“Son of a bitch, that bastard better be here somewhere,” Christy said shrilly. Her irritation flared.
Christy pressed down on the accelerator. She pressed gently to keep the dust from being stirred up. She turned the wheel and headed off across the parking lot, toward the north.
The BMW slowly meandered through the outlying end of the lot. It would slow and sometimes stop when it neared any black vehicle. Christy’s search continued for several minutes before a large black SUV pulled up along the passenger side of the BMW and gave a couple of quick blasts of the horn.
The BMW slowed to a halt. The black tinted window of the driver’s door on the SUV lowered. A hand emerged and motioned to a nearby area of the lot partially hidden by a stand of Martha Washington palm trees.
Christy pulled the BMW under the far end of the trees and eased the polished aluminum floor shifter into neutral. The SUV pulled in right behind her. Christy checked out the parking lot in her mirror and then through the side window. She grabbed up some papers off of the passenger seat and anxiously got out of the car.
Christy tugged at the back of her short skirt. “Tim, is that you?” she called out.
The door of the SUV opened and out climbed Tim Burke. His short stature was even more apparent as he stood next to the large vehicle.
“And who were you expecting?” asked Tim.
“Well you said that you would be in a Cadillac and now you pull up in that thing. What the hell is it anyway?” Christy asked.
“It’s a Cadillac, a Cadillac SUV. Just got it last week. Isn’t she a beauty?”
“I think that I will stick with my BMW,” replied Christy smugly.
Tim sneered. “I still can’t believe you got Steve to buy you a new M5. Did you get him to put it in your name or did he keep it in his name?”
“Of course I got him to sign it over to me. I am not an amateur at this game. The car is all mine, all paid for, all free and clear.”
Tim shook his head back and forth and let out a breathy laugh. “You are good Christy; I’ll have to admit that much. You are really good. What’s next? You going to try to sucker Steve for a new cigarette boat or a yacht?” Tim asked jokingly. “Or better yet, why don’t you ask him for a new Lear Jet. You will probably get it.”
“No, I am going after the condo he just bought on Bayshore and half of his net worth,” said Christy matter-of-factly.
Tim gave a slight chuckle. “And just how do you plan on doing that? Are you just going to ask him for it?”
“I was thinking that in about three months I would hit him with a palimony suit,” replied Christy with conviction. “He will be so devastated he won’t know what the hell to do. He’ll end up giving me anything that I ask for.”
Tim’s eyebrows rose, almost to a point. “You aren’t joking about this are you?”
“No, I’m not. I’m dead serious. I figure about three more months will be all I can stand of this farce. He drives me up the goddamn wall. What a sap. He is a true mark if there ever was one,” said Christy.
“Oh, it can’t be that bad?” said Tim.
Christy smirked. “You wanna bet? Would you believe that this morning he announces that it’s the six-month anniversary of our first date. He got up early and cooked up some big elaborate breakfast and everything. It was all I could do to stay in control and not laugh out loud right in his face. What an ass. What a goddamn ass.”
Tim rolled his eyes. “Well you should try working for him.” Suddenly Tim changed his thought. “Oh Christy, and speaking of work. Did you know Steve was coming into the office this morning?”
“No, I didn’t know that. He told me he was going to take a vacation day. How did that work out with your big meeting?”
“I got rid of him. I sent him on some wild goose chase.” Tim stretched as he spoke, trying to look impressive. “It was pretty easy to fool him, once I put my mind to it.”
“Well, I hope you didn’t send him too far. He is supposed to be exchanging a gift for me today,” said Christy. “The jackass couldn’t even pick out the right handbag for me even after I gave him all the details of what I wanted.”
Tim suddenly focused his attention on the papers Christy was holding in her hand. “Hey, is that the document I asked for?” he asked excitedly.
“Oh yeah, I almost forgot,” said Christy. “Here you go.” Christy handed the papers over to Tim. “I believe this is just what you ordered.”
Tim took a quick look at the cover memo attached to the packet. “Oh, this is great Christy! This is just what I needed. This is the last piece of the puzzle.”
Tim finished reading the cover memo and turned to the first page of the document. His eyes darted back and forth as he scanned the page for the sections he felt were of most importance. Tim paused for a moment and glanced upwards toward Christy.
“When did you get this?” Tim asked.
“Steve brought it home from the office on Friday night. It was fresh from the legal department. I checked with him just like you said to do. That’s the final version that you’re holding. It is the document that will be in effect when you get your voting privileges invoked later in the week.”
“This is a copy, right?” asked Tim. “You gave him back the original?”
“Of course I did, just like you asked. That business center in our building really comes in handy. I made the copy Saturday morning while he was working in that computer room of his. I put the original right back into his briefcase within five minutes. He never knew it was gone. I made sure I was quick because he is really concerned over the missing homeless shelter contract. If another document turned up missing I think he might start to suspect something.”
“Good work, Said Tim.
“Are you sure I shouldn’t just let him find that shelter contract just to calm him down a bit?” asked Christy. “He is really fired up over it.”
