Dante's Ultimate Gamble

by Day Leclaire

  “That still doesn’t explain how she found us.”

  Téa shrugged, preoccupied with settling her shoulder bag and fastening her seatbelt. “I guess from the insurance company. If you recall I had to provide the claims adjuster with the location of the car. He must have passed that information on to Madam. She probably called the nearest medical facility. I know I would have. From there it would be a short hop to this place.” She paused, studying him with a growing frown. “What’s with the third degree?”

  “Let’s just say that her showing up and catching us naked in a hot tub is a bit too convenient for my taste,” he said in a detached voice.

  “Convenient? Convenient!” Téa leaned in, enunciating carefully. “For your information, Luciano Dante, there was absolutely nothing convenient about what just went down in that cabin this morning.”

  Time would tell. “How bad was it?” he asked.

  She sat back, but he could see she was still simmering. “I’m guessing about as bad as your conversation with Primo.”

  “Damn.”

  “Oh, yeah.” She released a long sigh. “What did your grandfather have to say?”

  He watched her closely, interested in her reaction. “He said we’re now officially engaged.”

  Téa’s eyes widened in shock. “Tell me you’re joking.”

  “I’d love to. Unfortunately I’m not. I’m open to any suggestions you might have for getting us out of this mess.”

  “Okay, here’s one. Tell your grandfather no.”

  “That’ll work.” He turned the key in the ignition and the engine started with an extra roar, echoing his own irritation. “Not.”

  “So, that’s it?” she asked. “Now we just get married?”

  “Isn’t that what you wanted?”

  “Well, yes, but not like this.” She folded her arms across her chest. “Be reasonable, Luc. It’s not like anyone can force you to marry me.”

  “Oh, really? And what did Madam have to say after catching us naked in a hot tub after a night of raw passion?” He cupped a hand to his ear. “What’s that? I can’t hear you.”

  Téa cleared her throat. “I said… She’s disappointed.”

  “Me, too. I had plans for that hot tub.”

  “She also said it was so unlike me. Selfish. Impulsive. And worst of all, I was setting a bad example for the girls.”

  “I’d have said it was exactly like you. Generous. Inventive. And those three witches you call sisters don’t need any help riding their broomsticks to Badville. I’d say they invented the place. Especially Goth Girl.”

  “That’s Katrina. It’s just a phase.”

  “Scary.”

  “She’s not scary. She’s wonderful. All my sisters are wonderful.”

  “Particularly the one who would have stuck her tongue down my throat if you’d left us alone for a minute longer than you did.” He shot Téa a quelling look when she opened her mouth to argue. “Don’t tell me. I shouldn’t take it personally. She’s like that with all the men.”

  “Davida’s naturally exuberant,” she retorted, stung.

  “Exuberant. That’s a catchy name for it. Well, Vida’s exuberance came across loud and clear.”

  Téa closed her mouth again and released a long, tired sigh. Luc winced. He felt like the worst kind of bully. It wasn’t her fault that her stepsisters were hellions. Or that they hadn’t received the right sort of discipline, though Téa had chosen to shoulder the blame for that, as well as the death of her parents.

  “You know… There’s an easy way out of this mess,” he suggested.

  “Which is?”

  “We drop your sisters off at Primo and Nonna’s. My grandparents will have them straightened out within a week. Then we gag and tie Cousin Connie and hide him in a dusty closet somewhere so you can start running Bling the minute we return.”

  She offered a reluctant smile. “And what about our impending nuptials? How do you propose we handle that small detail?”

  “Huh.” He frowned. “Okay, you got me there. I don’t have a clue how to handle it.”

  “I do.”

  “Great. Why didn’t you say so.”

  “I’ll speak to Primo when we get back to San Francisco. Explain how everyone leaped to the wrong conclusions.”

  “Wrong conclusion,” he repeated. “Naked plus hot tub equals not much of a leap.”

