‘I should arrange a meeting for you with him.’
This was too easy. She was telling him all he needed to know in order to finally achieve his goals, even offering to arrange a meeting with Dario. ‘I’d appreciate that.’
She stood up and looked down at him, and again he marvelled how the layers of her defences seemed to be coming away, almost before his eyes. How long would it be before he saw the real Bianca again?
He watched as she walked away to her room. He’d wanted to call her back, to pull her into his arms and tell her she didn’t have to be alone tonight when they finally returned to New York, that he would keep her safe, but he stopped himself just in time. She’d never be safe from him.
* * *
Just one more charade to get through and that would be the hardest one. She had to convince her grandfather that what she and Liev were doing was real, that they did love one another. Under no circumstances did she want him worrying about her when he was so ill.
‘This will mean a lot to my grandfather,’ she said quickly, her mask of indifference returning, even if only briefly. With her hand still in Liev’s, she made her way to the large lounge the family always entertained guests in.
‘I don’t want my grandfather tired. He is not well. All I want is to make his last days as happy and worry free as possible.’
She felt Liev glance at her as they walked but she didn’t dare look at him. If she did and saw sympathy in his eyes, she might dissolve into a heap of tears right here.
‘I will do my best not to upset him, although meeting your granddaughter’s fiancé can’t be easy.’
Bianca tried to remain calm and composed. She didn’t want her grandfather to see even a tiny hint that things weren’t right. He never said much, but he always noticed everything. She could see him sitting in his favourite chair, watching them. Did they create a picture of happiness? From the look on his face, she thought they might be achieving that at least.
Liev greeted her grandfather with a firm handshake, regardless of the fact that he wasn’t able to stand up and greet him properly. They sat together and she was aware of her grandfather’s scrutiny as they made polite conversation about the weather and the house.
‘You must make Bianca very happy.’ She blushed as he launched into the protective parent mode, straight to the point as always.
‘I hope so.’ Liev’s hand tightened around hers as he answered.
‘She has never brought a man home before. I’m not even aware that she has dated before.’
‘Grandfather,’ Bianca scolded him. Liev didn’t need to know such details, especially now, after he’d rejected her because of that innocence.
‘I’m just doing my job, Bianca.’ His words were as firm as an elderly man’s could be, but there was humour in his eyes. Whatever the test was, Liev had passed it.
She stood up, knowing they were tiring him. ‘We’ll leave you to rest now.’
He had nodded at her, obviously more exhausted than he was letting her know. Liev took her hand and they walked towards the double doors of the lounge.
‘Bianca.’
She turned as he called her name, her heart filling with love for the man who had raised her and protected her as best he could—and still was, if the past half an hour was anything to go by.
‘Any news on the bracelet?’
Inwardly she deflated. That was the worst thing he could have asked. Why hadn’t he done that when she’d gone to see him? Beside her she felt Liev stiffen and his fingers tightened on her hand.
‘Not yet, but I’m hopeful that it won’t be long.’
* * *
Liev felt Bianca become rigid at his side, felt her hand loosen its grip in his as if she wanted to escape, but he held hers tighter, keeping her right where he wanted her, right where he could find out exactly what was going on.
I’m hopeful that it won’t be long. Those had been her exact words.
He forced down the bile which rose in his throat. He’d wrung himself out with guilt at taking her virginity, felt lower than he’d ever felt in his life for using her so appallingly when she’d talked of her growing affection, telling him that their pasts meant nothing. Then she’d told him of her prom night, adding to that guilt. All that must have been part of her game plan.
She’d been desperate to get her hands on the bracelet, to give it to her grandfather. She’d bartered something as precious as her virginity. Would she now throw herself at him again, as their time together drew to a close, just to ensure she got the piece?
Disgust rushed over him, hotly followed by annoyance. He’d believed her declarations of growing affection, believed that maybe, if it wasn’t for his need to wipe out ICE, they could be lovers. She knew more about him now than many of his friends did. But obviously, he didn’t know enough about her.
‘We should change for dinner.’ Her voice was light, but he heard the guilt lacing through it.
He wanted to tell her dinner wasn’t a good idea and that he would be going straight back to his apartment in New York. But that first reaction gave way to a gut instinct which urged caution. If she could use him so shamelessly, he shouldn’t have any remorse or guilt about finding out about Dario’s new product—or using that information. He knew it was a phone, one that would revolutionise the market, but he had to know much more. Leaking half the story and expecting the share prices to fall enough for him to make a takeover was business suicide.
Despite what he thought of Bianca right now and the way she’d sold herself to him, he had to keep that connection going between them and, above all, put aside anything he’d begun to feel for her and remember his promise as he’d stood at his parents’ graveside over twenty years ago.
‘Maybe we can sort out our differences over dinner?’ He lowered his voice, keeping it smooth, effectively offering an olive branch to her.
She stopped and looked up at him, hope lingering in her eyes. ‘Yes, perhaps we can.’
He nodded in approval. ‘Are we still changing for dinner?’
‘I think it would be best. Grandfather would approve—if he does join us, that is.’ There was a hint of anxiety in her voice and he suppressed the urge to offer comfort.
