The Exiled Jeweler: a contemporary romance novel (The Rosa Legacy Book 2) (16 page)

Out of breath, he pulled her into his arms and held her as their breathing returned to normal.

They lathered each other with soap and he explored her body. Just when she thought it was too much, he turned the water cooler and rinsed them both off.

She stumbled out of the shower and he caught her in his arms, kissing her shoulder. Locating two towels, he handed her one.

Much later in bed, he held her close to his body and fell asleep. Lying in the dark, she listened to Alex breathe and thought about her feelings for him. The passion between them worried her. He physically craved her, but he didn’t seem to want more than that.

She did, she began to realize. She wanted every part of him and it scared her. She was finding her independence and strength; the timing was off. The last thing she wanted was to be shown in the tabloid press as his latest conquest.

Alex Armati was a sought after commodity. His model-like physique and powerful business acumen created a vacuum for the press. They couldn’t get enough of him and he knew how to use it to his advantage.

Wasn’t that what she wanted? To heighten the coverage for Berceto? Her newly designed line of jewelry needed publicity, but was she willing to put herself out there? What would happen when he grew tired of her? Would the press portray her as a desperate hanger on? Already the photographs taken at the gala of them dancing were posted online. What if the press took a photograph of him coming out of her condo in the morning?

Slipping out bed, Emilia found her robe and went downstairs for a glass of water. She tried to dispel the worry clinging to her.

She leaned against the counter and thought about the future.

“Emilia?”

She waited for him to find her in the kitchen.

He placed a kiss on her lips. “You can’t sleep,
cara
?”

“No. Unfortunately my mind is going at a thousand miles an hour.” She waited a moment before saying, “Maybe you should head home.”

“Why?” He poured himself a glass of water.

“I don’t want anyone to see you leaving my condo in the morning.”

He flexed his shoulders and she noticed that he had no inhibition about being naked. “We are both adults. Why are you so worried about appearances?”

“I don’t want anything that is happening between us to be captured in the press.”

“You worry too much. They have more exciting stories to cover.”

“Please, Alex.”

“Do you intend to keep our relationship from your friends and family as well?”

“I think that would be best.”

“After what we shared, you are just going to pretend nothing has happened?”

“It’s complicated with the business. It would easier if we kept anything that happens between us private.”

His voice sounded harsh, “You are ashamed of your relationship with me?”

“No, I just want to keep it private.”

He left the room and she watched as he took the stairs two at a time. Within minutes, he was back downstairs fully dressed.

“You are so afraid of what others may think that you’re unable to live fully.” His eyes were intense and he looked at her with anger.

He said, “I can’t operate that way. If you want to have an honest relationship, let me know.”

“Alex.”

He let himself out the front door. Tears began to slide down her cheeks and, instead of stopping them, she slipped to the floor and let herself cry.

Chapter 11

Emilia arrived at work late with a pounding headache.Sheheadache. She found her father in the conference room speaking with Alex and the architect for the new building. Her heart skipped a beat when she exchanged glances with Alex.  The meeting had slipped her mind.

They were looking at drawings the architect rendered of the new building. Moving into the room, she closed the door and placed her laptop on the conference table.

The architect was going over each modification to the building and relating it to the budget and timeline.

Even though Alex barely acknowledged her, their night together kept intruding into her thoughts and she banished the images by forcing herself to listen to the presentation.

The architect said, “The square footage price is far below the market rate for a commercial building with enhanced security.”

Alex said, “It may be too large for Berceto. We could make do with two thirds of the space.”

Emilia said, “I considered that, but the building is in the right location and I thought if the space was renovated then we could rent part of it. The idea was that if Berceto expands in the future we could give the tenant notice.”

Her father turned to Alex, “What do you think?”

His eyes raked over her. “I agree.”

When the meeting concluded, her father walked the architect out and she was left alone with Alex.

She stood up and faced him. “We need to talk. I think you misunderstood what I said last night.”

She watched a shuttered expression come over him.

“You want to keep our relationship private,
si
?” He held her gaze and she felt a wall being erected between them.

She moved toward him and tried to get him to understand her position. “I’ve made many changes coming here. I gave up a quiet life and have thrown myself into the spotlight to help the company. I’ve done photo shoots, video clips, attended galas. I’ve told my family that you were the man in the revealing photographs. I would just like to leave anything that happens between us private.”

“I think you are saying that you would like to hedge your bets. If it doesn’t work out, then nothing would be lost. If it does, then you will decide to announce it to your friends and family.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Why is that a problem?”

A stubborn look flashed across his face. “I’m not interested in a relationship built on safety and hedging one’s bets.”

Her father returned to the conference room. Alex shifted the conversation to the overall schedule for moving the business. He elaborated on his plans to finance the building and the renovation.

He turned to Emilia. “I’ll have my forwarding agent speak with your new hire about the procurement process. I’m certain something can be worked out. I’ll stay involved in negotiating the contracts and pricing. I’m thinking that you should focus on the launch and events associated with the trade show.”

After a few more minutes of conversation, Alex stood and shook her father’s hand and then reached out to shake her hand. Her heart seemed to melt at the brief contact his hand made with hers.

He left a moment later and Emilia fell into the chair behind her. She didn’t even try to hide the exhaustion permeating her entire body.

“What is happening between the two of you?” her father asked her.

She shook her head. “Nothing. Berceto doesn’t need the added drama of a romance playing out.”

Her father looked skeptical. “There seems to be a close connection between you. I think you like him and I’m fairly certain the sentiment is returned.”

Emilia gathered her laptop and other belongings. “I didn’t want to give away forty percent of the company. But his knowledge will definitely help us resurrect the business, and without the influx of cash, I don’t know how much longer we had.”

