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“Now here I thought you wanted to learn how to be a successful business woht away that you don’t start a negotiation by asking the other party what they think your offering is worth Know your value, Maddie, then triple it, at a minimum”
“Well, but then you’ll knohat I think I’m worth”
“I already do, Maddie and it’s not nearly enough”
“What? I don’t understand?”
With that, Greyson pushed himself off the wall and stood in front of me
“Here’s hoe’ll do this, Maddie,” he began “I respect Katy and she’s put in the good word for you So, I’ one offer There’s no further negotiations to be had between us Once you name the price for all of your services, I expect that if I pay that cost, I’ll be entitled to receive those services whenever, and wherever, I deem appropriate Do I make myself clear?”
I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t inti in hest of all I figured if it caive his, but he see else
I couldn’t iine that if I turned hiracious about it After all, business deals fall through all the time Why would this be any different just because it skirted on the knife's edge of the world’s oldest profession? Having sufficiently convinced ement, I stepped forward and extended my hand towards him
“Okay,” I said “Here’s ave you and it has to be inor the deal is off”
Greyson stood in utter silence, still My hand remained extended towards his, not shaken The seconds piled up in an aard ju into each other like cars on an icy interstate I watched as his eyes traveled along the length ofat just below hs, up past my hips and my waist until at last they fell upon my breasts
I foundexcept hold ered My shoulder burned as I held my arm fixed and solid, directly in front of my body After another second or two, Greyson’s eyes moved the rest of the way until they met mine
A smirk came to his lips
“Is that your best and final offer?” he asked
I felt the vertebrae in the center of hten in resolve as he spoke
“Yes,” I said, with the most businesslike nod I could muster
The tiny cracks of the smile that had formed a moment earlier split into a full expression of satisfaction as he shookit, he pulled me close and moved his lips to within an inch ofthe back of in to list towards hi more than to at last press into the hard physique that lay just beyond the confines of his expensive designer dress shirt
When I’d almost neared the point of no return, a whisper from him broke the spell
“I would have paid a hundred times more”
MADDIE
After returning to the apartotten from the ‘business deal’ I’d struck with Greyson started to dissipate as the adrenaline frootiation wore off But, no sooner had I entered than Katy called out toroom
“Maddie,” she began I heard her get up froin to walk in my direction as she continued “What in the hell happened to the microwave?”
“What?”
My roommate came into view at last
Gesturing past me towards the kitchen, she said, “Uht and the entire house smelled like a chemical fire What happened?”
“Oh,” I said as my culinary misadventure returned to my consciousness “Yeah, that Well, I meant to leave a note and…”
“Leave A Note?” Katy asked, planting her hands on her hips “U tomorrow?”
As she finished speaking, a huge grin spread across my face
“What the hell are you sht now Where are you gonna get theabout this, just so you know”
Still s “I know you’re serious And, I am sorry I will buy you a new one I promise”
Katy looked atme out of a police lineup She narrowed her eyelids in suspicion
“Hang on a second How come you’re not worried about money all of a sudden?”
I felt e smile came to my face
“Maddie… What?”
With that, I spent the next ten otiations with Greyson Katy listened intently until, when I’d neared the end, she raised her hand to her chin