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Alicia could feel the blood drain from her face and then rush back guiltily as she realized what she’d taken his words to mean for a split second. He’d seen it too and that mocking look made his mouth quirk at the corner again.
‘Not that kind of proposal. Never that kind of proposal; I’m not a marrying man.’
Words were strangled in her throat. She was mortified that he would think that she had thought he’d meant marriage. And she had. For a second.
She put her cup down with a shaky hand. ‘Look, just tell me why you’re here, I have things to do.’ She sat back and folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. He settled back into the couch and crossed one leg over the other. The bottom of his impeccably shod foot seemed to mock her too. She could see how in some cultures it was taken as a high insult to be fac
ed with the soles of someone’s feet.
‘What I’ve come here to propose is a little mutual arrangement.’
Alicia all but snorted. She doubted very much that this man did anything mutually.
‘I’m listening.’
Only so you’ll be gone more quickly and I can get back to normal and forget we ever met.
Alicia conveniently blocked out the voice that said, What about if Melanie and Paolo get married? What about when they have the baby? Won’t Uncle Dante come to visit? Won’t Uncle Dante be there for the rest of your life?
His voice cut through her tortured thoughts. ‘I am hosting a series of final negotiations in a very high profile merger over the next three weeks. The first week of the conference will be at my villa in Lake Como—a week in which the very select participants will be shielded from the media’s prying eyes, to be exclusively wined and dined in between meetings.’
Alicia looked at him blankly, desperately trying to hide the effect his force field had on her body. She just hoped he’d hurry up and say whatever he had to say, not knowing why he felt he had to tell her anything.
‘Together with a close colleague from Ireland, we’re merging forces with one of the biggest construction giants in America. As I am the biggest investor, effectively it is a merger that will see me as CEO of the largest construction conglomerate in the world.’
Alicia recalled Melanie’s glowing comments when she had first got the job at Dante’s company some years previously. ‘I thought you already were the biggest company in the world …’ She couldn’t keep the caustic tone from her voice, or the look in her eye that told him exactly what she thought of his obvious bid for world domination.
He ignored her effortlessly and said without any emotion, just as a hard fact, ‘I am; however, there’s always room for improvement.’
‘You mean greed,’ Alicia muttered, and felt pettish as she did so. What did she care, even if he wanted to conquer outer space?
Again he ignored her barbed comments. ‘The construction company from America is run by a man called Buchanen. He’s taken a lot of persuading to come on board. Years of smaller negotiations have led us to this point, and now we are poised to sign on the dotted line. All it’s going to take is this three weeks and then it’s going to be signed, sealed and delivered.’
Satisfaction rushed through Dante. This would be the pinnacle of everything he’d ever set out to achieve, to prove … having come from nothing. and he was not about to let that satisfaction be thwarted. Especially when so many depended on him.
He lay an arm along the back of the couch, making his shirt strain across his impossibly broad and hard chest, making Alicia’s eyes drop betrayingly and her throat dry up. She looked up and felt a rising tide of red. And saw the mocking look in his eye. At that moment she wanted to throw the contents of her coffee cup in his face.
‘And …? I presume there’s more?’ she bit out.
Dante regarded her, taking in every expression crossing her face, flashing through her big eyes. His groin tightened. You bet there is.
He schooled his expression, veiled the lust he felt. ‘Buchanen has been a reluctant investor. And yet he’s the only one we want. He controls just one of the biggest companies in the US, but he’s got the most links and connections with Europe, which will inevitably give us an even stronger hold here too. But he’s cautious. He’s planning to run for the American senate and that’s pretty much the reason he finally gave in; he wants to free up his time to devote himself to politics—the downside of that is his concern for his untarnished reputation.’
Alicia was beginning to feel more than a little confused. And more and more hot and bothered. ‘Yes, but what does all this have to do with me?’
Dante said nothing and reached into his jacket pocket to pull out a folded newspaper. Alicia immediately recognized the red top of the tabloid. Her stomach fell. This could only mean one thing. Dante leaned across and put the paper down in front of her. It took a minute for the picture and headline to sink in.
Who is the mysterious woman lighting Dante’s inferno?
Even though this was exactly what she’d set out to orchestrate, albeit not with her involvement to such a degree, the reality was shocking, invasive, awful. It also made a dark memory surface uncomfortably.
‘Oh, my god,’ she finally breathed.
‘My thoughts entirely. The photographer must have had a smaller digital camera because my security guard confiscated his other one.’
Alicia lifted stricken eyes to Dante. How could she say sorry again? She couldn’t. She stood up, agitated. She’d rushed off, chasing this man for a crime he hadn’t committed and she was no better off for all her efforts. If anything, things were worse.
‘I … don’t know what to say.’ She stood behind her chair, the offending picture still in her eyeline, and all she could remember was the feel of his mouth on hers, his strong, lean, taut body as he’d lifted her off her feet. Her insides liquefied.
