Chapter 14

Brian was woken up by a knocking at the door.

"Holy shit, its morning!" he said out loud as he got up and staggered to the door. He opened the door to let the waiters in to set up breakfast and the coffee machine in the dining room.

"Brian, you look all worn out my boy! Did your ladies keep you up all night?" his grandfather asked with a grin when he came in behind them.

"No, I'm sorry to say they did not Granddad, I fell asleep on the couch watching the hockey game and just woke up. Let me go wake up the ladies. Can you watch the door for a few minutes?" Brian asked.

"Sure Brian, but we're going to talk about why you're down here when you have two beautiful women upstairs when you get back" Bruce said, shaking his head.

Brian knocked on his mother's door and then went up to wake up Heather and Emmy. He found them nestled together in the bed. He shook them awake and told them breakfast and coffee was downstairs and he was going to have a shower. They grumbled and went back to sleep while he quickly cleaned up.

Brian got dressed and left the girls sleeping while he went downstairs. After greeting a couple people that were early, he poured two cups of coffee and brought them upstairs with some sugar packages and spoons and put them on the night stand before leaving again.

Stacy Burns was at the door when he opened it next, so he helped her with the boxes of documents she had with her on a cart.

"So, how are you holding up" Brian asked.

"I'm ok now, but I'm nervous about Monday and what's going to happen. Henry and Mark both told me I had nothing to worry about in terms of Ravenhurst suing me, but it's still feels a little wrong to be giving up the information on them" Stacy replied.

"Well, that just means you are still loyal to your employer and that's ok in my opinion. You're doing the right thing ethically and as your new employer I'm happy to see that it's not an easy thing for you to do. It means that you won't be giving out stuff about my company unless there is something illegal going on" Brian reassured her.

"You can count on that Brian!" Stacy stated emphatically.

"Good, now let's get these in the dining room and you can grab some breakfast" Brian said as he led the way.

Once he had her situated he grabbed three breakfast plates and put them on low in the oven for the ladies upstairs and his mom, and then went to ask his granddad if his grandma was going to join them, but got a no in response.

They both sat down to eat breakfast and Bruce asked the question again about why Brian was downstairs all night.

"Emmy got upset, just like Heather did the first time mind you, when she saw me without my cap for the first time" Brian admitted. "I let Heather take care of her and came downstairs and they never came to get me so I eventually just fell asleep."

"Is it that bad Brian?" Bruce asked. "I know the injuries were very severe but are they still visually that terrible?"

"Unfortunately I have to say yes to that" Brian responded. "Hopefully the scars will be hidden when my hair grows back in."

"I'm sorry to hear that Brian. I hope Emmy can look past the visual and get to know the person inside the battered shell like Heather has" Bruce said.

"I hope so but I won't hold it against her if she can't" Brian responded.

They took turns letting in the rest of the lawyers and accountants who all seemed surprised breakfast was waiting for them. The heavy shooters came in right at eight and sat down to eat at the one end while those who had finished started to review the documents that Stacy had brought.

"Thanks for breakfast Bruce" Henry said.

"Thank Brian, he thought of it and got it all arranged" Bruce told him.

"Oh, thank you then Brian, for providing breakfast for everyone" Henry said to Brian.

"It's the least I can do for everyone who has to give up their weekend" Brian responded.

Finally everyone was done and were all going over the documents while Brian started cleaning up the dishes and putting them on the cart in the kitchen before wheeling it out the door. He came back in and ran into his mother.

"Hi Mom, how did you sleep?" he asked.

"I slept very well actually Brian, thank you for asking. And you, did you have a nice time with the girls?" she asked.

"Unfortunately not, Emmy saw my scars and got upset. Heather stayed with her and I came down and watched some hockey before sleeping on the couch" Brian explained again.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully she will get used to them in time and come around" his mom responded.

"I hope so too. I put three breakfast plates in the oven on low for you ladies. They didn't wake up when I brought them coffee so I don't know when they will be down" Brian said.

"Thanks for thinking of us Brian. I'll get them up and fed. You head back in there and pay attention" she instructed him.

