She shook her head. “No. Aaron Drake asked me to keep it quiet, said he’ll owe me one for giving it to him to use on his chess board.” She narrowed her eyes. “This means you don’t use it, and none of your men ever speak of it to anyone.”
“No worries.” He kissed her on the tip of her nose. “This mean you’re free the rest of the day?”
She shook her head. “No, I need another hour to go over the details of the new deal and make sure all my people jump into gear so we can close on it in a few days.”
He smiled. “You have people?”
“Yeah. Appraisers, bank people, tax people, lawyers, closing people, escrow people, not to mention my assistant.” She shook her head, annoyed. “Since this involves a sale to the government, there are more lawyers than normal.”
“So, there’s like an entire industry of people who make a living off of your sales?”
“Oh, no. Not just me, they work for other agents, too. I’ve found people who are trustworthy, so I know they’ll take care of my clients and not let a sale fall through because they let the ball drop somewhere. So, I consider them my people, but,” she shrugged, “they’d survive if I stopped sending them business. May not be happy about it, but I’m not their only source of income.”
He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and started walking to the door, saying, “I’m going for a ride. I’ll be back in an hour and we’ll go get something to eat. Keep your riding clothes on.”
* * * *
“So, where did you go while I finished up with my work?” Gen asked as she set her wine glass on the table. Duke had felt like steak, and had taken her to one of the best restaurants in town for it. She felt self-conscious wearing jeans and a motorcycle jacket, but no one batted an eye at seating them and serving them.
“I wanted to talk to Isaac about your alarm system, as well as the locks.”
Gen nodded. “Yeah, thanks. I was going to talk to him, you saved me the trouble. What’d he say?”
“Your guy at Drake, Chance is it?” Gen nodded and Duke continued. “Isaac said he can modify it so the law enforcement codes won’t override. He could put a digital locking system in, but for someone who’s determined, they aren’t foolproof, either. He’ll have someone rekey the locks, and he says he’ll let us know when we need to have an alibi, because in the long run it’ll be simpler to take care of the source of the problem.”
Gen realized Duke was watching her carefully, unsure of her reaction, which was fair, as she wasn’t sure of her reaction, either. On the one hand, roughing up a cop and threatening him, so he’d know it was because he harassed her, was probably a bad idea. On the other hand, Gen had the idea Isaac knew what he was doing, and when he set out to do something, he didn’t screw around.
“Okay, I’ll need to talk to Isaac before I decide whether I approve or not, but I’m assuming he isn’t planning it for tonight, so I have time.”
He settled his beer beside his plate and said, “I watched you in action today, getting the news from Chance, deciding on a plan of action, pulling people together to find a better one.” He shook his head. “Last night, I was sure you were in a full blown meltdown, ranting about how much you liked your boots, but as soon as I pointed out there was still work to be done, you crystallized back into total efficiency.” He took another drink, as if considering his final question, and Gen gave him as much time as he needed. Finally, he asked, “Do you ever fall apart? Need a man to hold you? Take care of you?”
“When I first got there yesterday? I was so tired, I truly wanted nothing more than to cuddle into you, wrapped in your arms. I love the way you hold me.”
“Okay, and thanks for sharing, because that means something to me. But, my question was whether you ever fall apart?”
“You were friends with my brother growing up — have you ever seen my mother fall apart? She raised five kids by herself, ran a business. Do you ever remember her, even once, not stepping up and dealing with whatever needed handling?”
She could see him thinking, and he slowly shook his head. Gen shrugged. “I learned from the best. My emotions are there, but I can push them to the side long enough to take care of whatever problem is before me. If I’m going to fall apart, usually it’s hours later, when I’m alone. When I was growing up I had to do it in the shower, as it was the only time I had privacy.”
She didn’t know if he realized she was giving him another piece of herself, but the look on his face told her he realized. His hand came across the table, covered hers.