Friends and Family Series
Jarv Trilogy

Jarv & Scott

By: Ron Robbins
(© 2011 by the author)
Editor: Frank Perry

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 2

The two years flew by for Jarv after he was transferred to the New York Division office. His MBA Degree was under his belt and he had more time to spend on other projects. Glen and Justin did as they promised and Jarv had landed the Lee Corporation advertising contract. His primary task with the Lee Corporation was to learn all he could about their business philosophy before making a marketing proposal. He spent many long hours with Glen and Justin picking their brains, until he had what he thought was the right approach for their company. To his way of thinking, all the creative logos and glitzy color schemes mean nothing unless the integrity of the company is there from the beginning. His approach to every corporate project was to find that thread and build from there. The Lee Corporation was a fine old line company and one that Jarv was to cherish as a client for many, many years. Happily, Mr. Lee was pleased with his proposal, enough so that he awarded Jarv a two-year contract. As it turned out, he was to be awarded all the divisional accounts as time went on.

The Westerville Corporate account was another story and took much longer to bring on board. Unfortunately they had renewed their contract with the Marstellar agency, which had another year to go. In a way Jarv was relieved because it gave him more time to come up with his proposal. The Westervilles continued to be close friends. Jarv was very careful not to allow that friendship to encroach on their business relationship. Scott and Pip were good friends and he was always welcome at the Westervilles'. Jarv felt comfortable knowing that Scott had a place to hang out while Jarv was out of town. There was always something of interest happening at the Westerville home. Since Randy's engagement, the parties increased even more. Of course Scott and Jarv were expected to attend their dinners and cocktail parties whenever they were free.

Pip and Scott were not interested in business and became scarce when Grant and Jarv started to discuss it. Jarv was impressed at Grant's grasp of the financial market and the ease with which he made money in the stock market. He offered to help Jarv to invest his money in the market. He didn't hesitate a moment and followed Grant's advice. At first he was a little timid in the amount of money he invested, but as his profits grew he invested hundreds of thousands at a clip. Grant was the only person who knew of Jarv's financial situation. Of course Scott never knew of this and Grant never mentioned their dealings to anyone.

Jarv had learned early on not to mention his real earnings to Scott. Scott wanted to be the provider in the family, bless his heart. He had that macho thing and Jarv went along with him. Scott was his protector and he loved him for that. Sometimes, he had some strange ideas, but as long as they didn't affect their relationship, Jarv didn't object. Given time, Jarv knew he would change.

One of Scott's flaws was his compulsion to be around socially prominent people. It bothered Jarv the way Scott was getting caught up in the social whirl of the Westerville crowd. Jarv's heavy travel schedule didn't appear to hurt their marriage. His usual weekly schedule was to take an early flight to New York on Monday morning, returning to Atlanta on Thursday evening. Scott also had to devote more of his time at the hospital. He also elected to change his program which was to add yet another year to his residency program. That was fine with Jarv. It gave him another year to develop new accounts.

Todd and his partners were so worried about losing Jarv that they formed the Jarvis Purdey division and gave him complete control over the division. A wise move on their part, since Jarv's accounts were now generating sixty-percent of the company's business. He knew he would not have been able to juggle all the new business without Todd's help. Todd was a genius when it came to organization. They became closer than ever and Jarv felt a bond between them that went much deeper than he was willing to admit. He loved him dearly, but not in a sexual way. It was a good relationship and he trusted him without reservations. Jarv could communicate with Todd about things that he could never discuss with Scott. He admired Todd and felt he was one of the most talented men he had ever met.

Todd taught Jarv things that would have taken years for him to learn on his own. God must have been in Jarv's corner, because Todd had introduced him to some very unique people who were genuine in their support and unselfish in their desire to see him grow. Jarv was truly blessed and very grateful.

One of the first things he did after becoming Vice President was to hire his own creative staff, some of whom he worked with at Princeton. Jarv retained a recruiting firm to search for the top creative directors and copy writers in the business. It was imperative to staff his division with people who were not only loyal to him, but had the talent to train new people for his future expansion. He was building for the future and began to move into phase two of his five-year plan.