  Téa grimaced. “It also didn’t help that the owner told Madam we were in the honeymoon cottage. At first, she assumed we’d eloped. When she found out we hadn’t…”

  “I gather the conversation went downhill from there.”

  “Oh, yeah.”

  Luc’s cell phone rang and he dug it out of his pocket and tossed it to Téa. “See who that is, will you?”

  She flipped open the phone and checked the caller ID. “It’s Primo.”

  “Perfect. Go ahead and answer it. You can explain to him why we’re not getting married.”

  “Okay,” she agreed, though she didn’t sound quite as sure of herself as she had earlier. “Hi, Primo, it’s Téa. Yes, Luc is still with me. But he’s driving, so—” She listened at length, tossing in several, uh-huhs and oh, dears.

  “Tell him!” Luc encouraged.

  She waved him silent. “Uh-huh. Oh, dear.” She cleared her throat. “The thing is, Primo, Luc and I…Well, we don’t want to get married. Right. I understand. Okay. No, you’re right. Lake Tahoe isn’t all that far.”

  “What the hell are you saying?” Luc bit out. “Just tell him no and hang up!”

  “Excuse me a moment, Primo.” She covered up the phone. “Would you please try not to wreck another car? If you can’t drive straight, pull over. You’re making me very nervous.”

  “I’m making you nervous? Give me that phone!”

  “He doesn’t want to talk to you. He wants to talk to me. Yes, Primo, I’m still here.” Her eyes widened and she inhaled sharply. “Um. You’re sure they’re planning to print that? You do understand we don’t want to get married, right? I made that clear? No, no. That’s fine. I guess we’ll see you tomorrow. Yes, I’ll be sure to tell Luc. Bye.”

  Jamming on the brakes, Luc swung onto a pull-off on the side of the road and cut the engine. “So?” he demanded. “Did you tell him?”

  Téa’s head bobbed up and down. “Oh, I told him. Didn’t you hear me tell him? I told him flat-out that we didn’t want to get married.”

  “And he accepted that?”

  She squirmed. “Sort of.”

  “Are we still engaged?”

  “Not for long.”

  “Well, okay, then.” He started the engine again and continued down the road. It took two miles for him to fully process her words. “Just out of curiosity, what do you mean by ‘sort of’ and ‘not for long’?”

  “It means we have to take a short detour on the way home.”

  “Where?”

  She swallowed. “Reno, Vegas or Lake Tahoe. Our choice.”

  Swearing more virulently, Luc swerved into a dirt lane and killed the engine. “What. Did. You. Do?”

  “You don’t understand.” The words escaped in a rush.

  “Explain it to me so I will.”

  “You remember that gossip magazine that caused so much trouble for your cousins? The Snitch?”

  “Unfortunately. What’s that got to do with us?”

  “Well, they somehow got hold of the story that we eloped. I have no idea how it happened,” she hastened to add.

  “Let me take a wild guess here. Which of your sisters is the most broke?”

  “Vida, but—”

  “Then that’s my guess.”

  “My sister wouldn’t…” She hesitated, her brows pulled together and she altered course. “That’s not really the point. The Snitch is going to print the story in the morning. Primo said that if we don’t marry immediately, it will have a serious effect on my future at Bling. That I’ll lose the respect of both employees and customers.”

  Luc grimaced. He
wished he could refute his grandfather’s claim, but he couldn’t. He had a feeling his grandfather had it exactly right, and if their suspicions about Conway Billings were correct, Cousin Connie would be all over this news and use it to Téa’s disadvantage. With each new revelation, Luc could feel the trap tightening around him, edging him deeper and deeper into an inescapable corner.

  “Plus,” she added in a rush. “There’s one other small problem.”

  “What’s the other small problem? I think I can take it. Maybe.”

  “Primo said that if you wish to remain a Dante, you’ll marry me. But I don’t think he was serious.” She turned to him. “Do you?”

