The Moretti Arrangement (5 page)

“Are you on the pill?” he asked.

“No,” she said.

“Damn.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he said, framing her face and kissing her. “I think I have a condom with me.”

He took the condom from his pocket and then removed his pants before sitting back down. “Come here.”

She climbed on his lap once again. Unbuttoning his shirt, she pushed it off his shoulders. “You are very sexy, Dominic.”

She traced his muscles and her touch was almost too much. He quickly put on the condom.

“Are you ready for me now?” she asked teasingly, her hand going to his erection. She caressed him and then moved her hand up his abdomen. Her hands were small and infinitely exciting. He wanted to let her touch him all night, but he was too near the edge and he wanted to be inside her when he went over.

“Ah, Angelina,” he said. “You are so tempting.”

“Am I?” she asked. He noticed a slight hesitation in her voice.

“You have no idea,” he said.

“I’m glad. You tempt me, too. Make love to me, Dominic. I want to experience every bit of passion you have.”

He shifted his hands, gripping her thighs so that he could enter her. Her hands fluttered between them and their eyes met.

He held her hips steady and entered her slowly, thrusting deeply. Her eyes widened with each inch he gave her. She clutched at his shoulders as he started thrusting harder. Her eyes were half closed and she was biting her lower lip.

He caught one of her nipples in his teeth, scraping very gently, and felt her start to tighten around him. Her hips moved faster, demanding more, but he kept the pace slow and steady. Wanting her to come again before he did.

He suckled her nipple and rotated his hips to catch her pleasure point with each thrust. Soon he felt her hands clench his hair as she threw her head back, her climax ripping through her.

He varied his thrusts to find a rhythm that would draw out the tension at the base of his spine. Leaning back against the couch, he tipped her hips to give him deeper access. Then she scraped her nails down his chest. Blood roared in his ears and he called her name as he came.

Wrapping his arms around her, he held her close. He’d gotten more than he expected. He had wanted revenge, but now there was so much more between them.

“Dominic?”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.”

“For what?” he asked.

“For everything.”

Her thanks made him feel very uncomfortable. He knew his lovemaking had nothing to do with vengeance but hearing her sincere gratitude made him feel…

Well, made him
feel.
He’d been careful to never let a woman evoke any emotions in him since…No, he wouldn’t go there.

He lifted Angelina to her feet. “I’ve got to clean up. Where’s the bathroom?”

“Through there,” she said, gesturing toward the darkened doorway to the left.

Walking down the hall, he glanced back to see her standing in the middle of the room, naked and vulnerable. He could not allow himself to fall under her spell—he had to maintain emotional distance. She was now his mistress—that was all she could ever be.

He like pushing her to her limits and each time she hesitated he knew he was finding another place where she was afraid to let him go. In this case it was that fragility that she revealed in her nudity.

He never would have guessed that Angelina had any issues with her body given the confidence with which she carried herself. He’d realized when Ian told him Angelina was the one selling company secrets that he didn’t know everything about her—but he’d never understood how complicated she really was.

“You’re staring at me,” she said.

“I am.”

He drew one finger down the center of her body. Her curves were full and tempting. So soft compared to the hardness of his own frame.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

“That I wished we had come together because of our mutual attraction and not because of my misdeeds.”

“I asked you out tonight before I knew the truth. You declined,” he pointed out.

“Yes, you did. But I knew you were going to find out about me and I couldn’t go out with you with that lie between us. Whatever else you might think about me, please believe I never wanted to hurt you.”

“Then why
did
you lie?”

“I felt trapped,” she said.

“Tell me more about your brother,” he said, moving to sit at the head of the bed.

She wanted to take comfort from his body and offer him the comfort of hers. And she had no idea if that was something he was interested in.

Dominic looked down at his watch and then back at her, giving her her answer. He was leaving. And somehow tomorrow morning she’d have to figure out how to face him and how to make this relationship…this arrangement…work for both of them.

“I need to get my robe if we’re going to talk,” she said.

“Of course.”

She walked past him, and maintaining her cool was the hardest thing she had ever done. Because she wasn’t cool. She couldn’t be nonchalant.

Hold it together, she told herself. Get used to it. This was going to be her life—for the next six months at least.

She fumbled for her robe and pulled it on. The ivory-colored, silk-lined robe was too heavy for this spring evening, but it was the only one she had and it had been a gift from her grandmother. And when she pulled the sides closed and tied the sash at her waist she felt as if her grandmother were giving her a hug.

