‘But, you’re here with me. The truth is you’ve been sharing my bed.’
Ice trickled down her spine at the adamant note in his tone. She jumped up from the sofa and took a step away from him. Doubt stabbed at her. ‘Tell me that was real between us. Tell me you didn’t just take me to bed so you could tell the board in honesty that we’ve been lovers.’
‘Mierda santa!’ He sprang to his feet. His face had darkened like thunder clouds. ‘You’re seriously asking me that?’
She placed a hand to her forehead, biting down on her lip as she tried to sort through her confusion.
‘After all the time we’ve spent together, you think I’d be so low?’ he raged.
‘I don’t know.’ Misery washed through her.
Ricardo stood before her, anger emanating from every pore. ‘You don’t know?’
Guilt and uncertainty made her feel sick.
‘You claim you love me, yet you don’t know whether or not I’d use you like that?’ he demanded.
Jessica’s vision blurred as tears filled her eyes. ‘I’m so sorry.’ She shook her head and sat down once again, covering her face with her hands as she wiped away her tears. ‘Of course you wouldn’t. My insecurity was rising up again. It seems I haven’t fully overcome my lack of confidence.’ But at least she recognised those insecurities now and could immediately put them into perspective.
‘I’ve never lied to you, Jessica, or misled you.’
She let out a pent-up breath. ‘I believe you. What I want to know is how you plan to handle Lorezzi’s claims. This isn’t just going to blow over and I don’t see how either of us can emerge well from this scandal.’
‘There’s only one course to silence critics and remove all speculation.’ He paced away from her, and then spun to face her. ‘One course which will feed the media frenzy surrounding us, but with an entirely different spin.’
She hardly dared to ask what he planned. ‘What’s that?’
‘Marry me.’
Chapter Eighteen
‘Marry you?’ Jessica stared at him, unable to believe what she was hearing.
‘Had I planned to marry you before you moved to Barcelona, I would’ve paid your debt. Lorezzi’s insistence that I’m paying you to cover up an affair with his wife won’t wash if we claim we’ve been planning marriage since you left London.’
Her mind reeled. One problem with dishonesty was that one lie led to another.
‘I did allude weeks ago to Juan about the seriousness of our relationship and more or less intimated an announcement would be forthcoming,’ he said as he paced back and forward again. ‘We’ll have to announce our engagement tonight and marry quickly. Our announcement will have the press in a flurry and it’ll be our engagement and wedding creating headlines. Lorezzi’s accusations won’t even make the papers.’
Surely all her blood had drained away from her extremities and pooled...wherever blood pooled in moments of extreme crisis.
‘Say something, Jessica.’ He stopped pacing and sat down next to her.
What could she say? Forcing herself into speech, she finally elicited a word. ‘No.’
His head jerked back and his eyes widened. ‘No?’
She grabbed the armrest of the sofa in an effort to feel that something about this situation was real. ‘No.’
For a few seconds he was still, then he stood, towering over her. His hand slashed through the air as he spoke. ‘How can you refuse? You said you loved me. Don’t tell me you haven’t been hoping I’d have a change of heart and ask you to be my wife! Don’t sit there and pretend you don’t want to marry me!’
Jess stood and pushed past him, moving to put the physical barrier of the sofa between them. ‘I do love you!’ Her heart ached. ‘You’ve missed the entire point. Marriage to you hasn’t been some ultimate goal I’ve aspired to. I wouldn’t care less whether we were married, or whether we simply lived together for the rest of our days. It’s your love I’ve longed for, not your ring on my finger.’ She placed both her hands to her temples in a gesture of frustration. ‘I won’t marry you. You haven’t had a change of heart, you’ve merely had a change in strategy.’ She started turning away from him, wishing to leave the room before she had a complete, emotional breakdown.