He nodded and went back into the living room. He hadn't missed much as they were still reviewing Stacy's files.

For the next hour both teams found more evidence of wrongdoing by all three firms over the years. It was going to be easy to get all four of the junior partners, and maybe the senior ones as well, and put away for a long time along with the owners of both the accounting and the investment firm.

Heather popped in, looking quite beautiful in a summer dress.

"Brian, can I see you for a few minutes in the other room?" she asked sweetly.

"Sure Heather" Brian said, glad to have an excuse to leave the room.

He quickly followed her out into the living room and almost bumped into her as she turned with a smile on her face.

"Hi there Sweetie, how are you this morning?" she inquired as she moved in close to him and proceeded to kiss and hug him.

"I'm better now after that!" Brian responded with a smile. "How are you and Emmy this morning?"

"Pretty good actually, oh thanks for breakfast, by the way" she said.

"No problem" he answered.

"So, I hear tell you just had to watch hockey last night?" she said with a grin.

"Well you know it is the playoffs" Brian responded laughing.

"At least it gave us some time to get to know each other better all alone. We talked for a while and we got some things worked out for all of us. So, you need to go upstairs and talk to our new girlfriend and let her off the hook. She really feels bad about last night so please put her at ease. Then we have a couple of things to talk about scheduling wise and then you can get back to being bored in there" Heather instructed him.

"Alright, I'll go on up now. Can you and mom have lunch ordered up for noon for about 20 please before you come up to talk?" Brian asked.

Sure, I'll go get your mom now. I'll be up in a few" Heather said as they split up.

Brian went up the stairs and found Emmy in the bedroom, sitting on the bed in a matching dress.

"Hi Emmy, you look beautiful this morning" Brian sad with a big smile. "I hear you and Heather had a good talk last night but you were worried about what happened. I just wanted to let you know that I expected your reaction and it didn't hurt my feelings. You're about the twentieth person to do that so it's no biggie ok?"

"Well, I had this speech all worked out to tell you how sorry I was and now I can't use it Brian" she said with a huff. "I guess I have to move on to stage two quicker than I thought."

She got up off the bed and moved over to him as he stood, leaning on the doorframe. Emmy reached for his hand and pulled him into the bedroom and closed the door behind him.

"Remember, always know who could be watching" as she pushed him back against the door.

Emmy reached up and pulled his head down and proceeded to plant a big kiss on him as she took his cap off and ran her hands gently over his scalp.

"I'm sorry about last night" she whispered as she looked into his eyes. "It won't happen again.

"It's ok Emmy; I know that it looks pretty bad. Just wait until my hair grows in and they should be hidden" Brian told her with a smile.

"I've got an idea that may help with that. I've made a call to your New York Studio, BT1 Productions, and their best make-up and wig man is coming over in about a half hour. At least you might not have to wear your cap all the time" she told him.

"That's a great idea Emmy, thanks" Brian replied.

Heather came in soon after and looked at them disappointed and said "I was hoping to find the two of you in the throes of passion."

"We were discussing the make and wig guy" Emmy informed her.

"Oh, ok then. Now let's talk scheduling for today. Emmy has a luncheon appearance for a breast cancer foundation that she can't miss. I think we all should go and support her if you and your Grandfather can get away from 11:30 to 2:30" Heather suggested.

"One of us will probably have to stay, but I'm sure that whoever does can still donate. I'll check with the guys in the room and then let you know shortly after" Brian answered. "Can you line up Gary with security please?"

"I will call Gary as soon as you let me know we're a go" Heather assured him.

"Thank you so much Brian, it means so much that you and some of your family can come to support me and the cause" Emmy said as she hugged him.

"Hey, we're going to be together for a long time so your interests are our interests Emmy" Brian told her as he kissed her and explored her back.

"Ok, now let me go down and make sure it's ok for me to leave for a few hours" Brian said as he got up.

He went down and stuck his head in for a minute and motioned his Grandfather to come out.

"Thanks for getting me out of there Brian, there's nothing more boring than lawyers and accountants going over documents" Bruce said. "So what's up?"

