Carlson nodded. “What changed your mind about the business you were willing to do with him?”
“Discovery during a routine background check on him uncovered his recent loan, which he had neglected to tell me about, and which shifted the numbers enough to tell me that it was a financially sound decision to absorb his company. It also told me that he was dishonest in his business dealings.” David took another breath and cleared his throat.
Carlson took at step toward him, keeping his eyes on him. “You discovered he was being dishonest with you and yet you made him a counteroffer?”
“I did,” David said.
“What was that counteroffer?” Carlson asked, while walking toward the table they had been sitting at.
“I offered to buy him out and dissolve his company.” David answered.
Carlson picked up a stack of papers on the table and turned toward David. “Why would you do that?” he asked.
David shrugged. “I still wanted to help him.”
Carlson handed him the stack of papers. “Would you agree that these are copies the first offer of absorption and the second offer of a buyout that you gave to Mr. Jackson?”
“They are,” answered David.
Carlson handed the papers to the judge. “Defense submits exhibit E, the initial offer my client made to Mr. Jackson and the subsequent offer made by him after learning that Mr. Jackson had withheld vital financial information.”
The judge took the paperwork from him and reviewed it momentarily.
“Where did your meetings with Mr. Jackson take place?” Carlson asked.
David looked back at Carlson. “All four of our meetings took place in my office.”
Carlson took a step backward and slid his hands into his pockets. “What happened at the last meeting, when you made your counteroffer?”
The memories flashed through David’s mind. “I gave him the offer and explained that I had discovered the loan he had hidden from me and I told him that I was willing to buy him out. He asked what I would do with the company and I told him I would dissolve it. He grew angry and threw the paperwork at me, telling me that I was only turning him down for his initial offer because I was a racist. I argued with him, I said I wasn’t racist at all and that he hadn’t been truthful with me, so he ought to be glad I was doing anything for him at all. He jumped up out of his chair and said that I was killing his company because he was black and rich white men never want to see poor black people succeed. He lunged at me and I dodged him, but he punched me in the stomach, so I belted him in the eye. He tried to punch me again but I ducked and hit him in the mouth. He grabbed the chair he had been sitting on and threw it at me, but missed, and I called security to come take him from the building.”
Carlson nodded his head and pursed his lips. “Did you have any opinions about his ethnicity?”
David shook his head. “No. I never cared what color his skin was.”
Carlson stepped away from him. “Did you ever make mention of the color of his skin?’
“No, never,” David answered.
“Did you ever insult Mr. Jackson with remarks derogatory toward his ethnic heritage?” Carlson kept his gaze steady on David.
“No, not even a single time,” he replied.
“How many successful business projects have you worked on with people of ethnic backgrounds different than your own since you started your business?” Carlson was as far back as he could possibly stand.
“Easily well over a hundred,” David answered.
“How many successful business dealings have you made with people of the same ethnicity as Mr. Jackson, since you began your corporation?” he continued.
“More than fifty,” David replied.
Carlson nodded. “What is the ethnic background of your daughter?” he asked with a softer tone.
“She is half black and half white,” David said with a smile that he couldn’t hold back. “She’s beautiful.”
“How do you feel about having a child of mixed ethnic backgrounds?” Carlson asked.
David shrugged his shoulders. “I feel blessed to have her, no matter what color her skin is or what ethnic background she has. She’s incredible, and I wouldn’t trade her for the whole wide world.”
Carlson smiled at him. “No further questions.”
He walked to the defense table and sat down as Beck stood up and walked over to the witness stand. Beck stood and regarded David for a long minute, glaring at him, and then he lifted his chin and spoke.
“You knew this court proceeding was coming up. Were you involved with your wife before you knew about this situation?” he asked with narrowed eyes.
David felt his heart skip a beat. He was terrified that Beck would ask him a question about how he had come to marry Elise and he wouldn’t be able to answer it with anything other than the fact that he had hired her to marry him.
“No, I wasn’t. I met her afterward,” he said shortly.
Beck’s eyes glittered darkly at him. “What was it about her that made you want to marry her?”
David took a deep breath. He could answer that honestly without damaging his testimony.
“She is intelligent and driven. She’s a hard worker and an honest woman. She’s beautiful, dedicated, kind and thoughtful and she has a good sense of humor. I love her.” He looked over Beck’s shoulder at Elise and smiled at her and she smiled back. It warmed his heart and he felt encouraged by her support.
Beck leaned toward him menacingly. “Why did you help her with her business?”
David had landed another safe question. “I helped her with her business because she was a good businesswoman and I could see the mutual benefit of loaning her the money to expand her shops.”
“Did you help her to make yourself look good here in court?” Beck asked with a sneer.
“No,” David answered, trying to hold back his disgust for the way that Beck was behaving.
Beck paced the floor and looked up David again. “Do you deny that you physically assaulted my client?”
“I defended myself against Mr. Jackson when he attacked me,” David said seriously.
