Secret Beach

"Michael," she began, she sounded distressed, "there's something wrong with my car!"

"What's going on?" I asked.

She went on to describe how the car was "driving funny" and that a dashboard light went on with some type of warning. She sounded a little shaken up.

"Okay," I calmly said, "where are you now?"

She told me she was able to pull into a parking lot near Broadway in downtown Portland.

"Can you see the Roosevelt Hotel from where you are?" I asked.

During the day downtown Portland is fairly safe, but on the other hand here is a good looking woman in a flashy car. She definitely could be prey for a particular class of people that occasionally wander the streets of downtown Portland.

I told her to lock the car, grab her purse, phone and any other personal stuff and head to the hotel and then grab a drink or a cup of coffee in the lobby bar.

"It'll be an hour or so before I can get you." I told her. "I have some news too. I'll explain when I pick you up," I added.

I begged off dinner with Karl and Clemons, explaining my wife's minor emergency.

When I got to the Roosevelt I fortunately found a convenient parking spot a block away and walked into the lobby bar. No Allison visible. I toured around the rest of the lobby, not worried, more curious.

After about ten minutes I called her. When she answered I could hear some kind of commotion in the background.

"Ali, where are you?" I asked.

"Michael," she was talking quietly, almost a whisper, "I'm up on the mezzanine floor, I ran into your friend Adrian, who we met in Hawaii. He's giving a presentation. You should come and listen. It's really interesting!"

Okay, I thought. I was a little put out. I was anxious to tell Ali the good news about my promotion, and now this.

I found the room. There were about twenty people in the small conference room. Mostly men and women in suits. But I noticed one odd looking man, out of place, wearing a dark beret. At the front of the room at a podium stood Adrian Vasguez. He was talking with great enthusiasm about something called Novacim.

Ali grabbed my arm and nodded toward the front of the room and Adrian Vasguez.

"This is really interesting," she half whispered to me. "This discovery could have a huge effect on our health," she added, gripping my arm tighter.

Silently I watched Vasguez extolling the virtues of this new product Novacim. He talked about Dr Viijay Gupta and described him as a bio-medical genius.

"In our preliminary testing," he was saying while showing a graph on his projector, "most common viruses become much less severe and in some cases symptoms stop almost immediately. Dr Gupta and our staff have more work to do, but the results, so far, are extremely promising."

As I continued to watch Vasguez I couldn't help but be impressed with his presentation skills. He was smooth and persuasive. I thought back to when he was at Pinkus and early on he was identified as someone on the fast track. He was really good. But how much of what he was saying was actually true.

"Okay, let's go," I sternly whispered to Ali.

Making no move to leave or even acknowledging what I said she stared at Vasguez. He was now talking about the financial opportunities of investing in Novacim. I looked at the group of people. Likely a few venture capitalists, a few wealthy friends, and perhaps even an angel investor.

"Ali!" I said a little louder.

"Okay, okay," she said and slowly turned toward the door.

I had called AAA and we walked down to the parking lot where the car was parked. It turned out it was a flat tire, but Ali had driven on it so much it had damaged the wheel. I asked the tow truck to take it to the closest Les Schwab Tire Center. We later found out there was a nail in her tire, likely from the bathroom I had demo'ed.

We walked back past the Roosevelt to my car. At last I was going to share the good news about my promotion. Just as we were walking by the front door of the hotel Adrian appeared.

"Michael!" He greeted me with a surprising man hug.

Did I really know him that well I quickly pondered?

Vasguez was still 'on'. He was smiling, patting me on the back, and telling me how great it was to see me.

"I was surprised to run into lovely Allison in the lobby," he said, smiling at us and nodding toward the hotel. "May I buy you dinner, it would be my pleasure." He asked and looked back and forth at Ali and I.

"Adrian," I began, "perhaps another time. It's been a long day," I explained.

"Michael." Allison said to me, obviously wanting to accept the invitation.

"Not tonight," I firmly explained to them both.

"Alright, I understand, but I would really like to see the both of you and I do think you may find our work with Novacim interesting. I insist we have dinner soon." Vasguez said.

