No... No... Oh, she's cute... but she put her height, so even though she's an inch shorter than I am, she probably won't think I'm tall enough... Ok, this one looks familiar... I just can't seem to place her... As Jacob tried to recall how he knew this Tinder lady named "Jynx," his secretary rang.
"Your ten o'clock, Ditya, from the island's Department of Commerce is here. I know she's early, but should I send her in?" inquired James, Jacob's secretray and personal administrative assistant.
Fuck, "Jynx" is that bitch Ditya who just took over as Bali's head of commercial affairs for the regional government. "Please have her wait until the scheduled time. Thanks, James!" Jacob stood up to walk around the room and relax himself a bit. She'll just be wanting the traditional payoffs. This shouldn't be anything special.
Pacing the room, Jacob was having a harder time relaxing than he usually would. He couldn't help jumping between the images he'd just seen of a potential romanitic partner and the cold, calculating eyes he remembered from his first encounter with Ditya. When she was still campaigning a few months ago, James had held a private panel discussion with the three front-running candidates at one of his luxury hotels in Ubud. He recalled her saying that she felt like the island could use more organization and stronger governmental standards for managing the flux of tourists in and out of the island, which sounded ominous for a man running a large assortment of hotels, casinos, entertainment companies and other attractions.
Jacob returned to his desk, and sat down. I need to focus on my goals here. First, waste as little money as possible on bribes. Second, try to advance my business interests. And of least importance, gauge her romanitic interest, flirt, set up a date, etc... God, I hope my subconsious can keep it's self in line on the priorities here.
The door opened promptly on the hour, and Ditya stepped in. A far cry from the fun and sexy pictures in Jynx's Tinder profile, Ditya looks almost exactly like last time. Perhaps her eyes are slightly warmer this time, and her smile a bit more relaxed... or perhaps that's just my ego talking... She's even wearing the same black dress, only I could swear the neckline was different and the hem ended an inch or two further down her thighs last time... Dammit, my subconsious is definitely making this a two-fronted battle. Jacob sighed lightly as Ditya sat down opposite the desk from him, occluding her lower half.
"As you might be aware, environmental groups on the island are making inrodes with the council lately. We may need to propose measures to more strongly control the influence of external forces on our precious isle's natural and commercial resources," Ditya opened.
"It's nice to see you again too, Ditya," James said coolly. "Thank you for stopping by."
She ignored him and continued, "As you're assets already represent the majority of the tourist industry's presense on Bali, the council is interested in simplifying it's relationships. Currently there are over two hundred different corporations running hotels on the island. While reasons very, there is unanimous agreement on the council that consolidating these businesses is advantageous."
That went from 0 to 100 real fast. "Would you mind slowing down a bit? Are you saying that the government wants to eliminate my competition for me?" What are they asking for in return? This could be a trap. "This sounds too good to be true," Jacob said.
"We don't want much of anything besides your cooperation. Obviously you'll be reaping some major financial rewards in this case, but I don't personally feel the standard relationship payoffs between people in our positions are of much interest." Ditya paused breifly. "We want you to be the poster child for the transition. You're mother was born here on Bali and your father right next door on Lombok. Given the current political climate you're a real unicorn."
Every five to ten, years popular opinion on the island shifted between allowing in more foreign capital and moderating external influence in order to rebuild the native culture and ecosystem. The periods of environmentalism were always breifer and less effective, leaving the community with xxx problems.