The Deception by Lynne Constantine

Stewart fidgeted in his seat, looked at his watch and yawned. When was this clown going to shut up? He didn’t think he could stand it another minute. One more speaker and the seminar would be over. Maybe he’d cut out early. He looked up just as the last speaker was introduced. The man strode across the stage with obvious confidence, smiling warmly as he clasped the emcee’s shoulder and shook his hand. He took the microphone and looked out into the crowd.
    “I bet you’re ready to call it a day.” There was the smile again. “I don’t blame you but I promise you’ll be glad you didn’t when we’re through.”
    Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Stewart frowned but stayed in his seat.
    “If you came here to learn how to make more money, then I’d advise you to take this opportunity to leave now. If, however, you’re interested in learning how to ignite the passion in you – stick around.”
    He sat enthralled for the next hour. This guy was something else – he was actually inspiring – and it took a lot to inspire Stewart. Nick Parsenis was the real deal; smart, smooth, and with the golden touch. Now he realized why Parsenis looked so familiar. His picture was in the business news every other week. Big developer with lots of friends in high places. Stewart grinned. He had found his mentor. He pulled out his phone and pressed the google app. He typed Nick’s name and the screen was populated with article after article on Nick and his projects. Perfect. He highlighted one of the articles and clicked on it. After filling in the requisite information, he pressed send. He finished just in time for Nick’s closing remarks.
    He made sure he was first in line to greet him. “Mr. Parsenis. Pleasure to meet you.” He held out his hand. “Stewart Elliot.”
    Nick shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
    “I enjoyed your talk. I’ve been looking forward to it for weeks. I’m volunteering on your Homes for the Homeless project. I admire your work.”
    Nick looked at him with interest.
    “Thank you for introducing yourself. We’re very grateful to our volunteers. We couldn’t do what we do without you. I imagine a young man like yourself has many other things he could be doing with his time.”
    “Actually I just moved back from California. I was at Stanford for my graduate work.”
    “Impressive. What brought you back to Baltimore?”
    “My family.” Was that laying it on too thick? “I always knew I’d settle close to home. I’m just starting to look for work. I’m a business major.”
    Nick pulled out a business card.
    “Give me a call next week, we’ll see what we can do.”
    “Thank you, sir.”
    He waited a couple of weeks before he called – he didn’t want to appear too eager. The job offer came soon enough, and if it wasn’t the level he would have liked, it was a foot in the door. He was brought on as an assistant project manager in the New Construction Department. He would make sure he shined – it wouldn’t be hard to outdo what he referred to as the “average ninety-nine percent”. In the meantime, he learned everything he could about Nick. There was a son, a psychologist or something. The main thing was that he had no interest in the family business. Nick also had two daughters, both lookers. Pictures of them littered Nick’s office. They were away at school, one in college and one in grad school. He would meet them at the Christmas party where he would decide which one would be his ticket to the executive suite.
    He dressed carefully for the occasion, selecting a steel blue dress shirt that enhanced the blue of his eyes. He splashed on just a dash of Clive Christian and secured the Patek watch on his left wrist. By the time he arrived, cars were lined up on both sides of the street and he had to park a good distance from the house. He should have had Edward drop him off, but that might have been too showy. He pulled the grey cashmere coat closer, shivering against the