She closed her eyes and drew strength from the woman who was long gone, but had always been Angelina’s ally.

“Angelina?”

“
Sì,
Dominic,” she said, turning to see him standing in her doorway.

He’d put on his pants but left his shirt off. “Do you want me to leave?”

“Don’t you want to go?” she asked.

His eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms over his chest then leaned against the doorjamb.

“No,” he said.

“Then stay.”

She could say no more than that. She knew she had to keep her emotional distance. Falling for Dominic, letting him know that was a possibility was pure foolishness.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Yes.”

“Why would you settle for this kind of relationship with me when you could have something real with another woman?”

“This feels real to me,” he said, walking into the room.

He sat down on the edge of her bed and then snagged her wrist, drawing her close to him. “Doesn’t this feel real to you?”

She swallowed hard. She wasn’t explaining this the right way. She wanted…she wanted him to say that there was more between them than an arrangement, but there was no way that was going to happen. She knew that wasn’t possible—not yet. Maybe never. She’d used him, and now it was his turn to use her.

“I guess so.”

He pulled her even closer, wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder. The move was unexpected and she didn’t know what it meant. But she realized that thinking and analyzing this wasn’t going to bring her the answers she sought. Not tonight.

She wrapped her arms around him and held him close for a few minutes. “I’m sorry for betraying you.”

“I know you are.”

“What are you going to do next?”

“I’m going to trap Barty Eastburn and make sure that bastard never steals from anyone again.”

She nodded. “You’ll need my help.”

“Yes. Ian is going to come up with a plan and we will be discussing it tomorrow.”

Dominic let go of her and stood. He pulled back the duvet on her bed and motioned for her to get in. She climbed onto the bed, though she knew her robe was going to be too hot to sleep in.

He took off his pants and she had a chance to just stare at his almost naked body. The boxer briefs he wore clung to his buttocks and thighs as he turned away from her. When he turned back she stared at his body. He was toned and muscled and she wanted nothing more than to explore his form.

“Like what you see?” he asked.

She gave him an embarrassed grin. But Dominic was at home in his skin and held his hands out to his sides. “Look all you want.”

“I want to touch you, too,” she said.

“If you’re good, that might be arranged.” He sat down on the bed next to her.

“What constitutes good?”

“Lose that robe and I’ll tell you.”

She loosened the sash and had the robe halfway off before she remembered she wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous like Dominic Moretti. But by the time the thought entered her head it was too late. Dominic had taken the robe and tossed it on the floor.

She sat there in a pool of light from her bedside lamp, naked and vulnerable, and for the first time in her life, that didn’t bother her.

Dominic knew spending the night with Angelina was a mistake, but he’d be unable to walk away when he’d seen those wounded chocolate-colored eyes of hers.

She was easily the sexiest woman he’d seen in years. And a part of that sexiness came from the total unawareness she had of her own attractiveness. There was a guileless way about her that drew him.

A part of him feared that it was all a lie—she had been a spy. But tonight—just for tonight—that didn’t matter. He wanted to enjoy every second he could with her until the sun came up and they were forced to move on to the role of mistress and master.

“That’s very good, Angelina. Now lie back against the pillows.”

She curled on her side, drawing the sheet up to her breasts and wrapping one arm around his waist. He put his arm around her shoulder. This quiet moment of holding one another had nothing to do with revenge or any kind of arrangement. Was she his Achilles’ heel? Was this how Lorenzo had found himself cursed—falling for some of this quiet comfort in a woman’s arms?

Dominic had no answers. He only knew that he needed this tonight. That making love to Angelina had taken the edge off his anger.

“What do you want to know about Renni?” she asked, running her fingers over his chest.

“If I offered him a job…would he take it?”

She sat up, her hand square in the middle of his chest. “Would you do that?”

“I’m thinking about it.”

She kissed him, taking her time. And when she lifted her head from his, he felt like a different man.

This relationship with Angelina was going to be a double-edged sword. She was going to always feel grateful to him and he was going to…he was going to stop acting like a sap and remember that what they had was nothing more than a six-month affair.

Once his brother wrapped up the Vallerio problem and got the rights to that name back, there’d be nothing standing in the way of Moretti Motors making a full comeback. Over the last few years they’d surpassed what
Nono
had done during his storied run as CEO, and now Dominic had his eye on setting a new standard of excellence.