I could tell Allison was disappointed that we didn't agree to have dinner with Adrian that night. She was quieter than normal as we drove home. Despite the mood I told her about my promotion.

She was happy and congratulated me but without the amount of enthusiasm I would have normally expected. I didn't dwell on it, it had been a long day and I didn't have the energy to address this minor issue.

One of the first things I had to do in my new role at Pinkus was to hire someone for my old sales territory. In the meantime I was maintaining my old territory and doing my sales management duties too. For the next month or so I was working long hours and it was seeming to affect our married life.

Ali said she understood but the intimacy that we normally shared seemed to be missing at times. I felt like Ali didn't appreciate the need to sacrifice to satisfy our long term goals of financial security, a solid home for future children, and a comfortable retirement down the road.

Meanwhile that Tuesday I was scheduled for three interviews for my old sales territory. The HR department had identified the most promising candidates and I had meetings set up during the day.

The first candidate was a female, probably late twenties or thirty named Gail Beverley. She had a nice personality, was attractive in a business-like way, and she seemed like she really wanted the job.

The problem was she had very little experience. She was rated the lowest of the three candidates by HR.

The next guy, Ron Gold, had a lot of experience. He'd worked for two other pharmaceutical companies and was older than me, probably mid forties. He was the highest rated by HR. He talked a lot about his accomplishments and by the time the interview was over, I had grown tired of him. And I'd just met him.

The last guy, Elliott Percy, had an advanced science degree and on paper looked pretty good. His problem was that he was so socially awkward I felt uncomfortable with him.

I sent my recommendation into HR curious to see what their response would be. The following Thursday I received an email. Human Resources had endorsed my recommended candidate, Gail Beverley.

This news put me in a particularly good mood. First off, I think she would do a good job. Second, one of my first management decisions had been corroborated. And finally, now, there was a potential candidate for my territory, there was light at the end of the tunnel regarding my workload.

An hour later, my mood still buoyed by the email, I received a phone call. Adrian Vasguez.

"Michael, my friend," he began, "I wanted to follow up on the dinner invitation we discussed some time ago." He began.

When I receive an invitation to something I don't want to do I have a mental Rolodex of excuses I quickly scroll through to come up with some excuse that sounds believable.

Today I think mentally I was focused on the hiring news and could not pivot quick enough to avoid the dinner. We agreed to meet Saturday night at Del Toro in the hip Rose District.

As I hung up I immediately regretted accepting Adrian's invitation.

Ali and I arrived at Del Toro a few minutes late, parking in the Rose District is a problem. Adrian was waiting for us in the bar. As we entered Adrian, smiling, immediately stood up, walked toward us and hugged Allison and added brief kisses on each cheek. He grasped my hand in both of his and then clapped me firmly on the shoulder making solid eye contact.

"Allison," Vasguez began, staring at her after the greeting, "You look more lovely each time I see you," he gushed.

His compliment was a bit too enthusiastic, but he was right. Allison did look particularly attractive tonight. She had spent extra time on her makeup and she was wearing a dress I had not seen before. It was low cut exhibiting the tops of her breasts. I wondered if Vasguez was remembering about seeing the complete breast at Secret Beach.

The dinner was actually fairly pleasant. No doubt about it, Adrian was charming. He complimented me on my promotion, I wasn't sure how he had heard about it, but I was gracious and appreciated his words.

He asked Allison about her interior decorating business, inquiring about some specific details. He asked some in depth specific questions about design and her availability. He went on to explain he was in the process of buying a house.

"My condo is nice but I have found a place with some land west of Portland."

He described the house and acreage in the Sylvania area. He explained that the house was structurally fine but there had been no cosmetic upgrades for over a decade.

As he and Allison talked vaguely about how she could help him decorate I thought about the house. Ever since Allison began pressuring me to move I had been watching the real estate market. I had actually been interested in acreage also. One thing I quickly found out was any house with land, fairly close in, is expensive.

I estimated what Adrian was talking about would be certainly over a million and a half, likely closer to two million dollars. I wondered how he could afford that.

