Chapter 10

Tuesday I tracked down the buyers from the other three target companies. Home Depot was happy to join us, so I added Larry the buyer, and Karen his assistant to the list. Menard's buyer had a conflicting meeting, but asked me to follow-up after the show. Home Centers of America didn't have a buyer at the show, or if they did, they weren't telling me. I left a card, and asked one of the guys to pass it on for me, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

Next, I stopped by the Ace booth, and the buyers from Ace Hardware filled out the tables for us. Craig and Warren were both buyers, and they had left the assistants back at the office. Jim, Stick and Dana covered the booth most of the day, and during that time, Stick signed up a big AC contractor in Kansas City.

Later on during the day, back in my room, Melisa came by to give me another massage. As she was working, she asked about the show, and I told her how well it was going. She told me that if I wanted to meet with her later, she'd finish her last massage at ten. Even though she gave 'happy endings', she didn't come off as a hooker, so I told her that we could meet if she wanted.

After, Stick and Jim went to win some money, and Dana went to watch how they did it, I met Melisa in the lobby. She'd already put her table in her car. We walked down the strip, and I bought her some ice cream. We stopped at a bench that was out-of-the-way in the hotel, and she wanted to sit and talk. I found out that she'd finished school, and she now had her license to give massages, but people always wanted them when it was time to go out, and have fun. She didn't date much, and she thought that I seemed like a nice guy.

I said, "I'll be leaving on Sunday, but if you want to meet, we can go out one night. We can go any night except tomorrow when I already have plans to take out a few customers."

"I'd like that. I don't have anything on Saturday night if you want to go on a date."

"It's a date." At that point, I brushed my hand across her cheek, and then guided her lips toward mine. She didn't resist my hand, so I leaned in, and we made out for about ten minutes. It was soft, gentle, and unhurried. I got a nice smile, and held her hand, as I walked her to the front where the Valet retrieved her car. I tipped the valet, and she drove off."

The next night's dinner was great. We had plenty of time, and drinks flowed. We spread out, and broke up the people from the same company since this was a dinner, and not a sales call. I told Jim not to bring up the company or anything work related unless they asked him about it first, and then only answer the question, and move back to non-work stuff. I'd rather know about their kids, hobbies, where they went to school, and not how many filters they bought during the last year. I wanted a relationship not a quick sale. Stick didn't agree, but he said that he'd follow my lead. We learned about all of them over cocktails, appetizers, wine, dinner, desert, and coffee.

They had just seated us for dinner when two waiters showed up with ten champagne flutes, and two bottles. They served everyone after I approved the bottle. What was funny was that I had no clue what to look for, but I just nodded. I heard him say, "Thank you Mr. Powers."

I guess the hundred-dollar bill went farther than expected. When they filled all the glasses, I proposed a toast to new friends, and a great show. Glasses clinked, and then the waiters came back to take more drink orders. I'd talked with Larry while we were waiting for some of the others to show up for dinner, and found out that he was a scotch drinker. Since I was at the end, after I ordered my usual coke with a lime, I asked the waiter to make sure that Larry got the best scotch in the house. When they served our drinks, everyone had a mixed drink or wine while they showed Larry a bottle just as they had shown the champagne bottle to me. He looked down to see me smiling at him, as I held up my drink in a toast. He nodded to the waiter, and then you could see him sip it a savor it, as it crossed his tongue. At the end of the meal, Jim picked up the bill, and we walked down to the show.

While we were waiting for the show to start, I think that Dana said something to Warren about me getting a massage. They were on the other side of the table, but everyone started to ask about it. I told them how great Melisa made me feel after standing on my feet for an entire day. They wanted to know the fees, but I didn't mention the 'happy endings'. I only had one card, but wrote down her contact information on the back of my cards, and passed them out.

Frank is always great, and he was well ... great. The guys appreciated the show, and the girls got a little breathless. The buyers from the different companies were getting along, and talking, so I was happy. I saw everyone exchanging cards after the show. We all went our own ways, and I told Jim that I'd see him bright and early for first shift.

Jim and I were ready when the doors opened, but we were still sipping our coffee. Larry came by to thank us for the previous night, and thanked me for the scotch. He asked if we could sit down and talk about our products.

"Larry that would be great. Now, Jim, and I are the only two here. I can step aside with you, but Jim is the one that can cut into profits more than I can since he owns the company. Can we meet over lunch when Dana is here? It will be quieter, and we won't be interrupted."