“What are you thinking?” Angelina asked. “You looked so fierce just now.”

“I was thinking about Moretti Motors and how close I came to letting all the success I worked so hard for slip through my fingers.”

“And that you’ll never do it again?” she asked.

“Damned straight.”

“I need ten minutes before we start,” Dominic said to Ian.

“Not a problem. I’ll go give Tony a hard time about cars.”

“Thanks.”

Ian left and Dominic sat down in the leather chair that had been his grandfather’s. He took a minute to jot down the arrangement he’d offered Angelina and then clarified some points before contacting his solicitor. He knew the man would make sure Dominic was covered in all regards to this relationship.

He typed a quick e-mail to Bruno Marcelli, his solicitor, and then sat back in his chair. He wanted some formal guidelines set up for his relationship with Angelina, to protect him because he was in danger of forgetting that she wasn’t more than a mistress. He also needed to find a place for her to live.

He rang Antonio’s office and Ian returned to his office a few minutes later.

“Have you had a thought about how we can get enough on Barty Eastburn to have him arrested?” Dominic asked as Ian took a seat in the guest chair.

“Yes, but first I wanted to talk to you about this idea you have of not prosecuting Angelina De Luca.”

“I’ve made my mind up, Ian.” Dominic had called Ian first thing.

Ian shook his head. “I don’t think you’re being smart about this.”

“Duly noted. Now talk to me about Eastburn.”

“Dominic—”

“I’m not going to change my mind, Ian. I’ve taken care of the problem with Angelina and it won’t be an issue.”

“How?”

“How what?”

“How have you taken care of it?”

“By offering her an alternate arrangement. She will even help us trap Barty if need be.”

“Okay, fine. Near as I can tell, Eastburn is hoping to muck up Moretti Motors’ reacquisition of the Vallerio name for the new roadster. My guy inside ESP said they want to bump back the release date of the car, giving ESP Motors the chance to get their roadster to market before you.”

“Like hell. I’ll sue him if he tries to use the engine we developed.”

“Bruno Marcelli has a team already on it. Antonio is working with the legal team to make sure that ESP is stopped from releasing any cars until we can ascertain that they haven’t been made using Moretti Motors’ proprietary information.”

“Good. I will talk to Antonio when you and I are done here,” Dominic said. “What do we need to do now?”

“We have to get Eastburn on record asking for someone to bring corporate documents from your office. Will De Luca do it?”

“Yes, she will,” Dominic said. Angelina would do whatever he asked. That was one of the things he’d discussed with her last night and that he’d had Bruno put into their agreement.

“Great. Then all we need is to find out how he usually contacts her. When will she be in the office this morning?”

“She should be here now. She wouldn’t have disturbed me since the door is closed.”

Ian nodded. “If you’re ready to bring her in, I recommend we do that now.”

Dominic nodded. He lifted the handset on his phone and hit the intercom button.

“
Sì,
Dominic?” Her voice came through the line.

“I need you in here, Angelina.”

“I’ll be right in.”

When he hung up, Ian was watching him. “Are you involved with her?” his friend asked.

“That’s not pertinent to this investigation,” he replied.

“I’m asking as your friend, Dom. I have never known you to get involved with anyone you work with.”

“This is different. We have an arrangement.”

Ian started to say something else, but the door opened and Angelina walked in. It was impossible to look at her curvy frame clad in a slim-fitting shirtdress without remembering what she’d looked like this morning, naked in bed.

His erection stirred and he knew now why he’d always resisted getting involved with a woman he worked with. This was going to be damned uncomfortable until he got through the intense period of wanting her.

What if that never happened?

“You asked to see me?”

“Yes, please have a seat,” Dominic said. “Ian has a few questions for you about how you passed information to Barty Eastburn.”

She flushed a little. “I usually got a call from Renni.”

“Who is Renni?” Ian asked.

“My brother. He had some gambling debts that Barty took care of. So Renni calls me when he has had to borrow more money from Barty.”

“Does Barty ever call you directly?”

“Sometimes. Or he has me call him.”

“Would you be willing to tape your phone calls with him?”

“Of course she will,” Dominic said.

“We need her consent, Dom. Without it, the courts will say she was coerced.”

“I will do it, Signore Stark.”

Angelina looked up at Dominic before she added, “I will do whatever it takes to make this right.”