  “You did meet my grandfather, didn’t you?”

  “You know I did.”

  “I think that answers your question.” He started the car again and pulled onto the road.

  “So what now?” Tea asked tentatively.

  “Now, we drive to Lake Tahoe and get married.”

  They arrived in Nevada by midday and made short work of obtaining the necessary license. Despite the rush and reluctance, Luc insisted they stop at a boutique for more appropriate clothing—a formal suit for Luc, while Téa chose an ivory calf-length skirt and tailored jacket accented with seed pearls. The shop owner suggested a simple Mantilla style veil with embroidered edges that suited her outfit perfectly. A short time later, Téa emerged from the boutique to discover Luc waiting for her, holding a bridal bouquet of multicolored roses in one hand, and a jeweler’s box with two plain wedding bands in the other.

  They made the short trip to the venue they’d selected and were given the choice of having the ceremony performed in the chapel, itself, or in a glorious flower-filled garden just behind the small stucco building. To Téa’s surprise, Luc didn’t hesitate, but selected the garden. She couldn’t help but wonder if it was because it reminded him of Primo’s backyard.

  Both had large, sprawling shade trees and well-tended flower beds, bursting with a riot of colors. They took their vows beneath an arching arbor draped with deep red roses that filled the air with their lush scent. Twenty short minutes later they were pronounced husband and wife.

  Téa didn’t recall much of the drive back to San Francisco. She knew they kept the conversation light and casual. But she had no idea what either of them said. Awareness returned when Luc bypassed the turn for Madam’s row house and continued on toward his apartment.

  “Aren’t you going to drop me off at home?”

  He glanced in her direction. “Why would I do that? We’re married, remember?” he asked with devastating logic. “I think your grandmother and stepsisters would find it extremely odd if you spent your wedding night under their roof instead of mine.”

  She blushed, feeling like an utter fool. “Oh. Of course. I didn’t think.”

  Luc parked the rental car, said something about returning it in the morning and grabbed their bags while she gathered up the rest of their paraphernalia. The elevator ride to his apartment was accomplished in strained silence. The minute the doors parted, he carried his duffel through to his bedroom and then put her case just inside the doorway of the spare room.

  Message received, loud and clear.

  “Would you like a drink?” he offered politely.

  She debated, then nodded. “I wouldn’t say no to a glass of wine.”

  “Red?”

  “Please.” He poured her a glass and then fixed himself a whiskey. “It’s almost identical to the last time I was here,” she observed. “Except for the marriage part.”

  He eyed her broodingly. “That’s a big exception.”

  She gently placed her bouquet on the table beside the couch. The flowers were already beginning to wilt, she realized with a sad pang. It seemed fitting, all things considered. Soon they’d have to return to reality, which meant putting her focus on work and family, while Luc went back to avoiding commitment at all costs. “I know you have something eating at you. Why don’t you just say what you need to so we can go to bed?”

  “All this worked out to your advantage, didn’t it?”

  She closed her eyes. She suspected that was what he thought. It hurt to have it confirmed. “You think I set it up, don’t you?”

  He took a moment to swallow his drink. “The thought crossed my mind.”

  “Let it uncross your mind,” she said sharply. “You said no to marriage. I accepted that. End of story.”

  “And yet, within hours my ring ended up on your finger.”

  “Because of your family, Luc. Yours. Not mine. Madam was merely disappointed in me. I could have lived with her disappointment. It was Primo who forced the issue.”

  “You’re forgetting that Primo pushed because someone leaked the news to The Snitch. There are only a limited number of people who could have done that.”

  She lifted an eyebrow. “All of whom are de Lucas?”

  “Pretty much.”

  She took a step in his direction. “You always claimed I was a lousy liar. Look at me, Luc. Hear me.” She spoke quietly. Forcefully. “I didn’t trick you into marrying me. I didn’t ask anyone in my family to get in touch with The Snitch. I would never do such a thing to you.”

