Chapter 26

When our security team left the suite, I turned and looked at the two women that were making my life a dream as I took off my suit coat. Each of them set their suitcase on the bed and began to unpack, I went to the sofa and began to unpack mine. They began to stake their claim to the closet space and, being the loving women they are, even left space for some of my clothes.

“Are you going to leave room for my stuff?” I wondered as I examined the remaining space.

“There is room for your stuff. Well, most of it.” Mel said with a chuckle

I figured that the worst case would be that I had to send some of my clothes out to be cleaned and pressed before we went to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and the various monuments over the next couple of days. We wanted to visit the White House, but found out too late, that we needed to make arrangements twenty-one days in advance with our Congressman. There were no walk-in tours.

I called Gunther, the head of our security detail and told him that we were going to get some lunch.

“Gunther, do you want to join us?” I asked.

“Where are you going? Are you staying inside the hotel or going out?” he asked.

“What would be easiest for you?” Given my recent experience, I didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks.

“Staying in the hotel is easiest.” He answered.

“Then we will stay in the hotel.” I told him.

“Good. When do you want to go?” He asked.

“Mel? Terri? How soon before you are ready to go to lunch?”

“I’m ready now.” Mel chimed in first.

“Me too Rand.” Terri added, lightly.

“The ladies say now is fine.” I relayed to him.

“Ok, Mr. Dunn, we will be at your door in a few minutes.” He answered and hung up.

I hung up the phone and had just told the ladies that we were going to the hotel restaurant and there was a knock on the door. I checked the peep hole and saw Gunther. I opened the door to find him and three other members of the security crew.

“Hi Gunther, are the others sleeping in?” I asked, not sure how they organized.

“No, they’re downstairs talking to the restaurant manager to get a secure seating location.”

“I should have guessed that. Are we ready?” I asked as I turned to Mel and Terri.

“We are, if you are.” Mel chirped.

“Mel, Terri, let’s eat.” I said.

I reached out to hold each of them by the hand and, with Gunther leading the way and the two others behind us, we walked to the elevator that served the two suites on our floor. Gunther inserted his room key in the slot and hit the button for the ground floor. When the doors opened, we walked into the lobby, drawing attention from everyone. They must have thought that we were important since it was obvious that we had body guards.

Cynthia and another woman were standing at the entrance to the restaurant as we approached; they led us to a big table in the back. There was a server waiting for us with menus. He told us the specials of the day and took our drink orders. We had a nice lunch and talked about the sites we were going to see today.

“Well, it’s almost time.” I suggested, after the server came to pick up the check.

“Rand, I would like to go and brush my teeth before the meeting. Do we have time?” Mel asked tentatively.

“I think so.” I turned to Gunther and asked him.

“Gunther, the ladies need to brush their teeth. Is it ok if we go to our suite and then come back down for the meetings? I assume that your team has already scanned the meeting room.”

“We have, and two of us will be doing a wand scan of everyone who enters.” He responded.

We went back to the suite, the ladies took care of their teeth and make up, and we were off.

The security team was scanning the men and women entering the meeting room on the conference center floor. We waited in the line like everyone else and, upon entering the room, moved to the head of the table. The number of eyebrows that rose at the sight of three young people sitting at the head of the table was an amusing sight.

The security team took their places inside and outside the door and I stood at the front of the room. I looked down for a moment to gather my words and courage, then looked up to the almost two dozen men and women facing me.

“Good afternoon, everybody. My name is Rand Dunn. This lady to my right is Melody Weaver. Melody is the widow of the late Stan Weaver, former owner of Weaver Savings and Loan. Melody is also the daughter of Dennis Carmichael, and is my fiancé. You are here today, with your lawyers from the looks of things, because your lawyers were contacted by our lawyers and you have come to understand that the real estate deal you had with Dennis Carmichael is in trouble.

“Let me give you the short version of what is going on. Our lawyers will be giving each of you the full details before you leave here today. A short while ago, Stan Weaver was diagnosed with prostate cancer. At the time he was having an affair with my ex-wife. I found out when she gave me an STD. I divorced her and ended up in a cheaters support group and met Melody. We fell in love and are going to get married.”

“I know. You’re wondering what does that have to do with this deal? I’ll explain. On his death bed, Stan told us that he had rewritten his Will and given everything he owned - including the S&L - to Melody and myself. Dennis Carmichael was the previous executor and we believe that he was counting on that money to keep the deal going while he skimmed off your investments for himself. In the end he would have your money, the money he would have stolen from the S&L and a ticket to a country that has no extradition treaty with the U.S.

“Since that time, Melody has signed over the power to make all of the financial decisions to me. While our lawyers were doing our due diligence over the ownership of the S&L, we discovered that Melody’s husband was in a land development deal with her father, Dennis Carmichael. And, we found that Stan had been writing off the mortgage payments to the S&L. We believe that Dennis had an agreement with Stan to split the funds with Stan. I don’t know how many of you know Dennis, but as far as Melody and I are concerned he is a lying, cheating asshole.”