“No way Christy,” replied Tim. His voice was almost shouting. “We do not want him getting his hands on that goddamn contract until the new voting privileges take effect and the entire group can vote on it. We want to put a stop to that thing. That one stupid little project is going to cost the company millions over the next ten years, and that will be cash out of my pocket.”
Tim pointed his finger at Christy and increased the volume of his voice. “Do not let him find that contract until after the vote,” he said. His tone was harsh.
Christy tensed her lips and furrowed her brow. Her head excitedly shook from side to side. She did not take kindly to Tim’s words.
“I am not a goddamn child,” Christy yelled back. “You can talk that way to those assholes at work but don’t try it with me.”
Tim had seen the attitude in Christy before and decided it would be best to just say nothing. He tried to ignore her outburst and focused in on the document he held in his hand. He flipped to the second page of the document. There was nothing of interest. Tim flipped to the third page. There, at the bottom, he located the section on the corporate voting procedures. The placement in the document was different than the draft copy he received from Christy two weeks earlier.
Tim intently read through the passage. The wording and all of the legal intent remained the same as the draft copy. There were no changes, just as he had expected. His plan to issue an IPO of Peterson Software was still fully intact. The last possible stumbling block had just been eliminated.
Christy had done well. Tim looked up from the document and smiled at her. Christy was still brooding over Tim’s demeaning ranting.
“This was excellent work Christy, as usual. Sorry for the outburst before. I know you do good work.”
Christy was calmed by Tim’s words. Her facial tension began to ease.
“So all the wording still looks good,” she asked. Her tone indicated that all was forgiven. “You will still be able to get your plan passed on only fifty percent of the votes?”
Tim beamed. “Absolutely! The IPO plan is as good as done. No doubt about it. The legal d
epartment didn’t change a word in any of the sections where it could have mattered. The way this thing is written up, the four of us could legally vote to remove Steve Peterson from the position of President and CEO if we wanted to. We could fire him.”
Christy appeared apprehensive at hearing Tim’s words. “Well if you’re thinking of doing that, at least wait until after I get the condo and my payout.”
Tim laughed aloud. “No Christy, I am just kidding. We need Steve at the controls. He has to remain in place as president and CEO. Our new investors wouldn’t take kindly to his removal. We need to keep him in charge in order to keep the stock price up.”
“Well that’s good, said Christy. “ I don’t want you screwing up any of my plans.”
“But, it wouldn’t hurt if we let him know we could remove him if we wanted to,” said Tim. “That could help to keep him in line. It might even be enough to get him to back our plan from the start.”
“Just don’t screw up my deal,” Said Christy.
Tim reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a sealed, plain white envelope. He smirked, as he handed it over to Christy.
“Here you go. This is for you for a job well done,” said Tim. “It’s all there. Fifteen hundred in cash just like the last time.”
Christy tore into the envelope and counted out the fifteen crisp one hundred dollar bills. “What’s this, no tip?” she asked. Her words sounded as if she really expected that a tip was due for her work.
“You’ll get your tip when this IPO deal goes through,” replied Tim. “Twenty five thousand dollars in cash, just like we agreed to at the start of the plan. It’s only a matter of time now. It’s just a few short days before the meeting.”
Christy folded up the crisp bills and stuffed them into the front section of her purse. “I did some figuring yesterday. I think your take from this little adventure is going to be well over ten million. Maybe more, if the group gives you the power to really rape the company. I think I may want to renegotiate my deal,” said Christy. She was half serious.
Tim admired Christy. They were both cut from the same cloth. No matter what the assignment, she always came through for him. Sometimes she even surprised Tim with her abilities. And few people ever surprised Tim.
Tim gazed longingly at Christy. He turned and made a pointing hand motion in the direction of the Marriott hotel across the street from the parking lot.
“How about joining me in a little celebration drink?” Tim asked. “We can toast to the success of the plan and we can toast to our future wealth.”
Christy recognized Tim’s look immediately. She had seen it many times before. It was the look of something a little more complicated than a celebratory drink. It was the look of trouble.
“I really don’t think so,” said Christy. “I can’t do it tonight. I am meeting some of the girls from work in a little while and I really need to get going. Maybe some time after your plan kicks off. We can grab a drink when everything starts to settle down a little.”
Christy started back to her BMW. Tim stood and watched her in silence. He thought about the first time they met as his eyes ogled her backside.
“Yeah, that sound great Christy,” Tim finally called out to her. “After the plan goes into effect. Then we can really celebrate. We can have a real party then.”
Christy got into the BMW and drove off without looking back.
Chapter 24 - The Con
Tim Burke met Christy at a nightclub in the heart of trendy Ybor city, outside Tampa. The chance meeting took place a little over one and a half years ago. Christy was there as the date of one of Tim’s old college buddies. Tim was there to meet his old buddy for an after work drink.
Christy was immediately attracted to the look of Tim’s expensive suit and his solid gold Rolex wristwatch. He looked like he had a lot of money to her. Tim was instantly attracted to Christy’s ultra-short, ultra tight mini-skirt and the way she shook her ass.