Beck looked as though he was going to say something else, but then thought better of it. He shook his head at David. “Are you married to your wife because she is black?” he asked.
David’s heart skipped another beat. It was one of the reasons he had married her in the beginning, but now he was married to her with every intention of staying married to her for the rest of his life because he loved her, and it had nothing at all to do with the color of her skin.
“I am married to her because I love her,” he said simply.
Beck grumbled and turned his head away from David. “No further questions,” he snapped.
The relief David felt rushed through him. He stood up and stepped down from the witness stand, walking toward the defense table with his eyes on his wife.
The judge asked if there were more witnesses, and both sides declined further action. Both Beck and Carlson made their closing statements, and then the judge stated that she would deliberate the case and call them back in when she had made her decision.
As Elise and David left the courtroom, they gasped with relief as they walked out of the doors of the building. They hugged each other tightly and took Carlson and Sarah out to dinner with them.
“Well, the hard part is over,” Carlson said as they discussed the day over dinner in the restaurant. “You’ve both done very well. Now, we just have to wait for the verdict.”
David smiled at Carlson. “You were really good in there today, Carlson. If we make it through this, I’m giving you a raise. You’ve earned it!”
Elise shook her head. “I can’t believe Beck and Jackson! They were something else coming up with all of those lies!”
Carlson nodded. “Well, they had to come up with something to substantiate their case. They just didn’t know we had video of the meetings until right before court and I don’t think they watched them. It
looked to me as if they were both caught by surprise. I know Jackson didn’t have much money for legal counsel and it looks like he may have gotten what he paid for.”
David shook his head in relief. “Well, no matter what happens, we did our best and we are done.” He held up his glass to the rest of them. “A toast to Carlson for guiding us through this mess. May it be a success.” They all raised their glasses and toasted Carlson with David.
***
Elise and David went home that night. After they had put Jaden to bed, they collapsed in their own bed together with David taking Elise’s hand in his, looking into her eyes.
“You were so brilliant today. I was so proud of you. Thank you for helping me and getting up there on that stand. I know that couldn’t have been easy for you, and I want you to know how much I appreciate it.” He spoke softly and kissed her fingertips.
She grinned at him. “I’m so glad that I was able to do it. Jackson has no business going after you the way he is, after you tried to help him. Just because he didn’t get your help the way he wanted it, he had to go and try to pull a stunt like this. It’s going to come back and bite him.” She lowered her lashes and then looked back up at David slyly. “I can’t wait to hear him make a public apology to you. I hope the judge makes him do that.”
David sighed. “I just hope the judge finds the case in our favor. I will say this, though, I wasn’t glad that any of this happened until I looked out at you today, sitting out in that courtroom supporting me like you were, holding our daughter. If he hadn’t come after me, I probably never would have met you, and I would be missing out on a lifetime with you and our beautiful little Jaden. I can’t imagine my life without either of you now. You two are my life, and you always will be.” He leaned over and kissed her lips softly.
She touched his face and leaned toward him. “You’re my life, too.” She kissed him and he opened up his mouth to taste her sweetness. Heat began to grow in them and their kisses warmed the need in them for one another. He ran his hands down her back and her hips, pulling her body on top of him and then slipping her nightgown up over her head.
As she sat up to help him take it off of her, he looked at her body, running his fingers over her breasts and her eager nipples. She smiled down at him and leaned toward him to kiss him again as he caressed her, loving the smooth feel of her skin beneath his hands.
Elise’s mouth moved slowly from his mouth down his neck to his chest where she kissed him and bit at his skin teasingly before moving her mouth gradually over his stomach to his thighs. He was fully aroused and she taunted him by kissing him everywhere around his fullness without touching it, giving him agonizing pleasure, until he called out her name in need, and she moved her lips to his erection, kissing it and running her tongue over it firmly.
He slid his fingers into the long curls of her hair and she rubbed and stroked him, making him moan with need, and she flicked the strong tip of her tongue over the head of him, as he lifted his pelvis toward her. When she had brought him to the edge of hunger, she closed her full lips around him and lowered her mouth over him until he was embedded in her mouth and throat. She sucked at him and tasted him, tormenting him with dizzying pleasure until he began to pump his hips upward to her in a swift rhythm, and then she raised her mouth from him and moved her body over him, straddling his body and she slowly descended herself on his erection as his hands clung to her hips and his head was pushed back into the pillows, so lost was he in the feel of her becoming one with him.
Elise began to sway her hips over his, almost in a dance of love, swallowing him with her body and burying him deep inside of her. They held tightly to each other as their momentum began to increase and her hips rocked more adamantly against his. She burned with overwhelming ecstasy as he filled her time and again, thrusting himself up into her body and grasping at her in passionate touches. Their lips moved hungrily over each other, kissing, tasting, and teasing, until the heat in them built up to an inferno, and his hands that had clenched her dark thighs moved to her hips, pulling her down sharply to him as their orgasms met and they climaxed together in blissful release.
