Their starters arrived then and it brought a welcome change of conversation. The food was innovative but satisfying with an emphasis on seafood and vegetables. Ashleigh managed a connection with Tina over their shared surprise at how excellent their meals were. Lukas pretended to be offended. Why would they think he would take guests to a restaurant he hadn’t first approved? Both she and Tina laughed. But Ashleigh was not surprised when, during the main course, the spotlight shone back on her.
‘You’re from Australia?’ asked Tina. ‘I’ve been to Sydney. Great city.’
‘I’m from Bundaberg in Queensland,’ said Ashleigh.
‘I’ve not heard of it,’ said Tina.
‘I guess not many English people would have. Unless you like rum, that is. Bundaberg is famous for its rum. We grow a lot of sugar cane.’
‘Your town is famous for rum and sugar? That’s kind of fun.’
‘It is, isn’t it,’ said Ashleigh with a grin. She could see how in a different situation, when so much wasn’t riding on the outcome, she might enjoy Tina’s company.
‘You never told me about the rum,’ said Lukas.
‘You never asked,’ she said with a flirtatious tilt of her head.
‘What did you do back home, Ashleigh?’ asked Tina.
‘I managed to evade the family profession of teaching—my parents and my sister are all schoolteachers—and did a degree in accounting. Then somehow ended up managing a flooring company in downtown Bundaberg.’ She pulled a face. ‘Not very glamorous.’
‘The company I run isn’t glamorous either,’ said Tina. ‘Your background would give you an appreciation of a down-to-earth business like retail distribution.’
‘Or manufacturing,’ said Lukas.
Since when had this turned into a job interview?
‘I’d like to hear more about both your businesses, and how they could work together,’ Ashleigh said. ‘We haven’t had a chance to talk much about how your company operates, have we, Lukas?’ She climbed her fingers up his chest in flirtatious provocation.
‘No,’ he said hoarsely.
Tina explained briefly how her father had started their company from small beginnings, then ten years ago had died suddenly and she’d had to step in. She had adored her father; he’d brought her up after her mother had died when she’d been aged ten. ‘Fortunately, I’d trailed around the warehouses and transport depots since I’d been a toddler. I knew how it all worked.’
‘Tina is being modest,’ said Lukas. ‘In her time at the helm she’s expanded the business beyond anyone’s expectations.’
‘You took over your parents’ company too, didn’t you, Lukas, and did much the same thing?’ Ashleigh asked.
‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Only Tina’s father left a thriving business. Ours was in a horrendous state. No secrets there. It’s all a matter of public record.’ The way he said no secrets made Ashleigh wonder just what secrets he’d buried. It was a shame she wouldn’t get a chance to find out. She would be saying goodbye to him in the morning.
She refused to let herself acknowledge the mixed feelings that swept through her at the prospect of that parting. That kiss had aroused a longing for Lukas she had not anticipated. It was going to be very difficult to forget him.
* * *
When Ashleigh got up to go to the ladies’ room Lukas couldn’t help but let his gaze follow the sway of her hips as she made her graceful way to the back of the restaurant. She was beautiful.
If he really had met her at a bar, he might have been tempted to seduce her. Even in her anorak and simple dress she would have attracted attention.
But tonight there wasn’t a trace left of the scruffy backpacker. She wore her brand new designer clothes with assurance—as if famous labels were all that was in her wardrobe. That confidence gave her a sensual presence that couldn’t be purchased in the most expensive shop in Bond Street. It was pure Ashleigh. And along with it came her warmth and charm.
Did she feel his gaze on her? She turned back briefly and smiled at him over her shoulder. Her hair tumbled rich and sleek past her shoulders, rivalling the Christmas decorations with its vivid gleam. Her face was heart-stopping in its loveliness, her eyes expertly made-up to emphasise their extraordinary colour, her mouth lush and naturally pink. That kiss. It had taken a monumental effort to control himself and not take the kiss deeper, exploring her with lips and tongue. It was only the inappropriateness of a passionate kiss in front of Tina that had stopped him.
