversight on my part.’ Justin reaches for his calculator. ‘I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’ll raise your basic to thirty-six as of next month. That with your bonus will push you through the forty-four K mark. How does that sound?’

Mark’s eyes widen. ‘Good. Thank you.’ He pauses for a moment. ‘Can you do anything about my holiday allowance?’

‘How many days do you get currently?’

‘Only twenty-nine.’

‘Right, you can have thirty-five. Does that sound reasonable?’

‘Yes. That’s good. Thanks, Justin,’ he says, smiling.

‘Good. I feel like we’re making some progress. Are there any other issues you’d like to raise while you’re here?’

Mark rubs his nose. ‘If I’m going to be taking on more clients, I think I’ll need a car.’

‘You can have a car, of course,’ Justin says, ‘but you might not want it.’

‘Why, what is it?’

‘Some horrible eco-friendly hybrid.’

‘Forget that then. Am I going to get the grand from the putt as well?’

‘Yes. I’ll adjust it with accounts. Don’t tell anyone about that. I’ll say it was an admin error.’ He makes a note on his pad. ‘I’m glad we’ve had this chat, Mark. I don’t like to think of you sitting there working your backside off, unhappy. I’ve got big plans for you this year and there are big plans for this department, so my advice would be sit tight and don’t do anything hasty.’

‘That depends on what the big plans are.’

‘I’m going to let you into a secret. There’s going to be some
restructuring
of MenDax in the near future.’

‘Restructuring how?’

‘Strictly between us, it’s likely that the Asian arm of the business will
be sold off and that MenDax will be streamlined. Apparently the Berlin office will be closed and the whole operation will be based in London. I think they’re looking at new offices at the moment. We are also in
takeover
talks with two of our competitors.’

‘Who?’

‘I can’t say,’ Justin says, licking his lips. ‘Mark, have you got any shares in MenDax?’

‘No.’

‘None at all?’

‘No.’

‘I would strongly advise that you buy some in the next month or two.’

‘OK. How do I do that?’

‘I’ve got a friend who’s a broker who’ll sort it out for you.’

‘How much money would I need?’

‘I’d recommend putting in as much as you can afford. Have you thought about what to do with your bonus? If the takeovers go ahead, you’ll double or treble your money within six months. Do you know Mike Lierberwitz, the financial director?’

‘Yes. Beard and glasses.’

‘That’s him. I was talking to him in The Receiver last week and he said he’d pretty much invested his life savings.’

‘And this is a sure thing is it?’

‘Mark, this is big business, but worst case scenario - we don’t
complete
the two takeovers - you’ll still have the shares in a FTSE nine
hundred
company. It’s a no-lose situation.’

Mark glances at the door and back to Justin. ‘I’ll think about it. What will happen to us, our department, if we do buy the companies?’

‘We’ll grow, expand. We’ll take over the running of the investment departments. These could be very exciting times for you, Mark. I’ll need you by my side to help train the new members of staff. There will be promotions and pay rises, and of course, we’ll have a greater number of clients. More responsibility. If everything goes ahead, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for someone of your talents to expect your salary to treble. What do you think about that?’