inquiry sent, Talia, don't worry. I know when I'm beaten. Now do you mind taking me in to dinner? I'm still hungry."
He got to his feet, but not before Talia had caught the irritated glitter in his eyes.
Kane Sebastian wasn't very pleased over having let himself be persuaded into parting with the minimal information in his files.
"She'll take care of it," he told the cocktail waitress who hurried toward them with the check. He indicated Talia with a casual thumb.
"I'll have to take care not to be swept off my feet by your gallantry," Talia grumbled, pulling out a charge card.
"The price of doing business," he returned, taking her arm as she finished signing the slip.
The price of doing business with Kane Sebastian rose steadily after that. Talia endured patiently as he ordered a horrendously expensive Napa Valley Cabernet, clams Bordelaise as hors d'oeuvre, and Chateaubriand with a Caesar salad.
"For the price of your dinner I could probably buy that entire South American village," Talia remarked, glancing down at her own modest poached salmon.
He grinned cheerfully, cutting his rich meat with gusto.
"I'm trying to teach you to think twice before you stoop to blackmail again."
ABC Amber Text Converter Trial v ersion, http://www.processtext.com/abctxt.html
"If I'd known how little help you were going to be, I might have avoided it the first time!"
But his teasing, expensive as it was proving to be, seemed to set the tone for the evening. In effect a truce had been called. Kane had submitted to her demands with reasonably good grace and Talia reminded herself that clues had turned up in more unlikely situations. Something might turn up in that forgotten little village. And if it didn't, she would shrug and accept the outcome philosophically. She'd followed a lot of dead-end leads before.
By the time Kane was choosing between the two most expensive items on the dessert menu, Talia realized a new element had crept into the atmosphere between them. Perhaps it was because she'd won her small victory and intimidated him into not calling her bluff. Perhaps it was because Kane had avoided the subject of her career disaster. Or perhaps it was simply because Kane Sebastian could be very charming over a dinner table. Whatever the reason, Talia was feeling comfortably in charge of the situation by the time the dinner check was handed over to her with a flourish.
She identified the basis of the feeling as she carelessly signed her name to the large bill for dinner. She was no longer afraid of him.
No longer afraid? Yes, she thought grimly. She'd been very much afraid of the man when she'd walked into his office. Afraid of all he represented. Afraid she could not hold her own against a man who had succeeded brilliantly where she had failed three years earlier. Afraid of reentering the world she'd fled in disgrace.
No, she was no longer afraid of him. She'd managed to make a very shrewd, very tough businessman give her what she wanted. Dinner suddenly seemed very cheap indeed. She was more than happy to humor him now.
"Care to share the joke?" he broke into her thoughts to ask as she put the charge card back into her mesh bag.
"A private one, I'm afraid," Talia demurred, rising gracefully.
"Ah, yes. A private joke. I understand. I hope you're enjoying it." He took her arm once again and guided her out of the elegant dining room. "How long will you be staying in Sacramento?"
"I was planning on driving back to San Jose in the morning."
"Not going to wait around for the response to my inquiry?" he asked as they strolled across the shadowy patio toward the entrance to Talia's wing of the hotel.
"It will probably be a long time coming, if ever." Talia sighed, lifting her face to the balmy breeze. "I'll trust you to get in touch when you hear something."
"I might hear something within a couple of days," he said silkily.
"What? But a letter will take forever to get there!" She stopped, turning on her heel to confront
He got to his feet, but not before Talia had caught the irritated glitter in his eyes.
Kane Sebastian wasn't very pleased over having let himself be persuaded into parting with the minimal information in his files.
"She'll take care of it," he told the cocktail waitress who hurried toward them with the check. He indicated Talia with a casual thumb.
"I'll have to take care not to be swept off my feet by your gallantry," Talia grumbled, pulling out a charge card.
"The price of doing business," he returned, taking her arm as she finished signing the slip.
The price of doing business with Kane Sebastian rose steadily after that. Talia endured patiently as he ordered a horrendously expensive Napa Valley Cabernet, clams Bordelaise as hors d'oeuvre, and Chateaubriand with a Caesar salad.
"For the price of your dinner I could probably buy that entire South American village," Talia remarked, glancing down at her own modest poached salmon.
He grinned cheerfully, cutting his rich meat with gusto.
"I'm trying to teach you to think twice before you stoop to blackmail again."
ABC Amber Text Converter Trial v ersion, http://www.processtext.com/abctxt.html
"If I'd known how little help you were going to be, I might have avoided it the first time!"
But his teasing, expensive as it was proving to be, seemed to set the tone for the evening. In effect a truce had been called. Kane had submitted to her demands with reasonably good grace and Talia reminded herself that clues had turned up in more unlikely situations. Something might turn up in that forgotten little village. And if it didn't, she would shrug and accept the outcome philosophically. She'd followed a lot of dead-end leads before.
By the time Kane was choosing between the two most expensive items on the dessert menu, Talia realized a new element had crept into the atmosphere between them. Perhaps it was because she'd won her small victory and intimidated him into not calling her bluff. Perhaps it was because Kane had avoided the subject of her career disaster. Or perhaps it was simply because Kane Sebastian could be very charming over a dinner table. Whatever the reason, Talia was feeling comfortably in charge of the situation by the time the dinner check was handed over to her with a flourish.
She identified the basis of the feeling as she carelessly signed her name to the large bill for dinner. She was no longer afraid of him.
No longer afraid? Yes, she thought grimly. She'd been very much afraid of the man when she'd walked into his office. Afraid of all he represented. Afraid she could not hold her own against a man who had succeeded brilliantly where she had failed three years earlier. Afraid of reentering the world she'd fled in disgrace.
No, she was no longer afraid of him. She'd managed to make a very shrewd, very tough businessman give her what she wanted. Dinner suddenly seemed very cheap indeed. She was more than happy to humor him now.
"Care to share the joke?" he broke into her thoughts to ask as she put the charge card back into her mesh bag.
"A private one, I'm afraid," Talia demurred, rising gracefully.
"Ah, yes. A private joke. I understand. I hope you're enjoying it." He took her arm once again and guided her out of the elegant dining room. "How long will you be staying in Sacramento?"
"I was planning on driving back to San Jose in the morning."
"Not going to wait around for the response to my inquiry?" he asked as they strolled across the shadowy patio toward the entrance to Talia's wing of the hotel.
"It will probably be a long time coming, if ever." Talia sighed, lifting her face to the balmy breeze. "I'll trust you to get in touch when you hear something."
"I might hear something within a couple of days," he said silkily.
"What? But a letter will take forever to get there!" She stopped, turning on her heel to confront
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