"Sorry." "Nicole needed help." "No problem." " I'll get changed." "Change here." " It'll only take me..." "Put your things there." " But my suit, I don't want to..." "Alexandre." "Do it for me." "That way we can keep talking." "So Nicole needed help?" " A little billing mistake, nothing serious." "She made a billing mistake?" "A little one." "But it's all sorted, she's very conscientious." "I see." "You weren't screwing her?" "Excuse me?" " I said "You weren't screwing her?"" "What are you talking about?" "You're not going to tell me you've never slept with her?" "Of course I haven't." "The seminar in Chamonix, in February." "You think I didn't notice?" "Notice what?" "I was joking, Alexandre." "It was a joke." "Aren't you a little uptight?" " No." "You playing like that?" " No, of course not." "One second." "Shit." "OK, M or W?" "I'd like to warm up..." " Should've got here on time." "I have a knee problems, I'd rather..." "Alexandre." "This isn't Harvard anymore." "You've got to be on the ball." "Could you go over the rules?" "You don't know them?" " I play tennis." "But I haven't played squash..." "It's OK, Alexandre." "You hit the ball against the front wall." "Remember?" "It can only bounce once." "The side and back walls are in." "Above this line, it's a fault." "Below this line too." "It makes noise." "Like when you screw up in life." "You serve diagonally." "You only score your serves." "We play to 9." "At 8-all, the reciever chooses to countinue to 9 or 10." "OK, M or W?" "M." " For "Moron"?" "Sorry, I was just teasing." "W..." "I serve." "Ready." "It's the same at work, you don't have balls." "Excuse me?" " Ready?" "See, you get there and then at the decisive moment, you blow it." "It happens, we just started." "It "happens"?" "Like you lost the Fimacom sale?" "And whose fault was that?" "Dumont had relations with the girlfriend of... 2-0, ready?" "And then you start to feeling guilty." " I don't feel guilty." "Yeah?" "You like to fail?" "Of course not, I try to learn from my mistakes." "And Nicole?" " I promise, I never..." "That's just it." "You never did." "But you start shaking when I accuse you." "What if you act this way with a client." "You're too emotional." "I'm not emotional!" "3-0." "Ready?" " Ready." "Shit!" "See, you're too emotional." "I'm sorry, I didn't want to hurt you." "But I hired you for your potential and I want to see you use it." "You hear me?" " Yeah, I hear you." "You can't let things get to you like that." "A little nothing throws you completely off." "Ok, you play better than I do." " No." "Squash is... very psychological." "So I'm psychologically weak." "Are you happy?" "You're better than that." "I hired you because I thought you were a fighter." "You have the potential it takes." "Show me you know how to use it." "OK?" " OK, fine." "I have faith in you." "Move up a little." "You're too far back." "And don't forget to use the side walls." "OK, 4-0." "Ready?" " Ready." "You see?" "Self-confidence..." "OK, 0-4." "Good!" "Good shot." " We'll see." "Damn it!" " 2-4" "I can tell I'm going to regret my pep talk." "Ready?" " Ready." "Shit!" "3-4" " Ready." "So, how do you think you caught up?" "I felt more confident than with the first balls." "I "used my potential"." "Your potential?" "You fool." "Don't you see I let you win?" " What?" "It's even worse than I thought." "I knew you were a loser, but this really takes the cake." "We're even, right?" " You jerk!" "Not only do you lack confidence, you refuse to look at reality!" "I see why you lost Fimacom." "There was a reason." "Dumont knew..." " I don't care about Dumont!" "You can give me all the reasons you want!" "You think I pay you to screw up?" "Of course not, but..." " There are always reasons to screw up!" "I know that deal wasn't easy!" "But someone with self-confidence, like Jean-Claude." "Someone who isn't taken in by illusory difficulties." "He would have settled the deal." "You didn't stand a chance." "You know why?" "Because you can smell a guy who doesn't think he'll make it." "Losers stink to high heaven, Alexandre." "Nothing stinks more than someone who's heading for defeat." "And you, my friend, reek of failure." "No one's ever told you?" "4-4." "You serve." "Ready." "Shit!" " Sorry, I didn't mean to." "Are you hurt?" " What do you think?" "I have some cold spray..." " Don't bother!" "You sure you can play?" " I'm fine." "As you wish... 4-4." "Hey, it's my serve!" " No, that was my point." "You hit me and it's your point?" " It was a stroke." "You shouldn't be in my way when I hit the ball." "It would hit the wall." "It's my point." "Ready." "5-4." "Shit!" "Alexandre, as I watch you play I'm thinking I'd be stupid not to fire you." "What?" "Nicole too." "She really lacks judgment if she turns to help for you." "You can't do that..." " 6-4." "You bet I can." "Ready?" "Ready!" "You see, the problem is:" "losers are contagious." "I can't risk you contaminating the whole stuff." "7-4, ready?" "You can't fire people for no reason!" " But I have reasons." "You failed with Fimacom, Nicole