After he’d changed for dinner, he sat on the balcony, watching the sun set over an estate that made him seethe with anger for what his parents could have had if ICE hadn’t been so mercenary. Dario Di Sione had pointedly ignored the fact that the company he now owned was only so lucrative because of the businesses it had wiped out. Liev’s father had built his up from nothing, creating an inheritance for his only son, but had been duped by the cunning and underhand deal offered by ICE. Driven by the need to put the past right, Liev had rebuilt it from nothing using his knowledge, intuition and, above all, the need to survive, making it bigger and better. His father would be proud.
‘Ready?’ Bianca asked, dragging him back from the darkness of his black thoughts.
She looked beautiful, even more vulnerable and innocent if that was possible. How could he have fallen for her soft words, her assurances that all that mattered had been that night in his villa?
‘You look lovely.’ He spoke the truth but hoped to pick up the gauntlet where she’d thrown it and lull her into a false sense of security with loving words and gestures. This time he would be well and truly in charge.
‘I don’t think Grandfather will be joining us, so I hope you don’t mind standing on ceremony just to have dinner with me.’
‘It will be a pleasure to dine one last time with my fiancée.’
‘Last time?’ She frowned, looking far more worried than she probably was. ‘So you are happy that we have achieved all that was needed?’
‘Yes. I strongly suspect that the exclusive on the island will more than clinch that deal.’ He kept his voice free of the emotion raging through him. Everything was becoming too mixed up, getting too close to something real, exposing too many vulnerabilities, and he didn’t like it one bit.
‘And
the bracelet?’
Did she now regret using her virginity to secure the bracelet? He smiled, fighting hard against the urge to tell her to forget the damn bracelet, but somehow he managed to hold it all together. ‘I will have the bracelet delivered as soon as I am convinced the acceptance I wanted has been achieved.’
‘Thank goodness,’ she said as they left their suite and entered the large family dining room, the table looking odd set only for two. ‘I’m going to be so busy with Dario’s launch I won’t have time to parade our engagement.’
He pulled out her chair and the temptation to place his hands on her shoulders, to kiss the back of her neck, almost made him miss the inadvertent opening she’d just presented.
* * *
Bianca closed her eyes and held her breath as Liev lingered briefly behind her chair. She could almost feel his hands on her shoulders and his lips against her skin. Her heart rate accelerated wildly and memories of just how good his kisses were heated her body.
What had they been talking about? The phone and its launch, yes. ‘It is set to take over the market. There’s nothing else out there that can do as much from just one handset. Business will be revolutionised with it.’
As she spoke, he walked around the table to take his place opposite her, and as he came into her line of vision, she remembered who she was talking to. He might be the man she’d fallen in love with, but he was also her brother’s competitor.
‘You must be very proud of your brother.’ His dark eyes fixed her to the spot, sending a sizzle of desire spiralling through her. How could she still be feeling such attraction to him, when it was obvious that once they arrived back in New York their engagement would be over?
‘I am, yes. He’s worked hard and deserves this success.’
Liev raised his glass to her. ‘To success—for all of us.’
She had the strangest sensation that there was another meaning hidden deep in that innocent toast and had been about to ask him what he meant when the housekeeper, Alma, discreetly entered the dining room with a message from her grandfather’s nurse.
‘Is Grandfather all right?’ Bianca asked, alarmed.
‘He is, but has asked to be excused this evening. He’s very tired.’
‘Of course. That’s fine. I will slip in and say goodbye before I leave.’ She lowered her gaze to the table, worried about her grandfather. He was getting frailer each time she saw him and his disappointment at not yet having the bracelet had been painfully clear. He must have thought her visit was not primarily to introduce Liev, but to reunite him with one of his much-talked-of Lost Mistresses. Sadly, she hadn’t yet achieved that. She vowed that next time she visited would be different.
She turned her attention back to Liev. ‘Would you mind if we left as soon as possible?’
She wanted to see her grandfather before it got too late, reassure him that next time she came home she would have with her the bracelet. And she would. Whatever she had to do, she would have it for him.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
BIANCA HAD NEVER been more pleased to see the weekend. Although it was Saturday, she’d still had to work. All week she’d forced herself to concentrate on Dario’s launch, now just one week away, and not think at all about the man she’d fallen in love with. She tried to put aside her grandfather’s words of advice as she’d slipped into his dimly lit room to say goodbye. What he’d seen between her and Liev was just what he had needed to see and very different from the reality. But he must have sensed something because he’d warned her about denying herself love.
With a frustrated sigh, she dragged her mind back to the present and as far away from Liev Dragunov as possible. She was just a week away from the launch and should be focused and alert, but she wasn’t. If it wasn’t the worry of her grandfather and still not being able to give him the bracelet filling her mind, it was that one night with Liev, in his arms as if nothing else had mattered, that haunted her. He took over her mind during the day and infused her dreams at night.
