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‘You’re assaulting me?’ she snarled venomously.
‘Checking for a concealed weapon,’ he answered smoothly, but a grim defensiveness rose within at her accusation. Alejandro Martinez would never assault any woman. He was not like—no.
He forced his attention to his pretty prisoner, not his past. Her eyes were the weapons here and now, striking like twin daggers and making him smile, a respite from the memory that had flickered. Pleased, he removed the phone from where she’d tucked it into the waistband of her trousers.
He released her to study his prize. The phone wasn’t the latest model and had one of those covers that had a pocket for a couple of cards—a bank card and driver’s licence tucked inside. Perfect.
‘Catriona Parkes-Wilson.’ He read the name aloud, glancing to watch her reaction to the identification.
Soft colour bloomed in her pale cheeks again, and her emerald eyes flashed. She really was striking.
‘Kitty,’ she corrected him quickly.
Catriona—Kitty—Parkes-Wilson was the daughter of the man who’d sold him this house.
Alejandro would have guessed that the diamonds—undoubtedly real—would be hers, but she’d looked so guilty when he’d stopped her that he now wondered. He had to be certain of their provenance before relinquishing them to her just like that.
But finally he understood her presence here tonight. She was on a retrieval mission.
She was also the ultimate in spoilt heiresses—so headstrong and so used to getting her way that she thought she could strut straight into any room and take what she wanted. Why not do the normal polite thing and ask? The sleek Catriona seemed only able to take. And no doubt she was used to causing trouble with every step.
He dampened down the rising attraction and told himself it would be fun to teach her a lesson in politeness, and then possession.
‘Catriona...’ he repeated her full name, deliberately ignoring her preference, and couldn’t stop his smile when she looked more annoyed ‘...I’m delighted to have you back in your former residence. Welcome.’
His security detail had informed him of her unorthodox arrival via text but Alejandro had already spotted her from his hidden vantage point upstairs where he’d been having a moment away from his guests. She’d climbed the stairs as though she thought she was invisible. As if hair the sparkling colours of an autumnal bonfire could ever blend into the background. Even when it had been tied in that pile on her head it had caught his attention. Now that it hung loose in a tumble of crazy curls, he was tempted to tangle his fingers into it and draw her close for a kiss...
But he wasn’t about to give in to this unexpected burst of desire.
Alejandro enjoyed sex and had no shortage of it, but it had been a while since he’d felt such an instant surge of lust for a woman. It was mildly irritating—he had better control than this and, to prove that to himself, he wasn’t about to explore the sexual electricity arcing between them right now. Not yet. It would be more amusing to put this petulant princess in her place. He’d met too many spoilt people who’d never had to do a real day’s work in their lives and who had no idea what hardship really was. Catriona Parkes-Wilson needed to learn some genuine manners.
An idea came instantly, as they generally did, but this one made his muscles tighten in a searing burst of anticipation.
‘Remain here this evening as my date,’ he said bluntly. ‘Or I call the police. The choice is yours.’
‘Your date?’ Her eyes widened in surprise.
He knew she felt the sensual awareness the way he did. It seemed she didn’t like it all that much either. Inexplicably, that improved his mood. He’d have her apology. And then, if it was good, maybe he’d have her.
‘The police?’ she suddenly added quickly, almost hopefully.
That threat was the lesser of the two evils to her? He needed to make that option more alarming. ‘Your fingerprints are all over—’
‘They would be anyway,’ she interrupted scornfully. ‘I lived here, remember?’
‘And I have security camera footage.’ He smiled.
That silenced her.
‘I can’t ignore my guests for hours while I iron out this interruption of yours,’ he said. ‘So you will remain with me until I have the time to deal with you.’
Her eyes didn’t waver from his as he stipulated his rules.
‘I don’t intend to leave your side even for a second,’ he informed her quietly, failing to suppress the satisfaction that rose at the thought. ‘Slinky cats can be clever escape artists. I’m not having you slip out when I look away for a second.’ He read the fire in her gaze and his blood heated. ‘And I do expect you to behave.’
Kitty glared at him. The thought of staying as his date should appal her. But what really shocked her was the delicious anticipation that shivered down her spine at the thought of such relentless attentiveness from him. What was wrong with her?
He bent closer, those full lips twisted ever so slightly into that tantalising smile. Dear Lord, he was too handsome.
‘Catriona,’ he said softly.
