Chapter 17
"Well, Ms. Simmons; I hope you know what you've done. You took a dead proposal and turned it into a very profitable contract. We should make millions off of this."
Ann gasped. She was quiet until they sat down at the table. When the waiter set the menus in front of them she just stared at Bob Long.
"Are you saying that I did it right. I didn't even know if what I was saying was right or not. I was just so mad because they were playing with us that I said whatever came to my mind."
Bob smile, "You did very right. Now, did you get in touch with Brenda?"
Ann nodded, "She said that we can pick her up anytime Saturday. She'll be waiting at her dorm."
Bob Long stood up, "Ann, order me the hamburger and French fries; order whatever you want."
Ann nodded and Bob turned and walked out of the restaurant. He walked to a section of the lobby that was relatively quiet and dialed his satellite phone and waited for Paula to answer the phone.
"Paula this is Bob Long. I want you to tell our pilot that I want him to fly Ann and myself to Paris this afternoon. Have him call me on my phone when the plane is ready to go. Have him file the flight plan and let Paris customs know and have him do whatever else he has to do. On Saturday morning I want you to hire a Limo to pick up Ann's daughter at Case-Western University and bring her to the airport to meet our plane. We'll then fly back to the office. The new Land Rover that we were going to fix up as a demonstrator; have we started on that?"
Paula told him that they hadn't started to armor it yet, "Tell the shop foreman not to do anything to that car. Have someone get it to my farm sometime in the next couple of days. I'll need another gas credit card for that car. Put the gas card in the glove box."
Paula repeated all of the instructions that he had given her and then asked how the meeting was going.
"Ann saved the day for us, he told Paula, "They were playing with us. They had someone that they wanted to give the contract to and they were just meeting with us to keep us quiet. Ann called their bluff and we are finalizing the proposal right now. Get in touch with John and see who he wants in Sweden with him and make arrangements to get them there."
Bob asked about Paula's family and then asked how everything was going at the company. After he hung up he dialed the phone and made reservations at the Hotel Plaza Athenee for the two of them. He asked that a limo be at his disposal on Thursday and Friday. After the reservations were confirmed he dialed the phone again and made reservations at the Villa Thalgo spa for the full treatment for Ann on Friday. He walked back into the restaurant as the waiter was bringing their lunch to the table.
Ann smiled at him as he sat down, "I ordered the chicken salad. That hamburger looks huge. I don't think that I could eat all of that."
"Ann, when was the last time that you were in Paris?"
She looked at him while trying to figure why he was asking that question, "I've never been in Paris."
"Well, you are going to go to Paris this afternoon. I owe you a hell of a bonus for what you did for the company today. We'll spend two days in Paris and then fly home on Saturday morning. I'm having a car pick Brenda up at school on Saturday morning and she'll meet us at the airport. We'll be staying at one of the best hotels in Paris and on Friday I've booked you into one of the finest spas in Paris for the works. You'll be pampered like royalty. They'll hook you up with a hairdresser and on Thursday night we'll see what Paris has to offer for night life."
Ann started to protest but Bob stopped her, "I'm getting away cheap if that's all I have to do. Ann you made us millions today. They hadn't figured on armored cars for their executives and now they are. We're going to have to install security in the executive's homes. We're going to have to train their guards and other security personnel. We're going to have to train all of the family members of the executives on how to protect themselves from terrorists. This contract is going to be the biggest that we've ever had. To be honest Ann; this morning I thought that we didn't have a shot at this contract. They had already promised it to someone else. When you mentioned that the mood of the people would turn ugly if children were harmed they started thinking hard about what they were doing. Those guys are politicians. They know that as long as the country stays quiet they can sell the voters anything."
Bob's phone rang and he answered it. When he hung up he told Ann that they would check out of the hotel as soon as they were finished lunch and they would take the train to the airport. They would be in Paris before dark.
Bob took Ann to her room and told her to hurry and pack her bag so that they could get to the airport. When Ann stepped into the hallway Bob took her bag from her and started for the elevator.
As he walked past the desk he turned to her, "I've already checked out. We'll take the train to the airport; it's quicker than taking a car."
Ann had trouble keeping up with Bob as he rushed through Arlanda Airport. They went to the business aviation section and he had a car take them to the airplane. The airplane had no marking other than the identification numbers that all planes have. No sooner then they had sat in their seats than someone closed the door and the pilot started the engines.
As the plane started to move an asked, "Did you charter this airplane just for the trip to Paris?"
