“Unless you’re in the industry and then Milan’s mostly about work.” Her response was a bit curt as she stared down at her tablet. She moved a finger over the screen, going from one email message to another, reading and scribbling notes in the stripe-covered notebook beside the tablet. To the other side was a small plate with an untouched croissant and a half-full cup of coffee that was undoubtedly cold by now.
“You do know what a vacation is, don’t you, Riley?” He didn’t wait for her to respond. “It’s when you leave work at the office and just relax. Lie in bed all day or go see places you normally don’t get a chance to see when you’re so busy working.”
She didn’t move her head but raised her eyes to stare at him. It was one of the sexiest things he’d ever seen.
“I know what a vacation is. I also know that Fashion Week is right around the corner—”
“And it’ll still be around the corner when we return to New York tomorrow.”
She shook her head and returned to her emails. “I’m not surprised you don’t understand.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Chaz was sitting back in the chair, his tuxedo pants on but not buttoned, his feet and chest bare.
Riley sighed and crossed one leg over the other. “You’re not as invested in this business as I am. Sure, you’re at King Designs now, rebranding all of Tobias’s lines that are flailing, but everybody knows your real love is your social media chain.”
She knew more about him than Chaz had presumed. He’d process how he felt about that later. Right now, Ms. Gold needed to be corrected.
“I don’t do anything half-assed,” he countered.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“But it’s how you presented it. And yeah, I came back to New York to help my uncle rebrand some of the lines that had taken a backseat to the expensive couture designs. I’m rebuilding areas that needed more attention not because they’re flailing, but because King Designs needs to remain a full-service fashion house. And thankfully, Conversation Media, my Fortune 500 company, is doing well enough that I could afford to step away for a while to do what I can for family. That’s called loyalty.”
She tilted her head and folded her arms over her chest. She’d gotten out of the bed before him, and when he woke, she was wearing fuchsia satin pajama pants and top. Her hair had been smoothed back and hung in a long tail down her back. She wasn’t wearing any makeup and was still stunning.
“Again, I didn’t mean to offend you. I was just saying that you may not have as much at stake since King is your secondary job.”
He wondered if she realized she’d just offended him again. Luckily, Chaz had a thick skin and was more amused than offended. Riley honestly thought she was stating a fact and nothing else.
“My family is important to me. Just as yours is to you. But putting that aside, this is still a vacation. So, let’s get dressed and head out for a fun-filled day like other coup—ah, other tourists.”
With any other woman Chaz might have been lucky enough to avoid the mistake he’d just made. Not with Riley.
“We are not a couple. And for that reason, plus a half dozen others, we cannot go traipsing around Milan seeing the sights and soaking up the local flavor.”
“The couple thing is just a title. Tell me the real reason you don’t want to go out.” Because she was being way too adamant about this.
“That’s the reason. We’re not a couple. In fact, for all intents and purposes, we’re enemies. The press would have a ball writing headlines about us being together in Milan and my father would freak when he saw them. Your uncle probably would, too.”
“That feud is theirs not ours.” He knew that wasn’t going to be enough so he held up a hand to stop her rebuttal. “But I get it. Why add fuel to the flame? Fine. Then we’ll have to figure out something fun we can do in this room.”
Riley arched one elegant brow and Chaz’s dick jumped on command.
“Man, Riley, you are killing me!” he groaned and shook his head. “But I’d rather not spend my one and only day withtheRiley Gold in bed. And if you ever repeat that I’ll have to kill you.”
She laughed.
It was a quick burst that sounded so pure and so infectious that Chaz found himself smiling, too.
“So tell me, if I wasn’t here right now and you weren’t working, what would you do today?”
She was still smiling when she shrugged. “Probably lie on the couch and watch movies.”
“Okay.” He shook his head. “We can do that. What type of movies do you like?”
He almost said he didn’t want to watch any romantic comedies or movies where women got even by killing their spouses or whoever wronged them, but he refrained. If she named a movie like that Chaz would have to suck it up and watch, just for the sake of being with her.
“You sure you want me to pick the movie?”
