Читать книгу Indiscretion - M.G. Crisci - Страница 8

Lies, bribes, and other good things.

Craft was well-prepared when I approached him about my verbal agreement with Pete. “Good news, buddy! We plan to honor the profit-sharing agreement, just like you and Pete agreed. After all, we’re family.”

“What about the equity part?”

“Pal, I don’t know what you’re talking about; do you have something in writing?”

“No, it was a handshake.”

“Pal, I do not disagree that you may have thought you and Pete had some general understanding, but Eddie, Jeremy, Pete, and I had been working on an equity participation deal for quite some time. His death only added certain urgency to those conversations. Your name never came up, but there’s no question about your contributions to the firm. That’s why Jeremy and Eddie want you to have a ten percent share of annual profits.” He then handed me a check for $500,000 and said, “Trust me, pal. They’ll be lots more where this came from, and we’ll eventually figure out something on the stock.”

We shook hands as he joked, “Don’t forget to remind your accountant that it’s his job to keep your taxes to a minimum.”

I decided to say nothing about my five percent agreement with Pete. “Dawson, I have an idea. Since you're trying to work out something with the family, why don’t we use this check for my portion of the equity purchase?”

He seemed surprised. “How do you know about the purchase of the company?”

“I don’t know anything. It’s the other three hundred-plus employees who are telling me what’s going on.”

“Pal, this is a complicated thing. I understand your interest. It’s appreciated and won’t be forgotten; I promise you.” Craft started to walk out of my office and then paused. “Oh, I almost forgot. Dawson, Jeremy, and I own a little jewelry company for fun.” Craft handed me a little clear plastic bag with a 3.4-carat diamond ring set in an 18-karat gold setting. “This is for Lauren.”

~

That evening, I filled Lauren in over a bottle of wine. I placed the check next to her glass. “Here’s a little something Dawson gave us today.”

She stared at the amount. “Oh my God, you’ve got to be kidding!”

“Oh yeah,” I said deadpan, taking the plastic bag out of my pocket. “Dawson also wanted you to have this little bauble.”

“I love it,” said Lauren as she slid it on her finger. “These guys certainly know how to travel first-class.”

“Don’t be fooled by a few little crumbs,” I replied sarcastically. “I’m still just an expensive hired gun with no equity stake.”

“You know, honey,” Lauren said sweetly, “You sound incredibly ungrateful. Maybe you heard what you wanted to hear about the stock thing with Pete. Remember, you’re the one who said Pete was very reluctant about giving you equity since Dawson, Eddie, and Jeremy didn’t have any either.”

“Equity participation is not about seniority; it's about contributions. AFA is not a hospital, you know,” I replied accurately but insensitively.

Her pained expression telegraphed low blow. To her credit, she maintained her composure.

“Don’t take this the wrong way. I love you very much. I’ve heard the wonderful things advisors have said about you at the Pete and Dawson dinners but, let’s be honest: you’ve only been there eighteen months, while the three of them started by making invoices and taking out the trash.”

I countered. “Let’s think selfishly for a moment. Why did I get involved? We felt we had enough to be comfortable, but this was our chance to be super-wealthy and to drive our Bentley GT off to our private hangar at Westchester County Airport before boarding our jet to our mansion on Lake Tahoe. Remember? At fifty-seven, how many more chances like this do you think will come along?”

“Maybe I’m missing something. Aren’t you making a ton of money?”

“But you said it yourself: I’m not making what they’re making.”

“Martin, how much is enough?” countered Lauren. “Don’t get me wrong. I love the good life just like you, and we’ve been fortunate to have more than most. But are money and toys the measure of a man? I thank God every day that he has given us good health and a beautiful family. But most of all, I thank him for my wonderful loving husband. You have been and always will be the love of my life. What else do we need?”