Grant was very pleased with Jarv's talent and was pushing him to contact some of his business associates. The reason Jarv didn't at the time, was because he had his hands full managing the Lee and Westerville accounts. He had no intention of turning those accounts over to another account manager or of losing them to his competitors. He wanted to buck the industry trend and continue to hold on to his clients long after the usual one-year industry contract. That is why he worked harder than any other agency to keep his clients happy. Jarv knew his clients well and had developed a professional relationship with all the key executives. He never missed a deadline, nor did he become complacent. They were paying him top dollar and he always gave them top quality service in return.

Now with his new creative staff in place, Jarv felt confident enough to seek some new business, and in particular, the account Grant had mentioned. The company was the Petro-Chemical Division of the MacDonald-Stevens Corporation. The Westerville Group and MacDonald-Stevens Corp were business partners in the South America market for many years. Grant talked to his counterpart, Mac Stevens, and arranged an appointment to meet with him at the MacDonald-Stevens Corporate offices on Park Avenue. Their corporate offices were located in Stevens Glen, New York.

Jarv didn't know it at the time, but that meeting was to change his life dramatically. Grant had not prepared him for the meeting. Maybe, if he had, Jarv would have been as nervous as hell. The lettering on the outside of the building read, 'The Stevens Building,' that should have triggered a warning bell in Jarv's brain, but it didn't. In any event, the building directory showed that the MacDonald-Stevens Corp was on the 49th floor. When he got off the elevator, he walked into another world. It felt like he was walking into someone's private living room. The gold plaque over the reception desk read The Stevens Company.

What impressed him the most was the exquisite decor of the reception area. It was the most elegant reception room he had ever seen. The receptionist sat behind a beautiful carved mahogany desk with an intricate inlay design over the entire surface. The room was warm and comfortable with gold-framed oil paintings hanging on the walls and beautiful antique furniture. The hardwood floors were covered with Persian rugs with the most unusual rich designs and colors. He couldn't help myself, and he had to stop to examine the paintings.

The receptionist smiled, "Take your time, many people admire the lovely paintings," she said. He handed her his card and told her he had an appointment with Mac Stevens. A few minutes later Mac Stevens' secretary, Barbara, came out and ushered him into his office. Again, this was a large beautifully furnished office. Only this one was decorated with a mural depicting a country home setting in what appeared to be rolling hills with grazing horses, very tasteful and relaxing. Mac Stevens stood and shook his hand. He was well over six feet tall and looked like he fit in with his surroundings. He was young, handsome, and charming.

Mac's friendly outgoing way put Jarv at ease. They talked for over an hour. The thing that impressed Jarv about him was his directness and his in-depth knowledge of his divisions. He gave Jarv a quick rundown on his organization and what he was looking for in an outside advertising agency. He explained that he had his own in-house agency, but they were overloaded with work and knew very little about the South American market. He wanted an agency that understood both the South America and U.S. petrochemical market. He told Jarv that Grant had praised his work and suggested that he try using Jarv's agency for any future work.

Jarv explained the work he had been doing for the Westervilles, and the Lee Organization, and of course GM. Mac thanked him for coming and asked him to meet with Eric Landsdorf, the President of the Petro-Chemical division. After Jarv had met with Eric, he said, the next step would be to submit a proposal. Mac went on to explain in detail his Petro-Chemical Division and how he thought his division should be marketed. He concluded the meeting by giving Jarv Eric's contact information. He personally escorted Jarv to the elevator and wished him luck.

The following week Jarv had a two-hour meeting with Eric Landsdorf and his Director of Marketing at Corporate Headquarters in Stevens Glen, New York. The meeting went well and Jarv was impressed with what he learned. These men were of the same high caliber as Mac. He walked away from that meeting with a good feeling about the company. He could feel the dynamics of this organization. This company was on the move. Their image should be reflected in their advertising. Jarv worked very hard to bring the feeling to the advertising concept. He had several brainstorming sessions with his staff until he finally had what he wanted, at least that's how he perceived their image.

A month passed since he had submitted his proposal and he was anxious to learn of the outcome. It's always a bad sign when your clients don't respond after two weeks. Jarv was not in the best of moods when he left for New York that Monday morning. Scott was a good sport about it, but he really didn't grasp the significance of this proposal. He felt that two weeks was long enough and that Jarv should just call the guy.

