“I want you, Laura,” he murmured against her skin when he finally pulled away. “And I will have you. If not this instant, then soon. Tonight.”
She shoved her hands against his hard chest, his deliciously muscular, taut body beneath the tight cotton tank top…Maybe it hadn’t been so much a shove as a caress. Angry at herself, she stepped back from him, her cheeks hot. With more confidence than she felt, she said, “Not going to happen.”
“We’ll see.” His voice held a smug masculine tone.
“Our deal had nothing to do with sex.”
“Correct.”
“I don’t have to sleep with you.”
He had the temerity to give her a sensual, heavy-lidded glance. “And yet you will.”
“Ooh!” Clenching her hands into fists, she gave a little stomp of her heel and went back into the penthouse. She found her son still playing on the spotless floor in the kitchen as Maria washed the dishes.
Gathering her baby in her arms, Laura took Robby into the living room and sat down in a new rocking chair by the wide windows overlooking the city. When Gabriel followed her, she glared at him, daring him to interrupt her time with her child. With a sardonic uplift of his brow, he just turned away, disappearing down the hall.
For long moments, Laura held her baby. She fed him, rocking him to sleep, and suddenly felt like crying.
She couldn’t let Gabriel seduce her. She could not. No matter how much her body craved his touch. No matter how her heart yearned.
Because her heart yearned for a lie. Gabriel would never change. Getting close to him would only break her heart—again. Break her heart, and possibly risk custody of her son. If she fell into bed with Gabriel, if she gave him her body, she feared she would also give up the secret that had tormented her for over a year.
She looked down at the sweet six-month-old baby slumbering in her arms. Gently, she rose to her feet and carried him down the hall to her darkened bedroom and set him in his crib. She stared down at Robby for a moment, listening to his steady, even breathing. Then she stiffened when a shadow fell from the open doorway.
“Time to go,” Gabriel said behind her.
Straightening her tight dress over her hips, she walked out of the bedroom and closed the door. She glared at him, then glanced behind her. “I hate to leave him.”
“Your son will be fine. Maria will be looking after him. And anyway—” he lifted a dark eyebrow “—this one night’s work will allow you to give him a comfortable life.”
She took a deep breath. “You’re right. A million dollars is worth it.” She lifted her chin. “It’s even worth spending a night with you.”
His lips curved into a sensual smile. “The whole night.”
“Not going to happen.”
“We’ll see.” He turned without touching her, and after bidding farewell to Maria, they took the elevator downstairs. Carlos had the Ferrari waiting in the alley behind the building, engine running.
“Obrigado,” Gabriel said to him in passing, then held open the door for Laura. “If you please.”
She tottered into the low-slung Ferrari, feeling squeezed like a sausage by the tight black dress and half expecting to bust a seam. Gabriel climbed in beside her and the red sports car roared away from the curb.
As he drove through the crowded streets, Laura stared out in amazement through the window. Rio de Janeiro always lost its mind and found its wildest heart during Carnaval, and this year that was more true than ever. Music wafted through the air, horns and drums to accompany people singing. Impromptu parades marched through the streets, and even those not on carnival floats from the prestigious samba schools often wore costumes that sparkled with sequins—and barely covered enough to be decent. Everyone became sexier, more daring versions of their regular selves. Laura took a deep breath. Even her.
“I’m taking you to Zeytuna,” Gabriel said as he drove. “From there we’ll go directly to Oliveira’s pool party.”
“Zeytuna?” She’d heard of the large, exclusive boutique, but had never shopped there. She licked her lips and tried to joke, “They sell magic bikinis, right?”
As he changed gears in the Ferrari, he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “Yes.”
Yes. Just yes. No encouragement. No reassurance. Laura tried not to think of her looming bikini face-off with Adriana da Costa and the sheer humiliation that was sure to follow. She bit her lip and changed the subject. “So what is our story?”
“Story?”
“When did we fall in love? So I’ll know when people ask.”
