Page 49 of Rebels and Roses

It was fine with Joel if she wanted to play the princess. As long as by the end of the evening, she realized he was the king. He made it a point to always win.

Instead of sitting behind his desk, Joel sat down on the sofa with Fiona but at the other end so he could easily take in her expressions and body language. He didn’t want her to view him as a threat, but as a…friend. Or perhaps “benefactor” was a better word. He could help her. He had what she wanted. All she had to do was cooperate.

“I did want to talk to you,” Joel said, his gaze intent on her face. “I’d like to propose a little business deal.”

“Business?”

“Business…and personal. For you, anyway. I think we can help each other.”

“Why would I help you?”

Yes, she wanted to know what he was offering. She didn’t want to seem too desperate, however. But he wasn’t fooled. He could see that her fingers had tightened on the edge of her glass, the knuckles white. He was in the driver’s seat. Just the way he liked it. He’d chosen her well all those years ago - a money-hungry little bitch who could be bought by the highest bidder.

“For money, of course. That’s what you want, correct?”

“Mr. Winslow, I come from a wealthy family which you very well know. Why would I need your money?”

The Kemp family was richer than hell, the patriarch Andrew a financial genius who always seemed to know where to invest his money wisely and profitably. Andrew’s own father had been the same.

“Because you and your now-late brother Tom spend to the yearly limit of your trust funds, and your parents aren’t inclined to give you any extra. Joyce and Andrew are also in excellent health, so you won’t be inheriting anything any time soon.You’re in debt due to your extravagant spending, and you need a nice cash infusion for all those designer handbags and shoes.”

Fiona’s eyes narrowed, his nostrils flaring in annoyance. Did she actually think he would offer her a deal without knowing exactly where his opponent stood? Joel liked to have all the information at his fingertips. He never went in without having the upper hand.

“I am not in debt?—”

“Come now, Fiona,” Joel said, interrupting her denial. “Let’s not play games here. We both know that you’re deeply in debt and next year’s portion of your trust fund isn’t going to cover it. You might have to get a job or something even more unseemly. But I’m here to make sure that you don’t have to do that. I can help you dig out of that hole. We’ve helped each other before, after all. That didn’t work out as I expected it to, but these things can happen.”

“There was no way I could talk Cooper out of the divorce,” Fiona bit out, her lip curled in derision. “Your son can be a total asshole and is hell to live with. We needed to separate for our own sanity.”

“But now both of you have grown up. You’re older and wiser. And you could be richer, too.”

“If I do what you want me to.”

She didn’t make it sound like a question. Good. It wasn’t one.

Joel leaned forward slightly, a smile on his lips. This wasn’t even going to be a challenge. It was like shooting fish in a barrel.

“Ten million,” he stated, watching her expression change from neutral to greed and then back to neutral in mere seconds as she tried to cover her avarice. “And all you have to do is a simple job for me.”

“Ten million for a simple job? Just how simple is it?”

Inwardly chuckling, he could see that she was practically vibrating with excitement as her foot shook up and down, andshe shifted several times on the leather cushion. Even her voice had risen an octave in excitement. He could almost see the wheels in her brain turning as she mentally calculated how long the money would last her. He was betting about three years, give or take a month or two.

“Reconcile with my son. Keep him in Winslow Heights. I won’t tell him I gave you the money, and he’ll get a chunk when you two remarry. And there’s more where that came from as long as he stays put and in the family. That will be your job. Bring Cooper back to the Winslows. If you do that, you can practically write your own ticket. I’m sure your mother and father would also be happy to see you settled down, maybe even have a family.”

“A baby? You want grandchildren? Do I get more if I have a boy?”

Her tone was mocking, but his gut was telling him that she was serious.

“Any grandchild - boy or girl - will be handsomely rewarded, Fiona. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Now do we have a deal?”

He wanted to close, but he was pushing her. She wasn’t ready to sign on the dotted line. And he did have a contract waiting in his desk drawer. He wasn’t stupid enough to take Fiona’s word for anything. He’d get it in writing.

“What makes you think I want Cooper back in my life? Or that Cooper wants me back?”

She wanted to play a bit? He could do that. But not for long. He’d negotiate…up to a point.

“Is there something wrong with my son? He’s handsome, well-spoken, well-traveled, and he’s at an age where he needs to settle down. You could do much worse. As for whether you want him, we both know that the only thing you truly love is money. If you and Cooper reconcile, you’ll have plenty of it.”

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