Scott was right, and that was exactly what Jarv planned to do when he returned to his office. However when he reached the office that morning, there was a voice mail message from Mac Stevens. Jarv returned Mac's call but he was in meetings all morning. When Jarv was able to reach him later that afternoon, Mac apologized for not getting back to him sooner. Not only did Jarv get the account, Mac thought the proposal was the most creative in-depth proposal he had seen in a while. His parting words were, "If you handle this account well, you can count on a lot more of our business."

Jarv was overjoyed and called both Scott and Todd with the news. Scott couldn't be reached so he left a message with their service. Todd was ecstatic and said he was taking the next flight to New York to go over the contract and to celebrate. That meant a lot to Jarv. He made a couple of more attempts to reach Scott with no luck. He finally called Scott's boss and learned he was out of town on a three-day vacation. Jarv's next call was to Grant to break the good news and to thank him for his support.

"Congratulations, Jarv," Grant said. "I knew you and Mac would hit it off. As a matter of fact he called me after your meeting with Eric and told me that unless you screwed up badly, he planned to hire you."

"Grant, I can't thank you enough. You are a great friend and I love you like a brother, I owe you big time. Hey, speaking of brothers, do you know where Scott is off to?"

"Scott took off with dad this morning for another of those straight parties in the Caribbean. Old Scott loves to play straight stud with the ladies. I guess it makes him feel macho. You better keep a leash on that puppy it you want my advice, he's one good looking hot stud."

Jarv laughed, "That's why I married him. I've nothing to worry about on that score. I trust Scott."

"Now where have I heard that one before, old buddy? When was the last time you two had a vacation together? If I were you, Jarv, I'd think about getting away together."

"You're right, Grant. Thanks for the advice."

The Four Seasons

"You have made this an outstanding day for me, Todd. You always do the right thing and have made me very happy. What can I say that I haven't said so many times in the past? You are a great partner, a super guy, not to mention a loyal friend. You know if I weren't married to Scott, and you weren't married to Gil, I think you would have made a great lover."

Todd chuckled, "Now you tell me. Thanks for the compliment, it's the nicest I've had for some time, particularly from a handsome, talented, hot stud like you. Scott doesn't know how lucky he is. Something is bothering you, Jarv; would you like to talk about it?"

"You know me too well, and I can't hide anything from you anymore. The truth is I'm a little concerned about Scott. You know this sixth sense I have. Well I'm getting some bad vibrations about Scott and that worries me. Maybe I'm overreacting, but I just don't know how to act otherwise. Other than a handful of people, you're the only one in this organization who knows of my relationship with Scott. I know you have been through some tough times in the past with lovers, so I thought you would listen to my tale and give me your insight."

"I'll do what I can; tell me what's bothering you; maybe you're overreacting. How is your sex life with Scott?"

"It's better than ever, in fact it's too good. I know that may sound strange, but that was one of the first things that made me wonder if everything was really all right. Scott has always been great in bed. He had a few hang-ups in the beginning when it comes to male sex, but in the last several months he has changed his preferences. And that is what bothers me. He only wants anal intercourse now. He was never a bottom before. I know he still loves me, because he is still as passionate as ever."

"I don't see the problem, Jarv. What makes you think there's something wrong?"

"Scott was engaged to be married before he broke it off and married me. He told me in detail the kind of sex he had with Margot and his other girlfriends. You see that the sex he has with me, he can't have with a woman. I think Scott feels guilty cheating on me. He never mentioned that he would be out of town this week. I tried to reach him several times today and he's not returned my calls. I called his boss and learned that he took three days off. Later, I spoke to Grant with the good news and he told me Scott was off to another party with his Dad. What bothered me was Grant's statement about Scott partying with his dad and that I should keep an eye on him before some female latched onto a hot stud like him. Grant suggested that Scott and I should get away together for a second honeymoon.

