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“Trust me, I wanted to get my hands on much more than your techniques,” he said with a leer at her body.
She glared at him. “Funny. Ass.”
“I’m not trying to be funny. I won’t apologize for wanting what I want.”
“Nobody asked you to. But it would be nice if you didn’t pretend to be something you’re not. The whole wolf in sheep’s clothing thing is a whole lot of busted.”
“Sweetheart, I’ve never pretended a day in my life.”
She hated the cocky way he said that, the way his eyes gleamed and the smug set of his square jaw. And she hated the way it made her insides coil and uncoil.
“Goodbye,” she said. “Lose my number.”
She shut the door before he responded.
He’d never called.
Chapter Four
IT WAS HARDLY A BLIP ON the radar screen of Amara’s life, and yet she often thought of that night with Quint, her brief encounter with the billionaire. Though they had parted ways, both of them frustrated by the experience, Amara was sure she had far more to be upset about than Quint.
Even though her resentment had hardly waned over time, she always paid special attention when his name was mentioned in the media. From the cover of men’s fashion magazines to interviews on TV business channels, he cropped up often whether she looked for him or not. Coverage had been uncharacteristically positive in the last six months, mostly for his new focus on philanthropy.
She liked to think that their falling out might have had something to do with his change of heart, but more often than not she dismissed the idea. All men of means donated to their charities of choice. Whether it was out of genuine support or a desire to see their image improved, it hardly mattered.
Now here he was, standing so close she could reach out and touch him. Quint Forbes, and he smelled every bit as sexy and manly as she remembered. He exuded ultimate confidence. Something turned over inside her.
She cleared her throat softly, giving a quick shake of her head. “Yeah, it’s been a little more than a year since we … met. How have you been?” She nearly cringed at the lame line, but it was the best she could come up with considering the circumstances.
“Fine, fine. I keep busy,” he said, as smooth and easy as if they were actually old friends.
“Good. Me too.” Well, that was stupid, she thought.
He didn’t waste any time getting down to it. “I heard of your unfortunate circumstances and happened to be in town. No one deserves the kind of treatment you’ve received from your sponsors, and you in particular certainly don’t. I’m here to help.”
Amara couldn’t help the catty, impulse response that leapt from her lips before she could stop it. “Are you? Like last year? I’m not interested in selling, Quint — Mr. Forbes. Not the methodology, not the data, not even my notes. You can forget it.”
He gave a knowing smile. “No, I don’t expect you will. I hear that’s at the root of your current difficulties. Nothing is as dangerous as a jilted lover, I suppose. I don’t expect his criticism to stick for long, but you’ve had your funding pulled across the board over it. As I said, I’m here to help.”
As she watched him, Amara felt the stirrings of the attraction that had drawn them together in the first place, but she quickly quashed it. No time for romance — not when so much was on the line. A small voice inside asked her how Quint knew so much about her, how he knew about Frederik.
She felt a bit pressured, and all the more like bait, now that she knew who Dean Wilson’s guest was. Not only that, but Quint was wrong about her funding and overestimated her desperation by a long shot. “Not everyone has dropped me. FoodFirst is still on-board,” she said, head high.
One dark brow arched up, and he crossed his arms. “No, they’re not.”
She looked at him incredulously. He’d answered too quickly. He was lying. He had to be lying to get whatever he wanted in return for the favor he was doing her and the University. And she knew what he wanted; he’d told her that night in his hotel room.
“I just read the email this morning, Quint. They said, pending their independent investigation, they’re still with me.”
“Then I suppose they didn’t like what they saw. That, or they ultimately decided to go along with the pack. When was that email sent? It wasn’t today, I know that much. I spoke with the CEO personally this morning, and he outright said he was taking his lead from the others and pulling out. If you don’t believe me, I can get Dean Wilson back in. He knows they’ve backed out. Or should I call the CEO again and have him confirm it to you personally? I bet if you checked your email right now, you’d have the official revocation sitting in your inbox.”
Amara’s chest tightened. It couldn’t be true, could it? But Quint wouldn’t be lying, not when it was so easily checked. It was true.
She swayed slightly, and when Quint stepped forward to help steady her, she quickly held out her hand to stop him.
&nb
sp; “I’m fine,” she said. “It’s just … a surprise. I thought there was still a chance if I could keep FoodFirst. I’ll simply have to accept that it’s over.”
