She pulled herself back to the present. ‘How are your ambitions relevant to me?’
‘My brief involvement with this woman has brought major problems,’ he explained. ‘It’s damaging because the newspaper reports are suggesting an adulterous affair, and that isn’t something the board members would tolerate.’
‘Don’t expect any sympathy from me,’ she told him tightly. ‘I agree with the board.’
He ignored the judgemental statement, but his eyes smouldered with fury. ‘The tabloid story may also damage the reputation of the charity I’ve set up in Spain to help underprivileged children. That organisation, and the work it does, is very important to me.’
Jess regarded him more closely, impressed that he’d used his fame to establish a charitable organisation. ‘I can understand why you find yourself with a problem,’ she agreed. ‘Perhaps you should distance yourself from both organisations?’
‘Why,’ he vented through gritted teeth, ‘should I do that when I’ve been falsely implicated and slandered through someone’s lies?’
His words had been soft but may as well have been screamed. The rigidity of his shoulders signalled that he was barely repressing an outraged eruption at her suggestion.
He went on tightly, ‘I hold the sanctity of marriage vows very seriously. I‘ve never been involved with a married woman. I’ve also never cheated on any woman I’ve dated.’
So, the self-confessed playboy had some moral standards.
‘Then you have to tell everyone exactly what this woman did to you.’
His mouth twisted. ‘Even if the board members believed me, there’s still a problem.’ He stared at his glass for a moment before he said, ‘The financial hardship across Europe has impacted badly on the whole luxury car industry. My uncle borrowed heavily to finance the development of a new sports car. The project encountered several engineering problems. Although I’ve discussed the designs with the engineers, and believe we’ve found the solution, we require a little more time to make adjustments and launch the vehicle.’
‘Look, I really —’
‘The company is heavily in debt to a private bank.’ He looked straight at her. ‘The woman I’ve been photographed with is the new, young wife of the man who owns the bank.’
‘Oh dear. You are in a tangled mess. It’s unfortunate this has happened just when you want to fix your image and be elected into the top job.’ Did he deserve her sympathy? But as she wondered, another thought struck her. ‘Hang on! You weren’t deliberately set up, were you?’
His eyes flared with a warm light of admiration. ‘You’re a very astute woman.’ One index finger tapped against the rim of his glass. ‘I suspect a set up but can’t prove anything. If I become CEO I will rebuild the company and the debt will be repaid quickly. That would not be in the banker’s best interest. I’ve also learned he has shares in a rival motor company. It would be to his advantage on multiple levels for the Garcia Corporation to become insolvent.’
‘Oh my gosh!’ She let out a low whistle and started to empathise with him. ‘I’m not so naive as to think things like this can’t happen, but it still amazes me what lengths people will go to in pursuit of wealth.’
Angry energy still emanated from him in palpable waves. ‘When the photograph was published, the board convened. The banker sent an email to all board members demanding an apology and my immediate resignation. The members confronted me about the allegation. I denied it and asserted the newspaper was wrong. I was convinced there must just be a similarity between the banker’s wife and the woman I’d just started seeing. I told the board members the woman in the photo was not Carla Lorezzi. I swore I was involved with Jessica Harris, a remedial massage therapist from London.’
One hand flew up to her chest as shock pervaded every cell. ‘Oh hell, no!’
‘Of course I denied the press report and cited your name. I believed the press were mistaken! In order to prove it to myself, I went straight to the internet and googled an image of Carla Lorezzi — the woman I was reportedly involved with. It was then I discovered the papers were right.’
Jessica cursed.
‘I confronted Carla.’
‘And?’ She was hanging on his words now, anxious to see how this story unfolded.
‘She denied it was a set up. She claimed she’d been neglected by her husband and fancied she’d have an affair with me.’ The disgust etched into his features as he bit out every word of condemnation swayed Jessica to feel compassion for him because she genuinely believed he’d been duped.
‘Carla must tell the truth. She has to go public and admit she lied to you and gave you a false identity. That’s the only way to clear your name with your board of directors and with her husband. It will also ensure the press pack don’t hound me.’
‘I demanded she tell her husband and make a statement to the press.’ He looked away for a second and she thought he was trying to contain his outrage. ‘She refused. She’s told me she’s denying the entire story and advised me to do the same.’ He gave a harsh laugh. ‘She declares she loves her husband and won’t do anything to put her marriage in peril.’
‘That’s disgraceful!’ Jessica was angered on his behalf. ‘A pity she didn’t realise how much she supposedly loved her husband before she decided she was prepared to have an affair with you.’ Rage welled inside her. She might have only met Ricardo, but she had definite ideas about living by a moral code and she did feel badly for his predicament. ‘To lie is bad enough. To hurt someone’s reputation in the process of doing so is even worse, and in my book infidelity is simply unforgivable. It’s imperative she tell the truth.’
He leaned forward as he said, ‘She won’t, and after my initial demand I realised that to do so would embarrass her husband and possibly impact negatively upon my corporation. But, there is another way out of this mess.’
Jessica wracked her brain trying to think how he would smooth the way with the members of his board.
