‘And none of it would have been possible without the Skavanga Diamonds,’ Roman finished up by saying. ‘And I’m not talking about lumps of carbon we claw from the earth, but these girls: Britt, Leila, and Eva Skavanga, without whose dogged determination I might never have parted with so much money.’ And as everyone laughed, he added in a murmur to Eva, ‘Or my heart.’
‘And as proof positive that the consortium couldn’t possibly work as well as it does without the Skavanga sisters, this is the right time for me to tell you that from now on Britt Skavanga will be the President of Skavanga Mining, while Eva Skavanga will officially be our roving consultant when it comes to ecological concerns and cultural development,’ he ended to a chorus of enthusiastic cheers.
As everyone peeled away and the band started to play, Roman drew her aside.
‘Did you consult me?’ she said.
‘Do you want the job or not?’
‘Are you kidding? You know I do. It’s all I’ve ever dreamed of.’
‘That’s what I thought.’
‘And sometimes it’s nice to get a surprise,’ she admitted.
‘Well, I’ll have to see what else I can do to surprise you.’
‘Please,’ she said.
‘The first thing is this,’ he said, delving in his pocket.
‘Your gold chain?’ She was speechless.
‘I think it will look better on you than it looks on me.’
‘Oh, Roman...’ Emotion overcame her and she was lost for words for a moment as he fastened the precious chain around her neck.
‘I’ve got something else for you.’
‘And what’s that?’ She frowned as Roman drew her deeper into the shadows at the side of the impromptu stage.
‘Your bonus,’ he said.
‘I thought I already had that,’ she teased as they smiled into each other’s eyes.
‘It is usual to reward particularly successful staff.’
‘I’m very glad I pleased you, sir,’ she said, bobbing him a mock curtsy.
‘Oh, you did. You do. So now I want you to accept this.’
‘What is it?’ she said, unfolding the sheet of paper.
‘A flight plan to Rome.’
‘Are you serious?’
‘Never more so. I love you, Eva Skavanga. I love you more than life itself. And I did warn you what would happen if you tossed that coin into the fountain. We have to go back to Rome. What? You don’t want to?’ He was surprised by the look on Eva’s face.
‘Can’t you get someone else to fly the plane?’
‘Yes.’ He frowned. ‘Why? Don’t you trust me to get us there safely?’
‘Of course I do, but I’ve got plans for you, and, adventurous though we are, I don’t think we should risk the cockpit. You never know what I might sit on.’
‘I’ve got a pretty good idea.’ And taking hold of her hand, he held her gaze with his wicked eyes as he raised her fingers to his lips.
EPILOGUE
BEING CONTRARY, EVA got everything the wrong way around, and so they took a honeymoon in Rome before they got married on the island. They travelled in Roman’s private jet and, as planned, they sampled every surface that would support them along the way, and a few that threatened not to do so, especially when turbulence intervened, tipping them both up hard against the bulkhead.
‘Remind me never to listen to your suggestions again,’ Roman said as he picked her up and set her down on his knee. ‘These are perfectly decent seats. Why don’t we use them?’
‘All of them?’ Eva raised an optimistic brow as she glanced around the cabin.
Roman shot a look at his watch. ‘There should be time.’
‘Don’t you dare short-change me,’ she warned.
‘And don’t push me, lady, or I might have to work on instilling more discipline into you.’
‘Than you already have? Oh, please,’ she purred. ‘Discipline’s exactly what’s been missing from my life all these years, but thankfully that’s changed now. Shall I position myself over your knee?’
‘Later, I think. There’s something I must do first.’
‘Won’t it wait?’
‘Straddle me and find out.’
‘Must I?’
‘I think you must.’
She heaved a sigh. ‘How do the cabin attendants know when to make themselves scarce, by the way?’
‘There’s a call button?’ Roman informed her patiently.
‘We haven’t given them much to do.’
