1:00 AM, April 1st, Chicago

"ADAM TALCOTT, it's my turn, and I dare you," Jack Hunter challenged. "I double-damn dare you to live on your own for two months." The two men staggered along the street toward their favorite blues club, with Adam's chauffeur-driven limousine creeping along behind.

Adam loosened the tie of his tux, then started on his shirt studs. Damned tuxedoes, even the best tailor can't make them comfortable. But the tux was part and parcel of indulging his mother's penchant for giving birthday parties. "Whaddaya mean? I've been living on my own for ten years." Not quite as long as they'd been trading birthday challenges, Adam thought. He fiddled with the fastenings of his cummerbund and tossed it aside.

"No, you've had your own residence for ten years. You have servants, employees and s-sy-sycophants at your beck and call. Tha's not living on your own. You have money, too." Jack hiccoughed.

"You mean I can't live on my own and have money too?" The street tilted before Adam's eyes as he tried to follow his friend's logic.

"Unlike myself, you've always had money." For emphasis, Jack smacked his palm on a non-existent table and fell forward.

Adam grabbed him before Jack could smack the pavement with his head. "I don't get it."

"Face it, buddy, you've always had money, and you'll always have it. Your entire family is rish. They've been rish for so many generations, that none of you would know what to do without servants. Take away your credit cards and your social connections, and not one Talcott could survive for more than a day."

Adam snorted. "You're kidding. You don't believe that. I'm a very resourceful person. You've said so yourself."

"When it comes to capital investments and risky stock buys, there's no one more ingin, ingangren, ingenuous...."

"Ingenious," Adam offered, pleased that he wasn't as far-gone as his friend.

"Thank you. No one more ingenious than you. But you've never had to live off the sweat of your brow. You've never had a woman turn you down because your bank account wasn't big enough. And that's my challenge."

Adam paused beneath the club's blinking cat logo to stare at his friend. Behind them, the limo stopped.

"That's redica... stupid. You want me to find a woman who will turn me down because of my bank account?"

Jack leaned against the wall of the building. "Nah." He shook his head as if trying to clear it. "You gotta find a job. Manual labor." His tongue tripped over the words, and he wiped his hand across his face. "Live on that income for eight weeks. No use of your business or social connections."

Adam considered the options -- live like a poor man for eight weeks or lose the CEO's office to Jack. They'd both had too much to drink, so considering took a while. The neon-red sign hung over the club's doorway distracted him. "Why did we come here? This place always reminds me of my mother's demented Persian cat."

"You love that cat, and you know it."

"Okay, but I don't like the hairballs it leaves in my shoes." Adam shivered. "I'm cold. Let's go to your place."

"S'okay with me," his friend replied, turning with Adam toward the limousine.

The chauffeur got out and opened the car door. Adam followed Jack inside. "Mr. Hunter's condo please, Raoul." The door closed. "That challenge is too easy, Jack."

"Not!" Jack protested. "Besides, as the partner with only 49% of the stock, 's'my turn to challenge you." He waved his left fist, index finger extended, punctuating his words. "I can choose any reason -- hic, scuse me -- able thing I want, and you have to do it or turn over the controlling two percent of the corporation. Two years ago in Mexico, you should have let me try again. Holding me to the challenge during an earthquake was a dirty trick."

"Was not."

Jack ignored him. "I'm determined to get the CEO's chair back. You surprised me, last year, when you actually climbed that mountain. I was sure your fear of heights would do you in. I had to come up with something I know you can't do."

Adam lifted an eyebrow. "That's what comes from sharing a birthday and a successful business. After fourteen years of friendship, you should know the word can't isn't in my vocabulary. Anyone who tries to put it there usually regrets the attempt. Besides, we both know I can't decline a birthday challenge." Adam blithely ignored his own vocabulary rules. "Even if I am taking advantage of you."

"You aren't."

"Just remember, Jack, you're the one who dared me to put this birthday challenge business into the articles of incorporation for AFD Inc. I never should have let you goad me into that."

"I had you dead to rights on that coin flip. If you hadn't taken my dare, I'd be CEO for life."

"We might have been better off," Adam muttered.

"Nah, we'd still be just as successful. But the business'd be a dead bore." Jack spoke with increasing sobriety. "With the possibility that AFD's leadership can change in any given year, we both have to stay on our toes and up to date with everything that happens."

"The challenge does tend to keep the blood pumping." Adam grinned. "I still remember the first challenge."

"Yeah, it was kinda weird how two April Fools Day babies ended up celebrating in the same bar."

"Thanks to the untimely arrival of the cops, we never did settle who won."

"The way I figure it, we both won." Jack gestured broadly. "Look where we are now."

Adam looked out the windows at the intersection where the limo waited for a light to change. "Next to a trash can, underneath the Ell?"

Jack punched Adam in the arm. "Cut it out, you idiot. We're on top of the financial world."

"I agree. However, when we got thrown in jail, my family's lawyers made it feel like we were the biggest pair of losers ever to hit Chicago."

"Well, we proved them wrong. Heck, the idea for AFD Inc. was born in that holding tank we shared."

"And we have this great method for keeping the AFD leadership fresh."

"So whaddaya say, Adam? Do you accept the challenge? Or do you wimp out and hand over the reins and the two percent without a fight?"

"I still think I'm taking advantage of you."

"No way. I know what I'm doing."

The limo pulled up at Jack's condo. Without waiting for Raoul, Adam opened the door and got out.

"Okay, I'll do it. Let's discuss the details over coffee."

Jack preceded Adam into the chilly April night. Punching the air, he grinned and led the way past the doorman into the elevators. "All right! CEO chair, here I come."

"I'll have to let my family know I'll be out of touch for a while. I don't want their demands to give you grounds to say I failed the challenge."

"I'll take care of your mom, but you know how little influence anyone has over your brother." Jack left the elevator, proceeded down the hall to his home, and unlocked the door of his condo, giving an exaggerated bow of welcome.

Adam nodded. "I like owning the majority of the stock in our company too much to give up two percent to you just because my busybody relatives think they're worried about me."

"Hmmm," Jack ambled to the kitchen and started the coffee. "You'll need a car and some different clothes."

"I'll call down to Raoul." Adam picked up Jack's phone. "He'll know where to find an appropriate car and clothing at this time of night."

"You're leaving tonight?"

"In a couple of hours. Besides, this dare is more nuisance than challenge."

"Just wait 'til you try to find a job without a reference."

"Now, that's going too far. I'll have to supply at least one reference, if asked."

"All right." Jack's eyes gleamed. "Have any potential employer call me. Give them my personal number. But you'll have to go along with whatever background story I give."

"What if I tell them something different?"

"Then you'll look like a liar, so I wouldn't risk saying much, if I were you."

"Yeah, yeah. I took a bigger risk climbing that mountain."

Jack pulled a smug smile. "Go ahead, be reckless, but you'll see I was right. This is the toughest challenge of your life."

Copyright © 2001 by Sue Charnley