more interested. He understandably wanted to know what position I held to be able to make such an inquiry. At that point, I realized I had to make my status at the brewery as lofty as possible. And what loftier a position than the future son-in-law of the present owner?”
“And he believed you?”
“As you mentioned before,” he answered with a wink, “I can be very persuasive with the right motivation.”
Maggie wanted to argue but couldn’t. “Did Mr. Briars give you any indication as to what price he might ask for the King’s Crown?”
Delaney merely smiled at that. “Before we could discuss any monetary issues, he made a point of informing me that his inn was the finest in the county, visited by gentry and nobility from far and wide. I think he was going to indicate an amount he’d be willing to part with his establishment, but I stopped him.”
“Why?” Maggie stepped around the desk. “Why did you stop him?”
“Because whatever price he stated would be a bargai ning point from his advantage—not mine. I’d rather be the one to make the first offer and have to raise it to meet his expectations, than anger him by forcing him to accept far less than he’d asked as a starting price.”
Maggie saw the advantage in such a strategy but was amazed that Grayson Delaney had thought of it. “And how will you determine what to offer him? The only way we have of knowing what profits to expect from the King’s Crown is to see the account books for the last few years.”
“Which of course you’re sure I didn’t think to do.”
“Please don’t put words in my mouth. You’ve hardly had experience in negotiations of this sort. I hardly expected you to think to ask for them.”
“Of course .” He pushed himself away from the wall. “Being an irresponsible squanderer, I’ve never had to concern myself with accounting for the money I’ve spent.” He stepped toward her. “Except that at times I have been known to do the unexpected.” He patted his jacket pocket.
“You have them?” She couldn’t believe it. “You thought to ask for them?”
Maggie threw caution to the wind and darted across the room. He smiled when she reached him and he took the last step toward her to close the narrow distance she’d left between them. He was suddenly near enough that their toes touched.
He chucked her under the chin. “Did you want to see them?”
She swatted away his hand. “Of course I want to see them.”
He shook his head. “It’s too late to look at them tonight, Maggie, dear.”
“But I just want to—”
“We’ll look at them first thing in the morning after we’ve had a good night’s sleep.”
“We!”
“Of course. You don’t expect me to negotiate with Briars without knowing his business inside and out, do you?”
“No, but—”
He placed his hands on her shoulders and sent a thousand spikes of molten need shooting to her core.
“Sometimes you amaze me, Maggie. You have a brilliant head for business, but unless you expect your father to return within the next few days, you’d better resign yourself to the fact that from now on you and I are in this together.”
Maggie didn’t want to think of herself connected to Gray Delaney in any way, especially in something that might bring them into constant contact with each other. Something in the way he looked at her made her realize just how vulnerable she was when he came near. And the way she reacted to him warned her how much of a threat he was to her.
“What are you worried about now?” he asked, moving one hand to the nape of her neck.
She tried to pull away, but his hand held its firm grasp and he wouldn’t release her. “What is there that’s happening that I shouldn’t worry about? I’m being forced to risk the money I’ve saved for my sisters’ futures. I’ve aligned myself with a man whose reputation as a scoundrel and a spendthrift is known far and wide. And I’m here alone in the middle of the night with
“And he believed you?”
“As you mentioned before,” he answered with a wink, “I can be very persuasive with the right motivation.”
Maggie wanted to argue but couldn’t. “Did Mr. Briars give you any indication as to what price he might ask for the King’s Crown?”
Delaney merely smiled at that. “Before we could discuss any monetary issues, he made a point of informing me that his inn was the finest in the county, visited by gentry and nobility from far and wide. I think he was going to indicate an amount he’d be willing to part with his establishment, but I stopped him.”
“Why?” Maggie stepped around the desk. “Why did you stop him?”
“Because whatever price he stated would be a bargai ning point from his advantage—not mine. I’d rather be the one to make the first offer and have to raise it to meet his expectations, than anger him by forcing him to accept far less than he’d asked as a starting price.”
Maggie saw the advantage in such a strategy but was amazed that Grayson Delaney had thought of it. “And how will you determine what to offer him? The only way we have of knowing what profits to expect from the King’s Crown is to see the account books for the last few years.”
“Which of course you’re sure I didn’t think to do.”
“Please don’t put words in my mouth. You’ve hardly had experience in negotiations of this sort. I hardly expected you to think to ask for them.”
“Of course .” He pushed himself away from the wall. “Being an irresponsible squanderer, I’ve never had to concern myself with accounting for the money I’ve spent.” He stepped toward her. “Except that at times I have been known to do the unexpected.” He patted his jacket pocket.
“You have them?” She couldn’t believe it. “You thought to ask for them?”
Maggie threw caution to the wind and darted across the room. He smiled when she reached him and he took the last step toward her to close the narrow distance she’d left between them. He was suddenly near enough that their toes touched.
He chucked her under the chin. “Did you want to see them?”
She swatted away his hand. “Of course I want to see them.”
He shook his head. “It’s too late to look at them tonight, Maggie, dear.”
“But I just want to—”
“We’ll look at them first thing in the morning after we’ve had a good night’s sleep.”
“We!”
“Of course. You don’t expect me to negotiate with Briars without knowing his business inside and out, do you?”
“No, but—”
He placed his hands on her shoulders and sent a thousand spikes of molten need shooting to her core.
“Sometimes you amaze me, Maggie. You have a brilliant head for business, but unless you expect your father to return within the next few days, you’d better resign yourself to the fact that from now on you and I are in this together.”
Maggie didn’t want to think of herself connected to Gray Delaney in any way, especially in something that might bring them into constant contact with each other. Something in the way he looked at her made her realize just how vulnerable she was when he came near. And the way she reacted to him warned her how much of a threat he was to her.
“What are you worried about now?” he asked, moving one hand to the nape of her neck.
She tried to pull away, but his hand held its firm grasp and he wouldn’t release her. “What is there that’s happening that I shouldn’t worry about? I’m being forced to risk the money I’ve saved for my sisters’ futures. I’ve aligned myself with a man whose reputation as a scoundrel and a spendthrift is known far and wide. And I’m here alone in the middle of the night with
Similar Books
