‘I do realise that the eco-credentials are brilliant.’ Ellie flushed because, frankly, he wasn’t too far from the truth in what he had said and she knew that he was well aware of that from the thoughtful way he was staring at her, which made her flush even more.
‘That’s what I mean about revisiting those hard and fast rules of yours, Ellie,’ he said, voice silky-soft but still managing to make her squirm. ‘You think one thing and then you seem to cling to it like a drowning man clinging to a life belt.’
‘I’m certainly prepared to concede that I hadn’t expected you to be as much in the loop as you are, right down to being able to tell me what the local fauna and flora consist of,’ she said firmly, avoiding the wicked gleam in his eyes. He could have been a lawyer, she thought. He seemed to have mastered the art of tying a person up in knots. Or maybe it was just her.
She tore her gaze away from him and only realised that they were already approaching the extensive grounds of his resort because the vehicle was slowing slightly. In the distance the strip of blue sea lay to the left, glimpsed between the ramrod-straight, slender trunks of the palm trees. To the right, the mountains rose up, thick and dense with bamboo trees and all the various species Niccolo had impressively listed moments before.
The car swept through a towering cathedral of bamboo trees and then the resort was in front of them, far, far more stunning, bathed in the early evening sunshine, than any photo could possibly have conveyed.
‘Wow.’ Ellie’s eyes rounded and she leant forward, not wanting to miss a second of the spectacular vision in front of her.
The hotel and surrounding villas occupied acres of land, yet it felt as though none of the palm trees or any of the colourful plants had been cleared to make way for the resort. Everything seemed to be dotted to accommodate the lay of the land. The main building, she saw as they neared it, was staggered around the trees, yielding to them. In between, Ellie glimpsed villas nestled like tiny jewels here and there. Between some of the trees, there were benches that looked as though they’d been hewn from the ground, and hammocks strung between tree trunks.
‘Glad you came?’ Niccolo asked softly, so that her attention was dragged back to him and she found that he was looking at her as if he could read every thought flitting through her head.
He leaned across without warning to open her door for her and she pulled back sharply, breath indrawn as his arm brushed against her breasts.
‘I don’t bite,’ he laughed, eyebrows raised. ‘At least,’ he couldn’t help adding, because he knew how she would react, ‘not unless I’m invited to.’
‘Very funny,’ Ellie muttered, bright red. ‘I’m sure you find it hilarious to try and embarrass me. Are you like that with everyone you work with?’
‘No,’ Niccolo told her thoughtfully.
‘Then why are you like that with me?’ Her heart was beating hard and fast behind her ribcage. The heat pouring into the air-conditioned car was nothing next to the heat surging through her body. Niccolo’s dark eyes resting on her face were doing all sorts of crazy things to her.
Ellie thought that this was what it felt like to be playing with fire, and playing with fire was something she had never done in her life before.
For one crazy moment, she actually thought that he was going to lean towards her and kiss her then, just like that, her imagination took flight and she wondered what that would be like. What would his mouth feel like on hers? Exploring her? Teasing her with his tongue? He’d be a great kisser.
The heat coursing through her veins settled between her legs. The unbridled lust which had eluded her all her adult life now assaulted her like a robber in the night.
Horrified, Ellie blinked, desperate to clear the effect that handsome, lean face and those deep, deep eyes were having on her.
‘Don’t answer that,’ she said quickly, looking away to push open the car door and break the electric connection that was wreaking havoc with her composure. She glanced over her shoulder. ‘But I’m here to work.’
‘Of course you are,’ Niccolo soothed. ‘And my apologies if I am proving to be a distraction you’re finding difficult to cope with.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous. You’re not a distraction.’
‘Then why are you acting like a cat on a hot tin roof?’
‘I’m not,’ Ellie denied flatly and, before he could carry on the conversation and suck her further into depths she had no intention of exploring, she leapt out of the car and stood for a few moments to get her bearing.
