“Do you have a problem with the figures?” he finally asked when she remained silent.
“Now that you’ve asked, yes, I do have a problem. I’m not after your money, Mr. Anderson.” She waited a few moments before she continued, after he raised his brows. “There is something I want from you, though,” she finished with a wicked smile of her own.
She watched as the light dawned on his face. First, he looked surprised, then his eyes narrowed as he realized she was attempting to blackmail him. She supposed that had never happened to him before. He blanked his expression after only a few seconds.
“What would that be?” he demanded, though he knew.
“Oh, I don’t think we need to play games. We both know I want an exclusive interview. I’ve upped my original proposal, though, since fate has seemed to throw me a free one,” she said, not even trying to hide the glee in her expression.
“What is that supposed to mean?” he practically spit at her. She had never felt as powerful as she did in that moment. It was quite euphoric, she decided.
“Well, originally I just wanted a few hours of your time, but seeing as how we’ve already gotten so acquainted, I was thinking I want to trail you for a month. I need to recover from my injuries, and as you’ve so repeatedly pointed out, I can’t be on my own, so it’s a perfect time to spend a month in the life of Max Anderson,” she said. She could practically see the steam rising from his head at her request. She figured, why not?
“You seriously expect me to let you follow me like a puppy dog for a month?” he barked. He glowered at her like she’d lost her mind. She may just have.
“Yep.”
“That won’t happen,” he said with steel in his voice. She never broke eye contact. She knew the first rule to journalism was to never let them see you sweat. She wasn’t going to blow her first shot at a real career. She had him in a corner and she wasn’t letting him escape, no matter how much her knees wanted to shake.
“I think so, because I won’t settle for anything less.”
“You have some real nerve!” he shouted as he jumped from the chair and started pacing the room. “Fine, I’ll double the settlement, but no to the interview!”
“I don’t want the settlement. I only want the interview,” she repeated stubbornly. He turned and glared at her. She could see the murderous expression in his eyes.
“I’ve checked into your situation and you really can’t afford to turn down my offer,” he said smugly. She was proud of being able to keep her composure, at least on the outside. On the inside she was seething. How dare he snoop through her personal life!
She refused to bicker with him any further. She only wanted one thing from him and she would get it, one way or the other. It wasn’t like she was pleased with being hit by his car.
“How’s our patient, today?” she heard a voice say from the door and looked up to see two elderly men walk into the room. She was thinking they had really good timing because she didn’t know how much further she could push Max before he strode to her bed and rung her already sore neck.
“I’m good,” she said, then realized who they were. It was Joseph and George Anderson. They were the heads of different divisions of the all-powerful Anderson Corporations. She didn’t know why they’d want to visit her. She was happy they were there, though. She didn’t think Max would attack her in front of an audience.
“That’s great to hear,” George said as he walked over to her bed. “I’m George Anderson and this is my brother, Joseph. You’ve apparently met my son, Max. We were so upset to hear about the accident and wanted to make sure the hospital was treating you right.”
“They’ve been wonderful to me,” she said, unable to not instantly like the kind man before her. Max seemed nothing at all like his father.
“Good, good. I’m happy to see Max is taking care of you,” he added and sent a wink to Joseph, who didn’t try to hide his laugh. She looked back and forth between the two gentlemen and couldn’t figure out what they were going on about.
“Max and I were just discussing a business proposition,” she said. Maybe they’d help her. They seemed kind enough, and she’d seen many articles written up on both of them. They knew the power of a good news article.
“It’s private,” Max growled.
“What business proposition?” Joseph asked at the same time.
“Well…” she drawled. “I’ve been trying to get an interview with Max for a while now, but he’s been so busy he hasn’t yet returned my phone calls, so this accident could turn out to be a positive event, after all,” she said with an innocent smile directed at both Joseph and George. She didn’t dare look at Max, who she was sure was steaming at that point.
“I think that’s the least he could do, considering the circumstances,” George immediately jumped in, which made her smile turn immediately brighter.
“I think it’s none of your business,” Max snapped. “Cassie needs her rest so you should both leave.”
“Of course you need your rest, dear,” Joseph said, and immediately took her hand in his.
“If there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to call,” George added, while taking her other hand. They left the room and she reluctantly looked back at Max. She knew the battle was far from over, but she’d never been so determined to get what she wanted.
“I’m not a man you want to try and blackmail,” Max told her with an uncanny calm that sent a shiver of fear down her spine. If she wasn’t so scared of being out on the streets she may have backed down. He was incredibly intimidating.
“I’m not scared,” she said, though it was an obvious lie.
“Have you never heard the saying to be careful what you wish for?” he purred. His new demeanor worried her but she could feel she was starting to win the battle. She couldn’t back down now.
“I know what I’m getting into, and I’m not afraid to chase what I want,” she said with emphasis.
“You want your interview? Fine, you’ll get it. I’ll have my attorney draw up new paperwork. There will be certain things that will be off limits. If you break any of the rules of the contract, I will sink you so far you’ll never be able to dig yourself out of the hole. Do you understand?” he asked, his tone betraying his words. His voice was scarily calm, while his words were terrifying.