That brought a serious laugh from several of the attendees.

“I know, right. We also found out that Dennis was fiddling with his books and was skimming money and paying off Stan personally. The funds being paid to Stan were lower than the mortgage payments. Stan had been personally writing off the mortgage payments on his books for two years. No records were kept of the payments to Stan by either Stan or Dennis. With no history of payments being made, a few days ago, I instructed the S&L’s lawyers to start foreclosure proceedings on the loan. At this time, Dennis does not have the money to pay the mortgage.”

“He damned well better have the money, we have been paying him all along to cover the mortgage payments.” A stout, middle-aged man in an expensive suit said.

“I understand. We don’t know at this time, where that money has gone. As I said, Stan had no records of it and there was no one to provide oversight on the loan, since Stan was the owner. We are assuming that Dennis was pulling this deal off on his own, and that Stan and the S&L were out of that loop, although Stan thought he was a part of the deal. We are also assuming that the funds are offshore and out of reach of U.S. courts.

“As we speak, Dennis is trying to find investors to pony up enough cash to buy out the entire loan. He is not having very much luck. Has he tried to contact any of you for the funds?” I asked, as I looked around the large table.

Several heads nodded.

I continued, “It is the opinion of my lawyers and accountants that very soon Dennis is going to need to bring the offshore money back to fend off bankruptcy. If he does, it is the S&L’s intention to sue for those funds. Unfortunately, that will mean suing all of you for any unpaid portion of the loan, as well.”

That brought a groan from the room and set us up to carry out our plan.

“What about the development?” a fortyish woman asked.

“At this time, because of the foreclosure, all work on the development is frozen because all operating funds are frozen.”

“Shit! I’m going to lose my ass over this.” Another well-dressed man spouted off.

“How many of you are in the same boat?” I asked.

Most of the hands in the room went up.

“We have a proposition for all of you. My lawyers will – again - hand out the details for our proposition when we are done. The long and short of it is that we would entertain an offer to buy out the mortgage. If you can form an LLC and put together the amount we need, you can buy the loan and take over the project and cut Dennis Carmichael out of the deal altogether, since he cannot raise the funds to buy out the loan or make up the missing payments.”

“We will continue to go after him for the offshore funds, because we have no proof that the payments were made or that they were written off. As I said, Stan kept no records on the deal, so we will ask Dennis for proof. He won’t have any, either, and we will go after him.”

“Our actions against Dennis will not affect any of you that join the organization that buys out the loan.”

One of the lawyers asked, “So, let me get this straight. You hold the paper on the land for the development and all work is frozen. Dennis has stolen the funds to do the project and without those funds the project is fucked. You intend to sue Dennis - and us - to recover the funds for the loan that has been defaulted on. But you will allow us the opportunity to buy the loan from you, instead of sending the funds to Dennis, and that will allow us to own the project and take you off the hook for the loan, and Dennis will still be up shit’s creek with you. Right?”

“That is pretty much the way we see it.” I replied.

“Assuming that we can pull this together, how much time do we have?”

I looked at Melody and the accountants. Every one of them was smiling and nodding at me. Our plan was going to work.

“Ladies and gentlemen, if you are serious, I will give you a reasonable amount of time to pull it together. How does 90 days sound?” I proposed.

“Not as good as 120 days.” Another lawyer replied.

The accountants and lawyers told me that we could go up to 180 days if we had to, but beyond that the deal was not in our favor. So, we offered 90 and they proposed 120 and that made everyone very happy.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am not a businessman; I’m a chemical engineer. I understand that when you put together two or more chemicals that are not compatible you get a big kaboom and people die. When you put together the right chemicals in the right way, great things happen. So, let me propose this. I am going to walk outside the door and let our lawyers hand out the information I mentioned. Take as much time as you need to look it over.”

“If you can come to a consensus, in this room, that you want to take us up on our offer, and that you can do it in 120 days, I will be outside ready to shake your hands and seal the deal. The lawyers can do all the legal bullshit later. I am a man who believes that a man’s word is the most valuable thing he has. My dad always told me that everything you have can be taken from you, but you have to give away your honor.”

“Whichever of you shake my hand and tell me that you agree, I will consider the deal done between us. I’ll let the lawyers make it official.”

I stood, pulled out Mel and Terri’s chairs, and we walked to the door. Our security guys opened the door and we walked out to wait.

“I hope you guys weren’t expecting me to talk.” Terri said.

I pulled Terri in for a hug and kissed the top of her head. “Terri, I think that this was a good time to listen and get a feeling for what this world of finance is like. I know the lawyers didn’t like the idea that a hand shake would seal a deal, but I feel that both Stan and Dennis were double-dealing crooks. I want to get off to a start by dealing honestly with people; making sure that our deals were based on honesty, and that our word is our bond.”

“I trust you, and I want to do business like that too. I’m sure that Terri would rather be dealing and sleeping with an honest man and woman. Rand, honesty is important in any relationship, personal or business. I think that you made the right decision,” Mel hugged me and patted my back. “Keep being honorable and dealing honestly with people in the business.”