  He inclined his head. “Fair enough.”

  “Do you believe me?” she pressed.

  “I believe you.”

  “But you still want someone to blame.”

  “Yes. No.” He released his breath in a sigh. “I’m as much to blame as anyone.”

  “Thank you for that much,” she said dryly.

  “I want you to understand something, Téa.” His eyes glittered darkly, with just a hint of gold. “This doesn’t change anything.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know what I mean. This is temporary. In a few months I plan to walk away.”

  “I know.” And she did. She’d just hoped… She set her glass down, exercising extreme care. “I don’t think I want a drink after all. I’m exhausted. If you don’t mind, I’ll turn in.”

  He stopped her as she started from the room. Just a brush of his fingers along her arm. “Téa…”

  The Inferno stirred, flared to life, sizzling and crackling with unmistakable urgency. She longed to turn and step into his arms. To beg him to allow her in. To give her a chance. “Don’t. I can’t…” She shook her head, struggling for control. “Please, don’t.”

  Without another word, he let her go.

  She got ready for bed, moving mindlessly through her nighttime regimen. At long last, she slid between the sheets and curled into a ball. Just a few short hours ago she’d been married. This was her wedding night. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined she’d spend it alone. Or that the man she married would have given almost anything to rip the ring from his finger, and her from his life.

  Tears burned against her eyelids, slipped out and left scalding streaks down her cheeks. She buried her face in the pillow, fighting not to make any sound as she cried. She never heard the door to her room open. Never heard Luc limp across the floor. One minute, she was huddled in her bed, the next she was curled against his chest as he lifted her and carried her to his room.

  “What are you doing?” she choked out the question.

  “It’s my wedding night,” he said, echoing her earlier thoughts. “And I’ll be damned if I’m going to spend it alone.”

  He deposited her in his bed, then joined her there. In the silence of the night, he gathered her up. Her nightgown whispered away, melting into the darkness. Then his hands found her. Stroked her. Spoke the words he refused to. With every touch, every caress, he gave of himself, allowing what he guarded so carefully free rein.

  Where before they came together in clashing power, now they gently slid, one into the other. Sweetly. Tenderly. The climax, when it came, was every bit as powerful, but it contained a different quality. A need answered. Two hearts united. A consummation of not just bodies, but of souls.

  Just before sleep consumed her, he wrapped her up in his arms, hands
intertwined, palms meshed. From a great distance she heard his whisper. “Good night, my Inferno bride.”

  “Good night, my Inferno husband,” someone answered. Not her. It couldn’t have been her. “Oh, Luc. I do love you.”

  When Tea awoke, she was alone in the bed.

  A quick search of Luc’s apartment confirmed that he’d gone, though the scent of freshly brewed coffee drew her to the kitchen. Beside the pot, she found a note that read: Don’t go in to Bling until I get back. The word “don’t” was underlined several times. It took two cups of coffee to figure out why. If she planned to oust her cousin and assume the reins of Billings, she’d better do it with a plan. Because, guaranteed, Connie had one.

  After a quick shower, she ate breakfast and drafted a press release announcing the change in management, fussing over each and every word, striving to get it just right. It took several hours to perfect. She’d just finished when Luc returned. He was accompanied by a tank-size black man whom he introduced as Juice.

  She offered her hand, amused when it got swallowed up in his. “Pleased to finally meet you,” he said. “Luc’s had a lot to say about you.”

  “Some of it good, I hope.”

  “Good enough to make me wonder why you’d waste your time on him when I’m available.”

  She grinned. “Maybe if I’d met you first…?”

  He waggled his eyebrows at her. “You’d be counting your lucky stars and singing praises on high.”

  “If you’re done hitting on my wife,” Luc interrupted, “I’d like to give her an update.”

  Téa buried a smile. “I just brewed a fresh pot of coffee. I drank the last one while drafting a press release.”