Chapter 9

Pete took pride in being his own man. He loved working for Pacific Technologies, loved the latitude the company had always given him. The company suited him, and he always had the feeling that he could make it to the top. If that didn’t happen, he would stay as long he felt needed and appreciated—being CEO was rarified air. He knew he had the potential but making it to the top of the heap was a crapshoot at best. The fact that Grover thought enough of him to be offering him a job gratified his ego. But he couldn’t even imagine what kind of inducement he would have to be given to work for such a controlling man. And why would I move from LA to Rio Branca? He’d only just heard from Clay Burnett that Grover was interested in him as an employee and knew he was putting the cart before the horse. But he at least wanted to know what kind of offer might be connected to whatever Grover McClintock had in mind.

Peering through a slat in the wooden louvered blinds on the manager’s office window Grover’s lips curled into a smile as he watched Pete come into the hotel lobby. His quarry picked up a Wall Street Journal and sat in one of the deep brown leather chairs. Had he been right on time, or slightly early, he would have considered the young man apathetic about the meeting. Were he ten minutes early—as Clay had suggested—Grover would have known that Santori was taking him seriously. Arriving an hour early as he did Grover realized that Pete not only took the meeting seriously but was also intimidated enough to take a step beyond impressing him, just the kind of feeling he liked to provoke in his underlings. Since Santori made such an effort, he decided to reward the young man by coming through the front door at 6:30. That would let Pete know he had done the right thing by coming so much earlier. It would also alert him to the fact that “the Boss” was an unpredictable man who expected the people who counted on him to be wary enough to anticipate his moves. Learning the ropes is a key to success and this young buck seems to be all about learning.

Clay Burnett’s note had been running through Pete’s mind all night, ” ... I suggest that you get there a little earlier, say 6:50. Grover feels strongly about people being on time.” He had only found out last night that both Dotty and Silk were Grover’s daughters ... that he had ongoing incestuous relationships with both and unless McClintock had given his approval all the men in town knew these two women were off-limits. Yet he, Pete Santori, had sex with both if you call blowjob sex—Bill Clinton didn’t. He let the memory of sex with McClintock’s “women” tease his mind. Though Clay had let him know he was on Grover’s approved list he still felt uncomfortable with the powerful man knowing something about him that, if he chose, he could use to extort something else from him. But why would he be interested in doing that? He wasn’t aware that Grover was watching him through the mostly closed wooden louvered blinds that obscured the office ... or that a smile of satisfaction came over Grover’s face when he saw that Pete had come in so early.

The manager’s office at the Rio Branca McClintock Suite’s Hotel (The Ranch) had a side door in the adjoining building that Grover owned. The office had been situated where it was so the manager could keep an eye on the lobby without being in the lobby. But it also served McClintock as a place where he could spy on important people who he knew were coming in and then surprise them by sneaking around the front and coming into the lobby as if it was just a casual visit. At 6:28 he slipped out the side door of the office and circled to the front entrance where at exactly 6:30 he stood in front of Pete Santori who was deep into an opinion piece in the Journal. “Well, good morning young man,” he said. “I’m glad to see that you believe in starting early as well.” He gave him one of those Texas winks that are saying to all who understood, “We’re a special breed,” something that irritated many non-Texans. It especially irked Pete Santori.

Having schooled himself to not react or show surprise or alarm at anything that might have been done to test his stoic demeanor, Pete, although he was inwardly shaken, looked up casually from his newspaper and said, “Good morning Mr. McClintock, I got up early to go over the installation. I never want to run into surprises or be gob-smacked by some unintended consequence that might have happened in my absence.”

Impressed that Pete had remained cool when he had intentionally tried to rattle him, Grover asked, “What time do you usually get up in the morning son?”

“Usually five o’clock,” he said. Pete realized that Grover was comfortable giving the appearance of an avuncular man while his mind schemed to divest his prey of any means of defense for an attack he might have in mind. Not knowing what lengths this controlling man might go to get what he wanted he tried to anticipate what Grover’s attack would be. “I like to have a little time to clear my mind,” he added with a smile, “ ... helps keep me on my toes,” resisting the urge to give “The Man” a sarcastic Texas wink.