‘First impressions?’
Ellie shifted and then looked up at him, shading her eyes, although in the space of half an hour the evening had already begun to draw in. ‘It’s stunning. The pictures I saw didn’t do it justice. When do the first guests start arriving?’
‘Quite a few are already here’ Niccolo began walking briskly in the direction of a bank of palm trees and Ellie tripped behind him. ‘They’re probably resting in their villas. Everything here starts early and ends early. It’s a consequence of the heat.’
‘What about...er...?’
‘What about...er...what?’ Niccolo looked down at her. ‘You’re going to have to help me out here. At least until my mind-reading classes have been completed.’
‘I thought that perhaps there would have been more of a night life...’
‘Ah. Funny. I thought that was what you were going to say. Maybe I don’t need those mind-reading classes after all.’ He spun round and carried on walking, swerving left over a dwarf bridge. Ahead of them was one of the main hotel areas, flawlessly modern inside and accessed through glass doors so that none of the cool air escaped.
For a while, the conversation was halted as Niccolo did the rounds, chatting with various employees, introducing her in passing, asking a host of technical questions that alerted her to the fact that, although he had probably only been to the resort rarely, he was still on top of everything going on inside it, right down to what work remained to be done and why.
The employees were all polished and welcoming. The advertiser in Ellie was already forming impressions that would be reflected in any new directions her pitch would take and already she could understand why Niccolo had made the decision to bring her to the resort.
Through the open-plan foyer, Ellie could see some of the guests relaxing in a comfortable, spacious area that was dotted with tables and chairs that could be arranged to suit. There were plants here and there, and an enormous overhead fan that was largely unnecessary, given that the room was air-conditioned, but completed the picture of exquisite, laid-back luxury.
They didn’t go there, although she could see Niccolo’s sharp eyes taking it all in, making sure that everything met his high standards.
He oozed power, a man who knew exactly where he was going and how he was going to get here.
She would be an idiot to be fooled by his easy charm into thinking he was actually like everyone else. He wasn’t. He simply concealed his ruthlessness well. He didn’t throw his weight around—he didn’t wield a whip or insist that people bow down before him because he was wealthy and powerful. He didn’t have to. He had a far more successful method of ensuring the world did as he wanted.
He used the massive persuasive force of his personality. Ellie had seen the way everyone had jumped to attention around him. Not because they were intimidated, but because they were desperate to please him.
Instinctively, she sensed that that seductive persuasiveness could be far more lethal than cold arrogance or an open ability to instil fear.
She found that he had led her to a bar and restaurant area. It was small, intimate, and again he greeted the man serving behind the gleaming wooden counter with a familiarity that surprised her.
‘Do you know everyone here on a first name basis?’ she asked with genuine curiosity once they were sitting in front of a couple of long, cold fruit drinks.
‘I’ve always found that it pays to take a healthy interest in the people who work for you.’ Ni
ccolo settled back in his chair and looked at her with the same assessing expression she found so unsettling. ‘It’s the safest way to avoid unpleasant surprises,’ he murmured, draining the remainder of his drink, and then, without having to signal to the waiter, somehow managing to convey that he now wanted a beer. ‘Plus,’ he added, ‘If you’re liked as well as respected, you get complete and unswerving loyalty. In my line of work, I’ve met many a tyrant who rules through fear. They’re usually the ones who find themselves manning a deserted ship the second the waters get a little choppy because all the deck hands have abandoned their posts.’
Iron fist in a velvet glove, Ellie thought with a little shiver. And yet, still so unfairly compelling.
‘We were talking about the wild night-life you expected to find.’ Niccolo brought her back to the present.
‘Yes,’ Ellie admitted. ‘I assumed that there would be stuff laid on for your guests, bearing in mind that they’re here to...to...meet people.’
‘Like I said, this is all about keeping everything low key. Besides, I can’t imagine my guests would be interested in spending an evening of karaoke.’
