by Penny Jordan
‘I did what I did to help you out, Javier. I don’t regret it.’
She meant it. Dear God, the woman barely knew him or Angelina and yet she had already done so much to alleviate their predicament. Now she was telling him that if she allowed him to help her, she insisted on paying him back. Such nobility was a rare commodity indeed in the circles he had moved in. Life in the fast lane had not exactly paved the way for lasting friendships with the kind of friends who would immediately help you out if you were in trouble or even pay you back if they borrowed money. His mother would bless the ground Sabrina Kendricks walked on, he realised—the thought making him warm. Or should he say Sabrina D’Alessandro? Marriage of convenience or not—this charming, generous woman was his wife now.
‘We are going to turn East-West Travel into a thriving modern business,’ he declared, suddenly fired up at the thought. Sabrina couldn’t yet know he was a man who thrived on a challenge. He didn’t give up easily—not even on so-called lost causes. She would discover that about him.
‘I notice your other employee is not here today.’
‘You mean Robbie. He’s on a couple of days’ leave.’
‘Then I may use his computer?’
‘Of course, but Javier—’ her hand curled round his arm and they both reacted strongly at the contact, a flash of something Sabrina couldn’t discern in Javier’s dark Latin eyes and a leap in her own heart that made her words get caught in her throat ‘—you don’t have to do this.’
Her hand dropped away, and to her shock Javier tilted her chin and smiled into her anxious blue gaze. ‘That is where you are mistaken. It is a point of honour for me and I never go back on my word. Bring the coffee and we will get to work.’
Bring the coffee? Normally she would have bristled at such a chauvinistic-sounding command but for some reason today Sabrina didn’t seem to be operating on her usual wavelength. As soon as Javier had walked through the door she’d been functioning on a different frequency and she got the feeling it was one she was going to have to get used to, whether she liked it or not.
CHAPTER FIVE
FOR two days Sabrina worked side by side with Javier, going through accounts, client lists and schedules, meticulously sifting through everything that would give him a good picture as to how East-West Travel was currently being run. She’d discovered that when his mind was on work his concentration was unequalled, and, apart from when it was necessary to ask pertinent questions, he kept his head down—barely acknowledging whatever else was going on around him. To Sabrina’s irritation, in between dealing with customers, Jill had taken it upon herself to keep him furnished with regular offers of tea and coffee and even popped out to the most expensive deli in the high street to get him the sandwiches he asked for. It was obvious that he had acquired a fan in her colleague.
That first evening when she returned home on her own, Javier having left earlier to see Angelina, she’d arrived back at the house to find that they’d waited dinner for her. Angela Calder had returned to her own home in the Cotswolds, promising to be back in a week or two to see her grandchild, and Rosie had cooked a wonderfully fragrant lamb tagine for them. After Sabrina’s initial hesitance at joining Angelina and Javier at the dinner table, she tucked into the food with relish. If they were a little light on conversation she didn’t mind—it was the child the adults were concerned about. Angelina hardly ate a thing. In the end Javier suggested to Rosie that perhaps she could make some sandwiches and put them in the fridge, in case his niece wanted something later. Excusing herself from the table, Angelina disappeared into her bedroom and shut the door. Minutes later pop music rang out and Javier glanced at Sabrina with a faintly weary look and shrugged.
‘She’ll be all right,’ she softly assured him, wishing she didn’t feel so hopelessly inadequate to help. ‘Perhaps I can ask if she’ll let me see her CD collection later.’
‘Why not,’ Javier agreed, pouring them both a glass of wine. ‘Right now all we can do is take one day at a time. By the way, have you rung your parents yet?’
‘I was going to do it tonight’ she replied, a pang of guilt stabbing through her. Truth to tell, she’d barely given the matter another thought—especially when her head was swimming with thoughts of work and the kind of improvements Javier was going to suggest.