"I can see a pattern emerging here, Todd. This is exactly the way Scott used to act when we dated in college. Before my mother knew that Scott and I were a couple, she was very happy to learn that we were going to live together in Atlanta, because he could be manipulated so easily by a clever woman. I would not be surprised if Scott is fooling around with one of those rich socialites. When I left this morning, he told me he was really bogged down at the hospital and would be putting long hours in at the hospital. So don't be surprised if he was not home when I called. I'm afraid, Todd. I've never felt this scared before. I love Scott so much."

"I think the only way you're going to find out the truth is to confront Scott with your suspicions. For your own piece of mind, Jarv, you've got to clear the air. So far your work has not suffered from this, but if you let this fester, it will start to affect your work. I've been there and I know what it can do to a career. Was there any one woman he happened to mention?"

"The name Cathy Caldwell came up a few times. Does her name ring a bell?"

"It sure does, I know Cathy, and she’s been married several times before. She happens to be a young, wealthy, attractive lady. If she has set her cap for Scott, he's in trouble. She is a very clever woman and usually gets what she wants. I can check this out for you, if you really want to know. I have a friend who makes it her business to know all the gossip going around in Atlanta."

"Please do, I must get to the bottom of this."

As soon as they returned to the penthouse Todd placed a call to Lois. The maid told him that her mistress was out for the evening. She took his name and phone number.

Jarv related to Todd his conversations with Mac and of the subsequent conversation he had with the VP of Marketing and Advertising for MacDonald-Stevens. He told him of Mac's parting statement about using him for the other divisions as well.

"Jarv, do you realize that the Erickson account alone could double the agency's business?"

"Yes, I ran the figures through this morning. I went a step further; I guesstimated what the gross volume the other MacDonald-Stevens division would contribute to our bottom line and I almost fell off my chair."

Todd smiled, "I may have to come out of retirement to help you out. Do you realize what your commission will be and the amount of stock you will receive with the Erickson business alone, Jarv?"

"Yes, Todd, I'll be a millionaire before my twenty-seventh birthday."

The telephone rang and Jarv answered it. "Just a moment please, I'll put him on, Todd it's Lois."

Todd spoke to her for over a half an hour before ending the call. "I'm afraid it's not good news, Jarv. Do you want to hear what Lois told me?" Jarv nodded his head, yes. "Lois said that Scott and Cathy Caldwell are an item. They've been seen together holding hands at some of the best parties and are acting like a couple of love birds. Cathy has let it be known, that she has found herself a handsome hunk and plans to marry soon. According to Lois, Scott has been seen at several parties with Cathy. She can confirm the West Palm Beach weekend, because she was also a guest at Cathy's estate. I'm sorry I had to be the one to tell you, Jarv. It's too bad Grant didn't say something sooner."

Jarv stared at Todd for a long time before he answered. "My dear friend, thank you for your help. This must bring back some painful memories for you. I'm sorry you had to be the messenger. I feel as if I've just received several punches in the stomach from Mike Tyson. The pain hurts so much that I can't cry. The light of my life has just burned out. That is the way I feel right now. I've loved Scott for sixteen years and have been happily married for the last three years. The sad part is that I'm still in love with him. He is a very confused soul and we both will suffer for what he has done. I feel so alone. I'm feeling the same pain I did when I lost my father."

"You'll get over it, Jarv, believe me, we all do. It will just take time. Fortunately, in your case, you're young and have a bright future ahead of you. I'm sorry that it turned out this way, and I liked Scott. I understand what you are going through right now, I've been there and suffered the same agony you're feeling right now.

"It's uncanny how similar our lives are. This penthouse is where I lived with James Stratford, my first lover. He died in my arms in the bedroom you are using. That is why I'll never sell this apartment. It holds too many fond memories for me. What no one knows is that James made me a multimillionaire after he died. I knew he had money, but I never realized how much. The last year of his life was the happiest I had ever known, that is, until I met Gil. After all these years, I've finally found the lover I've been seeking since James died."

"You will find the right person too. Don't become bitter by what Scott has done; you're a fine, handsome young man and won't have any trouble finding someone. The sooner you get over Scott, the quicker you get on with your life. You must put this behind you. Right now you have your goal within your reach, for God's sake, don't drop the ball now."

"Do you know what your next step is, Jarv?"

