Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26723 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26723 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Corbin chuckled and tapped the fingers of one hand on his desk, his eyes assessing me. “I could say the same of you.”
“That’s fair,” I conceded, the corners of my lips tipping up.
“I suppose neither of us has the upper hand here. Then again, you have two legs to stand on…” His eyes twinkled merrily, and I couldn’t help laughing.
For the next fifteen minutes, we made what might have seemed like small talk to an observer. But I got the impression that his questions were premeditated and deliberate. He was looking for something specific from me, and my intuition told me that if he didn’t find it, he wouldn’t be willing to listen to my offer.
So I indulged him, but to my surprise, I enjoyed his company since he was easy to talk to. Besides, he played fair, answering all of my inquiries as well.
Eventually, he fell silent, and I waited patiently—on the outside—for him to finish studying me thoughtfully.
After a couple of minutes, he leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers on the desktop. “I’ve done my research on your company,” he told me. “Very impressive.” His tone was a little cryptic, and I wondered how much research he’d done on us, not just the business.
“Thank you.” I smiled and boldly met his gaze. “I hope that means you’re open to my offer.”
He tapped his fingers a few more times, watching me closely. I wasn’t sure what he was looking for, or if he’d found it, when he answered. “I would be if we were discussing any of the other properties that I own. But since we’re talking about this house, hearing any offer you have would be a waste of both our time.”
His casual dismissal pricked my temper, but I didn’t give away any sign of emotion, remaining businesslike. “If you aren’t willing to entertain my offer, why did you agree to meet with me?”
Corbin smiled and taped his fingers again before relaxing back into his seat. “Because I wanted to meet you before I let you contact my granddaughter.”
“Your granddaughter?” I asked in confusion.
Corbin nodded. “I assume you’ve done your own digging and know about McKenna.”
My research had been directed at Corbin, but that meant I’d gained some knowledge about his family situation. I was aware that he had a granddaughter who was more like a daughter to him than her mother ever was. He had practically raised McKenna since her parents had been too spoiled and selfish to be responsible for another human being. But that was all I knew about her. I’d never even seen a picture of the girl.
“I do know of her,” I replied honestly. “However, you’ll have to explain to me why I need to contact her.” For a moment, I wondered if he might be playing matchmaker, but the idea was so ridiculous that I didn’t give it a second thought.
“It’s McKenna’s decision whether to sell this house, but I wasn’t about to give out her contact information to just anyone.” His eyes twinkled again, and he smiled. “For some reason, I like you, Mr. Bardot.”
This whole thing struck me as a little odd, but I didn’t care if it got me the house.
Corbin leaned forward and grabbed a pen from the holder on his desk, then ripped a piece of paper off a pad and wrote something on it.
He held it out to me, and I took it, seeing McKenna’s name and phone number on it. I thanked him and left. Once I was settled in the black leather seat of my bright yellow Ferrari 488 Pista Spider, I called the number Corbin had given me.
The sweetest voice I’d ever heard answered, and to my utter shock, my body roared to life. What the fuck?
“Is this McKenna Sage?” I asked, my voice a little gruffer than I’d intended because I was trying to fight off the lust coursing through my body.
“Yes,” she replied hesitantly.
“My name is Jeremy Bardot. Your grandfather gave me your number, and I was hoping we could sit down and talk for a few minutes. In person,” I added. I preferred not to wheel and deal over the phone when I couldn’t read the people I was negotiating with. And that was all this girl—woman—was.
“Grandpa gave you my information?” Her tone held suspicion.
I understood her wariness but didn’t want to discuss this over the phone, so I avoided the real reason I wanted to meet with her.
“If he told you I was single and is trying to set us up on a blind date, I’m going to kill him,” she growled adorably.
An unexpected laugh burst from my chest. “You know, for a moment, I had the same thought. But I assure you, that’s not what this is about.”
“Then what is it about?”
“I’d rather discuss it in person. We can even meet at your grandfather’s house if that would make you more comfortable.”