In Bed With the Boss: The Brazilian Boss’s Innocent MistressThe Billionaire Boss’s Innocent BrideThe Surgeon Boss’s Bride

by Sarah Morgan

  ‘She says that they are pleased you’ve come here so that they have the opportunity to show you what they’re doing.’ There was something in his tone that made her faintly uneasy but she’d had enough of word games to last her the entire visit so she simply nodded and smiled to indicate that she was equally pleased.

  They led her towards the trees, talking rapidly and waving their hands and she glanced towards Rafael for a translation, trying not to notice the way his still damp shirt clung to the width of his shoulders and the hard muscle of his torso.

  ‘What are they saying?’

  ‘They’re telling you that the coffee is grown in shade in the forest. In that way none of the forest is destroyed and the trees fix nitrogen in the soil which helps the coffee bushes grow.’ He broke off as Filomena spoke to them. ‘She says that keeping the trees prevents erosion and protects the coffee from the harsh weather. The natural sugars increase and enhance the flavour of the coffee.’

  ‘And the fallen leaves provide nutrients and help prevent moisture loss from the soil.’ Grace smiled and nodded. ‘Please tell them that I understand the benefits of shade-grown coffee. Every café has a wall devoted to telling that story. People enjoy their coffee knowing that they’re preserving a small part of the rainforest.’

  ‘A marketing goldmine, I’m sure.’ A flicker of contempt in his eyes, Rafael studied her for a moment and then turned and spoke quietly to the woman. She responded immediately with lots of hand-waving and glances towards her husband. Voices were raised and then the woman covered her mouth with her hand and shook her head, tears welling in her eyes.

  Deeply concerned, Grace stepped forward and then turned to Rafael for a translation. ‘What’s wrong? What are they saying? What’s going on here?’

  With a determined glance towards her husband, Filomena stepped forward. ‘Você toma um cafezinho?’

  Understanding that cafezinho was the word for coffee, Grace gave an enthusiastic nod before glancing at Rafael for confirmation. ‘She’s inviting me to sample the coffee?’

  ‘She’s offering you hospitality.’ The sunlight gleamed on his dark head and his mouth was set in a hard line. ‘In the circumstances it’s more than you deserve. Accept.’

  More than she deserved? ‘What circumstances? Why is she upset?’

  ‘They’d like to offer you their hospitality and in return they hope you will repay them with honesty.’ His eyes shimmered with barely contained anger. ‘The game is up, Miss Thacker.’

  Game? What game? But she didn’t have time to ask him to elaborate because he was accompanying Carlos and Filomena to the nearest house, leaving her to follow along the narrow path that traced the line of the river and then curved up a terraced slope towards the buildings that clustered against the dense, lush backdrop of the rainforest.

  Drained by her abortive attempts to interpret Rafael’s caustic comments, Grace glanced in surprise at the fruit trees, flowers and the wide variety of different plants. ‘It’s so beautiful. Do they grow other things as well as the coffee?’ If she’d hoped that her interest would endear her to him then she was instantly disappointed because his reply was brief and discouraging.

  ‘They grow a variety of crops. It’s a way of minimising pests and diseases.’

  ‘It must be hard for them, so much depending on their environment.’

  They’d reached the house and Rafael stood to one side and allowed her to follow the family through, his eyes reflecting his anger. ‘Not all the threats to their way of life come from the environment.’

  They sat down and Grace gratefully accepted the cup of coffee she was handed. She sipped slowly and gave a low moan of appreciation as the aroma and flavour teased her senses. It was strong and sweet. ‘It’s delicious. It tastes even better here than it does at home.’

  There was a long silence and then Filomena started to speak and there was such passion in her voice that her husband reached out and put a hand on her arm, as if trying to silence her.

  Grace put her coffee-cup down on the table, suddenly aware of the atmosphere in the room. ‘What’s the matter?’ She turned to Rafael. ‘What’s she saying?’

  His eyes held hers. ‘She wants to know why, if you like the coffee so much, you’re not prepared to pay a fair price for it.’

