manner than the one he’d chosen.
"Want to bet? Watch this."
Something flickered in the hazel eyes, hardening, turning unbelievably cold. The smile he wore became far more dangerous than Kalinda would have believed possible. "What would Brady management think if the members discovered that their president had arranged to spend the weekend at a secluded motel with the head of the firm which is trying to force a merger? They might be forgiven for believing they’d been sold down the river, don’t you agree? I’d say there’s a good chance they might turn on their little lady chief executive officer, lose all confidence in her, and make it utterly impossible for her to rally the firm for the coming battle. The company would fall into Hutton’s lap with only a whimper."
"Rand!" Kalinda couldn’t believe what she was hearing. No! The problem was she could believe it.
There was something in him that proclaimed him capable of such an action and the knowledge shook her deeply. "You… you wouldn’t do anything like that…"
"I might," he countered lazily. "If you don’t agree to continue the affair we started last weekend!"
6
The chattering, happy crowd seemed to recede into the distance as Kalinda forgot about everyone else in the room and stared, appalled at her uninvited guest.
"Are you saying you’d blackmail me into an affair?" she finally whispered.
He continued to regard her with that incredibly ruthless expression, everything about him hard, unyielding, and determined. Rand said nothing. He didn’t need to say anything. The message was plain.
Shakily Kalinda reached out to steady herself with a hand on the edge of the white table. "I… I would never have thought you capable of doing anything like this."
"Perhaps In the short time we spent together you didn’t get a chance to know me as well as you might have," he suggested coolly.
"No," she got out, her words barely a thread of sound as she tried to think what to do, how to handle him. "No, perhaps I didn’t."
"Now you’re seeing another side of me. Do you believe this side is capable of a certain ruthlessness?"
he persisted.
"Yes." It was the truth and he must have seen it in her eyes.
"Good," he nodded, the hardness in him fading away on the instant as he turned to reach for another interesting tidbit "I think I’ve still got the old shark instincts and talents."
Kalinda heard the wry satisfaction in his words and blinked, confused more than ever. "What’s going on here, Rand? Are you telling me you were teasing me just then? That you were faking that… that threat?"
She put a hand on the sleeve of his jacket, urgently demanding his attention. His head swung back to her, the white teeth flashing in a reassuring grin that made her want to kick him.
"You believed me, didn’t you?" he countered pointedly. "For a minute or two you thought me fully capable of blackmailing you into an affair."
"You sound proud of it!" she accused, cheeks staining with annoyance and growing embarrassment at her obvious gullibility.
The grin faded into a self-mocking grimace. "No, I’m not proud of it. But it is a useful business skill, I’m sorry to say."
"What’s a useful business skill? Blackmail?" she raged heatedly, having difficulty keeping her voice down.
"The skill of being able to make people think I’ll stop at nothing when it comes to getting what I want,"
he explained kindly, soothingly. "I just wanted you to have a small demonstration so you can introduce me to your…"
"Introduce you as what?" she gritted.
"The outside consultant you’ve hired to direct the defenses of Brady Data Processing," he retorted easily. He appeared about to add to that when his glance went suddenly to a point beyond her head. The hazel eyes gleamed warmly. "Hey, you really did like the pot, huh?"
"Your conversation is getting more and more difficult to follow," Kalinda muttered and turned to follow his gaze. The lovely, wide-mouthed bowl she had bought that
"Want to bet? Watch this."
Something flickered in the hazel eyes, hardening, turning unbelievably cold. The smile he wore became far more dangerous than Kalinda would have believed possible. "What would Brady management think if the members discovered that their president had arranged to spend the weekend at a secluded motel with the head of the firm which is trying to force a merger? They might be forgiven for believing they’d been sold down the river, don’t you agree? I’d say there’s a good chance they might turn on their little lady chief executive officer, lose all confidence in her, and make it utterly impossible for her to rally the firm for the coming battle. The company would fall into Hutton’s lap with only a whimper."
"Rand!" Kalinda couldn’t believe what she was hearing. No! The problem was she could believe it.
There was something in him that proclaimed him capable of such an action and the knowledge shook her deeply. "You… you wouldn’t do anything like that…"
"I might," he countered lazily. "If you don’t agree to continue the affair we started last weekend!"
6
The chattering, happy crowd seemed to recede into the distance as Kalinda forgot about everyone else in the room and stared, appalled at her uninvited guest.
"Are you saying you’d blackmail me into an affair?" she finally whispered.
He continued to regard her with that incredibly ruthless expression, everything about him hard, unyielding, and determined. Rand said nothing. He didn’t need to say anything. The message was plain.
Shakily Kalinda reached out to steady herself with a hand on the edge of the white table. "I… I would never have thought you capable of doing anything like this."
"Perhaps In the short time we spent together you didn’t get a chance to know me as well as you might have," he suggested coolly.
"No," she got out, her words barely a thread of sound as she tried to think what to do, how to handle him. "No, perhaps I didn’t."
"Now you’re seeing another side of me. Do you believe this side is capable of a certain ruthlessness?"
he persisted.
"Yes." It was the truth and he must have seen it in her eyes.
"Good," he nodded, the hardness in him fading away on the instant as he turned to reach for another interesting tidbit "I think I’ve still got the old shark instincts and talents."
Kalinda heard the wry satisfaction in his words and blinked, confused more than ever. "What’s going on here, Rand? Are you telling me you were teasing me just then? That you were faking that… that threat?"
She put a hand on the sleeve of his jacket, urgently demanding his attention. His head swung back to her, the white teeth flashing in a reassuring grin that made her want to kick him.
"You believed me, didn’t you?" he countered pointedly. "For a minute or two you thought me fully capable of blackmailing you into an affair."
"You sound proud of it!" she accused, cheeks staining with annoyance and growing embarrassment at her obvious gullibility.
The grin faded into a self-mocking grimace. "No, I’m not proud of it. But it is a useful business skill, I’m sorry to say."
"What’s a useful business skill? Blackmail?" she raged heatedly, having difficulty keeping her voice down.
"The skill of being able to make people think I’ll stop at nothing when it comes to getting what I want,"
he explained kindly, soothingly. "I just wanted you to have a small demonstration so you can introduce me to your…"
"Introduce you as what?" she gritted.
"The outside consultant you’ve hired to direct the defenses of Brady Data Processing," he retorted easily. He appeared about to add to that when his glance went suddenly to a point beyond her head. The hazel eyes gleamed warmly. "Hey, you really did like the pot, huh?"
"Your conversation is getting more and more difficult to follow," Kalinda muttered and turned to follow his gaze. The lovely, wide-mouthed bowl she had bought that
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