"The ladies want us to go and support Emmy at a breast cancer charity luncheon today from 11:30 to 2:30" Brian informed him. "I don't know if we can both get out of this at the same time."

"Probably not as this is your condo, not their office" Bruce agreed. "Tell you what, you go and I'll just send a check with your Grandmother if she's going or with you if she's not."

"Ok, thanks Grandpa. So how much is customary to give at these things?" Brian asked.

"It depends on who's there really. You can't be seen as cheap or on the other hand look like you're trying to steal the spotlight by going way overboard and embarrassing the rest of the people there. Your Grandmother and Emmy can let you know what's right and I will match your donation" Bruce replied.

"Let me tell them I'm going and I'll be back in a few" Brian told him as he left the room again.

Heather and Emmy were in the living room with his mother when he entered.

"Ok, Grandpa will stay here but I can go. Emmy, what's a normal donation amount?" Brian asked.

"Oh we get a wide range, from fifty dollars to $10,000 at these events. Once we got a $15,000 donation but that's been the highest" Emmy replied. "Your grandparents gave a higher one to me privately last year because they didn't want the publicity."

"Grandpa will send a check with Grandma to match my donation if she's going or with me if not" Brian informed them.

"Your grandma will be going with us and will donate on her own as well" his mother informed them.

"That's good to hear Mom" Brian said. "Where is it and how long to get there?"

"The Waldorf Astoria, which is just a few minutes away, so if we leave at 11:15 we can be there early to get you guys a table and then I can greet everyone. I have to be at the head table and give a short speech" Emmy informed them.

"Please let Gary know and come and get me when the wig guy comes" he said as he went back in to the dining room.

Brian let his Grandfather know the plan and he pulled out his check book and signed one before giving it to Brian for his Grandmother to fill in. They turned their attention back to the proceedings and Henry gave a brief synopsis of their findings.

"We have found fifteen probable instances of outright illegal actions by all four junior partners of the law firm Ravenhurst, another three by the senior partners, another eight by the investment firm Atlas, and six by the accounting firm Prism. Initial estimates are over 100 million stolen, misappropriated, siphoned off, or otherwise lost by the fund" Henry informed them. "That does not include the bribes and payments accepted to steer the fund into buying a company or a particular stock or bond; nor does it include payments for information about the fund's proposed purchases of stocks or bonds or other assets."

"Holy Shit" Bruce said. "I can't believe the gall of these people!"

"It gets worse" Henry moved on. "We suspect each partner, except Miss Burns here, has property purchased by the fund but owned by them. These properties are all prime New York building sites each worth millions of dollars. They picked the some very good sites for themselves. We won't know for sure until we get their personal financial records on Monday."

Mark took over, saying "We'll find all of them pretty quickly we think. They've gotten careless in the last few years so we found some pretty good indicators on where to look already. We have our plan in place on how to proceed, so we propose that Brian go in to meet with Stacy at 8:00 and ask for a partner and owner meeting for 9:00. We will then exercise the search warrants on all three firms as soon as they are all in the room."

"I think I'll leave the ladies all here and just have a couple of bodyguards dressed in suits with me" Brian said.

"That sounds ok with me" Mark said.

Henry piped up "We're going to go ahead right now and have you sign over the management to our firm so we can act on your behalf as they are all being arrested. Stacy will be immediately allowed to help in informing all assets of the change in management to allow a seamless takeover. She will then hand in her resignation letter, sign an employment letter with us and then continue to be the contact person for all assets."

Mark inserted "All suspect companies will be investigated as soon as possible with search warrants to see if high level executives had anything to do with the embezzlement. That will entail the FBI for out of state companies in four different States."

"It sounds like we have a workable plan, gentlemen" Brian approved. "Thank you for all of your hard work. Lunch will be here at noon for you. I better sign off on the management changeover now as I have been told that I have to go give some money away at a charity luncheon today" Brian informed them.

Henry and Archie's team quickly had the documents in front of him and Brian signed them after a cursory read through.

"That's it Brian" Henry told him. "We'll take it from here for the next couple of days. We need to meet Tuesday to go over everything and how you want us to proceed."

