Saint James, Elle - Unbridled and Untangled [The Double Rider Men's Club 8] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (25 page)

“I did.” Bradford looked smug. “I’m staging something of a coup, old man. After the noon meeting, you and my annoying cousin will be gone.”

“I am head of the board—” her grandfather started to say.

“But you are about to back my naive cousin with her plans for modernization.”

“How do you know that?”

“A little birdie told me. I’ve convinced the board to get rid of you both. They’ve agreed to put me in charge as long as I tear up the agreements my cousin brought to the table with these investors.”

One of the investors spoke up, “How will you convince the board to let us invest and get a controlling interest?”

“There is a clause tucked into the agreement where I have full control to make emergency decisions in the first twenty-four hours of my taking over. They were shortsighted in their hasty agreement. I had my lawyer put in a special clause saying I don’t need the board’s approval for this initial deal. Guess they should have read closer.”

“How long until it takes effect?” Olivia asked.

Bradford glanced at his watch. “Only a few hours. You have until noon.”

“But if I strike a deal now and the papers are signed before noon, you can’t do anything.”

Bradford shrugged, but didn’t look too worried.

“So how can I get you to sign the deal?” She looked at each of the investors one at a time searching for some modicum of loyalty to her initial offering. None of them would look her in the eye. “What if I offer fifteen percent each?”

The investor from Texas spoke up again, “I hate to tell you this, Olivia, but none of the three of us is willing to back you for anything less than seventeen percent each. If we can gain controlling interest in your family company by waiting a couple of hours, it just wouldn’t make good business sense not do so.”

Olivia was totally screwed. It had taken her months of careful planning to get these three financial backers. And she’d been turned down by pretty much everyone else in the world. She glanced at Bradford, smirking at his prowess in defeating her. “I’ll find someone else.”

Bradford held out his arms. “Where will you get even a single financial backer willing to foot the entire bill for the expansion plan you have in the works?” He glanced at his watch again. “You only have a little over three hours. And you still need to get board approval. So make sure you choose a financial backer they will want.” He laughed.

And unfortunately, he was also right. She had been turned down by everyone. Many hadn’t wanted to go against her grandfather, even if she
could
persuade him and the board to her side. But she hadn’t been able to. The board wasn’t going to approve of anyone, unless they were another old antiquated business looking to expand or merge if the possibility existed.

Her mind racing, Olivia turned to her grandfather. “If I manage to find someone to invest, can you get the board to approve them?”

Her grandfather looked at Bradford, but didn’t seem too surprised by his actions. “I can’t promise you that, Olivia. But I’ll do my level best.”

Olivia didn’t know who she’d get. The idea of Dalton or Wade investing was ludicrous, but with their handsome faces fresh in her mind, she felt like it warranted at least a conversation.

She turned to the investors. “You all are fools if you think Bradford will do anything but steal your money and run out of the country. He’s done it before.”

“Shut up, Olivia! It isn’t true,” Bradford shouted. She took personal delight in finally seeing him lose his cool just a little bit in front of his new investors. They all deserved each other, as far as she was concerned.

Bradford cleared his throat and seemed to calm down. Smirking again he said, “One more thing, Olivia, don’t forget that your investor has to be a resident of New York or own a business completely within the boundaries of the state.”

Fuck
. She’d forgotten. No foreign investors and no one out of the great state of New York were allowed to invest in Stanton Industries. Olivia didn’t need to waste a call to Dalton or Wade. The only reason the Texas investor seated at the table today could stay was because he had another business enterprise located solely in New York.

Undaunted, she mentally flipped through a possible list of contacts with any slim hope of helping her. No one came immediately to mind that she hadn’t already contacted. Perhaps it was worth going through the list of the potential investors who’d initially turned her down.

As her mind spun with desperate ideas that likely wouldn’t work, a frail, familiar voice behind her said, “Did you forget about me, Arthur?”

Her grandfather, still at the side of the conference room looking very worried about what was transpiring, turned and said, “So sorry, Margaret. Something’s come up. I don’t think I’ll be able to accompany you today.”

Olivia turned in time to see Margaret Rourke enter the room headed toward her grandfather. “That’s okay. We can get together another time.” She kept moving into the room until she paused next to Olivia. “Hello, dear. How is everything going?”

She turned to Dalton’s grandmother and smiled. Her life was crashing down around her ears courtesy of her conniving cousin, but Margaret had always been good to her.

Olivia answered in as light a tone as she could manage, “Well, it’s been an interesting morning, that’s for certain.”

“Sometimes interesting turns out to be a component of the very best days. Is there anything I could do to help you, Olivia?”

Bradford piped up. “This is a private meeting. You aren’t really supposed to be here.”

Margaret looked affronted.