‘The photo was taken from a distance. It’s quite grainy and an expert has assured me the quality will not improve even if it’s blown up. A contact at the newspaper has sworn this photo was the best of all they had.’
‘So, there’s no absolute proof it’s this Carla woman, it could be anyone. It’s your word against the newspaper and the husband. If Carla is denying it as well, this should all go away.’
‘But there would still be the question over the identity of the woman in the photo. Fortunately, you and Carla are both roughly the same height and both of you have dark hair.’
The way he regarded her made her uneasy. Somehow, she’d become so caught up in his story she’d forgotten he’d come to her and told her he had a business proposition. Adrenaline surged through her as she began to put the pieces of the jigsaw together. She had a dreadful flash of insight that she knew what his proposition would entail. Her voice was almost a scratchy whisper as she asked, ‘What do you want of me, Mr Garcia?’
His skin seemed tight over his jaw and cheekbones. ‘I need Jessica Harris — the real Jessica Harris. I need to introduce you to the board and have you pretend to be my lover until all this blows over and I’m made CEO.’
Panic, disbelief and denial combined to create a hot prickling of nerves which crawled across her chest. ‘No.’ The word was barely audible. ‘That’s quite impossible.’
‘It’s my only option.’ His hands moved emphatically. ‘I swore you were the woman I was seeing. Nobody will believe Carla stole your identity. Even if they do, it exposes me as a fool to have been set up so convincingly.’
‘That’s not true. You said you met her just a week ago. Are you supposed to investigate every woman you get involved with?’
‘Allowing myself to be deceived isn’t going to inspire the board’s faith in me.’ A muscle ticked in his cheek. ‘Remember, I swore to the board in good faith that I was involved with Jessica Harris, a massage therapist from London, because I thought it was the truth. Now, I need to have you by my side.�
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Jessica shifted awkwardly on her seat and threw up her hands in sheer helplessness. ‘The whole idea is crazy.’
The more she protested the more she felt the determination radiate from him.
‘As of now you owe only half the debt your husband accumulated before he died. Agree to do this and we’ll sign another contract. All the debt currently in your name will be paid off. You’ll never be troubled again by the guy who attacked you tonight.’
They were tempting words. To have Jett’s debt paid off would be the answer to all her prayers — the end to having to work day and night in two jobs. But, she couldn’t carry out the deception Ricardo planned.
Another thought hit her — a truth that hurt as surely as a bullet piercing her chest. ‘There’s no way people would believe you’d take someone like me as your lover.’
His eyes bored into hers and it was an interminably long time before he responded. ‘You’re referring to your appearance?’
Unable to find her voice, she merely nodded.
‘Looking as you do now? No.’ His confirmation of her objection was unhesitating.
Despite the impervious barrier she thought she’d built around her heart, his words pierced it. Yet, even in her anguish, flames lit her skin as she looked up and saw his critical gaze travel over her.
His hand moved dismissively. ‘You’ll consult with someone who’ll help you improve your appearance and make the most of your better features.’
Jessica drew herself up straighter in the chair, determined to be resilient in the face of his assertion. ‘You have a direct line to a Fairy Godmother with a magic wand?’
‘Better than that, I have an open cheque book. How else do you think I’ve hired investigators and obtained information so quickly? Money makes things happen.’
Her pent-up breath released in a rush. The man didn’t even realise how insulting his words were. Okay, maybe it would take limitless money to make her look half decent, but it was the height of rudeness and insensitivity to point it out to her.
‘I’m under no illusions about my looks, Mr Garcia, nor will I use the obviously vast sums of your money it would take to have a decent makeover. I have no wish to look any different than I do now.’
Liar! Her inner voice taunted. You’re afraid to take a chance and end up being disappointed with the result.
She’d seen a counsellor when it became obvious her marriage wasn’t working. Her appearance was one area the counsellor had tried to touch on and one of the areas Jessica had refused to discuss.
‘You’ll thank me once a consultant has been allowed to transform you.’
She held her head high. ‘I realise you probably move in exalted circles with all the fashionable people in the world. I’m unsuitable for the role you’re suggesting.’
‘I —’
‘My appearance doesn’t make me any less worthy than others.’
The harsh tone of the Spanish words he uttered, and the fury in his expression, made her believe he was cursing profanely. Despite being fairly fluent in Spanish, she’d never come across those words before!
‘Why the hell would you want to continue looking so drab?’ he demanded in English.
Her lips parted, surprised at the vehemence of his attack. ‘You’re so insensitive! You’re trying to get me to do something you want and yet you insult me at every turn. Not exactly what I’d recommend to win friends and influence people!’
‘You disagree with my assessment?’
She expelled a breath of sheer incredulity. ‘No. I don’t. I think you’re rude to point it out when clearly I was born this way.’
‘Bullshit! You were born with the most incredible eyes I’ve ever seen and yet you hide them behind those ugly glasses. Why would you do that? Who the hell gave you such a complex about your appearance?’ he demanded.
A bitter laugh escaped through her dry throat. ‘Let’s not go there, or we’ll be here all night.’
The list was endless. It had started in the playground and been reinforced by her mother who’d told her not to try to make anything of her looks.
