A limousine ride to a private airport where Strauss Engines keeps its corporate jet didn’t seem real to me. Alone in a private jet, I sipped on expensive white wine while I awaited a filet mignon dinner to be finished cooking. Miles up in the sky, I looked down on a world that I hardly could believe was real anymore. I was on my way to Beijing, China. Sitting in the comfy leather chair, I looked over to see the flight attendant setting up the bed that I would get to sleep on shortly. It was a sixteen hour flight, but still, I had never even heard of sleeping while flying. I took another sip of white wine and relished the experience. The flight attendant disappeared and I was all alone.I looked down at the dossier in front of me. The files stared back up at me and I forced myself not to get overwhelmed. I read over the files at least a dozen times, but I reread them again. I wanted them to be imprinted in my brain when I went to the meeting. The terms I had to negotiate streamed in and out of my mind with every page.
