A Reputation to Uphold (11 page)

Any other woman and she would have been flat on her back by now. But she was still Finn’s little sister and there was no way he was crossing that line for a fling, however heady, however sexually gratifying it would be.

What was more, she was hiding something. Being secretive. Sneaky.

And, just like that, his temperature dropped through the red leather bucket seat. He’d missed the signs with his ex. Although he often wondered if he’d cared enough to look. But right now, with Eva, there was too much riding on this deal.

After motioning the parking attendant to open his door, he walked round to Eva’s side and took her small hand in his.

‘Wow, I’m getting the full treatment tonight,’ she said.

Whether it was her sassy mouth that sparked his fire or her repeated request not to kiss her, he wasn’t sure. But his mood darkened with the desire to put on a real show. The devil in him wanted proof that she could no more resist him than he could her.

Gripping her hand, he hauled her from the seat—knowing every lens was focused upon them, that thousands of eyes would see the stamp of his possession—and brought those lush curves flush against his hard body.

Fisting his jacket lapels, her wide green eyes shot up to his. ‘Dante,’ she whispered frantically, ‘what are you doing?’

‘Not on the red carpet, Eva, that was your request.’

Plink. Plink.
Bright white camera bulbs saturated the air in a dazzling display and Dante plastered her against the glossy carnal-red paintwork and took her mouth on a joyride she’d never forget.

It took him a good few seconds to think past her brazen lips frisking over his and the heat pervading his groin, to realise his fatal error. This was Eva and the woman kissed him as if he was her last breath. All sex and desperation. So he tangled with the uneasy notion that it would be
him
who would never forget. When business should have his undivided attention. That Hamptons was the goal here.

Even the imprint of her hot mouth refused to leave him as they rode the glass express elevator, zooming up forty-two floors in complete silence, Eva refusing to meet his eyes and Dante fighting the destructive animalistic need to pin her against the steel cage.
Business, Vitale—focus.

By the time they were greeted by the maître’d he had the hunger leashed...until Eva’s long black velvet coat slipped from her provocative body and his heart stuttered in his chest.

Cristo
...

Swathes of golden silk sheathed her body like a second skin, from the high slashed neck to the straight cut knee in an understated oriental elegance, the wide band cinching her waist embroidered with delicate pink orchids and tied at her back in a huge gold bow.

Sensually extravagant. Yet oddly demure.

He had to swallow in order to speak. ‘Eva,
cara
, you look...’

‘What?’ she asked warily.

‘Stunning.’ Like thwacked-over-the-head stunning. ‘Breathtaking.’

Her high cheekbones flushed crimson. Another hint of innocence. As if she’d never been given such a compliment in her life. Which was ludicrous to imagine in a woman with a trail of ex-lovers in her wake.

And thankfully, before that thought took hold, they were ambushed by Takumi and it was back to business. To safety. To total control.

Together they worked their way through the throng of foodies, TV personalities and society’s usual glitz, nibbling on sushi and tempura, while Eva sipped an odd concoction of lime and lemonade—to satisfy her sweet tooth, he was sure. And, when they were shown to the private cordoned-off table of Yakatani, Eva dipped her head and greeted the older man in stilted Japanese. Making Dante rock back on his heels. And that was just the beginning of tonight’s stun-gun attack.

Every time their upcoming marriage was mentioned she blushed that intoxicating rouge that swept down her neck and all he could wonder was if it covered her gorgeous full breasts. Yakatani was smitten with her apparent innocence. But the more Dante watched her, the more he suspected it was untruths. At one point she stumbled so hard, Dante had to catch her fall.

Turning to his host—a small man in his greying years who reeked money and intelligence—he asked, ‘So tell me. Are you looking for a quick sale?’

‘Yes. The quicker the better. It is time for retirement. My wife informs me she would like to see her husband before he meets his maker. As you can see,’ he said, encompassing the glass and steel extravaganza with a sweep of his hand, ‘my children all have their own interests.’

‘It’s spectacular. You must be very proud of your son.’

‘Immensely.’

Dante couldn’t mistake the sincerity and a fist of envy punched him in the gut. One he stiffened against. Pushed past. Moved on.

