66 #TooGoodToBeTrue

 

Jon slipped the Chevelle into gear, glancing at the passenger seat with a smug grin.  He’d decided to mix business with pleasure this afternoon by bringing his guitar along to Teddi’s house.  Being a fan, she’d probably at least get a kick out of it, and he could get something accomplished if she ended up working for a while. 

 

He still had plans to coerce her into the car, however. 

 

She should be able to navigate her driveway without too much damage to his classic, considering there was a wide expanse of grass on both sides.  And if she was adamant about the refusal to drive, then there was always the back seat.  God bless Tori for revealing that tidbit.  There were options, and after having a shower and real coffee at his house, he felt up to exploring them.   

 

Jon also felt up to maybe exploring a little of what Teddi said last night.  Yeah, he’d told her no judgment or consequences, but there were no promises about pretending it never happened.  It wouldn’t hurt to feel it out gently, but on the other hand, he also wondered if his wine-soaked memory was making meaningless sex talk into some kind of deep revelation.  He’d also said something that could be considered a deep revelation, as he recalled.  That bit about wanting to be more to her. 

 

It wasn’t untrue.  He had enough self-esteem to want to be the best at everything, and that included being the best she ever had.  The one she connected with on a different level, and not some celebrity encounter level, either.  With Tori staring at him like an exotic zoo animal this morning and dropping that HRH bullshit, it would be easy enough for Teddi to get trapped in that mindset.

 

Then again, her cousin had also pointed out how Teddi leaned into him. 

 

That proved Jon could swing this in any direction he wanted it to go.  He was a determined motherfucker that way, but when pulling through the gates in Rumson, he found that his determination may have to sit idle for a while.  There was a car parked in the driveway that hadn’t been there earlier.

 

For an introvert, she sure gets a lot of fucking company. 

 

He eyed the nondescript sedan that was a far cry from Tori’s bright red Mercedes, deciding he didn’t feel bad about intruding.  Teddi knew he was coming back, so he got out of the Chevelle and walked around it, easily grabbing the guitar case through the open convertible top. 

 

Using that same logic, he didn’t bother ringing the bell.  The front door opened easily, and his sneakers were silent as he followed the entry hall toward the voices in the living room.  When he broached the doorway, Jon slid to a stop before an unexpected scene. 

 

Teddi sat at the end of the couch, but that wasn’t the odd part.  No, what stunned the hell out of Jon was the man crouched on the floor in front of her, holding her hand and coaxing, “Trust me, honey.  I understand your reluctance to turn on Jon, but he can’t give you what I’m offering.  This is what’s best for you.”

 

The necklace was firmly between her forefinger and the thumb that stroked it, while uncertainty clouded her eyes.  Whatever the fucker was offering tempted her, and that stirred an unpleasant blend of emotions in Jon’s gut.  Irritated anger simmered with a dash of something a little more obscure and, at first, he wasn’t sure who to direct those feelings toward.  He just knew they gave him a wave of acid reflux that had him clearing his throat. 

 

The sound caught her attention, and indecision turned to relief when she spotted him.  The smile and eager rise to her feet was too genuine for this to be what it appeared, despite the guilt streaking across Pierce’s features.  The man quickly masked it with a neutral façade, however, as he straightened to stand beside Teddi and let her hand slip from his. 

 

“Mr. Bon Jovi.”

 

“Pierce.”  Jon’s voice was as stony as his expression, but he softened both for his second greeting.  “What’s up, Cookie?”

 

“Pierce was just offering me an opportunity regarding Peabodys.”

 

“Oh, yeah?”

 

So it was business at play here instead of pleasure.  That was something of a relief, he supposed, but it didn’t mellow Jon’s feelings any.  The sneaky bastard’s eyes should brim with guilt.  Endicott’s minion had gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and from the looks of the waiting paperwork and pen on the coffee table, he’d been poised to take every last crumb.  To take advantage of Teddi, just like it seemed the Peabodys always did. 

 

“Yes.”  The ballsy man didn’t shirk under cold, heavy scrutiny.  “I’ve brought Teddi a new offer that she should take advantage of.  It’s in her best interest.”

 

Jon casually adopted a broad stance, resting the bottom of his guitar case on hardwood while folding his hands over the top.  “Best interest? I think that’s something for Teddi to decide.”

 

“Which is exactly what I was trying to do when you arrived,” she smoothly inserted before Pierce acted upon his visible displeasure.  It made Jon kind of sad.  He’d like an excuse to be an asshole to this guy.  “But now that you’re here, I’d like your opinion.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Let’s all sit, shall we?”

 

Ever Miss Manners, his Gypsy aristocrat gracefully resumed her spot on the couch, finding his eyes and discreetly touching fingertips to the spot beside her.  Jon parked the Takamine on its side along the wall and accepted her covert invitation.  Rather than sitting in the cushion’s center, though, he took the right side and put them hip-to-hip. 

 

Because he wasn’t the least fucking bit aristocratic, he plopped a possessive hand on the beige thigh and plastered his denim one against it.  It was a casual possession, but one that good old Pierce didn’t miss.  There was an obvious tightening of lips inside that beard as he assumed the chair nearest Teddi. 

 

“Pierce, perhaps you could explain this proposal again, for both Jon’s benefit and to make certain I really understand.  It seems too good to be true.”

