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business
partner?” Gabriel’s bluntly carved features were utterly devoid of expression.
    More questions? Didn’t the man ever stop asking questions
and get to the important stuff? Samantha could have screamed with frustration,
but instead she rallied herself to respond calmly. There was something about
the solid rocklike deliberation of this man which was beginning to irritate
her, though. She found herself wondering what it would take to ruffle or
disturb him. The temptation to experiment in that dangerous direction was a
strong one and one she repeatedly reminded herself she must resist. She was
here to entice the man into her web of business intrigue, not send him plodding
off in the opposite direction.
    “I discovered your name linked to a Buchanan Group deal that
took place four years ago. It wasn’t very clear, and the report was only a
scrap of news in The Wall Street Journal ,
but I got the feeling from reading between the lines that you and Buchanan had
both attempted a buyout of a small electronics firm in San Jose. Buchanan got
it.” She waited expectantly. Would he deny the report?
    He didn’t. He nodded once, complacently, as if satisfied to
have one more piece of the puzzle fall into place. One more tiny item cataloged
and shelved. “So that’s why you dropped his name into your note. Buchanan got
caught up in the merger mania which was so rampant then. Started acquiring all
sorts of unrelated businesses which, I understand, he’s since dumped. I was backing
a group of private entrepreneurs who wanted that little San Jose firm. But all
the moves were made officially by the people I was backing. I was a very silent
partner. I’m surprised you found my name associated with the deal. I
congratulate you on your detective work.”
    “Thank you.” She accepted the accolade with a polite inclination
of her head, trying not to appear too satisfied. Actually she was delighted he
recognized the difficulty it had taken to worm out
the details of his involvement in that particular deal. Perhaps it would help
elevate his opinion of her business sophistication.
    “So now you think I might be interested in a way of evening
the score with Buchanan, is that it?”
    “It occurred to me that you might find the prospect intriguing,”
she murmured very casually. “But even if it doesn’t appeal from that
standpoint, it’s still a way for you to make some very easy, uncomplicated
money.”
    “Money in large quantities, I have discovered, is seldom
easy or uncomplicated.”
    Samantha said nothing, nibbling on the soft inner portion of
her lip and mentally kicking herself for adding that last comment. Lord, he
could be pedantic!
    “If something goes wrong with your plan and Buchanan’s people
never get around to making an offer to you, I would be left holding half
interest in a restaurant in Phoenix,” he mused. And then, quite unexpectedly, he
grinned, a totally astonishing slash of white teeth which made Samantha think of
sharks and pirates. “Can you cook, Samantha? I mean, just in case we were to find
ourselves running the place together?”
    She eyed him owlishly, taken off guard by the humor in him. “I,
uh, wasn’t thinking of a half interest for you,” she finally retorted smoothly,
ignoring his question about her cooking ability. “Unless, of course, we do wind
up owning a restaurant.”
    “You’ll give me a small cut of the profits if you make your
fortune and a large s-s-share of washing dishes if you fail, is that it?”
    “Would you be willing to agree to a deal like that?” she
asked innocently.
    “What do you think?”
    “I think you’re probably not going to be quite that generous,”
she grumbled dryly.
    “You think right.” Gabriel sat quietly, clearly going over
the possibilities inherent in the offer. The momentary humor had faded
completely from his face now, and Samantha knew he was back to being all
business. Slow, deliberate, careful business. She wasn’t offering him the