Courtesan Ch. 35

"Does Kelly know about this?"

"Yes and she's hoping that you're going to take the position. Timmy we'll start you out at a salary of eighty thousand dollars per year with the opportunity to earn bonuses. You understand how the bonus system works at JTandR, don't you?"

"Yes, Kelly explained it to me."

"Will you take the job?"

"When would I have to start?"

"We'd like you to start immediately."

I sighed. "Mr. Jackson, you're offering me a wonderful opportunity, but I can't accept it. I still have obligations at my two current jobs."

As I said those words I knew that Kelly was going to kill me. I was turning down a position that would pay eighty thousand dollars a year so that I could continue working at two jobs that weren't paying me anything at all.

Mr. Jackson stared at me.

I shook my head. "Please don't be offended sir, I really do wish that I could accept your offer. It's just that the people I work for right now need me and I wouldn't feel good about walking away from them."

"Don't Worry Timmy, I'm not offended. In fact, this display of loyalty to your current employers intensifies my interest in hiring you."

I smiled at him and then I shrugged. It was an awkward situation. I couldn't think of anything else to do."

Mr. Jackson started to chuckle. "Timmy, you may be a submissive masochist, but I have to say that you're one tough son of a bitch. You certainly aren't afraid to stand up to me and I get the feeling that there isn't very much in this world that does scare you."

"Spiders, I'm afraid of spiders."

He looked at me for a moment and then he laughed. "Timmy, I'm beginning to understand why Tonya and Mandy are so taken with you." Grinning, he leaned forward and whispered; "I'll let you in on a little secret. I'm afraid of them too."

I grinned back at him.

"Okay, let's return to this employment situation. I assume that you're talking about your jobs at Kirby's Quick Stop and The Southwest Crier."

"Yes, that's right, but how did you know about them?"

Mr. Jackson rolled his eyes. "Timmy remember, one of the reasons that JTandR is so successful is that we do our homework. Also Mandy, Tonya and Kelly have been providing me with regular updates about your situation. Do you want to hear something funny?"

"What's that?"

"All three of them predicted your initial rejection of my offer."

Laughing, I said; "That's a relief. I was afraid that Kelly would kill me when I she found out that I turned you down."

Mr. Jackson chuckled. "Actually, if you don't accept this offer I think she will kill you. "

"But you just said..."

Holding up his hand to stop me, Mr. Jackson said; "Timmy before you say anything more why don't you let me give you some additional information."

"But..."

"Please just listen to me."

"All right."

"I first heard about Kirby and Elvira last Saturday night at Eagle Lake. Tonya, Mandy and Kelly told me about Kirby's amazing effort to save Elvira. I have to admit that I was deeply moved by the story."

Mr. Jackson paused for a moment and then he said, "Timmy, we live in a cold and calculating world. As a cutthroat businessman I work in an environment that's the coldest of the cold. Hearing about a man like Kirby is warming and revitalizing."

I smiled. "Yes it is."

He shook his head. "Then Tonya told me that he was losing his store, that broke my heart."

Taking a deep breath Mr. Jackson said, "Timmy that first day we met in my office I told you that John, Wendell and I were tough businessmen, but we've always tried to make our money without hurting anyone."

"Yes, I remember."

"We're also always on the lookout for opportunities to accomplish some good while were doing business." He smiled at me. "Later that night, after Mandy, Tonya, Keisha, Kelly and Antoine had all retired to their private rooms with their associates I called the coordinator of our New Projects Section and asked him to assign two research assistants to investigate the circumstances surrounding Kirby's store."

"What did your researchers learn?"

"They started their investigation late Sunday morning and by the early afternoon they'd come to the conclusion that he didn't have a chance."

"Really? Why?"

"Timmy, a year ago the most successful food chain in America opened a twenty-four hour megastore just two blocks south of Kirby's store." He sighed. "And last spring one of the largest oil companies in the world opened an ultramodern convenience store gas station a block and a half east of the Quick Stop. I don't care if Kirby is the greatest businessman in the world, he cannot compete with those giants."

"So what can Kirby do?"

"It isn't what Kirby can do, it's what we can do."