‘She’ll be back in a few moments, you know,’ Tina said wryly.
Lukas realised he hadn’t heard a word she’d said, too lost in watching Ashleigh. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘That was unforgivably rude.’
‘I notice you haven’t taken your eyes off her all evening and I don’t blame you,’ she said. ‘She’s lovely. Beautiful to look at, of course, but also smart and fun.’
‘I think so,’ he said. His plan had worked out so much better than he had hoped.
‘Can you be sure she’s not a gold-digger?’ Tina said. ‘Wealth is a privilege but can also sometimes be a burden. I’ve been burned a few times by someone I thought was special but was after the money, not me.’
Lukas’s first reaction was to tell Tina to mind her own business. But he wanted to work with her. ‘She’s no gold-digger,’ he said. ‘Of that I’m certain.’
‘You’re quite sure?’
‘Yes,’ he said. He’d met enough of the real deal gold-diggers to be sure Ashleigh was not of their kind.
‘Then be careful with her,’ Tina said.
Lukas bristled. ‘What do you mean?’
‘She’s a romantic and could be easily hurt.’
‘I have no intention of hurting her,’ he said through gritted teeth. If he didn’t want this partnership with Tina so much he would tell her what he thought of her interference.
Hurt was never going to come into it. His arrangement with Ashleigh was a simple repayment of debt. And when she left tomorrow she would be well ahead of the game. She would take it all with her—the dress, the shoes, even the watch, the value of which she seemed to have no idea. It was quite a haul for one evening’s work.
‘I hope you mean that,’ Tina said, her eyes narrowed. Was this a test? Perhaps she was not as hoodwinked by the charade as he’d thought.
‘Of course,’ he said.
Hurt could go two ways. So he might feel some regret when Ashleigh walked out of the door. But he’d get over it. Ashleigh was too dangerous for him to be around. She was starting to make him feel things he didn’t want to feel. Feelings he’d locked away long ago. Not for her. Not for any woman. Especially not for a runaway bride who’d soon be on her way home to her forgiving fiancé.
He would never fall for that particular story again. That last summer of freedom on Mykonos was when he’d met Céline. They’d spent the season together, only getting out of bed for her to go to work as a waitress and him to crew on a yacht. She’d seemed so different, and he’d let down the barriers he’d erected so early as protection against the cynical arrangements that passed for relationships among his parents and their set. He’d thought it would be for ever for him and Céline. But on the morning she was leaving the island—when he was just about to propose—she’d told him she was going back home to France to the soldier boyfriend she’d told him was off the scene. Lukas’s trust had been irrevocably shattered.
Now, he forced his attention away from painful memories and back to Tina.
‘I’d like to see you again—and Ashleigh,’ she said. ‘I have a table for the Butterfly Ball on Friday night. By then I’ll have a decision on our potential deal. Can I count on seeing you both there?’
Lukas bit down on his frustration and dismay. This dinner was supposed to be about keeping Tina at arm’s length on a personal level. Ashleigh was to b
e his fake date just for the one night. He’d intended to give a vague answer about her in the unlikely event Tina ever asked after the lovely redhead. Hell, the way he’d planned it, Tina should be jealous of Ashleigh, not wanting to see her again. The sudden change of agenda was unsettling. Ashleigh wouldn’t be around by Friday.
At that moment she returned to the table. Her lush mouth was slicked glossy pink, making it look even more kissable. He had to fight the urge to pull her to him and kiss that lipstick right off. Instead he schooled his face to look neutral and stood up to greet her.
‘You’re back just in time,’ he said. ‘Tina has invited us as her guests to the Butterfly Ball on Friday night.’
‘Oh,’ Ashleigh said, obviously as shocked as he’d been. ‘Th...that’s very nice of you, Tina, but I—’
Tina looked from one to the other. ‘I expect to see you both there.’ There was steel in his prospective business partner’s voice.
