Free Dream Nights With the CEO by Kathy Lyons

success of last night’s work frenzy, Wyatt was humming with excitement. He felt bizarrely powerful, as if with Megan’s help, he could conquer the world. So the movement from complete sync with Megan to the jagged anxiety that was Bethany was enough to jolt him out of his typical distraction.
    He glanced at Megan, throwing her a question in a look. She just shrugged, but her eyes were very intent as she watched Bethany pick up and put down a furred…hat pin? What the hell was that? He had no clue except that the woman kept picking it up and stroking it absently, only to suddenly realize what she was doing before dropping it with a squeak. After the third time, she slammed open a desk drawer and threw it inside with an honest to goodness growl.
    Again, Wyatt exchanged a glance with Megan, who had started making discreet notations on her iPad. He wondered if she was Googling that strange hat pin thing. Either way, it was time to get down to business. He just didn’t really know how to start with the jittery Bethany.
    Fortunately, he had already worked out the process with Megan sometime around 5 this morning. Her job: the soothing compromiser. His job: the hard, cold bastard.
    He started the process, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. “Well, you called the meeting, Miss Clark. What is it that you wanted to talk to us about?”
    She frowned at him, her scowl growing cold and furious. Fortunately, that was the perfect time for Megan to step in.
    “We know this is hard, Miss Clark. We’d like to make it easier for you if we can—”
    “You want to buy this place lock, stock, and barrel. It’s my heritage, the only thing I have in the world, and you want to take it from me.” The words were bitter, thrown out like a gauntlet, but Wyatt would swear there was an undercurrent of hope in there. As if she wanted him to buy the place.
    He shook his head, playing his part to the utmost. “Actually, Miss Clark, as I told you before, I can’t afford the repairs to this place. I don’t want to buy it. It’s much too expensive.”
    Megan stepped in, her voice as soothing as his was brutal. “But we did mention compromises. Alternative possibilities. And you did call us…”
    Bethany’s jaw jumped as she ground her teeth together. “I know I called you. I know what kind of negotiating position that puts me in.”
    Weak , Wyatt silently answered. Desperate . So what was going on? Meanwhile, Megan’s eyes flashed him the same question. He had no answer for her, so she turned back to Bethany.
    “Did you have something in mind?”
    Bethany nodded and flipped over a piece of paper on her desk. Then she pushed it across the cluttered surface. “Here’s what I propose.”
    Megan picked it up, scanned it, and released a semi-dramatic sigh before passing it up to Wyatt. He didn’t even have to look down.
    “That’s not the way this works,” he said softly. Right on cue, Megan pulled out the first of their three ideas—all printed and pristine. She passed it to Miss Clark.
    Bethany took it with shaking hands, then read their proposal. “Unacceptable.”
    Wyatt pushed to his feet. “Sorry this didn’t work out—”
    “Wait!” Bethany cried. “There’s got to be some middle ground. Isn’t that how negotiations work?”
    “Sometimes, sometimes not,” Wyatt said, making sure he sounded cold and heartless. Inside he was starting to feel sorry for the woman. Obviously, something momentous had happened. Three days ago, she’d all but thrown him out of her breakfast room. Worry niggled at the back of his mind. What didn’t he know?
    And just like that, Megan was there, smoothing the way. “Of course there’s room for negotiation,” she said in a tone of mild reproof aimed at him. He glanced at her, momentarily worried that she was annoyed with him and not acting. Before he could figure out which, she was talking to Miss Clark. “Obviously something has happened recently. Something has upset you,