At the Ruthless Billionaire's Command

by Carole Mortimer

  As the days, weeks and then months had passed, and Gregorio de la Cruz’s chilling promise that they would talk again hadn’t come to fruition, Lia had mostly been able to put the man out of her mind. Just as well, because she only had enough mental energy to concentrate on the things that needed her immediate attention. Such as packing up the house, with Cathy and Rick’s help, and finding herself an apartment and a job.

  But she had successfully done all those things now—including securing a job as a receptionist in one of London’s leading hotels.

  Having no wish to start answering awkward questions from a prospective employer or, even worse, become the recipient of sympathetic glances that just made her want to sit down and cry, Lia had applied for several jobs under the name Faulkner—her mother’s maiden name.

  Nevertheless, she had no doubt it was her years of being the Amelia Fairbanks that had given her the necessary poise to secure her job. The manager of the hotel had obviously liked her appearance and manner enough to give her a one-day trial. He had admitted afterwards to being impressed with her warmth and the unflappable manner with which she’d dealt with some of their more difficult clientele.

  The poor man had no idea she was usually on the other side of the reception desk, booking in to similar exclusive hotels all over the world.

  So—new apartment, new job.

  Cathy was right: she was going to be just fine.

  But not if one of her new neighbours was going to ring her doorbell at nine o’clock at night, when she was soaking in a much-needed bath after having pushed herself to empty half a dozen of the boxes once she’d eaten a slice of toast.

  It had to be one of her new neighbours, because Lia hadn’t sent out new address cards to any of her friends yet. It was the next job she had to do—once she had unpacked completely and arranged her furniture ready for receiving visitors.

  Not that she expected there to be too many of those. Amazing how many people she had thought were friends had turned out not to be so once she was no longer Amelia Fairbanks, daughter of wealthy businessman Jacob Fairbanks. Even David had broken their engagement.

  But she refused to think about her ex-fiancé now!

  Or ever again after the way David had deserted her when she’d needed him most.

  Going to answer the door wrapped only in a bath towel was far from the ideal way to meet any of her new neighbours, but it would look even worse if Lia didn’t bother to answer the door at all. It must be obvious she was in from the amount of noise she’d been making unpacking boxes and moving furniture around.

  Impatient neighbours, Lia decided as the doorbell rang again before she’d even had chance to wrap the towel around herself.

  She might be new to living in an apartment, but she knew at least to look through the peephole in the door before opening it. Except she couldn’t see anyone in the hallway—which meant they had to be standing out of view. Well, there was always the safety chain to prevent anyone from coming in if she didn’t want them to. And she didn’t want them to. She was nowhere near ready—or dressed!—to receive visitors.

  The reason her visitor had been standing out of the view of the peephole became obvious the moment Lia opened the door and saw Gregorio de la Cruz standing in the hallway!

  ‘I do not think so.’ He placed his handmade Italian black leather shoe in the six-inch gap left by the door chain, effectively preventing Lia from slamming the door in his face.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ Lia demanded, her hands gripping the door so tightly her knuckles showed white as she stared at the tall Spaniard.

  He was once again dressed in one of those dark bespoke tailored suits, with a pristine white shirt and a perfectly knotted dark grey silk tie. Along with that slightly tousled hair, he looked like a catwalk model.

  ‘You seem to have asked me questions similar to that several times now,’ he answered evenly. ‘Perhaps in future it might be wise of you to anticipate seeing me where and when you least expect to do so.’

  Lia didn’t want to ‘anticipate’ seeing this man anywhere. Least of all outside the door to her apartment. An apartment he shouldn’t even know about when she had only moved in today.

  Except he was the powerful Gregorio de la Cruz, and he could do just about anything he wanted to do. Including, it seemed, finding out the address of Amelia Fairbanks’s new apartment.

  ‘Go to hell!’ She attempted to close to door. Something that wasn’t going to happen with that expensive leather shoe preventing her from doing so.

  ‘What are you wearing? Or rather, not wearing...?’

