Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63311 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63311 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
“Pressing charges?” I scoffed. “For what?”
He threw his hands in the air in frustration. “Falsification of information, lying…I dunno.”
“No, don’t be silly. I’m here because…” I waited for a throng of tourists to pass, grateful for the diversion. I’d flown halfway across town to catch him and I wasn’t sure how to explain myself, so I shamelessly stalled. “I wondered how you were getting on.”
Raine widened his eyes in disbelief. “Fine. I have an interview with the Indian restaurant in my building tomorrow. The owners are nice, and their curry is freaking amazing. My clothes already smell like the stuff, so hopefully I’ll be a shoo-in.”
I furrowed my brow. “I didn’t know you were interested in the restaurant business.”
“I’m not. I just need a temporary infusion of cash while I look for something that pays better. But I’m staying here. In England. I told myself I’d take the whole year, and I’m going to do it. I don’t want any regrets.”
“That’s commendable.” Ugh. I sounded like an uptight prick to my own ears.
“I don’t know about that, but there’s so much I want to see—Stonehenge, the Royal Pavilion, the birthplaces of King Arthur and Shakespeare. I promised myself an adventure, and I’m going to have one. Even if I have to eat curry for a year.”
“You may not have to. You said you’re a whiz at research. Tell me about that,” I prodded.
“Why?”
“I have a proposition—a professional one,” I added when he narrowed his eyes.
“We’ve been through this. I told you I’m not—”
“Humor me. What did you do as an academic research assistant?”
“Uh…well, we were sometimes hired by production companies who wanted authentic representation in period films. We also were in charge of a catalog of old prints that belonged to the estate of a silent movie star. He collected priceless sketches that a museum wanted to purchase and—” Raine whirled toward me, sliding his knee onto the bench between us. “What’s this about?”
“I need your expertise.”
“Still confused here. What’s going on?”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be so fidgety. I’m not setting you up for a fall. This is a real request.”
“Keep talking.”
“There’s an asset in Cornwall—very near King Arthur’s birthplace, by the way—and I want information about it. Before you point out that I have a firm of able-bodied employees who’re capable of handling this task, the truth is, I don’t. We deal in numbers and figures at The Horsham Group, not creaky old houses of nebulous import.”
“Nebulous import,” he repeated. “I think I need a dictionary.”
I ignored the cheek and continued in a low tone. “It’s an almost five-hundred-year-old estate that’s being used as a stalling point. I don’t care what it looks like or what shape it’s in. On paper, it doesn’t mean anything.”
Raine cocked his head. “But you think it does?”
I exhaled slowly. “No, but it would be unprofessional to ignore it entirely. Especially since I know Blower brought it up because he wants to figuratively screw me with it and derail the deal with a new set of terms. Look, that’s more information than you need, but—”
“Not even close,” he huffed. “House in Cornwall, King Arthur…cool. Running ancestry programs anyone could do for a small fee…no problem. Of course, I can do it. Anyone can, so…why me?”
“Because you don’t know me. You don’t know England. You don’t know our laws or customs in a personal sense, so you have no prejudice. I doubt this will take you long, but I can make it worth your while to compile data we can add to our due diligence reports.” I spouted the first sum that popped into my head.
Raine gaped in dismay. “Are you kidding me? That’s like…a lot of money.”
“I have a lot of money,” I countered. “Well…are you interested, or should I pass this along to someone else?”
“Geez, I feel like I’m supposed to say no, but I love research and…I’m broke.”
“Perfect timing, then.” I clapped my hands and stood. “There’s a pub around the block. Let’s grab a pint and—”
“Wait up. We still have the same moral-compass issues,” he insisted.
I ushered him toward the doorway. “We’re adults, Raine. Yes, you’d technically be working for The Horsham Group, but this endeavor wouldn’t require you to step foot in my office unless you wanted to.”
“So what? I’m still attracted to you and I don’t know if you remember this, but you stuck your tongue down my throat in that taxi last week. There are sparks here,” he whisper-hissed, gesturing wildly between us.
Yes, that was true. It was why I’d dropped everything to chase after him with this silly idea. I wanted him. And knowing he felt the same made my pulse race. This wasn’t over.
Not yet.
I stepped into his space, so close I could feel his breath on my cheek as I bent to speak into his ear. “Perhaps we need to establish rules.”