Sensing his prey would be a hard sell Grover was at least glad the young man was uncomfortable in his presence. He’d already laid the groundwork in Santa Monica to complicate the issue that would help ease Santori’s decision-making process—there was now a serious reason for Pete’s wife to consider moving to Rio Branca. Clay Burnett was no longer healthy, and he would now have to depend upon someone else to fill Clay’s role as confidant and chief brownnose. He intended to offer Santori an offer he couldn’t refuse ... the position of Vice President of Engineering as well as free reign with the girls.

After sitting down and ordering breakfast Grover said, “I’m not one to beat around the bush son, I want you to come to work for me.”

Without flinching, Pete said, “Texas Affiliates you mean?” He resented Grover calling him “son.”

“Texas Affiliates is me, son,” he said in a self-glorifying way, “I own sixty percent of the stock.” Reaching inside his western-style leather jacket he pulled out a piece of paper and spread it out so Pete could read it. It was a sheet of Texas Affiliates stationary on which he had written figures in ink. “Here’s what I have in mind son.”

Pete picked up the paper and studied it:

Salary $250,000 with annual review increments of $50,000 (negotiable)

Signing bonus $50,000.

TA Stock 8,000 shares upon acceptance of this offer with discounted options on 2,000 shares annually

at the lowest cost for the year

Vacation Three weeks a first year with one-week increments each year ... to the max. sixty days which cannot accrue and must be taken Company car and operating expenses

All business expenses compensated by TA

401 K with annual TA addition equal to 5% of gross salary

Company golf and athletic club memberships

Moving expenses from Los Angeles to Rio Branca

Deadline One week from today.

Stunned at the offer Pete said, “This is a very generous proposal Mr. McClintock.” His current salary at Pacific Technologies was $125,000 with car and expenses. But the smug look on McClintock’s face irritated him as he continued rereading what was on the paper. With a quick calculation, he figured the valuation of the stock at $500,000. The deal had not been confirmed between Texas Affiliates and Pacific Technologies but when the happened the TA stock would go down immediately but come back and surpass the stock valuation very quickly. If what followed in most mergers, he figured the stock value would increase by twenty to twenty-five percent which would mean his block of stock would be worth $725,000. Within five years with his stock options, it would be more than double that. Damn, I will be a millionaire. But he was more troubled about something else.

“Would I ever be eligible to be President of Texas Affiliates?” He knew with Pacific Technologies that could be a possibility. He had proven himself more than any current PT employee with the technologies he had developed like the one being installed at TA. And there was no nepotism to stand in his way at his current employer.

With a shrug, Grover said, “Clay Burnett has cancer with a very short prognosis son. So, if you take the offer and you’re working out the way I expect you will become Vice President of Tech Services.”

“I didn’t know Clay was in tech.”

“He isn’t but I don’t like to spread my vice presidencies too thin.” Clay will leave this life as the second richest man in Rio Branca ... one of the top twenty in Texas. And nobody knows it but me.”

It was a tremendous struggle for Pete not to stand up, say “fuck you” and walk out. He felt like hitting the arrogant old man. McClintock was referring to Clay Burnett, the man who had been his friend, partner, and confidant as a dead man, talking only about his wealth rather than his value as a human being. He wondered if anyone counted to Grover McClintock.

Immediately settling himself he wasn’t going to foolishly scuttle his chances of at least considering the most unbelievable career opportunity any young person could be presented with. But he needed to at least be given the chance of eventually running the company he was being offered to take such a key role in guiding. And am I even ready to consider such an offer as this?

Observing how matter of fact and at ease Grover was handling their conversation he thought is he just trying to buy me like he has Clay Burnett, or Marney Nixon, or his son-in-law. Is he buying Branson Hadley (President and CEO of Pacific Technologies)? He thought about his relationship with Hadley. Branson Hadley had hired him as an intern while Pete was going to college, treated him as a true mentor would, allowing him to make mistakes then pointing them out and giving him chance after chance to screw up, which happened rarely as his career went on. He had listened to Pete about his ideas for the Texas Affiliates account and had given him free rein in the execution of the plan. He felt that a successful implementation of his plan with TA would secure him a promotion to the executive level of Pacific Technologies. It would just be a matter of time before Hadley retired and he would be in a logical pool of candidates to make it to the top.

“In answer to your question son, if you perform the way we’re hoping you do if I’m involved in the company, you’ll be filling the highest positions available. And as you perform the way we expect you to you’ll become a wealthy man. Look what’s happened to Clay Burnett he’s become a millionaire many times over.”