His Secret Desire by Alana Davis

first.
    “Richard, it’s always a pleasure,” the woman said.
    “And you as well Joyce,” Mr. Chen said. He turned to me and whispered in my ear. “Joyce Lin. She is American. She works as a translator for Sun Industries. They apparently have the same idea as Mr. Strauss.”
    The younger of the three men was Delun Sun. The older man to his right was his father, Lei Sun. The other man never gave his name. His face remained stoic the entire meeting. I never saw him blink, and even though I was moving between talking to Delun and Lei, I could have sworn that even if I had watched him the whole time, his eyes would never have moved off of me nor would they have blinked.
    “Welcome to China, Miss Dubois,” Delun Sun said.
    “Thank you, Mr. Sun.”
    “Although I must admit that I am very unhappy that your boss could not, or perhaps would not, grace us with his presence.”
    “Please, Mr. Sun,” I said, addressing Delun first and then Lei. I looked over to the unnamed third man and said nothing, but bowed my head slightly as I continued. “Accept his apology on my behalf. There are many developments which he must attend to and his time is spread very thin. I can assure you that he sends me, his best representative, in his place as a sign of his utmost respect for your company.”
    I felt like a student on the first day of college. I thought of that little girl, so scared by the world and unsure as to how even speak. The transformation that took months and years before she stood up and took charge, became a leader, would have to happen again. Except this time, I did not have months and years. I had minutes, perhaps seconds. I maintained a calm demeanor and breathed in slowly, following the breath with my thoughts as it flowed in and out. I can do this, I thought. I will do this.
    Lei Sun leaned over to his son and spoke rapid Chinese. It flowed so fast that at first I didn’t even think it was words but a musical tune he had sung. I had to acknowledge the beauty of their language.
    “He said ‘We’ll see for ourselves my son what this woman has to offer’,” Mr. Chen whispered into my ear.
    I decided quickly that it was a good sign that they were willing to see how I would play out in this discussion.
    “Alright, Miss Dubois, we accept his apology. Would you like anything to drink before we begin to talk business?” Delun asked.
    “No, thank you,” I said politely. I did not want to give the slightest indication that I was weak.
    Accepting water or tea, while such a small gesture, might be construed as such. I was here for one purpose and one purpose only. Negotiate the deal and get out.
    I blinked. A flash of myself as younger woman in college. I remember being in the student meetings, terrified to speak. I remember the thoughts well. What if I sound stupid? What if no one listens to me? What if they agree with what I say and I have no idea what to do afterwards? That was ages ago.
    A lifetime had passed since then. I was a new woman now. I would not fail. Yet I admitted to myself that I was terrified. I let the feelings temper me. I would not act too rash or capitulate easily. Being scared was a normal reaction, but I would not show it for a single instant.
    “We are interested in an initial order of ten thousand units of the BR36 prototype,” I said.
    “Yes, the BR36 prototype. Our rate per unit for the BR36 prototype is one hundred and fifty American dollars,” Delun said.
    “One hundred and fifty dollars is an unacceptable price for such a high order, Mr. Sun,” I said. I paused and let the weight of my words fill the space in the air. The unnamed man’s face wrinkled slightly.
    “Since we are going to be ordering an initial order of ten thousand units, we would of course need a discounted price for such a high order. I also should inform you the importance of the key aspect of what I have said, which is that it is an initial order.”
    Delun Sun turned to his father Lei and gave him a look that I