"Ok, thanks for everything people. I'll see you back here by three if you're still here or at 9:00am tomorrow if not" Brian stated before getting up.

He walked into the living room to find Heather just coming to get him.

"Hey, the makeup and wig guy is all set up in the living room upstairs Brian" Heather said.

"Ok, I just finished so lead on my dear" he said with a smile.

Emmy made the introductions "Brian, this is Reggie, Reggie, this is Brian. Reggie has worked on many films, usually making people look worse, but I think he can help you out Brian."

They greeted each other and Brian sat in a chair that was placed in the middle of the room.

"Ok, we girls have to get ready so we'll leave you two to get it done. Remember, we have to leave in an hour Brian, and you have to get dressed" Emmy stated before they both walked out.

"Ok, let's see what we have to hide" Reggie said as he took off Brian's hat.

"Ouch, that looks like it must have hurt" Reggie said wincing.

"You could say that again. Let's be careful with the scabbed over holes. We can't have anything rubbing or pulling off those scabs" Brian instructed.

"That shouldn't be a problem. We'll cover them with gauze. I think we will just go with a full wig and just hide the visible scar on the forehead with makeup for today. I will come back and make something more permanent for the scar later if you want" Reggie suggested.

"Go for it Reggie" Brian agreed.

They discussed colour, length and style of hair before Reggie opened up a couple of suitcases and grabbed a few wigs to try on. They agreed on one and Reggie fitted it to his head after covering the holes first. He checked the fit, made some adjustments and then temporarily glued it to his head after assuring Brian he could get it off by tonight if need be. Reggie then expertly hid the two inches of the scar with makeup and matched it to Brian's skin colour.

Reggie held up a couple of mirrors and showed Brian the final product.

"Fantastic Reggie, you're a miracle worker!" Brian exclaimed. "Thanks for your help, especially on a Sunday."

"No problem Brian, glad to help you out" Reggie replied.

Brian quickly wrote him a nice check and handed it to him as he was packing up.

"Thank you Brian, this will certainly appease my wife for missing brunch this morning" Reggie chuckled.

Brian helped him carry his cases to the elevator and they agreed to meet on Tuesday.

He went upstairs and found the girls putting on makeup in the bathroom again.

"So what do you think?" he asked as he leaned on the doorframe.

"Wow, that's a big difference Brian!" Emmy said. "You look real good Sweetie."

"Yes you do Brian" Heather agreed looking at Emmy with a frown.

"What, can't I call him Sweetie too?" Emmy said with a grin.

"We'll see about that later young lady" Heather responded, giving her a glare.

"Thank you ladies for the compliment; you two look absolutely stunning by the way" Brian said as he gazed on their bodies covered only by a bra and matching thong.

"Thank you Brian, we wanted you to know what we were wearing underneath our dresses so you would be thinking about us at the luncheon" Heather said. "Emmy wanted you to picture her without her dress on as a preview for tonight."

Brian moved behind Emmy as she had bent over to put some eyeliner on close to the mirror. He wrapped his arms gently around her torso and leaned into her so their bodies were touching. He caressed her as she pushed back and turned her head to get a kiss from him. As the kiss deepened, his hands roamed to her chest and down to her legs as she moaned into his mouth. Brian pulled her bra straps down each shoulder and caressed her bare breasts with both hands as Emmy gasped and pushed her hips back to grind her ass into his bulge.

"I want you so bad" Emmy moaned as her hand slipped between them and she massaged the front of his pants.

Heather stepped up close and put a stop to the proceedings, just as Brian's hand had travelled down to the junction between Emmy's opened legs.

"Ok you two, break it up" she said. "We have to be downstairs in ten minutes and none of us are ready yet. You'll have to take this up when we're back."

"Noooo" Emmy whined in frustration. "He's got me so hot and bothered right now Heather!"

"Sorry honey, you're going to have to just hold off and keep him in your thoughts while you're up there talking" Heather said with an evil grin.

"Damn-it, it's not fair" Emmy moaned, still rubbing herself on Brian.

