2024-01-14 Tax Cuts & Plaques
Tax Cuts & Plaques
Location: Michael Lowe's office, Santa Monica
Date and Time: January 14th, 2024 11:05am
Summary: A finance meeting changes direction when Sarita gets a surprise job offer.
When Sarita arrives at the office Michael Lowe will have shown up early with coffee ready for both. He wears a custom fitted, expensive suit and has his hair in well maintained twists cleanly kept rolling down to his shoulders. One of his emails hinted that a lot of the charity representatives bring donuts and how much he appreciates it, so she might have known what he was checking her hands for when he first opened the door and welcomed her in.
The motif is spartan and doesn't tell much of anything about exactly what kind of business goes on inside, but the office space she's brought to wait in has a bit of Star Trek memorabilia that betrays Michael's hobbies outside of finance. Other than that the office is fitted with expensive, comfortable, and attractive furniture but undecorated otherwise, giving the distinct vibe of sorely lacking in a woman's touch.
"So this is where all the biggest decisions about Cyrus' money get made." It's a spacious room at least, with a meeting table, a small projector on the ceiling for reviewing graphs and other facts and figures, and a small bookcase with lots of on theme books Michael no doubt read on his way through college.
The gentle rapping on the front door comes five minutes after time. "Come in boss," Michael invites, standing up as Cyrus steps into the room. "Please, feel free to sit, Mike," Cyrus laughs while stepping across the room toward Sarita. His ivory white button up shirt reflects against the light like it's made of velvet or silk, and the thick fabric his chestnut slacks are made of look just as luxurious and soft, it's almost like she can feel them comforting her fingertips like a comforter fresh from the dryer by sight alone. "You must be Ms. Shah?" He doesn't bother telling her his name, but he probably usually doesn't need to.
Sarita, had, in fact, brought donuts. She had probably spent entirely too long worrying about that. Contemplating the sad attempt to play it off she'd have to do if her information was wrong...but ultimately she'd settled on the fact that few people truly disliked a gesture of good will. Rather than show up with a pink box like an office intern, she'd opted for a quartet of donuts in a box with a clear plastic lid. The sort of place that 'upscales' donuts with about twice the traditional sugar and five times the cost. Still...sugar is delicious.
Sarita herself popped to her feet the moment Cyrus joined them, extending her hand across. She was dressed...nicely. Though any halfway studious eye might judge it as 'executive assistant to the regional vice president' nice. The kind of business suit worn by a quarter million people just in LA alone. But she'd clearly spruced up for this meeting.
"Mr Thorne, good afternoon. Yes, sir, I'm Sarita Shah. Mr Lowe and I were just comparing notes. Thank you for seeing me."
...Actually, Sarita and Michael had just been discussing whether 'Strange New Worlds' was worth taking the time for. Sarita had only seen the shows and skipped most of the movies, but Michael seemed to have some good opinions on which to skip and which to watch. But she was willing to extend a bit of professional courtesy as well as donuts for the financial expert.
Michael seems to believe quite strongly that Sarita needs to watch the first two seasons of Discovery first, and then follow them up with Strange New Worlds. Getting the setup might be as important as he implies, but she detects from a few things he says that he could just be very into Michael Burnham, who's only in Discovery.
"Michael's a very good man to listen to. I do all the time. Particularly when the topic is on anything Sci Fi," he says with a grin to his advisor that gets met with a chortle from Michael, no doubt because of how little Cyrus knew how on point his jest was.
"She's not lying, boss. We were comparing notes on Strange New Worlds, and I was turning her on to Discovery." Michael's body language is comfortable and relaxed as he speaks with Cyrus, his posture deflated and wide while he slips into a seat that, based on the arrangement, will no doubt end up being next to Cyrus and across from Sarita.
"I did not at all regret listening to Michael's recommendations about Discovery. Burnham was a great character. And pretty cute. But I won't mention that to your wife," he says with a jovial jesting tone and a rakish grin, the pair setting the scene for a casual and relaxed tone.
Sarita smiles, and actually relaxes a hair...oh, not entirely. Lots of people were relaxed with -specific- staff members and might not take the same from strangers, but Michael seemed comfortable enough, and that at least ruled out the many toxic bosses she'd had over her years.
"Yes indeed. I'll confess, about half my exposure was having late night marathons of TNG running while I tried to make heads or tales of managerial accounting charts. I'm not going to tell you I miss those days but...the shows did make things a trifle better."
