by Tina Martin
“How about we go get some lunch?” Tennyson asked.
Zoya glanced at her watch. The time was just approaching noon. “That’s fine.”
“Are you sure? I know you said you had plans.”
“I’m sure,” Zoya said. He was finally opening up to her. She wasn’t about to allow the momentum to slow down by being unavailable. She did have a few things on the agenda for today like shopping for items to baby-proof the condo but she could do that another day.
* * *
At the restaurant, the waiter brought over bread and water took their orders and Zoya’s eyes locked with Tennyson’s. To turn down the heat, she diverted her attention to opening straws, putting one in her glass and another in his.
“Thank you,” he said.
“You’re welcome. Now, talk to me.”
He smiled beautifully. “Why are you so anxious to know me?”
“Because I feel like there is something connecting us. I tried to disconnect from it, but it’s back, especially since you took me to meet your mother.”
“Let’s talk about my mother. I told you she had me later in life. She’s seventy-five now and she’s dying of heart disease. She had a heart attack in her fifties and another one in her sixties.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that, Tennyson.”
“Thank you. It’s been quite the ordeal for us both. I hate to see her suffer, you know, but there are just things, events and circumstances in this world that money can’t fix.”
Zoya nodded in agreement. “That’s true.” She took a sip of water only because he’d done so.
“I visit her every day and sit for an hour, sometimes longer on the weekends.”
“Because you don’t want her to feel alone?”
“Something like that.”
“Tell me why?”
“I—” Tennyson blew a breath. “I don’t want her to be alone when it happens—when she passes, so I go there and sit, hoping it happens while I’m there. I don’t want it to happen at all, but if it has to, and it looks like it has to, I’d rather be there.”
Zoya nodded.
“I wish I could be there every second of every day but I know that’s not a possibility so I go by when I can.”
“Wow. That’s—I can’t even begin to imagine what that must be like for you.”
“It’s torture. There’s no other way to describe it. I try to hide it the only way I know how—being Tennyson, the lawyer. The well-dressed man who knows how to handle business—things I’m good at. Things I can control—not the man who can’t save his dying mother.” Tennyson took another sip of water. “Now that you know what I have to go through, the lawyer Tennyson is so much better, huh?”
“I don’t see two people when I look at you. I just see one man who’s going through a lot and I don’t think any less of you if that’s what you were expecting. It takes a major amount of control to keep yourself together under these circumstances. Call me crazy but I don’t determine the strength of a man by the size of his bank account and his muscles.”
“Then how do you measure the strength of a man?”
“By the size of his heart.”
Tennyson smirked. “You would say something like that.”
“And I mean it.”
“I know you do,” he said, his eyes locked in on her. He still hadn’t figured out how she managed to get so close to him so fast but she had.
“How was life growing up with her?” she asked.
“It was a struggle, but she made it worthwhile. She would go without if I needed something. I always came first to her.”
“Sounds like my mother.”
Tennyson nodded. “I remember when I was ten, I wanted this red bike. A red Huffy, yeah that’s what it was. A Huffy. All my friends had this bike, and I didn’t have one. My father had promised to buy one for me, but I knew, even back then, that he wasn’t a man of his word. I couldn’t rely on him for anything. But my mother…she knew how bad I wanted that bike. So, what did she do? For a month, she took up some extra hours at work. I didn’t know why she was working late. I just assumed we needed more money for bills—that is until after a month of working overtime, she took me to the store on a Saturday morning—I’ll never forget it—and bought that bike for me.”
Zoya smiled. “That’s sweet.”
“She’s a sweet woman. The best.”
* * *
It was around four when he dropped Zoya back off at Savannah’s. This time, he got out of the car, opened the door for her and as they walked toward the condo, he said, “I won’t be here tomorrow morning.”
“No?” Zoya asked downcast, disappointment disturbing her features.
“No. Me and Savannah have to present our findings on this case we’ve been working on to Dante. I’m sure Dimitrius and Desmond will be there, too.”
“Sounds like it’ll be intense.”
“Yeah, but that’s to be expected with those three.”
Zoya took a few steps up on the porch then said, “I find that to be amazing. When we’re all together as a family, they’re these strong, yet gentle and caring family men, but in the office they’re sharks.”
“And that’s putting it nicely,” Tennyson said.
Zoya chuckled.
So did he.
“Well, maybe I’ll see you tomorrow evening.”
“Maybe,” she teased. “Whatever the case, I want to thank you for sharing a part of your life with me. I know it wasn’t easy. Oh, and your mother is a sweet woman.”
“She is. She’s the best I could ever ask for,” he said, his expression saddening. “I’m going to head back over there and sit with her a little while longer.”
Zoya smiled. “And make sure she knows I’m not your—whatever she thinks I am.”
“Why would you think she thinks you’re anything to me?” he asked pointedly.
“Because she said you never brought a woman there before.”
“Do you think that makes you special?”
Her words got lost somewhere in her throat. She couldn’t answer the question because she didn’t know what she was to him.
