Lawyers & Friends
One week ago
“Sam, you need to get away, take a vacation." That was her lawyer, telling her she needed a break.
Is that the kind of advice lawyers were supposed to give? Sam didn’t think so. Then again, her lawyer just happened to be her best friend, so there was that aspect of this unwelcome advisory session.
The two women sat at the wide-open breakfast bar in Sam's Midtown penthouse suite, sipping herbal tea, munching on an array of luscious fruits.
“I can’t take a break right now, Carla. You know that. This deal is too important for me to abandon. It has to happen. I need it to happen, and I’m going to make sure it does.”
“No,” Carla countered firmly. “I am going to make sure it happens. That's my job."
Carla Everson, the best corporate attorney on the East Coast, maybe in the states, stared at Sam intently from across the table. Sam narrowed her eyes, giving Carla her best “I am the boss” face.
It had absolutely no affect.
“Look," Carla’s tone softened. “I’m your attorney, but I’m also your friend. I’m telling you, you need a break. It’s still early. There’s a ton of work to be done while we start negotiations with Carnelian. Work that I will be doing.” She amended. “Not you.”
Carla reached across the table, grasping Sam’s hand to give it a squeeze. “Sam, you’ve been going hard since the day you were born. These last several years, you’ve worked what? Seventy? Eighty hours a week? You’ve had two vacations since I’ve known you. This whole thing is going to max out our stress levels soon enough, and I need you in top form when all the wheels are turning.”
Carla took a sip of tea and added thoughtfully, “Especially if we’re going to make it happen with everything you want.”
Sam sighed. It was true, she felt like she was twenty-eight going on eighty. Taking the reins of Covington after her father’s death had been… well, it had been insane. She was fifteen with no way out. She’d worked herself, was still working herself, to the bone to make things go the way they had, the way they were now.
A merger, or a buyout, had always been her goal, her plan, she just hadn't known it would take so long. Sam had taken CSM from the multimillion dollar corporation her father built, and transformed it into the billion-dollar juggernaut it was today. The company continued to grow, with no signs of slowing down, and the business world took notice. Other companies often approached them about merging, but they were usually smaller, looking to benefit from CSM’s influence.
Carnelian was different. Carnelian Global Enterprises was just as big as Covington, fighting to become the world’s leader in shipping and manufacturing. A merger would cement that role for them.
Sam knew that. Carla knew that. With that knowledge, there was no way they were just going to turn over the keys to the kingdom. Sam had some very specific demands she would not budge on if Carnelian decided to move forward.
That’s where Carla and her firm came in. They were the main negotiators and preparers. Sam knew everything would be perfectly on-point on the legal side, but giving up control was so uncomfortable, nearly impossible for her to do.
“Okay.” She sighed reluctantly. “I'll take a few days, hop over to the Keys for some beach time…” She stopped short, because Carla was shaking her head, laughing.
“Nope. No, that’s not what’s going to happen.”
Carla pulled an envelope from the jade, Jimmy Choo tote that matched her suede heels perfectly. She slid it across the table to Sam.
Sam flicked the top open, pulled out the contents.
“No!” She shook her head vehemently. “No. I am not going to a dude ranch. Absolutely not, Carla." She glared at her friend. "You know me better than anyone. I am not an outdoor person… Unless it's a beach. Even then, I have the umbrella and SPF 3000. I don't do dirt, I don't do bugs, and I don’t do nature. I am not you. So, no. Just no.”
Carla doubled over in laughter.
"Sam. How do you know? You've never been outdoors. You're right, you go to the beach with your umbrella and your SPF, but you've never even tried something different. I think this is such a good idea for you! A new experience in an absolutely stunning location.”
"Carla,” Sam responded. “Just because you and your family have been going there for years, that doesn't mean..."
"Everything's done."
Sam blinked, unsure she'd heard Carla correctly. “What do you mean everything's done?"