She cried out with him, and then, as her excitement abated, she laid herself down on his chest and they caught their breath together, holding one another in pure love.
She picked her head up and kissed his chest softly, followed by his lips, so tender and hot, and then she moved to his side and their bodies disconnected. She looked at him and shook her head. “There is no one in the world that I love, like I love you,” she whispered.
David looked at her and smiled, touching her face gently in his serenity. “I feel exactly the same way about you, my lady. I love you with everything in me.” He kissed her lips and her forehead, and they held each other as they fell asleep.
***By the time breakfast was finished the next morning, they still hadn't heard from Carlson. Elise decided that the best thing they could do would be to get their minds off of the case and the courtroom, so they loaded Jaden up in the car and drove to each of her cafés to introduce their daughter to her staff and customers. They were received with excitement and love at each stop, and everyone adored their beautiful baby girl, who smiled at the attention she was getting.
Elise checked on the records at each store and the progress of sales, and by the time they left the last store and went out to eat, she was glowing with happiness.
“I was looking at everything today and you won’t believe this, but I have enough profit to open at least three more stores! I was thinking we could expand south into Silicon Valley, north into Mill Valley, and across the Bay into Berkley. What do you think?” she asked with anticipation and excitement in her voice.
David nodded in agreement. “I just love your little shops and I think if you find the right locations, you would be just as successful in other cities. Let’s go scouting for locations as soon as this mess is over with, okay? We’ll take Jaden along and see what she thinks, too!”
Elise was thrilled with the idea. Her heart swelled at the knowledge that her little fledgling shop had done so well, and that her husband had believed in her idea so much that with his assistance, she was able to grow so much so quickly. The communities, it seemed, just loved chocolate and coffee, especially together. She told David that it was all about indulgence.
They walked with Jaden through Golden Gate Park that afternoon and took in the beauty of the day. They knew how blessed they were, and they were grateful for it. That night, as they were falling asleep, Elise and David were sure that nothing in their lives could be better than what they had.
The next morning after breakfast, Carlson called David and told him that the judge had asked them to return to the courtroom that afternoon. He said he would meet them there.
David hung up the phone and looked at Elise. “It’s time to go back in. The judge wants to see us this afternoon.”
They dressed and readied themselves and Jaden for their court appearance. They picked Sarah up along the way, since she had been with them for their time in court. Sarah, Elise and Jaden remained in the bench seats behind the railing while Carlson and David took their places at the defense table and Beck and Jackson took their places at the plaintiff's table.
David turned and looked over his shoulder at his wife once, and she nodded and smiled to him encouragingly. The bailiff stood up and announced the judge. “All rise,” he called out, bringing the court into session. The judge walked in as she had two days before, with her robe billowing and her hair pulled up into a tight bun. She took her seat and everyone in the courtroom sat down.
“Please rise for the verdict,” she said firmly. The four men stood up and faced her. She looked down through the glasses perched on the edge of her nose and read out, “This court finds the defendant not guilty of any of the charges.”
Elise could not hold in the gasp of relief that escaped her. She turned and grinned at Sarah and Sarah smiled back happily at her. The judge continued. “There was sufficient eviden
ce submitted to show that the defendant acted within the scope of the law and in accordance with good morals. There was also sufficient evidence submitted that showed the plaintiff as having acted with little or no moral code and with dishonesty in business.” She looked up at Beck and Jackson and glared at Jackson over the top of her glasses.
“Mr. Jackson, I would strongly urge you to put your business and morality first and your ethnicity second when you act. There is no excuse for the way that you have handled yourself or your business in this situation. It is the opinion of this court that you intended to misuse and swindle the defendant out of funds, which you may have used toward your business.
“I understand that your final goal was to save your business but your actions toward that goal were abhorrent. In future business dealings, Mr. Jackson, it is the advice of this court that if at first you do not succeed, try, try again, with another investor, rather than dragging the one person who was willing to help you through slanderous mud on the way to a courtroom. Legal intervention is expensive and time consuming, as I’m sure you are now aware, and it would have been to your greater benefit to use that time and money to either repair your failing company or to find another investor who was interested in working with you the way that you wanted to work.”
She looked back down at her desk and continued to read. “I have seen for myself the public damage that the plaintiff and his attorney have inflicted upon the defendant, and it is the ruling of this court that Mr. Jackson and Mr. Beck both make public apologies for their slanderous lies, and admit the truth to the public. Which is that the defendant never attacked you, Mr. Jackson, and was only trying to help you with your company. You will both have that public admittance and apology made within one week or you will be held in contempt of court.”
She banged her gavel and the bailiff commanded those in the courtroom to rise as the judge stood up and exited the room to retire to her chambers. David had felt as though he could barely breathe all the way through her verdict and her speech afterward. He looked at Carlson and Carlson gave him a rare grin. David reached his arms out and hugged Carlson, who hugged him back for a moment and then let him go.
The Baby Shower Page 27