Return of the Italian Tycoon

by Jennifer Faye

  “You never said— Where is the meeting? At Nico’s villa?”

  “No. The meeting is in Halencia. It’s an island not far from here.”

  “Oh, how exciting. You must be nervous to be meeting a real prince and his bride.”

  “Me? What about you?”

  “What about me?”

  “You’re part of this team. You’ll be going, too. I hope you have something in your suitcase suitable for a royal meeting. If not, perhaps you can find an outfit or two in the village.”

  Kayla’s mouth gaped open and he couldn’t help but chuckle. She looked absolutely stunned. Surely she didn’t think that he’d put her to all of this work and then leave her behind. He was never one to take credit for another person’s work, and he wasn’t about to start now. Kayla deserved this honor.

  But he sensed something else was on her mind. He could see the subtle worry lines marring her beautiful complexion when she didn’t think he was looking. He had no doubt she was still smarting over his unilateral decision to scrap the chapel proposal. She had to accept that he knew what he was doing.

  Just then a cell phone vibrated, rattling against the tabletop. Not sure whose phone it was, Angelo headed for the table in time to witness Kayla grabbing her phone and turning it off without bothering to take the call. She’d been doing it a lot lately.

  He cleared his throat. “You know, just because I’m here doesn’t mean you can’t take a phone call from home now and then.”

  She shook her head. “It...it was nothing.”

  “Are you sure about that? I get the distinct feeling that the call was definitely something.”

  “I told you it’s nothing important.” Her voice rose with each syllable. “Why are you making such a big deal of it?”

  “I just thought it might be important.”

  Her gaze didn’t meet his. Her voice was heated and her words were rushed. “It’s nothing for you to worry about. Besides, we have work to do.”

  He’d never witnessed Kayla losing her composure—ever. What was wrong with her? And why wouldn’t she open up to him?

  “Kayla, if you need a break—”

  “I don’t.” She ran her fingers through her long red curls before twisting the strands around her fingertip. “Can we get back to work?”

  His jaw tightened. These heated exchanges reminded him of his parents, and not in a good way. Kayla had just reinforced his determination to remain single. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with a turbulent relationship.

  “Work sounds like a good idea.” He turned to his laptop. Before he could even type in his password, Kayla softly called out his name. In fact, her voice was so soft that he was sure he’d imagined it. He glanced over his shoulder to find her standing next to him.

  Her gaze was downcast and her fingers were laced together. “I’m sorry for snapping. I didn’t mean to grouch at you. I...I—”

  Before she could go any further, he uttered, “It’s okay. We’re both under a lot of pressure, working night and day to get this pitch perfected.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “Thanks for understanding. It won’t happen again.”

  He didn’t doubt that she meant it, but he was a realist and knew that blowups happened even in the best of relationships. So where did they go from here?

  When he didn’t immediately say anything, she added, “The phone call was a friend. I’ll deal with it later.”

  Not about to repeat their earlier argument, he let her comment slide. “Then let’s get back to work. We have the menu to work into the layout.”

  He didn’t miss the way she played with her hair—the telltale sign she was nervous. Oh, that call was definitely something important. All of his suspicions were now confirmed. So what could be so important that it had her jumping for the phone, and yet she refused to take the call in front of him? A boyfriend? But she’d already stated categorically that she didn’t have one, and he believed her.

  So what had her nervous and fidgeting with her hair? What didn’t she want him to know? And why was he more concerned about her blasted phone calls and mysterious ways than he was about this presentation that was quickly approaching?

  He really needed to get his head in this game or Monte Calanetti would lose the pitch before they even gave their presentation in Halencia. But with Kayla so close by it was difficult at times to remember that she was here to work and not to fulfill his growing fantasies.

  * * *

  Moonbeams danced upon the window sheers as Kayla leaned back in her chair. They’d been working on this pitch night and day, trying to make it beyond amazing. A yawn passed her lips. Not even coffee was helping her at this point.

  “You should call it a night.” Angelo stared at her over the top of his laptop. “I’ve got this.”

  Not about to let him think she wasn’t as dedicated to this project as he was, she said, “If you’re staying up, so am I.”

  He sent her an I-don’t-believe-you’re-so-stubborn look. “If you insist—”

  “I do.” She crossed her arms. Even that movement took a lot of effort.

  He arched a brow, but he didn’t argue. “How about we take a break? I’m starved.”

  “Sounds good to me, but I don’t think there’s any room service at this hour.”

  “Who needs room service? There’s still half of a pizza in the fridge.”

  “Oh. I forgot.”

  In no time, Angelo warmed them each a couple of slices in the microwave in their kitchenette. After handing her a plate, he moved to the couch. “Sorry, I can’t provide you anything else.”

  “This is plenty. It reminds me of my college days. Leftover pizza for breakfast was a common staple in the dorms.”