Now he loomed over her. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from the bottomless depths of his black eyes. Her mouth parted as she struggled to breathe because her heart was thundering. Anticipation spiralled through every cell. Was he going to kiss her? Was she going to let him? Where had her will gone?
He was so close now she could feel his breath on her skin and his eyes were mesmerising and she simply couldn’t seem to move. Then she felt the warmth of his fingers as he brushed the skin at the nape of her neck. She shivered, drawing in a shocked breath, but it was too late. He’d undone the clasp of the necklace before she’d registered his true intention. Now she could only stare as he stepped back and poured the glittering chain into his inside top pocket—right over the spot where his heart should be. Not that he had one of those.
He’d taken the diamond choker from her and she’d just let him.
She’d stood there like a vacant fool and let him reclaim the necklace. She’d let his good looks and his sexual magnetism render her brainless. How stupid could she get?
‘I can’t be your date,’ she snapped, furious with herself.
‘Why not?’
‘You have a girlfriend already.’
‘I do?’ He sent her a penetrating look.
‘Saskia something.’ She straightened and snarled, venting her annoyance on him, ‘I’m not helping you cheat on another woman.’ She knew how much that sucked. ‘Not even pretend cheating. So go ahead and call the police.’
She didn’t think for a second he would but, to her apprehension, he pulled his mobile from his pocket again.
Had she misread him? Did he want the police here, interrupting his terribly exclusive party? She’d have to explain all and wear yet more mortification, but that was better than letting this man win. Surely the police would let her off with a warning—as a first time offender, distraught by the loss of her family home and all that... She might even be able to keep Teddy’s name out of it.
She watched, breathing rapidly and still feeling too hot, as he held the phone up to his ear.
‘Saskia, darling. I wanted to be honest with you and let you know before you heard it from anyone else.’ He didn’t hesitate. ‘I’ve met someone else.’
Kitty’s jaw dropped. He’d phoned the latest model girlfriend? She stared at him in frozen fascination as he kept talking.
‘I know it seems sudden, but sometimes that’s how life works.’
Had he just broken up with the woman?
OMG. The phone call was swift and to the point and the arrogant bastard smiled at her the entire way through.
‘You just ended your relationship?’ she all but gasped as he ended the call. ‘Over the phone?’
‘Four dates doesn’t really constitute a relationship.’ He shrugged and pocketed his mobile.
‘And you never go much beyond five dates anyway.’ Teddy had told her that. Apparently, Alejandro’s appetite for a rapid succession of beauties caused frequent comment—celebration by some, such as Teddy, and derision from others. Kitty was firmly in the second camp.
His eyebrows flickered. ‘Don’t I? I don’t tend to keep count.’
Of dates or women? ‘You can’t just do that.’
‘I just did.’
‘You don’t care?’ Was it all that meaningless for him? His callousness was repellent, yet there was still that fickle, stupid part of her that was attracted to him.
‘No. I don’t.’ He laughed at her expression. ‘She doesn’t either. We both knew what we were in for.’
And what was that—a few meaningless hours in bed together? Kitty whipped up her anger on behalf of the woman. ‘You’re sure about that?’
‘Utterly.’ He looked bored as he glanced at his watch. ‘Now you needn’t have any scruples about being my date for the night.’
‘No way.’ She shook her head, still shocked at his callous phone call. As if she’d ever date someone so ruthless. ‘You’re heartless.’
‘If that’s the case—’ he reached for his pocket again ‘—then I will have to phone the police. Naturally, I will push for charges to be laid.’ He sent her a mock-apologetic glance. ‘It’s unacceptable for people to unlawfully enter houses and take whatever they find lying around.’
She narrowed her eyes. He was playing a game. He’d have called the police already if that was what he’d really meant to do. ‘You’ll do whatever necessary to get what you want, won’t you?’
He smiled as if that wasn’t something to be ashamed of. ‘Always.’
No doubt he’d blackmail, coerce, fight dirty and think nothing of it.
She gazed at him. He was hideously self-assured. Going through women like normal people went through pints of milk—on an almost daily basis and simply discarding the bottle when done. But that someone so shallow could be so attractive-looking? It was so wrong—the guy needed a warning label stamped on his forehead. Yet there was a whole roomful downstairs waiting to step up and be the next one. His looks and charisma had made things—women—far too easy for him.
