The Staircase of Dragon Jerico
Chapter Fourteen
SHANNON WAS UNHAPPY.
That wasn’t an unusual state these days. Her husband was the kind of guy who could use his wealth, good looks, and charisma to get nearly anything—including any woman—he wanted. Shannon had identified that characteristic years before and decided to use it to her advantage. His affair with her had led to his divorce from his first wife.
As a result, he’d forced her to sign a prenuptial agreement that would lock Shannon out of whatever wealth he had when they married. She’d been fine with that, since wife number one and child support had stripped Royce of most of his wealth. They started out far closer to even than he suspected. But he had a high-power position in JeriCorp and she had good prospects in the finance department. It turned out he needed her as much as she wanted him.
The prenup had no restrictions. Any divorce, initiated by either party, for any reason, would result in an even split of assets and liabilities, excluding anything either brought to the marriage. Royce didn’t want to be on the receiving end of an infidelity suit like he’d been with wife number one. He hadn’t quite realized at first that it gave wife number two equal immunity to such a suit.
Shannon still wasn’t happy that her husband had arranged to have Bruce laid off after her affair with him.
But she was also smart. Her strength in finance was that she could spot opportunities and capitalize on them. Building up the Duvals’ financial standing had been mostly her management. Creating the consortium that bought a quarter section in the property Lawrence Jerico was snatching up was her idea and she’d kept the lid on the deal through any means necessary.
Now, Royce wanted to go ‘walk the property.’
Shannon offered to go with him, but he had a reason she shouldn’t go for every offer she made.
“I’ll come and help,” she said. “You always practice best with an audience.”
“Don’t be silly. You’d be bored to death. And you hate nature. I’ll be fine and I’ll be home for dinner. Or, if not, I’ll call you as soon as I have a signal,” Royce said.
“You won’t have a signal?”
“That’s part of what I’m checking on. I’m told we have to have five bars of service through the entire property, or I need to contact the cell companies and negotiate new towers. You know, it all falls on me. Nothing in this company would ever get done if I didn’t go out and do it.”
“Yeah. How well I know.”
He’d packed an overnight bag, just in case he got muddy and tossed it into his car. Shannon kissed him goodbye and went directly to her car to go get groceries. Not that she ever cooked anything, but it was always nice to have something sweet to go with coffee in the morning. As soon as Royce turned the corner, Shannon reversed and followed at a safe distance.
This trip and Royce’s ready list of reasons she shouldn’t join him had all the markings of an affair. She was beyond caring if Royce found someone new to sleep with, but she wanted information. Knowing things, like who he was meeting, gave her leverage.
He didn’t head straight for the highway. She wondered at first if he’d left something he needed at the office. He stopped at a downtown apartment complex and Shannon watched as Erin Scott came out of the building with a large notebook, and tossed an overnight bag in the back of the car. She didn’t look like she was on a date, dressed in blue jeans and a flannel shirt, but some women looked spectacular no matter what clothes they threw on.
Seeing Erin Scott leave with Royce gave Shannon an idea. This would help undermine Preston Carver and move her husband up the corporate ladder. She turned toward the high-end market on the north side of town. They would have everything she needed.
Showcase Foods could always be depended on to have gourmet meals ready to take home and eat. Shannon checked to see she had everything together, including two bottles of wine, then entered the code for Carver’s private elevator. She’d worked with the security company when they set up this elevator and knew the override code to enter on the keypad without needing a matching card.
When the elevator arrived at the penthouse, she had to move two batches of things before she could let the door close. She looked around and set her bags on Erin’s desk.
“Oh, Preston! It’s Shannon. I’ve brought you a surprise.”
“What? What?” Preston said, sticking his head out of the kitchen. “What are you doing here? How did you get up here?”
“I took the elevator. Apparently, my key card works. Doesn’t everyone’s?”
“N-n-no! Access strictly l-l-limited. P-p-please g-g-go.”
“Oh, but Preston, Royce has told me how hard you’ve been working this past week. I’ve just brought you lunch so you can relax for a while,” Shannon persisted.
“I-I-I have lunch. I c-c-cook.”
“Really? Things smell delicious. What are you making?” Shannon asked as she entered the kitchen.
