Blackmailed by the Italian Billionaire

by Croft, Nina

  He studied her, his lips pursed; he picked up his glasses and slid them on, once again hiding his expression. “You’ve got two days. I’ll be in touch.”

  Chapter Seven

  “Mike, why don’t you go and play outside for a while?”

  Mike didn’t argue, and that worried her—he’d been very subdued since their mother’s death. It wasn’t unexpected, but that didn’t stop her worrying. The door slammed shut behind him, and Lia stared at it.

  “He’ll be okay,” Sally said. “He just needs time.” She left the dishes in the sink, wiped her hands, and came and sat next to Lia. “So, what do you want to talk about that you don’t want Mike to hear?”

  “Have you ever heard of a man called Luc Severino?”

  “No.”

  Lia had been doing her best to forget that Luc even existed, but that was impossible. Even though the guy could be a real jerk, he made her feel things, things she’d never known she could feel. Now, her time was up, and she’d spent all day on edge, expecting him to show at any moment.

  So far, nothing. No Luc. No blackmail. No nothing.

  Maybe he’d forgotten all about her, but instinct told her she wouldn’t be that lucky. Then during supper, it had occurred to her that maybe Sally might know something about him, something that might help her work out what he really wanted. “My mother never mentioned him? It would have had to do with my father.”

  Sally’s face took on that closed expression she always adopted when Lia’s father was mentioned. “You know your mother never spoke to me about him. She knew I wouldn’t listen.”

  “But you’ve been with us forever, Sally, you must know something.”

  Sally had worked for them since Lia was a baby, and had moved in five years ago after her husband’s death. Now she stayed with them by choice, and was part of the family rather than an employee.

  “I know your mother was better off without him. I was glad when he went, but she would never listen to me.” Sally sighed. “I know you think you need to find him. Make him pay back the money from the house. But what makes you think he’ll go along with that plan even if you do find him? He may just laugh in your face. Forget him, Lia.”

  “I’m going to. Pete’s offered to buy the piece of land that runs next to his. It will solve our problems, at least for the moment.”

  “That’s great. So if you don’t need to find your father, why the questions about this Luc Severino?”

  Lia pursed her lips and did her best to look innocent. “No reason. I heard the name, that’s all.”

  After Luc had gone, she’d thought long and hard. He was using the threat of those pictures to blackmail her. But into doing what? What did he really want?

  With the threat of losing her home gone, she wanted to forget all about her father; instead, Luc was forcing her to continue the search. And she hated to be forced.

  If he did turn up, she was going to appeal to his better nature, tell him that she didn’t want to find her father anymore. And Luc would go away, and she need never see him again or think of him again.

  Yeah, right. She snorted. Just how likely was that to happen? Not a night had gone by that he hadn’t come to her in her sleep, and that was what was bothering her the most—she hated him for what he was doing, but part of her couldn’t forget how he had made her feel.

  Outside, the dog started barking. Mike poked his head around the door. “Lia, there’s a man here to see you.”

  Lia’s hand tightened around her mug of coffee; her heart sank. “There is?”

  “Yeah, and he’s got the coolest car.” Mike didn’t wait for an answer, just disappeared again.

  “Shit,” Lia muttered.

  “Lia!”

  “Sorry—horse manure.”

  Sally smiled. “You want me to go?”

  For a second, Lia was tempted. Maybe she could hide under the bed or something. Then she shook her head. “No, I think this one’s for me.”

  Luc’s black car was parked in the front driveway with Luc crouched down beside it, talking to Mike. She hesitated. Luc’s face was softer this time, and as she watched, he reached out and ruffled Mike’s hair, then picked him up and swung him into the driver’s seat of the car.

  She opened her mouth to complain, then closed it again—this was the first time she had seen Mike animated in so long, and she wasn’t going to jump in and spoil that because she had issues with Luc. Luc was being genuinely nice—maybe he did have a better nature after all.

  “It’s a Ferrari, Lia,” her brother said, his tone filled with awe.

  “Is it?”

  “Yes, and Luc said he’ll take me for a drive.”

  “Oh he did, did he?”

  “Yes,” Luc said. “I have a little brother who gets a kick out of cars too. But not tonight, kid. Tonight you get to sit there and not touch anything while I talk to your sister.”

  Five minutes later, Lia scowled. So much for appealing to his better nature! It should have been obvious from their previous meeting that he didn’t have one.

  Luc stood, hands thrust into the pockets of his black trousers, his cold green eyes narrowed on her.

  “I’m not coming,” Lia repeated. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

  “We had a deal, cara.” He was silent for a moment, his eyes running over her, and she shifted from foot to foot under his intense gaze. “You are obviously your father’s daughter,” he said. “Treacherous. You probably can’t help yourself.”

  A wave of indignation washed over her at his words. She wasn’t the one using blackmail. And calling her her father’s daughter? That was a low blow, and one that hit home, mainly because it had always been a worry to her over the years. After all, she certainly hadn’t gotten her character from her mother—but there was also another puzzling aspect to this conversation. “I thought you were his friend.”

  “I said acquaintance, cara. Your father didn’t have any friends.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I don’t want to find him anymore.”