“No answer?” he asked, examining her.
“I don’t know if that makes me special or not. Only you can answer that, Tennyson.”
“Okay,” he said taking a step forward as if he wasn’t close enough to her already. “Then, I’ll answer it. My way.” He leaned down so his lips could match up with hers, taking a deep, satisfying kiss – tasting her lips with a restrained gentleness yet in a way that was enough to snatch her breath away and leave a lasting impression. When was the last time she was kissed? She couldn’t recall. It didn’t matter, anyway. Nothing came close to the feeling of his lips mating with hers while those big, strong hands of his gripped her waist causing shivers to overtake her body. She grasped his forearms while nervous twitches ran through her fingers and lost herself in the kiss. When she felt him pulling away, pulling her lips as he did so, her hands tightened around his arms. Her eyes slowly opened.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said smoothly.
“Okay.”
“Enjoy the rest of your day, Zoya.”
“You, too, Tennyson.”
“Bye,” he said staring at her and those tempting lips that made him want seconds.
“Bye.”
Chapter 15
Tennyson wasn’t ready to have this meeting with the higher-ups but he knew Dante was anxious to know what they’d found out about the Blakeney deal. However, he wasn’t eager to talk about it. He stayed with his mother longer than usual last night because she was sleeping more and more now. And the nurses had informed him of May’s refusal to eat. It would be difficult to focus on the job when his mother was dying.
“Good morning, Tennyson,” Savannah said walking into the conference room with her notebook.
“Good morning,” he said flatly.
“Are you ready for this?”
“I’m ready to get it over with—not sure if the
y’re ready for what I’m about to say.”
Savannah frowned. “What do you mean? I thought we knew what we were going to say.”
“Well, I’ve added something to it.”
“Something like what, Tennyson?” Savannah asked in a panic. She had already prepared reports with their findings and had portfolios printed for everyone who would be in attendance at the meeting this morning. Was Tennyson deviating from that now? How could they be successful with their presentation if they weren’t on the same page?
Before he could answer her, Dante stepped into the conference room along with his brothers, Dimitrius and Desmond.
“Good morning,” Dante said.
Everyone else exchanged greetings then as Dimitrius and Desmond took their seats, Phyllis brought in a tray of pastries. Then, she poured each of them a cup of coffee.
“Thank you, Phyllis,” Dante said.
“You’re welcome, Sir. Buzz me if you need anything else,” Phyllis said as she exited the conference room.
Savannah glanced over at Tennyson, noticing his demeanor change now that everyone was assembled. Did having this meeting bother him this much? What did he have up his sleeve?
“So,” Dante said, interlocking his hands, looking at Savannah. “Now, that you and Tennyson have had the opportunity to review the Blakeney case, what do you have for us so far?”
The question was directed towards her, but Savannah glanced at Tennyson to see if he would reach for the portfolios since they were on the table closest to him. However, he didn’t make a move.
“Um,” Savannah said standing up, leaning across the table to get the folders, handing them all a copy. Then she sat down, opened her own folder and said, “Your suspicions were correct, Dante. Forsyth acquired Blakeney only to secure some of their assets and when they were done, they dropped them. If you turn to page two of the portfolio, you’ll see a list of clients that Forsyth took from Blakeney.”
“Wow,” Desmond said. “These are some major companies.”
“They are, and that’s what makes us believe that Forsyth never had the long-term welfare of Blakeney in mind,” Savannah said. “They couldn’t have. It was all about what they could gain.”
Dante looked up from the portfolio. “And you agree with that, Tennyson?”
“Yes. One-hundred percent,” Tennyson said. “However, I don’t feel like there were any laws broken.”
“You don’t feel like laws were broken?” Dimitrius asked. “We need to make decisions based on facts, not feelings.”
“Okay, then. I’ll rephrase,” Tennyson said. “There were not any laws broken with the transaction. All we have here is a few companies that can’t get along.”
“How’s that?” Desmond asked.
“I’ll take that if you don’t mind, Tennyson,” Savannah said.
Tennyson gestured for her to proceed.
“Okay, so here’s the breakdown of this whole issue. Blakeney was with Blackstone Financial for years. It seems that when Theodore Blackstone retired, Blakeney felt they needed a new direction so when their contract with Blackstone Financial ended, they left seeking not only a company with fresh technology but one who specialized in investments. That’s why Forsyth was appealing to them. However, Forsyth didn’t have the manpower to take on a company as big as Blakeney. They mainly just wanted to steal some of their clients and that’s exactly what they did. Our investigation shows they acquired ten percent of Blakeney’s clients then reneged on the deal to bring the whole company on board. It was at this point that Blakeney was running scared with no representation so they were more than willing to be snatched up by The Champion Corporation. They couldn’t bring themselves to return home to Blackstone but—”
“That’s what they should’ve done,” Tennyson interrupted to say. “Returned to Blackstone.”
Dante frowned. “Why’s that?”
“Because this corporation doesn’t need Blakeney.”
