He paused, knowing there was no protocol for this change. “Rafael has asked to come here and receive an unofficial draft, the one you’re holding, so that the family might go over it together and discuss it in private. When Isabella recovers, we can then meet officially and make the presentation.”
Maria spoke up, her gaze impassive. “Do we have the authority to do that?”
A heated debate ensued, culminating in a conference call to the prime minister back in Alma. Fortunately, after a quick transatlantic conversation, Alex’s boss gave the nod. Moments later, Alex made a return call to Rafael.
When that was done, he surveyed the members of the delegation. They had all been cooped up in this room, as pleasant as it was, for hours, and everyone was hungry and tired.
“We’ll take a break to eat,” he said. “Given Rafael’s timetable, we should probably meet back here at three o’clock. Are we all in agreement?”
With nods and muttered assents, the group scattered. Maria, surrounded by three other women, was on her way out before he could stop her. “Wait,” he said. The four females turned back to look curiously at him.
He felt his neck get hot. “I need to speak to Maria.”
The woman to whom he had made wild, passionate love for hours gave him a cool, regal glance, as if princess to peon. “Right now?”
He stared her down, daring her to ignore him, asserting his authority and knowing that he wasn’t playing fair. “Yes.”
Maria murmured her apologies to her companions and stepped back into the conference room once they walked away. After closing the door, she set her purse and laptop on the table, crossed her arms and stared at him with barely veiled hostility. “What?”
“Where were you last night?”
Her eyes narrowed. “That is not an appropriate question between business associates.”
He had a reputation for being cool under pressure, but, damn, she pushed his buttons. “Were you with Gabriel?”
Her expression was impossible to read. “Are you hoping I’ll say yes? So you’ll know you have a spy in the enemy camp?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Is that why you wanted to talk to me? So you could heap a few more insults on my head?”
If he’d expected any kind of negative response from her, he would have guessed anger. But the mood he picked up on was more akin to sadness. “I wanted to apologize,” he said stiffly.
“For what?”
He rounded the table. He’d bet his last euro that she wanted to back away from him, but she maintained her position.
“I shouldn’t have connected your relationship with Gabriel to the work of the delegation. Whatever goes on between the two of you is personal and private.”
“That’s very gracious of you.”
The words were innocuous. But they were wrapped in a heavy dose of sarcasm that made him wince.
“I’m trying to make amends,” he said.
“And failing miserably. I thought when a man had a one-night stand with a woman, he at least owed her a breakup dinner. Or a Dear Jane note.”
“It was two nights.” Two insanely erotic, tantalizing nights. Even now, the memory made him hard.
“I won’t quibble over the details, Alex. All I ask is that next time you want to scratch a sexual itch, you find someone who doesn’t mind being shoved aside when your job takes precedence.”
“That’s not what happened.”
“What would you call it?” she asked.
“You and I have worked together a long time. There was bound to be an undercurrent of sexual interest. But I was wrong to pursue it, given the circumstances.”
“You act as if it was all your idea. I was in the bed, too. So let’s call it a dual mistake.”
As they exchanged barbs, he moved closer. Now, he snagged one of her hands in his and put his thumb over the pulse point on her wrist. “I’m asking you to forgive me,” he said huskily. It was only now dawning on him that physical proximity to the woman who turned him inside out might not be the best idea.
She didn’t struggle or try to free herself, though his hold was loose. Because they stood so closely together, she was forced to tip back her head to look up at him. “Forgive you for what?”
Blue-green eyes that were usually guileless and clear were veiled today, the emotions carefully blanked out.
“Stubborn, frustrating woman.” His lips hovered over hers, his body straining to get closer. He maintained a safe distance between them, but it cost him.
One kiss. That’s all he needed. An apology kiss. That made sense, didn’t it? For one quivering, tense second, he knew it was going to happen. He felt it inside his gut. Every cell in his body cried out for him to ignore reason and reality and to take what he wanted.
Maria was frozen in place, her arms still crossed at her waist. The brittle edge of her anger had softened. He was sure of it. “I really am sorry,” he muttered. “For everything.”
His lips brushed hers with a spark of contact electricity. Holy hell.
The jolt rocked him. “Say something, Maria.”
Two slender feminine hands struck his shoulders and shoved hard, catching him off guard, causing him to lose his balance and fall into the nearest chair.
Before he could recover, she was gone.
Fourteen
Maria caught up with her lunch companions at the restaurant downstairs. She was coldly furious, but she wallowed in the icy, cleansing emotion. For the moment, it cauterized the jagged edges of her broken heart. Alex Ramon was an imbecile.
He thought he could manipulate her and use her and get away with his double-talk, avoiding a single consequence to his oh-so-perfect image. Maybe other women had been willing to accept his Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde routine, but not this one.
And he still didn’t believe her about Gabriel.
It took all the acting skills she could muster, but she engaged in the conversation among her colleagues without giving a hint at the turmoil that rocked her. She prayed that the Montoros would make their decision quickly, one way or another. All Maria wanted to do was go home.