He considered. “We had an affair last year,” he said finally. “You quit your job and left me when I wouldn’t commit.”
“Believable.”
He glanced at her. “But I missed you. I’ve been secretly pursuing you for months—video chats, flowers, sending you jewelry and love letters and so forth.”
“Sounds nice,” she said, looking away.
“You invited me to your sister’s wedding, and we fell into each other’s arms. You surrendered to my charm and agreed to be mine at last.”
“A true Valentine’s Day fantasy.” Her lips twisted as she looked back at him. “And Robby?”
Gabriel blinked, then his hands tightened on the steering wheel as he stared at the road. “Ah, yes. Robby.”
“Everyone knows you would never date a woman with a child.”
“Yes.” He set his jaw. Then, relaxing, he shrugged. “It will only add to the credibility of the story. It makes you unique. I wanted you so desperately, I was even willing to overlook your baby.”
“Overlook Robby? Thank you,” she said, folding her arms as she glared out the window. “Thank you so much.”
“I do not appreciate your sarcasm.”
She looked at him. “I don’t appreciate you saying you’ll overlook my baby—like you’re doing me some big favor!”
He set his jaw. “And I do not appreciate the fact that there is a baby living in my house.”
“Because you must never be inconvenienced,” she said mockingly. “The great Gabriel Santos must never have even a hint of family domesticity in his selfish bachelor’s penthouse!”
Silence fell over the Ferrari.
“You love your son,” Gabriel said. It sounded like a question.
Pushing up her glasses, she glared at him. “Of course I love him. What kind of question it that?”
Gabriel’s black eyes burned through her. “So how could you allow yourself to get pregnant without also giving him a father? You always told me you wanted marriage, Laura. A home near your family. A career that would allow you time to raise your children. How could you toss all that aside for the sake of a one-night stand?”
She swallowed, blinking back tears. Yes, how could she?
His eyes turned back to the road. “You quit without notice last year,” he said coldly. “That was inconvenient.”
She stiffened. “Inconvenient to replace me in your office—or your bed?”
His lips tightened. “Both.”
“So difficult, and yet you didn’t bother to even try to talk me out of it.”
They stopped at a red light. He turned on her, his eyes glinting with fury. “I let you go, Laura. For your own good, so you could have the life you wanted. But instead of following your dreams, you threw it all away. You made my sacrifice worthless. How could you? How could you be so careless?”
“It was an accident!”
“I told you.” His eyes were hard. “There are no accidents. Only mistakes.”
“And I told you, my baby is not a mistake!” “Are you saying you got pregnant on purpose?” Her mouth went dry.
He waited, then the light turned green. His lip twisted as he turned back to the road. “Every child deserves to be born into a stable home with two parents. I’m disappointed in you, Laura. You should have been careful.”
Laura stiffened. “Careful like who? Like you?”
“Yes.”
She longed to have
the satisfaction of wiping that scornful, judgmental look off his face. She wondered what he would say if she told him that he was the father.
But she knew the satisfaction would be short-lived. If he knew Robby was his child, he might feel duty-bound to take responsibility for a child he couldn’t love, and be pinned down to a domestic life he’d never wanted. And he would hate not just Laura for that, he’d hate Robby, as well.
She had to keep the secret. Had to. Leaning back against the black leather seat, she pressed her lips shut. Just a few more hours, she told herself desperately. Tomorrow she and Robby would be on the plane back home, a million dollars richer.
“I thought family meant everything to you.”
She opened her eyes, blinking back tears. “It does.”
“I thought you were better than that.”
“Don’t you think I want a father for Robby? Don’t you think I want to give him the same loving family I had?”
“So why didn’t you?” Gabriel took a deep breath and said in a low voice, “Badly done, Laura.”
She started to deliver a sharp retort; then stopped when she saw the stark expression on his face.
“Why are you like this?” she said. “Why do you care so much?”
“I don’t,” he said coldly.