Christy and Tim started talking when Tim’s college buddy left to get a refill on his beer. They took to one another right away. For most of the night, the two discussed the shortcomings of Christy’s date and the rest of the nighttime crowd. Tim went back to Christy’s place afterwards. Tim’s old college buddy went home alone. Tim and his buddy have not spoken since.
Following the first night together, Tim was deep in lust. He and Christy started to date for a period of time after that. They were very hot and heavy for close to two months before the relationship started to sour.
Christy found out that Tim was married and that he really did not have anywhere near as much money as he claimed to have. Christy would have let the whole marriage thing slide. The deciding factor for Christy calling off the relationship with Tim was based entirely on the money factor.
Tim did not take the breakup with Christy well. He called her for weeks after the break-up and would show up unannounced at her apartment. Tim even promised Christy that he would end his marriage with his wife. He promised to do whatever it took.
Christy had enough of Tim’s annoying advances. She finally leveled with him. She told him flat out it was not his marriage that made her end their relationship. She explained the relationship ended because of money. It was his lack of money to be more specific. If he wanted to keep her, he needed to get his hands on a lot more money.
Tim assured Christy that in time he would have all the money she could ever want. He explained he had some plans already in motion. He had a lot of things underway. Soon they would all start to pay off.
Christy knew Tim had a good paying job. She decided to allow him to come around every so often because he seemed so certain about his pending windfall. She did not want to burn the bridge to Tim just in case he happened to be right.
A few weeks after the initial breakup with Christy, Tim was working late finalizing a new product rollout plan with Steve Peterson. After the two were finished, Steve asked Tim to join him for dinner as a thank you for all of his extra effort on the project.
Tim gladly accepted the offer. He knew it couldn’t hurt to have dinner with the boss. Who knows, I might hear something that will help me in the future. Tim could not have been more correct in his assumption.
Steve had an ulterior motive for asking Tim to dinner also. He was lonely and he was getting desperate. All of his attempts at finding a girlfriend had failed, nothing worked. He had no one else he could turn to for advice.
Steve knew Tim was just a few years older than he was. He also knew that Tim had been married for several years. Steve hoped that Tim could offer some helpful suggestions and advice. Steve was desperate for any pointers on how he could find a girlfriend and maybe even a wife.
Steve opened his heart and disclosed his inner secrets to the wrong person. Nothing was held back over dinner. Once Steve got past the awkward introduction, he started to tell Tim everything. He explained that he really wanted a girlfriend, but no women were ever interested in him. Steve went on in detail about how he always had problems meeting women. He even explained he had trouble talking to women if he found them to be attractive.
Tim could not believe the topic of the discussion or his tremendous good fortune. For months he had been trying to come up with a way to get some insider information at Peterson Software. Without knowing it, Steve had just given Tim the key to the entire vault.
As soon as Tim got home that evening, he began to think of a way to exploit Steve’s newfound weakness to the fullest. He quickly thought out a plan in which he could use Christy as his partner in crime. The plan was intentionally worked out to keep Christy close by.
The plan called for a chance meeting between Christy and Steve. With Tim’s help, Christy would become the girlfriend Steve always wanted. Tim would end-up with an insider who would have access to any information Tim might need.
Tim called Christy and explained the details of his freshly hatched plan. Christy was excited about it right from the start. She knew that Steve Peterson was the sole owner of Peter
son Software and that his net worth was closing in on sixty million dollars.
Christy’s mind started to work the details of the con from her point of view. She figured she would get paid for doing the information gathering work for Tim on an as needed basis. This would leave her free to work out her own angle with Steve to gain access to at least some of his vast fortune.
The initial plan laid out by Tim was fairly simple and straightforward. Tim would talk Steve into going out for a drink one night after work. He would tell Steve that he would reveal his secrets to meeting and attracting girls. He would provide the help needed for Steve to get and keep a girlfriend. He would even tell him the words to say if Steve had trouble and could not find the words on his own.
Steve heard Tim’s proposal and wanted to get started on it right away. “How about tonight after work,” Steve asked. Tim agreed to the short notice. He couldn’t wait to get started on the plan either.
Right before the two left the office to go to the bar, Tim gave Christy a call. He filled her in on where the location of the bar they were going to be at. The plan was to have Christy accidentally bump into Steve and then act interested in him. Tim would be there to help to urge Steve on and to make sure things went smoothly.
The little plan ended up working better than either Christy or Tim could have ever imagined. The initial contact between Christy and Steve went off without a hitch. Tim knew Steve was interested in Christy right from the start because of the instant change in his personality. The nervousness appeared almost immediately after Steve laid his eyes on Christy.
Tim laughed to himself when he saw Steve’s dismal attempt at small talk. Boy he really wasn’t kidding when he said he had a problem with women, he thought. The conversation got very awkward very quickly.
Tim stepped in. He took on some of the conversation to help Steve out. At a preplanned point, Christy left to ‘freshen up’. Tim was left behind to throw in needed advice for Steve and to encourage his effort.