“It-Italian roulade with r-r-red sauce and pasta. I-I-I’m a little far along to switch to a different lunch. P-please. L-l-l… Go!”
“Well, we can share. You wouldn’t turn a poor wayfarer away, would you, Preston? My husband and your assistant have gone off for a weekend together and I’m feeling abandoned.”
“Th-they what? Together?”
Shannon knew exactly what she was doing. Royce had talked all week about how Preston doted on his new assistant. There was no reason for the CEO and Chairman of the Board to have such a buffer from reality. Preston couldn’t function in public without panicking. A good assistant was a cushion he could depend on. Royce was supposed to be the only one he depended on.
“Yes. You know Royce. He’s never been able to keep his pants zipped when he’s around a willing woman. I try to ignore it most of the time, but sometimes I just get so lonely when he’s off playing with another toy.”
Shannon tossed off her assessment so casually that it caught Preston by surprise. He paced across the room shaking his head.
“N-n-not Miss S-S-S… Maizie.”
“Oh, I could tell the day she applied for the job that she intended to nail a company exec. Those gold diggers always give themselves away. She must have gotten tired of waiting for you and decided to dig her nails into Royce. Have you dated?”
“N-no! She’s my p-p-p… assistant. We work! She… we… couldn’t…”
“Oh, I’m sure that whatever you have for her to do would still leave time for romance. You don’t have much work up here. She’s that kind of girl, you know. I wish Royce was made of sterner stuff, like you are. He’s always been an easy target for a sneaky woman.”
“L-l-like you,” Preston managed.
“Oh, I’m not sneaky. Royce knew what I wanted from the first time he met me. I told him as much. Like I’ll tell you that if you need a little comfort this afternoon, I’m available.”
“N-n-no.”
“When I started here, I was a broken woman—recently dumped and trying to find my way on my own. I was vulnerable and Royce saw it. Nonetheless, I told him right off that I was only interested in marriage and if he wanted me, he needed to be single. But he saw my vulnerabilities and before I knew it, I was married to a man with roving eyes.”
Preston was wandering around the room, gasping for breath under Shannon’s assault. She had him right where she wanted him. If she slept with him, he’d feel guilty and want to give something to Royce. Even if she didn’t his head would be full of images of Royce with the Scott woman.
“Let me help you, Preston,” she said, stroking his arm as he passed. He jerked away, looking like a deer in the headlights.
“Roulade…” he managed, stumbling to the kitchen. He pulled the tray out of the oven and set it on the unused part of the stove. Shannon put a wine bottle in his hand and had him sit at the table.
“I see that little gold digger had her hooks in you. If I’d known you cared about her, I’d have done my best to hold Royce back. Drink a glass of wine. I’ll get the roulade ready. Oh! Fresh pasta. How nice.”
She put the pasta in the boiling water, careful not to let Preston see her smile. This was working out better than she’d hoped. Whether Royce seduced Erin or not, Preston would never trust her again. She transferred the roulade to the waiting cutting board. She had no idea how this was supposed to be served, but it was obvious it needed to be sliced. Everything was out and ready for serving, so all she needed to do was add a place setting for herself. There was plenty of food.
“Relationships these days are all so complicated,” Shannon said as she set the table. Preston hadn’t moved to open the wine. He was fidgeting with one of those cube toys. Stupid thing for a grown man to do. She took the bottle of wine and opened it, pouring generous glasses for each of them. She drained the pasta and served the sliced roulade, pasta, and red sauce. Preston stared at the plate she set before him.
“This is a lovely meal, Preston. Thank you so much!” He just stared at his plate. “Do I need to cut your meat for you?” she asked, trying not to let disdain creep into her voice. Preston looked up. He stared at the food and at Shannon.
“I don’t like you. P-p-please leave.”
He stood from his place and went upstairs to stretch out on his bed. He lay on his back staring at the ceiling until he fell asleep.
Shannon took another bite of the roulade. It was pretty good. Too bad Preston was stuck pretending to be a corporate executive. He’d make a good chef. If it wasn’t for Royce, the company would go down the drain. And she’d just made Royce’s next step easier. Preston would never trust his assistant again and without her, Shannon was certain Preston was little more than a gibbering idiot. Royce wasn’t a deep thinker, but he was a great leader. She had a plan for her husband and it didn’t need Preston Carver as CEO or Chairman.