“You do. You’ve always acted like you despise the idea of matrimony and commitment and children—all of it. But you don’t,” she said softly. “You care.”
Gabriel pulled the Ferrari to an abrupt halt. He didn’t look at her. “We’re here.”
Blinking in surprise, she saw they’d arrived at the enormous, exclusive Zeytuna boutique in the Leblon district. Her door opened, and she saw a young, smiling valet in a red jacket. Gabriel handed him keys, then held out his hand to her.
“Come,” he said coldly. “We haven’t much time.”
Reluctantly, Laura placed her hand in his, and felt the same shock of sensation, the brush of his warm skin and strong grip of his fingers around hers.
“Are you cold?”
“No,” she said.
“You’re shivering.”
She ripped her hand away. “I’m just afraid we will fail. That I will fail.” “You won’t.”
She looked down at her tight black dress, seeing her big hips and oversize breasts and a belly that was far from flat. She thought again of competing against Adriana da Costa in a bikini, and shuddered. “I don’t see how.”
Gabriel’s sensual lips curved up into a smile. “Trust me.”
He folded her hand over his bare forearm as if she were a medieval French princess and he was her honored chevalier. He looked down at her with eyes of love, and even as she told herself that he was only practicing, this time the shiver was not in her body, but her heart.
Pretending to love him was too easy. She was playing with fire.
Just a few hours more, she told herself desperately. Then she’d never see him again. Her family would never need to worry about replacing parts on the tractor or losing their home after a bad harvest. They’d never need to panic when a glut on the market suddenly lowered prices of wheat to nothing. Her family would be safe. Her baby would be safe.
Her baby.
Laura swallowed. This was the first time she’d left Robby with a babysitter since he was born. It felt strange to be away from him. Strange, and dangerous to feel this young and free, with Gabriel beside her. He smiled down at her, and for an instant she was lost in his eyes, so dark and deep against his tanned skin.
It would be so easy to love him when he treated her like this. Even after she went home, she knew she would always remember his low, husky voice saying, “I want you, Laura, more than any woman. I’ve always wanted you.” She would feel the heat of his body against hers when he’d seized her on the terrace and kissed her. She had new memories to add to the time they’d first made love, when he’d pushed her back against his desk, sweeping everything aside in his reckless, savage need. When their sweaty, naked bodies had clung together, their limbs intertwined in explosive passion.
Now, Laura’s legs trembled as Gabriel drew her toward the two tall brass doors held wide by doormen.
“Boa tarde, Senhor Santos,” the first doorman said, beaming.
“Good to see you again, Mr. Santos,” the second doorman said in accented English.
Once they were inside the foyer, Laura looked up in amazement at a center courtyard two stories high, with a dome of colored Tiffany glass on the ceiling. But if the glamorous architecture was straight out of the nineteenth century, the boutique’s clothes were as cutting-edge as anything she’d find on Fifth Avenue.
A bevy of pretty shopgirls rushed to wait upon Gabriel. “Allow me to help you, senhor!”
“No, me!” a second one cried.
“Senhor, I have something wonderful to show you!”
Laura scowled. She could just imagine what the eager girls wanted to show Gabriel. Turning, she glared at him. “How often do you come here?”
He snorted, hiding a grin. “Once or twice a month.”
“Lingerie for all your one-night stands?” “Suits for work. I’m known to tip well.”
Laura looked at the fawning shopgirls, who were all staring at him with undisguised glee. “I bet.”
“Sorry, girls,” he said. “We already have an appointment.”
“Mr. Santos,” an older woman said in English behind them. “Welcome.” She stepped forward with assurance, her red suit a perfect match to her short, sleekly coiffed gray hair. “I am ready to be of assistance.”
“This is Mrs. Tavares,” Gabriel told Laura. His hand tightened around hers as he turned back to the other woman. “And this is the girl I told you about. Laura
Parker.”
