Management Skills Read Online Free PDF

She took a stabilizing breath. “I’ve never been abroad. My mom is the one with an adventurous spirit. Not me. She’s in Japan right now. I get my exotic travel urges satisfied by reading international thrillers.”
    “I’m ashamed to admit I never read fiction. Ever. So maybe we should stick to talking about something safe, like politics?”
    They both laughed. He opened his menu and she did the same.
    She stared at the pages, intimidated. “A lot of choices.”
    As if by magic, the waiter appeared, offering to help her interpret the menu.
    Grant had other ideas. “We’ll be passing around and sharing our dishes, Allie. Mind if I order for us both?”
    “Please do.” Grateful, she sipped on her refreshing drink, enjoying the way the candlelight danced on the strands of his dark wavy hair as he ordered. She was feeling pampered, taken care of. She liked it.
    “Tell me about your family,” she said after the waiter left.
    “My family is huge. I have six brothers and one sister. My parents still live here, but my sibs are spread out all over the world.”
    “Eight kids, total? I can’t even imagine. Are your sibs all hard-driving and successful, like you?”
    “You think I’m hard-driving?” he asked, looking concerned.
    The memory of surrendering to his desperate fury in her office surged to life. “You have got to be kidding me.”
    He laughed. A pleasant sound. He started talking about his siblings. None of them were zillionaire CEOs. He was proud of all of them.
    “And then there’s the baby girl of the family. Karen. She’s an elementary school teacher in Wenatchee, Washington. She coaches volleyball at the junior high, too. Those girls are so devoted to her. I’ve been to a few of her games. Karen knows how to put a terrific team together.”
    Putting together a terrific team was evidently an Edmonds family trait. An admirable one.
    The tapas arrived. The rich intermingled aromas made her mouth water. She tried a bit of every one of the ten small plates of food. Exotic pan-fried dates stuffed with almonds and wrapped in bacon. Tasty chicken cakes flavored with pepper, onions and cilantro, served with a black-bean salsa. A pork stew Grant adored. He fed her a spoonful, going on and on about how the sherry melded with the pork juices like a fine molasses.
    Grant ordered her another sangria. She could get used to this kind of care.
    Next she tried tender shrimps cooked in a hot olive-oil-and-garlic dressing. Spectacular. Her favorite, by far, was the artichoke dish, pale hearts roasted with sun-dried tomatoes and garlic.
    She sampled her fresh sangria, noting he hadn’t even touched his scotch. It was as if he wanted to be completely clear-headed—for her. She was starting to like him. Maybe they could be friends and fuckbuddies.
    After the plates were cleared away, he captured her wrists with his hands. Sharp tension scissored into her crotch.
    “So,” he said. “Have you given any more thought to my offer?”
    “Yes.” She bit off the Sir that nearly dropped out of her mouth. “I’d like us to be lovers.”
    He tightened his grip on her wrists. It wasn’t painful—unless she considered the sensations darting to her clit pain.
    “My offer is to own you, Allie.”
    “You’re saying we can’t be lovers unless you own me?”
    He released her wrists. For the first time that night, he took a sip of his scotch. “Yes. That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
    “That’s extortion.”
    “It’s not extortion, Allie. It’s sex with conditions. You’re free to say no.”
    “I don’t get it. Why can’t we just be lovers? You were perfectly happy to fuck me silly the last time without conditions. What’s changed?”
    “I want more. I want your complete and utter sexual obedience.”
    Her head twitched. No. No way.
    “Sexual obedience won’t interfere with your job or your outside interests. Your value to me is enhanced by your success. By your happiness. Only when your other obligations