She finished her glass of wine and left the table. In the living room/office area, she picked up a cube and fiddled with it. They always got stuck when she tried to work them. She forced it to turn and a piece fell off. She looked at it and then pressed it back onto the corner until the magnets caught and it snapped into place.
She tossed it on the table with all the little buildings on it, then grabbed her coat and called the elevator. She snatched up the second bottle of wine she’d brought and took it with her as she left. She could save something from this wasted day.
Royce got out of the car and circled to join Erin, who moved a step away.
“That would be the property of the holdout,” she said, pointing across the road. “Seems silly to try to prevent the project with a quarter-section of land. It won’t even be that valuable after all the other parts are under construction.”
“I wouldn’t say that. Besides, it isn’t really a holdout. It’s what we’d call a silent partner. When they’re ready for the project to move forward, the land will be available for a share of the total project, just like Interlake Holdings will become a partner with JeriCorp.”
“How do you know that?”
“Oh, I’m a part of the consortium that owns it. We acquired it way back when Jerico started making his move. Sometimes you have to follow the trend in order to find the money. I could see it was going to be big from the very beginning. Have had to keep a lid on my partners who were ready to take the first offer Jerico made.”
“So, you are the one holding out and making the planning process difficult?”
“It’s not that difficult. We’d have bought up more if Jerico hadn’t moved so aggressively in acquisitions. But being a minor partner is still more profitable than having stock options.” Royce moved close to her again and she edged slightly away. “Maybe I could find a way to bring you in on the deal. That would be better than anything you get from Carver. We can have our own little private partnership.”
Erin snapped around to look at him as she edged back farther into the field.
“Whatever you are proposing, forget it! I’m not interested in any kind of partnership or liaison with you. Coming out here was supposed to give you an opportunity to practice the pitch and to get a clearer idea of the terrain, which I see you were already clear on. I’ll walk from here down to the lakeshore. When you’ve absorbed enough of your self-satisfaction, you can drive down and pick me up so we can return to the city.”
Erin headed off across the field, generally toward the lake. It was about a mile away and she felt she knew the terrain fairly well from the map in Mr. Carver’s office. The snow was off the ground, but it was muddy in spots. She was glad she took the idea of hiking boots and jeans seriously.
Royce watched her go and considered just turning around and leaving her. Serve the bitch right. But that would be sure to backfire. He checked his cell phone to see if there was any service. There was basic service up here on the rise. He guessed that by the time Erin reached the bottom of the dip, she’d be out of service completely. He saw her lifting her phone and taking pictures.
It was going to be a long afternoon.
Erin didn’t see any sign of Duval down by the lake when she emerged from the little grove near the water. The walk renewed her enthusiasm for the entire project. It was just so beautiful. Little flags marked locations for the lodge and townhouses. She could see Mr. Carver’s vision taking shape before her eyes and understood every rise and fall of the terrain. She made notes on her phone as well as taking photos.
She walked along the shore toward where the road curved and went one way along the shore and the other way out of the proposed resort. She still didn’t see Duval and thought it would be just like him to leave her. Put out or get out. She knew his kind. No thanks. She’d had enough of cheating men in her life and didn’t intend to have another.
She started walking up the road away from the lake, contemplating how long it would take her to walk all the way back to Jerico City. She wasn’t enthused about hitchhiking, but figured once she reached the main highway, if she hadn’t seen Duval, she’d stick out her thumb.
She was just over the first rise and out of view of the lake when she heard an engine coming up the hill. She stopped and turned to face the traffic. A pickup truck came over the rise and hit the brakes as soon as the driver saw her beside the road.
The passenger window came down and Mr. Jerico leaned over from the driver’s side.
“Ms. Scott? Are you okay? Broken down somewhere?”
“Mr. Jerico! You’re a lifesaver. I was about to stick out my thumb. Can I get a ride back to the city?”
“Certainly. Certainly.” Erin opened the door and climbed into the cab of the deluxe crew-cab truck. It was fancier inside than her car. She buckled up. “How did you get out here? Do we need to tow your car?”
