My Fantasy Girl Ch. 04

A couple of hours later the CEO phones me. "Bob, we have nine people on our board, seven of whom live in the area. Five of us, including Mr. Tatum, the chairman, are free tonight. Can you come join us for dinner?"

"Yes, of course."

"Okay. Be at the country club at 6:30. We'll have a drink, then dinner. Be sure to concentrate on Mr. Tatum. We all get a vote, but his is the one that really counts. You know how that works, don't you?"

"Yes, I sure do! And thank you for putting this together so quickly."

"Just do a good job, selling expansion, going public, and, of course, yourself."

I call Melissa and bring her up-to-date on the possibility that I might work for the company permanently if tonight's dinner goes well. This is the first time since our first date that I'm in town and we don't eat together. I promise to call her afterward, or come over if it's not too late. "Even if you're not done until eleven, I want you to come over," she says.

The dinner goes well. It's April now, not the dead of winter, but I still get some looks when I order a gin and tonic. While we all drink a cocktail or two (just one for me) everyone introduces themselves and we have a general conversation, but once we sit down and finish ordering our meals, Mr. Tatum, who has asked me to sit beside him, totally dominates the conversation. He is older, probably close to eighty, but he's very sharp. He ran the company for nearly forty years before turning day-to-day control over to his son-in-law, Bill Harvell. Not surprisingly he is most interested in the financial side. He doesn't like the idea of going public but he likes the idea that doing so would probably make him a much wealthier man.

By 9:30 we are done with dinner and an after dinner drink. Mr. Tatum faces me and says, "If you don't mind Bob, I'd like you to leave so we can discuss this among ourselves. We will definitely make you an offer." Everyone is nodding in agreement. "We just need to decide how we will define your responsibilities and shape the offer."

"Thank you very much," I tell him, then I say good night to everyone, shake hands all around and leave. As I walk away, I notice Bill Harvell is beaming.

I rush over to Melissa's house to give her and her parents the good news. I don't tell them all the details but I emphasize that they are going to make me an offer, and since I've already told them my minimum acceptable salary, the offer is almost bound to be one I will take.

After some general conversation, Melissa tells her parents she wants to sleep over with me again and we'll see them at 7am. We head for the motor lodge and I agree to Melissa's request for a shorter sex session than we had last night. Tonight it's mostly cuddling and telling each other how great our life together will be.

***The plane has landed at Hartwell so I went out of fantasy mode again until I was in my Fiat 124 Spyder. It was a pleasant night so I put the top down and made my way to I-75 for the run through downtown Atlanta to Dunwoody.***

THURSDAY

It is mid-morning and I'm meeting with Bill Harvell, the CEO.

He confesses that he talked with my boss at the consulting firm yesterday before contacting the other board members. "I'm sorry but I had to confirm what you told me before going out on a limb to ask the board to hire you. I think you'll be pleased with this."

He hands me a single sheet with the terms of the offer. The base salary will be $60,000 with a possibility of a bonus, my title will be Director of Finance and Administration, I'll get a four door Buick as a company car, two weeks vacation the first year, and unlimited room-and-board at the hotel for as long as I want it, to include Melissa's meals when she's with me. There is to be a six-month trial period. If that goes well, the position will be made permanent and I will be promoted to vice president and given a significant raise after one year.

I'm very pleased and accept on the spot. "I expect to be back on Monday or Tuesday, at which time I'll move into the hotel. Naturally, I'll be splitting my time at first between my consulting responsibilities and the job here. You will still have to pay consulting fees on the time I spend on my current project, but that's almost over. I've got one other project I'll need to finish. It will take about a third of my time over the next two months. I can keep my time records like I do now so you pay me for just the time I spend at my job."

We discuss some more details of my transition from consultant to employee, then I go to Melissa's office. "I'm definitely coming to work here permanently. We'll be able to stay right here."

"Oh, Bob, how wonderful!"

"Don't say anything to anyone yet. Mr. Harvell will announce it next week. Also, tell Melanie you won't have lunch with her today. I'll get you at noon."

During lunchtime, I take Melissa to the local jewelry store to shop for an engagement ring.

***I exited I-285, just a mile and a half from my house. I decided this is a good place to end my fantasy, which has occupied nearly seven hours. It was all a pleasant thought even though I knew most of it would probably not happen.

One thing I did expect is that Melissa would say yes when I proposed a long term relationship, and that was the most important part.***