Fonda and Clark

"Agreed."

"What?"

"I said agreed. It's spelt..."

Austin growled "Don't get smart with me boy" and Veronica told Austin to behave and not call a grown man boy as that was insulting.

Ignoring his wife Austin took the third proposal and kept on reading it for so long that Clark ordered another bottle of wine and their glasses were topped up before Austin said, "This interests me."

"I wonder why I guess that?" Clark grinned and earned and scowl and the scowl turned deeper when Veronica whispered not that quietly to Fonda, "He's not half-scared of Austin like his brother was."

Clark said, "It's a company that claims 60% of its business comes from having a monopoly on supplying prepared breakfast packs to motels within a thirty-mile perimeter of the city including virtually all motels within the city. Orders requiring a cooked heated portion come in two-packs or three-packs. The key to this operation is the company imports, blends and roasts coffee beans under its own brand of Up And Away Coffee. It sells direct to the public as well as selling coffee houses and restaurants and cafés within its distribution area and this is a lucrative contributor to bottom line revenue. The owners say they wish to move on and establish a new venture."

Austin said, "Footnotes by Clark say he called twenty of the clients at random from the list of 194 clients and all said they purchased breakfast packs exclusively from the Up And Away Company and had found the service great and the products consistently good. Austin states here he and Fonda will extend the marketing area out to a fifty-five mile radius and that will take in eleven smaller towns and two quite large cities, doubling capacity if they manage to get an uptake of only 45% in that new territory."

"Well I like the sound of that," Veronica said. "It sounds a solid business."

"I think so too. Listen Clark and Fonda, is it okay if I put some people on to this to perform a proper business appraisal of this concern? They can go in under your auspices as a potential buyer."

"Yes daddy, that's fine," said the director and marketing manager designate.

The due diligence study revealed only a few minor concerns, resolvable by better management, and those issues were presented as negatives at the negotiating table where Austin, being presented as Fonda and Clark's attorney, led the haggle to get the asking price reduced from $4.85 million to $4 million. The goodwill value in such a client-focused business was difficult to assess.

Fonda and Clark were walking through the CBD after the signing and they were passing a jeweler's when Clark pulled her into a store saying he'd like to buy her a friendship ring. She cooed in pleasure.

"Clark these are engagement rings," she said, looking at the display in the case. "Friendship rings will be down toward the back."

"No this is where I meant to be," he smiled. "If this ring doesn't make you feel friendly and bonded to me we may as well walk out."

"Oooh."

An attendant came over smiling and Fonda said she'd like to see rings of three small diamonds set into solid platinum.

"Oh Miss Daly isn't it? You have been in here looking previously and have one on hold." The woman's huge indiscretion caused Fonda to blush. She looked at Clark but he appeared to be watching traffic passing... but grinning.

After the purchase the happy couple booked into a five-star hotel to celebrate their engagement with a wild night of rutting. After some drinks in the Jacuzzi they had dinner and agree what they must do during the next six months to be in the position to sell their business very profitably in another six months after that.

Fonda said, "We should think of marrying a month after the purchase of our new business with dad coming up with more money to maintain his 49% interest."

"What if he says he wants profits, not a larger investment?"

"Oh," said Fonda. "I'll have a quite word with mom. She'll change his mind."

In the elevator going to their suite Fonda said sweetly to Clark without lowering her voice, "This is a night of celebration. We can do anal tonight if you wish."

One of the two other female in the elevator screamed in laughter, "Ohmigod."

Clark just sighed. He knew to expect the unexpected from his fiancée.

THE END