  Gregorio found himself totally distracted by the view he could see of Amelia’s bare shoulders, where tiny droplets of water dampened her ivory skin, and what appeared to be a knee-length towel wrapped around the rest of her body. Her hair was loosely secured at her crown, with several loose tendrils curling against the slenderness of her nape.

  ‘None of your damned business!’ There was a flush to her cheeks. ‘Go away, Mr de la Cruz, before I call the police and ask them to forcibly remove you.’

  He arched a dark brow. ‘For what reason?’

  ‘Stalking. Harassment. Don’t worry, I’ll think of something suitable by the time they get here,’ she threatened.

  ‘I am not worried,’ he assured her calmly. ‘I merely wish to speak with you.’

  ‘You have nothing to say that I want to hear.’ She glared at him, her eyes a deep metallic grey, the black rings wide about the irises.

  ‘You cannot possibly know that.’

  ‘Oh, but I do.’

  Gregorio was not known for his patience, but he had waited for two long and tedious months before seeking out this woman again. Two months during which he had hoped her emotions would not be quite so volatile. Obviously time had not lessened her resentment towards him. Or the blame she felt he deserved for her father’s death at the age of only fifty-nine.

  To say he had been shocked by Jacob Fairbanks’s demise would be an understatement. Although it must have been a strain for the man—and his company—to have been under close scrutiny of the FSA financial regulators. They were still investigating, and all of Jacob Fairbanks’s assets would remain frozen until their investigation was complete.

  Gregorio had no doubt that it had been the withdrawal of De la Cruz Industries’ offer to buy Fairbanks’s company that had caused the FSA’s investigation. But he would not be held responsible for the bad business decisions that had brought Jacob Fairbanks to the brink of bankruptcy. Or the man’s fatal heart attack.

  Except, it seemed, by Amelia Fairbanks...

  ‘No bodyguards this evening?’ she taunted. ‘My, aren’t you feeling brave? Facing a five-feet-two-inches-tall woman all on your own!’

  Gregorio’s mouth tightened at the jibe. ‘Silvio and Raphael are waiting outside in the car.’

  ‘Of course they are,’ she scorned. ‘Do you carry a panic button you can press, if necessary, and they’ll come running?’

  ‘You are being childish, Miss Fairbanks.’

  ‘No, what I’m being is someone attempting to get rid of an unwanted visitor.’ Her eyes flashed. ‘Now, take your damned foot out of my doorway!’

  His jaw tightened. ‘We need to talk, Amelia.’

  ‘No, we really don’t. And Amelia was my grandmother,’ she dismissed. ‘My name is Lia. Not that I’m giving you permission to use it. Only my friends are allowed that privilege,’ she added with a sneer.

  Gregorio knew he was most certainly not one of those. And nor did ‘Lia’ intend for him ever to become one.

  It was unfortunate for her that Gregorio felt differently on the subject. He didn’t only want to be Lia’s friend, he had every intention of becoming her lover.

  When his parents had died twelve years ago they had left their sons only a rundown vineyard in Spain. As the eldest of the three brothers, Gregorio had made it his priority to rebuild and expand, and now he and his brothers owned a vineyard to be proud of, as well as other busi
nesses worldwide. He had done those things by single-mindedly knowing what he wanted and ensuring that he acquired it.

  He had wanted Lia from the moment he’d first set eyes on her. He would not give up until he had her.

  He almost smiled—but only almost—at the thought of her reaction if he were to state here and now that that was his intention. No, he knew to keep that to himself. For now.

  ‘Nevertheless, the two of us need to talk. If you would care to open the door and put some clothes on...?’

  ‘There are two things wrong with that demand.’

  ‘It was a request—not a demand.’

  She raised auburn brows. ‘Coming from you, it was a demand. I don’t care to open the door, or go and put some clothes on. And nor,’ she continued when he would have spoken, ‘as I’ve already said, do you have anything to say that I want to hear. Because of you my father is dead.’ Tears glistened in those smoky grey eyes. ‘Just leave, Mr de la Cruz, and take your guilty conscience with you.’