"That sounds great. Where should we meet?"

I gave him the name of a restaurant, and called to make reservations for four. He'd been gone for twenty minutes when Cheryl came by to thank us for the dinner, and the show. She told me that she'd made a reservation for a massage later in the day, but had to have it earlier since someone had the five thirty slot booked all week. I just smiled, and shrugged.

She asked if we could meet, and talk about ordering some filters.

"Cheryl you just want me to buy you dinner again. I don't want to gang up on you, so if you bring Debbie, and I bring Jim and Stick, will that be alright?"

"What about Dana?"

"If you don't mind your reputation after going out with four men then we'd all be honored to take you to dinner? What's your preference?"

She wanted steak, so I told her that we could have some great steak or prime rib at Lawry's. She thought that sounded great, and I told her that I'd stop by with a time after I made reservations. As she walked off Jim said, "I don't know why I doubted you. I wanted to sell to them last night, and instead they're begging to buy from me today."

"It's easier to trust a friend than a salesman."

"Two down and one to go."

I looked over his shoulder, as Warren and Craig from Ace walked up. "Good morning gentlemen," I said.

"Good morning, Don, Jim. We wanted to thank you for a great dinner, and the show. It was great to get to know you and some of our counter-parts in our business."

"We're glad you enjoyed it."

"Can we meet, and discuss products and prices sometime?"

"Any time you'd like. We have appointments for both lunch, and dinner today, but we can have a meal tomorrow or just sit down somewhere quiet some time during the day."

"We have to fly out in the morning. Can we meet after your lunch meeting around two?"

"That sounds great. I can book a meeting room for us, and we'll meet you here at two."

"See you then, and thanks again for last night."

Jim said, "I just got done building a factory."

"With all of that knowledge it will be a snap to build the next one."

"Shut up."

Stick and Dana swapped out at the booth the rest of the day, and then came to dinner with us. Jim and I set up programs for Home Depot at lunch and Ace Hardware over coffee in one of the meeting rooms. We went back to the booth, and I had to calm Jim down, because he was ready to bounce off the walls with excitement. Stick stood there impressed, and Dana seemed happy.

Melisa gave me a great massage, and didn't even ask about the 'happy ending'. She started to stroke me, and said, "Cheryl got a massage today, and I have Larry scheduled after you. They both mentioned that you referred me. Cheryl signed me up for a late massage for a girl named Debbie. Thanks for the good word."

"You have good hands."

"Cheryl was asking about you, and hinted that she might like to see what you had to rub on once you had your clothes off. I told her that she wouldn't be disappointed at all. I won't tell you if she ordered a 'happy ending', so don't ask. But, she's a loud one."

"I won't ask."

By the time we got to dinner, Jim had calmed down. He didn't give me more than a single questioning look when he saw the prices on the menu. I can't help it if this was the place mentioned by the concierge when I asked about where I could eat the best steaks in town. When Dana saw the prices, he was ready to order just a side of peas.

I said, "If you want a steak, I hear the Rib-Eye is the fantastic. For me though, I can't wait for a big helping of Prime Rib."

Everyone including Dana ordered the prime rib. We talked about our products, and quantities. We discussed prices and delivery schedules before she shook on the deal. Jim thanked her for her business, and she asked if I could meet with her in the morning to go over the paperwork. I told her that we could meet for breakfast. Debbie said that she had to return for her massage. She and Dana were going to share a cab, and I gave Dana some cash, so he didn't need to ask her to split the fare. Stick and Jim wanted to go down to the Tropicana to play Black Jack. I asked Cheryl if she wanted a cab or if she wanted to walk.

"After the great massage I had, I think that walking would be nice. It's only three or four blocks."

After the cabs were gone, we walked back to the hotel. At the end of the first block when we approached the corner, I saw a car coming, so I grabbed her hand before trotting across the road. When we reached the other side, neither one of us let go. As we got to the elevator in the hotel, we were still holding hands. She said, "I've never been with a younger man."

"I've never been with a black woman, but I'm looking forward to it if you want to try me out."

"Don, this is separate from business. I'm buying your filters because of what I read about them, and the higher profit margins."

"I know. I'm just attracted to you," I said.

I wanted to thank Courtney for the months of oral sex I had to give her before she'd let me have sex with her. Cheryl was very impressed, and wanted to make sure it wasn't a fluke. She was happy to take my 'Big White Cock', as she called it when it came time for me to crawl out from between her legs.