‘Karaoke can be fun!’ Ellie objected and Niccolo laughed, a deep, velvety laugh that made her tummy flip over, made her want to rub her legs together to ease the vague ache between them.
‘Have you ever tried it?’
‘No. But I’m guessing it could be, if you’re the extrovert type.’
‘And you’re not.’
‘We’re not talking about me.’ She hastily busied herself with her drink.
‘We are now,’ Niccolo said lazily. ‘If I had a karaoke evening, would you take to the stage and try it out?’ He laughed when she looked at him with horror. ‘Don’t worry. Won’t be happening, so you can stop trying to think of songs you like.’ And then he caught himself wondering what songs she liked, what her taste in music was, and he was so disconcerted by the way his brain had veered off on that tangent that he frowned.
‘No night life,’ he said crisply. ‘Although, of course, if any of the guests want to live it up there are drivers who can take them into the town. There are a couple of very good local bars if you fancy live music. So that’s preconception number one you have to strike off the list.’
Ellie was relieved that she was no longer having to find ways of wriggling out of conversations she didn’t like, yet strangely disappointed. She reminded herself that Niccolo Rossi wasn’t actually interested in her, although he readily gave the impression that he was. He was interested in what she could do for him, and that was why she had to make sure not to be lulled into thinking otherwise—because now and again he looked at her with those devastating eyes of his, smiled in a way that made her go hot and cold and murmured things in his sexy voice that sent shivers racing up and down her spine.
If she couldn’t manage to control her physical reactions because her body was just idiotically disobedient, then she would have to make sure she controlled her mind.
‘Noted,’ she said, equally crisply. ‘What will be the format of my stay in the resort? Are there any areas you’d particularly like me to focus on?’
‘Not the guests,’ Niccolo told her wryly. ‘Like I said, they’re largely a private bunch, and I doubt they’d like thinking that there’s someone in their midst observing them.’
‘But your members of staff know that I’m here on official business?’ She blushed because that sounded ridiculous. This wasn’t the scene of a crime and she wasn’t an undercover investigator.
‘They know you’re with me having a look around.’
Ellie’s brow pleated, but then she had been too wrapped up absorbing her surroundings to have paid much attention to exactly what he had said when she had been introduced to them.
‘They don’t know about your official business.’ He grinned as he quoted back her words to her. ‘People are rarely forthcoming if they think that someone is asking questions in an official capacity. And you might very well want to ask questions. So your cue is to blend in.’ He looked at her, taking his time, in no hurry to break the silence. Then he said, voice brisk, ‘What clothes have you brought with you?’
‘Sorry?’
‘Clothes? What have you brought? Please don’t tell me that your suitcase is stuffed with an assortment of navy and grey suits.’
‘Of course not!’ Two bright patches of colour stained her cheeks. She hadn’t brought suits, but neither had she brought sarongs, and she guessed that sarongs would be the sort of wardrobe he might consider appropriate. Too bad. He might not want her broadcasting that she was here to work, but she was. And that had been foremost in her mind when she had done her packing.
‘Because the only place you could possibly blend in if you show up in a series of starchy suits would be an office.’
‘I guess I could be your secretary.’ She slid her eyes over his beautifully sculpted face, over his ferociously well-honed physique, and wondered what it might be like working for him. The thought of having to have her defences up twenty-four-seven sent a shiver down her spine and she was relieved when he shot that suggestion down in flames without bothering to consider it.
‘Wouldn’t work. The last time I was here, I came with my secretary. Engineering a long winded fabrication about why she might have been replaced would be impractical.’ Niccolo gazed at her with hooded eyes. ‘Perhaps you could be one of the guests,’ he murmured, trying to imagine her eyeing up the men with a view to bedding them, and strangely not liking the thought of it.
