Managing up... tweaking the numbers... office liaisons... M&A... office politics... ethical challenges... the capriciousness of success... these are the subjects that Ethan Cooper addresses in SMOOTH IN MEETINGS, the second novel in the Corporate Quartet, his tetralogy of workplace fiction. In SMOOTH IN MEETINGS, a management shake-up blindsides Ward Wittman, a senior executive at a high tech company. Now, Ward has to prove his worth to a tough new boss, who has high expectations for Ward's fading product line. Compounding this stress is Ward's bittersweet family life, which features two teenage children and a socially ambitious wife. Feeling entitled, Ward risks an office fling, expecting a sexy haven free from the demands of his family and career. In telling this story, Ward limns his strategy for corporate and personal survival. For Ward, the trick is to be smooth and unassailable in meetings. How to survive and prosper in corporate life? For readers with this interest, SMOOTH IN MEETINGS is a fast-moving must-read in which the ambition and cunning of a rising corporate star both animate and stifle love in his family.