 

“Sure,” the man agreed, leaning forearms on his own thighs and aiming his words directly at Teddi.  “I’ve drafted a sales contract for your portion of the Peabody company.  In exchange for your signature and controlling interest, Endicott Peabody – technically, his wife – will give you ten million dollars.”

 

Jon already didn’t like this deal.  The figure was considerably more than what he’d given for the other third of the company, thereby fitting the Teddi’s description of “too good to be true”.  In his experience, people didn’t just hand over excess money without a damn good reason, but he kept his mouth shut for now.  Curiosity about the rest of the story weighed heavier than the need to voice his skepticism.

 

“That part was quite clear,” Teddi affirmed with a nod.  “It’s the other part that baffles me.”

 

Again, Pierce’s mouth tightened, but there was no animosity in his tone when relaying the “other part”.  “There’s a contingency clause in the event that Victoria and Craig opt to sell their shares of the company.  Under the premise of keeping majority ownership within the Peabody family, it states that, the same day those papers are filed, Teddi’s portion of the company reverts back to her, cost-free.”

 

No wonder the Ph.D. in the room couldn’t get a clear grasp on the situation.  It made zero sense.  There was no way in hell Endicott Peabody would nonchalantly hand controlling interest back to Teddi, especially at a ten-million-dollar loss.  Even if the guy got hit by lightning, losing any glimmer of business sense he had and honoring the deal, there was a more immediate problem with this scenario.

 

“They’ve already opted.”

 

Only now did the paralegal shift his focus from Teddi to address Jon.  “Endicott doesn’t know that.  The papers haven’t been filed.”

 

“Why the fuck not?”

 

“Because you wanted to sit on it awhile, and I’m working that to Teddi’s advantage.”  Pierce showed no remorse or fear.  There was nothing but steady determination in his gaze.  Well, that, and maybe a little bit of defiance. 

 

“That’s what I don’t understand.”  Her placid voice cut through the tension before Jon could launch into a lecture on legal ethics and dual representation.  The woman who cowered in a crowd held regal command of this room, quieting him with nothing more than the gentle placement of her hand atop his.  “Why are you working this to my advantage?”

 

That was a good damn question, and one she posed far kindlier than Jon would’ve. 

 

Pierce lost some of his bluster when sliding focus back to Teddi to explain. “I did some digging into Endicott Peabody.  He’s far from a saint.”

 

“I could’ve told you that,” Jon scoffed, kicking an ankle up to rest on his other knee.  “In fact, I did.  When you were so convinced he was just a good guy looking after his family.  What’d you find in that first offer, Legal Beagle?  Was it wired to blow up in Teddi’s face like I thought?”

 

“It… wasn’t as favorable as it first appeared.”

 

Ha.  Jon had known it.  “How so?”

 

“Teddi’s payment was to be deposited in a trust controlled by Endicott, due to her ‘mental incompetence’.”  Those words lit a rage inside Jon, but he didn’t get the chance to act on it before Pierce forged brusquely ahead.  “With all due respect, don’t get all pissed off at me.  I’m as incensed about it as you.”

 

“Oh, I don’t think you are.”  Jon’s chuckle was dark and without humor.  “You don’t know nearly enough about the situation to be that mad.”

 

“I know a hell of a lot more than I did when you were in my office five days ago.”

 

Dark eyes filled with resolve lasered into Jon’s with the delivery of that announcement, and for the first time, he felt like the two of them might be on the same side.  Pierce certainly looked mad enough to want to skewer Peabody.

 

“Excuse me, gentlemen.  While I appreciate your indignation on my behalf, I’m the only one with the right to be incensed here.  Pierce, after what you just told us, what makes you think that I’m going to enter into any agreement with Endicott?  Why would I put myself at risk that way?”

 

“I didn’t write the first contract, Teddi.  I just came to collect your signature.  This one I did write, and for your benefit, not Peabody’s.”

 

“Okay, fine.  Assuming the legalese in this thing is iron clad and makes Teddi rich, while still holding her share of the company… why would Peabody agree to those terms?  It’s not unreasonable for the other two to wanna sell.”

 

“That clause has an expiration date.  They have to sell within their first thirty days of ownership, which began on July seventeenth.  That means there’s only three weeks left before Endicott gets to keep Teddi’s share permanently.  He won’t even consider it a possibility.”

 

“What about the ten million?” Teddi quizzed.  “What’s made him change his mind about the trust?”

 

“He… hasn’t.”  The slow acknowledgement was followed by a ready, “But he won’t be the trustee.  My firm will.  I’ve arranged to be signatory authority with full discretion on how and when to release the funds.  You’ll have it before Mr. Bon Jovi takes formal ownership in two weeks.”

 

So she would be under Pierce’s thumb instead of Endicott’s.  Jon didn’t see that as an improvement. 

 

“She’s not a goddamn child.  This trust thing is bullshit.”

 

“At least you and I can agree on something,” the other man noted dryly.  “Endicott Peabody is an arrogant son of a bitch who thinks he’s entitled to treat his sister as badly as their father did.”

 

The hand Teddi was using to toy with her necklace went still.  “What did you just say?”

 

Jon did a mental rewind.  Nobody supposedly knew she was a Peabody by blood, yet Pierce had just spit it out as though it was common knowledge. 

 

A glance to his side showed that Teddi wasn’t pleased about that.  

 

At all.