Free Double Dealing by Jayne Castle Page B

lowered his eyes to his wineglass
and reached for it.
    “Whether or not you’ll come to bed with me won’t affect my
decision on whether or not I’ll do business with you, Samantha.”
    Her eyes widened in sudden perception. “You’re not planning
on doing business with me at all, are you?” she whispered tightly.
    He hesitated and then shrugged. “I haven’t decided yet.
    “Terrific!” she muttered scathingly. “Am I wasting an entire
evening then? Were you even going to ask to see the information I’ve collected?
Or were you just going to rush me into bed and then send me on my way in the
morning without any answer at all?”
    Gabriel eyed her thoughtfully for a moment. “Would you like
a little career advice, Samantha?”
    “Not particularly!”
    “Don’t worry, its free. The advice is to watch that temper
of yours. Watch all your moods, in fact. You’re very volatile, you know. You
ought to keep yourself under control when you’re trying to conduct business. Don’t
let your opponent see how anxious or angry or reckless you really are. You
s-s-should strive for a little more business poise, Samantha.”
    She raised beseeching eyes toward the ceiling. “For heaven’s
sake! I didn’t come here for a lecture on professional conduct! I’ve put a
simple, straightforward, potentially lucrative proposition in front of you.
Just tell me whether or not you’re seriously interested.”
    “And if I’m not?”
    “William Oakes,” she said succinctly.
    “Oakes?” Gabriel frowned. “From New York?”
    “You know him?” she inquired pleasantly enough. “You ought
to. He’s in your line of work. He was the other man on my list of potential
backers.”
    “Why didn’t you select him as your first choice? How did I
get so lucky?”
    She lifted one shoulder dismissingly. “You were on the West
Coast, which made you convenient and less likely to be known to Buchanan’s
people. You have a low profile in the venture capital world, which means you
can make a move without telegraphing it to The
Wall Street Journal or Barron’s .
You operate alone, which means I didn’t have to convince an entire committee of
the validity of my plan. And you’d had that previous encounter with the
Buchanan Group which I thought might predispose you to want to even the score.”
    “An excellent line of reasoning. I see you can think logically
when you wish.” He smiled gently.
    “I can work up an equally sound line of reasoning to present
to Mr. Oakes, I’m sure,” she threatened carefully.
    “Stay away from William Oakes, Samantha.” Gabriel’s voice turned
suddenly hard.
    “Why?” she challenged.
    “Because he’ll chew you up into little pieces and spit out
what’s left. That’s why. You’ll find yourself coming out of the deal with
nothing. He’ll take everything.”
    “Is this professional envy I’m hearing?” she mocked, pleased
at having regained some advantage. She couldn’t be sure why he didn’t like
Oakes, but there must be a way of working the information to her advantage.
    “It’s not professional envy, it’s a professional evaluation of
a colleague,” Gabriel growled. “I mean it, Samantha, stay clear of him.”
    “I need a backer for my plan. If you’re not willing to go
into a partnership with me, then I shall have to look elsewhere, won’t I?”
    “Samantha, Samantha!” He shook his head, smiling faintly. “You’re
so hopelessly transparent! You’re not going to force my hand by threatening to
run off to William Oakes, so don’t bother trying that tactic. I’m giving you
sound advice about the man. Accept it for what it is.”
    “Just tell me the truth, Gabriel,” she demanded. “Are you
even considering my proposition? Or was the invitation this evening strictly a
play to get me into bed?”
    He faced her levelly. “I haven’t ruled out the possibility of
doing business with you,” he said honestly.
    “Word of honor?” she pressed.
    “Word of an angel,” he