  Angelo leaned back, kicked off his loafers and propped his feet up on the coffee table. There was no longer any boss/employee awkwardness between them. Being closed up in a hotel suite, no matter how fancy, left no room for cool distances. In fact, they’d shared some passionate disagreements over the pitch, which only led them to better, outside-the-box ideas. But it was far too late for any passionate conversations—at least the professional ones.

  “I’m surprised your parents let you go to college.” Angelo’s voice roused her from her exhaustion-induced fantasy.

  “Why?”

  “Because they had your life planned out to be a wife, to be a mom and to take over the family business. Why spend the money and time on an advanced degree if you weren’t going to use it?”

  The fact that Angelo Amatucci, star of Madison Avenue, was truly interested in her life sent her heart fluttering. “It was hard for them to object when I won an academic scholarship. Plus, they knew I had my heart set on earning a degree. My guess is they thought I’d go, have fun with my friends for a few years and eventually realize my place was with them in Paradise.” Her gaze met his. “Didn’t your parents expect you to return to Italy after you graduated college?”

  He glanced away as he tossed his plate of half-eaten pizza onto the table. “My family is quite different from yours. Their expectations weren’t the same.”

  “I have a hard time believing that, after seeing how much your brother and sister miss you. Maybe you can slow down and fly here more often.”

  “I don’t know.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’d have to find someone to help with the special accounts—someone the clients would trust.”

  “Do you have anyone in mind?”

  His steady gaze met hers, making her stomach quiver. “I have an idea or two. And how about you? Is Amatucci & Associates just a stepping-stone for you? Do you have other plans for your future?”

  “I’m exactly where I want to be.”

  His gaze dipped to her lips and then back to her eyes. “That’s good to know. I want you here, too.” He glanced away. “I
mean at the company. You’ve become really important to me.” He cleared his throat. “To the company. You know, it’s really late. Let’s call it a night and pick up where we left off tomorrow. You know, with the pitch.”

  Kayla sat there quietly as her normally calm, composed boss tripped and fell over his words. She wanted to tell him to relax because she liked him, too—a lot. The words teetered on the tip of her tongue when he jumped to his feet and moved across the room to shut down his computer.

  Disappointment settled in her chest. Shouting her feelings across the room just didn’t seem right, nor did she have the guts to do it. And by the rigid line of his shoulders, he wasn’t ready to hear the words. She had to accept that the fleeting moment had passed—if it had truly been there at all.

  She tried to tell herself that it was for the best. Taking a risk on revealing her feelings to Angelo was putting all of her hopes and dreams on the line, but she wasn’t much of a gambler. She liked sure bets. At the moment, the odds were really good that she’d gain a promotion if they pulled off this royal pitch. And that’s what she needed to focus on—not on the way Angelo’s intense gaze could make her stomach do a series of somersaults.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  THIS COULDN’T BE HAPPENING.

  Two days before Angelo’s private jet was scheduled to sweep them off to the Mediterranean island of Halencia, Kayla received yet another phone call from Pam. However with Angelo hovering so close by and forever checking over her shoulder to see the progress she was making with their pitch, she couldn’t answer the call. No way. No how.

  Kayla sent the call to voice mail before returning to the email she was composing. But a thought had been nagging at her that perhaps after their talk Angelo might have changed his stance on the company doing some charity work. There were so many worthy causes out there that really could use the power of Amatucci & Associates to make a difference. And she wasn’t just thinking of her beloved after-school program.

  There were countless other organizations that were worthy of a helping hand. Perhaps it was worth a shot. What was the worst that could happen? He would tell her to drop the subject and get back to work? Because surely at this point he wouldn’t fire her, would he?

  “You’ve done a really good job with this pitch.” And she meant it. Angelo was very talented and creative. If he weren’t, he wouldn’t be at the top of his game. “It might be a nice idea if you’d considered implementing a charity program at the office. I know a lot of people would be willing to help—”

  “No.”

  Just a one-word answer? Really? Kayla tried to accept it as his final word, but she was having problems swallowing such a quick dismissal. Why did he have to be so close-minded? Was he that worried about his bottom line?

  She stared at him. How was it possible that the same man who had escorted her around the village and had shared some of his childhood memories with her could be opposed to helping charities? There had to be something more to his decision.

  Maybe if she understood, she could change his mind—make him see that charities needed his special kind of help. Not everyone was gifted in getting the word out in so many different capacities from tweeting to commercials and radio spots. Not to mention that Angelo had an army of contacts in Hollywood willing to help him when needed.

  “Why are you so opposed to the idea of helping out charity organizations?”

  “You just aren’t going to let this go, are you?”

  She shook her head. How could she be honest with him about what had her distracted when she knew that it would put her job in jeopardy? Maybe if she understood his reasons, it would bridge the divide. “Explain it to me.”

  He raked his fingers through his hair and pulled out a chair next to her. “When I came to the States, I was alone. I didn’t know anyone. And I’ll admit that it wasn’t easy and there were a few scary moments.”

  This certainly wasn’t the explanation that she was expecting, but she liked that he was opening up to her, little by little. “I can’t even imagine what that must have been like for you. I mean, I moved to New York City and I didn’t know a soul here, but I was only a car ride away from my family. You practically moved halfway around the world.”

