A small shudder passed through Jade. “How dare you?”
Reaching across the table, he lightly encircled her wrist in his large hand. “Okay, five hundred. I lost my job today. I’m in no position to bargain.”
Jade yanked her arm free. Her first impulse was to dress him down as soundly as she had Matthias earlier in the day for sexist transgressions that had been far less offensive than Burke’s. When compared to the man seated across the table from her, even the sleazy Matthias came out ahead—at least on the surface.
But Jade had a gut instinct that there was more to Dillon Burke than met the eye. The untrimmed beard, long hair, and rudeness were affectations. She didn’t know how she knew this. She just knew. Rather than leaving him with a scathing reproof, she stayed, unwilling to give up on him. Why? she wondered. What quirk of coincidence had placed her at the site at the time of his arrest? For days she had been watching him through binoculars from her hotel window. It was as though fate had pointed him out to her.
He was still observing her with his guarded, hooded gaze. In his place, wouldn’t she have been confused? In any event, the TexTile plant was worth giving him the benefit of the doubt.
She signaled their waitress. “Are you sure you won’t have dessert, Mr. Burke?”
He stared at her with misgiving, then said brusquely, “Apple pie.”
“Two,” Jade told the waitress. “And we’ll need fresh cups of coffee. Keep them coming. We’ll probably be here for a while.”
After the waitress withdrew, Jade stared into Dillon’s unwavering hazel eyes. “I want something so badly that I taste it at night in my sleep. You can help me get it, but it has nothing to do with sex. Knowing that, are you still interested in hearing my proposition?”
His eyes remained on Jade even when he leaned back to give the waitress room to serve their pie and fresh coffees. Picking up his dessert fork, he said, “You’ve got from now until I finish my pie to interest me.”
“Your allegations were right. Matthias was using substandard materials and bribing a city inspector to approve them.”
“Son of a bitch,” he whispered beneath his breath. “I knew it! I saw things I couldn’t believe were getting past, but with every inspection, Matthias got the city’s stamp of approval.”
“He was charging his client the price of quality materials and skimming off the difference.”
“I don’t give a shit about the money. The goddamn building could have fallen down, especially if there was a quake. How’d you find out?”
“Through his secretary. She had a lot to say about him when I told her he had flirted with me during our luncheon meeting.”
“Oh, great,” he muttered. “That puts me in a league with Matthias.”
“Hardly, Mr. Burke.”
“So who are you, an investigator? Did you do all this so I would testify against Matthias in court?”
“No. I’m no longer interested in what happens to Matthias.
I made photocopies of his purchase orders and other incriminating documents, then called him on his cellular phone. I threatened to take my findings to the D.A. unless he declined to press charges against you.”
“You didn’t have to personally escort me out of jail.”
“Yes, I did.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m about to offer you the job I had intended for Matthias. You’re finished with your pie. Shall I keep talking?”
He didn’t verbally encourage her to continue, but he scooted aside the empty dessert plate and picked up his coffee cup.
After allowing herself a smile, Jade told him who she represented. He was only vaguely familiar with GSS. “For almost thirteen months, our legal department has been quietly acquiring property in Palmetto, South Carolina. We’re going to build a plant there.”
“What kind of plant?”
“Textile. But in addition to the cloth being woven there, we’ll manufacture moderately priced clothing. The economic climate in that area of the state is poor. Until the last decade or so, the developers of resorts along the coast discouraged industrial development.”
“Because of the pollutants.”
“Exactly. But after the formation of a pollution-control board, that’s no longer an issue. The lobbyists have lost their muscle. The State Development Board wholeheartedly approves us because GSS is dedicated to protecting the environment.”