Shield's Lady

latter never seemed to be still for long. He leaned on his hand and fantasized briefly about shutting her up with a kiss. It would be interesting to see how much longer she could continue to chatter once he had his tongue inside her mouth.
    “When you proved unwilling to meet with us,” Sariana was saying crisply, “I made the decision to use a mild hypnotic in the hopes that it would put you into a more, shall we say, receptive state of mind while we negotiated. I realize that probably strikes you as somewhat bold, but under the circumstances I felt I had no other option.”
    “Bold?” Gryph examined the word. “No, I wouldn’t say it was bold. Dumb, perhaps. Stupid, maybe. But I don’t think bold quite captures the spirit of such a piece of idiocy.”
    Sariana’s brows came together in a quelling expression. “Look, I have apologized for the inconvenience you have experienced. Believe me, I would not have attempted such a thing if we had not been quite desperate.”
    “Inconvenience? Is that how you describe what you did to me? You have an interesting way with words, lady.”
    “I am trying to explain to you exactly what happened so that we may proceed in a rational manner to conclude a perfectly reasonable business deal,” Sariana said with obviously forced patience.
    “Plan A has obviously failed. Have you got a Plan B?” Gryph told himself that if he weren’t feeling so rotten he might almost be enjoying himself. The lady was amusing, as well as a challenge.
    And she still had her small, silvered fingertips around his weapon kit. He knew she sensed its importance to him and he also knew she was frantically trying to figure out how to use the kit to get what she wanted. It would be interesting to see what she did next.
    Sariana Dayne was no great beauty, Gryph decided objectively. But her sleekly styled hair and quietly refined clothing made her stand out in comparison to the vivid Avylyns. He liked the sparkling intelligence in her hazel eyes, her small tilted nose and the fullness of her lower lip. She had vital, appealing features. She was the kind of woman who drew a man with more subtle lures than those used by giggling, fluff-headed beauties such as Mara Avylyn.
    “We don’t have what you might call a Plan B,” Sariana said slowly, tapping her silver nails absently against the black kit under her hand. “But I would like you to listen to our original proposal.”
    “Did anyone warn you that a Shield’s services don’t come cheap?”
    Sariana rallied to the challenge as if she thrived on this sort of encounter. Her smile was more dazzling than ever. “I was told such services are quite expensive, when they can be purchased at all. I understand you usually spend your days chasing bandits, but that you will occasionally take on private commissions.”
    “Occasionally.” Gryph tried a smile of his own. One that showed plenty of teeth. “For a price.”
    “Yes, well, I should make it clear right from the start that the Avylyns have something of a cash flow problem at the moment.”
    “A cash flow problem,” Gryph repeated blankly.
    “Just a small one,” Sariana assured him breezily. “Nothing that won’t be under control within the next few months. It means, of course, that you would have to be willing to accept your payment at a later date than you might under most circumstances, but that shouldn’t be a major hurdle in our negotiations.”
    Gryph held up a palm in an effort to slow her down. He was finding it difficult to follow the conversation. “Wait a minute. You mean you want me to do the job now and then sit around and wait a few months for my pay?”
    Sariana lifted her chin. “I assure you, the Avylyns’ cash flow problem will be under control very soon.”
    Gryph glanced around at the elegantly dressed women of the clan. They stared back anxiously. “There’s enough jewelry hanging around the ladies’ necks to finance several weeks or even months of my services. Assuming I’m willing to go to work for you.”
    “Most of that lovely jewelry is in hock to the bank, I’m afraid,” Sariana retorted cheerfully, as if it were a minor detail. “Collateral, you know. We needed to raise vast sums to revive the business. It’s necessary that the Avylyns’ continue to keep up appearances in the meantime, of course. They must continue to dress and entertain according to their social status. But I’m afraid there’s no cash to spare from the personal accounts. And