“We were quite lucky that he decided to invest at forty percent. I thought he was set on fifty.” Her father’s words trailed off as he looked at her closely.

She decided not to reveal anything further. They managed to agree on deal that benefitted both parties. Now she needed to put her shattered heart back together.

Emilia finished packing for Las Vegas with a heavy heart. Alex had been a frequent visitor at Berceto all week helping to plan the move and streamline the business functions, but he treated her as if she was merely a business partner.

She had given him several opportunities to seek her out, but he didn’t. She had dressed with obsessive care and had even asked him to lunch, but he had politely declined.

She warned herself not to cling to him, but for some reason the more remote he became, the more she wanted to throw herself at him.

Gathering her suitcase, laptop and bag, Emilia headed out to the waiting taxi. She was supposed to meet Alex along with the marketing team and Liv at the airport. He was using his private jet to fly them to the trade show.

Liv greeted her at the boarding area and within minutes the rest of the team joined them. She noticed everyone was in an upbeat, happy mood. They had thrown a party for the employees last night and had revealed the new designs. The excitement among the employees was tangible. Alex had made time to stop by the event, greeting each employee and spending time discussing the new building.

A flight attendant escorted everyone to the plane after checking each person’s form of identity against the passenger list. The passengers included the security detail and the portable transport cases for the jewels.

Alex boarded last and he had a word with the pilot before greeting everyone. Emilia sat next to Liv and they reviewed the schedule for the three-day event.

She missed Alex terribly. Each night without him had her rethinking her ideas about privacy. Having to work alongside him each day made it so much worse. She wanted him to take her in his arms and kiss her. She was no longer focused solely on the business or designing. Her thoughts were increasingly about Alex and how to reach out to him. The idea that she needed to keep their relationship private no longer appealed to her.

During the flight, Alex moved past her seat and she caught his gaze for a moment. She smiled at him and noticed his eyes lingered on her, but he said nothing. Her nerves were buzzing, making it difficult to sit still, but she forced herself to concentrate on what Liv was saying to her.

Her father and uncle had always attended the annual event. She knew they had disliked it but also knew she would need to seek the spotlight if she was going to draw attention to Berceto. From the pre-press photographs, everyone who attended the show would know she was the heir to the Berceto empire. But the industry press had also reported that Alex Armati now owned forty percent of the company.

Turning her attention back to Liv, she listened to the schedule of events. Liv had pulled up images of their recently constructed booth at the show. It was positioned on a visible corner and had revamped display cases and décor.

Walking into the Bellagio Hotel in Vegas, Emilia caught sight of her cousin Isabel sitting in the opulent foyer. She was glancing at her phone and hadn’t noticed the Berceto entourage yet. Emilia broke away and approached her. Isabel stood, returned her greeting, and hugged her tightly.

“Have you checked in?”

“Yes, a few hours ago. I’ve already been to the convention center and a few other places we may want to consider taking footage.” Her cousin looked happy and gorgeous in her slim-fitting khakis and white button-down blouse.

Emilia needed to find a more private place for them to chat. Glancing over, she noticed Liv approaching with her room key.

“Everything is taken care of. Here is your room key.”

“Liv, this is my cousin, Isabel Neri. Isabel, Liv is my extraordinarily talented assistant.”

“The two of you could be sisters.” Liv looked from one to the other.

Liv guided the two of them to a private elevator leading to one of the secure floors.

Isabel stepped off the opulent elevator. “This is definitely private.”

Emilia moved forward and opened the door to her suite. “We are traveling with millions of dollars in gems.”

“Isn’t it kept in the hotel vaults?”

“Yes, but we need to be mindful of our personal security as well.” It was a part of the process that she didn’t relish. She would much rather be back in her shop designing.

The three women settled into the seating area as Liv brought up the schedule on her tablet.

Isabel said to them, “I have the notes you sent and a few ideas in terms of the shoot.”

For several minutes, they listened to Isabel intently as she talked about the short clips she would film for the launch.

She said, “I haven’t seen any of the new product images.”

“I decided on aquamarine for the central design theme. We have come up with several new pendants, earrings, and bracelets. The defining piece for the collection is called the ‘Faith Aquamarine pendant’ and is meant as a celebration of an anniversary or milestone.”

Liv pulled up a series of photographs on her tablet and Isabel glanced through them.

“Emilia, this makes it so much harder. Las Vegas is about taking chances and is in the middle of a desert practically. You introduce a gemstone that reminds me of water.”

She glanced at Isabel. She knew her cousin needed a few minutes to get her head around the design. She should have sent her images days ago and not waited until she was here in Vegas.

Emilia stood up and smoothed her skirt down as she began to pace the room. “I don’t want the clips to be about Las Vegas or the setting of the trade show. The launch is here, but I was hoping you could capture the rebirth of Berceto. While I’m hesitant to say this, I want you to capture me stepping into the limelight.”

Isabel shook her head. “You hate being the focus. You are much more comfortable behind the scenes.”

Emilia met her cousin’s surprised look. “That may be true, but for Berceto to succeed, I need to capture interest and convince buyers that Berceto is a viable option.”

Liv interrupted them. “It may not be as difficult as you think. Alex Armati is here and he is hot and knows how to court the media. If you put him in a clip with Emilia, you’ll not be disappointed.”

“I saw some press on him. But you said you weren’t allowing him to purchase stock in Berceto?”

“I had no option but to allow him to purchase forty percent.”

“This is definitely getting more interesting by the minute.” Isabel stood up. “I have to go and find my assistant and rework my ideas. Should we meet after dinner to do a walk-through of the exhibit?”

Emilia nodded. “I really appreciate you coming. I haven’t even had a chance to ask you about your fiancé.”