Chapter 5

At eight o'clock the next morning, Barbara came out from her room with a towel wrapped around her head wearing the hotel's terry cloth robe. She grinned and said, "Good morning, Ali! I have a question: How long did it take you to get used to this luxury?"

Ali looked thoughtful for a moment and then replied, "A long time. Five ... maybe ten seconds. Something like that. Why?"

"Because it took me almost twenty," she replied with a smile. Her face became serious and she said, "Ali, tell me about yourself. You look beautiful, but..."

" ... I'm much too thin?" Ali finished the sentence for her. "You're right. I am. It comes from not eating which results from a lack of money. Barbara, I've been thinking about my fortunes over the last few weeks. I decided that it wasn't all bad. I was raised in Kansas and came out here after a producer — shooting a movie in Lawrence, Kansas, of all the improbable places — thought I should.

"I really got into the business very easily. Too easily, I guess, in retrospect. Anyway, things went along. I guess I didn't see eye-to-eye — to say the very least — with the people who like to depict America and its institutions as the bad guys whenever and wherever possible. I guess I spoke out a little too loudly and in the wrong places, and suddenly, no more parts. Then my parents died. The last months have been tough."

Barbara looked at her thoughtfully and asked, "Then what happened?"

Ali continued. "Then I met Bill Clifford. More accurately, he found me." She smiled at Barbara and said, "Would you believe it? We were married less than three hours after I first laid eyes on him. Bill calls it a tax deal. Now I'm madly in love with him."

"Does he know that?" Barbara asked.

"I don't know. I haven't told him. Except maybe I whispered it once or twice. It gets even stranger: Our marriage isn't consummated. We sleep in the same bed and have ever since the first day I met him ... our wedding day. I never wear anything at all in bed ... I'm stark naked. I do play a little game, though. I kiss him goodnight. During the kiss I can do anything I want above his waist. When it ends, it's over for another day. Oh, there's one more thing: We always sleep on our backs with my head on his shoulder. I snuggle as close to him as I can get and we go to sleep with his hand cupping my breast ... or what passes for one in my present condition.

"Barbara, I'm jealous of you in two ways: First, it's so obvious that you and Bob are still madly in love and have a joyous sex life. Second, I'm jealous of your chest. I haven't seen them, but I'll bet your tits are perfect."

Barbara opened her bathrobe and stood there like a model. As Ali had perceived, the woman's breasts were beautifully shaped, full, but not too large. She had small, lovely nipples. "Do you approve?" she asked with a shy smile.

"As I said, I'm jealous."

Barbara slipped her robe back on as Ali continued, "Now that that's out of the way, how about breakfast?" She smiled and said, "Bill and I have another running joke: He said he's fattening me up for an Arab sheik who wants a blonde concubine. However, he said Arabs still like their women — full-bodied, shall we say? — so I've got to put on weight. At any rate, I've been catching up on meals uneaten for the last year or so. What would you like to have for breakfast?"

"How about orange juice, crisp bacon, and eggs over light?" Barbara responded. "No toast."

Ali picked up the phone and ordered. Turning back to Barbara, she said, "Are you ready to talk business?" The woman nodded and Ali started to explain the investment arrangements. After they went through the preliminaries with Barbara completing all the necessary forms for opening an account, the doorbell rang. Ali opened it for the waiter who set up their breakfast.

When they finished eating, Ali turned back to Barbara and they started to discuss investment opportunities.

Barbara asked, "Ali, what is your investment goal? Preservation of principal, capital appreciation ... what?"

"I guess my answer is going to sound rather odd: It's to beat the S&P 500. There are nine other investment managers right now and Bill doesn't really like the results from any of them. I managed a portfolio on paper for a couple of years now and did pretty well, so Bill decided I ought to do it with real money.

"Barbara, there's one area I'm interested in: fiber optics. Everyone has heard the Sprint ads touting its fiber optic network. It's given me an idea. First, how much do you know about fiber optics and communications?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. All I know is communications travel using tiny glass fibers rather than copper wire."