  “Unfortunately, I do.”

  “Why?”

  “Old business.”

  His face was cold, implacable. She tried a different approach. “Anyway, I can’t go with you. I’ve got my little brother to take care of.”

  He appeared unimpressed. “You also have a live-in housekeeper.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Come on, Lia. I had you investigated.”

  Lia stared at him. “You’re unreal, you know that, don’t you? And in serious danger of becoming paranoid.” When he didn’t answer, she continued. “I can’t believe you had me investigated. Why?”

  “Look at it from my point of view,” Luc said. “You arranged a meeting, you seduced me, then waited until I was asleep and searched my office. Of course I had you investigated.”

  Lia examined his face for some sign that he was joking. This was so bizarre. He was crazy. She took a deep breath. Just stay calm.

  “I did not arrange a meeting with you. I arranged a meeting with Mr. Watson. I’d never even heard of you before that night.”

  Luc looked skeptical. “So you say.”

  Lia wanted to scream. She took another deep breath, and then one more, closed her eyes and counted to ten.

  “So, you had me investigated. You already knew all about me. You knew all the time that I was lying and that my mother was dead.”

  “Not when you came to see Harley, no. But soon after that.”

  She stood for a moment, nibbling on her lower lip. Would he go through with his threat and post those pictures on the Internet, leak them to the local press? The thought sent shivers of panic rippling through her. She couldn’t risk it; this was her career on the line. She had no choice but to go along with him. As she admitted it to herself, an entirely inappropriate wave of excitement washed over her, and she hugged her arms around her middle. Why did he have such an effect on her? All these years she had thought herself immune to men. Why did he have to be the one to prove h
er wrong?

  He lounged against the wall, arms folded, but while his position was casual, his whole body radiated masculine power. With his scar and his dark good looks, his beautiful emerald eyes, he also appeared vaguely menacing and immensely sexy. It was a bizarre and powerful combination.

  Her body tightened at the memory of all that leashed power focused on her. The way he had controlled her, overwhelmed her, made her feel in that moment as though she were the most desirable woman in the world—the most important person in his world. And it had all been a lie, an act.

  “Well?”

  His question brought her out of her thoughts. She was going to have to go with him, she knew that, but it was imperative she make one thing clear at the start. “I’ll come, but I’m not going to sleep with you. This is just to find my father.”

  “Wait until you’re asked, cara.”

  She ignored the comment. “And I can’t come with you if I think you’re going to hold those pictures over my head and threaten me every step of the way.”

  “Lia, you will come with me because I’m holding those pictures over you.”

  “That’s immoral.”

  He smiled, but it did nothing to alleviate the sense of panic threatening to overtake her. “I have to admit to a certain level of moral flexibility when it comes to getting what I want,” he said. “It’s probably best you know that right from the start.”

  Lia sighed. “I’ll go pack. Wait here.” She shut the door in his face and hurried up the stairs.

  …

  The door to the apartment swung open, and Luc stood to one side to let her pass. He seemed more relaxed now that he’d gotten his own way. On the drive into London, he’d been silent, but at least the tension appeared to have left him. She’d been expecting him to take her to the apartment in the office block, where they’d been that first night. But they’d headed not for the business district, but into an upmarket residential area in the west end of the city. Finally, Luc had pulled into an underground parking area beneath a modern apartment building, and they’d taken the elevator up to the penthouse.

  Luc put her bag down on the floor and held out a hand.

  “I’ll show you around.”

  She ignored the hand and stood staring around her, eyes widening as she took in the sheer luxury of her surroundings. The place was huge, light, and airy with vast expanses of polished wooden floors and floor-to-ceiling windows. The furniture was sparse but beautiful, elegant and modern, uncluttered. Lia kicked off her shoes, and some of her own anger and bitterness drained from her. It was no good being angry. She never did anything sensible when she was angry, and she needed to be sensible now. But without the anger, she felt a little lost, with nothing to replace it.

  “I don’t know why I’m here. Not really.” She knew she sounded forlorn.

  “We’re going to find your father.”

  His tone was soothing as though he were trying to calm her. Lia didn’t want to be calmed, and she let her irritation rise. “I told you. I don’t want to find him anymore.”

  “But I do, and I need you in order to do that.”

  “And I suppose that’s what matters, isn’t it? That you’ve gotten what you want.”

  “I wouldn’t quite say that,” he said softly.

  She looked at him sharply, but his face was expressionless, bland except for the small smile that played around his lips. She sighed. “So here I am. What happens now?”

  “Now, we see if we can’t draw your father out.”

  “Can you at least tell me why you want to find him?”

  “No.”

  She glowered in frustration. “What’s the big secret? It’s unlikely that anything you can tell me is going to surprise me. I already think the worst about you anyway.”

  He studied her, his expression speculative. “I doubt that’s true. In which case, you’re going to have to trust me.”

  “And just how likely is that? The first time we met, you pretended you wanted to help me, got me drunk, and then seduced me. The second time you blackmailed me into coming here. Not much incentive to trust, now is there?”

  He shrugged. He obviously had no remorse at all about how he had gotten her here.