It had continued all through school and she hadn’t even been able to get a date for her school formal. Then, at the event, she was excited beyond belief when the coolest, best looking boy in the year had asked her to dance. He was the boy she’d mooned over and been infatuated with for years.
She’d taken his hand, thrilling to his touch and almost hyperventilating, but he hadn’t started dancing with her. He’d led her to a spot and told her to wait right there and he’d be back. She’d waited for a few minutes, not realising she stood directly under a bucket of sour milk. Almost the entire student group was in on the ‘joke’.
The ‘cool’ boy had called out across the room, ‘Hey Jessica, just grab the blue streamer, would you?’
Of course she’d done it. She would’ve done a handstand naked in the middle of the dance floor had he asked her to, because she’d been completely in his thrall. She’d had no idea the streamer was attached to a bucket. The foul-smelling contents had streamed right down on her head.
The distressing memories were part of her private hell. Jett’s treatment of her during their marriage had been the final straw, yet somehow instead of breaking her, she’d finally received her wake up call. No longer would she waste time chasing the foolish dream of love. As soon as she’d paid off Jett’s debt, she planned to rise like a Phoenix from the ashes, open her own remedial therapies clinic and obtain fulfilment in helping others optimise their health.
The firm grip of Ricardo’s fingers on her wrist got her attention. ‘Are you listening to anything I’m saying?’ he demanded.
She frowned. She’d been so entrenched in her former misery she’d completely tuned out.
‘Por el amor de Dios! You think I’m such a fool I would present you as you are to my circle of friends and colleagues and expect them to believe I’m attracted to you?’
‘Hardly!’ she countered defensively. ‘I’ll bet you date supermodels. I haven’t stopped any traffic in my life.’
The low sound he gave was one of frustration. ‘Of course you haven’t. Look at the way you’re dressed. The message you send out doesn’t invite any male to look twice,’ he told her tightly. He picked up the glass of scotch and drained it in one long swallow. ‘I went to the cocktail lounge specifically to meet you. I studied you and suspected I’d wasted my time coming. The woman I saw in no way appealed to me and wouldn’t have any chance in passing as my lover.’
Pain cut through her at his callous assessment.
Of course she hadn’t appealed to him. She knew that. It’s what she’d been telling him all along so it shouldn’t hurt to hear him say it.
‘You wear your hair like a school ma’am,’ he said, pointing an accusing finger at her, ‘and the length of your skirt and the style of your shoes belong to a grandmother, not a woman of twenty-six years of age! Those repulsive glasses hide the exquisite beauty of your eyes. Your blouse is at least a size too big, concealing rather than revealing what promises to be a passable figure. You don’t even make any effort to enhance your looks by applying a fraction of make-up. I’m surprised you scored a job at such a trendy establishment looking the way you do.’
Swallowing down on the lump of emotion threatening to choke her, she lifted her chin, determined not to break down in front of him. Somehow his words ripped through and wounded her even more potently than she’d experienced on the night of her formal.
It was fine for Ricardo Garcia to sit there in judgement. He’d been born gorgeous and grown into a six-foot something, muscle-packed man who oozed earthy sensuality from every pore. Resentment welled inside her and tightened her chest. She couldn’t remember ever having hated anyone quite as much.
‘Thank you for your wonderful dissection of my appearance, Mr Garcia. I think the terrible picture you painted sums it up. And for your information, I’m employed at the cocktail lounge because I work hard and don’t give into the te
mptation of slapping obnoxious customers — however much they deserve it!’ Not to mention she’d treated the manager’s son and scored the job that way. ‘I’ve listened to your story, and we’re finished here. I presume your investigator gave you my bank details and I’ll expect payment of half the debt within the next day or so.’ She stood up to leave, her breaths shallow as she battled hurt. ‘Please, get your driver to take me home.’
‘No.’ One palm slapped down on the table and made her jump, while the other cut dramatically through the air. ‘Sit down. I haven’t finished.’
‘Too bad. I have.’
Sparks would surely materialise any moment now as they glared at each other.
Ricardo shook his head and uttered something in a savage tone, then took a deep breath. ‘I must apologise once again.’ His tone was suitably remorseful. ‘Please stay and hear me out. I’m in an untenable situation and you’re the only one who can help me.’
It was the sincerity in his appeal for help that swayed her.
Against her better judgement, Jess sat down. She’d never been able to resist an appeal for assistance and she knew he must be truly desperate to be asking for her help in this way.
‘Thank you.’ She felt his relief. ‘Jessica, I didn’t stop looking at you tonight because I couldn’t afford to. When I looked closely, I saw promise. When you became angry your eyes flashed and caught my attention. The second I removed your glasses and had an unobstructed view of your eyes and those marvellously long lashes, I saw beauty. I suspect, if you merely took a bit of effort with your appearance, you could be very attractive.’
His declaration made her gasp. He’d seen beauty? No way.
Besides, he was wrong about transforming her looks. Once she’d tried to alter her appearance in an effort to make herself appealing to her husband. She’d spent all afternoon with a make-up artist at an exclusive department store, and spent a small fortune on cosmetics.
A Spanish Seduction Page 4
