Tempting Eden Read Online Free Page B

period. There are a couple of other examples on there where you did earn a profit, but nothing approaching the same results as Ms. Rochester provided.”
    I slid my last spreadsheet over to Mr. Poole. “This final spreadsheet isn’t quite as detailed, mainly because I had to cobble it together from a multitude of sources, but it shows a handful of your investments in companies other than Thornfield. You made some modest gains, especially on the condominiums in Seaside. However, just like with the other VPs, none of these projects even come close to the returns Ms. Rochester’s projects have provided.”
    I quieted and stole a glance at Ms. Rochester. Her head cocked to the side as she studied me, ignoring the spreadsheets Mr. Poole pored over. She seemed almost impressed, a slight smile on her lips.
    Her green eyes, flecked with hazel, seemed to see every bit of me. Her face wasn’t the sort of pretty that you see on billboards or TV. But she was beautiful. Her beauty seemed more pronounced, her features written in starker lines. Her high cheekbones caught the light, and her small nose was a nice complement to her fuller lips. Her eyebrows were dark and faintly arched. Is this what people meant when they said a woman was “handsome”?
    “So you came up with this? All on your own?” she asked.
    “Yes. They are mine.” I answered a bit more fiercely than I intended. I was more than capable of doing my own work.
    Her smile grew, as if she was pleased with me for showing my anger.
    “Well, hell, Rochester.” Mr. Poole stowed his glasses in his pocket. “Looks like your secretary knows my business better than I do.”
    “Perhaps so. And he’s my assistant, not my secretary.”
    I knew it was a distinction without a difference, but I appreciated her sentiment. I had no qualms about being beneath her on the corporate ladder, but I had some different ideas about who’d be on top in the private sphere.
    Mr. Poole turned his fake smile on me. “All right, Jack, you’ve convinced me.”
    Ms. Rochester began, “Great, we can get the contract—”
    Mr. Poole held up a hand. “Not so fast, Eden. I need more than just numbers and sales talk. The building is on schedule to be completely finished in two months. I’ll give you the listings, all of them, if you can promise me a complete sellout in that time.”
    “Two months, Gray? A pre-sellout? Two months simply isn’t enough time—”
    “If you can’t do it, I’m sure that little blonde thing, Emily, would be more than happy to shake her tail feathers for me and get it done. Look, I’ll even sweeten the pot a little. If you get it all done in the two months, I’ll give you double commissions. But if you don’t get it done, you’ll get no more business from me. Not so much as some shithole apartment complex in North Birmingham. I intend to hold you to your word on this.” His congenial tone had an edge to it, calculating and cold.
    He was playing a game of chicken, but I was too new to the situation to gauge why. There was something going on that I couldn’t put my finger on. I didn’t like it. My hands fisted beneath the table. I wanted to teach Gray some manners, to show him the proper way to speak to Ms. Rochester. I remained still.
    Ms. Rochester opened her mouth and closed it again, as if thinking better of her words. After a few more moments of tense silence, she slumped ever so slightly. “Fine, Gray, fine. You have a deal.”
    “That’s more like it.” I realized Mr. Poole was the sort of man who enjoyed lording power over others, making them squirm like a sadistic kid burning ants with a magnifying glass. I despised him.
    He smiled at me, triumph in his too-even teeth. “Let me talk to the little lady for a minute alone and iron out the details.”
    I stood. Mr. Poole did, too, and shook my hand before ushering me out of the room. I glanced back at Ms. Rochester before the door swung shut. She gripped the chair arms, her knuckles white, though