"Absolutely! As soon as I can pull my team together, I intend to tackle the Erickson account. In the meantime, I'll fly to Atlanta to clear out of the apartment and say farewell to Scott. From now on I won't have to waste my time commuting to Atlanta ever weekend. I can devote all my time and energy to the business. Todd, I want you to leave Carnabee, Carter and Darlington and become my partner."

"Wow, you don't pull your punches, do you? Tell me exactly what you have in mind first."

"I intend to buy out my division from Carnabee, Carter and Darlington. Now that Scott is out of the picture, I have no reason to stay in Atlanta. Since my new major accounts are headquartered in the tri-state area, I plan to make New York my home base. Let's face it; the concentration of talent is here anyway. Secondly, I don't intend to support the corporate structure in Atlanta. My division grosses 70 percent of the company's business. You are the only one I care about. You alone have given me the support and guidance I needed and I feel you are the only person entitled to share in the rewards.

"I want you to come up with a fair and equitable figure within ten days. If we can't arrive at a figure by then, I intend to go ahead and open my own agency next month and take the MacDonald Stevens, Lee and the Westerville accounts with me. I personally feel that Ed and Bret have financed this division yet have not contributed anything else, but I'm willing to pay them off for bankrolling the operation up to this point. It would also make things easier to take over the operation without my wasting time with a new start up procedure.

"You are the only person I care about, anyway, and I need you to handle the daily operations of the business. Todd, I know you're not interested in the money, but I promise you that you will never regret joining me as a partner. I intend to become the most prestigious and creative agency in the world. I guarantee you that within five years, we will be turning clients away." Jarv smiled, "We'll leave them all behind, Todd; it will be quite a ride, and one you will never regret."

Todd smiled, "God, you're good. You're one of those rare talents in this business. Not only are you a smart business man, but you are also a creative genius, that's an unbeatable combination in any business. I saw that in you from the first day you walked into my office in Atlanta and you have proved me right. Today you're right on target with the plan you laid out three years ago. Quite honestly, I was seriously thinking of retiring. I'm happy with Gil and I love Atlanta. This is something I need to think about and to talk over with Gil."

"You're too young to retire. If that were the case, you wouldn't have come back to train me. You retired, and took your long deserved rest. But after six months, you became bored. By all means discuss this with Gil, but we both know he'll go along with anything you want to do. I've grown to like Gil, mainly because he is a stable and a dependable guy. You'll never have to worry about him straying. He loves you and would never even consider betraying your trust. You left the agency because you were exhausted and became involved with the wrong men. Your creative juices began to flow again after you found Gil. Look, I don't expect, nor do I want you to jump back in the trenches again. Let the young tigers do that. Your place is to manage the creative staff. I'll take care of the trenches. I'm free now to handle the field work. You need to be here to mind the store. When I'm back in the office, you can run home and play house with Gil.

"Scott and I planned to start raising a family as soon as we had enough money. Now I have the money to start my family. As soon as our company is running smoothly, I plan to start to have children. When my kids are old enough, I plan to give up this rat race and spend the rest of my life raising them."

"My partners are not going to be happy selling the division to you," Todd said. "I'm warning you that they will fight to stop you from walking away with the Lee, and Westerville accounts. They probably can't do much about the MacDonald-Stevens business, but for sure they will on the established accounts. They'll fight you in court."

"First of all, those accounts have never belonged to the agency. They were always my accounts. If your partners took the trouble to read the contract, they would have discovered that the contracts were awarded to me and not to any agency. I have complete creative and artistic control over every phase of the contract. In fact, the Lees and the Westervilles were the ones who wanted it that way. They wanted me have complete control of their account because they felt I knew exactly what they wanted."

"So you see, I have the authority to pull those contracts from this agency and farm them out to any agency of my choosing. All I need to do is call my clients and tell them I'm changing agencies." Jarv smiled at Todd, "Rest assured, I would never do anything that would hurt you. You are my mentor and the only man I respect in this business. It's obvious to me that there is no love lost between you and Bret. As for Ed, he's an administrator. You and I, on the other hand, are a good team and we respect each other. We don't have to prove who is the better man, because we are the best."

"You really believe that, don't you, Jarv?"