"Tell me."

"Sunday evening I called Tonya and told her about the report from the research assistants. She told me that Kirby had already come to the same conclusion, but he was trapped. He owed money to his land lord and to his suppliers. He was a man who prided himself on paying his debts, so he couldn't just walk away. The only solution he could think of was to try to sell off all of his remaining shelf stock and use the money to pay off as much of his debt as possible. Tonya said that he understood that that was a futile endeavor."

"That night as I went to sleep I worked out a possible plan. In their report the research assistants had stated that the property was at the intersection of two very busy streets. They felt that it was a prime location for almost any business except an independent convenience store."

"Early Monday morning I met with the coordinator of our acquisitions section and asked him to have a team of appraisers evaluate the property. I wanted an estimate of the properties current value and the potential value after the economy recovers. I also asked him to have one of our real estate attorneys contact the owner and inquire about his interest in selling the property."

"Monday afternoon I met with the real estate attorney and the team of appraisers. The appraisers had looked at all the other properties in the area that were for sale. They reported that nothing was selling, and prices were plummeting. They agreed with the research assistants that the property was in a prime commercial location and they also believed that after the recession ends the value of the property will sky rocket."

"When the attorney informed me that the property owner was strapped for cash and desperate to sell I knew that we were looking at a situation that had the potential to return a very nice profit for a minimal amount of risk and effort."

"After taking a few minutes to decide on a fair offer, I instructed the attorney to contact Kirby's land lord and negotiate the purchase of the property. I made it clear to him that all of our offers had to include a provision that the sale of the property would fulfill all of Kirby's financial obligations related to that property."

"You mean the back rent he owes."

"That's correct." Mr. Jackson nodded and then he smiled at me. "Timmy at eight o'clock Monday evening the attorney called and informed me that the land lord jumped at our offer and we had a signed purchase agreement for the property."

"So you're now Kirby's land lord."

"We haven't had a formal closing yet. That will happen next week." He shook his head. "But even if we'd already closed, JTandR still wouldn't be Kirby's land lord."

"What do you mean?"

"We're not in the property rental business. We don't want to be land lords."

"But you bought the property?"

"As a long term investment. We plan to raze the building and let the property sit as a vacant lot."

"Why would you do that?"

"The building that currently houses Kirby's store is actually a liability for us. It's an old structure in need of extensive repairs. While we're holding the property the building would add to our insurance costs and increase the taxes . When we finally decide to sell the site, the buyers will most likely be planning to erect a new building, so the existing structure will also be a liability for them."

"What's going to happen to Kirby's store?"

"Yesterday afternoon I purchased the store from him for ten thousand dollars. Shortly after you left in the Lincoln this morning, a crew of workers arrived and helped Kirby complete his inventory. Once that was was done the crew began loading all of the merchandise on to a truck so that it can be taken to a local food shelf for distribution to the needy."

"If you're going to give everything away, why did you bother to complete the inventory?"

"Tax purposes."

I shook my head. "Kirby never said a word to me about this."

"That was at my request."

"Why?"

"Timmy, I've always believed that in business it's wise to play your cards close to your vest."

I chuckled. "You enjoy a little subterfuge, don't you."

There was a noticeable twinkle in Mr. Jackson's eyes as he grinned at me and said, "I does seem to add spice to the hum drum of daily life."

"So what's going to happen to Kirby?"

"Why are you worried? He has enough money to pay off his debts. He's a free man now, he can do anything he wants to do."

I shook my head. "That store was his life. Now that it's gone he's going to die of boredom. Mr. Jackson, everybody has to have something to do."

Trying to conceal his smile Mr. Jackson said, "Well, he does have Tonya." He paused for a moment and then he added, "And his new job."

"His new job? What new job?"

"I decided that it would be much more efficient if the new Project Promotion Section had it's own Lincoln. Of course, the car is useless without a driver."

"You mean Kirby is going to drive a Lincoln for JTandR?"

"Yes, specifically for the hostesses."

I laughed. "That's wonderful! I think that might very well be his idea of the perfect job." I looked at Mr. Jackson with a puzzled expression. "How did you know that."