"I know honey, but the anticipation will make it so much better" Heather said as she pushed Brian back from Emmy and hugged her for a few seconds.

"Ok, go get dressed Mister, you've caused enough suffering here already. We both have to change our panties because of you, stud" Heather said.

"Sorry ladies, I'll make it up to you when we get back" Brian said as he gave Heather a hug and caressed her a bit before scooting out of the bathroom. "I don't have time for a cold shower do I?"

"No, if we have to suffer, so do you Mister!" Heather said as Emmy giggled.

They eventually got dressed and met his mother and Grandmother downstairs, just on time.

"You three look quite elegant and sophisticated" Alice said.

"Thank you Grandma. You and Mom look beautiful as always" Brian responded.

"Thank you Brian. It looks like that makeup artist did a fine job with the wig and hiding the scar" his mother said.

"I think so. I don't feel so self conscious anyway" Brian replied. "Shall we go Ladies?"

They all got up and left the apartment and met the security detail by the elevator. The leader introduced himself as Tim and led them into the elevator. They listened to the music until the doors opened to show the busy lobby. The group crossed the lobby and exited the hotel with the detail fanning out around them. The family entered one limo with a couple security personnel sitting in the front with the driver, while the rest piled into an SUV for the short ride.

"So how much should be donate to this worthwhile cause?" Brian asked. "Grandpa gave me a check and said he would match our donation."

"We usually give ten to twenty but since Emmy is involved and we can give it to her to hand in, I say we each of us give $100,000" his Grandma suggested.

"Mrs. Ross, that's too much! Your family has done so much for me and the cause already!" Emmy said in shock.

"Nonsense child, you're family now Emmy and we look out for family, even if they don't know about it" Alice informed her. "Brian, hand over your Grandfather's check and I will fill it in when I do mine."

"Yes Ma'am" Brian said as he took out his wallet and grabbed the two checks he had put in it earlier.

He handed her the one from Bruce and then filled in his with the correct amount. He saw his mother writing out one as well and wondered if she had gotten together with Henry and Archie today to take control of her fund. He passed his over to Emmy who gave him such a big smile which made him tell her he wanted to write another one just to keep it on her face.

"I see he has his Father's charm" Alice said to Sandra dryly.

"Yes he does" Sandra smiled as she handed her check to Emmy.

"Mrs. Trainer, you're donating that much too?" Emmy looked amazed.

"I got signed up by Henry and Archie this morning on my accounts so what better cause to support first then yours?" Sandra asked.

Alice handed her two checks each for the same amount.

"Thank you all so very much, for the money and more importantly for the support and love you are all giving me" Emmy said, looking like she was going to cry.

"Stop that right now, you don't have time to fix your makeup Emmy" Heather said looking perturbed.

"Yes Ma'am" Emmy replied laughing.

"Well, I feel kind of left out so can you take a credit card" Heather asked.

"I'm not sure, we might take PayPal but I doubt you have that set up for that card" Emmy said, when Heather pulled out Brian's credit card.

"Shoot, it would have been better if you could have said half a million in donations. It sounds much more dramatic don't you think" Heather said with a smirk.

"Sorry Heather, I just brought one check or I would write one for you" Brian told her. "I'll get you your own account and check book this week ok?"

"Fine, I'll just have to use this unlimited spending credit card in the meantime" she dramatically sighed as they laughed at her.

"So do you want me to credit you or keep your donations anonymous?" Emmy asked.

"I don't think we need the attention so let's keep it quiet" Brian suggested.

"Ok, no problem" Emmy said.

They pulled up to another gorgeous hotel and followed Emmy in with security fanning out. Emmy went to the desk and was pointed to the banquet hall down the long corridor. The Waldorf was as grand as the Plaza in its opulence and most people were in suits and elegant dresses.

They reached the fancy banquet room and Emmy greeted a couple of ladies at the door with hugs. She asked if they had an extra table for some friends but they didn't seem to have one as they looked a bit snooty at the late arrivals.

Emmy took the lady aside and no doubt either explained who they were or how much she had in donations from them that would be walking out with them should they leave. She came back with a changed attitude and quickly rounded up the staff to add another table for them.