‘If you’re hungry—’
‘Oh, I am,’ she assured him. ‘But I very much doubt they carry what I need in the galley.’
‘Almost certainly not,’ he agreed. ‘Are you sitting comfortably?’
Her answer was to throw back her head and sigh with delight.
‘Then I’ll begin...’
* * *
They travelled by private launch to the island, where they were to get married at sunset on the beach, surrounded by friends and family. Leila was the first person to greet them on the jetty. Eva’s younger sister seemed flushed and unusually animated as they hugged, and it didn’t take Eva long to work out why. The answer came at supper that evening, when the sisters and the three men in the consortium met for a celebratory meal on the night before the wedding.
Sheikh Sharif was of course married to Eva’s sister Britt, and Roman was definitely spoken for, but Raffa Leon, the frighteningly brutal-looking Duke of Cantalabria, was reportedly unattached, and it made Eva’s heart judder with apprehension to see her gentle little sister choose a seat opposite the grim-faced duke.
Why? Eva wondered as she watched Leila field the duke’s acerbic commentary with thoughtful observations of her own. Why must opposites attract?
The tension between Leila and the duke was like a blazing flame that would consume her sister. Eva wanted someone softer and more compliant for quiet little Leila, not some rampaging barbarian from a rugged mountain range in some far distant corner of Europe. The duke might be an aristocrat, but in name only, in Eva’s opinion. His eyes were hard and unforgiving, and his manner was borderline aggressive. His manners were good enough, but she soon worked out that everyone, apart from Roman and Sheikh Sharif, was more than a little wary of the Spanish grandee. And with good cause, she thought as Raffa pushed away from the table with some cursory excuse.
And good riddance to you, she thought, irritated to see Leila’s gaze follow the Spanish duke to the door. The other two men soon found a reason to join him and leave the Skavanga sisters to discuss the wedding.
‘Let me see your ring,’ Leila begged.
Telling herself to calm down, and that her sister was a big girl now, who could take care of herself, Eva refocused on the most important event of her life. ‘I don’t need a ring to get married. That’s such an old-fashioned concept.’
‘Uh-oh, what’s wrong?’ Britt stared at Eva. ‘I can’t believe you just said that. You do know what industry we’re in? We mine diamonds?’ Britt exchanged a concerned glance with Leila. ‘So what do you mean, you don’t need a ring, Eva?’ Britt demanded, flashing her own multi-carat whopper. ‘What’s going to happen when the official asks for the rings to marry you?’
‘Well, I’ve got Roman’s ring here,’ Eva protested, revealing the plain platinum band she and Roman had chosen together.
‘Yes. Very nice,’ Britt agreed, ‘but what about your wedding band?’
‘Or are you going all Boho, and using a lock of his hair to tie around your finger?’ Leila suggested, flashing anxious glances between her sisters.
‘Don’t be so ridiculous,’ Eva flared. ‘I only need Roman.’
Eva felt her throat dry on the lie, realising the subject of her wedding band hadn’t even figured in her
discussions with Roman. It seemed they had both forgotten. In her heart of hearts she had been hoping for a surprise, but it was too late for that now.
* * *
The morning of the wedding dawned bright and sunny, and, though it seemed a long time until the sunset ceremony on the beach, the day was packed with so much to do that it seemed five minutes since Eva had last caught sight of Roman as he left after supper the night before.
‘I wish you had a ring,’ Leila fretted, always the one to think of other people before herself. ‘Are you sure you’re not upset about it?’
‘Not a bit,’ Eva said briskly.
‘Anyway, it’s too late to worry about it now,’ Britt observed as she tweaked the hem of Eva’s ankle-length ivory silk dress. ‘You look beautiful, by the way. And you’re right. You don’t need a ring. All you need is the man you love.’
‘Says you, with a hand you can hardly lift up, it’s so weighted down by diamonds,’ Leila observed wryly.