"I guess I know a little more than that. First, the traditional telephone service uses analog transmission. Fiber optics uses digital which is much cleaner and clearer. However, it's like the chain that's only as strong as its weakest link. To get the full benefit of fiber optics, the system has to be digital end-to-end. Now there are a great many digital systems ... in offices, particularly. The AT&T Merlin system, for example, doesn't use telephones. They look like telephones, but technically they're digital voice terminals. In other words, the communication is digital from the phone to the Merlin box. If it's long distance, it may use digital on a fiber-optic long-distance network. The problem is the local telephone systems are all analog. No one receives the full benefit unless its digital end to end.

"What I would like to invest in is a company that has the facilities and equipment to make fiber optic connections from the originating point to the point of connection to a fiber optic network. Question for you, Barbara: Is there such a company?"

Barbara smiled and said, "I think there is. I recall hearing about a small company in the East that's struggling. Apparently, they make a full line of connection hardware. Let me check." She picked up Ali's phone and called Seattle. She spoke with the research director for a few minutes, thanked him, and hung up. "It's called ComTech and it's in Massachusetts. The stock is traded over-the-counter. It's a thin capitalization stock. There may be a few million shares outstanding. The last quote is 3¼. Want it?"

Ali grinned, stuck out her hand, and Barbara took it. The girls shook on their deal. "We're in business! Buy as much as you can get for any price under five. If it goes higher, we'll talk about it. I think maybe we ought to go and see the fine folks back East. Do you think they might give me a seat on the Board?"

"For the kind of investment you're talking about, I'm sure they will. What do you want to do? Own it?" Ali just smiled and shrugged.

Barbara called Seattle again, this time asking for the trading desk. "Charley, there's an OTC stock called ComTech. I have a new client who wants to buy it ... as many shares as you can get your hands on at any price five dollars a share or less." She gave the trader her phone number and he promised to keep them informed.

Ali and Barbara spent the next two hours talking about other investment opportunities. When they finished, she had committed another $50 million. Finally, she said, "There's one more thing, Barbara. Open another account in the name of A. M. Clifford. It's going to be my funny-money account. I'll wire you some money to start ... I guess $100,000. You handle the money. If you get any hunches, just buy for me. I think we'll do all right."

She smiled and said, "Now, how would you like to see our new law offices? We can't announce yet because we have to pass the bar exams before we can formally hang out our shingle. But the offices are there. Interested?"

Barbara nodded and ran off to her room. Ali went into her own and showered and dressed. She put on a light-colored linen suit she had purchased as her first "lawyer suit" and went back to the living room and found Barbara already waiting for her. "I decided this is the way to travel: just a spare pair of pants. I don't have to spend an hour deciding what to wear."

They went down to the lobby and out the front doors where Ali's car was waiting. "I hope you're not terribly sensitive to your hair blowing?" she asked Barbara. "My car is still so new, I can't bear to drive with the top up."

Barbara just grinned and said, "Ali, I think our hair is similar in texture and wave. I just run a comb through it when it blows. If that's not enough, tough!"

"I knew it!" Ali exclaimed, "A girl after my own heart. We're off!"

She went out to the freeway and then towards downtown Los Angeles. She got off at an exit and made her way a few blocks to the garage entrance of a bank's headquarters building. After driving down the ramp she parked in a reserved spot. The reserved spot next to it was also empty. "That's for Ginger," Ali noted.

They took the elevator up to the lobby and then another one up to thirty-eight, the top office floor. Getting out, she turned right. Facing them were two impressive cherry-wood doors in a lovely polished-wood colonial-style entrance. Above the door in brass letters was Clifford & Jamison and below it in more discreet letters, Attorneys at Law.

Ali stopped short and exclaimed, "Wow! It's really neat." Then turning to Barbara she said, "I apologize. I'm not supposed to say things like that. But it's the first time I've ever seen it!"

Barbara smiled at her and said, "Why not? I would have been jumping up and down. In fact, since it's my name there, too, I think I will!" And she did. Then she gave Ali a big hug. "Can we see the inside?" she asked.

Ali opened the door and they entered the office. She stood at the doorway and smiled. Obviously, the decorating had been completed. She turned to Barbara and said, "Instant law office: Just add people." There was a receptionist/secretary's desk along with a leather sofa, and a group of very comfortable-looking leather chairs. They went through the door and found the offices. There were two large ones, one in the corner and another next to it with a connecting door. There were two smaller offices on the outer wall, a small law library and a conference room. After exploring it, they went into the corner office.