After lunch she made a quick trip to her room to drop off her laptop, brush her teeth and freshen her lipstick. An official visit between Rafe Montoro and the delegation as a whole required a certain degree of formality. She wanted to look her best.
Lingering deliberately until the last possible moment, she made her way back to the conference room and took her original seat. The furniture had been rearranged to accommodate a head table. Someone from the hotel had brought in a small vase of fresh flowers.
The tension in the room was palpable.
Her arrogant lover spotted her the moment she walked in, but though he gave her a steady look, he did nothing to summon her attention. Once everyone from Alma was seated, the group fell silent.
Alex stepped into the hallway and returned with Rafael. But the king-to-be was not alone. Gabriel was with him. That came as no surprise to Maria. The brothers were close.
The two Montoros were dressed formally in dark suits and ties. Even Gabriel, rascal that he was, maintained his composure. Alex took a visible breath. “Ladies and gentlemen. May I present Rafael Montoro, IV, and his brother, Gabriel.” Facing the siblings, he executed a half bow. “On behalf of the nation of Alma, we welcome both of you this afternoon and look forward to hearing what you have to say.”
Alex stepped aside and offered Rafe the podium.
The eldest of this younger Montoro generation spoke pleasantly and confidently. As CEO of Montoro Enterprises, he was accustomed to a leadership role, so he showed no signs of being nervous or intimidated by the fact that an entire roomful of people wanted to make him a king.
Rafael was tall, a couple of inches over six feet. His dark brown hair, cut ve
ry short, suited his air of command.
When he was done with his brief, prepared remarks, he fielded questions. Through it all, Gabriel remained quiet but watchful, as if he were trying to assess the character of each member of the delegation.
Other than a couple of polite inquiries, no one introduced any kind of controversial topics. There would be time enough for that later.
Toward the end of the hour, when a note of awkward anticipation entered the mix, Gabriel and Maria exchanged rueful glances. This was a touchy situation, however you looked at it.
Rafael nodded briefly to his audience, for a split second betraying the first hint of agitation Maria had seen from him. “I hope you’ll understand that we need to get back to the hospital,” he said. “My family and I will read through this proposal and give it our utmost consideration.”
He paused. “I am well aware that each of you has gone above and beyond the expectations of your job descriptions. From what Mr. Ramon has told me, you have given your time and talents to this endeavor with varying degrees of personal sacrifice. I am honored by this proposal, and I will weigh the ramifications as honestly as I know how. Thank you.”
Quiet applause greeted his last words. The group rose as one, everybody eager to say a word of greeting to the man who might one day reign as their monarch. During the hubbub, Gabriel scooted around the room in Maria’s direction. His smile was strained. “This bunch is making me claustrophobic,” he said. “Will you come with me for a minute?”
“Of course.” He seemed oblivious to Alex’s displeasure.
They found an empty meeting space across the hall, much smaller than the one they’d escaped, and slipped inside to hide out in the back corner.
Gabriel leaned against the wall and rubbed his face. “I wish I still smoked,” he groaned.
“You smoked?” Maria asked with a frown.
His charming grin radiated only half its usual voltage. “For about eight months the year I turned sixteen. When my father found out, he hit the ceiling. He and Rafe took me out on a sailboat and made me smoke two entire packs during one afternoon...in rough seas, I might add. I spent the next hour hanging over the rail barfing my guts out. That was the last day I ever wanted a cigarette. Until now.”
She touched his arm. “You’ve got a lot going on in your family. I know it’s hard. How’s Isabella?”
“Holding her own. We were all afraid this was it, but she’s a tough old bird.” He rolled his shoulders. “The timing sucks, though. We need to get the proposal mess settled one way or another.”
“How is Rafe leaning? You can trust me. I won’t say a word to anyone.”
“I wish I knew. I thought Isabella’s health crisis would tip the scales, but she made it clear to us yesterday afternoon that she only wants the family to say yes to the proposal if we can do it with unanimity and one hundred percent enthusiasm.”
“That sounds like an impossible goal.”
“Yeah. So I haven’t the slightest idea how this is going to turn out.”
“I wish there was something I could do to make it easier.”
“That’s sweet of you. You’re a very nice lady.” He flicked her updo. “Was it my imagination, or were things tense between you and Alex at the hospital? I got the impression he’d like to punch me. Has my charade worked? Does he think he’ll have to battle me to win you back?”
She blushed. “Oh, that was nothing. We had a difference of opinion about something. It’s not important.”
Gabriel bent his head and locked eyes with her, his trademark grin wider than it had been so far today. “I have good instincts when it comes to romance. I think the two of you are an item.”
“Did we trip and fall into a fifties movie? Don’t make me laugh. Alex Ramon is a stuffed shirt. A workaholic. A soulless bureaucrat.”
The fact that her voice broke on the last syllable was a dead giveaway. She turned her back on Gabriel, mortified that she was making a scene.
He curled an arm around her shoulders. “You want me to beat him up for you?”
