The Merger Mogul Read online

  The Merger Mogul

  By Donna Every

  The Merger Mogul

  Copyright © 2012 by Donna Every. All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law.

  Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version ®, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used factiously.

  Cover design © 2012 by Robin Belle. Contact at [email protected]

  All rights reserved.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 1

  New York Times September 18, 2008

  Caveat Emptor! Let the buyer beware.

  Commenting on the collapse of Shellbury Investments after its merger with Offshore Savings and Loans, the Merger Mogul, Daniel Tennant, CEO of Tennant Consulting said: “People don’t usually go into marriage expecting to get divorced, but divorce happens. That’s why they should protect themselves with a prenupt. In the world of M&As there are no prenupts and no guarantees. When I’m the consultant on a merger I do everything to make sure that the fit is right and I try to leave no stone unturned in the due diligence, but no deal is perfect and we have little control over what happens afterwards. Caveat Emptor!”

  Shellbury Investments was the client of Barton Phillips, a merger consultant who has been around since the boom days of M&As…

  Daniel Tennant put down the New York Times as his intercom buzzed.

  “Barton Phillips for you on Line one and he doesn’t sound too pleased,” advised Margaret Bryce, his Personal Assistant.

  “Great! Perhaps next time you might want to check if I’m available to take the call then,” said Daniel caustically.

  “Might as well take the medicine now,” said Margaret who had read the article in the office copy of the Times and therefore had an idea of what was about to hit the fan.

  Daniel pressed Line one. “Barton. What can I do for you?” he asked cordially.

  “You can stop trying to damage my reputation to start with,” replied Barton hotly. “You know as well as I do that a lot of mergers fail and through no fault of the consultant.”

  “I totally agree. That’s why I said the buyer should beware. I meant of the target, Barton, not the consultant. How could that be damaging to your reputation? Is there anything else I can help you with? Would you like some advice on a more thorough approach to your due diligence?”

  “That’s pretty libelous, Tennant. You’re insinuating that my client’s merger failed because of poor due diligence on my part. If that’s your strategy to get clients, you’d better find another one or you’ll be hearing from my lawyer!” With that Barton Phillips slammed down the phone.

  Great start to the day but not surprising, thought Daniel, looking out of the glass front of his office at the Manhattan skyline. The onset of the recession meant that M&As were beginning to decline, so the merger consultants were beginning to jostle for position to get the choicest morsels before only the carcass was left. If he was totally honest with himself, he was just like the rest of them. As long as the mergers kept coming he was happy. His job was to put them together. If they couldn’t stay together afterwards that was not his concern. Everyone knew that the ones who benefitted most from mergers and acquisitions were the consultants.

  He’d started his business in 2000, one of the best years for M&As but the next two years saw a slump in the market. Thankfully, he’d made some good money in that first year and with his overheads still fairly low, he was able to hold on until things started to improve. He had worked hard to get where he was, to earn the reputation as ‘The Merger Mogul’ and the lifestyle that went with it, and he’d be damned if he was going to sit by and watch his company shrink with the market.

  “In here now, Margaret!” He ordered through the intercom.

  Margaret Bryce was in the office in less than a minute. After working with Daniel since the start of Tennant Consulting eight years ago, she knew all of his moods. It would be an understatement to say that this was not a good one. Perching on one of the chairs opposite his massive oak desk she waited, with her pen poised above her notepad, pretending to be oblivious to the tension in his office. His thick black hair looked as if he’d been running his hands through it and his navy blue eyes lacked warmth.

  “Since when do you send me calls without screening them, Margaret? You know me well enough to realize that I don’t take medicine unless I absolutely have to.” Daniel began to rub his temples at the beginning of yet another headache. He’d been getting them quite frequently and they were beginning to irritate him.

  “Sorry boss, but you must admit that comment was kind of harsh, even for you.” She had no qualms about speaking her mind to Daniel.

  “Reality is harsh! That’s why mergers don’t always work out – the plans often don’t take reality into account. Due diligence is a major factor! And it’s still not foolproof. It’s like a marriage in more ways than one. That’s why I prefer to stay single. Less messy!” he added cynically.

  “For someone who thrives on mergers, you’re awfully cynical about a merger in your own life,” she replied.

  “I have no problem with personal mergers as long as they’re temporary. It’s just marriage that I’m staying clear of. Now is everything set for the retreat tomorrow?”

  Daniel and his consulting team were taking the day off, checking into a spa resort where they were having a spa treatment and then spending the rest of the day brainstorming about how to take the company forward, in light of the changes in the Mergers & Acquisitions market. They had just lost a huge merger which was stopped because of the antitrust laws and that had been a big blow. They needed some new consulting services to keep the business thriving and they needed them soon.

