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“Yes.”
She nodded once, her eyes fixed on the foamy top of her cappuccino.Did she think him a bastard for taking such a mercenary approach to the arrangement? If she did, it was probably a good thing. Better for her to think of him as cold than to entertain any possibility of something real happening between them.
“And the second thing?”
“I’m grateful for the happiness my brothers have found.” Even if he did experience the odd occasional pang of envy. “But marriage is not in my future. The tabloids haven’t stopped following me around since Alejandro and Calandra’s wedding this summer. They aren’t focusing on Cabrera Properties or the new hotel, just who I’m dating.”
“Is something wrong between you and your brothers?”
“No. Why?”
She took another sip of her cappuccino. “You seemed...distant at the engagement party.”
Warning whispered across the back of his neck. Not once in ten years had anyone commented on the change in his relationship with his brothers. HWas this wise, being around someone who had once known him almost better than he’d known himself? Who still picked up on details no one else did?
Bile rose in his throat, thick and bitter. What if she found out what he’d done? What he was capable of?
Before he could explore that thought, a figure paused at the end of the alley. Even from this distance, he could see the camera in their hands. Irritation and resolve wiped away his concerns. He needed to get the media off his back.
“It was a busy day, that’s all. Back to my proposal. We’ll start today, and I’ll make the arrangements up through Alejandro’s wedding.”
Anna frowned. “I haven’t said yes yet.”
But you will. He smiled at her. A slow, sensual smile he’d used on women who’d captured his interest over the years.
“What can I say to persuade you?”
She didn’t even bat an eye. Instead of swooning, her frown deepened. “You said you want to get the media off your back about who you’re dating. But isn’t that what this whole arrangement will do? Put the focus on who you’re seeing and not your new property?”
Her lack of response rankled him. But he maintained a neutral expression as he dove into the negotiation.
“Initially, yes. But it will refocus the narrative from who I might be dating to who I am supposedly dating. Every time I go out with a woman, the media splashes photos everywhere, publishes everything they can find on my companion.” Irritation stirred in his gut. “Not the best way to conduct business with flashbulbs going off every time you meet with someone of the opposite sex. Their husbands and lovers aren’t fans of seeing their names tied to mine along with the words ‘rumored affair.’” One such article had severely threatened a business relationship he’d cultivated for years. “And as an added insult, the coverage of my new hotel has been spotty at best. At any rate, it’ll lessen the scrutiny I’ve been under.”
“This just seems a little farfetched.”
Antonio shrugged. “Unusual, yes, but it’s not implausible. Even if we published a statement saying we’re not dating, they won’t listen. If we take control of the narrative now, we can influence the outcome.”
“Do we tell your family what’s really going on? Mine?”
Maldito, he hadn’t thought of Diego. The butler liked him. How would he feel about this sudden change from checking in on his niece to supposedly dating her? “I won’t tell my family the real reason, no. Your uncle, though—”
“He’s always liked you. Even said once he thought we would...” She shook her head. “As long as we don’t recreate some of Alejandro’s more sensational public acts, I don’t think he’ll be breathing down my neck about who I’m dating.”
His hands curled around his cup. He didn’t like the thought of her dating anyone.
“So that’s a yes?”
She sighed. “I don’t know.”
He leaned in. “You could take back your life, Anna. You’ll be staying in a luxury hotel with time to build your portfolio. Once this is over, you’ll have designs to send out and the reputation to get a contract.”
Devious? Yes. But how could she not see that this was the solution she needed? Yes, he would get the benefit of finally doing something for her instead of hurting her. Redirecting the media attention was another bonus.
As long as he kept his hands and fantasies to himself, it was perfect.
She stared at him for a long moment.
Then sighed. “All right.”
