The Innocent's Emergency Wedding
Alessandro had always thought of Susan as the wraith of White Oaks. She was thin, and had been sort of otherworldly as she’d wandered about the vast gardens, directing operations. Brian had seduced the aging heiress, and he’d married her promising Susan everything. And yet it had come with a price. Because Brian, like his sister Naomi, had the gold-digging gene.
Alessandro’s father had lost everything because of Naomi. And now it seemed Susan might lose it all because of Brian, just as her health was deteriorating to the point of complete dependence. And with Katie as her designated carer…
He wasn’t seriously considering agreeing to her outlandish suggestion, was he?
But Katie’s proposition had fired a reckless burn in his blood that he hadn’t felt in a long time. It wasn’t all about the amusement of blocking Brian…it was the prospect of sparring with Katie a little more.
‘Is there no one else who can be the lucky guy?’ he asked.
His question about her sexual appetite had resulted in blushing speechlessness, which in turn had tightened his skin. How innocent was she? Surely not completely? No woman got to her early twenties without having at least one boyfriend.
‘Or am I the only one you thought of?’ he prompted when she didn’t immediately reply.
‘I don’t know anyone else to ask,’ she said in a small voice. ‘And not many men have your kind of money.’
He stared at her for a second and then laughed, enjoying her guileless ability to cut him down to size. ‘Well, at least you’re honest about why you’re here.’
No sex, please—she just wanted his hard cash. And in return he’d get cold, ruthless revenge.
‘We have to keep White Oaks for Susan,’ she said earnestly. ‘She’s vulnerable.’
Once again her loyalty struck that infinitely raw spot he thought he’d buried deep.
‘If you do what Brian wants and marry Carl you can keep it all,’ he pointed out with ruthless precision, even though every cell rebelled at the thought of her going anywhere near that jerk.
‘I shouldn’t have to sacrifice the rest of my life,’ she said fiercely. ‘They’d expect the marriage to last. But it’s my life. It would ruin my chances of having my own family in the future.’
Alessandro grimaced inwardly. Of course she wanted a family of her own. He couldn’t think of anything worse. He had no intention of marrying and having a family. Because, much as he’d disliked her judging tone, she was right—he had plenty of options and he liked variety in his life. One woman for the rest of his days just wasn’t going to happen.
‘I’ll work for them. I’ll care for her,’ she added vehemently. ‘But who I marry? That’s my choice.’
More memories stirred, adding to the discomfort brewing within him. He remembered those little digs at dinner. Brian always reminding her to appreciate their generosity in fostering her… Asking her wasn’t she so lucky to have been chosen by them? Telling her she’d better remember that and always be grateful, because otherwise…
He realised now that Brian’s underlying threat that it could all be taken away from her at any moment had been constant. He had no idea what had happened to her birth parents, but he recalled the mutinous looks she’d sometimes cast at Brian. He also remembered the pleading looks her foster mother had sent her—stopping Katie’s rebellion. Keeping the peace, keeping Brian happy, had been essential to her survival.
At the time Alessandro had been too consumed by his own bitter agony of loss to think about intervening. Now he remembered it, and a lick of shame at the emotional abuse he’d witnessed burned.
He’d done nothing about it. But he’d only been a teen himself, struggling to cope with what was on his plate already. And she’d seen something of what they’d done to him, hadn’t she? She knew that he’d argued with them, knew that he’d left and never looked back.
He released a tight breath, uncomfortable that she knew anything of that time. It wasn’t something he ever thought about, let alone discussed. Even so, she intuitively understood that part of him still wanted to make them pay. She understood because she had that need in common—even if she’d never admit it.
Fact was, she’d been lonely and insecure most of her life. Shy, romantic, idealistic. Of course she wanted a family of her own when she was ready and met the right man. Carl Westin wasn’t that man. But nor was Alessandro.
‘You know what it’s like to lose something—someone—you love,’ she said softly. ‘Won’t you help to stop that from happening to me?’
Yeah, she knew a little too much about him.
‘Are you trying to appeal to my generous nature now, Katie?’ he asked, as idly as he could.