  Grace was silent for a moment as she digested his words. Was this what it was all about? He didn’t think she was paying enough for the coffee? ‘We pay a fair price. We sell organic, shade-grown coffee. It’s part of what makes our business special. The quality of the product.’

  ‘But quality costs, doesn’t it, Grace, and it’s hard to make a profit if you’re paying top dollar?’

  She frowned. ‘You’re suggesting that we don’t pay a fair price for our coffee, but we pay well above the market rate. You can check the numbers.’

  His gaze hardened. ‘I have checked the numbers. Why do you think I refused to extend the loan I made to your company?’

  ‘Because I hadn’t made you a profit. Because …’ she broke off as his words sank in. ‘Are you telling me that your decision not to extend the loan was based on the price we’re paying for the coffee? If that’s the case then you’ve made a mistake. I believe in paying a good price for quality goods.’

  ‘But to whom?’

  She stared at him. ‘I don’t understand what you’re saying.’

  ‘Over the past few years Café Brazil has gradually squeezed the price down until this fazenda can barely afford to operate. Without subsidy this farm would no longer be a viable business and as it is it can no longer sustain the needs of this whole family.’ His voice had an explosive edge. ‘They’ve reached the point where the children will have to move away to try and find work. On what you pay, Carlos can’t afford to feed his children and grandchildren. You’re looking at the consequences of your greed, minha paixao. Do you understand what I’m saying now?’

  Grace sat, frozen in stillness.

  Greed?

  As she looked at the lined, worried faces of the couple sitting in front of her, Grace’s heart started banging hard against her chest. She didn’t understand what she’d done wrong but it was obvious from the grim set of his features that he truly believed her guilty of a serious misdemeanour. And these people believed it too. ‘We pay a great deal for the coffee,’ she said hoarsely, stating one of the few things she knew to be fact. ‘It’s one of the reasons it’s taken us so long to see a profit from the business.’

  ‘Your company accounts would suggest otherwise.’ Rafael turned his attention back to Filomena, who was speaking again. ‘She says that they can no longer afford to sell to you at the price you pay. They are searching for an alternative buyer.’

  ‘No! She mustn’t do that. The coffee is really special, I know that and so do the customers. Wait a minute …’ Trying to think on her feet, Grace leaned forward and stretched her hand out to the woman in a gesture of conciliation. Then she let it fall back into her lap. The woman didn’t want conciliation, she wanted money and clearly she wasn’t receiving it. ‘Please tell her that there’s been some mistake. I don’t know all the facts yet but I will, I promise. I’ll look into it. I’ll find out what’s gone wrong. But don’t stop supplying us.’

  ‘You’ll look into it?’ His voice was loaded with sarcasm. ‘What is there to look into?’

  ‘You’ve seen the accounts. You know that we pay a great deal of money for the coffee.’ Her palms were sweating and she rubbed her hands over her trousers. ‘It’s one of the reasons that our overheads are so high.’

  ‘I’ve seen that you pay a great deal of money to the dealer who imports the coffee for you.’

  She stared at him. ‘You’re suggesting that our money isn’t getting through? That the dealer my father uses is overcharging? That he’s dishonest?’

  He gave a faint smile. ‘Oh, I don’t think the dealer is the only dishonest one here. The money you’re paying is grossly inflated. Far beyond the price of the coffee. I’m sure there are several benefic
iaries. Unfortunately, this fazenda isn’t one of them.’

  Her mouth was suddenly dry. ‘You think we have some sort of shady agreement with the importer? That he charges us too much and then we split the difference?’

  ‘It looks that way.’

  ‘You’re accusing me of fraud.’

  ‘That’s right.’ His tone was silky smooth and he seemed entirely unperturbed by her growing tension. ‘I am.’

  She stared at him, trying to get to grips with the enormity of his accusation. ‘And it doesn’t occur to you that there might be another explanation for the figures?’

  ‘Offer me one.’

  She bit her lip. ‘I can’t. Not yet. But I will.’