Grinning at me, he said; "Tonya told me."

I smiled. The answer to my question should have been obvious. I paused for a moment and then I asked. "When does he start working?"

"This afternoon."

"Mr. Jackson, that was a very nice thing to do."

"Timmy, Kirby is very happy about his new job and that does please me, but this also helps me. I 'm certain that Kirby Lundquist will be an extremely reliable employee for us."

I nodded. "Yes Mr. Jackson, I believe he will."

Suddenly I thought about Elvira and my euphoric mood vanished.

Noticing my abrupt change in demeanor Mr. Jackson quietly said, "You're worried about Elvira, aren't you."

I nodded. "Yes I am. The store may have been most important to her."

"I know. Timmy over the past couple of days Mandy and Tonya haven't been able to stop talking about that woman. It was obvious to me that they both liked her very much. That piqued my curiosity so I made some discreet inquiries. I learned that before she retired she was the office manager for the Magnussen Construction Company. I know Albert Magnussen, he's a very wealthy man. He's invested in several of our projects. Yesterday morning I called him and asked him about Elvira. He told me that she was the most efficient employee he's ever had. He said that she almost ran Magnussen Construction and it took the company nearly a year to recover from her retirement." Mr. Jackson started laughing. "He also told me that she slept with most of his male employees and several of his female employees."

That made me start laughing too.

"Timmy, Tonya desperately needs a good administrative assistant. I offered the job to Elvira yesterday afternoon. She accepted it immediately."

"You mean Ellie's going to be working for JTandR too?"

"That's correct. She also starts this afternoon."

A wave of disappointment suddenly rolled through me. I was happy for Kirby and Elvira, but I felt like a little kid who was watching all of his friends get into the car to go to the circus while he had to stay behind. The new project promotions department was going to be a wonderful place to work and I wasn't going to be part of it.

I looked at Mr. Jackson and sighed. "Now more than ever I wish I could accept that job you just offered me, but I still can't."

He nodded. "You're concerned about Ellen and The Southwest Crier, aren't you."

"Yes."

"At eight o'clock Monday morning I asked the same two research assistants who had put together the report on Kirby's store to investigate The Crier. It was an easy task for them. They were able to get all the information they needed from telephone contacts and the Internet. At ten o'clock they delivered a detailed report to me."

Mr. Jackson took a moment to organize his thoughts and then he said, "Timmy I'm sure you're aware of the history of The Crier. It started out as a local neighborhood newspaper. Twenty years ago they were common in our suburban communities. They reported news about local government, the schools and community activities. They generated most of their revenues by running advertisements for area businesses. There was a time that they fulfilled an important need. They reported news that the major metropolitan papers had neither the time nor the inclination to report. Unfortunately that time is long passed. Now people are able to get that information from Internet web sites."

He shrugged. "Your friend Ellen has been trying to operate a newspaper that's an anachronism. No matter what she does, as long as she stays with the current format, her eventual failure is inevitable."

I nodded in agreement. I'd long ago come to that same conclusion. I was just reluctant to admit it. I liked Ellen and I liked working for a newspaper. I didn't want it to fail.

"Timmy, Ellen also fell into a vicious cycle. It's a cycle that's currently affecting the most prestigious publications in America. The Internet is killing our newspapers. Circulation is down for all of them. As circulation drops so do advertising revenues. In an effort to try to remain profitable newspapers have to cut their expenses. This means fewer reporters which results in a reduction in content. Of course a sparser, less comprehensive newspaper isn't as satisfying to subscribers, so circulation drops even further."

I smiled. "Which again reduces advertising revenues and that forces the newspaper to make even more cutbacks in staff so that it can continue to remain profitable." I looked at Mr. Jackson. "Ellen's in a hopeless situation, isn't she."

Mr. Jackson slowly shook his head. "No Timmy, I don't think she is. My research assistants are good. Once they established the problems Ellen was facing they started looking for possible solutions. They began by looking for successful local newspapers."

"Did they find any?"

"Yes, in fact they found several. They're all local arts, entertainment and dining newspapers. When they're well run these publications can be very successful."

"Do you think Ellen could turn The Crier into one of those?"