His dark brows came together in slight disapproval. ‘Please, Sabrina. Do not put it off any longer. Your parents should be informed.’
She sat back in her chair, her cheeks flushed. ‘You make me sound about five years old.’
That elicited a rueful grin. ‘Forgive me. I am just concerned they would find out by accident and that would not be good.’
‘No. I see what you mean. Well…’ She got to her feet and brushed back her hair with her hand. ‘There’s no time like the present, then, is there?’
Her announcement didn’t go down well. Her mother cried because ‘after all this time she still hadn’t seen her eldest daughter married’ and her father interrogated her on just about everything to do with Javier. He could have had a job with Interpol, Sabrina reflected without humour. By the time she came off the phone, all Sabrina could face was a shower then bed, but she did fulfil her intention of dropping by Angelina’s room and asking to see her music collection. After spending just over an hour with the little girl, listening to music, Angelina bade her goodnight but not before tentatively suggesting that Sabrina might like to listen to some more tracks the following night. Eagerly, Sabrina agreed and she went to bed feeling a little lighter than when she’d come off the phone to her parents.
The following evening after their meal, Sabrina was heading for her room and a shower when Javier waylaid her in the corridor. He’d taken off his tie and undid the first couple of buttons on his shirt, and Sabrina caught an intriguing glimpse of strongly corded neck muscles and a smattering of the dark hair that covered his chest. Heat invaded her limbs. ‘Tomorrow we will visit your bank and deposit some funds for the modernisation programme,’ he informed her without preamble, ‘then we will have lunch together.’
‘Lunch?’ Her voice had turned unwittingly husky. Javier seemed to concentrate his dark gaze even more.
‘There is a need to discuss how we are going to proceed.’
There was something inexplicably sensual about his almost formal use of the language—every word carefully considered.
‘With modernising the business, you mean?’ She was feeling somewhat overwhelmed at the idea that, with Javier’s much-needed help, she was finally going to be able to realise her dreams for the company.
‘That and other things.’ He smiled. ‘I will book somewhere.’
‘I haven’t yet thanked you for all you’re doing.’ She twirled a button on her blue linen jacket and felt the thread loosen. ‘I can’t tell you how much it means to me. It’s been such a worry for so long…’
‘It is a small thing compared to what you have done for me and Angelina,’ he replied sincerely. ‘And I am excited by it too. I think you will be amazed what can be achieved.’
‘Anyway…’ Glancing almost shyly up at him from beneath her honey-brown lashes, Sabrina wondered what had happened to the single-minded businesswoman who was so certain she neither wanted nor needed a man in her life. She was sure that even her mother would detect the difference in her since she’d met Javier D’Alessandro. Her hard edges had been somehow softened. In his presence she was discovering new aspects to herself all the time. Worrying. Especially when one day soon she’d have to walk away and maybe not even see him again. ‘I’m going to take a shower.’
His reaction staggered her. Leaning back against the wall, his arms folded across that incredible chest, he smiled lazily. ‘Let me know if you need my assistance.’
‘What?’ Her stomach fluttering crazily, Sabrina blushed like a schoolgirl.
‘Scrubbing your back.’ He smiled again. ‘Relax, Sabrina. I am only teasing.’
Teasing or not, his suggestive tone had all but turned her bones t
o jelly. ‘I knew that.’ Hoping her face didn’t reflect the turmoil that was churning her up inside, she turned to walk with as much dignity as she could muster down the corridor to her room.