"Everything's done.” Carla smacked her palms on the bar’s surface. “Your fees are paid, the jet is scheduled, Maggie and I have gone shopping for dude ranch appropriate clothing. It's all done. All you have to do is get on the plane. Oh, and Sam,” Carla looked at her pointedly. “This isn't negotiable. You want me on this merger, you take this break."
Sam sat back with a groan. She knew Carla was doing this with her very best interests, and Covington’s, in mind. That knowledge however, did nothing to calm the fire inside her. She had just been bulldozed, and she was ready to come out swinging, but before she could open her mouth, Carla spoke.
"You feel like I’ve bulldozed you just now. I know that. I know you want to fight it, because no one bulldozes you and gets away with it. But listen to me, Sam, I need you away, so I can focus on the whole picture. I need you to be hands-off for this first part. You're used to being in control, calling the shots, even where most of my work is concerned. That's okay most of the time, because you're the best shot-caller I know, but this time, I need to look at everything first. Then, I'll bring you in and we'll work out the kinks. Getting you away is for you and me. Okay?"
Sam inhaled deeply. "I am a teeny bit controlling, I'll give you that."
Carla raised one perfectly shaped eyebrow.
"Okay! I control everything around me with an iron fist. I just don't understand. I mean, really Carla, shopping for me? How could you do that to me?"
Sam laughed, and Carla joined in, looking relieved, despite the earlier show of confidence.
"I love you like a sister, Sam. We'll take a look at what Mags and I bought, and you can change whatever you want. For the record though, I think you may have met your shopping match. Maggie just about broke the AMEX, stocking you up."
Sam laughed at that. Maggie was Carla's oldest, along with her twin brother Max, and the tiny girl could shop like a full-grown woman, had good taste too. Sam was sure Maggie would end up being a designer, or high-end buyer. For now, Maggie Everson was a preteen with an adult-sized bank account.
Carla became serious again, took a sip of the herbal tea she'd been nursing.
"Tell me about James and Norman.” She gestured to her phone. "Nora sent me a message. She's concerned, and to tell you the truth, so am I. That’s one reason I want you to go on this little trip - so those two don't try to send you on a permanent one."
* * *
Sam stamped down the rush of anxiety at the memory of yesterday's confrontation.
"Samantha." Norman began, a contemptuous look in his eyes. He always worked to demean her, to make her position seem beneath his own somehow.
Sam put a stop to it immediately.
“It's Ms. Covington, Mr. Grey. You've been doing so well recently, but I will remind you again, you and I are not on a first name basis."
She observed him with that cool, level gaze her father had literally beat into her, and continued in a low, steady voice. "What can I do for you and Mr. Nelonie today?" Sam glanced briefly at the other man as she spoke.
James Nelonie and Norman Grey were two of three shareholders who retained their positions when Sam took the reins of CSM almost thirteen years ago. Now, there were six. Each shareholder owned eight percent of CSM, with Sam holding the majority, at fifty-two percent. If her father had been a cruel, sadistic bastard, these two were even worse. Were it possible, she would have bought them out, been done with them, years ago. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to make that happen, yet.
James and Norman were each powerful men in their own right, highly connected, so she dealt with them the way her father would have – riding a fine line between detachment and familiarity. Within herself, Sam was constantly wary, and though she demanded a show of respect in how they addressed her, she didn’t try to push them away. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. Her father often warned her about these two. He’d warned her, but he’d been just as power hungry as they were, and together, the trio committed unspeakable acts in the name of furthering their businesses.
Sam was positive the only reason she was still alive, was because both of these men had made more money under her leadership than even they could have imagined. That was one reason she was hell-bent on making her plan successful.
She wanted to destroy James Nelonie and Norman Grey just as much as they wanted to destroy her.
The mental and emotional energy required to top them exhausted Sam, their encounters often leaving her completely drained.
"Ms. Covington." Norman continued, sounding exactly like the snake he was. "Mr. Nelonie and I have heard some rumors.” He steepled his fingers under his pointy chin. “Some… whispers, if you will. We wanted to come to you first, before making any, how should I say? Plans.”