Lukas caught Ashleigh’s eye, gave a slight nod. He’d noticed they seemed to pick up on the other’s slightest variation in body language. She gave him the same signal back to signify her understanding.
‘Thank you, Tina, that would be wonderful,’ Ashleigh said. ‘I was going to say I don’t have a suitable dress for a black tie event. But I don’t really need an excuse to go shopping in London.’
‘Splendid,’ the older woman said. She was used to getting her way.
‘It’s very kind of you to invite us.’ Then Ashleigh deliberately wound her slender arms around his neck and looked up into his face. ‘Lukas and I have never danced together. This will be a real treat. Won’t it, darling?’
He gritted his teeth again. Anger at Tina’s manipulation mingled with an overwhelming awareness of Ashleigh’s nearness. Did she realise she was playing with fire? He placed his hands around her waist as a good fake boyfriend would. Just what underwear did she have on under that body-hugging dress? The thought had preoccupied him ever since their shopping expedition this morning.
‘Yes. A treat,’ he said, forcing himself to sound unperturbed by the bombshell Tina had dropped on him.
And even more unperturbed by Ashleigh’s curves pressing against his chest.
* * *
Ashleigh sensed the tension building in Lukas but he kept it tamped down until after they had said goodnight to Tina outside the restaurant. Tina had declined his offer of a ride in his car, saying she preferred to walk.
Lukas waited until Tina was well out of sight before he slammed his hand against the support of the restaurant portico so hard the force of it must have juddered up his arm. It was lucky it didn’t come crashing down on top of them. Thank heaven there weren’t any other patrons leaving the restaurant.
He unleashed an impressive stream of what she could only assume were formidable Greek swear words, ending in a very English ‘Damn, damn, damn.’
‘I’m guessing you’re not pleased about the invitation to the Butterfly Ball.’
He glowered dark fury. ‘Don’t be smart with me, Ashleigh. What do you think? Of course I’m not pleased. This arrangement was supposed to end tonight.’
‘But we did well, didn’t we? Tina thinks you’re taken. You won’t have to walk away from your deal because of any embarrassment about Tina wanting more from you than your product distribution agreement.’
‘Maybe I imagined her interest in me,’ he growled. ‘She seems enchanted with you.’
‘I don’t think so. The first thing she felt when she saw me was disappointment. She’s lonely. You’re hot. You’re both rich.’
Lukas grimaced. ‘Don’t go there. She reminds me of my mother and her friends.’ He swore some more, his expression dark.
He was usually so serious, so restrained, so in control. She liked this Lukas, furious he’d been outsmarted. His explosion of dark energy excited her and made her wonder what he’d be like out of control in the bedroom. It was all she could do not to push him up against the wall of the restaurant and kiss him senseless.
Instead he put his hands on the wall behind her. The action brought him very close, effectively trapping her with his body. All this pretend flirting was having an arousing effect on her libido. His dark eyes glittered as he looked down and for the first time she wondered if it might be having the same effect on him.
‘So now I’m being coerced into this ball,’ he said.
Ashleigh knew he’d shaved before they’d left for the restaurant yet already there was a dark growth shadowing his jaw. She found it incredibly sexy. What would he do if she reached up and stroked it? She ached to feel its roughness against the smoothness of his olive skin. Better, to feel its roughness against the smoothness of her skin.
‘You feel you’ve been manipulated and steamrollered,’ she said, fighting for the breath to fuel her words. To force herself to appear unaffected by his closeness, the sense of tightly leashed passion that, if it exploded, might carry her along with its force on a wild ride of sensual discovery.
‘After all that, Tina still hasn’t come to a decision.’ His mouth set in a tight line. What would he do if she teased it open with the tip of her tongue? But he was still obsessed with his business deal. More than likely, he’d still keep on talking about Tina through her kiss.