She wiped her face with the back of her hand. “Would you?”
They both laughed, and she felt better, despite the fact that the man she loved was still a jerk.
A cold, rigid voice broke them apart. “Excuse me. I didn’t know I was interrupting.”
Gabriel whirled around, striding forward to clap Alex on the shoulder. “Not at all. Maria was just commiserating with me about my family’s multiple soap-opera-ish woes.”
When Alex continued to resemble a silent, stony-faced executioner, Gabriel shook his head. “You’ve got the wrong end of the stick, Ramon. I don’t poach on another man’s preserves.”
Maria frowned. “What does that mean?”
Gabriel shot her a look over his shoulder. “It means that you and I are buddies, amigos, compadres. But what we are not is an item.”
His humor fell flat all the way around.
Alex nodded stiffly. “I didn’t mean any disrespect.”
Gabriel rolled his eyes. “I’m not a prince yet. I don’t need bowing and scraping from you.” He held out his hand. “Are we good, man?”
Alex nodded, the harsh lines in his face relaxing. “We’re good. Thanks for coming today. I think your brother is waiting for you.”
“No problem. You’ve done a good job leading this delegation, Alex. Our family is grateful for your sensitivity and your diplomacy. And, by the by, I want you to call me Gabriel.”
“I suppose in the interim it would be okay.”
“It will always be okay,” Gabriel said firmly. “Even if Rafe accepts this king-of-Alma gig, I guarantee he’ll only tolerate so much pomp and circumstance. You and Maria have made our family feel as if our wishes and opinions are valid. That goes a long way in the negotiating process. We appreciate it.”
Alex nodded. “I’m glad you feel that way.”
Gabriel, now by the door, sketched a wave at Maria. “I’ve got to run, sweet thing. See you soon.”
Suddenly the party of three became two.
Maria shifted from one foot to the other. Alex stood between her and an escape route. “Is everyone else gone?” she asked.
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Are you pleased with how today turned out?”
Alex weighed his answer. “Not entirely.”
“What’s wrong? Did Rafe say something? Are they trying to tell you this is going nowhere?”
Alex held up his hands. “Whoa. Slow down the train. I wasn’t talking about anything that happened in an official capacity. You asked me if I was pleased with how today turned out, and I said no...because things are at an impasse between you and me.”
“Not my fault.” Her glare melted his certainty that he could persuade her to see reason.
“I’ve already apologized,” he said. “Can’t we move on?”
Memories of her in his bed tangled with the reality of Maria standing in front of him. She was neat and feminine and so damned beautiful in her trendy suit. But her clothing reminded him that they were colleagues first and lovers second...not an order he wanted, but a necessity given the situation with the Montoros.
Her lips trembled. “You don’t even get it, do you? I’m not upset because you kicked me out of your bed. I’m furious and astounded that you didn’t believe me when I told you nothing was going on with Gabriel. Yet when he told you the exact same thing, suddenly you take it as fact.”
Alex realized he’d screwed up royally. The pun didn’t even register as funny. “Perhaps we should take a couple of steps backward and start over.” He was aiming for calm and conciliatory. Maria didn’t seem impressed.
She walked across the room and went toe-to-toe with him. “There’s nothing to start over with. We’re not anything to each other, Alex. Just a man and a woman who
happen to work together.”
Deliberately, she elbowed him aside and made for the door.
His temper snapped and flared. “Not so fast.”
Dragging her against his chest, he took her chin in his hand and tilted it upward so he could reach her gorgeous, argumentative lips. Instead of angry mastery, he clamped down on his aggravation and gave her gentleness, trying every way he knew how to convey his regret that he had made such a mess of things.
But it was a lost cause. Her body was stiff in his embrace...her lips cold and unresponsive. Reluctantly, he released her. A block of ice settled in the spot where his stomach had been.
She stared at him, her gaze neither stormy nor sweet. Instead, she was indifferent. “Next time you do that, Mr. Ramon, I’ll report you for sexual harassment. Good day.”
When she walked out on him, Alex was stunned.
He stood in the small empty room for a full five minutes, trying to analyze where he’d gone wrong. All his life he’d been an overachiever. Top of his class in every school he’d ever attended. His father’s favorite. A goal-oriented, don’t-give-up, type A, hardworking guy who went after whatever he wanted and got it.
Money had never been an issue. His parents had spoiled him, but he had repaid their generosity by consistently making them proud of him. He’d never yearned and ached for something he couldn’t have, had never faced real, honest-to-God disappointment and failure.
This was a hell of a moment to learn an unpleasant life lesson. Apparently he wasn’t infallible after all. There was at least a fifty-fifty chance that the Montoros were going to decline the request to reclaim the monarchy. Which meant that Alex and the delegation would have wasted weeks and months of planning and positioning.
Going home to Alma empty-handed, with the proposal unsigned, would not only be a personal defeat, it would constitute an embarrassing misstep in Alex’s career. People had depended on him. His country had entrusted him with a mission of incalculable importance.
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