The conversation shifted again and he began talking about Novacim. It was almost like he was giving us a version of the speech he had given at The Roosevelt. Initially discussing the promise of a potential cure for the common viruses and then talking about the financial opportunities.

"Based on our current valuations," he continued, "I have made quite a few people a lot of money." He proudly told us.

Ali was fascinated, her eyes were slightly glazed as she listened to Vasguez.

"How much," she blurted out, the question pertaining to all the money made.

Vasguez chuckled as he answered.

"Allison," he smoothly answered, "why don't we just say, a lot."

"Millions?" She continued.

Silently Vasguez nodded with a smug smile on his face.

He then told us he was having another investor presentation at the Willamette Club, an upscale athletic and social club, next week and invited us to go.

Allison was nodding with enthusiasm and I quickly interjected.

"We'll see." I told Vasguez.

The evening ended and as we said our goodbyes at the front of the restaurant once again Vasguez gave Ali the overly familiar hug and kisses. This time though she seemed to reciprocate a bit more.

We drove home comfortably, mostly silent but there was just the slightest air of conflict. I knew I wanted to caution Ali about these get rich quick opportunities but I wanted to do it in a way that was not argumentative. At that moment I hadn't worked out exactly what that would sound like.

By Monday I received an email from HR green lighting Gail Beverley to the next stage of the interview process. That would be individual interviews with Don Clemons and my boss Karl Rudinsky. She would interview with Karl Wednesday and Don Thursday.

I called Gail to tell her.

"That is so awesome!" She enthusiastically told me, "any pointers you can pass on?" She asked.

I enjoyed the brief phone call and felt reassured that I had made the right choice in candidates.

Tuesday and Wednesday I was in my old sales territory and then Thursday afternoon I was back at the office. I knew Gail was interviewing with Clemons at three o clock.

I received an email from Don Clemons endorsing Gail Beverley for the sales position without reservation. She was with HR now reviewing the compensation package. I was told to meet back with Don, Karl, and our new employee Gail at four thirty, in Karl's office.

Just as I was leaving to meet up with them Ali called.

"When are you going to be home?" She asked.

I explained that I wasn't sure we were in the process of hiring a new territory sales person.

"Michael! We're supposed to be there by six o clock!" Ali told me.

"Where?" I asked, confused.

"At The Willamette Club! Adrian is expecting us!" She nearly shouted.

I explained that I couldn't make it, that we would attend one of these things at another time.

"Michael, I'm dressed to go and I told Adrian we would be there!"

Told Adrian? She's now communicating with him? I'd have to ask her about that.

"Allison," I said firmly, "I have a meeting, I doubt I would be there by six. This isn't important, now, I need to get going and I'll see you later at home." I told her and got off the phone.

That was that I thought.

I congratulated Gail on accepting the job and the four of us agreed to a celebration drink at Farmer's Tavern around the corner from the office, it was kind of a tradition. I liked the way Gail interacted with management. She seemed respectful but not intimidated by Karl or Don. One thing I knew, her success or failure would reflect specifically on me. I had hired her.

We had a good time getting to know Gail. Our conversation was mixed between Pinkus and personal. Comfortable and relaxed. Gail asked about the schedule moving forward. This would be a little longer conversation. Karl and Don knew that and both stood up.

"Once again," Clemons addressed Gail, "welcome to the team, glad you are on board."

As they left Gail and I settled in with a discussion about her start date and what the schedule was going to look like for the first few weeks. By the time we were done it was nearly eight o clock.

As I drove home I was happy with a sense of accomplishment. I had made my first hire and from everything I could tell so far she was going to work out.

I thought a little more about Gail and started to think about her appearance. I know it wasn't quite right to think of a subordinate like that, but what could I do, she's a female and I'm a male. Men think about women physically. That's the way it is.

My first impression was that she was business-like. Shorter hair, not a lot of makeup, maybe tom-boyish. But she also looked like she was in good shape. I remembered her ass as we departed, tight and muscular. She was built like an athlete. Different from the feminine attractiveness of Allison.

