Read Online Nancy Herkness by Shower Of Stars - Free Book Online Page A

wearing a navy blue one under a tan suede jacket with an expensively soft drape. She was tempted to reach out and stroke the jacket sleeve, but he shrugged out of the coat and dropped it over the back of his chair before sitting down.
    The waiter took their orders and Charlie plunged right in. “I have a proposal for you I think could benefit both of us.”
    “Ah, now it’s a proposal,” he said as he buttered a slice of French bread. “I’m not interested.”
    She disregarded his interjection. “I’ve got two editors at competing publishing houses bidding to publish a book about Sahara-Mars and how you found it. Think of what the publicity could do for your business.”
    “I assume that you would be writing this book.”
    “Yes. So you would have a sympathetic author…”
    Jack raised an eyebrow at that, but Charlie ignored him. “And I’d include a chapter on the buyer of the achondrite,” she threw in his meteorite’s classification to impress him, “as well as discussions of its significance by scientific authorities. I think it could hit the Times bestseller list. You’ll be the best-known meteorite hunter in the world.”
    “Has it occurred to you that I might not want to be the best-known meteorite hunter in the world?” he said.
    “Why not?”
    “I value my privacy.”
    “This book is about your business, not you.” Charlie nonchalantly shifted so her hair streamed down over the front of her shoulder. “As a businessman, you can’t afford to pass up such a great opportunity—”
    He leaned across the table and twisted her hair into a makeshift rope, using it to gently but inexorably pull her face close to his. “As a businessman, I prefer to conduct my transactions with a certain amount of discretion. A single article in the New York Times is one thing; an entire volume on the subject is another. I’m not interested in your proposal,” he said decisively, then softened his tone as he tugged her just a little closer. “How about trying a proposition?”
    She couldn’t help herself; she looked at his lips.
    “That’s more like it, sugar,” he said, flicking his eyes downward too.
    For an insane moment, Charlie was tempted to close the distance between his mouth and hers, just to see if his kiss was as deep and rich as his voice. As she shifted infinitesimally, the tines of a salad fork jabbed her forearm, blessedly bringing her to her senses. “Please let go of my hair.”
    He did so instantly, and she nearly fell back onto the banquette. While her hair uncoiled and she collected her scattered wits, her companion sipped his water, watching her over the rim of the glass.
    “I would rather have your cooperation,” she said with a resolve she was far from feeling. “But I can write this book without it.”
    “I wouldn’t try that if I were you.” He put his glass down with such force that several drops of water splashed onto the tablecloth. “I would make it very difficult for you to talk with my clients and associates.”
    “What are you afraid I’ll find?” Charlie asked, genuinely puzzled by his attitude.
    “Nothing at all. I’m just protecting my clients’ anonymity and my ability to travel freely.” He picked up the butter knife again, absently twirling it between thumb and forefinger. “You strike me as an intelligent and fairly decent human being.” Then he added, “For a journalist. I’m surprised you would pursue a subject who is clearly unwilling.”
    “We all have our obsessions. One of mine is rescuing stray animals. Another is pestering antisocial meteorite hunters.”
    “Well, I won’t be a meteorite hunter much longer. After the auction, I’m retiring so your book will be out-of-date.”
    “Not at all. What better time to reflect on the highlights of an illustrious career?” Charlie pointed out.
    “There won’t be time for basking in past glories; I plan to return to school.”
    “To school?”
    “I never finished college. Hell, I never even