“Yes, this is it," Iver said, looking down at Coker over the edge of the glasses he'd donned for the meeting. His voice couldn't have been any more saturated with snobbery if he tried. I had to hide a smile. Iver was exceptionally good at playing hard-to-get with a mark. It was one of his most honed skills. "But if it's too much for you, I'd encourage you to reconsider."
"Yes," I said, giving Coker a smile. "It's quite a lot of money, and risk is for a certain type of individual. You should certainly consult with an advisor if you're the type of man who requires that kind of affirmation, because this is a transaction that is meant for man who is comfortable with taking risks."
Iver rolled his eyes, and looked at Coker with disdain. "Yes," he said. "I do suppose a million dollars is a considerable sum to some people."
Coker cleared his throat, his face reddening. "A million dollars isn't chump change to most people."
Iver turned toward me, his hand on my elbow, pulling me away from Coker, toward the door. "I said this was a mistake, dealing with a new investor," he said, his voice a stage whisper. "You and the vibes you get from people, kindred spirits and all that. It's an adorable tendency, but one you really must give up."
I turned back toward Coker. "It is highly unusual for me to consider a deal with an investor I haven't personally known for long time, Mr. Coker. I am only considering it because of your reputation for assisting your fighters by any means necessary." I emphasized the words. I wanted to imply he was a cheat, a man I knew was rotten to the core. "I feel we share a certain...sensibility, a kinship, if you will. But I don't require your assistance."
"We do share the same kind of sensibility," Coker said. "These fighters, they're commodities."
Iver interrupted him. "I'm afraid I'm not comfortable with this arrangement at all."
"What?" Coker's face grew even redder. He looked back and forth between Iver and me. "You said we had a deal. An understanding."
I put my hand on Iver's sleeve. "Roger, please," I said. "Mr. Coker is exactly the kind of man who understands what we're trying to do."
Coker nodded. "I do, I do. And your viewers want the kind of fighter I can provide."
"Our clientele have everything, Mr. Coker," I said. "They are world leaders who have to have their appetites...restrained...in public. They want a more...authentic fight experience, and they are willing to pay a premium for it."
"I have no problem putting up the money." He laughed nervously. "It's just, in my side of business, a million dollars is a large investment, that's all."
Iver sighed loudly and rolled his eyes, looking Coker up and down before turning back to me again. "I don't know," he said. "It just seems like much more trouble to deal with a small-time investor, adding him into the fold. We could simply ask one of the other investors to increase their contribution by a million. I'm sure Billy Murdoch would be fine with it."
Coker's eyes grew wide. "William Murdoch is one of the investors?"
Iver's hand flew to his mouth. "I've said too much. We should leave." His eyes widened as he looked at me.
"No, no," Coker said. "I've got my laptop right here. I only wanted to meet again as a precaution. I'm ready to make the transfer."
I nodded. "When you're ready."
Iver tapped his watch impatiently. "I'm afraid we can't wait while you take care of the arrangements," he said. "As we have another pressing engagement." He strode across the room, without waiting for me.
I shook Coker's hand. "You’ll have to pardon Roger," I said. "He's so used to handling larger transactions that he's forgotten what it's like to make smaller businesspeople very rich. He used to be a small businessperson once himself."
"Small..." Coker's voice sputtered, then trailed off. I knew the gears in his head would be churning at the implication that not only was he a small business person, much smaller than the whales we usually dealt with, but that we were treating him as a virtual charity case.
The implication was that we would make him rich. Obscenely rich.
A man like Coker wouldn't be able to resist the lure.
I held out my hand, shaking his. "I must go," I said. "We'll be in touch." Then I spun on my heel and joined Iver outside.
We were both silent even after we got to the car. As I drove, Iver thumbed over the screen on his phone. We weren't even five minutes down the road when he looked up. "The money was transferred," he said.
I chuckled, unable to contain my delight. "You did a brilliant job in there," I said. "Your snobbery is quite convincing."
Iver winked. "Don't let the game fool you, darling," he said. "My snobbery is only rarely part of the con."
I laughed. "You know, when we first started together, I wasn't sure you actually had a heart."
"I've convinced you otherwise?" he asked. "And they say you can't con a con."
"Who the hell says that?" I asked. "That's not a saying. Of course you can con a con. They say you can't con an honest man."
"I'm afraid that's not very accurate, either," he said.
"You've been conning honest people?" I asked.
Iver tapped on his phone, distracted. "Not since you caused me to see the error of my ways," he said. "I'm a changed man. Reformed."