The passion was obviously staying strictly on its leash. This feeling was pure fantasy on her part. She sighed and directed her thoughts back to where they should be. ‘If I can be the voice of reason here, it’s still early days. Tina said she still had to complete due diligence. Would you really be interested in a business partnership with a person who took your company evaluation at face detail?’
‘Of course not,’ he said, his thick dark brows drawn together. Would he look the same in passion as he did in anger?
‘Maybe we overdid the lovey-dovey act?’ she said. But my, how she’d enjoyed it. He’d given her a taste of what it might be like to go further than that interrupted kiss that had so taken her by surprise.
‘Who were you thinking about when you were gushing about being hit by Cupid’s arrow?’ he growled. ‘Your fiancé?’
‘I’ve told you he’s my ex-fiancé. No. It was someone I fell for when I was too young and naïve to recognise a player for what he was. Not a mistake I ever intend to repeat.’
Ashleigh could sense by his expression he didn’t believe her. She shrugged away from him. Stood at a distance with her arms wrapped around her chest. Why should she care?
He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his overcoat. ‘So will you come to the ball with me?’
‘You mean more play-acting?’
‘If you want to call it that.’
‘I don’t like the thought of making a fool of Tina. Okay, she’s intimidating and I’m not sure she bought our story one hundred per cent. We’d be wise to remain wary of her. But she’s not some voracious cougar. I think she’s a lonely woman who has suffered a lot of loss in her life.’
He rolled his eyes in an expression of male disgust. ‘This is about business, Ashleigh, not bleeding hearts. So the initial plan backfired. Now I realise Tina’s one of those managers who likes to interview the partner of any person she plans to work with. And she’s taken a shine to you.’
‘I took quite a shine to her too. As a fluttery fledging to her full-grown eagle, that is. If it’s so important to you—and I’d like to know why one more deal is so important to you when you’re already so wealthy—I’ll do it.’
He slumped with relief. ‘That’s good. I—’
She put up her hand to stop him from going any further. ‘On one condition.’
He frowned. ‘Condition?’
‘I want to stay at your townhouse until after Christmas.’
‘You what?’ The words exploded from him.
‘I’ve got a deal to sleep on my friend’s sofa but that’s hardly comfort
able or convenient for me or Sophie. If you want me to go to that ball and schmooze with scary Tina, that’s my price.’
Price mightn’t have been the most appropriate word to use. But Lukas was so furious at what he obviously saw as further manipulation he didn’t notice the implication. Fact was, she couldn’t be bought.
‘That’s blackmail,’ he said.
‘And a phony invoice for three nights’ accommodation at your house wasn’t?’
He glared at her and she glared right back. ‘So is it yes to letting me stay?’
‘Yes,’ he said grudgingly.
‘And of course you’re aware I haven’t got anything suitable to wear to a ball?’
‘More shopping?’ he groaned.
‘You don’t need to come with me. I’ve got two days to find something.’
‘You can take my credit card. I have one I give to domestic staff for their use in running the household.’
That put her squarely back in her place. ‘You might have to up the limit, considering the prices on Bond Street.’
‘Can I trust you—?’
Insult upon insult. ‘With your credit card? Are you questioning my honesty?’
He scowled. ‘I meant can I trust you to buy something spectacular without worrying about the cost? No penny-pinching. I haven’t been to one of these big charity balls for years. You’ll have to do me proud.’ He looked down at his feet in their handmade Italian shoes. ‘Like...like you did tonight.’
Her indignation dissipated like the fog of her breath into the cold night air. ‘Thank you. I...I did my best.’ It had been surprisingly easy to pretend to be in love with him. To imagine... No. It was just business between them and she could not forget that. Even though he set her heart racing just by his presence.
‘It was a very good best. You handled Tina better than I could have imagined.’
‘But you’re not happy about me hanging around, are you?’
Greek Tycoon's Mistletoe Proposal Page 8