She waited until they were both seated before she sat, not really minding the two-on-one set up of the room. This was a pitch meeting and everyone knew it, after all. She was very clearly nervous, but held it together well so far.
"Dad was very big on filling your imagination with things you preferred to see in the world, lest you forget your aspirations." She said...and then laughed, "...I'm not sure that philosophy would extend to horror novels but...it would at least be an interesting world."
"The nice thing about Star Trek is you can put on an episode and just feel like everything is a little better for about an hour," Michael says to Sarita, bouncing his head up and down in an agreeable nod. "I never stopped. It's not always TNG now, that's the other thing about Star Trek: there's always a run you haven't watched in a while," he grins out those last few words, before hushing to let her start building into her presentation.
"I think of it as finding a way to make sense of the horrors in the world by trying to find some way to understand and control it. Like a lion in a zoo, horror is much more interesting when confined to the cage of a book," he muses. Cyrus joins Michael in grabbing a donut while he listens to her opening. "There's a line between gruesome violence as a wonder and a terror. I see myself as that line." He follows this up with his first bite, before giving an impressive, "Mmm. Delicious. I have a weakness for donuts. I appreciate that you splurged. You got chocolate, too. My favorite. I didn't think they had that information on Google." They don't, but it turns out Michael really had given her the inside info. He's passing her a knowing smile while Cyrus eats, before taking a bite of his own.
"Oh, I have my sources." Sarita was going to have to find a way to do something nice for Michael if all this went well, but that was an 'after it goes well' thing, "Though chocolate is usually a pretty safe bet. I knew someone in elementary school who was -allergic- to it that still loved it. If that's not a mark in favor of its deliciousness, I don't know what is."
Sarita had brought with her a small tan briefcase, the kind of accordion case that lawyers bought by the dozens to keep all their case files organized in a single repository. She opened the sides...but didn't immediately take anything out, instead looking up at Cyrus with a somewhat searching expression.
"Mr. Thorne...if you'll indulge me in a slightly impertinent question. Can I ask what made you start investing in philanthropy?"
Her question is met with a dose of hesitance while Cyrus deliberates, bouncing his head back and forth like a tennis match is being played between his shoulders before ending it with a nod. "Guilt, if I'm honest," he tells her, an embarrassed chuckle coming out of him.
"Cyrus didn't come from poverty, but he didn't come from wealth like he has now either," Michael adds to the conversation with a helpful tone in his voice as he looks to Sarita.
"He's right. I've never been fully comfortable with being this wealthy. I never expected it from writing. I don't want to be seen as some rich scrooge so, I try to stay as involved with as much redistribution of my own wealth as I can." A very communist statement for someone with a six figure net worth. Cyrus breaks the mold from many of the ultra-wealthy, and his apparent background might explain why.
"Skid Row isn't far from here. In New Orleans, where I was born, there's nothing like that, but there's Jackson Square, 9th Ward... that city has more than it's share of troubles." He purses his lips together and attempts to try and shrink himself in his chair a bit. "Seeing that and going home to a beautiful view over the pier and a lobster dinner feels... well. It inspires philanthropy. In some of us, at least." Sarita might have done enough research to know that Cyrus financed the foundation of a food outreach program at Santa Monica Pier, which isn't far from his loft. Apparently he still writes the majority of their checks.
Sarita was a little surprised to get that level of honesty right off the bat...and judging by the way she smiles and the way the set of her shoulders eases from 'job interview' to merely 'doesn't want to blow it' she approves. She gives a very slow nod.
"The reason I ask is...well, even in the short time I've been back in LA, I've gotten to work with a lot of businesses doing donations. For a lot of them, it's a tax write off. We steer them toward building renovations. If you fill out the right forms, the city will be more than thrilled to pay -you- while you set up a rental business for yourself, and the rent cap rules are so loose they might as well not exist. I also work with many who aren't keen on the money side, but they want the plaque. The attention. Those are easy too. Clean up and renovate a park near a local mall. What's it cost? A couple of dozen landscapers, some paint, maybe a jungle gym? You make the 6 o clock news and no one cares if the place looks worse than ever in six months."
She pauses, and again looks up with interest at the chocolate loving author, pursing her lips as she resettles herself.
"...Neither of those sorts are interested in feeding people out near the pier. Food isn't sexy. Food doesn't make the news after the first day. It's expensive, and it doesn't write off a whole lot if you're playing it straight. That's the sort of thing you do if you -actually- care whether there are kids going hungry down the street from one of the richest zip codes in the industrialized world. And I'm going to go out on a limb and say...That's only one of your projects, and I probably haven't heard of most of them."