  “I didn’t have a choice.” His lips pressed together into a firm line as though stopping what was about to come out of his mouth.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Nothing. It’s just that when I was in school, I got caught up in the football team and my dream of graduating college started to fade into the rearview mirror. Now granted, that isn’t the same as working for a charitable organization, but I learned a valuable lesson—if I wanted to be the best at whatever I decided to do, I had to commit myself 100 percent. I couldn’t let myself get distracted.”

  Was that happening to her with the fund-raiser? Was she spreading herself too thin? Was she trying to cover too many bases?

  She didn’t want to accept that she was setting herself up to fail. He had to be wrong. “Couldn’t you have done both in moderation?”

  “You’re not understanding me—I had to succeed—I had to be the best to get anywhere in New York City. Competition is fierce and if I failed, I couldn’t go home.”

  “Sure you could have—”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” His intense stare met hers, warning her not to delve further into that subject. “The point is that I know what happens when people become distracted for any reason—no matter how good the cause. They lose their focus. Their ambition dwindles. And that can’t happen to Amatucci & Associates. I hate to say it, but it’s a cutthroat business. If we lose our edge, the competitors will swoop in and steal away our clients.”

  Between the lines she read, if she lost her edge—if she didn’t give 100 percent—she’d lose her dream. She’d fail and return to Paradise with her tail between her legs. Her stomach twisted into a queasy knot.

  She clasped her hands together. Knowing all of this, there was no way she was about to confess to Angelo that she was spending every free moment handling a fund-raiser that seemed to hit one snag after the next. He’d think she wasn’t dedicated to her career—that couldn’t be further from the truth.

  She cleared the lump from the back of her throat. “And that’s why you compromise and write generous checks each year to the various organizations?”

  He nodded. “I didn’t say I wasn’t sympathetic. But the office policy stands. End of discussion.”

  She was more than happy to change subjects, and he’d touched upon one that she was most curious about. “And your parents—”

  “Are not part of this discussion.”

  They might not be, but that didn’t mean that she didn’t understand a whole lot more about them now. At last, the pieces of his family life started to fall into place. She had wondered why they weren’t at the villa to greet Angelo. Nor were they around to help their daughter cope with her unplanned pregnancy. There was definitely discord, and it must run quite deep if Angelo still wasn’t ready to broach the subject.

  Something told her that he’d closed himself off from that part of his life and focused on his business not so much because he was worried about losing focus, but rather because he found his business safe. It lacked the ability to wound him the way family could do with just a word or a look. That was why he was so cold and professional most of the time. It was his shield.

  That was no way to live. There was so much more in life to experience. And she desperately wanted to show him that...and so much more.

  But how was she to help him if he wasn’t willing to open up?

  * * *

  “Help! I don’t know what to do. Everything is ruined.”

  Kayla’s heart lurched at the sound of Pam’s panicked voice. She gripped the phone tightly and reminded herself that Pam tended to overreact. Things
with the ICL fund-raiser had been going pretty well. Ticket sales were still lagging but the radio spots were helping. What could be wrong now?

  “Pam, slow down.”

  “But we don’t have time.”

  “Take a deep breath. It can’t be as bad as you’re thinking.”

  “No, it could be worse.” Pam sniffled.

  Okay. What had happened this time? Did Pam lose another file on her computer? Or misplace the phone number for the manager of the headline band? Pam did blow things out of proportion.

  “Pam, pull yourself together and tell me what happened.” While Kayla hoped for the best, she steeled herself for a catastrophe.

  “They canceled.”

  Kayla sat up straight, knocking her empty water glass over. Surely she hadn’t heard correctly. “Who canceled?”

  “The band.” Pam started to cry again.

  Impossible. “The band quit?”

  “Yes! What are you going to do?” She hiccupped.

  “But they can’t just quit. We have an agreement—a contract.”

  “That...that’s what I said. They said there was a clause or some sort of thing in there that let them back out.”

  Kayla rubbed her forehead. This couldn’t be happening. What was she supposed to do about it all the way in Italy?

  “I...I just can’t do this anymore. Everyone is yelling at me.” The sniffles echoed across the Atlantic. “I can’t.”

  Oh, no. She couldn’t have Pam backing out on her, too. “Calm down.” Kayla’s hands grew clammy as she tightened her hold on the phone. “You can’t quit. The kids are counting on us. We can’t let them down.”

  “But what are you going to do? You have to fix this. I can’t.”

  Kayla wanted to yell that she didn’t know but that the whining wasn’t helping anyone. “I don’t know yet. What did the band say was the problem?”

  “They got a contract with some big band to be the opening act on a cross-country tour. They leave before the concert.”

  It’d certainly be hard to compete with a national tour. Most likely this was the band’s big break and Kayla’s heart sank, knowing that wild horses couldn’t hold them back. And to be honest, she couldn’t blame them. This was what they’d been working toward for so long now. But none of that helped her or the fund-raiser.