He sent her that soft, suave smile, totally in control and at ease. ‘What’s it going to be, Catriona?’ he prompted her gently. ‘A night with me at your side, or a night in the cells?’
Her body recognised his beauty; her brain recognised he was a calculating bastard. She’d ensure her brain won this battle. She was certain he was not interested in her; he just wanted to teach her a lesson. That was obvious.
But he was the one who needed a lesson. The palm of her hand itched, but she’d never resorted to violence, not even in her worst attention-seeking teen tantrums and she wasn’t letting this devil get to her in a way no one else ever had.
Nor was she letting him win. She had no idea what he thought he was going to achieve by forcing her to stay with him during his party, but she wasn’t letting him have it. She’d make the night as difficult as possible for him. Then she’d tell the truth and demand Margot’s diamonds back.
‘Don’t call the police,’ she finally responded, answering demurely. ‘I’ll be your date.’
His eyes narrowed just the slightest, but his smile was ready and heart-stopping. He pocketed the phone again and then reached out and laced his fingers through hers. ‘I never thought for a second that you wouldn’t.’
CHAPTER TWO
‘YOU’RE VERY SURE of yourself,’ Kitty said, counting her breathing in an attempt to slow her speeding heart.
‘I’m sure of people,’ he answered. ‘They are predictable.’
Well, he definitely wasn’t predictable. And she refused to be—at least to him. ‘What is it you want from me?’ She tried to extricate her hand from his, but he wouldn’t release her.
‘What do you think I want from you?’ That smile now lurked in his eyes.
Her chin lifted. ‘If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking.’
His glance sharpened, but he spoke calmly. ‘Your time. Your undivided attention. And when every guest has gone tonight, we’ll have a reckoning.’
Something flipped in her belly. Half horrified, half intrigued, she couldn’t resist asking more. ‘What kind of reckoning?’
The smile he flashed was nothing short of wicked. ‘I think you’ve already guessed.’
He couldn’t possibly mean that. She flushed. ‘Never. Happening.’
He laughed then, releasing his grip on her to throw both his hands in the air, surprisingly animated. ‘See? Predictable.’ That foreign element underlying his American accent had deepened deliciously.
He was teasing her? She shouldn’t feel even a hint of disappointment. Yet she did. Alejandro Martinez was too much the practised flirt and too sure of his own attractiveness.
‘I’m not in the least interested in you in that way,’ she said, determined to make the point as clear as possible.
‘Of course you’re not,’ he soothed, turning to lead the way to the door.
‘I mean it. You try anything—’
He sighed theatrically. ‘Well, it will be difficult, but I’ll try to control my animal urges.’
Okay, so now she felt a fool because of course he wasn’t really interested in her like that. He’d be back on the phone to his Saskia soon enough and sorting out the lovers’ tiff or he’d be off with another of the models downstairs...
Laughter danced in his eyes as he turned and caught her glaring at his back.
‘You are very beautiful when cross,’ he said provocatively. ‘Does that fiery hair bring a temper with it?’
She refused to answer him. Her hair didn’t bring rage so much as rashness. Fool that she was, she should have listened to Teddy and calmed down before deciding to come on this crazy mission. She should at least have eaten something, then she wouldn’t be feeling this light-headed.
He paused and waited until she’d looked up into his face again before teasing her further. ‘If you are a good date, you might get a reward.’
‘All I want is the necklace,’ she replied stiffly. And maybe some dinner at some point. Hopefully, there’d be some decent canapés downstairs and not just the tiny, calorie-free stuff that models lived on.
He took her hand firmly in his again and drew her towards the door. He was really serious about her mingling?
‘What are you planning on telling your guests about me?’ she asked.
A mystified expression crossed his face. ‘Nothing.’
Clearly the opinion of others didn’t bother him at all. Kitty tried very hard not to be bothered by what others thought, but there was still that soft part of her that ached to please someone. Anyone. Everyone.
She worked hard to fight it and protect her stupidly vulnerable heart. For too long her self-esteem had been bound up in the opinion of men. First her father. Then her fiancé.
She hesitated at the top of the stairs. Alejandro was already on the first step, but he turned. His eyes were almost at the same level as hers.
‘Come on, my reluctant date,’ he dared in that divine accent. ‘Come down and act the mute martyr.’
Was that what he expected her to do?