  ‘When you’ve had a chance to think one up?’

  ‘No. Not that.’ She rounded on him angrily, panic pricking her usually even temper. ‘When I’ve discovered what’s been happening.’

  ‘Perhaps you’re just incredibly fond of the dealer.’ His eyes dropped to her mouth and then to her breasts and his implication was obvious.

  His barely veiled reference to their steamy encounter in the forest brought the colour flooding into her cheeks but she didn’t respond. She opened her mouth to defend herself and then closed it again. What was the point? What was the point of telling him that she didn’t normally behave with such a complete lack of restraint? It would merely flatter his already overdeveloped ego and anyway, he wouldn’t believe her. And she could hardly blame him for that in the circumstances. Her response to him had been every bit as hot and uninhibited as his. ‘There’s obviously something going on, I agree. And I don’t blame you for thinking that I’m involved because all the evidence would suggest that I am. I need to make some calls.’ She muttered the words, almost talking to herself as she ran through her options. ‘I need some information.’

  ‘Don’t bother with the calls. Your business is finished but you needn’t worry. I’m sure you could make a reasonable living as an actress. You’re very convincing.’ Rafael stifled a yawn and rose to his feet. ‘We need to get back to the lodge before dark. And it gets dark very quickly in the rainforest.’

  She didn’t care about the dark and she didn’t care about the dangers lurking in the rainforest. Her demons were much closer and more real than that.

  Something had gone wrong with her business. If he was right, and she had no reason to doubt him, then someone had been fiddling the books to make money.

  But how could they have got away with that? And who was responsible?

  She intended to find an answer to both questions just as soon as she’d persuaded Rafael Cordeiro that she was innocent.

  But did it really matter what he thought of her?

  What really mattered more than anything was that these people, these gentle, hospitable people, thought her guilty.

  And perhaps, in a way, she was guilty, she thought miserably as she sifted through the sparse facts at her disposal.

  True, she hadn’t taken the money but it was her business, her accounts, and she hadn’t noticed that anything was amiss.

  Racked with contrition for the fact that they’d suffered because of her, she tried to work out what she could do to make amends. Impulsively she dropped to her knees and took Filomena’s hand in hers.

  ‘I will find out what’s happened and I will repay the money we owe to you. Your family will not suffer,’ she promised, her voice shaking with emotion. She turned her head and spoke to Rafael, her voice fierce. ‘Translate for me.’

  His eyes were cold. ‘I don’t believe in giving false hope.’

  ‘Translate for me!’ The emotion in her voice clearly had some effect because he studied her for a long moment and then gave a faint shrug and said something in Portuguese to the woman.

  Filomena hesitated and then put a hand on Grace’s shoulder and nodded.

  ‘There we are,’ Rafael’s voice held a sharp edge, ‘you’ve convinced her that you’re as innocent as the dawn. Happy now? Is that your motto? Why let someone down once if you can let them down twice?’

  Still racked by self-reproach, she stood up, her fingers biting into her palms. ‘No. I’m not at all happy. I’m not happy that they’ve been hurt and that they’re struggling because of me. And I’m not happy that someone is using my business for personal gain. This is my life you’re talking about. Café Brazil means something to me. We were helping people. Helping people who were struggling.’ And she knew all about how it felt to struggle.

  ‘I’m sure you were.’ His faint smile was derisory. ‘You’re just a saint, Grace Thacker. A saint in high heels.’

  Her mouth tightened. ‘Obviously there’s something going on and, in the circumstances, I can’t blame you for thinking that I’m involved. But I’m not. And you obviously have no idea how upset I am.’ What an enormous blow it was. Everything she’d built was collapsing around her and she had none of the answers. How? How?

  For a moment she felt old familiar feelings of helplessness roll over her and she just wanted to curl up into a ball and hide from her life.

  And then she looked at Filomena’s craggy, anxious features and heard the children playing outside, shrieking and laughing, with no idea that their future was in jeopardy. She couldn’t curl into a ball and there was no hiding.

  People were relying on her.

