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Authors: Harold Robbins
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opposite side of the office was a long conference table with ten chairs and a long sectional couch took up the closed corners of the room. In front of the couch was a marble-topped coffee table and two more chairs.
He motioned me to a seat and went behind his desk. He sat down silently and looked at me. I waited for him to speak. His first question came from left field. “How old are you, Mr. Rowan?”
I looked at him curiously. “Forty-three,” I answered.
His next question also caught me off base. “How much do you earn a year?” “Thirty-five thousand,” I said quickly, before I had a chance to lie.
He nodded silently and looked down at his desk. There were some typewritten sheets on it. He seemed to be studying them. I waited for him to continue to speak. After a moment he looked up at me. “Do you know why I sent for you?” he asked.
“I thought I did,” I said honestly. “But now I’m not quite sure.”
He smiled mirthlessly. “I believe in honest talk, young man,” he said. “So I won’t waste time in coming to the point. How would you like to make sixty thousand a year?”
I laughed nervously. The way this guy threw numbers around, I was beginning to feel as if I was back in Washington. “I’d like it,” I said.
He leaned towards me confidentially. “At yesterday’s meeting you presented a plan for the benefit of the industry. Remember?”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. I also remembered that he didn’t think very much of it. “There were certain flaws in your presentation,” he continued. “But basically, it was sound.”
I let my breath escape through my lips gently. The big one hadn’t got off the hook after all. A glow of triumph began to fill me. “I’m glad you think so, sir,” I said quickly.
“When I left the meeting, I must admit I was slightly angry,” he said, still in a confidential tone of voice. His eyes held mine. “Because of your accusation.”
“I regret it, sir,” I said quickly. “It was only because——”
He held up a magnanimous hand, interrupting me. “Say no more. I admit I gave you sufficient provocation. But what you said impressed me. You were the only one there who had the nerve to call a spade a spade.” He smiled wryly. “It’s been too long a time since anyone spoke to me like that.”
By now I was going around in circles. I didn’t know what the devil he wanted, so I kept quiet. They never hanged a man for keeping his mouth shut.
He waved his hand at the windows behind him. “See that, Mr. Rowan?” he said. “That’s Consolidated Steel, and that’s not all of it, either. There are twenty other foundries like it in the United States. It’s one of the five largest corporations in the world—and I made it what it is to-day. Many people didn’t approve of my methods, but that didn’t matter. What did matter was that I made a
dream come true. I’ve eaten, slept and drunk steel since I was a twelve-year-old water carrier in a foundry.”
In spite of myself I was impressed by the little man. His tone had all the fervour of an evangelist. I kept silent.
“So when you said that I was thinking selfishly you were absolutely right. I make no apologies for it. Too many years have gone by, and I’m too old to change now.”
I still couldn’t see what he was driving at, so I waited. He leaned back in his chair and looked at me. I took a cigarette and lit it. He let me take a pull before he spoke. It was a good thing he did because what he said almost knocked me off my seat.
“I like you, Mr. Rowan,” he said quietly. “Because you’re like me. You’re all the things you would say I was. Tough. Selfish. Ruthless. But I would call it practical. A recognition of the laws of survival.
“That’s why I asked you to come and see me. I’m prepared to offer you a job here as Vice- President and Director of Public Relations at sixty thousand dollars a year. I need a man with your talents for organization to do for
He motioned me to a seat and went behind his desk. He sat down silently and looked at me. I waited for him to speak. His first question came from left field. “How old are you, Mr. Rowan?”
I looked at him curiously. “Forty-three,” I answered.
His next question also caught me off base. “How much do you earn a year?” “Thirty-five thousand,” I said quickly, before I had a chance to lie.
He nodded silently and looked down at his desk. There were some typewritten sheets on it. He seemed to be studying them. I waited for him to continue to speak. After a moment he looked up at me. “Do you know why I sent for you?” he asked.
“I thought I did,” I said honestly. “But now I’m not quite sure.”
He smiled mirthlessly. “I believe in honest talk, young man,” he said. “So I won’t waste time in coming to the point. How would you like to make sixty thousand a year?”
I laughed nervously. The way this guy threw numbers around, I was beginning to feel as if I was back in Washington. “I’d like it,” I said.
He leaned towards me confidentially. “At yesterday’s meeting you presented a plan for the benefit of the industry. Remember?”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. I also remembered that he didn’t think very much of it. “There were certain flaws in your presentation,” he continued. “But basically, it was sound.”
I let my breath escape through my lips gently. The big one hadn’t got off the hook after all. A glow of triumph began to fill me. “I’m glad you think so, sir,” I said quickly.
“When I left the meeting, I must admit I was slightly angry,” he said, still in a confidential tone of voice. His eyes held mine. “Because of your accusation.”
“I regret it, sir,” I said quickly. “It was only because——”
He held up a magnanimous hand, interrupting me. “Say no more. I admit I gave you sufficient provocation. But what you said impressed me. You were the only one there who had the nerve to call a spade a spade.” He smiled wryly. “It’s been too long a time since anyone spoke to me like that.”
By now I was going around in circles. I didn’t know what the devil he wanted, so I kept quiet. They never hanged a man for keeping his mouth shut.
He waved his hand at the windows behind him. “See that, Mr. Rowan?” he said. “That’s Consolidated Steel, and that’s not all of it, either. There are twenty other foundries like it in the United States. It’s one of the five largest corporations in the world—and I made it what it is to-day. Many people didn’t approve of my methods, but that didn’t matter. What did matter was that I made a
dream come true. I’ve eaten, slept and drunk steel since I was a twelve-year-old water carrier in a foundry.”
In spite of myself I was impressed by the little man. His tone had all the fervour of an evangelist. I kept silent.
“So when you said that I was thinking selfishly you were absolutely right. I make no apologies for it. Too many years have gone by, and I’m too old to change now.”
I still couldn’t see what he was driving at, so I waited. He leaned back in his chair and looked at me. I took a cigarette and lit it. He let me take a pull before he spoke. It was a good thing he did because what he said almost knocked me off my seat.
“I like you, Mr. Rowan,” he said quietly. “Because you’re like me. You’re all the things you would say I was. Tough. Selfish. Ruthless. But I would call it practical. A recognition of the laws of survival.
“That’s why I asked you to come and see me. I’m prepared to offer you a job here as Vice- President and Director of Public Relations at sixty thousand dollars a year. I need a man with your talents for organization to do for
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