“Certainly, sir.” Mrs. Tavares came closer. Gabriel stepped back, and Laura found herself standing alone, bereft of his strength, beneath the older woman’s scrutiny. She examined a long tendril of Laura’s mousy brown hair, then nodded. “Very fine material to work with, sir.”
“Dress her for the beach.”
“Which beach?”
“A pool party at a luxurious mansion on the Costa do Sul. It will be attended by famous beauties and rich men. Make her shine above the rest.”
Still staring at Laura, the older woman stroked her chin thoughtfully. “How obvious do you wish her beauty to be?”
“Completely,” he said.
“It will require help from a salon.”
“As you wish.”
The woman pulled the black-rimmed glasses off Laura’s face.
“Hey!” Laura protested. “And an optometrist.”
Gabriel smiled. “I leave her in your hands.”
Laura’s cheeks were hot. The perfectly coiffed, elegant woman continued to walk around her, looking her up and down in the tight black dress, as if she were a handyman and Laura were a sad, decrepit old house in need of a complete remodel.
“This isn’t going to work,” Laura said, fidgeting uncomfortably. “I think you should go to the pool party without me. I’ll just go to the Fantasy Ball later.”
“You go to the Fantasia tonight?” Mrs. Tavares gasped. “The Baile de Gala?”
“Yes, and she needs a ball gown,” Gabriel said. “Casual clothes as well. But she must be ready for the party in two hours.”
Mrs. Tavares froze. “So little time?”
“Desculpa.”
The woman tilted her head, considering Laura. “It will not be cheap. Or easy.”
“Cost does not matter. Just results. Satisfy my requirements and you’ll be generously rewarded.”
The older woman’s expression didn’t change, but Laura saw her sudden stillness. Looking at Gabriel, she gave a slow, respectful nod. “It will be done, senhor, as you wish.”
“My driver will pick her up in two hours.”
With a clap of her hands, Mrs. Tavares turned and started barking out orders to the young shopgirls in Portuguese. With a second clap of her hands she scattered them.
> “Tchau,” Gabriel said to Laura, kissing her on both cheeks before he turned away.
He was abandoning her to face the sharks alone? Laura gasped, “You can’t leave!”
“Missing me already?”
“Hardly!” she retorted witheringly, even as she looked around her nervously.
“You’re in good hands,” Gabriel said. “Carlos will bring you to Oliveira’s mansion. I have business to attend to, unfortunately. But I’ll be waiting for you at the party.”
“But what if…what if you’re disappointed? What if my makeover is a failure? What if—”
Gabriel leaned forward to whisper in her ear, “Have fun.”
Fun? Laura glared at him, her heart in her throat. What kind of fun would it be to look like a fool, to be nearly naked in front of Rio’s notoriously body-conscious crowd, to be compared to Adriana da Costa in a bikini? She shook her head desperately and said for about the millionth time, “This isn’t going to work!”
He gave her an annoyingly confident smile. “You’re going to love this.”
“You will not be disappointed, Mr. Santos,” the older woman said, gently pulling Laura back into her clutches. Laura was suddenly aware that there were twenty salesgirls hovering around her, while all the other customers were being chased out of this expensive, exclusive store.
The two-story luxury boutique had just closed—for her.
“No,” she whispered, feeling scared that she would let Gabriel down. “You’re wrong about me. I’ll never be a beauty.”
“You are the one who is wrong.” Gabriel’s eyebrows lowered fiercely as he looked down at her, his dark black eyes glittering. “Today, the whole world will see how beautiful you really are.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
OLIVEIRA’S party was in full swing when Gabriel arrived.
Security was tight for this event, one of the most coveted private parties of the Carnaval season. Not for tourists or international celebrities, this was for well-connected Cariocas, the richest local tycoons and their glamorous mistresses and wives.
Gabriel was grimly sure he’d gotten this invitation only so that Felipe Oliveira could taunt him in public that he’d decided to sell Açoazul SA to someone else.
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