Chapter 8
Gordon Hess was a very contented man.
As he'd remarked to one of the men at Conradin, Inc., that morning, "There's no finer feeling than knowing that you've got a beautiful, loving wife, a fine teen-aged daughter, and a good home and circle of friends." And the man had had to agree, smiling as he said that he was glad the week-end session had been as short as it had been, and that the contract had been approved and signed almost before Hess' plane had landed in St. Louis. He was going home, and knew exactly how Gordon felt.
The business trip had been short. It hadn't been a waste of time, for it was his presence there as sales manager which had clinched the deal, and a regular salesman wouldn't have had a chance, causing the negotiations to drag on interminably. Well, that was part of his job, and was one of the things which made it all worthwhile. He glanced at his watch now, and yawned, wishing that like the man at Conradin, it had been only a simple matter of driving across town to get home. He had had to wait for the next flight back, and here he was on the jet at last, feeling as if it would never arrive. It would in another half-hour, but he was impatient about the delay anyway.
He could have stayed at the hotel in St. Louis in which he'd reserved a room a week, and which he'd only used for one night. But he was glad he'd decided not to, because he couldn't wait to see the look of surprise on Marylynn's face as he told her of his good fortune; his good fortune not only to have gotten the contract, but in so short a time that he could be home with her almost before she knew he'd left. Yes, she'd certainly be surprised, he thought with a broad smile, and he'd make sure that they stayed in that bed of theirs and made love all Saturday night and all day Sunday, too. He felt he had to make it up to her ... and hell, he wanted it just as much as she did!
No question about it, he was a lucky man, and as he sighed and settled in seat, all he could think about was the surprise his family would have when he arrived home this afternoon. Yes, sir, it would be quite a pleasant surprise for everybody....