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‘You could say that.’
‘Maybe I’m just one of those people who likes a little contrast in their life,’ she said quickly, because the last thing she wanted him dwelling on was that frivolous little costume. She didn’t want to think of that electric-blue gaze skating over her thighs and her bottom, or to imagine him following that visual assessment with the slow drift of his fingers... ‘You know,’ she added, helpfully, trying to ignore the lump which had risen in her throat. ‘Someone who likes a bit of variety.’
The wave of his hand was impatient, as if her arguments had failed to impress him. ‘No. It doesn’t seem to add up,’ he continued, his gaze burning into her like a laser. ‘So why are you doing it, Nicola?’
‘Isn’t it obvious? I need the money.’
‘But surely Sergio must pay you a decent wage.’
She wanted to tell him her finances were none of his business, but instinct told her that an alpha man like Alessio di Bari would persist until he got some answers. His curiosity was aroused and he would wish to have it satisfied, because he was a rich and entitled man and that was what men like him were like.
So make the story real, but not too real. Be creative with the truth.
Her mouth twisted into a smile edged with bitterness. Wasn’t that the way the world operated? What she’d had to do countless times in the past when social services had come looking for her and her little brother. There was nothing wrong with admitting to problems in your life—you just had to convince the people in power that you could deal with them. ‘I’m in debt,’ she said baldly.
‘Again, a little surprising,’ he mused.
‘Oh?’
He shrugged. ‘That someone who always seems so cool and in control should allow her finances to get out of hand.’ His eyes glittered as he circled the tip of his finger round the rim of his wine glass. ‘How did that come about?’
‘Oh, you know. I overextended myself with my mortgage,’ she elaborated, really getting into it now. ‘I was a bit too cavalier with the credit card—it’s surprisingly easy to spend money you don’t have, these days. Before I knew it, I owed the bank a shedload of money.’ She paused, unable to keep a note of defiance from her voice. ‘Something I don’t imagine you’ve ever been familiar with.’
Alessio nodded as he acknowledged the accusation behind her words, but for some reason her easy assumption irritated him. Was she totally lacking in imagination? Did she think that just because he was a wealthy man, he’d never known hardship, or pain? He wondered how she might react if she knew the real story. But he didn’t need to prove himself to her or tell her just how wrong she was. There was only one reason he had invited her here tonight and she had just provided him with the perfect opening.
‘How much do you need?’ he questioned suddenly.
‘I’m sorry?’
‘You heard me. Don’t look so shocked, Nicola. I said, how much money do you need?’
Her neat blonde hair was gleaming in the candlelight, her grey eyes narrowed with the glint of suspicion. ‘What’s it got to do with you?’
‘Because I could help you.’
‘That’s the whole point of having a second job! I don’t need your help.’
‘Are you sure?’ He frowned. ‘Because unless we’re talking six-figure sums—and I imagine you might be in jail if you owedthatkind of figure—it would be easy for me to give you the money you need. So I’ll ask you again. How much?’
He could see her hesitation and the brief flare of silent desperation on her face before she blurted out a sum which was less than he’d spend on a weekend in Paris.
‘That’s nothing,’ he said.
‘Maybe to you it isn’t—but it’s certainly notnothingto me!’ she declared fiercely.
‘I could write off your debt in one fell swoop,’ he said. ‘In fact, I’d be prepared to double the amount. How does that sound?’
Now her grey eyes were as wide as saucers. ‘But why?’ she questioned breathlessly. ‘I mean, why would you do that?’
He waited while two steaming plates of pasta were deposited on the table in front of them and, although it was his favouritecacio e pepe, he paid the food little attention. ‘Because I need a favour.’
He saw the veiled look which obliterated the sudden spring of hope in her eyes and made them grow hard.
‘What kind of favour?’ she questioned woodenly.
The inference behind her question was deeply insulting and Alessio wondered whether working in a club like that had given her a jaundiced view of life. Did she really think he was offering her money to have sex with him? That he was the kind of man who needed topay? His initial response to such a negative character assessment was one of anger, but there was something about the way she’d started biting her lip—a glimpse of unexpected vulnerability lying behind the suspicious mask—which made him soften his stance a little.
‘Let me reassure you that what I am proposing is perfectly above-board,’ he informed her coolly. ‘You need something and I need something. Namely, a woman to accompany me to my mother’s sixtieth birthday party next weekend.’ He shrugged. ‘It’s a simple financial transaction, Nicola—nothing more complicated than that.’
