Rules of Negotiation Read Online Free PDF Page A

spies already revealed that information.”
    He chuckled. “Humor me. I can’t remember everything they said.”
    “I went to Yale Law and did a summer internship at a firm in town. So I know Manhattan, at least. But that was only for one summer. I come up for business fairly regularly, but that rarely gets me far from my hotel.”
    “Well, we’re headed for Queens. Alessandro’s serves simple, rich, Italian fare. Nothing fancy, but an Alfredo sauce like none other. Unless you’d prefer something more upscale tonight? L’Atelier? If you feel like sushi there’s always Masa.”
    Tori shook her head. She knew both restaurants, and their prices were astronomical. The last thing she wanted was to feel indebted to Brit. “No. Simple sounds perfect. I’ve been on the road for the past week and haven’t seen a decent plate of pasta in far too long. I love seeing my clients, but I must admit, the traveling gets to me.”
    “So you were doing client visits this week?”
    “Yes, and I really can’t complain. The partners know I’ll do anything for a new client, so when they get leads that look like a long shot, they give them to me. I flew from Philly to Texas, and then to Florida to meet with a potential client who wants to build a resort in the Keys.”
    “So you’ve got clients doing everything from real estate to robotics?”
    She pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear and ignored the attempt at humor. Suspicion prickled along her spine, as it did whenever anyone mentioned her most famous—and secretive—client. “Your spies told you about Solen Labs?”
    “It was hardly a secret,” he said dryly. “You made quite a name for yourself when you helped them break away from MIT.”
    She studied his face, looking for any hint that his choice of topic was more than polite conversation, but saw nothing. The signs, billboards, and headlights of passing cars flickered across an impassive face. She was about to quiz him further, but his gaze dropped to her mouth, and she had to fight the urge to lean in for another kiss.
    “I knew Garth Solen from high school,” she said. “He helped me get through algebra. He approached me not long after I started practicing law. He’d been forced to turn down an investor because they didn’t meet university criteria, and decided it was time to take the lab private.”
    “Is it true that no one at the lab actually knows where he lives, or what his cell number is?”
    She smiled. “Not really. But Garth is a very private man. Those of us who work closely with him understand the ground rules. Respect that privacy, or he’s outta there.”
    Brit’s finger brushed the inside of her knee. In the uneven glow the planes of his cheekbones were defined by dark shadows. Her throat momentarily swelled shut.
    “You have an advantage over me,” she managed to choke out. “I don’t have spies. I don’t know anything about you.”
    That wasn’t precisely true. She had studied his profile before the meeting. But it was public information, nothing nearly as personal as her Supreme Court clerkship, or even her work with Solen Labs. Brit Bencher had assumed control of Excorp at the tender age of twenty-five, fresh out of business school. He had taken a small, failing corporation and turned it around. Ten years later Excorp was a giant, publicly traded enterprise with offices in five countries on three continents. And Brit had become legend for his hard-driving, soft-spoken style.
    “What would you like to know?”
    It was a reasonable question, but his hand had landed on her knee and she was suddenly having a hard time putting together complete sentences. “I don’t…I mean…”
    He reached over and touched her cheek. The tip of his thumb brushed across her lips. “We only have a few minutes before we pull up to the restaurant. I should probably save my life story for dinner, don’t you think?”
    His thumb was turning her brain to Jell-O. She pulled his hand from her face and