Lost in thought driving I suddenly noticed Ali's red BMW pulling in the driveway just in front of me from the opposite direction.

In the house I found Ali in the kitchen putting together a light dinner. Her cheeks were flushed and she was in an animated mood, nearly manic.

"Oh Michael," she began breathlessly, "that was so interesting. What they are doing is incredible. And the opportunities! This could change our lives." She continued.

"Whoa, slow down," I calmly said to her, "what are we talking about?"

"Michael! Adrian's company, Novacim. That product is going to change the world. This is our opportunity to get in on the ground floor." She went on, "Adrian is making people rich, don't you see? With the returns he's talking about, we could be wealthy!"

I began to understand. While I was with Gail and my management she'd gone to Vasguez's investor presentation. There were several things about this that irritated me.

We all have heard about someone who got in early, investing in a company that became hugely successful. They talk about their small investment turning into millions. For me this was kind of like the lottery. You have no control over it and the chance for success is extremely small.

Ali and I agreed on most things but I was quite conservative financially. I believed in hard work, frugality, and to have a long term plan to achieve your goals.

She was different. She wanted the finer things in life sooner. While I knew we'd get the nicer home, fancier cars, and more frequent vacations at a point in time, those would come later in life. She and I disagreed about this.

And now she sounded like she believed all that Vasguez was so smoothly presenting.

I took a deep breath.

"Ali," I began, "they haven't sold anything yet. Their product isn't even approved. How can all these people be getting rich?" I asked.

"Michael, it's the valuation!" She emphatically told me. "Adrian told me that the shares he owns today are worth in the low eight figures. He says once all is approved that value could be a hundred times what he owns now."

I sat and processed what I was hearing. Perhaps much of what Vasguez was saying had a fundamental foundation of truth, but I wasn't wired that way. Ali was hinting at us actually investing. There was no way that would happen. I knew she had her inheritance, but I was pretty sure she wouldn't dip into that without us having a long discussion about it first.

But there was something else. Why was he talking to her about intimate details of his finances? My mind flashed back to the hug and kiss at the restaurant, her in her low cut dress. And then further back, on Secret Beach. He had seen her nearly naked with her firm breasts jutting out. I could feel the flickers of jealousy beginning.

We ended up kind of agreeing to disagree on the subject, but it caused a tension in our house that night. While I was excited to tell her about my first hire, that kind of news would seem dull compared to her far flung thoughts of venture capital and valuations.

"Ali," I said as we were getting ready for bed, " I promise you I will go to one of Adrian's meetings," I conceded, "but please don't do anything without us discussing it."

In response she gave me a nice kiss good night and I felt that the level of tension had eased. Later I reflected that she never actually agreed to my request.

Over the next several weeks both of our lives seemed busy. Busy but normal. I was occupied with getting Gail up and effective in my old sales territories and learning my new job. It sounded like Ali had some new clients.

We were both often working longer hours into the evening, it was frequently every man for themselves at dinner time. But on the weekends or the occasional night we were both home our relationship was good, it felt like a good time in our marriage.

After a particularly nice weekend together I received a call from Ali on Monday afternoon.

"Adrian's set up a meeting with investor's Wednesday night," she told me and gave me the details.

"How do you know about this?" I asked.

She explained that she is now on the email list for Novacim.

"And besides, Adrian is a client of mine on his new house. I talk to him a few times a week." She told me.

"You never told me this." I said, a little tension in my voice.

"Yes I did," she replied, "I'm sure I did. Anyway, it doesn't matter, I just want to make sure we are on for the presentation on Wednesday."

I agreed to go. For a couple of reasons. I was interested to hear the whole story about this supposed wonder-drug, and I was curious about this handsome smooth talking guy and my wife.

Wednesday night we sat in the back of the hotel meeting room. There were a handful of people at the front of the room for the presentation. I recognized the strange hulking guy from the earlier meeting, still wearing the beret. I also noticed an older dark-complected man with glasses sitting on one side of the lectern where Vasguez stood.

"Everyone," Vasguez began, "good evening. Thank you for your attendance. This should be an informative evening."