  Gregorio’s jaw clenched. ‘I do not have a guilty conscience.’

  ‘Silly me—of course you don’t.’ She eyed him scornfully. ‘Men like you ruin people’s lives every day, so what does it matter if a man had a heart attack and died because of you?’

  ‘You are being melodramatic.’

  ‘I’m stating the facts.’

  ‘Men like me?’ he queried softly.

  ‘Rich and ruthless tyrants who trample over everyone and everything that gets in your way.’

  ‘I was not always rich.’

  ‘But you were always ruthless—still are!’

  For the sake of his brothers and his own future, yes, he had become so. Had needed to be in a business world that would have eaten him up and spat him out again if not for that ruthlessness. But ruthless was the last thing he wanted to be where Lia was concerned.

  He shook his head. ‘You are not only being overly dramatic, but you are also totally incorrect in your accusations. In regard to your father or anyone else. As you would know if you would allow me to come in and talk to you.’

  ‘Not going to happen.’ She gave a firm shake of her head.

  ‘I disagree.’

  ‘Then be prepared to take the consequences.’

  ‘Meaning?’ Gregorio’s lids narrowed.

  ‘Meaning I’m being extremely restrained right now, but if you persist in this harassment I promise you I will take the appropriate legal steps to ensure you are made to stay away from me.’

  He raised his brows. ‘What legal steps?’

  ‘A restraining order.’

  Gregorio had never experienced this much frustrated anger with another person’s stubbornness before. He was Gregorio de la Cruz, and for the past twelve years no one had dared to oppose him. Lia not only did so, but seemed to take delight in it.

  He had never felt so much like strangling a woman and kissing her at the same time, either. ‘Would you not have to engage the services of another lawyer in order to be able to do that?’ he retaliated.

  Colour blazed in her cheeks at his obvious reference to the fact that David Richardson was no longer her family lawyer or her fiancé.

  ‘Bastard!’

  Gregorio had regretted the taunt as soon as it had left his lips. At the same time as he couldn’t take it back when he only spoke the truth. David Richardson had left this woman’s life so fast after her father’s death and Fairbanks Industries being put under investigation, Gregorio wouldn’t be surprised if the other man hadn’t suffered whiplash.

  He took his wallet from the breast pocket of his jacket before removing a card from inside. ‘This has my private cell phone number on it.’ He held out the white gold-embossed business card to her. ‘Call me when you are ready to hear what I have to say.’

  Lia stared at the card as if it were a viper about to strike her. ‘That would be never.’

  ‘Take the card, Lia.’

  ‘No.’

  The Spaniard’s jaw clenched as evidence of his frustration with her lack of co-operation. She doubted many people stood up to this arrogant man. He was far too accustomed to telling people what to do rather than asking.

  Lia had acted as her father’s hostess for years, so she had met high-powered, driven men like him before. Well...perhaps not quite like Gregorio de la Cruz, because he took arrogance to a whole new level. But she had met other men who believed no one should ever say no to them. Probably because no one ever had.

  She had no problem whatsoever in saying no to Gregorio.

  Lia didn’t remember her mother, because she had died in a car crash when Lia had still been a baby. But for all Lia’s life her father had been a constant—always there, always willing to listen and spend time with her. Their bond had been strong because of it. When her father had died Lia hadn’t just lost her only parent but her best friend and confidante.

  ‘I’m asking you to leave one last time, Mr de la Cruz.’ She spoke flatly, sudden grief rolling over her, as heavy as it was exhausting.

  Gregorio frowned at the way Lia’s face had suddenly paled. ‘Do you have anyone to take care of you?’

  She blinked in an effort to ward off her exhaustion. Which in no way stopped her from continuing to fight him verbally. ‘If I tell you that I’m alone are you going to offer to come in and make hot chocolate for me? Like my father did whenever I was worried or upset?’

  ‘If that is what you wish.’ He gave an abrupt inclination of his head.

  ‘What I wish for I can’t have,’ she said dully.