“Mr. Duval talked me into viewing the property in person. I’ve been walking around for a couple of hours. It looks like he decided I wasn’t coming back and left.”
“Even for Duval, that sounds harsh. Why don’t you text him and let him know you have a ride back to the city.”
“Good idea. There was no signal down by that end of the lake, but I’m getting one up here.”
“So, tell me frankly. What do you think of my grandson’s grand idea, now that you’ve been here to see the area yourself?”
“I think it’s even more brilliant than I did while working on the model. Walking through the fields and woodlots, I could really see what he had in mind. I missed the idea of the wooded area around the lodge and how that would give it a wild feeling, but once I had a cell signal, I realized how important the communications infrastructure would be. And the area is incredibly beautiful. Breathtaking.”
“I brought Preston out here when he was twelve years old,” Lawrence said. “There’s a little fishing cabin up the lakeshore about half a mile. The moment I saw what a difference the place made in him, I made up my mind to buy it. And then he started drawing maps of the area, and got me interested in its potential. I worked with him to understand the terrain, water tables, drainage, and everything that goes into a development. But the entire idea was his.”
“It’s amazing,” Erin said. “Beautiful.”
“That’s when I realized what a gift he has. Our family has a long history of talented artists and architects. My great-great-grandfather designed the original part of Jerico City back in the 1830s. I don’t think there has been a talent equal to his until Preston,” Lawrence said.
“It’s too bad he has difficulty communicating his ideas,” Erin mused.
“Well, that’s a matter of perspective. You stepped into his office and hit the ground running. You did all the menial tasks, but you handled the critical review tasks as well. You’ve only been here, what, a month? Five weeks? Your ability to communicate the ideas on his behalf in the practice presentations was phenomenal. So, obviously, he doesn’t have difficulty communicating to you. Presentations? Groups? Question and answer? Those are things beyond his ability. Anxiety and panic attacks just ruin him. But when he’s surrounded by the right people, he’s unstoppable.”
“I’m glad I have the opportunity to work with him. I really appreciate his talent and vision. I’m looking forward to the next months as the development gets underway.”
“How about a sandwich? Did you pack a lunch when you came out here with Duval?”
“Oh. No, I didn’t. I wasn’t expecting the day to take quite the turn it did.”
“There’s a truck stop up at the next exit.”
Erin enjoyed her time with Mr. Jerico. While they were eating, Duval entered the truck stop and spotted them.
“Thanks for letting me know you got a ride,” he said a little brusquely. “Lawrence, did you just happen upon a lady in distress?”
“Yes. She was hiking up the road when I happened by. Where were you?” Lawrence asked.
“I found a little stream running down from the west toward the lake as I was exploring,” Duval said. “Unfortunately, it surprised me and I was soaked by the time I made it back to the bank. I drove out the south end of the lake road and stopped to get a Coke at the service station out there and change clothes. That’s something we should mark in our notes as being a service already established within ten miles of the development. The good thing was that I had a cell signal out there and heard her text message come in. I just stopped here for lunch. Erin, I planned to stop here with you on the way back anyway. I anticipate this will become a major stopping point for people between Jerico City and Cloudhaven.”
“Have you invested in it?” she asked snidely.
“No. But that’s not a bad idea.”
“Mr. Jerico came by as I was walking up to where I’d left you. I thought I might find you up there. I figured it was prudent to take a lift back and let you know I was okay.”
“Yeah. Good. Uh… You want to switch back to me, or are you making the old man feel young again?”
Erin cringed at the implication.
“Really, Duval? Can’t you think for five minutes without your dick in your hand?” she snarled at him.
“Now just a minute, girl…”
“I’m a woman and I’ve had it with your condescension and innuendo. Mr. Jerico, can I have a lift on into Jerico City?”
“If you don’t mind sticking with me, I’ve got some more questions on your observations,” Lawrence said.
“Of course. Mr. Duval, if I could retrieve my bag and notes from your car, I’d appreciate it.”
“Sure. Sure. Here’s the keys. You know the car out there.” Duval handed her the keys and then quickly covered a sneeze.
Erin went to get her bag and the presentation notes. She wanted to make some more notes on the way back to Jerico City.
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