‘And any man who can tame you, Eva, should be thinking in terms of fur-lined handcuffs and other delicious devices to bring you back into line when you get in one of your moods, not just a ring,’ Britt continued unabashed.
They all laughed wildly—a little too wildly, quite possibly in Eva’s case. Wedding fever, she convinced herself as she led the procession of Skavanga sisters towards the flower festooned canopy set out on the beach. She had no intention of sharing her intimate bedroom secrets with anyone, not even her sisters.
Roman was waiting for her, looking more gorgeous than ever, if such a thing were possible.
‘And the rings?’ the woman who was going to marry them prompted as Eva handed her bouquet of orchids to Leila.
Leila bit her lip and heaved a worried sigh as she carefully positioned the platinum band Roman would wear on the crimson velvet cushion.
The woman waited, and then prompted, ‘May I have both the rings, please?’
‘Oh, forgive me...’
All three sisters turned to look at Roman, who was rummaging in his pocket. ‘Will these do?’
Eva gasped as Roman tipped two fabulous rings onto the cushion.
‘I’m sorry there’s been a delay,’ he explained discreetly, ‘but you know I’m a stickler for design and cut. The stones are the finest quality and have the distinction of being amongst the first batch to be taken from the Skavanga mine. You do like them?’ he prompted when Eva remained speechless.
She wondered if her voice would work. The rings were fabulous. There was a slim platinum wedding band encrusted with diamonds, and a truly incredible solitaire cut in the shape of a heart. It was not what a tomboy would automatically choose, but it was a far better choice than she could ever make. ‘It’s... They’re... Sorry...I’m just lost for words.’
‘The only thing that matters is that they fit,’ Roman exclaimed with relief as he placed the wedding band on her finger.
‘It’s so beautiful,’ Eva breathed, holding her hand up so that the diamonds flashed fire.
‘And the finishing touch,’ Roman reminded her as he slipped the diamond heart on her wedding finger. ‘Not too much—’
‘And definitely not too little,’ Britt piped up as they all stared in awestruck wonder at the fabulous gems.
‘I love you, Eva Skavanga,’ Roman declared, bringing her hand to his lips. ‘And no jewel could ever be good enough for you.’
‘You may kiss the bride,’ the official said.
And as everyone stood back and applauded, Eva murmured, ‘I love you too.’ But as their kiss grew more heated she found a moment to whisper discreetly, ‘Can’t we just slip away to bed?’
‘When I tell you...you can,’ Roman promised wickedly in the same muted tone.
‘I might right here,’ she warned him.
‘What’s your hurry, Eva?’ Roman murmured. ‘Haven’t I taught you the benefits of delay? It’s not like we’re short of time. We’ve got for ever. Remember?’
‘For ever isn’t nearly long enough,’ she complained, but Roman wasn’t in the mood to let the old Eva Skavanga raise her fiery head, and so he drew Eva into his arms and silenced her the best way he knew, which was very thoroughly with a kiss.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from THE TYCOON’S DELICIOUS DISTRACTION by Maggie Cox.
CHAPTER ONE
IN A FIT of pique, Henry Treverne—Hal to his friends—wheeled himself along the parquet hallway up to the wall panel in the door and buzzed the concierge.
‘If anyone else turns up for an interview today tell them I’ve come down with malaria, will you? I’m done with talking to fawning women who are convinced they can magic my problems away like Cinderella’s fairy godmother, and I’ve also had my fill of the ones that gaze at me like I’m some kind of longed-for early Christmas present!’
‘But, Mr Treverne, your next applicant is already here... Do you really think you’ve got malaria? If that’s true, shouldn’t you be in the hospital?’
The concierge of Hal’s building—a down-to-earth young Londoner called Charlie—sounded understandably perturbed. Hefting a frustrated sigh, Hal tunnelled his fingers through the mane of coal-black hair that was in dire need of a proper cut and bit back a curse.
‘Of course I haven’t got malaria. I’ve just got back from Aspen, Colorado, not the damn Amazon!’ He brought himself up short. ‘What do you mean my next applicant is already here?’