Cyrus gives Sarita a pleased and impressed smile. "You're right. Ever since I came into money I've been doing things here and there to try and help. And you're right. Sometimes, food is bad press, and other times the complications are things like the police coming and pouring bleach on what your people have tried to serve. Fortunately I have the privilege of keeping my hands out of the details but.." He shakes his head and gives a look out the window. There's too many buildings in the way to see, but anyone who's been around Santa Monica long enough will know he's working toward the pier.
"I fund that program because when I eat my dinner and enjoy my view out on the pier, I know that the bellies I'm looking at are full. That's what interests me. I want to spend money that actually gives real improvement to people's lives, and I want to see results. Boots on the ground, differences being made, hard lives getting easier." There's a serious tone to the cadence of his words, his honeyed tenor hitting the depths of its range while he stares into Sarita's eyes with a raw kind of intensity.
"The boss is very passionate," Michael tells her with a nod of his head. "And not gonna be that interested in tax breaks or plaques."
"That's the publishing office's concern," Cyrus says with a sharp grin and a look at Michael, which summons a low laugh from his employee.
"Yeah, now if there was a plaque I'm sure they'd be interested about that part. They ain't gonna be cutting any bonus checks though."
Sarita smiled once more...and relaxed another hair. She finally reached into her case and withdrew two separately paperclipped stacks of papers. Both were thick...but the top two or three pages seemed to be a neatly typed executive summary, with most of the remaining simply being spend analysis, anticipated returns, and professional consultation. Michael, and probably Cyrus, would know each of them would easily have taken several days if not a week of work...work for which Sarita was not getting paid. She set them down on the table between them, one hand on each of them in turn.
"-This- is the information on the After Hours charity. It's a team of local doctors putting together an organization that can get boots on the ground into parts of the city where it's needed. Whether it's a flu outbreak overrunning the free clinic or a school district getting struck with food poisoning, being able to rustle extra doctors and nurses to get the help where it's needed can make all the difference. Some of them need supplies. Some of them could use a nominal fee to help pay off those med student bills. Transport, equipment, and just about everything else. I've looked at their books, though, it's just about the best ratio of money to actual -help- I've seen in a long time."
She tapped the other stack with her right hand, her expression steady and resolved.
"This is the greener hills initiative. It started as a college project, but it's gaining momentum. Free running green spaces. Literally trucks driving around and taking note of areas in disrepair. If it's not a public space, they notify the people who own it. If it is, they arrange weekend volunteer gigs to resod and rejuvenate...and keep it that way. They don't just repaint it once, they keep the place up...and they source volunteers from the local populace, providing a couple of bucks in exchange for the work, and at least a hot meal. A lot of those volunteers keep the work up long after the initiative passes. I know keeping things green is hardly the highest priority but...if you've ever lived in one of these places, it makes a difference.
Before she starts Michael flips open those documents and leans close to Cyrus. The whispering starts and he's pointing to the parts of the document that would have taken more time than others. Cyrus looks pleased with the way his eyebrows lift up while Michael explains whatever he explains, and when Sarita begins after she gets the author's full attention.
That is for most of it. The way his expression starts to rapidly get bored tells her that he was far more interested in the first project than the second.
"Medical assistance is good. I see a lot of problems out there on the streets and people with good medical training are expensive and hard to find. I'm really interested in hearing more about this. Also, Michael tells me your research is really good. I admire your attention to detail," he compliments. "Do you come across a lot of charitable organizations like these in your work? The medical service I mean. I'd be more interested in greenery if they were growing, say, community farms to be honest. I heard you say you haven't seen anything like this in a while but, right now my charity expenses are a bit on the disorganized side of whatever catches my attention in the moment."
Sarita had somewhat expected that, and frankly, hitting with at least one was good. She had reasons of her own to push the green initiatives but...well, one thing at a time. She spread her hands, sitting back and trying to sit quietly while the pair flipped through her work. She had double checked it all (quadruple checked it, if she was honest) but she had never quite grown out of the schoolgirl sense she was about to get dressed down for forgetting a comma.
"...Any number of them, actually. As I said, there are a lot of companies who -are- looking for the write off, or the plaque, so there's an endless service industry built around them. But their actual effectiveness varies...pretty dramatically."
She sighed, somewhat contemplatively, and took a deep breath. She knew she was getting excited, and did her best to keep the professional air as she pointed to a particular page.