  “Of course!” said Margaret. “I’ve arranged for the team to have an early check in at 10.00 a.m. and the spa treatments begin at 11.00. Everyone has a room booked so that they can settle in before the treatment and the brainstorming session. Since it’s Friday, I’ve arranged for you all to stay overnight and check out on Saturday morning rather than fight the traffic. OK? I’ve sent the itinerary to everyone.”

  “This is going to cost a bomb! We’d better come up with some ideas to pay the bill,” joked Daniel drily. “To tell the truth, I’m looking forward to the break. I’m tired, but my juices will start flowing once I’ve had a good massage and relax a bit. Which reminds me, did you book The Bridge Café for my date with Angela Pierce tonight?

  “Yes, of course. Do you want me to reschedule that? You�
��ll probably need to get to bed at a decent hour to get an early start tomorrow,” suggested Margaret.

  “Thanks for the advice mother!” mocked Daniel. “But I’m a big boy. I can still do the dinner and be in my bed by 11.00.”

  “Alone!” suggested Margaret. She wasn’t afraid to show her disapproval of her boss’ lifestyle.

  “That will be all, Margaret,” Daniel replied with a smile. Margaret shook her head as she left the office.

  Margaret knew him well. Alone would be a rare thing for him. Well, not that rare these days, considering the long hours he had spent working on that merger that the Government put a stop to and, before that, getting disentangled from a relationship that had become a bit too demanding for him. So maybe that was why he was getting these headaches. He’d been looking forward to this date with great anticipation. Unfortunately, his plans would have to wait until after the retreat. Work came first with him.

  Women were great, but a profitable company, a healthy stock portfolio and some good real estate investments were even better and definitely harder to come by. Once you acquired the latter, they appreciated with a little maintenance and care. Women, on the other hand, were easier to come by but took a great deal more maintenance and he didn’t have the time or inclination to give that right now. His company needed his attention. Angela appeared to be fairly low maintenance and undemanding, but he’d only just met her, so time would tell.

  He reached for the phone on his desk. “Margaret, call Angela and confirm the time for dinner and then bring me two pain killers.”

  Margaret took two Advil from her desk and went to the small kitchenette for a glass of water for Daniel. At 50 years old she was only 15 years older than Daniel but she felt like a mother to him. Although she and her husband Bob had been married for 26 years they’d never been blessed with children of their own. However, over the years, they’d had more children around than she could count. Young people seemed drawn to her and Bob and they’d often had a house full of nieces, nephews or neighbors which gave them both great joy.

  She had been surprised when Daniel hired her eight years ago, not that she wasn’t more than competent to do the job, but when she met him she thought that he would have gone for a younger and more glamorous PA. Once she got to know him better, she realized that he’d probably been drawn to her as a mother figure, since his own mother had died when he was in law school and she found out recently that he hadn’t seen his father in 25 years. At first she thought him quite cold and heartless, in both his business dealings and his brief relationships, but she now recognized it for what it was: a façade to protect himself from being hurt or used.

  Over the years their relationship had grown beyond that of employer/employee although, in the office, she respected his position as her boss. She’d cooked more meals for Daniel and had him over to her house more times than she could count. He was the closest thing she’d come to having a son and she was touched when he asked her to be his next of kin in case of any accidents. So she was becoming quite worried with all these headaches he was getting recently and she wished he would go to a doctor, but Daniel was pretty stubborn. She also knew that he didn’t forgive easily, so she wasn’t looking forward to the volcano that was going to erupt when he found out that she’d been involved in something that would probably mess up his carefully planned life.

  Chapter 2

  Daniel and Angela were shown to one of the coveted tables next to the glass front of The Bridge Café, one of New York’s finest restaurants, with its spectacular view of downtown Manhattan. The high rises across the river shimmered against the night sky like jewels on black velvet.

  The waiter placed their menus in front of them, said he would return shortly to take their drink order, and retreated discreetly.

  “This is wonderful,” Angela said appreciatively. “It’s the first time I’ve been here but I’ve heard a lot about it.”

  “I can certainly testify that it’s as good as its reputation,” Daniel confirmed.

  “And are you as good as your reputation?” asked Angela with a coy smile, returning her gaze to her attractive companion. At six foot two with a trim athletic body and a face that attracted more than one look as they walked through the restaurant, he’d certainly earned his reputation as a ladies’ man.

  “Which reputation would that be? The Merger Mogul, as the media has taken to calling me?”

  “What else would I be talking about?” she replied in a mock innocent voice. “It’s been said that your attention to detail is phenomenal and that you do everything in your power to satisfy your clients. I’m wondering if that goes beyond your corporate mergers,” she said with a flirtatious smile.