Madre del Dios! Rubbing his hand across his forehead, Javier wasn’t surprised to find that he was perspiring. The sexual charge he had received from his new wife simply by spending a few minutes in light conversation had completely thrown him. Her scent had been taunting him, the dimples at the corners of her lush mouth fascinating him beyond reason. If he had spent a minute longer with her he was almost certain he would have reached out to touch her in some way. That most definitely hadn’t been part of his plan. Theirs was a paper marriage only—sexual favours weren’t part of the package. Unfortunately he hadn’t been able to transmit that fact to his body. Just the brief thought of Sabrina naked beneath the warm spray of a shower, soaping that shapely, sexy body, had heat rushing to his groin like fire. What was he supposed to do? He was a young, virile man with more energy than he sometimes knew what to do with and right now a hot, sweet tumble in bed with a beautiful, warm, willing woman was the only thing he craved. And not just any beautiful, willing woman either—it was Sabrina he wanted, rightly or wrongly. Cursing harshly beneath his breath, he turned towards his room to seek a shower of his own—a very icy cold shower that would drive away the suddenly rampant desire that was hijacking his body, before being confronted with the temptation of her smile again.
Ellie didn’t mince her words. She flung into the room with Tallulah on her hip, her champagne-blonde hair dishevelled by the fierce wind outside and an expression like a storm cloud on her face. ‘You must be out of your mind!’ Dropping her bag onto a nearby chair, she ignored Jill and Robbie and stared angrily at Sabrina, who up until a moment ago had been concentrating on the screen in front of her.
‘Nice to see you too, Ellie.’ Scowling at the unwanted interruption, Sabrina started to get to her feet.
‘Hello, Tally, are you going to give Auntie a kiss?’ She reached out her arms for her niece and was foolishly hurt when Ellie didn’t pass the baby to her as she normally would have done.
‘I couldn’t believe it when Mum told me you’d gone and got married to a perfect stranger! Have you completely taken leave of your senses, Sabrina Kendricks?’
‘Let’s have some privacy, shall we?’ Sabrina put her hand beneath her sister’s elbow and guided her reluctantly into the back room. Closing the door, she flicked her blue eyes angrily over her. ‘How dare you just walk in here and start yelling at me? This is a professional business, in case you had forgotten. What if there’d been a room full of customers?’
‘I don’t give a—’ She bit back the curse word and jiggled the baby, who had started to whimper. ‘What do you know about this man? How do you know he isn’t out to take you for every penny you have? Did you check him out before you married him? And why didn’t you tell me you’d met someone?’
‘Take me for every penny I have?’ Sabrina’s laugh was harsh. ‘If only you knew the irony of that remark.’
‘For God’s sake, what were you thinking of?’
‘Drop it, Ellie. I’m thirty-seven years old, damn it! I don’t need your permission to live my life the way I choose. And if you knew Javier D’Alessandro you wouldn’t have to ask me such questions.’
Ellie transferred the baby to her opposite hip and glared. ‘But I don’t know him, do I? That’s the whole point! None of us do. I know I told you that you needed to date more but I didn’t expect you to go and marry the first man who asks you!’
‘You’re making it sound ridiculous.’
‘It is ridiculous! What’s the matter, Sabrina? Did you suddenly get scared of growing older and not having a man in your life? If that was the case, why didn’t you just join a dating agency rather than marry a complete stranger off the street?’
Hurt welled in Sabrina’s chest. She knew it was because Ellie had inadvertently touched a nerve. Had she been scared about getting older and being alone? Maybe not consciously, but she couldn’t pretend that the thought hadn’t ever crossed her mind. However, she’d married Javier to help him get a British passport, so that he could stay and raise Angelina as his own. She didn’t kid herself it was a real marriage. He was only thirty. One day he’d want to marry someone his own age and add to his family. God! She didn’t even know if she was capable of having children.
Seeing the sudden strain on her sister’s face, Ellie shook her head in remorse. ‘I’m sorry, sis. I’ve just been worried out of my mind since Mum told me. He—he hasn’t tried anything, has he?’
‘You mean, has he attempted to get me into bed?’
Ellie had the grace to flush. Tallulah smiled, her chubby, grinning face catching Sabrina on the raw.
‘He’s not interested in me that way. I explained to Mum it was purely a business arrangement.’
‘I’ll believe it when I see it. When can I meet him? What did you say his name was?’
