Zana Bell - Tempting the Negotiator

The threat worked. In seconds the boys said hasty farewells, dropped their boards and disappeared into the house, forming a bottleneck at the door as they fought to be first to the shower. Jake shook his head, but Sass laughed. “They remind me of my brothers.”

He had forgotten she’d mentioned having brothers. He’d imagined she must have sprung fully grown from some Mattel factory, a perfect Barbie. “I hope they weren’t like that disreputable horde.”

Sass’s face was unreadable—no wonder she was a hotshot lawyer. “Mmm,” was all she said before asking, “Am I going to meet your brother today?”

“Yeah, if you don’t mind working on a Saturday.”

“On the contrary, I’m really looking forward to it.”

Jake just bet she was—looking forward to racing things through, just like that Branston bastard had.

“Fine, I’ll drive you in. What time suits you?”

“The earlier, the better. We’ve a lot to get through.”

Jake had never known anyone could sound so brisk and businesslike in clinging Lycra. He saw the fine hairs on her arms rise in the early morning breeze.

“You’d better hop into a shower yourself. The sleep-out has its own tank, so you’ll have plenty of hot water. How about we meet in an hour—does that give you enough time?”

“More than enough, thank you.” Her voice was still polite, but had cooled a few degrees with the boys’ departure.

“Help yourself to breakfast, as well,” he added.

“Thanks, but I usually skip it. I’ll see you in an hour.”

SASS CHOSE HER OUTFIT with care. No heels, she realized now. No suits. Well, that eliminated half her luggage. No one had warned her of just how informal these Kiwis were, and she certainly didn’t want to put their backs up. At the same time she wanted to make sure they knew she wasn’t a pushover, either. In the end she opted for black trousers and a soft white shirt she’d hung up the night before, along with several other options. It was still a little crumpled, but she had absolutely no intention of letting Jake see her iron.

Makeup and hair also required thought. She kept the former to a minimum, just enough to enhance her eyes and lose that soft, girlie look she despised. She glossed her lips with a subtle no-nonsense red, then tied her hair back into a French roll. Finally, she selected a pair of black pumps with unmistakable Italian chic that only had a slight heel.

It wasn’t easy to see the overall effect in the small mirror tacked to the wall, but having twisted this way and that, Sass decided it was probably good enough. Drawing in a deep breath, she ran her hands down her sides. This was it.

The first meeting was crucial. As with runners before a race, so much of the final outcome lay in the first confrontation. Her whole future hinged on this. Blow this one and she blew her shot at the top.

The unwelcome image of Kurt’s smug smile flashed through her brain, and her fingers curled into a fist. No way! How smart could these guys be, anyway?

But even as she braced herself with this tough talk, she was bothered by the image of Jake as she’d seen him half an hour earlier—with the water beading on his tanned biceps and pecs, his curls flattened from his swim but already beginning to spring up again as though refusing to be tamed. His long legs and the glimpse of flat abs, mostly hidden by the board, had done something to her stomach. She was in no mood to wonder exactly what.

Standing there, wearing only surf shorts, he’d still looked to be one of the most dangerous men she’d ever seen, despite the unexpected charm of his smile. Not that he smiled much. Well, not at her, at any rate. Good. She didn’t want to be friends, either. She wanted to allay fears, clinch the deal and get the hell out of here.

“Go get them, girl!” she told herself, although she’d never really been the cheerleader sort. Picking up her briefcase as though it were a shield, she stepped out into the sun.

THIS TIME THEY TRAVELED in a beat-up old van, with the boys sprawled in the backseats. Sass had to smile. The twins shared an iPod, with an earpiece each, while Brad was immersed in playing games on his cell phone. Paul sat right at the back, staring out the window, lost in his own world.

Sass turned to look at the stern profile beside her. “I hope your brother doesn’t mind meeting on a Saturday,” Sass said to break the awkward silence.

“Not at all. No doubt you’ll have been filled in on the major objections to the resort, but Rob thought it might be helpful to have a chat before the town meeting on Tuesday night.”

They wanted to check her out. “Sure, it’s an excellent idea. I’m keen to meet him, too. He’s a lawyer, right? Does he work for a big firm?”

Jake shook his head. The sun was streaming in his side of the car, backlighting his curls. His elbow rested on the open window and the hairs on his arm glinted gold. His eyes were very slightly narrowed, but Sass wasn’t sure if that was because of the sun. Her own sunglasses were opaque and she took advantage of this to check him out. He must have dressed up for the occasion, she concluded. The shorts had been replaced by battered jeans that sat snugly on his hips. A crumpled, short-sleeved green shirt was loosely tucked in—a concession to formality, maybe.

“Rob’s gone independent,” he said.

It figured. Sass guessed that independence would be pretty important to both Finlayson brothers.

“Brave,” she said. “Gets rid of office politics, but probably produces other challenges.”

Did the laughter lines around his eyes crinkle or was that still just the sun? “Yeah, dirty nappies for a start. Rob works from home so he and Moana can share child care.”

Her heart rose. A part-time lawyer sounded ideal. How hard could this be? Then she looked at Jake’s long jawline and uncompromising chin, and felt her heart flutter back down again. Still, she kept her tone light and easy.

“Really? It must get tricky balancing everything. Is she a lawyer, too?”

Jake shook his head again. To give the guy some credit, he seemed oblivious to how good his curls looked tossed about in the sun. If it’d been Kurt, she’d have known he was doing it for effect.

“She’s a psychologist and uses the same office for consultations. It’s amazing how they manage, but it seems to work.”

Jake and Sass fell into silence again and he flicked on the radio. A Haydn violin concerto filled the car, surprising her and drawing protests from the boys. Jake ignored them, and the muttering soon died away.

The music was turned up loud, hiding the rumbling of her stomach. She was jet-lagged and hungry, but still determined not to avail herself of Jake’s hospitality. Thank goodness she’d sneaked a cigarette before her swim.

WHANGARIMU PROVED TO BE an attractive town set at the top of the harbor, where it narrowed into a marina. Restaurants and gift shops lined the water’s edge and palm trees made it feel tropical. The center was compact, clustered with small shops that reminded Sass of towns back home before huge shopping malls had taken over. But she also saw that some frontages were nailed up and that there were a number of people just sitting around the marina, looking at the boats. She’d seen that slumped-shouldered lethargy before, in trailer parks, and wondered what the unemployment numbers were.

“Right, hop out,” Jake ordered the kids as they pulled up at a red light. “We’ll be a few hours max. I’ll text you when we’re ready to pick you up. Don’t keep me waiting.”

The boys scrambled out with hurried goodbyes, and Sass was sorry to see them go. They hadn’t eased the conversation, but their mere presence had helped her relax. Without them, the silence in the van seemed to swell.