‘I’m sure you can be a kind person…’
Meaning he wasn’t most of the time? Her challenge sparked the desire to retaliate, and he was almost undone by the urge to haul her to her feet and into his arms. He’d show her kind…
The surge of desire was shocking. And wrong. She already had the unwanted attentions of one man—she didn’t need them from another. He’d teased her before, but he had no intention of bullying her into anything intimate with him. No more of those jokes.
He curled his fists and shoved the inappropriate response back down deep inside. ‘So, either I do this because I’m kind, and I don’t want to see you suffer the same loss I did. Or I do it out of petty revenge…’ He sent her a perplexed look. ‘You can’t have it both ways, Katie.’
‘I only said that about revenge to persuade you.’ She looked adorably shamefaced. ‘I played it that way because you’re the only person I could think of who might possibly have a reason to say yes to me.’
He sucked in a sharp breath. Yeah, she was alone and isolated. Didn’t he know how that felt? And he’d had far more than her. For the first fifteen years of his life he’d had happy, loving parents…she’d never had that.
His concern for her grew when he thought of Carl Westin’s reputation, of Susan’s frailty, of Brian’s greed…
His father hadn’t been frail, but he’d been vulnerable in his own way. He’d badly wanted love. And he’d been taken advantage of just as Susan had.
Alessandro wasn’t going to let Katie be forced into marrying anyone. She needed some time out to see her way free of this puzzle. And she needed to feel in control. She obviously didn’t feel that she could stand up to Brian for long Maybe Alessandro could be her temporary fix-it guy. Just not exactly in the manner she envisaged.
He straightened up decisively. ‘What exactly did you have in mind? Do we announce our engagement immediately?’
Her jaw dropped. ‘You’re going to do it?’
‘For my sins. Yeah, why not? I’ll marry you.’ He nodded.
She looked like a terrified deer. She sat utterly still, with her head slightly angled, as if she sensed an unseen predator, was keenly aware of the lethal danger she was in. But then she moved. She almost dived into her bag and rapidly pulled out a piece of paper covered in handwritten notes.
‘I’ve thought it all through…’
She was suddenly a bundle of nervous energy, as if she was afraid he’d change his mind at any minute.
Of course he was going to change his mind—but she didn’t need to know that yet.
‘I imagine you’ve thought of everything…’ he muttered.
‘I didn’t sleep well last night, and I had all the train journey to finish researching.’ She was so engrossed in her explanation she didn’t even seem to notice his sarcasm.
‘What’s the plan?’
‘Las Vegas.’
He stared at her. ‘In America?’
‘Yes.’ She smiled brightly, as if he were a bit dim. ‘That’s the one. If we have our paperwork with us then it can be very quick. There’s an all-in-one hotel and chapel venue. It’s open all hours.’
Wow. She made it sound unmissable. And so urgent.
‘I imagine you do have your paperwork with you?’
‘I do.’ She nodded. ‘There’s a flight later this afternoon. Nonstop. We could catch it…’ She petered out as she saw the distaste on his face.
‘Are you talking about a commercial flight?’ he asked.
‘Um…yes.’ She stared at him.
‘You want me to drop everything and leave now?’
Was she really that desperate to escape Brian?
‘Would that be okay?’ She fiddled with the strap on her horrible fake leather bag. ‘We can be there and back in just a few days. I’ll be gone less than a week. The sooner it’s done…’
She paled as she looked at the screen of the tablet on his desk, and then colour rushed into her cheeks so quickly he wondered if she were unwell.
His entire body tensed. ‘Are you that afraid of him, Katie?’
She hesitated. ‘I’m afraid I won’t be able to say no to him for ever.’
‘But you can say no to me?’ He really shouldn’t feel as if that were a challenge.
She nodded a little too vigorously. ‘You have no reason to ask anything of me. I’m the last person a guy like you would want in his life. I’m no risk to you and you’re no risk to me.’
Instinct argued against that instantly. In fact, he wasn’t sure he’d heard a less true statement. That feeling was crazy…she was no threat to his business, his career, anything. Yet his sixth sense still warned him.
Did he really want to revisit the miseries of his past when he’d come so far? Would the Fielding siblings come after him?
