"Will that be all, Mr. Avery?" Or should I stay behind and give you a workout? "Yes, thank you Ms. Gershon. You may go."
Kay shook hands with Lawson and Spelling. She told them both-and she really meant it when she said it-that it had been a pleasure doing business with them.
That night, Dan took Kay to dinner at his favorite restaurant. When drinks arrived, he made a toast. "To you, Kay! The killer colleague who single-handedly made a pile of money for the company today." They drank. "And a nice little bonus for yourself." He gave her a nod, a smile, and an envelope.
Kay blushed. Wow! I just made nearly a year's salary. "I can't get over how amazing you are. I never expected you to pick this up so quickly and easily. It's like you were born to play these men."
"I really enjoyed today's deal, Dan-it demanded more than just showing off my body. I loved the challenge of outdoing them at math. And I also enjoyed being part of the negotiation."
"Being part? You ruled it!" Dan stared at Kay for a bit too long, his charming look of admiration filling her with warmth. She cocked her head, giving him a sideways look, and he went on quietly. "You know, I wanted you to be as smart as me, but I got more-you're actually smarter than me."
Kay's face fell. Oh no. Male pride again, ruining the fun. Dan had such promise-there were so many things she liked about him. Why couldn't he handle it if she knew more math than him? Damn, damn, damn. She frowned and looked down, trying to keep a tear from building up in her eye. "I hope that's not a problem."
"Problem? Hell no. It's a bonus!"
A bonus? I've never heard that before. Could it be that he was actually proud of what she had done and didn't need to be the smarter one? She looked up at him with an open mouth as a tear rolled down her face-a tear of happiness.
Dan stopped when the tear fell and looked at her closely. "Are you all right?"
Kay inhaled sharply and looked up at Dan. Why is he so supportive? "Let me tell you, Dan, most men don't like it when I'm smarter than them. I meet lots of guys at parties, just like your buddy Orton, who lose interest in me as soon as they find out I'm not a model or a secretary. I have to tell lies about myself just to get insecure guys to stick around. It sucks. So I guess that's another reason why we don't let ourselves become lovers-it would threaten you. We really do have to stay business partners."