  “And I can only stay until my wrist is healed. After that, I need to get back into training. How long are you expecting me to stay?”

  “As long as it takes.”

  “As long as what takes? Finding my father? And what happens if he does turn up?”

  He regarded her curiously. “Do you care?”

  He didn’t wait for an answer, just moved into the room, and Lia stared after him. Did she care? She hated her father, but he was a dangerous man, and for some reason the idea of Luc confronting him made her feel weak and shivery. Perhaps Luc was more than a match for her father. Her father was a bully. How would he stand up to someone like Luc? She didn’t want to know. All she could hope for was that her father would stay away. After all, he had managed it very well for the last ten years. Why change now?

  Luc picked up her bag again. “Come on. I’ll show you where you’re sleeping.”

  She followed him out of the living area, along a carpeted hallway. He paused at a door.

  “That’s my room over there.” He nodded at the door opposite. “In case you need anything in the night.”

  “In your dreams,” she muttered. Luc smiled then led her into the room. It was beautiful, pale cream and dark blue with a huge king-size bed. She also had her own bathroom with an enormous whirlpool bath.

  “There’s no lock on the door,” she said as she trailed behind him. “How am I supposed to sleep at night with no lock on the door?”

  His eyes narrowed. “Don’t push it, Lia.”

  She wanted to push it. Instead, she followed him around the building as he gave her a tour of the place, trying not to appear as impressed as she felt. The kitchen was amazing, enormous, state of the art, with every possible gadget, none of which Lia had a clue how to switch on.

  “Do you actually use this stuff?”

  “I can make coffee, but I have a housekeeper who comes in each day—Mrs. Blake—don’t upset her. She leaves a meal if I want it. Otherwise I eat out or get food sent in.”

  “What’s up there?” she asked, pointing at the elaborate wrought-iron spiral staircase that appeared to lead out onto the roof. “I thought we were on the top floor.”

  “We are. Come and look.”

  The roof garden was out of this world, not so much a garden as a conservatory, the whole place enclosed in glass with a fabulous view out over the city. Tropical plants ran rampant, crimson bougainvillea, hibiscus, and through the plants, she caught sight of the turquoise water of an infinity pool that seemed poised on the edge of the building. “You have a pool on your roof?”

  She walked toward it and bent down to trail her fingers through the warm water.

  “Feel free to swim,” Luc said.

  Lia turned to stare at him. He seemed to belong among the lush tropical splendor, his dark exotic beauty at home in such decadent surroundings. Lia shook her head; this level of wealth was beyond her imaginings. Suddenly, she had an urge to confront him, ask him what he did, where all this money came from. Before she could open her mouth, a noise erupted from among the plants. She jumped as a large ginger tomcat emerged and strolled toward Luc, ignoring Lia completely. He rubbed himself against Luc’s legs, a loud rumbling purr vibrating his whole body. Luc crouched down and picked him up, rubbing his head.

  “This is Murphy,” he said.

  “You have a cat. I’m surprised.”

  “I wouldn’t exactly say that. Murphy lives here. This is his domain, so if you want to spend time up here, you’d better make friends.”

  Lia shook her head. “I can’t believe you have a cat.”

  Luc grinned at her obvious bemusement. “Murphy was a stray. He sort of adopted me.”

  Lia could see now that the cat was a little worse for wear, one ear ripped and a scar down his nose. S
he reached out a hand and stroked him. Murphy rubbed his head against her hand.

  Luc smiled. The effect was devastating, and for a moment, Lia actually felt jealous of the cat, held in his arms. She pushed the thought away. That wasn’t going to happen—not again. But still, she found herself staring at him. He caught her gaze for a long moment then looked away.

  “Let’s finish the tour.” He lowered the cat to the floor.

  There was one room he didn’t show her, just waved a hand toward it. “That’s my office.”

  Lia glanced at the door. She was sure she could find out all about Luc Severino if only she could get in there. Wouldn’t that be good, she mused silently, get in there, find some incriminating evidence, and get the blackmailing bastard at his own game. She came out of her happy daydream to find Luc watching her, an amused expression on his face.

  “Don’t even try,” he drawled. “You’ll never get past the locks.”

  “I bet I could, if I wanted to.”

  “They only open with my thumbprint,” he said wagging his thumb.

  Lia was impressed—talk about high-tech—but she wasn’t going to let Luc see that. “I saw a film like that once, but it was eyeballs.”

  “A retinal scan.”

  “They got into that room,” she said with anticipatory relish, “by cutting his eyeballs out.”

  Luc laughed. “Bloodthirsty little thing, aren’t you? Remind me not to leave the carving knives out.”

  Despite herself, Lia laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to try to get into your office. I told you, I was looking for information on my father that night. I’m not interested anymore, so your secrets are safe.” She gave him a suspicious look. “What have you got in there that’s so secret? Some sort of criminal plans?”

  He ignored her question and led her back into the living room.

  “Why don’t you sit down?”

  She avoided the cream leather sofa and perched instead on one of the chairs. He took a seat opposite. Lia peered around. “Anyway, there’s one important thing you’ve missed on this tour. Where are the cameras?”