Bring it on.
‘Once it’s all arranged with you—once we’re married—then I’ll get straight back and look after Susan.’
He checked at that comment and shot her a measuring glance. For Katie to spend her early twenties nursing her foster mother round the clock wasn’t healthy. She needed her own life, her own career. But he wasn’t about to go there—not yet. One issue at a time.
‘It’ll only be for a few months…to ensure Brian doesn’t try anything else,’ Katie continued in that rushed fashion. ‘You’ll get a stake in my sauce company, and you’ll get the property in the end—we just give Susan lifelong residency rights. You won’t lose any money…’
He waved away her breathy, too-earnest promises.
Katie Collins was in trouble. She just couldn’t see another way out of it. If he were to get her out of the country and away from Brian the bully for a while she’d have time to clear her head and see sense. He’d think up a better plan when he was more refreshed too.
‘I’m not going on a commercial flight.’
He checked his watch and made a few calculations. He could catch up on some work away from the constant interruptions in the office. She’d get the rest she clearly needed. They’d resolve it easily from there.
‘But we can still go today, seeing as you’re that impatient.’
‘We can?’
Her eyes shone, their amber centres flickering like fire. Her lips parted, reddened and soft, and her skin simply glowed. She was luminescent. Sparkling wasn’t the word—she was suddenly stunning.
Alessandro’s skin tightened. Suddenly he wanted to get closer and taste.
‘Thank you so much. I really appreciate your help.’
She sent him a huge smile of gratitude. As if he was some kindly uncle. Alessandro leaned closer, feeling that frisson of danger—of something forbidden—sharpen.
‘Don’t start thinking I’m kind, Katie,’ he muttered without thinking. ‘Because I’m not. I’m ambitious and I’m always out for myself. Everything I do stems from selfish motivations, so rest assured I’ll claim complete payment for this.’
Her smile froze. ‘Of course,’ she breathed nervously. ‘Whatever you want…all you have to do is ask.’
CHAPTER THREE
ALESSANDRO STARED, FLOORED by the husky innocence of her reply. He just needed to ask? He ground back the inappropriate, obvious response. Why was he degenerating into some lame jerk who took every chance to turn the conversation towards the sexual? Why was he thinking of sex at all around her? He refused to be no better than the bastard prospective fiancé she was escaping—full of unwanted amorous attention…
But at the same time Alessandro had never met a woman he couldn’t seduce. That wasn’t to say he’d slept with every woman he’d met, and he was hardly about to seduce Katie. That would be like a lion playing with a lamb. Disastrous for her and unsatisfying for him.
But as he studied her closer he discovered more—her delicate chin, her high cheekbones—and then he returned to her complex coloured eyes that changed with the light, or perhaps with her mood. Elfin-featured, fine-boned…she was stunning when he teased that worry from her eyes and replaced it with excitement.
And she was as aware of him as he was of her. He needed very little of his vast experience to know that.
Temptation tugged.
No.
He whirled away from her fascinating features, dismissing those wayward thoughts, and picked up his phone again instead.
‘Dominique, I need a report on Brian and Susan Fielding, owners of White Oaks Hall—business dealings as well as personal. I also need a complete update on Zetticci Foods. Latest financials, forecasts, reviews, analysis, new product offerings from the last couple of years, plus their performance and internal management structure. The same with any company Carl Westin is involved with. I want everything. Email it ASAP.’
He needed information and ammunition.
‘I also need the jet ready to leave for the States in an hour. Cancel all my meetings for the next…’ He mulled for a moment and factored in the travel time. ‘Five days.’
As always Dominique simply said yes, and Alessandro hung up.
‘I need your passport.’ He gestured to Katie, who was sitting with her mouth ajar. ‘For the flight manifest, border control conditions and so on.’ He waggled his fingers impatiently.
Katie snapped her mouth shut, wordlessly rummaged in her bag and handed the document to him. As he strode out to give it to Dominique he quickly flicked through it. None of the pages was stamped—which didn’t mean she’d hadn’t travelled, at least within Europe—but it looked almost brand-new. His curiosity sharpened.
Back in his office, she was still clutching the bag like it was some kind of protective shield.