"I've always known we would be working together in the future. All I had to do was earn your respect. Once I accomplished that, the rest would follow. I think I have achieved that objective, or we wouldn't be having this conversation today. I've been blessed with a good mind and a sixth sense about people. I can usually predict within a reasonable amount of certainty, a person's true reaction to my ideas. I'm able to extract the image and ideas they want to convey. I remember an incredible remark a client once made in one of our creative sessions. 'I don't know what I want, but what you're showing me is not it.' To me, this indicates that they hadn't probed deeply enough to learn what the client wanted. I usually spend days with a client before I come up with a creative concept. That is one of the reasons I've been successful. I'm not really concerned about losing a client, because I know they'll be back after they've wasted their time with my competition."

"Scott is a humbling experience for me, because I look upon him as my first failure. This experience has taught me a good lesson, and I'll never become complacent again. I never thought for a moment that Scott would not be here to share this day with me. These are the goals we agreed to before we married. Scott is confused and needs years of therapy to help him solve his problems. I know for certain, that he will be deeply scared from this relationship with Cathy Caldwell. But, I don't fault Cathy for what happened. Scott was a willing victim. I'm convinced now that he thinks he is bi-sexual. What a tragic mistake he is making. This relationship with Cathy will not last. You see, Scott will always be mine and that's what hurts."

"I don't understand you, Jarv? We both know that you are deeply in love with Scott, yet you sit and calmly speak about your marriage as if it was a case study."

"The reality hasn't set in yet, Todd. A couple of things you should know. Scott did the same thing to me before. Secondly, he is still in love with me, and he is still in denial about his homosexuality. I had no problem with that and never did. Scott is incapable of loving any woman and Cathy will discover this after the excitement wears off. As much as I love Scott, and as painful as this separation will be, I will take him back when he accepts who he is."

"He made a commitment to me and he broke it. When he finally realizes the truth about himself, he'll come back to me. Scott is the only man for me, there can never be another as long as he lives. It's getting late and I have a heavy schedule for the next few days; I need to hit the sack. Think over what I said and let me know your answer on Monday. I am flying into Atlanta, as usual, Thursday afternoon and will stay at the Ritz. I'll spend Friday with our houseboy to make sure he knows what to send up to New York, and be on my way back to New York Friday afternoon."

"Look, Jarv, you can stay at my apartment in Atlanta, you don't have to stay at a hotel."

"Thanks for the offer, but I think the Ritz would be better. It's fitting that it should be the Ritz. That is where we took our vows and spent our honeymoon. Back to the scene of the crime so to speak."

Todd stood and walked over to Jarv and hugged him, "Are you sure you're going to be all right?"

Jarv kissed Todd on the cheek, "I'll be fine; I love you, Todd; see you in the morning."

Todd had tears in his eyes as he walked to his bedroom. He called Gil and told him the whole story.

"Good God, I can't believe this, Todd. What the hell did you walk into, babe? I'm glad you were there for Jarv. You know how I feel about him; he is like one of my sons. I think Scott should have his head examined. What makes this tragedy even worse is how it is going to affect the family. It's going to be very traumatic for that family. They will never be the same again. God, how sad. Are you going into business with him?"

"That's what we have to talk about; I'm not going to make that decision without discussing it with you first."

"What do you want to do?"

"I would like to join him until he gets it off the ground."

"Then go for it, sweetheart. Maybe I'll get a chance to see you more often in New York. Janet is responding to this new drug and is gaining weight again. I don't know how she does it. Look, babe, I'll be at the airport to meet you tomorrow afternoon. See you tomorrow."

Todd awoke late the next morning. He found the note Jarv left on the kitchen table for him;

'Can't waste the whole morning waiting for you to get up; see you at the office.
Love, Jarv.'

Jarv was in his office working on his computer when Todd strolled in at eight o'clock. Jarv smiled, "Good morning, sleepy head."

"Good morning, Jarv. What time did you get here?"

"Six o'clock, I have a nine o'clock meeting that should last all day. I had to get this memo typed and copied before the troops arrive."

"Are you all right this morning? You're not on anything, are you?"