A shiver went down her spine at the way he said plans. If a single word carried the heavy weight of a dark threat, he’d made that one do it. She worked hard to keep the blank, detached look on her face.
“If there is any truth to these... whispers, we need to know how to prepare ourselves, how to ensure the best moves are made for this great company. Your father always kept his shareholders up to date when it came to the company's interests, and you've more than filled his shoes.” Norman gave his own cool smile before continuing. “So, if a move is being made, we are simply requesting that we be apprised of the situation."
Sam just bet he wanted to be apprised, but there was no way he was getting anything out of her. If this thing went the way she hoped, CSM would be absorbed and dismantled, and these two wouldn't be able to do a thing about it. The name Covington would be swept away like dust in the wind, her father’s legacy reduced to a distant memory. If she could burn it to the ground, like she had her childhood home, she would have done it, but there were other people to consider. Good, innocent employees, who depended on her, on the decisions she made. If she didn't consider their well-being, then in the end, she would be exactly like her father, and that was simply unacceptable.
"Ms. Covington." It was James who spoke next. His easy, disarming smile doing nothing for her, because she knew exactly what it meant. It was the smile that made you feel safe, comfortable, just before the knife sank deep, draining the life from you.
"We simply want the very best outcome for all parties involved. We would hate to see anyone shortchanged. If the rumors we've heard have any merit." James finished with a light, amicable tone to his voice that she knew was anything but.
Sam kept her voice rock steady, her gaze cool and confident. Her insides heaved with anxiety, but they would never see it.
“Gentlemen. I’m not sure what you've heard, or where you've heard it, but I assure you, if the time comes when I need a discussion with you and the other shareholders, Nora will be in touch with all the details."
Norman's ice cold eyes didn't leave Sam's as he stood, James following his lead.
"Thank you. Ms. Covington. We won't take any more of your time."
As the two men walked out, James turned back to her with that easy smile.
"Be careful, Ms. Covington." He said with wink. "It's a jungle out there." Then he turned, and was gone.
* * *
Carla stared at Sam for a moment, fury and fear fighting for top position at the threat that had been levied on her friend.
“Oh yeah. You're going away for sure."
Carla kept her voice light, but Sam could see the concern in her eyes, the stiffness in her posture.
"I can handle James and Norman. I’ve been doing it for thirteen years."
What Sam wouldn’t admit, was that she was working just as hard to keep her own fears at bay. She could protect herself from almost anything, sans a car bomb or a bullet, but it was the people around her she worried about. The people she'd allowed herself to care for, those were the ones who would be in danger when the shit hit the fan.
"That may be,” Carla countered. "but you've never had anything this promising on the table.” She shook her head and continued. “I wish I knew where their “whispers” were coming from. If somebody's talking, we need to know who it is. That's another reason for you to take a vacation. I can work on this without involving anyone else at CSM."
"I'm concerned about one more thing.” Sam continued, looking up from the kiwi she'd been slicing.
"What's that?"
"Nora."
Nora had been Sam's assistant for the last six years, and was the brilliant organizer of everything Samantha Covington. She was also one of the sweetest, most kindhearted women Sam had ever met. The thought of anything happening to Nora, to her eight year-old daughter, made Sam physically ill.
"Nora and Chelsea. We need to arrange something for them, get security on them. Can you have Cameron do that?"
Carla nodded. "Yeah, I'll get him on it. Maybe we could send them on a little vacation too? Chelsea's never been to Disney World. We could send them down to Florida for a couple of weeks while you go to Colorado."
Sam rolled her eyes. “So they get to go to warm, sunny Florida, while I go to cold Colorado. Nice."
Carla laughed at her. “It'll be an adventure for you. Plus,” she waggled her eyebrows. “You'll be surrounded by super-hot cowboys. That's not a bad trade off."
Sam was definitely not convinced this was a good idea, but Carla did have a point. If she had to get dirty, at least she could enjoy the view.
* * *
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