That one night was such a contrast to what had happened since they’d returned from the photoshoot exclusive. He’d dropped her off at her apartment after honouring his word of visiting her family home and meeting her grandfather as planned. The car journey from her Long Island family home had been tense, and each time she’d looked at him, he’d been stern, anger in every move he made, every word he’d said. He’d coolly bid her goodbye, as if they hadn’t shared even a kiss before, and as the week had progressed, his silence had lengthened and she’d begun to wonder what had gone so wrong. And worse—if she would ever get the bracelet.
He hadn’t even contacted her when their engagement exclusive hit the news stands. That photo of him about to kiss her as she’d looked adoringly into his eyes was just about everywhere she went. She thought the saying was that the camera never lied, but it did. They looked so in love, so blissfully happy in that photo, but the reality was so far removed from that loving image it made her feel sick.
She paced her apartment, replaying every word, every touch, and each time the humiliation increased. What kind of fool was she? No longer able to stay inside, she grabbed her purse and left. A walk in the sunshine would help, as would being among the families and couples who would be enjoying Central Park on a sunny Saturday afternoon. When she came back she would be more composed and would send Liev an email request for the bracelet. She didn’t think she could talk to him on the phone and much less face-to-face.
As the elevator doors swished open, her heart thudded to an abrupt stop, her breath caught in her throat, and all she could do was stand and stare. Standing there in all his magnificence was the man she’d unwittingly given her heart to. How should she greet him? What should she say to the man who’d woken the woman within her, then virtually abandoned her?
‘We need to talk.’ His tone was stern, his expression hard, and a lump of dread filled her throat.
‘Is the feature not to your liking?’ She hurled her tart words at him as she moved past him and into the lobby, vaguely aware of the doorman’s curious glance, the first person to witness discord between New York’s latest celebrity lovers. That discord would pave the way for their eventual separation.
Before he could reply, she pushed open the door and walked onto the bustle of the street, hailing a taxi. If he wanted to talk to her, he’d just have to come with her. As if he’d read her mind, he was beside her in the taxi before she could say anything. She glared at him, not sure whether to be angry or pleased he’d followed her.
‘Central Park. Seventy-second Street.’ She had no intention of asking Liev where he’d like to go. She was going to do what she’d planned—a walk to Bethesda Fountain, where she could find some shade to relax in and try to stop thinking about last weekend, the way it had changed her life and how nothing could ever be the same again. At least that had been her original plan.
The taxi moved through the afternoon traffic and the silence stretched between her and Liev, as it had done all week, but she wasn’t going to be the one to break it. She wasn’t going to be needy and ask him why he hadn’t called her. She was only his fake fiancée, after all. What rights did she have? If you were his fake fiancée, you should never have gone to bed with him. The mocking voice in her mind intensified as her anger increased. She’d been such a fool. It was worse than her prom night because she’d wanted it to happen, wanted to be his, even for one night. She’d been swept away by the passion of being whisked off from everyday life to an idyllic island setting. Had that been his intention all along?
As soon as the taxi pulled over, Liev got out, settling the fare before she had a chance. She stepped out into the sunshine; her earlier bravado, brought on by the shock of seeing him standing there when the elevator doors opened, vanished.
‘Shall we walk?’ He gestured to the wide path which led into the park, and the self-assured expression on his face was almost too much.
‘It’s what I came here for.’ She didn’t wait to see if he was following
, but moments later she knew he’d fallen into step beside her; even if she hadn’t glanced at him, she would have known. The tingle which shimmied down her spine told her he was close. It also warned her that her body hadn’t forgotten his yet.
‘The engagement feature has done all it was expected to—and more.’ He dropped the words between her, but she stopped, not able to concentrate on walking and thinking of that photo. The one where she’d looked so happy, so in love. Had he noticed that too?
‘So my job is done?’ She looked up at him, his expression serious as she studied his face, looking for any hint that he felt something for her. He looked down into her eyes, the grey of his stone-like. Was that what he’d come here to say? That her job was done and their fake engagement was now over?
She didn’t want to hear that. She didn’t know if she could say goodbye to the man she loved, but she was far too proud to tell him or even hint at deeper feelings. She thought again of the love letter, of those words written in beautiful flowing handwriting, from one lover to another. It was all she’d ever wanted—to be loved like that.
As Liev’s expression hardened, she knew that would never be possible. Everything about him was cold and severe. His challenging stance as they stood in the sunshine of the afternoon, the sounds of the park all around them, told her all she needed to know. He didn’t want her for anything other than forging his way into society. Now that had been achieved, she was surplus to requirements.
‘It is, yes.’ His lips set in a firm line and she could see his jaw clenching. Whatever had come to life between them on the island was now gone. If she was honest with herself, she’d accepted it had died the minute a new day had dawned.
* * *
Liev watched Bianca nod as they stood there, couples and families moving around them, seemingly oblivious to the tension which stretched almost to breaking point between them. She barely had any make-up on. Her hair, normally sleekly styled, was loose around her face. She looked so vulnerable, so emotionally exposed, it stabbed at him, plunging into his conscience and his heart. He’d done this to her; he was responsible for breaking her, for taking a fiery and passionate woman and destroying her.
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