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Tilting her head, she seemed to dissect and consider his words. That s kind of
brilliant.
He arched an eyebrow. Kind of?
Fine, it s totally brilliant. It just never thought about sales in that light.
Because you re busy polishing the company s image, which is also an important
aspect of sales, but it s different than peddling a physical commodity. Your job is all about
making people feel good about associating with Soren Security. My job is to sell the
concept of security, then the device that will give it to them, so they ll sign on the dotted
line.
She gave a thoughtful nod. Technically, I know all that. I have a bachelor s degree in
business marketing. But it s different seeing the principles of business textbooks in action,
applied to a specific situation. You make those ideals come alive.
He shrugged. I love what I do.
It shows.
The respect and admiration in her gaze made his heart gallop in a ragged rhythm. He
wasn t used to this caring so damn much about what one person thought of him but he
did. Her opinion meant everything.
With that consideration in mind, when they finally beat traffic and arrived at the hotel,
he slid his arm around her waist and slipped into an empty conference room on the main
floor. He needed to teach her a few moves to use with the knife he bought her. He d
rather show her a different set of moves horizontally, but this wasn t the time to get all
hot and bothered with her.
Confusion stamped on her face, she blinked up at him. What are we doing here? I
thought we had no time
There s always time to make you feel safe.
What do you mean& ? Oh. Her eyes rounded. The knife.
Exactly. He shed his coat, tossing it onto the back of a conference chair, and she did
the same with hers.
Retrieving the knife and its sheath from his coat, he handed it to her. She held it away
from her and peered at it warily.
That s your first problem.
What?
A weapon, especially a knife, is an extension of your body, of your physical being. It
isn t something to fear but an aspect to master.
She drew it a little closer. It feels foreign. Kind of brutal.
It should. May I?
When she placed it in his outstretched palm, he unsheathed the blade and, stepping
to the side, made a few arcs, turns and jabs like a choreographed scene from his favorite
Bruce Lee film.
She paled. Oh, my.
Don t be intimidated. I ve had some practice. Okay, a little more than some, but he
didn t want the learning curve to seem too daunting.
With a tight swallow she said, You could be one of the bodyguards we hire out to
protect people.
He laughed. Trust me, I m better at sales than I am with knives.
I don t know about that. She seemed to regard him in a new light. You could slice
someone to ribbons before they ever saw it coming.
He nodded. That s the point. The element of surprise is the most powerful weapon.
Better than muscles or fists or bullets. You want to know enough to be dangerous, to
catch someone off guard. He gazed at her steadily. I want you to act out with me what
those men did to you in your hotel room. Show me how they grabbed you.
A cloud of fear shadowed her face. Isaac, I don t feel comfortable
I ll make it easy. He knelt on the floor holding the knife. You re the aggressor. Show
me how they held you.
The reenactment was as unappealing for him as it was for her, but still necessary. He
watched her overcome her fears, stepping into the role he d assigned her. The big guy
held me from behind, like this.
With him kneeling, the position helped her petite body achieve a similar dynamic to
some hulking brute. She wrapped her arm around his neck in a chokehold and clamped
her other hand over his mouth.
While he hated that she d gone through this herself, this provided an excellent
teaching ground. He jerked his head to the side toward her elbow. Turning your head
takes the pressure off your windpipe. You need to get as much oxygen to your brain as
possible to keep your mind sharp.
Slowly he moved his elbow backward toward her midriff, without any forceful contact.
I just gave myself breathing room, at the same time knocking the wind from your chest.
Then he spun on his knees and aimed the sheathed knife at her solar plexus, his palm
against the butt of the hilt, demonstrating how to shove the knife in and up. Using those
three moves, you could ve sent your attacker to the hospital. Possibly to the morgue.
She turned a little green. I can t even stand the thought of hurting someone. Let
alone holding his life in my hands.
You lived through the ordeal, thank God, but that luck may not happen twice. He
lifted a shoulder, not to be cavalier but to prove a point. When the stakes are life and
death, I assume you want to end up on the living end of that equation.
She nodded.
Let s try it again, he suggested. You practice the moves I showed you against me.
Isaac&
Life and death, sweetheart. You can do this.
With a sigh, she accepted the sheathed knife from him. After twenty minutes of
continuous practice, she seemed comfortable with the knife in her hand and how to use it
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