‘Did you leave your suitcase out in Reception?’ he asked.
‘I…uh…no.’ She shook her head.
‘You don’t have any clothes with you?’
Her eyes widened.
He bit back another laugh, refusing to verbalise the next obvious innuendo.
‘Not even a toothbrush?’ A hit of pleasure warmed his blood at the prospect of getting her out of that plain skirt and into something that fitted her better. ‘It doesn’t matter. We’ll get you something over there.’
He had five days—an eternity in his usual high-speed schedule. This was a chance to lay old ghosts to rest and to enjoy a mild distraction. Hell, in five days he could easily seduce her into surrender—not complete, of course, just enough to soothe the irritation she’d inflicted on him. She might think he was a shameless playboy, but for all her protests she was not immune.
He smiled to himself. The satisfaction of her acknowledging that was going to be good.
All of which proved he’d been working too hard lately. It was past time for some play.
It was all happening so much faster than Katie had imagined—though frankly she hadn’t imagined any further than getting into his office, let alone actually convincing him to go to Vegas with her.
But not for five days. That was far too long to leave Susan. They needed to fly over today and back tomorrow. She’d suggest that to him a little later, though. She didn’t want to say anything that might make him change his mind before they were married.
Nervously she accompanied him to the basement, where a car and driver waited. A few moments later they were on the road to City Airport.
Alessandro took calls for the entire journey. In the majority of them he spoke in Italian, meaning that Katie didn’t understand a word, but his urbane, confident tones slipped beneath her skin, stirring a secret response she couldn’t bear to acknowledge.
She stared fixedly out of the window, trying to minimise his impact on her senses. He was too handsome, too powerful, too full of wicked humour that made her want to smile all the time.
And he’d agreed to go with her to Vegas.
Get a grip.
But the knots tightened in her stomach as they arrived at the airport.
Another assistant was waiting at the entrance to the private jet terminal and he handed Alessandro a folder of paperwork and a large paper bag. As they walked through the building Alessandro showed her the Sybarite deli logo stamped on the side.
‘I’m looking forward to tasting your work.’ His lips twitched and he leaned closer. ‘Lots of things you can do with sauce…sharpen up even the blandest of dishes, correct?’
She sent him a death look.
He laughed. ‘You’re easy to bait, Katie.’
Breathless, she failed to think of a reply. Why did she keep reading innuendo into everything he said?
Because he means you to.
He was an outrageous tease. While he’d been intimidating when she’d first arrived in his office, it hadn’t taken long till he’d flipped the switch to a playful side that was his natural, wicked self. It wasn’t actually anything to do with her. Except she kept overreacting.
She had to keep her response in check and not take him seriously—that would be no problem at all, right? All her life she’d played it safe—almost always backing down from causing a scene even when she’d wanted to, rarely disobeying Brian, never fighting back because Susan had been so anxious the few times she had. She’d invariably stayed within the rules her authoritarian foster father had set.
But Alessandro barely seemed to bother with rules at all.
‘You own this?’ she muttered as they swiftly walked through the terminal and onto the tarmac. To her ignorant eyes the immaculate plane looked brand-new.
‘I own a stake in a jet leasing company. Better for the environmental footprint if we share the private planes around a bit.’
He laughed at her withering look of disbelief.
Yes, Alessandro Zetticci had interests in as many companies as he had in women. Fiendishly energetic and astute, he had a knack for knowing what people wanted, what they liked, before they were even aware of it.
She knew he’d used that innate sophistication as a youth and set up his first venue. It had rapidly become the ultimate nightspot for high society, celebrities, models, wannabes… Then at the height of its popularity he’d sold it, taken the stellar profits and reinvested them into a new company—again using that innate foresight.
He created and then flicked on companies with the careless ease with which he traded women. From one company to the next, amassing a property portfolio and personal fortune at the same time.
‘What?’ Alessandro prompted as she paused to look up at the plane again.
‘It’s bigger than I expected.’
It seemed massive for just the two of them.
That smile hovered on his lips. ‘Oh?’
She shot him another death look. ‘Do you put sexual innuendo into all of your conversations?’
