Never Forgotten: Second Chances (7 page)

"We are all invested and want the company to survive."

"Is that true?"

"Surely."

"What about Thom? From what he's said, he simply wants to sell his shares at a profit and doesn't care about the rest."

"I suppose that's true."

"It's a vulnerability. For your goals, I mean."

"How? He's the one that suggested that buying him out be part of the deal."

"True, but his suggestion isn't a promise that he'll do anything specific, and a promise is only useful when it's in writing."

"Good points."

"Now back to you. What if there was an offer that would keep the company moving along but required a personal sacrifice on your part? What about one that wasn't the greatest offer from a profit perspective but included a spectacular job offer for you? Those options all could exist. They conflict, however, and I need to know if my client is the company or Megan Cross."

The question surprised her. "I hadn't thought of that at all. I assumed any deal that was good for me would be good for the company."

"It seldom works that way. Deals are made by appealing to special interests, getting a majority of the stockholders to agree to it, not according to what is best for anyone in particular. So you and Thom might get what you want while Craig Lester finds himself with a pot of money and angry because his program is gone."

"Why?"

"There are people called salvage experts who might make a good offer for your shares. You know Thom wants to sell, and if they buy his shares and yours, they'd have sixty percent—a majority ownership. With that, they could take that and then sell the program to someone."

"Then the company would be worthless."

"Not so. They'd still have assets to sell off—the existing products would be worth something to a competitor. Breaking up the company that way they'd easily make more than they paid for the stock. Because you don't have creditors breathing down your neck, it might be more lucrative for you to do that yourselves—break up the company and sell it off. I need to know if that is on the table. Another scenario is allowing another company to buy you, effectively becoming a subsidiary of the bigger company. You could negotiate a budget for the launch, but your shares in Diamond would convert into a tiny ownership in the larger company. You'd be employees. Again, would you consider that?"

None of those sounded pleasant, but Megan knew he needed to know if they were absolutely off limits. "I think you should start viewing the company as your client with the goal to ensure funding of the new project. We can't let it all just go down the drain. Ideally, I'd like find someone willing to pay enough for Thom's shares and some treasury stock that we can finance the launch. That's what I'd like. If that's not possible, then we'd have to look at what is possible."

He nodded. "Good. I can work with that. We prioritize things."

"And you have the time and interest to devote to this?"

He waved his hands, indicating his office. "As you can see, I do not work in the chaos that most do. I've done well, and now I pick and choose my tasks based more on the people I'm dealing with and how interesting the challenge is. I no longer have to work for principles who are crazed assholes, and turning those people away is one of the reasons I worked so hard early in my career."

"You mentioned people who make their living finding companies to break up. Are there many of those? It seems almost anti-business."

"Oh, absolutely. Many more than you can imagine. If you were to get close to that point, the scavengers would be coming out of the woodwork like cockroaches. And as volatile as business is, there are usually plenty of companies on the ropes for them to choose from. They stay busy."

Megan shook off the ghoulish sense the idea triggered. It was a useful business thing, but making a living from the failures of others struck an unpleasant chord. "Well, if it came to it, breaking it up would ensure Craig's program survived, and we got something from it his efforts. That would be better than letting the company die."

Riley seemed to relax or at least settle into a comfort zone. "I find your pragmatism refreshing. We'll make something happen."

"So what do you think might be possible? I know our timeline is a pain in the ass. Of course, it's also the only reason we need to look for money."

He laughed. "Your schedule would be a giant pain if you were fixated on a specific solution, but if we can let investors put forth their own ideas, there's a better chance. And I'm optimistic because I've already fielded some preliminary inquiries."

"So soon?"

"The word seems to have gotten out that you have troubles. Maybe someone Thom talked to or someone inside the company let it slip... it doesn't matter, but I got a couple of calls from people looking to know more not that long after I got your call."

"That's good, isn't it?"

"It might be. Some of the early birds hope to scoop something up cheap before the serious offers boost the price. I have one man very interested in talking. I have to make a few calls to see if he is real or a tire kicker, or even an agent for someone else, but he wants to meet soon. If he is legitimate are you free for dinner this evening?"

The speed at which things seemed to be moving delighted Megan. Was getting financing going to be an easy thing after all? It would be nice to think she'd worried herself over nothing. Working with Riley certainly made it less confusing, but she forced herself to remember Thom's warning, that Riley would have his own agenda. "What about you? What outcome do you want?"

He grinned. "You mean will I steer you to a particular kind of deal because it's more lucrative for me? I could do that, but frankly the amount I make isn't that much different regardless how the deal is structured... unless it was a full-scale takeover, and I was offered stock. If it comes to that, you'll definitely see my hand in the till, but the money wouldn't be coming out of your pocket. Besides, I see us doing a lot of business together, assuming I do right by you."

"You do?"

"Sure. You are talented and ambitious. Whether it's with this company or another. People like you push the envelope. In my experience that means when things don't go according to plan you need someone like me to step in. I can see you and I working together on a number of much larger deals in the future."

Megan liked the sound of that. In fact, at that point there wasn't anything about doing business with Riley Carson she didn't like. She stood up feeling like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "In that case, I'll leave you to check out the prospective investor. Call me about dinner."

He stood and held out a hand. "Let's be proactive. Meet me for dinner at that new steak place on Carlsbad... La Chica is the name of it. We can have dinner at nine. I'll either have the prospective investor in tow or not, and either way I can give you an update and enjoy your company."

