I have been a fan of this site for a long time. You write what you know and I travel quite a bit for business. I hope you enjoy these stories about Dave. This one starts slow but there are others coming right after it that are more intense. I am new to this so I welcome your feedback. Enjoy.
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Dave was definitely in a funk. After marrying his college sweetheart and five years in the military and two years as a management consultant account representative. He was divorced, overworked and lonely. Frankly, he did not feel like himself.
Dave was a good looking guy. Over six feet tall, athletic build and very fit. His years as a military officer had created a sound mind and body that he still worked out with frequent workouts and long runs to stay fit.
Always a handsome good looking guy, he had settled down early after earning his commission in service. His divorce had not been a good one. After months away on frequent combat deployments and the associated stress, he and his learned that they did not know each other well. It was easiest to tell everyone that they had divorced because they had grown apart. The reality was she had grown into a woman that was sleeping around and left him despite his success in the military and as a management consultant.
During and immediately after his divorce, he was the obligatory man-whore around the happy hour circuit. He had his share of unsatisfying one-night stands. It left him completely unfulfilled and, even more, depressed. And despite months of picking up women and dating intermittently, he had hit a dry spell of epic proportions. He had not had a woman in the office or at happy hour patron look in his direction in months.
Dave was spending more and more hours at work - other than working out and some sleep, he spent his waking hours at the office. He was adding accounts - worldwide, producing quality products for his clients but was getting difficult to work with and more depressed. His boss noticed.
Late one Friday Night, his boss, one of the executive Vice Presidents approached him in the conference room where Dave had files and paperwork strewn all over. "How are you doing, Dave?"
"Fine, but I will doing better once I close finish this Dubai proposal and close this deal," Dave had snapped back without really knowing who was talking to him.
"Dave, it is me, Robert. I hired you hired. And I know you and you are not fine." Robert replied seeing the angst in his young protégé.
Dave could not reply and only looked to the floor and sighed. The senior executive put his arm around Dave and walked him out of the conference room to his office, poured him a bourbon and gave it to him. "Sit down, Dave. I have been divorced three times" Robert was with his third trophy wife that was nearly half his age. "I know that it is tough. But I need you to be confident and in a good place for you to keep being successful. Otherwise, you are gonna burn out."
Dave took a drink of the bourbon and swallowed. "Here is what we are gonna do. That Chicago HR firm you closed last year is having an executive conference in Palm Springs, California next weekend. And you are going to represent us. And that will be your assignment for awhile. Traveling to clients and consulting them in person. It will get you out of the office and on with your life."
Dave started to object, "But I have three deals working and I need to close the Dubai deal..."
"Never mind that. We'll work it out and you will work remotely via a laptop, tablet and your cell phone."
"Look," Robert said as he sat down next to Dave on the couch. "You'll get on the road. You'll travel some. You'll have fun. You'll meet women. And you'll have more fun with no strings attached - no obligations and you'll get your mojo back."
Dave could only shake his head. "I guess Palm Springs will be a good place to spend a few days away."
"Now, that's the spirit. No take the rest of the weekend off and come back in on Monday and we'll get you set up for next week."
Dave already felt better walking thru the airport. He had been only wearing only suits and workout clothes and now he was business casual in khakis, golf shirt and a blazer. He felt relaxed for the first time in months. He was in the airport on a Wednesday to arrive in Palm Springs to set up on Thursday before the Chicago HR executives arrived late on Thursday for their annual Palm Springs off-site at an exclusive resort.
After checking his bags and while in line at security, he saw her. Tall in four inch heeled sandals, dressed in a skirt that was about an inch too short and just tight enough showing off long, tanned and toned legs, with long dirty blonde hair pulled back. She wore a sheer cream colored blouse under her blazer but Dave could tell that breasts her just about perfect. Her perfectly manicured hands were working a cell phone. She was probably in her late-20's and strikingly beautiful. Dave caught himself staring for a second too long when they made brief eye contact. Dave thought nothing of it and proceeded thru security to the bar near the gate for his flight to LA.
After having two Old-Fashioned's after taking his seat in first class, "This travel thing might be not that bad," Dave thought to himself. And then when the beauty he saw earlier arrived in first class behind him. He immediately thought to Robert's words of having "no strings attached" fun while traveling on the company expense account.
She took the window seat and crossed her legs showing off her perfect legs and pretty manicured toes in sexy strappy high-heeled sandals. "Business or Pleasure?," she leaned over and asked.
