Deserving of His Diamonds (5 page)

said with a crooked smile. ‗Perhaps I am wrong after all. Maybe you have

changed.‘ Her eyes glittered as they held his. ‗You‘d better believe it.‘

Emilio allowed a little silence to pass before he spoke. ‗Did you give the

keys and all the relevant paperwork for your shop to the driver?‘ ‗Yes.‘

‗Good,‘ he said. ‗Your new assistant will hold the fort until you decide what

course of action to take. I‘ve already spoken to her about it.‘ She frowned at

him. ‗What do you mean?‘ He held her look for a moment. ‗You might

decide to stay

on in Italy,‘ he said. ‗It would be imprudent not to prepare for that

possibility.‘ She gave him a disdainful look. ‗You must get really exhausted

carrying that monumental ego around. Do you really think I will step back

into your life as if nothing has changed? You‘re paying for a month and

that‘s all you‘re going to get.‘ Emilio fought back his temper. He was not

used to her being so obstructive and defiant. In the past she had been so

willing to fit in with his plans. Where was the sweet young woman he had

chosen as his bride? ‗Would you like another drink?‘ he asked after a tense

pause. ‗No … Thank you.‘ She pushed the glass away with another little

frown pulling at her brow. ‗I thought we could have dinner in my suite,‘ he

said. She looked at him with startled eyes. ‗Why not in a restaurant?‘ she

asked. ‗I thought it might be more private.‘ Her eyes narrowed. ‗You can

quit it with the whole seduction routine, Emilio,‘ she said. ‗It won‘t work.‘

Emilio felt his groin tighten as she threw the challenge down with her

flashing gaze. ‗You think not?‘ he asked. ‗I know not,‘ she said with a lift of

her chin. He held her gaze, hot, hungry desire leaping like flames in his

body. This new feisty Gisele was turning him on. There was something

about her newfound defiance that thrilled him. It stirred his blood, making it

surge through

his system like rocket fuel. There was one thing he loved more than anything

and that was a challenge. He had left his dirt-poor background behind with

the same gritty determination to succeed no matter what it cost. He had put

himself through school and then university, working day and night to cover

the expense. He had made his fortune by rising to the demands of difficult

clients and completing next to impossible projects. He had nearly lost it all

after the scandal, but he had clawed his way back. Gisele was another next

to impossible project but, just like all the rest, he was determined to succeed.

Nothing and no one was going to stand in his way.

GISELE stood like a statue of marble as Emilio escorted her up to his suite.

She could smell his aftershave; it stirred deep memories she tried desperately

to suppress. She felt as if she were stepping back in time. How many times

had she stepped into an elevator to accompany him up to his penthouse suite

in hotels all over Europe? The erotic images that thought triggered made her

skin prickle all over and she had to bite her lip until it hurt to block them

from her mind. Back then she had been so eager to please him. She knew

right from the moment she had met him that he was a proud and strong-

willed man but she had never questioned him, never stood up to him and

never challenged him. She had just loved him, completely and desperately.

How had she allowed herself to become so vulnerable? The power balance

of their relationship had been wrong. She had loved him too much and he

hadn‘t loved her at all. It was only his pride that wanted her back now. She

knew it wasn‘t about her as a person. He wanted the world to know he was

setting the record straight. His offer of a one-month trial seemed to prove it.

A man with his high profile could not afford to be seen as acting unfairly.