Terri, Mel and I were hugging and planning the rest of the day as we waited in a small alcove outside the meeting room. Angela and Lawton knew what we wanted and how we wanted to get there, and, frankly, I didn’t understand most of the legal mumbo-jumbo. After almost an hour we heard the door open. I turned to see our accountants and Angela and Lawton walk out with stacks of papers in their hands.

“Everyone bought in, 100%. I think all of the lawyers are speed readers! They got through the details and each one advised their clients that this was as good a deal as they were going to get. They will be out some money, but they still have plenty to carry on with the project and make a lot more money down the road.”

“Do all of the documents have e-mail contacts?” I looked at our team.

“Yes.” Angela answered.

“Good. As they get though Phases 1 and 2, and get into the last Phases, maybe we can loan them the money. If these folks remain honest, we can do business down the road.”

The people in the room came out in single file, and we shook hands, even the lawyers. It seemed like they were all in good spirits. Most gave me compliments on being ethical and looking forward to doing business down the road. The last several men looked, somehow, to be more serious. The last man out was shaking my hand when he looked me straight in the eyes and gripped it even more firmly.

“Mr. Dunn. I have access to resources that may be able to help you track down the funds. I will gladly make those resources available to you. They are ... not always as ethical in their methods as you seem to be in your business. But they are very effective. Dennis has cost me a very large sum of money, but your actions are going to make it possible for me and my associates to regain our losses.”

I looked at the man and could see in his eyes the looks of a man who was very serious.

“Mr...”

“Carlisi.”

“Mr. Carlisi, I have a very good team working on this. They have dug up all the info we already have and did so in a very short period of time. I couldn’t have done any of this without their hard work. I thank you for your offer, and I promise that I’ll keep it in mind.” I informed him solemnly.

A couple of very large men walked up behind him and one whispered into his ear.

“Don Carlisi, your car is ready.”

He nodded and relaxed the grip on my hand.

“Mr. Dunn, it has been very good dealing with you. I understand that your organization does the hard work, but they do so with your leadership. I will keep you and your S&L in mind for possible future business.” He offered casually.

I’m no dummy. When a man with an Italian name is called ‘Don’, I can figure out what it means.

“Don Carlisi, thank you for your kind offer. I look forward to doing honorable business with you in the future as well.” I bowed slightly as we shook hands.

He looked me in the eye and understood my meaning as I understood his. He smiled, nodded, released my hand and walked away with his large associates. I turned to Mel and Terri.

“Was that what I thought it was?” Mel asked nervously.

“I don’t know, Mel. What do you think that was?” I asked with a smile.

“Don Carlisi? Don? As in the Godfather Don?” Mel replied.

“It could be.” I suggested, cautiously.

The accountants and the S&L managers, Angela and Lawton called us back into the room. We sat down at the table and were briefed on what happened and where it was going. All the news was good. Everyone agreed to work together to form an LLC and take over the property. When they had all signed on, Lawton told them that if funds were needed in an emergency, that the Weaver S&L could be talked into funding another deal, if the deal was honest and fair.

“Rand, you are now the owner of a business and a seriously honorable reputation. If you don’t screw it up, you can use it to make a lot of money over the next several years and you will have the opportunity to build a great legacy.” Lawton said.

“Mr. Lawton, I’m going to work hard to make sure that continues to be true.” I agreed.

We all shook hands.

“Gunther, Mel and Terri and I want to do a little sightseeing. We want to see the Air and Space Museum and some of the monuments before we go home. What is the security situation for that?” I asked.

“Well I don’t think you’ll need a lot of security in the museum. Getting there and back, and any stops along the way for the monuments or food would be the only issue.” He advised.

“Has Luther heard anything about Dennis?” I wondered.

“Nothing that would affect you or the ladies.” He answered.

“Mel. Terri. Get your going out clothes on. We have a date!” I directed.

When we got back to the suite, I went to pull out a nice shirt and some slacks, but then...

“Honey, Terri and I need a shower. Would you wash our hair?” Mel cooed.

Ok, so we didn’t make it to the two attractions we wanted to see as soon as we planned, that afternoon. By the time we finished our shower and dressed, we only had time to take the Washington and Lincoln Monuments before going back to the hotel and turning in for the night.

The suite was dimly lit when I woke up. The sound of soft lady snoring filled the air. Terri was on my left with her butt pressed against my hip. Mel was on her back with her left hand on my morning erection. It occurred to me that I should pinch myself - because this had to be a dream.

Taking Mel’s hand off of my cock didn’t wake her, so I sat straight up and scooted to the end of the bed. I stood and stretched and scratched before walking to the bathroom. The night light built into the bathroom light switch gave enough light to find my way to the toilet. I closed the door and sat. When I finished, I flushed and washed my hands before going back to bed.

I scooted back into my place and rolled to put my arm across Mel’s breasts before nuzzling her hair and falling back to sleep. The feeling of a hand on my cock began to wake me. The feeling of a hand on my balls woke me all the way. Looking down to see the hands were two different colors got all of my attention.