Chapter 2: Debriefings

As soon as Richard left the conference room, William stood and addressed his colleagues. “Fun times as usual. I assume you could read between the lines? Other than a few of the obvious obstacles we currently face, Richard is incredibly happy.”

“Could have fooled me,” said Tamara.

William crooked his neck as he considered Tamara. He then said, “Yes, of course. You have only been here a couple of years and have not witnessed one of Richard’s truly out-of-bounds performances.”

Tamara kept eye contact with William, but her face paled slightly as she considered what a real tirade may look like. “And I hope to never have that pleasure,” she retorted evenly.

William snapped his briefcase shut. “I’m sure everyone has plans for this evening. Be well. As usual, let me know if I can be of any assistance, or even a sounding board as you take on our your challenges.”

Joseph said, “I think that goes both ways. Right now, it seems like you have the biggest target on your back. Not one, but two senators aiming for Oil and Gas?”

William chuckled. “A target, yes, but not that large actually. I think within a few days there will be a resolution to this situation. To me, the hotel staffing shortages seem to be very problematic. A one-time bonus may help, yes, but would not all hotels be doing this already? And, from what I hear, the negotiations for the soccer team are progressing, but maybe not as well as indicated earlier?”

William had a knowing smirk on his face as he looked at Joseph.

“Until next time,” said William as he turned for the door.

“In your neck of the woods next time, right?” asked Sarah. “Houston in three months?”

William called over his shoulder, “Correct. A new hotel is to open near the office. If so, I’ll send you an email with the details. You may want to consider staying a night or two. Early reviews indicate it will be a five-star-plus establishment.”

William exited the conference room and pushed the button for the elevator. He was lost in thought. Of course, he downplayed the problem with the senators. He knew he could deal with Senator Rimmy, but by all accounts that he had seen so far, Senator Atkins was a straight-shooter. It was looking unlikely that they would find sufficient dirt to force his position on his boycott.

William exited the high rise building at street level and looked up from his phone. A late model Cadillac rolled to a stop nearby. The driver jumped out and ran to the back, opening the rear door just as William neared.

“Sir,” said Jimmy with a nod of his head. William slipped into the car and tossed his briefcase on the seat. He sighed loudly as he rested his head on the backrest.

“Sir,” said Jimmy after he returned to the front of the car. “Are you going to your hotel now? Or would you like a short detour to maybe get a slice of pizza off 12th street?”

William smiled at the idea. To his colleagues he held firm that Texas barbecue beat Chicago pizza every day of the week and twice on Sundays. In reality, he enjoyed a quick trip to a local place that served very good pizza. He wouldn’t rate it above his favorite Texas brisket, but it came in a pretty damn close second place.”

“You know me too well, Jimmy,” said William with a smile. “Yeah, let’s go get a slice.”

Jimmy started to say something, but William held up his hand. “You can tell me over pizza. I need to think for a moment.”

William closed his eyes and let his mind wander. He knew Jimmy probably connected with Eliot. Jimmy had been William’s executive assistant almost as long as Eliot had been with Richard. The two of them stayed in close contact, and in the early days, were helpful at giving each other tips on being a subtle, but powerful, right-hand man to the ultra rich and influential. Any time the presidents met with Richard, there were always side meetings among the assistants. In those meetings, information could be exchanged more freely and without loss-of-face by their bosses.

Jimmy did his best, but the ride was not smooth. The roads in Chicago were massive collections of potholes and cracks. Adding thousands of irritated drivers that all felt entitled made a simple transit across town feel like a restart in the last few laps of a NASCAR race. Lots of jostling for position at unsafe speeds.

Less than a block from the restaurant, Jimmy saw a parking spot. He swerved quickly to the curb and parked.

“Sorry about that, Mr. E.,” Jimmy said. “Got a spot less than a block away. You want your usual? Deep crust with a spicy sauce, extra pepperoni, and peppers on the side?”

William opened his eyes and said, “Sounds great, yes. Also get me a water and a large soda. Get yourself a slice, too,” he reminded Jimmy as he shut the car door. He left the car running with the air conditioning on.

Even with twenty minutes of intense thought, William felt no less certain about his next course of action than when they left the office. Senator Atkins was going to be a problem. Publicly, he was already a nuisance, but from what William heard through the grapevine, this was personal. Atkins was specifically trying to hurt Argonne Industries, which meant William’s company.

Jimmy returned with a large pizza box and drink carrier. He put the pizza box on the passenger seat before handing William a soda and then a bottle of water. Jimmy held a paper plate over the box and slid a slice of pepperoni onto it before he passed it to the back seat.

“I got you two slices. Just in case,” Jimmy said as he put a slice of ham and pineapple on his own plate.

“Thanks,” said William. As he took his first bite and moaned he asked, “What did you learn from Eliot?”

“First the gossip. Richard had Tiffany Ann waiting for him after the meeting.”

William rolled his eyes. Several months ago he caught sight of a woman being escorted into a building by Eliot. From what Jimmy later told him, he assumed it was Tiffany. He knew Richard from his college days, which meant he knew of his reputation for being a bit rough or kinky in the bedroom. Probably best he paid a pro for when he wanted his needs met.

Jimmy wiped his mouth with a napkin before he continued. “Richard likes this one. I think she’s been called over a dozen times. Anyway, on the work-front, Eliot said Richard is really worried about Atkins. He expects you to call in Darth Vader if you don’t get this wrapped by Friday. If you don’t, he’ll call Vader personally.”

“Fuck, I was afraid of that,” spat William. “We haven’t had to use Vader for almost twenty years.”

“I remember,” nodded Jimmy. “And I know you swore you’d never use him again. You going to have an answer by Friday? Or will you have to make the call?”

William took a long pull on his soda and set it in the cup holder. He met Jimmy’s gaze in the rear view mirror when he said, “I don’t know. This time, I truly do not know.”

Soon after William was whisked away from the building in his rented Cadillac, Arlene and Tamara found themselves on the same curb looking for their ride-share, a green Buick LeSabre. They saw it approach and moved to the curb to wave down the driver and quickly climb aboard in the thickening downtown traffic.

The driver was a small Asian women that seemed to be swallowed in the large cabin of the Buick. She did not acknowledge her passengers. Only when she heard the back door slam did she quickly peel out into traffic and cut off an oncoming driver. Her window was cracked opened, but Arlene and Tamara could not hear what the other driver yelled. They heard their driver perfectly fine.

“Fuck you, ass-wad. I drive just as good as you, prick!”

She rolled her window down and flipped off the driver behind her as he rode her bumper very close for several blocks.

“Dumb-fuck asshole think Asian drivers a stereotype. Fuck him. I drive better than most.”

She flicked on a blinker as she made a lane change, cutting off yet another driver. The passengers exchanged a look and raised eyebrows as if to say, “It’s all fun and games until we get into an accident.” Twenty minutes, and countless pissed off drivers, later the woman peeled into the drop off zone of a large hotel and came within inches of hitting the car in front of her after her abrupt stop.