Gamemaster by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

6

Shelley was at her desk in her office the next morning long before any of the rest of the staff arrived. She was on her

second cup of coffee by the time she heard other people in the reception area, and she kept her door firmly closed so

that none of her co-workers would be tempted to stop in for a morning chat

Shelley had no time for morning chats; she was trying to detail the various contingency plans she had promised

Dean Ackerly. The plans that should have been roughed out at her desk at home last night

It wasn't Joel's fault the plans hadn't gotten done, at least not directly, she was forced to admit as she paused to sip

coffee and study her progress. He hadn't attempted the seduction routine she had been expecting. He hadn't tried to

stake his "claim" again. Much to her astonishment, Joel Cassidy had made himself comfortably at home for a couple of

hours after dinner, working with her on the puzzle, listening to some Bach on the stereo and talking easily about

everything from the amusement business to the weather.

Under the unthreatening flow of words and actions Shelley had finally relaxed enough to conduct something close

to normal conversation. She had even relaxed sufficiently to start thinking about how to handle what she expected

would be the inevitable conclusion of the evening. Her mind had begun to toy with rationalizations for succumbing

once more to the passion Joel could generate between them.

But the rationalizations had proved totally unnecessary. Somewhere around ten o'clock, he had arisen from the

puzzle table, stretched luxuriously and kissed her good-by. She had watched him climb into the white Maserati and

drive off into the desert night with a strangely wistful sensation when she should have been feeling relieved or

suspicious.

The wistfulness had made it impossible to work, and Shelley had told herself she would compensate by arising early

the next morning and going into the office a couple of hours ahead of time. Then she had gone to bed and thought

about Joel Cassidy far into the night

Thus far this morning, her plan had worked, however. She had accomplished a great deal working with the

possibility that the parcel of Ackerly land had far greater value than anyone had ever before assumed. She had drawn

scenarios of how Ackerly could use an offer on that land to deal with the bank. She had formulated an outline of what

they could do with the half million dollars, and she had considered the benefits and disadvantages to Ackerly of

losing that particular manufacturing site.

On the whole, getting rid of the site might be very beneficial. It was a more drastic move than either she or Dean had

considered, but if the price was right, the end result of consolidation and belt tightening could be very useful.

By nine o'clock, she had convinced herself that she had wrung every possible alternative out of the situation and

gotten them down on paper for presentation to Ackerly Manufacturing. Every possible alternative, that was, if one

worked under the assumption that Joel Cassidy was not personally manipulating matters.

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