  She lifted her chin and looked him in the eye. ‘I find your assumption that I had something to do with this really offensive.’

  ‘I find fraud offensive, particularly when the victims are innocent Brazilians.’

  She took a deep breath. ‘Given what you’ve told me, you have a perfect right to be angry and I understand now why you refused to extend the loan on the business.’

  ‘Good. Then we won’t need to waste any more of each other’s time.’

  ‘Don’t say that.’ She reached out and put a hand on his arm, the message in her eyes suggesting that this was the most important thing that had ever happened to her. ‘If you pull the loan on my business then I can’t put this right. I can’t fix things. And I want to.’

  His gaze was blisteringly unsympathetic. ‘I’m sure you do. It can’t be easy to see such a large part of your income about to vanish in smoke.’

  ‘I don’t care about my income. This isn’t about my money. Why can’t you believe that? If something has happened then it’s happened without my knowledge.’

  The expression in his eyes was as hard as the tone of his voice. ‘You’re a director of the company and you have access to the company accounts. It would be impossible for you not to know.’

  Grace stared at him in mounting horror as something occurred to her. Would it be impossible?

  No, it wouldn’t be impossible. It wouldn’t be impossible at all.

  Suddenly the pieces started to slot together like a jigsaw and the black, murky picture that began to emerge sickened her. Things that Rafael Cordeiro had said since she’d arrived came back to her, things that she hadn’t understood at the time. I don’t know how you can sleep at night.

  It could have happened.

  And now she knew how it could have happened. She knew how, but not who.

  Horrified and more than a little panicked, Grace was suddenly tempted to blurt out the truth but the grim set of his mouth prevented her from speaking. It was too late for the truth. You didn’t have to be a genius with people to see that he’d already tried her and found her guilty. She could see the anger, raw and elemental, flickering deep in his eyes and suddenly she bitterly regretted not being honest at the beginning.

  She should have told his business team all about her limitations from the start. She should have been open and honest. But if she’d told them, they never would have invested. Rafael Cordeiro would have written her off, the way everyone did.

  Everyone, including her father.

  And she was so used to covering up—so used to finding her own way round her problem—that she’d kept it a secret.

  And she still couldn’t quite believe what was facing
her. Unwilling to accept what he was saying, she searched for alternative explanations and came up with nothing.

  She swayed slightly and then felt strong male hands on her arms as Rafael forced her back into her seat.

  ‘Sit down,’ he said roughly, ‘and try to get a grip. If you commit fraud you take your chances and deserve to be found out. These people are entirely innocent and your actions have brought them close to ruin.’

  Grace licked dry lips, desperately trying to think straight. ‘We buy our coffee from a company and we pay generously. Obviously they’re not passing that on to the producer. They must be doing something with the money. They must be splitting it with someone in my company.’

  Rafael gave a contemptuous smile. ‘And I wonder who that could be? The owner, perhaps?’

  She shook her head, too shocked and numb to muster a spirited defence. ‘No. Not me.’ But who?

  What she really needed to do was go back through the company accounts in minute detail, but how could she do that?

  Whom could she trust?

  She almost laughed at the irony of the situation.

  It was ironic that the one man who had the skills to help her was watching her with grim distaste. How much greater would his disapproval be when he knew the truth about her? To clear her name she had to tell him everything about herself and yet even as the thought entered her head, she dismissed it.

  She’d never made excuses for herself and she didn’t intend to start now. And anyway, the fact that she wasn’t directly to blame didn’t absolve her of responsibility.

  Café Brazil was her business.

  She’d been too trusting—and that misplaced trust had had disastrous consequences.

  No, she couldn’t ask Rafael Cordeiro for help any more than she could blame him for not agreeing to extend the loan. It was over. She’d go home, back to England, and somehow discover the answers she needed. And then she’d look somewhere else for the finance she needed to pull her company out of trouble.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  THE walk back through the rainforest to Forest Lodge was charged with tension, the atmosphere between them snapped taut after the outpouring of emotion at the fazenda.