Vicki was escorted by the butler to a large room which she assumed to be the library. An older man with thinning gray hair was sitting behind a huge desk and another man, younger and rather handsome, sat off to one side in a large, upholstered chair. As the butler closed the door behind her, Vicki hesitantly approached the large desk, suddenly feeling a little unsure of herself.
She had decided that it would be best if she dressed somewhat conservatively, thus, she was wearing a white, v-necked blouse, a beige colored skirt and jacket, and a pair of black, patent leather hi-heels. A small string of imitation pearls was around her neck. Standing 5' 9, Vicki's most attractive feature was her long, shapely legs and the short, beige skirt she was wearing revealed that fact.
Stopping a few feet in front of the desk, she waited for the man behind the desk to speak. He was looking at some papers that were laid out in front of him, paying her no heed. Finally, as he gathered the papers into a neat stack, he looked up at her, his eyes meeting hers, then wandering slowly down the rest of her body.
"You must be Miss Lawson." he said as he finished looking her over and let his eyes meet hers once again. "Please, have a seat."
Two large, well upholstered black leather chairs sat about six feet away from the desk. Sitting down in one of them, she felt herself sinking into the soft, comfortable chair. Her skirt rode up a few inches, revealing her upper thighs. Looking at the man behind the desk, she saw him ogling her and realized that, from where he was sitting, he was looking up her skirt. Pushing herself forward slightly, she pressed her knees together, in a somewhat vain attempt of modesty.
"Now...what can I do for you, Miss Lawson?" asked the man behind the desk, his eyes meeting hers, then moving back down to her legs.
"Well, sir...ah...Mr. Gottwald..." stammered Vicki, suddenly feeling nervous speaking to a man who she knew wielded a tremendous amount of power. "First off, thank you for seeing me. I know you are very busy. I'll try to be as brief as possible."
She told him about her husband's business in Ravenswood and explained that they were considering expanding but, lacked the capital to do so. Without telling him all the details, she said that they had learned recently that Ravenswood would be growing in the future and, with the proper backing, they would be in a position to make a huge amount of money.
"Miss Lawson, I'm afraid you are confused." said Mr. Gottwald, a slight smile forming on his lips as he glanced over at the other man sitting near the desk. "I am not a banker. If you need capital for this business venture, why not get a loan from your bank?"
"We considered that, Mr. Gottwald." replied Vicki, realizing that she had to say something quickly that would present her case in a more appealing manner. "But, our bank would not be able to handle what we require."
"And just how much would that be, Miss Lawson?" he asked, watching her squirm uncomfortably in the plush, leather upholstered chair. "That is, if you have those figures and don't mind telling me."
"Well, we are still working on the final amount that we need," she replied, sliding forward in the chair, either not noticing, or not caring as her skirt slid even higher on her thighs. "But, a rough estimate would be somewhere around a million or two."
She saw his eyes widen with interest, but she didn't know if was because of the amount of money she had stated, or because her skirt had ridden up so high, he could probably see her panties.
"That's a lot of money for a small business in a town the size of Ravenswood." he said, his eyes moving from her legs back up to her face. As Vicki opened her mouth to say something, he raised his hand, signaling that he wanted her to listen, not talk. Then, with a quick glance over at the other man sitting in the room, he continued.
"First off, let me say that there is something you are not telling me, Miss Lawson." he stated, his eyes seemingly looking right through her. "I don't like it when people keep secrets from me. And secondly, you failed to mention how this business venture could be of interest to me or Gottwald Industries. Thank you and good day, Miss Lawson."
Vicki's mouth hung open, stunned by his words. She had been dismissed. She hadn't been treated like that since she was a child. Struggling to get over her initial shock, she took a deep breath before she attempted to plead her case with this powerful man who had dismissed her so abruptly.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Gottwald." she stammered, hoping that he would give her another chance. "You're right. I didn't tell you everything. I apologize for that and I'm begging you to give me another chance."
The silence in the room was deafening as Karl Gottwald stared at her intently for at least a full minute. Then, nodding his head, he sat back in his chair, waiting for her to speak.
Jumping at what she knew would be her final chance, Vicki told him that she had inside information that Fort Wheeler was going to be re-activated and established as a major military base. She did not mention how she had used liquor as well as her body to get that information, instead saying that she had overheard a state senator telling the mayor of Ravenswood about it. She felt that telling Karl Gottwald that she had screwed the mayor to get the information was not going to help.
Pausing for a moment, she waited to see if what she had said thus far was having any impact. When Karl motioned for her to continue, she did so, explaining to him how both her and her husband realized that, if Fort Wheeler was going to be re-activated and expanded, not only would it be a huge construction project on the base itself but, that Ravenswood would also require additional housing and business establishments. With the proper financing and the support of someone like him, a construction company like her husband's could realize a huge profit literally overnight. She concluded by stating that she knew she was taking a risk as there was nothing to prevent Gottwald Industries from bringing in their own company and reaping all the profits. Finished, she sat back in the chair, awaiting a reply from Karl Gottwald.
Karl sat silently in his chair behind the desk, obviously mulling over in his mind everything Vicki had just told him. Then, waving a hand in the direction of the other man sitting in the room, he leaned forward, resting his arms on the desk. The other man silently rose from his chair, and left the room, closing the door behind him.
"First off, Miss Lawson, let me tell you that what you said about the re-activation and expansion of Fort Wheeler is not news to me. I have been aware of that for some time now." he said, looking her in the eye at first, then shifting his gaze back down to her long, shapely legs. "I appreciate your candor, even if you did leave out the fact that you spent the night in that hotel with Frank Johnson. I'm guessing you used sex to get him to tell you what the senator had told him. Frank has always had a weakness for attractive, sexy women."
Once again, Vicki's mouth dropped open in shock. How did he know about that?
Seeing the look of surprise on her face, Karl smiled and then continued on.
"Don't look so surprised, my dear. I pay a lot of people quite handsomely to keep me aware of things that could be of financial interest to me. Count your blessings that I don't have a video of what took place between you and Frank in that hotel room. Although, after meeting you in person, I certainly wish I did have one.
Vicki felt her cheeks flush, growing red with obvious embarrassment. Quickly realizing that no secrets were safe from a man as powerful as the one sitting on the other side of the huge desk in front of her, she decided it would be pointless at the moment to try to deny his allegations.
"I have come to the conclusion that it's quite possible Gottwald Industries could assist your husband's company in this matter. Understand that there is nothing requiring me to do this. Let's just say that I'm feeling rather generous at the moment but, I find myself wondering if your husband will agree to my terms."
"First off, let me say that it will take a considerable amount of money to insure this venture is profitable for not only your husband's company but, for Gottwald Industries as well. The only way I will agree to finance this arrangement is if your husband's company becomes a legal subsidiary of Gottwald Industries. I can have my attorneys draw up the necessary paperwork as soon as I know that your husband has agreed to my terms."
"Secondly, there are a few commitments that I will require from you from time to time as well. I will not go into the details right now however, if, at any time, you feel that I am asking for more than you are willing to give, all you have to do is say so and I will immediately cease all further negotiations with you and your husband. Now, if you will give me a few minutes, I'll write a brief outline of what my terms are and then, you can call your husband and discuss them. I'm afraid I will require a verbal agreement today."
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