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Gianni shook his head, a harsh laugh escaping his lips. ‘Always worried about your precious image, Leo. I thought you were hurting when you did what you did to Valente Enterprises, but this—’ His voice cracked.
‘I’m not selling the damned castle,’ Leo spat harshly.
‘He’s not. I’m a wedding planner. We’re discussing an event contract.’
‘Stay out of this, Dara,’ Leo warned.
‘And I thought you were just entertaining the lady to charm her into bed,’ said Gianni. ‘It would be better if you sold it. Rather than make plans to exploit it like a cheap hotel.’
‘Nothing is going to be planned in that damned castle—you hear me? It’s staying there to rot.’
Dara felt the breath whoosh out of her lungs as she absorbed the reality of that statement. Neither man looked her way as they continued in their stand-off. Thankfully no one had noticed the little drama playing out in this quiet corner of the club.
‘Then why is she here?’ asked Gianni, voicing Dara’s own question.
Leo was silent for a moment, his eyes moving to look at her as if he had just remembered she was there. ‘This is none of your business, Gianni.’
Dara watched as the old man’s temper faded, to be replaced by a look of genuine hurt. Leo’s eyes were so dark they looked almost black in the dim lighting.
Dara spoke up, straightening her shoulders. ‘Well, it seems it’s none of my business either.’
Refusing to meet Leo’s eyes, she looked down.
‘Thank you for shedding some light on the situation, Mr Marcello.’
With that, she turned on her heel and strode out of the club.
CHAPTER FOUR
STOPPING TO GRAB her coat and bag from the cloakroom, Dara willed herself to calm down. She could feel the tension inside her stretching to breaking point.
After devoting the entire day working herself to the bone to impress him...
After spending one hair-raisingly stressful hour on the phone to every major designer, looking for uniforms...
After letting him make her feel self-conscious...
She honestly thought that if he was to follow her she might wind up hitting someone for the first time in her life.
She stepped out into the chilly Milan night, the cool air making her shiver in earnest through the haze of cold anger.
He emerged through the doors behind her just as explosively as he had the night before. ‘Dara, stop walking away and allow me to explain.’
‘How long were you planning on stringing me along for?’ She spun around to face him.
‘Let’s not do this on the street.’ He looked to where the security guards stood like silent sentries inside the door.
‘Oh, excuse me—I forgot all about your precious reputation. Please, do yourself a favour and go back to your adoring public.’
A long dark limo pulled up in front of them, the windows impenetrably black.
‘You’re not going to get anywhere by standing on the street. My car is right here. I don’t want anything else on my conscience tonight.’
‘Oh, I think we both know your conscience doesn’t exist,’ she scoffed.
Still, she frowned. She had forgotten about the trouble getting a taxi in Milan. If he was offering her his limo she would take it without a second thought. Anything to get her away from him as soon as possible.
‘Well, it seems you are just as charitable as I thought you’d be, Mr Valente. My humble thanks for this consolation prize.’ She opened the door and slid inside to the warm dark interior, her body still shaking with anger.
The door on the opposite side opened suddenly, and her eyes widened as Leo’s tall frame slid easily onto the seat next to her.
‘What are you doing?’ she squeaked.
‘I said I’d let you use the limo. I didn’t say you would be going alone.’ He shrugged one shoulder, banging his knuckles on the driver’s window and setting the vehicle into swift motion.
He turned to face her, his voice deeply accented in the limo’s quiet dark interior. ‘We are not finished yet, Dara.’
She felt his voice reach across the space between them, warm and seductive. Ignoring the pull, she remained silent and feigned indifference.
‘You can ignore me if you like, but I have yet to fulfil my side of our bargain.’ He waited for her to speak for a moment before continuing. ‘Your work tonight was impressive. You’ve earned your chance to convince me.’
