C3 An Offer For The Bad Billionaire

" You are Lisa Wolfe? " His voice solemn.

" Damn right, I am, Mr Courtland," she jeered at him. " What do you want showing up here? And how the hell did you find this place ? " there was contempt in her voice.

Jake stared at her for a long moment, wondering why she was so harsh to him. Then he remembered what Gableton had said to him about her, and he smiled to himself. She was deliberately goading him to get him angry with her, thereby losing the chance of discussing anything with her. He knew that was what she was trying to do, and he was sure he would never let anyone deliberately goad him into being angry.

" Google maps, "he said casually. "Can I come in? "

She stared at him for a long moment as if deliberating within herself. Then she shrugged indifferently.

" Of course……do come in."

Jake followed her through her well-lit hall and into the living room. He stared around the big, comfortably furnished room. The room was decorated with strong woods with solids colors. She waved him to one of the sofas. He sat down.

" I was going to have a drink before you came here. Do you care for a glass ? " she said, walking over to the liquor cabinet. It was more of a question than courtesy.

" That would be nice, " Jake said, his eyes moving over his body. His eyes stripped her, inch by inch, curves by curves. This woman was red hot dynamite. A beautiful virago. How come he had never seen her all this while? He felt another stirring in his loins, and he was furious with himself for feeling this way. She fixed the drinks and came over to where he sat, giving him a glass. He collected it, nodded his thanks, and sipped it. It was one of those rare, expensive brandy. It tasted excellent. Lisa sat on a sofa opposite him and crossed her legs.

" Now, tell me, Mr Courtland, what can I do for you? " She said coldly, twiddling the glass in her hands.

" Drop the formality and call me Jake," he said solemnly.

" No, thank you, I'll stick with the Mr," she said, giving no room for arguments. " I know why you are here. So we can as well cut through the whole formality bullshits and go straight to the point. "

" Alright," Jake said curtly, " I know you know why I am here. I'm just here to let you see reasons concerning the sale of your horses. "

Lisa's lips parted in a grin. But the smile did not reach her face.

" There's no reason to see, Mr Courtland. You only came here, wasting your time. I'm not selling my horses. Your lawyer came by this morning. I told him all that. So I don't know what exactly you are doing here " the finality in her voice angered Jake. He felt that if he were not careful, he would never reach any compromise with this woman.

" Will you hear me out first?" he said through locked teeth. He was not going to grovel at her feet just because of her horses, but he would make her listen to him.

She drew in a long, slow breath and regarded him for a long moment.

" Okay! I'm listening "

" Thanks," he said tightly. " As you well know, the town's horseracing events his fast approaching. This event is important to me. My father, when he was alive, always participate in it, just like his great grandfather. I intend to continue with the traditions. The only problem is that my horses are not thoroughbreds like yours. Mine are only raised for fun riding and breeding, not but not for horseracing. Your horse has been reputed in this town as one of the best thoroughbreds any horse owner could ever wish to have. " He paused to see if she was listening to him; seeing the calm expression on her face, he went on. " Ironically, you've never been known to allow your horses to participate in any horseracing events, which is quite absurd, if I might say. Thoroughbreds are meant for racing, not to be kept in a stall all day, eating and fattening for nothing. " He knew his emotions were getting hold of him now, but he did not care. "They've got to work for the good foods they are fed. That's the way it should be. I've got an excellent English horse trainer who can train these horses of yours. All I have to do is call him on the phone, and he'll be in America before the blink of an eye. These horses can be trained to participate in racing events like the Derby, Chester and I intend for my horses to emerge as a winner in any of those events when the time comes. That's why I'm willing to pay five million dollars for all your thoroughbred horses. I know you must be thinking I am stupid for paying such an amount for some horses but believe me, it's worth it. " he finished, believing his words had hit home.

Lisa sat there, staring hard at him. All those times, when he had been talking, she had not listened to anything he had being saying. Not because she didn't like what he was saying but because she enjoyed watching his face as he talked. There was a virility-like plasma coming from him as he spoke, his dark eyes blazing with irresistible magnetism that seems to reach over her where she sat. She looked at him now and saw his eyes staring hard at her, expectations written all over them.

"No ! "she said finally.

Jake stared at her, bewildered.

"What do you mean by no ? "he asked in a cold tone.

"I mean, I'm not interested in your money. I'm not selling any of my horses, "she said sharply.

Jake's face twisted with anger.

"What the hell is wrong with you, woman ? "he burst out uncontrollably. "For God's sakes, don't you understand everything I've been saying for the past few minutes ? "his eyes were glittering like two pellets of ice.

Lisa gave him a cold smile.

"I understand what you are saying, alright, Mr Courtland, but I ain't selling my horses. "she paused and went on. "Can I ask you a question? "

Jake stared at her for a long moment. Then he drew in a long, shuddering breath.

"Shoot, "he snapped.

"What do you know about horses, Mr Courtland ? "she asked.

Jake regarded her; the muscles in his face tightened.

"You can ride them to anywhere you wanna go, and they can be trained for horse racing events, "he said casually, wondering where the conversation was heading to.

"is that all? "Lisa said, a surprise note in her voice.

Jake shrugged indifferently.

"Yeah! They've got no other use than that."

Lisa stared at him, stunned.

"When last did you ride a horse ? "she asked.

"Twenty-six years ago. I was five years old then," he replied in an even voice.

This time Lisa's mouth jerked open in utter disbelief.

"You mean to tell me the last time you rode a horse was when you were five years old? "

Jake nodded vehemently.

"Yes! That's correct! Please, where are all these questions leading to ? "he fired at her, hating the surprised expression on her face.

"May I ask the reason for this? "Lisa continued.

Jake shook his head.

"Something terrible happened, alright. But I'm not telling you anything. It's personal to me. You've got to understand that " he shifted uncomfortably on the seat.

Lisa stared at him, a bemused expression on her face. What had happened to him that he was so afraid to tell her ? she wondered.

"Mr Courtland," Lisa began." at this point, I can proudly say you know nothing about horses, "she said blandly.

Jake's face went dark with rage.

"What the hell do you mean by that? "

"I'm saying you don't know any goddamn thing about a horse, "she said, ignoring the dark look on his face. "The only reason why you are for my horses is because of the money you could make out of them. That's what brought you here. You don't care about those horses. You are only thinking about the money "her words stung like him like a wasp.

"And is that a bad thing ? "he fired back. "Money's got to be made, you know. "

"Yes, money got to be made but not out of my horses, "she said. "Let me tell you something you might not know about horses. Do you know they've got similar traits with we humans ? "when Jake did not say anything, she went on. "They've got feelings and emotions too. And they are good listeners. Those horses in my stables are the only family I've got. They've been my companion all these years. I've been taken care of them right from when I was little. And I will never let you or anyone take them away from me because they were meant for some damn horse racing bullshits " Abruptly, she stood up from the sofa. "Mr Courtland, this conversation is over. I think you should leave now. "