Free Rules of Negotiation by Inara Scott

of businesslike reserve within minutes of leaving the Excorp building, he retained the mantle of power and authority, easily commanding the attention of everyone around him. The owner of the restaurant, Sam Huo, came out to say hello after their meal had been served. He was a thin, animated man with a heavy accent and a habit of kissing the hand of every woman who entered the restaurant.
    Jerry seemed to delight in poking fun at Brit, which was the best evidence that he was enjoying Brit’s company. He asked Brit about the rumor that Excorp was planning to buy Starbucks to cement its plans for world domination, and questioned the need for a private health club, complete with squash courts and a swimming pool, in the basement of the Excorp tower.
    Brit handled it all with a good-natured smile. After enduring a number of pointed comments from Jerry, he turned things around and began to ask questions of his own. “Tell me more about Technix,” he said, in that soft voice that was only inches from being a command. “I know what’s in your materials, but tell me the real story. How you got started. Surely there’s an interesting twist or two in there.”
    He spoke primarily to Jerry. Tori had been avoiding the conversation by eating far more than she wanted or intended. Any time Brit asked her a question, she shook her head and pointed to her full mouth to excuse her inability to speak.
    The truth was, she had no idea how to handle the situation. Brit was devilishly smart, confident, and attractive. She couldn’t bring herself to believe he truly wanted her. And even if she could, what then? Did she really have the guts to have a fling with a man like Brit?
    Tori shoved the tail end of her sandwich into her mouth.
    “It’s really not particularly exciting,” Jerry said. “Technix began as an idea in my basement. I wanted to combine my work at Columbia in artificial intelligence with the computer security field. I had no idea what I was doing. In that, Technix wasn’t very different than any other high-tech start-up. The difference for me was having a great lawyer.” Jerry patted Tori’s shoulder. “Tori understood my dream. She got me financing when everyone said my idea for a new type of security software was a pipe dream. Had to go to Japan and Australia to do it, but Tori’s a bulldog. We went through two rounds of investing before the technology was commercial, and two more after that. You’ve purchased the product of four years of sleepless nights, for both me and Tori.”
    Tori swallowed the last bite of her salad hastily, feeling compelled to speak. “Don’t let Jerry fool you. He showed me his designs for an AI security system, and I knew I wanted to be involved. Technix was too good to stay hidden for long. I was lucky he let me represent the company.”
    “Quit trying to be modest,” Jerry said. “I don’t know how many hours you put in for free. It’s not like you were being paid for travel time.”
    “It’s not like I was being paid for anything,” Tori said drily. In the beginning, Jerry didn’t have more than the shirt on his back, a fantastic idea, and the skill and intelligence to make that dream come true. She didn’t charge him for years. “Money had nothing to do with it. I knew Jerry deserved to succeed, and I wanted to be there when he did.”
    “And so you are,” Brit said. “Sounds like you’ve been a busy woman for the past few years, Tori. It isn’t as though Technix was your only client.”
    “I can’t imagine anything I’d rather be doing than working with people like Jerry,” she said truthfully.
    Brit tapped one long finger on the top of his glass. “Really?” he drawled. “I can think of lots of things I’d rather do than work.”
    Tori bent over her plate. Damn it, nothing left to eat. She took a long drink of water instead.
    “Not Tori,” Jerry said. “She’s a machine. I’ve never seen her miss a day of work, except when her mother—”
    “Goodness,