‘Any issues with the store I should be concerned about?’ Dante asked.

‘Just the usual. Concessions getting complacent. Staff issues. Nothing that a man of your reputation cannot handle, Vitale.’

‘New blood.’ Eva’s voice drifted across the table and, when Dante looked up, her attention seemed divided between their conversation and Yakatani’s daughter-in-law, who’d just settled into the chair beside her, all long straight ebony hair and sloe eyes. Or was it the baby in her arms—a boy, if the blue sleep suit was anything to go by.

‘You were saying,
cara
?’ he said.

Her head snapped around, soft blonde waves swishing about her shoulders. ‘Oh, sorry. It was just when you said...concessions.’ He could feel her reluctance and it reminded him of the times she used to put herself down in the intellectual stakes during conversations between themselves and Finn. Not that Finn helped one iota. Without realizing, he’d used to make Eva feel as if her opinion didn’t matter. It aggravated Dante. He knew too well the frustration of not being good enough, worthy enough to be heard.

‘Go ahead,
cara
mia
. We wish to hear.’

‘Well...in my opinion, you need new blood. A better mix of class and sass. In the ladies department especially. The problem is your rents are too high and so you’re not allowing the up-and-coming designers a chance to exhibit their raw talent. London is the place they want and they can’t afford it.’

Dante blinked.

Yakatani’s smile reached his deeply lined eyes and he said, ‘What would you suggest, Eva?’

Warming to her subject, her hands joined in the party. ‘Free rent for six months to get them established. Then off they go into the big wide world. Or they have the money to start paying
you
rent. Now, before you get all hot and bothered—’

Hot and bothered?
Cristo
,
he was burning up.

‘—about the words
free rent
, think about what you would gain. Respect in the industry. The opportunity to showcase new stars, thereby bringing in new custom, and satisfaction that you helped a fledgling company. Everyone’s happy,’ she said with another little shrug as her eyes flickered back to the baby.

Eyes that melted at the sight. Almost...longing.

With the back of her finger, she reached up and smoothed down the baby’s soft cheek. Once. Twice. Dusted over his dark mop of hair with a loving touch.

Then, as if she sensed he watched her, she turned towards him and curved her beautiful lush lips. Untutored. Pure.
Affectionate
?

No. Impossible. Women didn’t look at him with affection. They looked at him with lust. Lust for sex, money, inordinate power.

So Dante didn’t want to think about what that smile did to him. All he knew was Eva belonged on the stage.

All too soon, her lips fell, together with her eyes. ‘Excuse me,’ she said. ‘I must use the powder room.’

It was Yakatani’s voice that tore his gaze from her lush hair and curvaceous behind.

‘She is more than ready, Vitale. You will not have to wait long.’

Dante frowned. ‘For what?’

The man laughed as if they shared some private joke—one which Dante wished he was in on—and said, ‘That has certainly made up my mind. It is time we brought this discussion around to its lucrative assets. I fly to Tokyo on Friday and will not be returning for two weeks, so time is the issue. I prefer a quick sale, if you can manage it.’

Dante eased back into his chair, back in control of his world. ‘I also fly east on Friday morning to Phang Ton.’

‘They say it is truly a sight to behold. The most luxurious private domain in the world.’

Dante’s killer instinct snarled and sniffed the scent of victory. ‘I say you should see for yourself. Come. Be our guest for the weekend. Eva would love to meet your wife. One hour of business, the rest pleasure. I guarantee you’ll fall in love with my slice of paradise.’

‘We would be delighted.’

Dante smiled on a swell of gratification.

Come Monday morning, Hamptons would be his.

* * *

Eva stared at the first fall of snow dusting every step, every paving stone, like crystal sparkling, blazing like diamonds beneath the glare of streetlamps, as snapshots flickered in her mind. The beautiful baby boy. Dante staring at her with a dark, fierce intensity. One of his stunning ex-lovers kissing him on the cheek as they’d left. All reminding her of the naive, foolish girl who’d once made castles in the sky. Making her feel as fragile as the snowflakes kissing the heated windscreen.
Don’t do this, Eva. Just walk away.