‘Javier.’ Sabrina took a shaky breath. ‘Come on Saturday if you like. Mum’s got the address.’
‘Saturday, then. Look after yourself, sis. You know where I am if you need me.’
‘You seem…preoccupied today.’
Javier’s voice broke into Sabrina’s thoughts. Glancing down at her coffee, she picked up the spoon in the saucer and gave it a stir. The smart little restaurant in an exclusive Knightsbridge thoroughfare was full of deliciously mouthwatering smells, but she hadn’t been able to do full justice to the wonderful pasta she had ordered.
‘Do I?’ She raised her shoulders in a slight shrug.
‘I’m sorry. Understandably I’ve had a lot on my mind.’
‘Are you happy with my suggestions for the business?’
‘Of course. But Javier—so much money…I really am going to have to insist on paying you back, you know.’ Richard Weedy would surely never dare to look down his nose at her again after the outrageous amount Javier had paid into her bank just an hour ago.
‘You have already paid me back. We have an agreement and I am merely honouring my part. The matter is at an end. The money is yours to make the improvements we discussed and whatever else you want to do with it.’
‘The matter is not at an end, Javier. I won’t be easy in my mind until we work out some kind of repayment plan. I mean it!’
‘It has become clear to me that you find it difficult to accept help of any kind, Sabrina. It is not so good to be too independent, I think.’
His stern tone made her bristle slightly. Her chin came up. ‘We have a very different culture here, Javier. Women are encouraged to have their own careers, make their own lives, without men dictating what they do.’
A flash of anger crooked his mouth. ‘Sí. You think it an achievement to bypass marriage and family? You are setting yourself up for a very lonely existence, I think.’
‘I’ve never been lonely in my life! I enjoy my work—the challenge, the achievement. It gives me all the stimulation I need.’
The tension between them grew. ‘Forgive me, but I think you need more than that. Men and women were meant to be together in mutual partnership. It is not something to shy away from because you are frightened you will be surrendering your independence. A clever woman allows the man to think he has all the power, but really she is the one in control.’
‘So how come you haven’t got married until now? Not forgetting that this is just a temporary arrangement. No doubt you’ve been pursuing your own career with a vengeance, otherwise how could you be so successful?’ Her heart was beating a little too fast and she wished she’d never started this conversation. She didn’t want his antagonism…she wanted something much more dangerous than that.
His hand reached for his tie and loosened it. With one arm resting on the table top he scooped some sugar into the little silver spoon in the sugar bowl and watched the grains slide gracefully back in. He did this twice more before speaking.
‘I didn’t consider marriage before because I had see
n what can happen when you give your heart to someone. Divorce, bereavement…I didn’t want to set myself up for so much pain.’ A shadow stole across his handsome face. ‘Perhaps I am a coward.’
Impossible. Swallowing hard, Sabrina slowly shook her head. ‘I don’t think a man who would risk asking a relatively strange woman to marry him so that he could get a passport to stay in the country and adopt his niece could ever be deemed a coward in any way. You should marry properly some day, Javier. You should marry someone your own age and have lots of children to give Angelina brothers and sisters. You would make a wonderful father.’
The conviction in her voice shook him to his innermost core. Pinning her with a darkly brooding gaze, he smiled briefly. ‘We will see. Let us change the subject and talk about the business. Tomorrow I will start ordering the new equipment. You will be upside-down for a while in the office but I am sure your staff will be able to work around that.’
‘They’re as excited as me about it all.’ As she felt another rush of gratitude, her blue eyes shone. ‘And you don’t mind giving us all a little training in the new programme?’
‘It will be my pleasure.’
‘You seem to know so much. I feel like such a dinosaur in comparison.’
‘Stop putting yourself down.’ With a small sigh, Javier considered her so intensely that every nerve she possessed snapped into full and immediate attention.
‘You have fifteen years’ experience of running a successful business. There is much you could teach me, I’m sure.’