‘No. That’s out of the question. I don’t see why I have to pretend to be anyone at all. I promise you I’ll be discreet. If I need to find out anything, then I’m more than capable of working it into the conversation in a casual manner. Besides, I’m not in the market for any kind of relationship, and I would feel uncomfortable pretending that I might be.’
‘So you’ve come here with me,’ Niccolo mused, ‘on my private jet, in the capacity of no one in particular. Even the most naïve person in the world would smell a rat, and I assure you my crew are anything but naïve.’
Ellie gazed at Niccolo helplessly and he gazed right back at her.
She had the most dewy, satiny skin he had ever seen. And the most expressive eyes. Right now those expressive eyes were staring at him with the intensity of something small and feeble caught in a trap.
Niccolo had honestly not thought ahead when it came to this whole set up. It was most unusual, and he knew that he should be doing his utmost to think things through in the most logical manner possible, but he was thoroughly enjoying himself.
It struck him forcibly just how preordained his entire life had been. From the very moment his father had died, he had known just what his future would be. He had never once questioned its restrictions, had indeed enjoyed the challenges posed, along with the satisfaction of knowing that he had risen to them.
But, yes, every step taken had been a step on a path carved out by the hand of fate. His one, single aberration on the personal front had made that path even more firmly cemented.
But now...
Veering from the path was intoxicating.
Who in their right mind wouldn’t enjoy intoxicating?
‘There is one obvious solution,’ he thought aloud, voice pensive. ‘You came with me.’ He shrugged, dark eyes never straying for a second from her face. ‘How hard would it be for you to stay with me?’
‘Sorry? What? I don’t understand.’ Ellie was busy thinking that she had had no option but to come with him. She’d had no idea that it would involve a private jet, because in her world people just didn’t do stuff like that, but what on earth did he mean by ‘staying’ with him? Where else was she going to stay? In a shed on the edge of the resort? In a tent on the nearest beach?
Niccolo must have read the confusion on her face and he explained slowly, coolly and in a tone of voice that implied that every word leaving his lips made irrefutable sense.
‘You tell me that you don’t want to assume
the mantle of guest because you would feel uncomfortable with that masquerade but, like I said, my very private guests would not welcome any approach from someone they feel is intrusive. Many of them are notoriously publicity shy.’
‘I get that,’ Ellie agreed. ‘And I certainly would feel uncomfortable trying to quiz them about their experience under cover of curiosity. I can see that they might get suspicious and close up.’
‘It could also damage the reputation I intend to cultivate for my resort as a place where privacy is respected. But, to get a feel for things, you would certainly need an introduction to the people who are paying to be here.’
‘Yes...’ Ellie sighed and chewed her lips thoughtfully. ‘So... I could...er... Of course, I do know how to be tactful...’
‘We’re an item.’ He shrugged. ‘As my lover, any questions would be accepted as natural interest and answered without suspicion.’
‘We’re an item? I’m your lover?’
The undiluted horror in her voice instantly made his hackles rise. Granted this was a situation he had not predicted. Granted it shocked him as much as it evidently shocked her. And, yes, he did wonder what on earth had made him volunteer that as a solution, but now that the words were out of his mouth he was deeply affronted by her reaction.
Legions of women would have leapt with joy had that been presented to them as a solution to anything. Niccolo wasn’t vain but neither was he unrealistic and he knew that what he brought to the table was considerable.
Except, the woman sitting opposite him was gaping open-mouthed at him as though he had just informed her that he was the carrier of something highly contagious and very, very nasty.
He scowled and fidgeted. Of their own accord, his eyes drifted from her full mouth, still parted in silent shock, down to the pale column of her neck, and then lower to the swell of her breasts underneath the extremely unfortunate and impractical outfit.
He wanted her. Was that why he had behaved out of character? Was that why he had suggested something that broke through all sensible barriers? Was he so used to having what he wanted when it came to women that he had subconsciously chosen an option that could be worked to his advantage?
A Deal for Her Innocence Page 6