Chapter 2

Opening the door at what was to be the office for this new corporation Doug continued to have worrisome thoughts about what he had gotten into when he accepted this job offer. He had been weighing the pros and cons of his new position all weekend. He had to admit some of this nervousness was because he didn’t know what to expect. Lisa had told him it would be a week before she would be able to start work.

In looking at the interior of this office he immediately saw that it wouldn’t hurt for it to have a fresh coat of paint on the ceiling and walls. The tiled floor could also use a good cleaning. Doug called a painting contractor he knew and asked if he could do the painting ASAP. He was told they would be there Wednesday and from what Doug said it should be no more than a one-day job, two days at the most. Doug placed another call to a janitorial service and scheduled an immediate cleaning after the painting was done and asked the manager to stop by to set up a contract for daily cleaning of the office. He wanted to make sure the office was spic and span as first impressions mean a lot.

In thinking about what else he could do he phoned Tom Carrol and set up an appointment to meet with him next week. Doug told Tom he was calling because a friend of his, the recently married Amy Martin had suggested they meet and talk about a loan for him to start his medical practice in Amy’s hometown.

Tom immediately mentioned that the amount of his student loan could present a problem in getting a loan but Doug told him that was something they could work around. He thought that if Jeff wanted and strongly suggested a loan be made to Tom that made it a ‘for sure” that a loan would be made. It was up to Doug to work out the details.

After calling and setting an appointment to meet with Brad Stevens and Barbra Harrison the following day Doug went home. There he perused the internet several sites that advertised business loans and printed out some specimen copies of loan application forms he would use to draft his loan application form. The evening was spent watching television as well as making up a checklist of things Lisa needed to do and purchase for the office. Although he thought by knowing her she would know what needed to be done without his involvement.

The meetings the following day Doug had with Brad and Barbra in his opinion went well. He thought that they as the saying went were now all ‘Singing out of the same hymn book” as to what Jeff wanted them to do.

Doug met with the painters and discussed with them what needed to be painted. They said it would be a two-day project only if they were left alone to do the painting. Doug caught the hint they gave him and left to go to the library to peruse the journals and business magazines that were there. He planned on selecting a few of them to place ads advertising this business to solicit loan applications.

In having an early dinner by himself he debated on what to do this evening and decided to head up to some of the popular lounges that were near O’Hare airport as they were magnets for the airline flight attendants who either resided in the area or were doing layovers.

Because of the success, he had in past in meeting some attractive members of the opposite sex there Doug decided to check out the action at the popular Red Rattler Lounge. Based on the number of cars that were parked he thought there would be a large crowd at the lounge and he was right there was.

Walking in Doug went right up to the bar. He was attempting to order a drink while at the same time he was scanning the crowd. He noticed an attractive dark-haired lady who was standing against a wall and seemed to be getting a full-court press put on her by two men. Her body language told him if he read it right that she did not have any interest in these two men and would rather be somewhere else. Doug decided to take a chance and ordered two vodka tonic drinks.

With drinks in both hands, he walked up to where this lady and the two men where they were standing. Making a gesture in handing her a drink he said, “Sorry I am late honey but traffic was a mess. Have you been here long? Again I am sorry that I am late.”

The reactions he observed from all three of them were what he expected them to be. The two men didn’t know what to say but he could see they gave him a good look. Doug’s six-foot three-inch height and two hundred and ten-pound frame seemed to intimidate them since he was considerably taller and bigger than they were.

Doug surmised that this lady who initially was confused by Doug’s appearance was not a dummy because she quickly understood what was happening and reacted. Accepting the drink he was handing her she said, “It’s about time as I was starting to wonder where you were. I was getting ready to phone you.”

“I see there is an empty table in the corner, why don’t we go there,” said Doug.

She walked to the table with Doug walking behind her. He noticed her nice backside with the little jiggle of her butt along with her long dark hair that came down to just below her mid-back.

After they both sat she said, “Thank you for rescuing me. This is my first time in your beautiful city. Are all the men here like those two?”

“No, they are just guys who have had too much to drink and see a pretty lady. By the way, my name is Doug Morris and it is nice to meet you. You say it’s your first time here and I do notice a little accent in your voice which tells me you aren’t from the mid-west. What brings you to our city?”