She signed the paperwork while she was there. We'd send the cases to distribution centers, and then Lowes trucks would deliver them to the stores. She spent the night, but slipped out around six after a wake up fuck, and a cup of coffee and a muffin from room service.

Stick saw me in the dining room reading the paper, and eating breakfast. He stopped by, and sat with me.

"Hey Stick, how much did you make at the casino last night?"

"I'm glad that I have two jobs. I thought that you were meeting Cheryl for breakfast to go over the paperwork."

"We walked back to the hotel after dinner, and neither of us had plans, so we got together, and signed off on everything. The deal is closed."

"Have you stopped to figure out how much we'll make off of this trip over the next year?"

"The trip isn't over, and I'm too lazy to do the math more than once."

"I can probably quit the dress business with this trip alone. I had a poor year. It will still end up making me a hundred and fifty grand, but all the sweat shops overseas are killing my business, and designers are popping up left and right."

"Don't whine. It doesn't make you look good. Either quit or suck it up."

"Let me see how the rest of the trip goes, and then I'll decide."

"Go call Melisa, and book some time for a massage. Come down after lunch, and I'll cover the second shift at the booth."

He said that sounded like a great idea, and I told him that I'd pay for his coffee when he grabbed his wallet, and saw that he'd forgotten to reload after he lost at the tables the night before. I strolled in, and I asked Jim if he wanted me to go beat more bushes or to sit back, and count my money.

"You can sit here, and hand out candy for all I care. Do you know if Lowes signed up?"

"They're about the same size order as Home Depot."

"I'll start looking for a space to build a new factory. That just maxed out production of two shifts at the new plant. I'll need to run three shifts at either the Texas or Florida plant just to keep up."

"If you want me to apologize then you'll be waiting a long time. I just told Stick to stop whining. Don't make me tell you the same thing."

"Thanks. I have the best problems in the world."

We relaxed a bit at the booth. When Stick showed up, Dana took off to eat some lunch. We three sat around, and I said, "Stick, we sold too much too fast again. I'd love to bury Jim in orders, but I want to make sure we can deliver to the stores that we just sold. Why don't we fly to Pebble Beach? We have a rental car, so we can leave it at the airport, and fly home from there."

"So you finally did the math?"

"No, Jim has tremendous concerns about production. We've sold a lot over the last month, and again, here at the show."

"Don, when we pulled in the parking lot on Sunday, you were on track to hit a half million a year in commissions. After the sales at the show alone, you're triple that. We still have cities, and states that we haven't even visited."

"Jim, there's no question that I'm now rich. I hope that makes you filthy rich. Why don't you come with us to Pebble Beach, so you can pay for our bonus?" I asked.

"Let me makes some calls, and see if my wife wants to spend some time in Carmel. I need to increase production at both plants, so they're working up to full capacity. We can spend Sunday through Wednesday out there, but I need to return to work after that."

"Stick, if you fly Regina out, invite Courtney along. I'll babysit her."

"I'll call, but between work and school, I think that we'll be alone for the rest of the trip."

"I have a date tomorrow, and should find one for tonight. You two talk to dealers, and I'll have to find ladies that want to talk. Speaking of ladies, you guys can tear down the booth, because I have a massage scheduled."

"It breaks down in ten minutes. I've done it by myself more than once. Are we having dinner together?" Jim replied.

"Sure. I'll even let you pick the place, as long as I don't have to order at a counter."

"I saw a hot dog vendor somewhere."

"Congratulations Jim, your products are a big success."

"Thanks Don, and you too Stick for making sales beyond what I ever dreamed."

Melisa could see that I was in a good mood. She thanked me for referring Stick to her for a massage, and Karen called for one after lunch. I told her that Karen was Larry's assistant at Home Depot. She told me that Karen asked about me, as well.

"You must be good at sales with all these ladies asking about you."

"I'm thinking about retiring."

"You're too young for that."

"Maybe I can become a professional masseuse reviewer."

"You better keep those other masseuse's hands off of you."

"You have the best hands in town."

Jim took us for seafood, so I had to suffer eating lobster. I knew that Dana was flying home in the morning. After dinner, I gave him a thousand dollars cash, and said, "Dana, five hundred is a tip for all your help this weekend. The other five hundred is for gambling. You don't have to lose it all or double it, but you have to bet it at least once. You can drop it all on red or black on the roulette wheel or nickel and dime all night at the blackjack table. If you don't bet it you can't keep it."