makes billing mistakes." "I need reliable co-workers." "This is absurd." "You can't fire me on a squash court." "We'll make it official tomorrow, for you and Nicole." "Leave Nicole out of this." "She's a good girl." "I run a business, not a dating service." "You screw her if you want, but not during office hours." "I told you, I never..." " Don't give me that crap." "It's not beacause you hide it well, that nothing is going on." "You're completely obsessive, you see sex everywhere!" "Just because you're frustrated isn't a reason to take it out on me!" "Now you insult me?" " I'm sorry, I got carried away." "You're not going to fire me because I don't play good squash?" "Alexandre..." "I'm not used to losing big contracts." "I'm disappointed, that's all." "But I admit, it's not a reason to fire you so suddenly." "No, it's not." "We're only 7-4." "Even if I'm sure of wining, it wouldn't be honest to jump to conclusions yet." "This is what we'll do." "If you win the set, we'll say I was mistaken about you." "I you lose..." "I fire you." "Along with Nicole." " It's a joke?" "No, it's a second chance." "So?" "I'm waiting." "What are you going to do?" "Tell me, what's your decision?" "What would a fighter do?" "Withdraw?" "Leave a court with his head high?" "Which attitude is more dignified?" "It's simple: you win, you keep your job." "You lose..." "Ready!" "7-4." "8-4." "Match point." " Ready." "Shit!" "4-8." " You got lucky." "Ready?" " Ready!" "5-8!" "Maybe I let you win those points..." " I doubt it." "Ready?" " Ready." "Oh, the bitch!" "You asshole!" "Can't you watch out?" " That was a stroke, not?" "You have a spare racket?" " In my bag." "OK, 6-8." "Your serve." " You're completely sick." "What?" "I wasn't ready." "Have to be on the ball." " Well I wasn't." "7-8." "My serve." " I'm stopping." "You afraid of losing?" " I don't like cheaters." "You can't force me to play." " You'll do anything not to lose." "No, I'll do anything to win." "That's the difference between us." "Fine, drop it. 6-8, my serve." "Disgrace doesn't scare you..." " You quit, not me." "You're being ridiculous." "All this fuss over a stupid squash game..." "Are you read, huh?" "Ready." "You were worried about your knee, you hurt your ankle." "Give me the spray." "You thins it's a sprain?" "Or did you feel your ligament rip?" "Please, get it..." "Did you hear a loud snap?" "Because if you heard a snap, that means..." "the ligament is torn." "Or it's the bone." "Sorry, I guess I forgot the spray." "It's a shame, you were really gaining ground." "But, health before all else." "A job is easy to find, whereas an ankle..." "You're not going to win like that." "You don't realize beacuse you're still warm, but when it cools off you'll be in agony." "It's not a very pleasant pain." "Come on, 8-6." " What?" "You got in my way." "It's my point." "I got in your way, did I?" "You've got nerve!" "Don't you see how you play?" "You are a hazard!" "OK, go ahead." "Take your point." "You're sick." "7-8." "That's the last time we count interference!" "Ready!" "8-all!" "What now?" "Do we play to 9 or 10?" "Let's play to 10." "You afraid of losing your serve?" " I'm not afraid of losing!" "OK." "We play to 10." "8-all, my serve!" "You must regret not having chosen 9..." "Ready?" "You see, Alexandre, what motivates me is winning!" " That's it Charles!" "Don't stop now!" "Make me feel voluptuous!" "What did you say?" " What?" "You said "voluptuous." What else?" " I don't remember." "Make an effort." " Make me feel voluptuous!" "Where did you hear that?" " Why?" "You know why." "Where did you hear it?" "You really want to know?" " Where?" "Very well." "Isabelle, your wife." "She says it each time she has an orgasm." "It's surprising at first, but you get used to it." "You must know what I mean..." "It can't be true." "You know why I like sleeping with her so much?" "When I fuck her, I think of you!" "Your serve." "Ready." "Ready." "8-9." "Losing your concentracion?" "Is there a problem?" "Serve." "Of course, right away." "Ready?" " Ready." "Yeah, you look ready." "OK." "Your serve." "Ok. 9-9..." "Match point." "Consider this game as preliminary notification of your dismissal." "I never slept with Isabelle." "It's too late, you gave me proof." "Wait." "My room was next to yours at the seminar in Chamonix." "The walls were thin, I heard you." "You heard us?" "She sure knows what she wants." "When she makes you do..." "What is it called?" "The "Chinese wheelbarrow"?" "You must love her to put up with that." "You little jerk." " No holds barred, you said it yourself." "I want my revenge match, do you hear me?" " And me, I want the Primassol deal." "No way, I already gave it to Jean-Claude." "No problem." "That is, if you don't mind everyone seeing you doing the "Chinese wheelbarrow"." "What do you mean, "see me"?" "The Mini DV." "I love shooting winter sports." "You're not going to bluff me twice." "You'll take the risk?" "You are a man of many resources after all." "Alexandre..." "I think this is beginning of a beautiful partnership."