Their group moved inside the room while their security made themselves blend into hallway and back in the lobby.

"Ok, I have to do the meet and greet thing and then sit up at the head table" Emmy said. "Mrs. Henkel has a table being set up for you and I will come and visit when I can. Thank you all for supporting me and the cause."

She gave everyone a hug and then went and stood in line greeting the guests.

"I really like that girl" April said. "She is only twenty-two and she acts with the maturity and grace of a thirty year old, and has done for years."

"I think we have three very special young adults with us" Sandra stated.

"I couldn't agree more Sandra" Alice said.

A hostess came and guided them to the table and had them sit down before taking their drink order. They chatted about their plans for the rest of the week in New York when an older lady sat down in the empty chair beside Alice.

"Alice Ross, you didn't tell me you were coming to this shindig" she said a bit crossly.

"Mildred, I wasn't planning on it but Emmy Rossum is a good friend of the family so we all wanted to support her" Alice responded.

"So who are these youngsters with you?" Mildred asked.

"You remember my daughter Sandra; this is my grandson Brian and his lovely girlfriend Heather. Everyone, this is an old friend of mine, Mildred Johnson" Alice said.

"So you finally came back did you?" Mildred said snappily.

"I see you haven't gotten any less crabby since the last time we met for lunch" Sandra said back to her.

"And I see you haven't learned any respect for your elders yet either" Mildred retorted.

"You're probably still trying to take all your money to the grave with you" Sandra said with some anger.

"And you're probably trying to spend all of her money before she dies" Mildred replied rudely.

"You're probably still dodging the commitment papers to the mental institution from your loving kids" Sandra spat out.

Mildred started laughing her head off when she heard that.

"You still got it kid. Nice to see you haven't changed that much" Mildred said. "So this is the prodigal son?"

"I'm afraid so Mildred. Not a chip off my block, he's much too nice and polite" Sandra said.

Heather and Brian had been looking on in amazement as the two ladies had been going on.

"Your mother would come over and spend time at my house when your parents had to go out of town. I'm afraid I corrupted her and Alice never really forgave me for giving her daughter a backbone" Mildred explained to Brian.

"You just added to what was already there Mildred" Alice said.

"Well, all three of you were stubborn blockheads if you ask me" Mildred said. "So, did you break your hands for twenty five years that you couldn't write or dial a phone Sandra?"

"Sorry Mildred, we made a clean break of it. After a while we found we didn't miss the city and we just left it in our past" Sandra responded.

"Humph, don't let it be another 25 years before we see each other again, I might not make it till then" Mildred said dryly.

"Oh I'm sure you'll outlive us all you; you're too scary for the grim reaper to collect" Sandra said.

"That was a good one" Mildred replied. "There's some hope for that one yet Alice."

"We'll see. Mildred, let's get together later in the week for lunch" Alice said.

"Alright Alice, just make sure the old coot isn't around" she told her as she got up.

"I'm sure Bruce can make himself scarce" Alice agreed.

"You children have fun while you're here. Sandra, you better find another man while you still have your looks or you'll end up grouchier than me!" Mildred said as she moved away.

"That's what made you grouchy in the first place" Sandra gave her one more shot.

"Too true" Mildred said without turning around.

"I see you haven't lost all of your charm Sandra" Alice said dryly.

"Not much use for it in Pontiac but one never really loses it" Sandra agreed with a grin. "Mildred seems as spry as ever and hasn't lost her quick wit either."

"No she's been unchanged really. We see each other a little less often but she's still a dear friend" Alice said.

Mrs. Henkel moved to the mike in the middle of the podium and asked for everyone to sit and they would commence shortly.

After a short speech welcoming everyone she introduced Emmy by listing off some of her accomplishments before inviting her up to the podium.

Emmy was a terrific public speaker. It was like she was talking to a small group of friends as she made sure everyone was settled in and welcome before moving on to the main topic. She spoke of a relative's fight with breast cancer and how the disease affects everyone's lives. She pleaded for donations and thanked everyone who had already donated to the cause.