‘As much as I can, of course,’ he drawled, the wickedness in his smile deepening. ‘Being the lascivious playboy that I am.’
‘You’re only doing it to antagonise me now,’ she said.
‘Am I?’
‘Or you’re just practising your flirty banter. Which you don’t need to.’
‘Don’t I?’ A flicker of astonishment lit his eyes. ‘Why not?’
No man had ever spoken to her this way, and she’d certainly never answered back. But with a man like Alessandro offence was the best defence, wasn’t it? Surely she should fight fire with fire?
She glared at him. ‘Any woman with eyes would say yes to you. You don’t even have to open your mouth.’
He burst out laughing—all warmth and wicked energy. ‘But a closed mouth isn’t as good, Katie.’ He chuckled again and teased her. ‘Don’t you want to know what my tongue is really good at?’
Refusing to reply, she stomped up the stairs. She was still unable to believe he’d agreed to marry her. But that was him, right? Mercurial, maverick, mischievous. This must appeal to that renegade element within him that enjoyed wild, spontaneous adventures. Indeed, she heard him chuckle again close behind her.
‘You react so prudishly, how am I supposed to resist?’ he murmured.
She turned her head, taking the chance to look down on him for once. ‘You could just try being polite instead of trying to embarrass me.’
He sent her a fake wounded look. ‘But, Katie, I’m unfailingly polite.’
She knew he didn’t mean it. He was still laughing at her. She had the horrible feeling he knew she was too aware of him. Somehow she needed to keep him at a distance.
At the top of the stairs she shyly followed a uniformed crewman through to the main passenger section of the plane. She drew in a deep breath because it was stunning—luxury leather, gleaming chrome, plush carpet and an outrageous sense of space.
The crewman demonstrated how the extra-wide seats reclined and pointed out the stack of reading material stowed in a gorgeous side table with a glossy finish. Then he showed her a partition further down the back of the plane, beyond which was a beautiful linen-clad bed and a polished bathroom facility. It was pure decadent elegance.
‘Thank you,’ she murmured as the crewman disappeared back the way he’d come.
‘We have three pilots and one assistant for a flight of this duration,’ Alessandro explained as he put his folders, bag and tablet down. ‘If there’s anything you need just ask and it will be done.’
Three pilots? Some oxygen might be good right now.
‘Where are they?’ she asked.
‘Crew quarters.’ He sat in the seat opposite the one she’d taken and smiled as she fumbled with the seatbelt. ‘Are you okay?’
‘I haven’t travelled that much,’ she confessed with an embarrassed smile.
His eyes narrowed. ‘You’ve flown before, though, right?’
‘I went to Paris on a school trip, but we went on the train.’
‘You’ve never flown at all?’ he queried keenly, but then he smiled, and it was that wicked one. ‘Well, it’s always good to begin with the best. Start as you mean to go on, si?’
This was definitely the best. And Katie couldn’t quite contain her smile as she leaned back and looked out of the window as the plane taxied to the end of the runway.
‘You’re not scared?’ Alessandro asked, watching her curiously.
She shook her head, determinedly keeping her attention on the window as they took off. The view of the city was incredible. ‘It’s amazing…’ she breathed.
After a few minutes she glanced back at Alessandro, absurdly disappointed to see him engrossed in reading something on his tablet. She watched quietly as he swiped through page after page. His frown deepened as he took notes with the pen and notepad he’d balanced skilfully on his knee.
He might be a playboy, but he also knew how to work. That was what those ‘most eligible bachelor’ articles gushed about—not just his legendary woman-slaying status, but his second-to-none work ethic. He had to be driven to have achieved the success he had in only ten years. How had he managed it? Intelligent, determined, decisive…known for his deals…he was always ahead of everyone else.
She just didn’t want him to change his mind. So she sat silently, trying to blend into the background the way she did when Brian was in one of his moods. But she felt hot and uncomfortable, ridiculously aware of that bed behind her.
No doubt Alessandro would bring women on flights with him all the time—hit that mile-high club time after time in complete comfort. The crew certainly hadn’t batted any eyelids when they’d seen her with him. Who knew how many women he’d had in there? It was a den of debauchery.