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She laughed. ‘Now, how could any girl resist an offer like that?’
* * *
Five hours later they’d just had enough time to dash back to the apartment and dress for dinner. Anissa hadn’t checked to see what Leo’s PA Keisa had sent over. She’d just grabbed the hangar and rushed into her room to shower and change. She blasted her hair with the dryer and applied some make-up quickly. Her heart gave a little flip at the box of shoes on the bed. Black patent leather stilettos with red soles. Probably cost more than she earned in a month. She unzipped the clothes bag and shook out the dress.
It was gorgeous—red, a colour she rarely wore. It had a straight neckline, falling from her hips with a small red flounce around the bottom stopping at her knees.
She stepped into the dress and the shoes and took one quick glance in the mirror before hurrying out to Leo.
‘Wow.’ He was standing waiting for her in a dark suit and tie, a glass of red wine in his hand. The lights in the penthouse were dimmed and she loved the way his eyes sparkled as she sashayed towards him.
She gestured down, ‘Well, I haven’t met Keisa but she sure has impeccable taste.’
Leo nodded appreciatively. ‘She does.’ Then he gave a little smile. ‘I might have sent her a photo.’
‘Of me?’ She was surprised. ‘When?’
‘Today.’ He shrugged. ‘We took masses of pictures at the statue and the Natural History Museum the other day.’
She moved forward and tapped his chest. ‘And I have a spectacular photo of you pretending to hold a giant blue whale from the other day.’
He laughed. ‘I forgot about that one. You could use it as blackmail material.’ Then he nodded and wagged his finger. ‘Actually, I have a really good picture of someone with their head inside a T-Rex’s mouth. Now, that would be a good blackmail picture.’
She slid her arms up around his neck. ‘You’d really blackmail me?’
His hands rested on her hips and his gaze was loaded. ‘I could be persuaded not to.’
She moved closer, so she could feel the full length of his body against hers. ‘Tell me about tonight. Tell me about Joe.’
He met her gaze. ‘Are you worried about dinner?’
She pulled a face. ‘Not worried, really. But... I know this is a big deal for you. I don’t want to say anything wrong. Is there anything I should avoid?’
He shook his head. ‘Just be yourself. You’re perfect. Joe will love you.’
It was like warm honey spreading through her. Since he’d opened up to her last night it was as if all the walls had come down. He seemed easier, more relaxed. She didn’t doubt he was still considering what to do next about his family, but the dark, hooded look had left his face. It was almost as if he was relieved to have finally shared how he was feeling about things.
She stepped back and slipped her hand into his. ‘Come on, then, Mr Baxter, take me to dinner.’
* * *
It was his favourite restaurant—and it was Joe’s too. The restaurant slowly rotated as they ate, meaning that in the space of an hour they got to see all the views of New York.
Service was smooth and quick. And just like he’d predicted, Joe was charmed by Anissa. It was the first time Leo had ever taken a date with him to a business meeting but somehow this had just felt right.
Anissa had enchanted Joe with stories about her childhood in Austria, and then intrigued him with tales about her international skiing experiences.
As she spoke Leo couldn’t help but notice the far-off look in her eye or the slightly wistful tone in her voice. He wasn’t quite sure what to say or how to react. As their main courses arrived, she turned towards both of them.
‘I’ve had an interesting job offer.’
‘You have?’
She nodded hesitantly. ‘From someone I used to have a lot of dealings with—there’s a vacancy on the International Skiing Championship Committee.’ She seemed a little nervous. ‘They’ve considered me.’
Joe leaned over and squeezed Anissa’s hand. ‘Of course they have. They know talent when they see it.’ He seemed to pick up the fact she didn’t reply right away. ‘They’ve considered you—are you considering them?’
It was the careful way Joe turned the question around. He was a wily character with years of experience in dealing with people. Leo held his breath. He wanted to know the answer to that question too. Anissa hadn’t mentioned the job offer earlier—why not?