  Their waiter discreetly arrived at their table before he could respond and took their order of Tanqueray and tonic with lime for Daniel and a frozen margarita for Angela.

  “Well I try to be consistent in everything I do,” smiled Daniel after the waiter left. He was enjoying this verbal foreplay. He liked women who knew what they wanted and Angela was making it plain what she wanted. It was a pity that he couldn’t accommodate her tonight. He had a long day ahead of him tomorrow.

  “Now what shall we have?” asked Daniel.

  “I already know what I want,” said Angela picking up her menu, “but let’s see, what shall I have to eat?”

  Subtlety wasn’t her strong point but what the heck; life was too short not to go after what you wanted when you wanted it. Daniel smiled as he picked up his own menu and perused it. “The Bridge Café Oysters are great to start and so is the Taylor Bay Scallop Ceviche. In fact I’ve never had anything that I didn’t enjoy.”

  “So you come here often,” Angela stated.

  “About once a month, I’d say.” He’d brought many women here and it was a good thing that the Maitre D’ was so well trained because he never batted an eyelid when Daniel came in with someone new.

  “So that’s how you get the best table!” said Angela.

  “That’s why we work so hard, isn’t it? So that we can have the best.” That was what drove Daniel. His story wasn’t so different from thousands of others. His father had left home when he was ten years old and had never looked back. His mother had struggled to raise him on her meager salary and he had spent most of his life never having enough.

  Fortunately, he was bright and determined so he’d studied hard and got a scholarship to go to college. A student loan and part-time jobs got him through law school and he put everything into his first job, learning all that he could about mergers and acquisitions and doing an MBA at night. He soon earned a reputation as one of the sharpest consultants in the firm, which helped when he left three years later to start Tennant Consulting. Along the way he made a vow that he would never lack for anything again and that he would always enjoy the best that life had to offer, no matter the cost.

  The waiter brought their drinks and took their dinner order.

  “I’m afraid I won’t be able to stay as long as I’d like because tomorrow my team and I are having a brainstorming retreat outside of the city and I need to head out early. I have to go home and throw some things into a bag”.

  Angela’s red lips pouted. “That’s too bad,” she said licking the salt from the rim of her glass, “I was looking forward to inviting you to my place for coffee. I make a mean cappuccino.”

  Daniel groaned silently and said: “I’m afraid I’ll have to take a rain check.”

  “Perhaps I can cook dinner for you on Saturday night,” she suggested.

  “That sounds great,” said Daniel, feeling his body stir in anticipation.

  “What do you like to eat?” Angela asked.

  “Oh, I’m easy. I like all kinds of food and I’ll try anything at least once.”

  “Good. I should be able to cook something that you’ll enjoy then.”

  “Oh, I’m sure you will,” said Daniel. “So how’s work going? Any breakthrough for that new client you told me about?” Daniel changed the subject.
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br />   Angela worked with a small Public Relations firm and focused on their Print Media Campaigns. In fact, that’s how they met. Her firm had been hired by one of his merger clients to deal with their PR after the merger and she’d introduced herself to him at a cocktail party they’d held just over a week ago to celebrate the completion of the merger. He’d immediately been attracted to her. She was his usual type – a beautiful brunette with a cleavage that beckoned and it was a bonus that she could actually carry on an intelligent conversation. They’d chatted a bit at the party about her work and he could tell that she obviously loved her job. She had confided that she wanted to start her own PR firm some day. He wondered if she saw him as a potential financier. It wouldn’t be the first time.

  “Work is great,” she said with enthusiasm, as the waiter brought their appetizers. “My client, Jenny, is finally beginning to get noticed by the media. One of her articles was just seen by a talk show host at a TV station in her city last week and he wants to interview her on his show. I’m really excited for her.”

  “That’s great news! Do you want to try my oysters?” asked Daniel holding out a tempting morsel on his fork. Angela leaned forward, showing an amount of cleavage that was even more tempting. Daniel’s eyes drifted downwards to take in the abundant view and then moved back up to see her lips close around his fork, holding it in her mouth for just a few seconds, closing her eyes in bliss.

  “Delicious!” she sighed appreciatively.

  Daniel shifted uncomfortably in his chair and for a moment contemplated being late for his retreat. He didn’t believe in wasting time so he was ready to take things to the next level but, unfortunately, it wouldn’t be tonight. Besides, Saturday wasn’t that far away. Delayed gratification was good for the soul or was it confession that was good for the soul? Not for the body but probably for the soul, if he believed that sort of thing. He could delay for two nights. Anticipation was half the pleasure and he was pretty sure this merger would be pure pleasure. He turned his attention back to his dinner and his date. Until Saturday….