Desmond smirked. “Why would you say something so absurd, Tennyson? We’re in the business to make money.”
“Of course, but you can’t make Champion dollars off of a company like Blakeney. They’re tiny compared to The Champion Corporation. In fact, the only benefit to acquiring Blakeney is the possibility to use them as leverage to gain control of Blackstone Financial. That’s really the end game here right?”
Savannah couldn’t believe the direction Tennyson was going with this. He definitely didn’t discuss this with her beforehand.
Dimitrius sat straight up in his chair. “Were you not aware of our desire to acquire Blackstone Financial?”
“If that’s the case, you should not have brought Blakeney on board,” Tennyson said.
Dimitrius’ hazel eyes went cold. “How does that make any sense?”
When Dante saw Dimitrius getting heated, he took over the conversation. “Okay, let’s not get too far off base here. We’re just having a discussion.”
“I get it,” Dimitrius said, “But with all due respect, Tennyson, you’re a lawyer, not an accountant.”
“I don’t need to be an accountant to see that this is a bad deal. TCC doesn’t even have an investment division.”
“Doesn’t mean we can’t get one,” Dimitrius shot back.
Tennyson dropped his pen on the table and leaned back in his chair as silence fell over the conference room.
“Alright, let’s take a breather,” Dante said, looking at Tennyson. “This wasn’t meant to be tense. The assignment I gave to you and Savannah was to find out if any laws were broken pertaining to the merger. Are you telling me there’s nothing there?”
Savannah glanced over at Tennyson. He was still lounged back in his chair. She’d never see him so agitated. Attempting to cover for him, she said, “Dante I can assure you there were no laws broken. The only thing The Champion Corporation can do now that you own Blakeney is file a complaint against Forsyth with the Better Business Bureau for bad business practices. I know that’s probably not what you wanted to hear but—”
“Make no mistake,” Dante said. “If that’s what it is, then that’s what it is. What I really want to know is if you and Tennyson are on the same page concerning this?”
“Yes,” Tennyson answered.
“What makes you think acquiring Blakeney was a bad idea?” Dante asked him.
“Because it is my opinion that TCC didn’t need them. Your normal business practice is to acquire companies or ideas that fit your model. Investment is not your model.”
“You’re correct,” Desmond said, “But does a company grow if it remains stagnant and afraid to take risks? Try new things? It would be impossible.”
“You’re right,” Tennyson agreed. “I’m only expressing my personal opinion, Desmond, and that opinion is that Blakeney goes back to Blackstone Financial.”
“In a way, they will once Desmond convinces the CEO to come on board with TCC,” Dimitrius said.
Tennyson shook his head. He stood up and said, “Well, that’s all I have to offer. If you need anything else, I’ll be in my office.”
Savannah briefly looked at Dante after Tennyson exited the room.
“What’s going on with him?” Dante asked her.
“I don’t know,” Savannah answered. “He was fine on Friday.”
Dante rubbed his chin. “Okay. I’ll follow up with him later. Thanks for all of your work on this, Savannah.”
“Yeah, thanks, Savannah,” Desmond said.
“You’re welcome.”
“I’ll study your findings in more detail and make a decision concerning this,” Dante said.
Chapter 16
Tennyson stared at the stack of folders on his desk – his caseload – work he’d fallen behind on since dealing with the Blakeney case. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t be behind on anything but with this particular case, and his mother’s condition worsening, it was difficult to focus on much else. He felt his cell phone vibrating in his pocket, lazily took it out and said, “Hello.”
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“Hi, Tennyson. It’s Cece, your mom’s nurse.”
Alert and already on his feet, Tennyson asked, “What’s wrong, Cece?”
“You need to get here as quickly as you can. Okay?”
“What’s going on?” he asked in a panicked voice.
“Please, just get here.”
“Cece, you know me. Tell me what’s going on.”
“They’re doing CPR on your mother right now, but it doesn’t look good.”
Tennyson lost his balance and had nearly stopped breathing at the sound of the news. He ran down the hallway to the elevator, then after sprinting to his car, he sped out of the parking lot on the way to his mother’s bedside.
But it was too late.
Moments after he arrived, he learned they’d already pronounced her dead.
Chapter 17
Zoya was up extra early this morning waiting for Tennyson to show up for work. She made a pot of coffee and had already had breakfast items set aside to cook. She couldn’t wait to see him. He said he would call her yesterday evening, and they’d get together and do something but he didn’t call or show up. She’d stayed up for as long as she could but nothing.
“Good morning,” Savannah said stepping into the kitchen. “You’re up early.”
“I’m always up before you, Savannah.”
“Yeah, that’s because I have an excuse to get some extra sleep,” she said rubbing her belly. “This little boy was doing karate in the middle of the night. I had to get up at least five times to use the bathroom.”
“Aw,” Zoya said, smiling. “I bet mom will tell you similar stories about when she was pregnant with Harding.”
“Trust me, we’ve already had the conversation, and it’s basically the same story. The activeness, the heartburn...girl!”
