He Huffed and He Puffed Read Online Free Page A

on signing for it and they sat down to eat. He spotted a couple of sweet pastries on the cart and knew they were for him. Joanna Gillespie put a jar of diabetic honey beside her plate for herself.
    She slouched at the table and ate slowly, chewing each bite thoroughly before swallowing. Her movements were deliberate and unhurried, and she looked Strode straight in the eye when she spoke. She was courteous and pleasant to him, but it was obvious she was not at all impressed by having someone like A. J. Strode seeking her out.
    Well, that would change.
    â€œWhere’s your, er, retinue?” Strode asked innocently. “You don’t travel alone, do you?”
    â€œNo, but I don’t sleep with them. They’ll be here at ten. And I told the desk to hold my calls. So you can say what you’ve come to say without fear of interruption.”
    But Strode waited until they were almost finished eating. “How’d you come to buy House of Glass stock in the first place?” he asked her.
    â€œIt was my financial manager’s advice. He handles all my investments.”
    â€œAnd he’s the one telling you not to sell?”
    â€œNot exactly. I called him after your second offer, and he said I was right to hold on to the stock. I watch my investments, Mr. Strode, and House of Glass has sent me some nice dividends.”
    â€œCall me A. J.”
    â€œGlad to. And I’m Jo.”
    â€œYou know, Jo, there are other companies I could put you on to that’ll return even bigger dividends. I made you a generous offer. You could make a nice profit on those shares right now and reinvest the entire amount.”
    She shot him a quizzical look. “But the fact that A. J. Strode wants those shares so badly tells me they must be pretty valuable. Why? What’s going to happen with House of Glass?”
    â€œWhat’s going to happen,” he said softly, “is that I’m going to close it down.”
    Her eyebrows shot up. “Close it down?”
    â€œAbout ninety percent of it. And when I do, how much do you think your shares will be worth then?” He let her think that over for a minute. “I am going to take over, you know. If not with your shares, then with someone else’s. So you either make a profit now or take a big loss later. Up to you.”
    She stared at him a moment and said, “God, how I hate being bullied! Why do you want to shut down a profitable company like House of Glass?”
    â€œBusiness,” he answered shortly.
    â€œBusiness.” She thought a moment. “House of Glass must be hurting you somehow. Are you a competitor? And you’re out to smash the competition? Is that it?”
    â€œVery good, Jo.” He gave her the lupine smile that had intimidated stronger adversaries than Jo Gillespie. “I’m doing you a favor, coming to you first. I go to the next guy, I buy his shares, he makes a profit, you take a bath. So what’s it going to be?”
    She didn’t answer immediately. Then: “What if the next guy says no, too? And the next one? And the one after him? You wouldn’t have raised your first offer to me if you had a string of stockholders lined up eager to sell you their shares. I’m sorry, A. J., but something doesn’t ring true here. I’m going to have to talk this over with my financial manager.”
    Strode shook his head. “Jo, Jo … you know you’re forcing me to do something I didn’t want to do. I was hoping to keep this friendly. I come all the way here from New York—”
    â€œA fifty-minute flight.”
    â€œâ€”and I show you how to keep from losing money on your House of Glass shares, and you still won’t sell.” He paused. “Do you remember a man named Ozzie Rogers?”
    Her face tightened. “Who?”
    Strode repeated the name. “An old-style Texan. A familiar type—all muscles and bullets and shoot first and ask no