  Gregorio didn’t need her to say that her wish was to have her father returned to her, because he could already see the truth of that in the devastation of her expression: the shadowed grey eyes, those pale cheeks, her lips trembling as she held back the tears.

  ‘Is there anyone I can call to come and sit with you?’

  ‘Such as...?’

  Not her ex-fiancé, certainly. David Richardson could not have truly loved Lia, otherwise he would have remained at her side and helped her to weather the storm that had followed her father’s death. Instead he had distanced himself from any scandal that might ensue once the investigation into Jacob Fairbanks’s finances was complete.

  Gregorio had no such qualms. He had no interest in the outcome of that investigation, nor in what other people might or might not choose to say about Lia or himself. His private life was most definitely off limits. He might not be in love with Lia but he certainly wanted her, and he would be pursuing that desire.

  Lia appeared to be swaying now, and there was not a tinge of colour left in her face. She looked so fragile that a puff of wind might knock her off her bare feet.

  What had she been doing when he’d arrived? She was obviously naked beneath the towel wrapped about her, but she claimed she was alone so she obviously wasn’t entertaining a lover. The obvious explanation was that Lia had been taking a shower or a bath in order to wash away the dust of having moved in to her apartment today.

  The loosely secured hair and the droplets of water that had now dried on the bareness of her shoulders would certainly seem to indicate as much.

  ‘Take off the safety catch and let me in, Lia,’ Gregorio instructed in his most dominating voice. It was a voice that defied anyone to disobey him.

  She attempted a shake of her head, but even that looked as if it was too much effort. Her head seemed too heavy to be supported by the slenderness of her neck.

  ‘I’m not sure I can,’ she admitted weakly.

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘I... My fingers don’t seem to be working.’

  Gregorio stepped up close against the partially open door. ‘Move your right hand slowly, then slide the catch along until it releases.’ He held his breath as he waited to see if she would do as he asked.

  ‘I don’t want to.’

  ‘But you will,’ he encouraged firmly.

  ‘I... It’s... You...’

  ‘Move your hand, Lia. That’s it,’ he encouraged gruffly as she hesitant
ly moved her hand towards the safety chain. ‘Now, slide the lock along. Yes, just like that,’ he approved softly. ‘A little more—yes.’

  Gregorio breathed softly as the safety chain fell free and he was able to push the door open. Not quickly or forcefully, but just enough to allow him to enter the apartment.

  To be alone with Lia at last.

  CHAPTER TWO

  THE APARTMENT LOOKED to be in absolute chaos to Gregorio’s gaze. There were boxes everywhere, and furniture stacked haphazardly in the tiny sitting room. The kitchen looked as if there had been an explosion of cooking utensils in its midst, and not a single surface was visible beneath pots and pans and cutlery.

  Gregorio had never seen this side of moving to a new home before. The vineyard in Spain had belonged to his family for years, and the three de la Cruz brothers had grown up there. The rambling ranch-style house was full of family heirlooms as well as memories. And he had hired an interior designer to decorate and furnish the apartments he had acquired in New York and Hong Kong, as well as his houses in Paris and the Bahamas.

  No wonder Lia was exhausted.

  Lia managed to rouse herself slightly as she heard the finality of the closing of the door to her apartment. She wasn’t completely sure how, but Gregorio de la Cruz was now standing inside her apartment, rather than outside in the hallway.

  She remembered now... She had opened the door and let him in. Not because she’d wanted to but because she had felt compelled to. His voice, deep and mesmerising, had ordered her to unlatch the safety chain, and because she had been consumed by that black exhaustion she had done as he’d instructed.

  He seemed taller and larger than ever in the confines of her untidy apartment. Taller, darker, and just plain dangerous. Like a huge jungle cat preparing to pounce on its unsuspecting prey.

  The almost-black hair was in that tousled style again, and his face was set in harsh lines. His shoulders looked huge beneath the tailored suit, his chest defined and muscular, waist slender, hips and thighs powerfully muscular.