Exposed (Tropical Nights) Read Free Page A

them.”
    “Just make sure you don’t seem too eager. I want to keep the advantage on our side.”
    “Of course,” Harry said smoothly.
    Leo saw a light flash on his phone indicating his secretary was calling him. “I want daily updates on this.”
    “Will do.”
    “Talk to you tomorrow, Harry.” Leo disconnected the call with his attorney and switched to the other line. “Grace,” he said.
    “There’s a Ms. Rachel Hoffman here to see you,” his secretary said.
    “Thank you. Send her in.”
    Leo gathered all the Bondell documents into a folder and put it in his desk drawer. The impending deal was weighing heavily on his mind, but he needed to put it aside and turn his focus to the journalist and her story. He hated doing publicity, but his company needed it right now and he would do whatever was in the company’s best interest.
    He looked up when the door to his office opened.
    “Right this way,” Grace said as she ushered the journalist in.
    Leo nodded his thanks to Grace and stood to greet his guest. “Ms. Hoffman,” he said, extending his hand. She took it firmly in a quick handshake. “ I’m Leo Hanlon. Please, sit.” Leo gestured to the chairs near his desk.
    Leo said nothing for a moment as he watched her get comfortable, taking the time to size her up. He was adept at reading people, able to take in even minor details quickly. Rachel Hoffman was slightly taller than the average woman, he would guess about 5’8”. She was slender but not skinny, with a strong yet l ean build. She moved gracefully and Leo would bet good money she took many years of dance lessons as a child. She had long dark hair that curled messily but not too tightly, and it was pulled back loosely in a way that suggested she didn’t care much for style as long as it was out of her way. Her face was blandly pleasing but not overly remarkable, except for a pair of large, brilliantly blue eyes, which she didn’t try to accentuate with make-up. Her lack of make-up and her outfit of a plain button-up shirt and black pants suggested she wasn’t trying to highlight her assets in any way.
    Combining her appearance with what he’d learned of her educational and work background, Leo surmised she was intelligent —extremely so—but also one of those shy, awkward types. Her hobbies were probably quiet, solitary things like knitting and reading. He couldn’t see her letting loose and having wild fun. She didn’t seem very outgoing or assertive.
    All of this was good, he thought. He would be able to easily take charge and control the story. Not that he ever had problems taking control or dominating any given situation, it was just nice to know that this time it would require little effort on his part. With the state of the company’s reputation and the number of critical yet precarious deals he was currently engaged in, he was glad it was going to be easy to get the feature story done exactly the way he wanted.
    “ Thank you for coming in, Ms. Hoffman. I’m looking forward to working with you over the next few days.” It wasn’t true, of course. He didn’t want to do this story, would never have sought it out, but when Ms. Hoffman’s boss called and pitched the idea of an in-depth article on Hanlon Enterprises, he knew it would be a good PR move. The journalist didn’t need to know of his reluctance, though, and one didn’t excel in business the way Leo did without being able to spout complete BS with utter confidence and aplomb. Now that he had committed to the interview, he would embrace it, take charge of it, and make it seem like it was his idea in the first place. It was how he always operated and it made him very, very successful at what he did.
    “Thank you for allowing access to you and your company. I know you’re a busy man and I appreciate you making time in your schedule,” Rachel said warmly.
    Leo nodded. She was good, he noticed. She spoke confidently but not aggressively, was polite and appreciative without