Jarv smiled, "If you're going to hug me, close the door, I don't want the staff to get any ideas."

Todd laughed out loud, "I talked to Gil last night. He was shocked and sends his love. He also said it would be okay with him if I wanted to join you in your new venture. So, tiger, it looks like you've got yourself a new partner."

Jarv stared at him for a long time and said nothing. Todd got up and closed the office door because the tears were running down Jarv's cheeks. He could not stop at this point. Todd left and closed the door behind him. He was back in a few minutes with a towel and a carafe of ice water. He flipped the do-not-disturb sign on the door and closed it behind himself as he entered. Jarv had stopped crying and had calmed down.

Todd wet the towel. "Here, Jarv put this cold towel over your eyes and lean back in your chair. Take in deep breaths and try to relax."

"You're a life saver, Todd. Thank you for joining me in our new company. Sorry I broke down like that, but I was so relieved that you made your decision to be my partner. I don't think I could have taken another rejection at this point. Thank God my luck is changing for the better."

"One question," Todd asked, "who's going to bankroll this operation? We will need up front money until we start receiving payments from our clients. Be prepared for Ed's and Bret's retaliation. I'm certain they will cut off all your funds until this issue is resolved. They are not going to be happy campers and will want an inflated price for this division."

"Let me make a few calls," Jarv said. He placed a call to Grant in Atlanta. "Grant, I'm ready to go ahead with that buyout we discussed. Are you still willing to back me?"

"Absolutely, Jarv, what are friends for. I'll bankroll you up to $100-million at the going interest rate for as long as you want. As I recall from our last discussion, that division was billing $88-million."

"I don't have the figures right now Grant, but I've doubled the billings over last year. Before I forget, Todd sends his regards and we both thank you for your help. I've been awarded the Erickson Division account as of yesterday."

"Way to go, Jarv. If you keep Mac happy, you're in solid with his organization. Since you've landed the MacDonald-Stevens company account, your credit is good up to $250-million".

"Can you recommend a good lawyer who practices in New York?"

"Well, you can call the boy-genius, Randy Cavanaugh, of Cavanaugh & Cavanaugh, on Park Avenue. Tell Randy I told you to call him and that you're working for me and Mac. Anything else I can help you with, handsome?"

"Thanks, you've made my day. May I call you every morning to get my morning high?"

Grant laughed, "Any time."

Jarv made the call to Randy. "Hello, Randy, this is Jarv Purdey, I'm a close friend of Grant Westerville and I need someone to handle my legal work. Grant said you were the best. I'm also working for Mac Stevens and I'll need you to look over that contract as well."

"Look, why don't we get together for breakfast tomorrow morning and we can discuss your problem," Randy said. "If I can't help you, my Dad will. Let's say seven o'clock at 333 Central Park south."

"I'll be there; thanks, Randy."

"Okay, partner, we have a blank check for up to $250-million from Grant and I'll be sitting down with the lawyer tomorrow morning to form the corporation. I'll call you and let you know what he has to say. By the way, I'm adding my surname to the new company name. We'll call the company Darlington, King-Purdey Agency. Is that all right with you?"

"Just fine, Jarv. I'm learning more about you every day. So your surname was King, why not drop the Purdey?"

"I may do that one day, but it would take too long to legalize the name. Anyway, all my business associates know me as Purdey."

"I'm catching a noon flight out of here, Jarv, so I won't be seeing you until next week sometime. Remember, if you need me any time, day or night, call. You're not alone, and remember Gil and I are in your corner. Call me after your meeting with Randy."

"Thanks for everything, Todd. I love you and Gil; don't worry about me, I'll be fine now that I have a new business to build."

After Todd left, Jarv made one more call to Scott. Carl the houseboy answered. "Is Scott there, Carl?"

"No, sir, he must have left for the hospital."

"Please tell Scott to meet me for dinner at the Ritz Carlton in Buckhead at six o'clock Thursday evening. I'll see you early Friday morning."

Jarv called the Ritz Carlton and made reservations for dinner, and for a room for Thursday. His final call was to his sister, Bobbie, to invite her to his apartment for lunch on Saturday. With that done, he headed for his meeting.

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To be continued...

Posted: 03/16/12