"Not on her own. She has another problem. Sunday morning, before we left Eagle Lake, I took a little time to ask Kelly about your two jobs. While we were discussing your situation at The Crier she told me about Ellen and the problems she's recently had in her personal life."

"Her husband abandoned her."

"Yes and that destroyed her financially." Mr. Jackson leaned forward. "Timmy, Ellen has the skill to restructure The Crier; but before she can do it she needs some help."

"Can you help her?"

"I already have." Mr. Jackson was smiling. "I had an accountant and an attorney from my acquisitions section meet with Ellen on Monday afternoon."

"She told me that she was meeting with some people who were interested in buying The Crier. She was excited."

"Yes, she's in debt and she's desperately looking for ways to get out of debt. Timmy we met with her partly to assess her interest in selling The Crier..."

"Selling The Crier?"

"Yes, my analysts are convinced that The Crier can be turned into a profitable business. Timmy, this is one of the ways we make money at JTandR. We find businesses that are failing and buy them. After we make the changes necessary to make them profitable again we either sell them or run them ourselves."

"Are you going to buy The Crier?"

"We already have. We bought it last night."

"What about Ellen? Are you going to force her out?" I was suddenly feeling very uneasy about what Mr. Jackson was doing.

He smiled. "Timmy your concern for your friends is inspirational. I hope that someday you'll be my friend."

I stared at Mr. Jackson. Compliments were not going to calm my apprehension.

Recognizing my concern and building agitation, he said In a very calm voice; "Timmy I have no intention of forcing Ellen out. If we're going to be successful with The Crier we need her."

He paused and then he added, "But she also needed us. She was desperate and begging for help. The other reason my representatives met with her on Monday afternoon was to ascertain exactly what her needs were. Of course she needed money and when we bought The Crier she received enough to pay off all of her debts."

He looked at me. "But Timmy, money was not her primary need. Ellen needed structure and support. Owning a small business sounds very romantic, but it has a huge drawback. Small business owners are out there all by themselves. No one is looking out for them. The moment Ellen signed the papers selling The Crier to us she became an employee of JTandR. She now earns a regular salary and has full benefits, benefits that include health insurance for both her and her children."

I now understood exactly what Mr. Jackson had done for Ellen. I smiled at him. "Thank you, that was a very kind thing to do."

He shrugged. "I told you earlier that we're always looking for ways to do some good while we're making money."

I took a deep breath and said, "I assume that I no longer work at The Crier."

"Actually, we'd like you to continue at The Crier, but not editing advertising copy. We'll hire college kids to do that.'

"What about the job writing reports for the hostesses? Don't you want me to do that anymore?" I was suddenly feeling disappointed.

He laughed. "No I definitely want you to do that, but we think you might still have enough time to write a weekly column for The Crier."

"A weekly column?"

"Yes a foods column. It was Mandy's idea. One week you could review a neighborhood restaurant. Maybe the following week you could write about affordable red wines. Another week you might teach our readers how to make quiche Lorraine." He grinned at me. "By the way, I heard that Kirby got two slices. I didn't get any at all."

I laughed. "At my earliest opportunity I promise that I'll make one for you."

"I'm going to hold you to that promise Timmy."

I smiled at him.

He smiled back and then he continued. "In addition to the eighty thousand dollars you'd be earning as the research assistant for our Project Promotion Section, we thought we'd pay you another twenty thousand dollars a year for writing the column. Would that be acceptable?"

"Of course, but..."

"But what? Timmy this is a very fair offer. Everyone at JTandR who knows you is hoping that you'll accept it. Will you?"

"If I didn't, I do believe that Kelly would kill me."

He nodded. "I think that's a certainty."

"Then I guess I'd better take it."

Mr. Jackson held up his hand. "Timmy there is one more duty that we'd like to give you and I think you should know what it is before you finally agree to accept this position."

"All right." I was again feeling apprehensive.

"The associates we invite to our parties at Eagle Lake and Evergreen are generally our most sexually adventurous clientele. When we entertain these people we try to create a cosmopolitan atmosphere charged with sexual excitement. We want to encourage our associates to feel free to indulge even their most private fantasies."