Bob smiled at her, "This is Paladin's corporate jet. I flew it to Saudi Arabia and then came here."
Her eyes got big, "Are those pilots Paladin employees?"
"Yes. Sometimes I pilot the plane myself. I'm licensed to fly one of these things. I'm also licensed to fly helicopters. I have a helicopter at the farm."
"My, you are a man of many talents."
Bob smiled, "The Navy taught me to fly as part of my Seal training. I love flying so when they offered, I jumped at the chance. Would you like to try flying the airplane?"
Ann got a shocked look on her face and shook her head vigorously.
"I was just kidding. The Gods that regulate airplanes would take a dim view of an unlicensed person at the controls. We should be landing at Orly in less than two hours. We'll check in at the hotel and then walk around Paris for a while. Tomorrow we have to pick up something for you to wear when we go nightclubbing and then I'll have the limo drop you off at the spa. You're going to enjoy that. I signed you up for the works."
"You don't have to do all that Bob. It's enough that you're taking me to Paris. I've always wanted to go to Paris. I've always wanted to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower."
Bob took the airplane's phone from its cradle and dialed the phone. She heard him ask for the front desk at the Hotel Plaza Athenee and then heard him talking to someone about reserving a table at the Jules Verne Restaurant. He spoke in almost perfect French.
When he hung up the phone she asked him, "Why did you call the hotel to make a reservation at a restaurant?"
"I made a reservation at the Jules Verne Restaurant on the second level of the Eiffel Tower. There's no way that I could have gotten a reservation myself on such short notice. The hotel has a lot more pull than I do. We have our reservation for nine o'clock. I figure that we can go to the top of the Eiffel Tower and then eat dinner at the restaurant. I'll take a throw from the airplane, to wrap around your shoulders, because it gets cold and windy at the top."
The plane banked and began it's descent to Orly field and in minutes the wheels screeched as they met the runway. It was a little before four o'clock. Bob and Ann stood up and stretched and Bob pulled a blanket throw out of a cupboard. He told Ann to leave her luggage and he would have it sent to the hotel. The door opened and Bob lead the way off of the airplane. Before Ann started down the stairs she paused and looked at the city that had been in so many of her dreams.
A limo was waiting for them as soon as they walked out of the business aviation terminal. Bob held the door for her and she got in. The limo started for their hotel. Ann watched and commented on every street, building, monument and tree as they drove through Paris.
Ann suddenly screeched, "Look, there's the Eiffel Tower."
"Our hotel is only a couple of blocks away from it. You'll probably be able to look out of your room at night and see it all lit up."
Her face was radiant, "I've always dreamed of coming to Paris. I'd just about given up any hope of ever having the chance to come here."
"I do a lot of business here. The Saudi and a lot of the Eastern European countries usually meet in some foreign country to do business. For some reason most of them love Paris. They like to keep their lifestyle hidden from their people. I think that you'll be in Paris many more times."
Ann sat back in her seat and was very quiet for a while, "What's wrong Ann?"
"Nothing's wrong. I was just thinking. A little over a month ago I was down in the dumps because I had to sell my business. I had no idea how I was going to support myself or what I was going to do with my life. Then I hit a deer and, as they say, the rest is history. I'm afraid that I'm going to wake up and find that I've been dreaming."
"Just enjoy it Ann. You deserve it. You've worked hard all of your life raising your daughter. Let go and learn to enjoy life."
"What about you," Ann said, "If I remember correctly, a month ago you were thinking about selling your company."
"You started me thinking. My people have invested their life in my company. I'm sure that if I sold the company, the new owners would start on a round of cost cutting and it wouldn't be too long before either the company would be gone or else all of the old-timers would be gone. I couldn't hold my head up if I allowed that."
Ann looked at him, "I'm sure that the other company offered you a very good price for the company or else you wouldn't have been thinking of selling."
"Self-respect is very important to me. The company is making money, I travel around the world, I have good people working for me and I really didn't need the money that the Company was offering me. I still haven't touched the stocks that my father left me when he died."
The limo pulled in front of the hotel and Bob and Ann got out of the vehicle. Bob took her arm and walked with her into the hotel. Ann gasped when she saw the rich, ornate decorations. She heard Bob tell the clerk that someone would be bringing their luggage from the airport and that they would like their luggage sent to their rooms.
When Ann got to her room she c
ouldn't believe it. The rooms were
grander than any hotel rooms that she had ever seen, even in magazines.
From her window she could see the Eiffel Tower. She sat on the bed and
just stared out the window.