The press had gone wild with the story of Sienna and her being reunited. She

was surprised he hadn‘t already informed the media of his intention to

resume his relationship with her. The elevator stopped and Emilio held the

doors back for her with an outstretched arm. Gisele moved past him,

determined not to show how unsettled she was. Her stomach was twitching

with nerves. Everything about him unsettled her. He seemed to see much

more than she wanted him to see. What if he sensed she was hiding

something from him? How long before he guessed the pain in her eyes had

been put there, not just by him, but also by the loss of their child? The child

whose soft pink bunny blanket that still held a faint trace of her sweet baby

smell was folded inside her suitcase? She hadn‘t been able to leave that final

link with Lily behind. Her mother … Hilary, she quickly amended, had said

it was unhealthy to keep holding on. She had said Gisele should put it all

behind her, pack the blanket away so she could finally move on. Gisele

wasn‘t ready to move on. She didn‘t think she would ever be ready to move

on. What would Hilary know anyway? She hadn‘t physically given birth to a

child only to have that child‘s life snatched away. She didn‘t know, couldn‘t

possibly know what it felt like. ‗Relax, cara,‘ Emilio said as he opened the

door to his suite. ‗You look like you‘re about to be devoured by a wild

beast.‘ Gisele stalked past him. ‗I have a headache,‘ she said and it wasn‘t a

lie. The pain behind her eyeballs had gone from a dull ache to a pounding

that felt as if a team of jackhammers on steroids had taken up residence

inside her skull. His brows moved together. ‗Why didn‘t you say something

earlier?‘ he asked. ‗I‘ll be fine,‘ she said, licking her lips to give them some

much-needed moisture. ‗I probably shouldn‘t have had that second drink. I

don‘t have a good head for alcohol.‘ ‗When was the last time you ate?‘ he

asked. The fact that she had to think about it didn‘t go unnoticed

by him, Gisele thought as she saw that dark frown deepen across his brow. ‗I

can‘t remember,‘ she said. ‗It wasn‘t a priority. I had to get things sorted at

my flat and at the shop.‘ She threw him a resentful scowl. ‗You didn‘t give

me much time.‘ ‗I‘m sorry but I have to get back to Rome for a project I‘m

working on,‘ he said. ‗The client is a big one. I had to work hard to get the

contract. It‘s worth several million.‘ Gisele thought of all the money he

earned from his designs. She suspected he hadn‘t come by it easily. He was

a prime example of the adage that anyone could do anything if they had

enough determination. And the one thing Emilio had in spades was

determination. She could see it in the glittering depths of his dark eyes and

the strong lines of his jaw, both hinting at the implacability of his nature. In

the days and weeks ahead she would be going head to head with that

intransigent personality. Who would eventually come out on top? She gave a

little involuntary shiver. It was a nerve-jangling thought. ‗I‘ll have dinner

sent up immediately,‘ he said. ‗The porter brought up your things earlier,‘ he

said. ‗Would you like me to get a housemaid to unpack it for you? I should

have thought of it before.‘ ‗No,‘ Gisele said, perhaps a little too quickly. She

saw his eyebrows lift. Yes, definitely too quickly. ‗We‘re … um … leaving

tomorrow, in any case.‘ He held her gaze for an infinitesimal moment.

‗Would you prefer the guest suite tonight?‘ he asked. Gisele gave him a

flinty look. ‗Where else did you expect me to sleep?‘ He came up close and

brushed her hot cheek with the backs of his bent knuckles. ‗Do you really

think you‘ll be

sleeping in the spare room for the entire month?‘ he asked. She brushed his

hand away as if it were an annoying fly. ‗I haven‘t signed anything that

requires me to sleep with you.‘ ‗That reminds me.‘ He moved away from her

and opened a briefcase that was lying on a table near the window. He took

out a document and brought it over. ‗You should read it before you sign it,‘

he said, his expression now inscrutable. ‗The full amount we agreed on will

be transferred to your account on the completion of your stay.‘ Gisele looked

at the sheaf of papers, wishing she could walk away. But two million dollars

was not the sort of money she could turn her back on right now. She took

pride in her success so far; it had helped her cope. How much better would

she feel if her baby wear became even more successful? What else did she

have in her life other than her shop? It wasn‘t as if she was ever going to get

married and have a family now. That dream was long gone. She took the

papers and sank to the nearest chair, casting her eyes over the words printed

there. She read it in detail but it was as straightforward as he had said. After

the month was up she would be two million dollars richer and would owe

him nothing. She signed it with a hand that wasn‘t quite steady. ‗There,‘ she

said, shoving the papers at his chest. He put them to one side before he faced

her again. ‗So, it looks like we have a deal.‘ She lifted her chin. ‗Yes,‘ she

said. ‗You just signed away two million dollars.‘ For nothing.

