said,
coming toward her.
In a double-breasted, blue pinstripe
suit with a yellow silk tie, he smelled of his enticing cologne. He
kissed her cheek, and she could have sworn the images suddenly
filling her head were his. There were flashes of her naked body
laid out on a king-sized, black walnut, four-poster bed with her
red hair fanned out behind her.
“ You look fantastic,” he
whispered to her. “I can see my money was well spent.”
A surge of pride swept through her. “I
didn’t go hog wild, but I did make a dent in your credit card.” She
glanced about the room, noting the long conference table and
plethora of empty red leather desk chairs. “Are we the first ones
here?”
Nathan nodded. “I wanted to give us a
chance to talk before the meeting.”
Melinda placed her purse and briefcase
on the table. “Talk about what?”
“ These are the offices of
the architects drawing up the plans for that abandoned power plant
I told you about. They have an investor from Dallas who is real
interested in putting money into the project. His name is Bud
Moore, and I want you to tell me what you feel about him. Is he
trustworthy, or out to steal the property from me?”
Melinda placed her hand over her
nervous stomach. “I’ll do my best.”
“ Good girl.” Nathan patted
her shoulder. “I’m going to introduce you as my assistant, so just
pretend you’re taking notes throughout the meeting. After we’re
done here, we can talk.”
Melinda opened her briefcase and
pulled out a yellow legal pad and pen.
“ You even got a briefcase.
I’m impressed.”
Melinda held the pad and pen in her
hand. “A friend suggested it.”
Nathan frowned at her. “Not Jack, I
hope.”
She hugged her legal pad. “No, I
haven’t spoken to Jack since I left the Quarter.”
“ Good. I think the less
contact you have with that man the better. He’s too protective of
you.”
Melinda noticed the odd change in
Nathan’s voice. It sounded uncharacteristically dangerous. “You
make that sound like a bad thing, Nathan.”
“ I just don’t like
obstacles, Melinda.”
She quizzically tilted her head to the
side. “What obstacles?”
The door to the conference room opened
and two older gentlemen in dark suits entered.
“ Harry, George,” Nathan
said, greeting the men. “I’d like you to meet my assistant, Melinda
Harris.” Nathan waved to the gentlemen entering the room. “Melinda,
this is Harry Rutgers and George Meyer, my architects for the
Market Street project.”
Melinda nodded to the two men. “It’s a
pleasure to meet you both.”
Just then, a short, sinewy man in a
black suit, with thick black hair and coal black eyes, ambled into
the room. As soon as she saw him, Melinda instantly disliked the
man. But when he spotted Melinda, his eyes hungrily devoured her
curves.
“ Let’s get this show on the
road, boys,” the man dressed in black announced in a heavy Texas
drawl.
“ This should be fun,”
Nathan murmured next to her.
Melinda lowered her head, hiding her
grin. As she began to field impressions from the abrupt Texan, she
sagged with relief. This was going to be a lot easier than she’d
thought.
* * *
An hour later, Melinda was sitting in
Nathan’s Jaguar XK as he pulled the car out of the garage located
next door to the gray skyscraper.
“ I can guess what you’re
going to say about that Texas tycoon, Bud Moore,” Nathan surmised
as he merged his car into the street traffic.
“ If you already know, then
why do you need me?”
“ Because sometimes I need
reassurance that my gut feeling was right.”
She eyed the other cars around them.
“Your Bud Moore came across as garish, loud, and obnoxious as hell,
but you can trust him, Nathan. I didn’t like him from the minute he
walked in the door, but he’s trustworthy and very interested in
your deal.”
Nathan gave her a cautious
side-glance. “He didn’t appear interested, and he put up more
resistance than I expected to my
coming toward her.
In a double-breasted, blue pinstripe
suit with a yellow silk tie, he smelled of his enticing cologne. He
kissed her cheek, and she could have sworn the images suddenly
filling her head were his. There were flashes of her naked body
laid out on a king-sized, black walnut, four-poster bed with her
red hair fanned out behind her.
“ You look fantastic,” he
whispered to her. “I can see my money was well spent.”
A surge of pride swept through her. “I
didn’t go hog wild, but I did make a dent in your credit card.” She
glanced about the room, noting the long conference table and
plethora of empty red leather desk chairs. “Are we the first ones
here?”
Nathan nodded. “I wanted to give us a
chance to talk before the meeting.”
Melinda placed her purse and briefcase
on the table. “Talk about what?”
“ These are the offices of
the architects drawing up the plans for that abandoned power plant
I told you about. They have an investor from Dallas who is real
interested in putting money into the project. His name is Bud
Moore, and I want you to tell me what you feel about him. Is he
trustworthy, or out to steal the property from me?”
Melinda placed her hand over her
nervous stomach. “I’ll do my best.”
“ Good girl.” Nathan patted
her shoulder. “I’m going to introduce you as my assistant, so just
pretend you’re taking notes throughout the meeting. After we’re
done here, we can talk.”
Melinda opened her briefcase and
pulled out a yellow legal pad and pen.
“ You even got a briefcase.
I’m impressed.”
Melinda held the pad and pen in her
hand. “A friend suggested it.”
Nathan frowned at her. “Not Jack, I
hope.”
She hugged her legal pad. “No, I
haven’t spoken to Jack since I left the Quarter.”
“ Good. I think the less
contact you have with that man the better. He’s too protective of
you.”
Melinda noticed the odd change in
Nathan’s voice. It sounded uncharacteristically dangerous. “You
make that sound like a bad thing, Nathan.”
“ I just don’t like
obstacles, Melinda.”
She quizzically tilted her head to the
side. “What obstacles?”
The door to the conference room opened
and two older gentlemen in dark suits entered.
“ Harry, George,” Nathan
said, greeting the men. “I’d like you to meet my assistant, Melinda
Harris.” Nathan waved to the gentlemen entering the room. “Melinda,
this is Harry Rutgers and George Meyer, my architects for the
Market Street project.”
Melinda nodded to the two men. “It’s a
pleasure to meet you both.”
Just then, a short, sinewy man in a
black suit, with thick black hair and coal black eyes, ambled into
the room. As soon as she saw him, Melinda instantly disliked the
man. But when he spotted Melinda, his eyes hungrily devoured her
curves.
“ Let’s get this show on the
road, boys,” the man dressed in black announced in a heavy Texas
drawl.
“ This should be fun,”
Nathan murmured next to her.
Melinda lowered her head, hiding her
grin. As she began to field impressions from the abrupt Texan, she
sagged with relief. This was going to be a lot easier than she’d
thought.
* * *
An hour later, Melinda was sitting in
Nathan’s Jaguar XK as he pulled the car out of the garage located
next door to the gray skyscraper.
“ I can guess what you’re
going to say about that Texas tycoon, Bud Moore,” Nathan surmised
as he merged his car into the street traffic.
“ If you already know, then
why do you need me?”
“ Because sometimes I need
reassurance that my gut feeling was right.”
She eyed the other cars around them.
“Your Bud Moore came across as garish, loud, and obnoxious as hell,
but you can trust him, Nathan. I didn’t like him from the minute he
walked in the door, but he’s trustworthy and very interested in
your deal.”
Nathan gave her a cautious
side-glance. “He didn’t appear interested, and he put up more
resistance than I expected to my
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