Tycoon's Tryst (Culpepper Cowboys Book 10) by Merry Farmer, Culpepper Cowboys Read Free Book Online

that not only would he drop the lawsuit like a glass ball at midnight on New Year’s Eve, he would jump through hoops of fire to make sure Rachel’s sister never laid a finger on her company. Even if he had to pose in Rachel’s underwear himself. Her underwear, not the stuff the company sold.
    So why was it so hard for him to say a simple, “Yes?”
    “What exactly are the terms of your father’s will again?”
    Evidently that wasn’t the answer she was expecting. Her expression collapsed into a combination of disappointment and renewed anger. “I had five years to make Korpanty Enterprises turn a profit. If I failed, Bev would get the majority shares in the business. She plans to sell it the second that happens. I’ve only got one financial quarter left, and unless something spectacular happens—and unless you drop this stupid lawsuit—that’s it. Game over.”
    “Hmm.” Sly straightened and slipped into his chair. “What kind of profits do you need in this last quarter?”
    He put a sandwich on her plate and opened a soda bottle to pour some into the crystal glass by her plate. Rachel reached for the sandwich, a little on the sulky side, and took a bite. Her brows inched up as she chewed.
    “This is actually good.”
    “Like I said, my specialty.” He poured soda for himself and risked saying, “Rescuing towns and companies that are in trouble is my specialty too.”
    Rachel stopped chewing. “I don’t need you to rescue me.”
    He wasn’t going to argue that one. He would win the argument, but she didn’t need to deal with that right now.
    Before he could come up with anything else to say, she went on with, “I’m just about breaking even right now. One good marketing campaign would be enough to fulfill Dad’s will. I’m so close I can feel it.” The last bit was delivered with so much passion that Sly felt his blood pumping to a couple inconvenient places.
    “Okay.” He nodded. “So all we need to do is get Korpanty panties a boost of publicity.”
    Her expression went rock hard. “By bringing a dumb lawsuit against the company?”
    Sly chose to ignore her biting sarcasm. “No, by shining the spotlight on the power of the panties.”
    She looked at him like he had grown another head, but Sly was on to something.
    He suddenly sat straighter. “I’ve got it! Maybe not a lawsuit per se, but if we drive home the story of how most of Culpepper’s women threw off all the local cowboys for your underwear models, then we can sell the idea that Korpanty panties contain such powers of attraction that women changed their lives to get with a man wearing them.”
    He thought his idea was amazing. Rachel continued to stare at him as if a third head had popped out of his shoulders—complete with warts and dreadlocks.
    “Okay, first of all, they’re not called Korpanty panties. The brand name is Bold Briefs for the men’s line and Tender Touch for the ladies’ line.”
    “I like that.” Sly smiled. “In fact, I think I’m wearing your undies right now.”
    Rachel blushed. “Don’t you even start about wearing my underwear.”
    He held up his hands—a sandwich in one—laughing. “Okay, okay.”
    “Second,” she went on, morphing into a strong businesswoman in front of him, “I’m not going to manipulate poor, unsuspecting men who have a hard time with the ladies into thinking that wearing our brand will turn them into some sort of chick magnet. That’s misleading at best and lying at worst. I’m not a liar.”
    Sly suddenly smiled. “I like that in a woman.”
    She narrowed her eyes.
    “In a person,” he corrected. “But my point is that there has to be a way to turn the situation into something that will benefit both of our interests.”
    She stared at him for a long time, chewing another bite of sandwich, before saying, “Maybe.”
    They continued to eat lunch, and Sly steered the conversation in as many other directions as he could. There were so many things that he wanted to