‘If you marry me, I promise to honour our vows.’ He spoke rapidly, the entreaty in his voice arresting her movement. ‘I promise to make our marriage work. I —’
Jessica couldn’t stop the small, incredulous sound that escaped from her lips as she turned back to him. ‘You obviously haven’t attended many weddings or you’d know that promising to love each other is one of the vows you’re promising you’d honour.’
‘Trust me Jessica. This will all work out.’
‘I don’t see how.’ She watched him swallow and shift on his feet. She’d never seen him look less confident. ‘You said the board is meeting tomorrow?’
He nodded. ‘Eleven o’clock tomorrow morning. I’ve been asked to absent myself for the first part of the meeting and be available when called for.’
That sounded ominous.
‘Marriage is the best option.’ His words were a deep plea.
Jess had never felt so torn. Part of her wanted to accept his proposal — even though he wanted to marry her for all the wrong reasons. She knew that was the desperate part of her.
It had been a desperate Jess who’d married Jett and she needed no reminders of that failure.
She’d convinced herself she wasn’t the same person anymore. No more desperate Jess. For her own sake she had to be confident and settle for what she believed she deserved. She deserved to be loved.
Ricardo may want her, but he wasn’t telling her he loved her. The only reason she’d ever marry again was for love — love that was reciprocated.
Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind. Tiffany’s words rang in her head.
To be kind to herself, Jess had to walk away while she still could. As much as it was going to hurt her and she hated leaving Ricardo high and dry with his board, this had to finish here.
‘Go to the board.’ She waved her hands in front of her as she sought for her words. ‘Tell them I couldn’t handle the press attention about my mother. Tell them I wasn’t cut out to have a relationship that was constantly going to be in the media spotlight. Whatever. Please don’t tell them the truth, because I’ve really come to like the board members and their wives, and I don’t want them knowing we set out to deceive them.’
‘Jessica —’
‘I don’t really care what reason you invent, you can put all the blame on my shoulders, just tell them I’ve left you.’
‘No. You can’t leave!’
Tears pooled in her eyes. ‘Loving you the way I do, I simply can’t stay.’
‘Jess...’
Were his eyes damp as well? His Adam’s apple worked up and down.
‘I realised last night I couldn’t let you go.’ His voice was hoarse; each word pained. ‘You asked me after the race if I could see you in my future. I planned to tell you tonight that I see you clearly in my future. In fact, I can’t picture my future without you.’
‘Why?’
His eyes darted around and his hands moved expressively. She felt his discomfort as he told her, ‘You’re different.’
‘Different?’
He swore. ‘No. Not just different. You’re special, Jessica.’
Was that the best he could come up with? ‘I want you to love me, Ricardo. I’ve had a one-sided marriage before. I don’t want to marry without love.’
‘Take the chance and marry me.’ He spoke in fast agitation. ‘If you’re not happy, we could divorce once all this has blown over.’
Oh, dear God. He was serious.
Not knowing whether to laugh, cry or strangle him, Jessica was incredulous. ‘One minute you’re promising to make marriage work, the next you’re offering a temporary arrangement with divorce as a safety net?’
Ricardo threw his hands up in the air. A
dark line of red emphasised his high cheekbones. ‘I’m making a mess of this. I’m offering you whatever you want, Jessica. If you want marriage to work between us, I’ll be committed to seeing it does. If you’ll only marry me on a trial basis, I’ll agree to it. I want to give you whatever it is that’ll make you happy.’
‘But Ricardo, what do you really want?’ she asked softly, even though she dreaded his answer.
‘I want to protect you from any scandal and, more than anything, I want you to stay with me.’ His words were resolute.
Her throat was tight and scratchy but she forced herself to continue. ‘I want a normal marriage — one that’s based on love and entered into for life. I would only stay here and marry you if you loved me.’
‘Won’t my commitment do?’
‘No.’
She watched the slump of his shoulders as he turned and walked to a window.
Oh hell! She’d gambled and lost. ‘I’ll pack my things.’
