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But it was the only remaining roof over her head. The New York condo was gone, as was the chalet in Switzerland. Everything was gone.
Carla set the pen down and stood. ‘Thank you for your time, Mr Santino. Now if you’ll excuse us—’
‘You’re not free to go just yet, Miss Nardozzi.’
Her breath stumbled as Javier rose with fluid grace.
She stared up at him, meeting that stony expression once more. ‘What...what more could we possibly have to discuss?’
A tight smile pursed his lips. ‘It’s confidential. Come into my office.’ His gaze flicked over the table’s occupants in a dismissive glance. ‘Alone.’
Without waiting for a response, he headed for a set of double doors opposite from where she’d entered.
Her palms grew hot and she fought the urge to rub them against her thighs. Every instinct screamed at her to get up and walk out. She’d made it this far relatively unscathed. She’d seen Javier again, withstood his imposing presence, heard his voice, inhaled that singularly unique scent without losing her composure. What she’d dreaded most was over.
Yet she couldn’t move.
‘Now, Miss Nardozzi,’ Javier insisted in cutting tones.
The atmosphere shifted again, men in expensive suits fidgeting beneath ricocheting tension.
‘Carla,’ her father’s warning tone rumbled over her.
She ignored him, looking past him to the doors that led to freedom. Could Javier stop her from leaving? From retreating back to that numb place where she was marginally cocooned from pain and betrayal?
Yes. Because she was now bound to him, a contracted employee who couldn’t refuse reasonable requests.
Swallowing the hysterical laugh that rose in her throat, she stood, ignoring the collective muted sighs of relief that floated round the table.
Carla entered Javier’s office and drew to a stunned stop. Unlike the rest of his company’s workspace, this was an unapologetically masculine domain. From the massive walnut desk and throne-like armchair set back against a solid wall, to the studded black sofas grouped around a glass and gold TV and entertainment centre on one side, the space shrieked a dominance that made her flesh tighten with acute premonition.
But no.
So far Javier had been cold and brutally businesslike. Uninterested in her, other than as another financial asset for his company. She had nothing to fear.
Behind her the door swung shut, followed by another distinct click.
Her gaze flew to Javier, to the tiny remote in his hand. A second later, he flung the control away, then advanced towards her with slow, precise strides. Her breath uselessly trapped in her lungs, Carla tilted her head to meet his gaze and the blood rushed from her head in a dizzying surge.
Because those mesmeric eyes were no longer cold. No longer impersonal. A very specific, very dangerous light blazed in their depths. A light that threatened to stop her heart altogether.
‘At long last, here you are,’ he murmured.
The savouring, triumphant statement made every nerve in her body jump.
‘Here I am? What does that mean?’ she retorted, fully aware her voice was bled of any power.
He stepped closer, amplifying his power and might by a thousand degrees. ‘It means I never thought this day would arrive. You won’t believe how many times I nearly threw in the towel. But revenge is a dish best served cold. Isn’t that what they say?’
Ice filled her veins. ‘Revenge?’
He bent his head closer, as if sharing a salacious secret. ‘Luckily, I’m a very patient man,’ he whispered. ‘I knew, sooner or later, I could count on you and your father’s greed to bring you back to the contract table.’
Carla’s mouth dropped open, her heart falling to her toes.
‘Dio mio.’ Her voice snagged on the words.
He leaned back and smiled. A pure evil smile that drew her dumbfounded gaze to his sensual lips. ‘Sí, this is the expression I’ve been waiting three years for.’
