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“Daze Digital.” I watched him closely, but there wasn’t even a hint of recognition in his arresting, light brown eyes. “They were part of your company’s acquisition run a few months ago.”
That’s when it finally sank in for Luca, who nodded slowly. His shoulders relaxed, and he slid his hands into the pockets of his tailored slacks—demeanor totally changed from what it was seconds before. Now he eyed me with what looked like amusement.
“You’re upset because business worked the way business always does?” he asked, his heavy brows tilting incredulously. They hooded his eyes in a way that made him look even more mysterious, and I had to force myself to look away, if only for a couple of seconds to gather myself.
I took a breath and wore a stiff smile by the time I looked back at him. “I’m upset because people like you only care about one thing—money.”
“People like me? You know nothing about me.” He seemed to be enjoying himself.
And that only stirred my anger to boiling point.
“I know that you don’t give a damn about the people at the bottom. The people working their asses off to fuel your planes and fill your designer closets.” I didn’t say anything about the way he filled out his suit, but that was neither here nor there. I wanted to cut Luca down to size, not stroke his ego.
“First of all,” he held out a hand to slow me down, “it’s plane, singular. So far.” He smirked after adding that last bit, and I swear to God, it practically drove me up the wall.
“You’ve just proven my point.” I threw my hands in the air, feeling defeated despite having my chance to confront him on his callous behavior. It was because his reaction wasn’t at all what I wanted it to be.
Then again, was someone like cold-blooded Luca Moretti capable of remorse?
“I honestly don’t know what my brother sees in you,” I said then, slinging my purse back over my shoulder. “You’re an arrogant, greedy, cocky, unfeeling bastard, who—”
“Enough.” His no-nonsense tone threw his voice so that it filled the office, immediately silencing everything else. It’s like the clock stopped ticking too.
I stood before his domineering presence and felt myself melt just a little. His broad shoulders pulled back under the cotton of his button-down shirt and the muscle in his jaw twitching with the restraint he was practicing…
I hadn’t seen my brother’s best friend in about a decade but wasn’t expecting him to have aged like a fine, vintage collection wine. Yes, there was betrayal and rage bubbling inside of me in that moment, but there was something else happening in my body. A subtle but distinct reaction to the gorgeous Italian man twenty years my senior.
“Listen, Scarlett,” Luca spoke, his voice softer and more controlled than before. I was glad, because words eluded me just then while I was trying to decide what to do with all of his hotness. “I do what I have to do, and it’s made me one of the most powerful men in the business.”
I snorted dryly. “Give me a break.”
“And you…” he continued, “a beautiful woman like yourself… I don’t think you’ll have any trouble walking into another job.”
Our eyes locked, and it felt as though he were peering right into the depths of my soul. His gaze gleamed like molten gold, set alight with a spark that threatened a much bigger flame if he wished it. I might as well have been standing there naked.
“The job isn’t the problem. It’s not only me…” I tried feebly.
He shook his head. “All of you—your ex co-workers—are smart people. Because of my actions, plenty more jobs become available. It’s the way this works. You can name your price.”
“I already had a job,” I snapped. “We all did. Until you fucked it up. And now what, you’re asking for my help? You have some nerve.”
He rounded his desk and came to stand in front of me. No, towered over me, leaning in just enough that I could feel his warm breath on my face. The ocean fresh musk of his scent hung heavy in my nose as I breathed him in deeply without showing him that’s what I was doing. I didn’t want him to know…
“I’m not asking for help, Scarlett,” he said, his voice low. The way the Italian rolled off his tongue sent a shock of goosebumps up both my arms. “I’m offering you a lot of money in exchange for your expertise. That’s work, not help.”
He straightened suddenly, and I realized just how much taller than me he actually was. I would have to stand on the very tips of my toes if I wanted to—
No. This wasn’t the time for fantasizing about the logistics surrounding a kiss when I had a point to make. And it came to me just then, how I’d make him get it.
“I don’t want anything you’re offering, Luca,” I said, keeping my gaze fixed on his unwavering one. “After what you did? I don’t ever want to look at you, let alone work for you.”
“Your brother was wrong about you.”
His words stopped me just as my hand landed on the doorknob, and I turned back. “Excuse me?”
Luca was leaning back against his desk, his long legs outstretched and crossed over at the ankles, arms folded across his chest. He wore that stupid grin when he looked at me.
“He thought you’d be the perfect professional for this job,” Luca said, then added with a shrug, “but you’re just a spoiled little girl who will let a pointless grudge stand in her way. You’re not the only translator available. I’ll find someone who wants the work.”