His voice was distant when he finally spoke, his words slow. ‘Where will you go?’
The question made her throat close over.
This really was the end. He was prepared to let her go.
Tumultuous emotion caused her chest to prickle. Swallowing down on her pain, she forced herself to breathe. She couldn’t break down now. ‘I have friends. The world’s a big place. In a few days, this will be old news and I’ll be able to return to life as normal.’
Who was she kidding? Life would never be the same again for her. How could she function anywhere when she’d leave her heart behind in Barcelona?
‘Please stay.’
Her lip trembled. Everything in her wanted to stay. Walking away from him was going to be the hardest thing she’d ever had to do. ‘Goodbye, Ricardo.’
Chapter Nineteen
‘Señor Garcia, the board members would like to speak with you now.’
Ricardo registered his personal assistant’s words, but he remained still and silent. He’d come to the office today like it was any normal workday, but it wasn’t. The last couple of hours when he should’ve been working at his desk, he’d been staring out his office window feeling...nothing.
Jessica was gone.
Nothing else mattered.
He’d met the perfect woman and she’d left him because he hadn’t been able to tell her he loved her. When she’d said goodbye, numbness had worked its way from his heart through to his extremities. Part of him still couldn’t believe she’d gone through with it — that she’d thrown a couple of things into a bag, phoned a taxi and been gone less than twenty minutes later. Then again, he hadn’t given her a good enough reason to stay.
‘Señor Garcia?’
‘I’ll be along shortly.’
‘Yes, sir. I’ll let them know.’
For much of his life his sole aim had been to sit at this desk. Shortly, he might find out he’d lost his CEO position, but with insight that was blinding in its intensity, he realised the position he’d aspired to wasn’t the most important thing in life.
Why had it been his goal?
Love. The four letter word hit him like a fatal bullet right between the eyes. He’d known he’d been trying to gain his grandfather’s approval all his life, but he hadn’t acknowledged that he’d also been trying to gain his grandfather’s love.
When he’d never received it, he’d reaffirmed he was better off without it. He’d held onto his father’s words to reinforce the belief.
What a fool!
He’d clung to the hurt he’d known as a child and youth. He was a grown man now and he had to face the painful truth of his actions. Jessica had given him her love — handed him her heart — and he’d rejected the very thing he’d wanted all along!
Hope surged and swept his misery away. Jessica loved him. All she wanted was his love in return. The love she had for him wouldn’t have vanished overnight. He must go after her. They could start again and he’d make things right.
He jabbed his forefinger at the intercom button of his office phone. ‘Book a seat for me on the first available flight to London,’ he told his assistant. A commercial flight would probably be faster than having his pilot file flight plans and book a takeoff slot from Barcelona’s busy airport.
‘Señor Garcia.’ He heard disapproval in his assistant’s voice. ‘The board members are waiting.’
‘I’m coming.’
Whatever the board had decided, his position as CEO was no longer his first priority. Everything in his life would lose its colour if he didn’t have Jessica by his side. Resolutely, he left his office and made his way down the hall to the board room. He wanted this meeting over with as quickly as possible so he could be on his way.
As he neared the room, his footsteps faltered.
‘Thank you for allowing me to speak to you.’ The door was open and Jessica’s voice carried down the corridor from the boardroom.
Jessica was still in Barcelona! Elation lightened his heart even while he struggled with incomprehension. What was she doing addressing the board members?
‘Given the accusations made in the press by Señor Lorezzi, I’m sure you’re all wondering who and what to believe. I ask you to remember, gentlemen, that Señor Lorezzi is no friend to the Garcia Corporation.’
Ricardo stood absolutely still as he heard the murmurs of agreement from within the room.
‘The press stories about my mother were correct. She prostituted herself when my father left her alone and pregnant.’ She cleared her throat. ‘I am not my mother. I’m a well respected natural therapist. Señor Lorezzi seeks to taint me and Ricardo on the basis of what my mother did. Ask yourselves why he would wish to cast aspersions on Ricardo’s character.’
