Tycoon's Tryst (Culpepper Cowboys Book 10) Read Free Page B

would have been a much more powerful gesture if his pecs weren’t rock hard. Unwelcome shivers slithered through her.
    Sly huffed an embarrassed laugh. “Yeah, about that lawsuit.” He attempted to loosen up into a charming slouch.
    Again, Rachel’s gut did things she’d rather not think about. She fought hard against it, spinning that energy around to fight him.
    “Don’t you try to sweet-talk me, buster. I’ve had men trying to pull that crap on me since I was a teenager. You’re nothing but a vicious, arrogant crook trying to scam me out of a business that means more to me than you can ever know.” Her voice cracked at the end and tears stung at her eyes.
    No. She was not going to cry. Not now, not ever.
    Sly’s clever pretense dropped as he studied her with sudden concern.
    “Um, Miss Korpanty?” Brian the clerk asked. “Your license and credit card?”
    For a few more fiery moments, Rachel stood with her eyes locked on Sly’s. She would stare him into a bubbling puddle of man juice if he thought she would be the first one to look away.
    A heartbeat later, Sly cleared his throat and peeked at Brian out of the corner of his eyes. Ha! He’d looked away first. She’d won that contest.
    The victory felt hollow. With a sigh, she stomped up to the desk and handed her license and credit card over to Brian. She’d never really been competitive anyhow. Not at heart. It was a skill she’d had to learn to keep what little she had.
    Sly sidled close to her side. “The thing about the lawsuit—”
    Rachel held up her hand like a wall, stopping him in his tracks. Sly snapped his mouth shut and took a step back, thrusting his hands in his pockets. At least he got points for respecting her command to shut the heck up for a second.
    “There you go, Miss Korpanty.” Brian smiled as though a battle royale wasn’t taking place right in front of him. “I’ve put you in room 345. A complimentary continental breakfast is served in the lobby from 6am until 10am. We have a selection of brochures telling you about—”
    “Yeah, yeah, Brian. I’ll take it from here,” Sly interrupted.
    Rachel’s eyes and nostrils flared wide. Okay, so maybe he didn’t get points for respect after all.
    “Enjoy your stay.” Brian grinned.
    “I’ll make sure of it.” Sly nodded to Brian, then picked up Rachel’s suitcase with one hand and closed the other around her elbow.
    He led her halfway across the lobby toward the elevators before Rachel had the presence of mind to shake him off.
    “What are you doing?” she snapped. “Give me my suitcase and go away.”
    Sly shook his head, but let her go, stopping where they were next to a potted plant. “Let me explain about the lawsuit.”
    Rachel laughed and rolled her eyes. “Why should I? It’s pretty clear what you’re doing to me.”
    “Is it?” His brow lifted with genuine curiosity.
    “Yes. You see a successful company and since it’s run by a woman, you can’t stand to let it continue to be successful.”
    “Actually, that wasn’t what I—”
    “Well, I’ve got news for you, buster. Korpanty Enterprises isn’t as successful as you think it is.” Much to her horror, her voice faltered at the end of her statement. She hadn’t meant to spill that particular can of worms so fast.
    Sly’s expression pinched to a confused frown. “Your second quarter profits were up. That campaign you did with the underwear models here a few winters ago was a huge success.”
    “Yeah, and do you know how much it cost us?” She shook her head. The conversation wasn’t going anywhere near where she wanted it to go. “I’ve worked for years to establish a company that values integrity and takes care of its employees. That includes using sustainable products in our underwear lines, manufacturing in America, and providing family leave to all employees, female and male. Those models weren’t contractors, they were employees of the company. And when almost all of them went on