‘...so I agreed to fly out at ten a.m.,’ Dante declared. ‘I’ll pick you up at eight. A warmer climate will suit.’

Warmer climate
? Eva whipped around to face him. Noticed the car was parked outside her boutique. ‘I’m not with you.’

‘Have you listened to a word I said?’

She gave her head a little shake. ‘Sorry, I’m tired. Tell me again.’

‘Which is why you need a break,
cara.
Yakatani has accepted an invitation to my island this weekend. We fly out Friday morning.’

Eva blinked, her bones freezing despite the warm gush of the air-con. ‘I can’t go anywhere on Friday. I have a meeting with—’ Her brain clicked into gear in the nick of time. She had an arrangement to see Prudence West. To save her deal. Her business.
All
she’d ever have. But she couldn’t tell Dante that. Because all week he’d been insistent on meeting Prudence with her and she knew it would be an unmitigated disaster. Not only couldn’t she think straight around him, this was her deal and she was saving it by herself.
Her
way. So, instead, she said, ‘With a client.’

‘Eva,’ he said, the first flicker of annoyance firing his words, ‘if all goes well, Hamptons is mine. It is one weekend. That is all.’

An entire
weekend
? No.
No
! No more. She couldn’t take any more. ‘I can’t fly anywhere, Dante. I have a meeting at nine-thirty.’

‘So change it.’

Eva locked her teeth, breathed deep. They’d made a deal. Yes, she wanted him to get Hamptons. Of course she did. But she was also sick and tired of him controlling her every move. ‘No. I can’t and I won’t. Why don’t you change your flight?’

‘
Cristo
, cease with being difficult, Eva! I cannot go back on my word.’

‘Oh, but I can? So it’s okay for me to look unprofessional but not you.’

‘I did not say that,’ he bit out, raking his hand round the back of his neck.

‘Yes, you did. Can you stop thinking of yourself for one solitary second? That,’ she said, pointing one unsteady finger at the façade of her shop, ‘is all I have. While you stockpile billions, that little boutique is all I have.’

‘So you intend to go back on your word to me? For a prospective client who you could meet when we return?
Cristo
, I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you.’

‘You can trust me! But we’re supposed to be in this together. You never consult me or I would’ve told you. I couldn’t think of anything
worse
than spending the entire weekend with you but I made a deal and I intend to stick to it. We’ll just have to compromise. Okay?’ Even as she said the words, her stomach cramped with dread. An entire
weekend
?

Two whole days of kissing and touching. Craving the impossible.

Dante just looked at her as if she’d lost her marbles. Maybe she had.

‘
What
?’

‘Have you ever heard of the word
compromise
before?’

‘I do not think so,’ he said sardonically. ‘It makes my brain slur, which leads me to believe it is a foreign language.’

‘And here I thought you were multi-lingual.’ She ignored the insolent arch of his dark brow. ‘Compromise is when each side gives up something in order to reach a consensus. It is not me kowtowing to you. I’m quite happy to try and move my appointment back to nine but anything before that is a downright unsociable hour to call on someone. So, Mr Control Freak, if you’d like to engage in the foreign concept of compromise, you know where I am.’

And with that Eva burst from the car, slammed the door and held her head high as she negotiated the slippery foundations that were now her life. Another two days of this charade would bleed her heart dry.

Once inside, she tore her coat off, slung her bag on the sofa and paced. After two lengths of the room, an angry shrill broke her stride and she glanced down at her phone. And let loose a sigh.

Snatching the phone, she plunged into the wingback tartan chair. ‘Hello, Dante.’

‘Is eleven-thirty enough of a compromise?’ he said, frustration lacing his voice with that yummy accent.

Eva closed her eyes. Her body at war. Brain screaming she was getting in too deep. Heart demanding she stand by her word. ‘Yes.’

‘Then you’ll come with me?’ he asked, a little huskier.

‘I will.’

Silence stretched her already fragile composure and her head fell back, pillowed, comforted by the soft warm cloth. ‘Goodnight, Dante.’

‘
Ciao, cara
,’ he said, low and delicious. Bone-melting to the point of exasperation.

Tossing the phone back on the oak coffee table with a resounding clatter, she released her breath in a long calming rush.