‘We’ve been considering these questions, Jessica.’ Ricardo recognised Manuel’s voice. ‘We’re outraged with Lorezzi’s slander of you and we seek to find a resolution to this untenable situation.’ There was a general buzz of agreement from the men. ‘As you’re here, there’s something you can tell us. Are Lorezzi’s claims correct? Is your relationship with Ricardo a sham to hide his affair with Carla Lorezzi, or is your love for each other as genuine as we have all perceived it to be?’
The question spurred Ricardo into motion. Jessica shouldn’t be the one faced with their question. He was the one who needed to respond.
Picking up his pace, he heard the tremor in her voice. ‘Let me assure you, I’ve never loved anyone the way I love Ricardo.’
Mierda! She didn’t have to tell them this. She wasn’t on trial. As he neared the opened doorway, he saw his uncle outside the room.
Raoul stood to block his pathway and warned quietly, ‘Stop, Ricardo! Let her speak!’
‘In truth I think I started loving him the very first night I met him.’ There was a pause before she declared, ‘What I feel for him is no ruse and Señor Lorezzi is way off base when he makes his malicious accusations that Ricardo has paid me like a high-class call girl.
Your CEO is a man of honour and integrity, a man who is dependable and who has great loyalty to this firm. I hope you all realise what it took for him to race in Monte Carlo for the good of this company. Garcia Corporation is very fortunate to have him as CEO and I advise you to think very carefully today before you summon him before you.
He’s a proud man and will dislike your doubts about his integrity. He’s told me he did not have an affair with Carla Lorezzi and I believe him.’ Her voice cracked and he imagined her steeling herself to continue. ‘The Garcia Corporation needs him as CEO and you’re all fools if you even contemplate dismissing him.’
Silence stretched and then someone in the room began to clap. That pair of hands was joined by another and then another. The scraping of chairs on the floorboards, indicated men were getting to their feet. It sounded to Ricardo like every member of the board had risen and clapped for Jessica.
‘Jessica is an amazing woman, Ricardo!’ Raoul told him.
He was stunned to see tears in his uncle’s eyes, until he
realised just how choked up he was himself. ‘You’re right. It’s time I told her just how much she means to me.’
‘Past time I would think, but wait just a little longer.’
‘Jessica.’ It was Manuel who spoke. ‘You have the spirit of a lioness protecting her mate. I speak for all of us when I tell you how happy we are Ricardo has you by his side. But, you’ve misinterpreted the reason for our meeting today. We know how very fortunate we are to have Ricardo as CEO and it was never our intention to dismiss him.
We knew his grandfather. Some of us went to school with his father, and all of us consider ourselves friends of his uncle. Even though Raoul has assumed the father-figure role in Ricardo’s life, we’ve all followed his growth keenly, and with varying degrees of paternal interest.
Perhaps we overstep the mark, but we’ve met today not in our capacity as board members, but out of our high regard for Ricardo. He’s a young man for whom we not only have a great deal of respect, but have also had the privilege to guide along the way from time to time.
We’ve been concerned he’s been faltering in his personal life — that he still carries some trauma from his past and that it may be preventing him from making a commitment to a young woman who is clearly a wonderful match for him.’
‘I’m not sure I understand.’
Ricardo heard the confusion in Jessica’s voice. He, too, was more than a little confused with what Manuel was working up to.
‘Your reputation has been besmirched by the letter Lorezzi sent to us and to the press. The Garcia Corporation can survive the negative publicity, especially with Ricardo as CEO. What we’ve been discussing is how to best protect you in all of this, for you, my dear, have impressed each of us.’ He chuckled. ‘Even had it not been the case, we would’ve been driven here today to find a way to combat the press stories by wives who are sitting at home worrying about you as though you were their daughter.’
Ricardo swallowed down again on the lump in his throat.
A Spanish Seduction Page 20