Before Olivia could respond in her defense, Margaret said with a wry smile, “Young man, I’ve been battling my way into boardrooms since before you were even a twinkle in your daddy’s eye.”

Olivia suddenly realized the possible importance of her presence. Margaret Rourke held the controlling interest in one of the region’s biggest and most prestigious old school businesses. If Olivia got
her
to back this deal, she’d never have to worry about the board trying to undermine her or Bradford trying to take over ever again.

“I couldn’t help but over hear your conversation while I waited out in the hall for Arthur. If you are so shortsighted as to let this deal fall through your fingertips because she wants to make the corporation better, then you are all foolish and you deserve to fail.

“But know this. I stand behind her.” She looked away from Bradford and turned toward the three disloyal investors, “And you three may represent substantial business interests that can make this deal, but contrary to your own misguided beliefs, you aren’t the only game in town. If you decide not to back her in the original deal for a combined thirty percent, why then, I will.”

She turned to Bradford. “Oh and I’m a New York citizen. Would you like to see my driver’s license?”

“No thank you.” Bradford spat out. Under his breath he added, “I’m surprised they haven’t taken it from you due to your advanced age.”

Their grandfather looked up. “Get out.”

“What?”

“I want you out of this office building. I want you out of my house. When I get home tonight, you’d better be far, far away, you sniveling parasite.”

Bradford marched out of the room. In the hallway he started screaming obscenities. The three former investors also filed out one by one, sensing correctly that their time in this company was over.

Her grandfather followed them out on a mission to find security to ensure none of them, especially Bradford, ever returned. Olivia was left alone in the conference room with her savior.

“I’ll never be able to thank you enough for what you did for me today, Margaret.”

“I believe you will.”

“How? I’ll do anything.”

“There is a particular light in my grandson Dalton’s eyes when he sees you, talks about you, and even when he thinks about you. I’d like for the two of you to keep making each other happy.”

“That will be my pleasure.” Olivia was so taken back by her admission.

“As a matter of fact,” she said, taking Olivia’s arm, “as a future shareholder in this business, I feel it would be wise to diversify and change the location of your headquarters to Colorado. At least my thirty percent vote will go that way.”

Olivia laughed. “Why, I think my remaining share vote will also go that way. It occurs to me that together the two of us and grandfather have the new controlling interest in the company.”

“Well, I promise not to take advantage, dear.”

Olivia walked down the hall of Stanton Industries executive offices with a spring in her step and a better future than she ever could have planned.

Her mind next went to a new and now very possible future with Dalton and Wade.

Today
had
been interesting, and ultimately the best outcome had come to pass.

Epilogue

Olivia, Wade, and Dalton returned home from the ribbon cutting ceremony at the groundbreaking for the new office building being put up as the Westward regional offices for Stanton Industries.

“Nice ceremony,” Wade commented as they came through the freshly varnished doors of their recently completed home.

“Did you think so? Really? I figured you’d be bored.”

Wade grabbed her suddenly and plastered her mouth with a fairly sultry kiss. When he finally broke away, he murmured, “Anything that keeps you here in Colorado, and away from New York, is awesome as far as I’m concerned. Not ever boring.”

“I’ll also be glad to spend more time in Colorado than in New York.”

“How long will it take to complete the building?”

Olivia shrugged. “I don’t know. A year or two maybe.” They both looked at her with such stricken expressions, she quickly explained. “But don’t worry, I’ve already rented some office space in Ryder, so I don’t have to go back but maybe a few times a year.”

Dalton cornered her against the front door and kissed her senseless before saying, “Good answer. I hate it when you’re gone.”

She slung her arms around his neck and squeezed hard. She never felt so complete as when she was with her two men.

The wedding rings on her left hand caught her eye. They’d had a wedding in New York. Mostly it was for Dalton’s grandmother. Wade had served as Dalton’s best man, while Laurel had been her maid of honor. It made their respective grandparents very happy and solidified the merger of their two businesses into one entity. Olivia had quite a lot on her plate with the new modernizations and overall changes, but she loved every minute.

Once back in Colorado, the three of them had participated in a quieter ceremony here at the house as a trio in this new unbridled lifestyle she’d grown to love.

After a quick dinner, they’d retired to the back deck and the oversized hot tub recently installed there. The gargantuan spa would hold eight people comfortably, but Olivia knew they only wanted it for the three of them. But with tall, well-built husbands, they liked the extra room.

“There’s a chill in the air tonight,” she said as they walked out to the gazebo built especially for the spa tub. It was covered over the top and there were shutters that could be put in place in bad weather, but for now, all the sides were open and the view of the mountains was spectacular at dusk.

In one hand she carried a glass of wine. In the other she carried a fluffy towel.

Wade had already stripped to his bare ass and climbed in the frothing water. Dalton wore his towel around his narrow hips, and Olivia knew from experience that he was already buck naked beneath it.