His words set off an alarm. From the moment she'd walked into his office Megan had felt drawn to Riley and the idea of spending time with him appealed to her. An electric current ran between them that suggested something pleasant and desirable could develop. And that made her hesitate. Allowing the boundary between work and personal matters to become such a gray area could spell trouble and she preferred a separation. She hadn't always maintained it, and when she did it often meant that her personal life devolved to little more than a drink at home watching television alone and painfully empty weekends. The reality was that she hardly knew anyone she wasn't involved with in business one way or the other and she had little opportunity to meet people outside that world. Even most of the people at her gym or the clubs she went to on rare occasions worked in the industry. They all knew each other. Trying to keep those worlds apart grew harder as time went on.

When she'd gotten involved with Craig they'd worked in different departments of the same company and seldom saw each other at work. That sidestepped the problems of office romance, at least most of them.

Because she was a woman who enjoyed men and sexual relationships, and not interested in living as a recluse, she'd found herself honoring that separation more in the breach. At least Riley was tangential to it rather than part of the mainstream. She sighed and acknowledged that meeting the potential investor held less appeal than being with Riley for dinner. Besides, sitting and waiting for a call to find out how the meeting had gone wasn't her style and would be torture for her. "That's a plan I can deal with."

She left Riley's office with a new sense of optimism.

* * * *

Leaving Riley's, she his observation about Thom's attitude toward his stock began tumbling through her mind. She didn't doubt Riley was right and if Thom rushed to sell, it could create the sense that there was some sort of internal problem at Diamond and that would complicate things more than they were. It would be smart and strengthen her hand to have an agreement in writing that she had first option on his stock at a set price. The easiest way to see if that was at all in the cards was to go by and ask him.

When he was in town Thom stayed in furnished suites. With his schedule, the constant comings and goings, he sensibly kept one year round. As it was on her route, she decided to drop in and talk with him, maybe catch him off guard.

As she went in the lobby, she decided to use the house phone to let him know she was there. She knew his room number, but he could have company. Their relationship wasn't exclusive, and his visitors could be person or business. Either way, she didn’t want to make it seem as if she was checking up on him, spying. That wouldn't help get him to agree to her request.

At the table that held the house phone, she sat and picked up the receiver. Then she heard Thom's voice coming from the elevator. She turned and looked, catching sight of him taking a woman in his arms. They locked in a fairly passionate kiss, for Thom, and she pressed her body close to his, rubbing herself against him, obviously trying to arouse him. Then they turned and headed into the elevator, his hand running over the woman's curvaceous ass. She flicked her head, sending a shower of blonde hair flying and scattering the light.

Megan watched the elevator doors close. Her smile was grim. At least she knew part of Lenora's plan. Once she was close to Thom, screwing him, she'd get more than good advice for her trouble. Megan felt certain it was something specific too. But what?

Megan met Riley and his investor, a small, drab man named Phil Dreemer, at the restaurant. She'd dressed carefully, knowing she needed to walk that treacherous borderline between attractive and feminine yet businesslike, one that let her play the conflicting roles of seductress and CEO. She had chosen a dress that felt elegant, and as they sat in the fancy restaurant chatting with small talk over drinks, it seemed the right one. She let Riley direct the conversation, chipping in a smile or comment when it seemed appropriate. Some men could easily be overwhelmed by a strong woman, and Phil struck her as that kind of man. So she sat back watched Riley work him. He was suave, speaking to Phil as if they were friends sharing confidences. Phil was new to software investments and tired of missing out on the billions being made. What did Bill Gates have that he didn't after all?

Over dessert, Riley did a wonderful job of raising the matter of the needed investment, and its possible benefits, without making it sound like he was making a pitch. His calm, confident voice and casual manner made it almost as if he was talking about something he'd heard on the nightly news. Phil had been jittery all through dinner, and despite how smooth Riley was when the subject of her company came up, Megan saw his body tense visibly.

Riley saw it too. A shadow flickered across his face, lizard quick, but Megan caught it and knew his alarms were ringing. "When we talked about the idea this morning you seemed pretty excited, Phil. You said you'd been looking to diversify into high-tech, get into software, get away from companies with all kinds of union problems and production lines." He chuckled. "It's gotta be rough watching the guys who buy into tech companies raking in the money like they had a printing press."

"Some lose their asses too." Phil picked up his wine glass and finished it, then waited while Riley refilled it. "Since we talked, I've learned, well heard, some unsettling things."

"Really?" Riley looked at Megan. "Has anything happened that you haven't told me about, Megan?"

She sipped her own wine with deliberate slowness then shook her head. "The most significant thing that I know of happening today is meeting you, Phil. What are you concerned about?"

"Well, first I heard that Thom Gooden is in a bit of a hurry to sell."

Riley chuckled. "I chatted with him about that myself. The old boy's been itching to free up cash to put into an oil lease he's afraid will slip through his fingers. What he told me was that now that he's decided to sell, he'd like to do it as soon as possible. Don't think you'll be able to leverage that and low ball him. He's kind of in a rush, but not willing to give it away."

Phil didn't appear convinced. He glared at Megan defiantly. "Okay. But why is your partner and senior designer selling out?"

She laughed but heard its hollow sound, and regretted it. His claim had caught her by surprise. "That's simple. He isn't."

Phil pushed his chair back slightly. "Are you sure? This afternoon I got a call from someone who knows I'm looking at your company, and they said his shares might be available. No price mentioned, but the caller wanted to know if I was interested. I mean I could just invest that way, right?"

"Were you interested?"

"Hell, no. If he wants out, then I have to think there's a reason for it. If the program has all the potential you've talked about, then I'm sure he'd be in for the long haul. Shit, if it's that good, he could live on a credit card for a few months if it's just cash flow problems."

Megan reached over and put her hand on Phil's. "He is. That caller was bullshitting you."