Impatiently unfolding the scrunched-up piece of paper lying on his lap, he couldn’t help but succumb to a ripe curse, when he saw there was one more person the agency had scheduled him to see. A woman named Kit Blessington. God save him from one more insincere female desperate for the chance to be his ‘carer’ and in all probability make herself a nice little bonus by selling a story about her experience to the press when he was back on his feet again.
‘The lady arrived early and is waiting to see you, Mr Treverne.’
‘Well, you can tell Ms Blessed, or whatever her name is, that I’m too tired to see anyone else today. Tell her she can come back tomorrow.’
‘I’d rather see you now, if I could, Mr Treverne? After all, that was what was arranged. Plus, it’s not convenient for me to come back tomorrow.’
Hal was taken aback by the assertively toned female voice that sounded in his ear. ‘What do you mean, it’s not convenient?’ he growled. ‘Are you in the market for a job or are you not?’ His already bad mood plummeted even more. The woman clearly hadn’t taken him seriously when he’d said he was too tired.
‘I wouldn’t be signed on with the agency if I wasn’t interested in a job, Mr Treverne. And, by the way, my name is Blessington—not Blessed.’
‘What’s the reason you can’t come back tomorrow?’ Even as he ground out the question the back of Hal’s neck prickled with intense dislike for this woman he hadn’t even come face to face with yet.
‘If you must know, I have another interview to attend in Edinburgh. I can’t see you tomorrow if I’m travelling up to Scotland. That’s why I’d like to keep my appointment with you today.’
The frank confession rendered him momentarily dumbstruck. He wasn’t best pleased that she’d arranged another interview when she hadn’t even given him the courtesy of seeing him yet. What did she think she was playing at? Surely the agency must have told her who he was...that under the circumstances he had to be a priority?
‘What the hell do you want to go to Scotland for?’ he burst out, not caring that he sounded rude and unreasonable.
There was a brief pause, then in a level tone she replied, ‘I go wherever the work takes me, Mr Treverne. We don’t just work in the UK. The agency sends us all over Europe as well. Now, will you see me today or not?’
Feeling particularly belligerent, because inside the cast his leg was intolerably aching, a
nd itching as well, Hal retorted, ‘I’ll give you ten minutes, Ms Blessington. Ten minutes should be ample time for me to glean whether you’re suitable or not for the position, and whether it would indeed be better if you simply went ahead with your interview in Edinburgh. You’d better come up.’
‘Thank you. I appreciate it. But just to reassure you, Mr Treverne, I too quite quickly make up my mind about whether I want to work for someone or not. So, yes...I’m sure it won’t take long for either of us to reach a decision.’
She was playing verbal bat and ball with him, Hal realised, and it made him feel as if she was the one taking charge of the situation, not him. It certainly didn’t bode well for her interview.
Damn his accident! It beggared belief that he’d surrendered to the crazy impulse to agree to a stupid contest on the ski slopes with his ex-business partner Simon. If his pride hadn’t made him take the bait he wouldn’t be in the intolerable position he was in now—recovering from a lengthy operation to help repair a badly damaged femur and unable to do all the things he had no doubt taken for granted and shouldn’t have.
If he hadn’t been in so much pain as the paramedics lifted him onto the stretcher, he would have checked to see if the concern Simon had so loudly expressed to the crowd that had gathered was sincere. Hal very much doubted it. He could just imagine the man who had always been his rival describing the scene to mutual colleagues and friends and commenting, How the mighty are fallen...
One thing was certain. Hal wasn’t going to live down the ignominy of the painful incident any time soon.
Disgruntled and hurting, he punched the keypad to open the door and reversed the wheelchair a couple of feet back down the hall as he waited for the irritatingly forthright Ms Blessington to come in and be interviewed. In truth, he was absolutely prepared to dislike her on sight.
The Flaw in His Diamond Page 15