She toyed with the food on her plate. ‘I’m not sure,’ she said finally.
Leo couldn’t help himself. ‘Why not? It sounds wonderful.’
She gave a little sigh. ‘Because if I say yes, that’s it. It’s almost like I’m saying I’ll never compete any more—I’ll never get the gold medal. I don’t quite know if I’m ready to do that.’
Joe nodded. ‘You said earlier you had an accident. Do you honestly think you’ll get back to championship level?’
Leo shifted in his seat. He’d asked Anissa to consider a back-up plan, but he hadn’t been quite as blunt. It seemed that Joe’s age allowed him to be me much more direct.
Anissa’s face was blank. She didn’t reply.
Joe gave her hand a squeeze again and waved his other hand. ‘Well, whatever you decide I’m sure it will be right for you. After all, you need to do what makes you happy.’ He picked up his wine glass and raised it in a toast towards Anissa. ‘To Anissa, a beautiful woman with a beautiful future, whatever it may be.’
Anissa picked up her glass and raised it back to Joe, tentatively taking a sip. She looked sad. She looked unsure. And Leo hated that for her.
His heart gave a squeeze as his head finally caught up.
He loved her. For the first time in his life he actually loved someone.
He wanted her to be happy. He wanted her to know she was good enough, and to choose the career path that was right for her. But more than anything he wanted her to be with him.
It was almost like someone had just lit up the sky behind him with fireworks.
He lifted his glass and clinked it against hers. ‘To Anissa,’ he agreed. ‘You can be whatever you want to be.’
She met his gaze. Her eyes still looked unsure.
But he’d never more sure of anything in his life.
* * *
Joe was an old charmer. He could be brash, he could be flattering, and he could definitely charm the birds from the trees. Business between him and Leo had been wrapped up within five minutes. There had been a few disagreements backwards and forwards but no bad blood. It was clear that both men respected each other and she liked that. She liked it that Joe respected Leo’s business acumen. Joe thought Leo was good enough. And that made her happy.
Dinner finished relatively early and since it wasn’t far to Leo’s apartment they waved the car away.
She extended one leg and pointed to her shiny new shoes. ‘You do know that walking on these red soles essentially ruins them.’
Leo frowned. He obviously didn’t get it. ‘But shoes are for walking in. What else are you supposed to do with them?’
She shook her head. ‘Never mind. Let’s walk.’
His hand slid around her waist, pulling her closer.
She decided to ask the question she’d wanted to ask all night. ‘Have you had any more thoughts about what to do about your family?’
He pressed his lips together for a second. ‘Well, you’re right. I probably should talk to Sebastian at some point—try and reassure him that I’m not interested in taking his place at the company.’ He sighed. ‘I’ve already told him, but I don’t know if he’s ready to listen yet.’
‘Are you sure you don’t want to be part of the family business?’
‘What do you mean?’
She stopped walking for a second and looked at him. The Italian blood in him was strong, his sallo
w skin, his dark ruffled hair. His bright blue eyes were startling. His lithe body and build. He was Italian through and through. Even if he hadn’t found out his ancestry, she could have guessed it.
‘This is your family business too, Leo. Your mother and father left you the controlling shares for a reason. They loved you. You were their son. They wanted you to be part of the business—to work with them and your brother and sister. Do you really want to walk away from this, without thinking about it properly?’
He had a confused look in his eyes and he shook his head slowly. ‘How can I? How can I take away what is theirs?’
She gripped his arm. ‘Because it’s yours too.’ She stopped for a second and took a deep breath. ‘Don’t just walk away without thinking about it. Sebastian’s reaction is making you feel as if you’re not entitled to this. But you are, Leo. I don’t want you to walk away and then regret it years down the line.’
She couldn’t help the passion in her voice. Last night they’d connected. She’d seen how broken he’d been—how confused. But what she could also see was the yearning to belong. To be part of a family.