His lips moved up in a curl that had a hint of mockery about it. ‗How long

do you think you will hold out, mmm? A week? Two?‘ She glared at him

fiercely. ‗If you want a bedmate then you‘ll have to look elsewhere. I‘m not

interested.‘ ‗You‘re planning your own little payback, aren‘t you?‘ he asked,

still with that sardonic half smile. Gisele felt a betraying flush stain her

cheeks. ‗I don‘t know what you‘re talking about,‘ she said. ‗You think I

don‘t know how your mind works?‘ he asked. ‗You plan to make me suffer

every minute of the time we spend together. But do you really think that by

snipping and snarling at me it will make me want you less? Don‘t fool

yourself, Gisele. You will sleep with me again, not because I paid you, but

because you just can‘t help yourself.‘ Gisele thought she couldn‘t hate him

more than at that moment. She wanted to slap his arrogant face for assuming

she had no self-control, no discipline and no self-respect. ‗I hate you with

every cell in my body,‘ she snarled at him like a cornered cat, all claws and

bared teeth. ‗Do you realise that? I hate you.‘ Emilio‘s calmness riled her

even further. ‗The fact that you feel something for me is good,‘ he said. ‗I

can handle anger. It is far better than cold indifference.‘ Gisele was

determined she would show him just how cold and indifferent she could be.

‗OK then.‘ She kicked off her heels and began to unzip her dress. ‗You want

me to sleep with you? Then let‘s get it out of the way right here and now.‘

He stood there watching her silently, hardly a muscle

moving, apart from his eyes. She saw the flare of his pupils, the primal

signal of male attraction as she stepped out of her dress, leaving it in a

puddle of fabric on the floor. She was standing in just her bra and knickers

before him. She had stood in a whole lot less before him two years ago. But

suddenly she felt naked in a way she had never felt before. A shiver broke

out over her skin and her stomach curdled at the thought of going any further

with this. She put her hands behind her back to unhook her bra but her

fingers were suddenly fumbling and useless. She felt as if she was going to

cry. The emotions were like a fountain inside her that had been blocked. The

pressure was building and building. She could feel it behind her eyes; she

could feel it inside her chest, a tight ache that burned like fire. ‗Get dressed,‘

Emilio said curtly as he turned away. Gisele felt as if he had ripped the

ankle-deep carpet out from under her feet. She had been prepared to play

him at his own game but he had somehow turned the tables on her. He

wanted her but on his terms, not hers. She felt foolish. She felt uncertain.

She felt rejected. She watched as he walked over to the bar and poured

himself a drink. He tipped back his head and drained his glass and then set in

down on the bar with a thump. His shoulders looked tense; the muscles were

bunched beneath the fine cotton of his shirt. She remembered how those

muscles felt under the soft pads of her fingertips, how she used to massage

away those tight knots, how she used to press her mouth to that hot, salty

male skin

… Gisele ran the tip of her tongue over her bone-dry lips. ‗So,‘ she said,

summoning up what was left of her paltry attempt at cold indifference, ‗I

take it you no longer require my services this evening?‘ Emilio turned to

look at her but his expression was difficult to read. ‗I will have a meal sent

up to you presently,‘ he said. ‗Please make yourself at home. I‘m going out.‘

‗Where are you going?‘ The question was out before she could stop it and, to

her shame, it sounded scarily close to one a jealous wife might have asked.

He turned from the door and raked her with his cold indifferent gaze. ‗Don‘t

wait up,‘ he said and then he was gone. Gisele picked up one of her shoes

and threw it at the door, angry tears spilling from her eyes. ‗Damn you,‘ she

said. ‗Damn you to hell.‘ Emilio entered the penthouse at two in the

morning. He had walked the streets of Sydney for hours, determined not to

return until Gisele was safely out of his range. His body had ached to take