"The most important ratio for this kind of work is overhead vs expenditure...but there's all kind of ways to juice those numbers. A lot of charities suffer from...erratic funding." Read, sometimes rich people lose interest and go play with a new toy, "So they've got a tendency to spend the money they've got while they've got it. That -can- be good. You aren't trying to invest in something that is going to keep your money sitting around in a vault for five years. But -things- cost money. Storing things costs money. Getting things out of storage costs money. Hiring someone to manage the storage costs money. There's some financial benefit to running things as a bank that can pay out as needed... -if- you have the right experts in play. In my professional opinion, these are the right experts. They use the money alright, but they stretch it as far as it will go. That means more bang for your buck, and the bang is what your goal is."
Cyrus has a serious and thoughtful expression etched on to his face. So serious it seems he's forgotten his chocolate donut. This must be serious. "I see." He looks to Michael for a while, and then back to Sarita. "You've asked me a lot of questions but would you mind if I ask some about you, Ms. Shah?" He says this while idly flipping through the document about the medical work. Michael, meanwhile, is checking out that green initiative. He seems more interested than his boss.
"You're an accomplished accountant. You do radio by night." Hearing someone as famous as Cyrus has done this kind of research on Sarita ahead of their meeting might feel jarring, but Cyrus presses on regardless of any reaction. "I appreciate your community focus that you bring to your show. Finding out where community events are, especially free ones, is a service you provide to the community on it's own. And you bring me one of the most legitimately forward thinking charity organizations that I've seen in a couple of years. You are absolutely not the representative I expected from a company like Herman and Sherman. So now I'm asking myself, where's the catch? How does H&S make money from this?" There's a suspicion in his tone and for the first time the meeting feels like it might not be going as perfect as it had seemed. "I'm struggling to figure out: Are you a good heart at a bad company, or am I falling for something? So, I'm giving you the opportunity to convince me that you're different from the company culture that chose to hire you."
Michael's browse raise, and he looks between Cyrus and Sarita after the writer drops the hardball question.
That...set Sarita back a little. She had expected -some- level of research. Her credentials in the accounting world checked out. UCLA graduate, currently in good standing as an accountant, gainfully employed. But her cheeks darkened at the mention of her radio show. That was...significantly more research. She had quite an impressive flush. Though with her skin tone it was more of a darkening around her cheeks that extended slowly down the sides of her neck. She fumbled for a moment.
"Ah...well...I...I mean, of course. I inquired about you. I understand you being curious about me. And...while Herman and Sherman might not be largest firm in the area I..."
She looked up...and the automatic words seemed to die on her lips, the lie in them painfully obvious. She remained silent for a few long seconds...and seemed to deflate an iota in her seat. She let out a breath.
"They...haven't the slightest idea I'm here." She confessed, in a softer but somehow more genuine voice, "They already put these in the ignore pile. Rates for the firm too low to even bother way. I may...have implied I was here on their behalf, but...They've got nothing to do with either of these charities. Not the kind of thing they do. But..."
She licked her lips slowly, and took a deep, settling breath.
"...I read the files. They deserved better than that. Actual people doing actual good. They didn't deserve to die on the vine because a shareholder somewhere wanted an extra 2 to even consider it."
The look Cyrus was giving her while he waited for her to fumble into an answer was pointed and intense in a way that would probably make anyone uncomfortable. Not only did he look into her radio show, but now he's peering right into her soul. He lets her get it out with patience despite that unwavering stare and when she does a small smile teases at the edges of his lips.
"Well that's probably the only right answer if I'm honest. Don't worry, I won't be telling your boss."
"Me neither," Michael interjects.
"You're right, this organization deserves better than to be piled into the ignore stack. And you deserve better than Herman and Sherman." He brings a hand up to his chin and taps at it thoughtfully, breaking that eye contact for a time.
"How much do they pay you?" Michael stayed quiet while he thought and still does after he breaks it, but despite the direction Cyrus is taking the conversation, if there's any concern in Michael about losing his job he's certainly not showing it. Instead, he's sizing up Sarita like a potential new coworker.
Sarita was far from stupid. She had just barely relaxed after being reassured that neither one of them planned to reach out to her boss (as this type of breach could -easily- be a professional ethics violation if viewed uncharitably) when Cyrus sprang the second question on her.
But knowing didn't necessarily help. For the first time in the conversation, she seemed completely caught off balance and to not know what words to say. All she could think to do was answer the question honestly.
"...65. Or it will be next year, out of probation. 55 until then."
Her jaw worked again even after the words stopped, as if she were compelled to speak...but no words were actually making it from her brain down to the mouth.
"55? And only 65 next year?" Michael finally speaks up again, saying that with a look of disbelief before canting his head back and forth between Cyrus and Sarita. "You're worth more," the accountant says, a frustrated expression on his face as he once again looks over the documents.
"I.. would be very happy to hire you at full time. I could very comfortably start you at 80 a year. You would work under Michael to balance my checkbook between investments," he says, nodding to Michael and indicating a specialty, "and charity. Your job would be to find the most effective places to place my money and to bring me reports of how we've impacted the community after. You know exactly what I'm looking for in those reports, it sounds like, so I think you'd do well. You wouldn't have to sneak and hide anymore to get the real work done. Otherwise, I'll hire you part time as a contractor for charity funding allocation. What I won't do is any business with H&S." He pauses and then adds, "Also, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable with how much I'd looked into your personal affairs. I suppose you weren't made aware of this with your secret rendezvous but my last meeting with an H&S accountant went.. very poorly." Whatever he's leaving out makes Michael give a full bellied laugh and a mirthful look to his boss. "Do you think we could come up with a workable arrangement?"
"When my daughter was born Cyrus gave me two years of paternity leave so I could have the chance to not miss the beginning of my little girl's life. Temporarily hired a small accounting firm to take over while still paying my salary." He turns to Cyrus with a big, pearly-white smile. "His books were a mess when I got back but I recommend you accept his offer. He's a good boss."
There it was. Sarita knew it was coming but...still. And there was no doubt it was a good offer. Frankly, Thorne could be hiding any number of odious personal faults and he would -still- be a superior employer than her current one. Half of the management staff in the building were so transparently untrustworthy she felt like taking a shower afterward.
But there was something else there. Something that hitched her words and kept her from immediately jumping at the offer. Thorne had asked around, done his research. He'd turned up her job at the radio station without much effort. What if he turned up...more? Things he wasn't supposed to find out about? What if he actually paid attention to her, and what she got up to on certain nights when the situation called for it? There were disadvantages to a kind, engaged boss...and yet...
"That's...remarkably kind, Mr Thorne. It is. I'm...intensely flattered, especially since we've spent so little time together."
She fumbled around for another couple of seconds, then seemed to get her mental feet back under her again.
"I don't think I could accept unproven, however. Let's...do this as a trial initiative. I'll help organize it. I'll write up the documents. You can pay me a contract fee at a capped rate to charity standard...and if the offer is still open when we tie a bow on it, we can go from there."
It was a play for time. The 'why' wasn't immediately apparent, but even presuming she moved as far as she seemed to be capable of, that would be at least a month or three before any 'bow' could be tied on it. Maybe a polite letdown? It didn't -seem- like it. She seemed genuinely interested but...clearly there was uncertainty.
Sarita was apt to realize that Cyrus seemed to value a personal relationship with his employees. The chummy way he and Michael banter seems proof enough of that, and of course just how curious he seemed to get about Sarita herself. He doesn't look disappointed at her answer, but still carries a rather confident demeanor. "I doubt I'll feel differently. One of the scary things about being a horror novelist his how rarely people surprise you, Ms. Shah." he stands up and brushes his hands over his pants, signaling the end of their meeting. Michael follows his lead.
"That sounds great. You have Michael's contact information, and I'll make sure he sends you my number too." She might notice Michael committing that task he's been given to memory with the way his eyes flicker into a thoughtful countenance for a moment or two.
"I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do with my money. You'll get what you need to help After Hours. And if a particularly bad day has you rethinking accepting my offer before then, it's still on the table. Did you need anything else?" A month or three might be a long time to Cyrus. "And.. thank you. For taking the time and risk to make this meeting happen. You did the right thing and I'll make sure you don't get punished for it."
Sarita stood up as well, breathing out another small breath of relief. So she had a little time to think about things...and to try not to imagine any number of people screaming at her to take the money and run while the offer was still good.
"No, thank you. I think I have everything that I need, and Michael and I can work out the details, sir." She said, back to professionalism mode...but there was a warmer note in it. If she had impressed him, he had certainly impressed her, "We'll start making the arrangement...and as soon as we have results, I'll make sure those get sent to you too. If I'm right, it won't take too long to see those."
She smiled, and would remain smiling through anything more he asked her, until he had clearly left the room. Then she let herself slouch with a clear exhalation of tension...and managed a smile for Michael.
"...I'm guessing he's always like that, isn't he?"
"You mean intense?" Michael smiles a friendly, bright warm expression and loosens his tie up. "Oh yeah. That was just a taste.”