She went from famished to galvanised in less than a second. She’d act the ultimate party person—something she hardly ever was. With just that one look from him her appetite vanished. It was her twin, Teddy, who usually held centre stage, while she was the quiet foil—always his most appreciative audience. But now? Now she was energised. Now she had a game to win.
‘You’re obviously very bored with your life.’ She placed her hand on his upper arm, leaning close in a parody of an adoring, clinging lover—half hoping he’d pull away.
He didn’t. His smile broadened. ‘Because I have to coerce a beautiful woman into standing alongside me for the night?’
‘Exactly. You must be very jaded,’ she murmured, trying not to dwell on the size and hardness of the muscles she could feel under the fabric of his oh-so-perfectly tailored suit. ‘Having to spice it up like this.’
He chuckled. ‘I haven’t the time to deal with you the way I want to right now; I need to spend time with my guests. We’ll deal with each other properly later.’
She wasn’t sure if that was a promise or a threat. Worse, she wasn’t sure what she wanted it to be.
‘You don’t think taking me down there with you is a risk?’ She sent him a sideways look. ‘Or do you truly think I’m predictable?’
‘I’m very good at taking risks,’ he said with no trace of humility. ‘And, in my experience, the higher the risk, the greater the reward.’
‘So I’m high risk?’
He hesitated, checking his words ever so slightly. ‘You’re not afraid to put yourself on the line. That makes you interesting.’
She didn’t want to be interesting. She didn’t want to feel the flush of pleasure that he’d complimented her.
She refused his murmured offer of a drink as they descended the last stairs. As much as she yearned for the Dutch courage, she figured it would be more of a hindrance than a help. She needed all her wits about her to successfully spar with Alejandro Martinez and combat whatever ‘reckoning’ it was he had in mind.
Maybe she should have confessed all about the diamond necklace when she had the chance upstairs in the library, but he’d been so irritatingly assured, she’d been unable to resist the urge to bait him right back.
She wasn’t sure what she’d expected from him once downstairs, but it wasn’t the supremely polite courtesy he showed her. He introduced her to everyone as they walked through the atrium to the formal lounge. Many of them were American, like him, and out to enjoy themselves as much as possible. The first few people he introduced her to looked at her with benign disinterest—clearly used to Alejandro appearing every night with a new woman. No wonder he’d looked bemused when she’d asked what he’d say about her to his guests.
‘Meet Catriona,’ he said to the fourth group of people they stopped beside.
‘Kitty,’ she sweetly corrected, yet again, and extended her hand to the nearest of the three women. ‘I’m his special date for the night.’
Three sets of eyebrows lifted in unison.
‘Special?’ one rapier-thin woman queried, her gaze equally dagger-like.
‘I had to promise her that, or break out the handcuffs,’ Alejandro answered smoothly.
The sensuality of his reply rippled through her—and the rest of the group. Eyes widened, then narrowed. But only Kitty knew the truth of his words. Only she knew he didn’t mean fur-lined kinky toys, but tight, unbreakable restraints—yet somehow the thought of them wasn’t as repellent as it should be. Not when she envisaged Alejandro wielding the cuffs and the key.
As Alejandro turned and led her further into the room, the look he sent her was slightly goading as if he knew he was thwarting her prediction of his behaviour. As if he knew the lurching direction of her thoughts. She refused to let the smile slip from her face. She’d ‘sparkle’ down here even if it killed her.
Except it wasn’t that hard at all because he made her laugh too easily. He was extremely charming. In minutes she knew exactly why there were so many women present. He had that charisma, that X-factor, that way of looking at a woman as if she were the only person in the world who mattered to him in that moment. When she was the object of his focus, a woman felt good. It was a terrifyingly unfair talent. And he shared it around. He had his fingers laced through hers, but he talked with everyone equally.
Then she noticed people were watching them more attentively. Their gazes rested on the way he remained close to her the entire time. At the way he constantly touched some part of her—a hand on her back, her arm, or clasping her hand. As time passed into the second hour, he placed his arm over her shoulder and drew her closer to his side.
The guests began looking more assessingly at her. She heard the ripple of inquiry as they made their way from room to room. She heard the whisper of her name. Surreptitious glances became openly speculative.
If Alejandro noticed he said nothing, but his attentiveness became even more apparent. Until he then led her to a corner and stepped in close to put himself as a wall between her and the rest of his guests.
‘You seem to be causing a stir,’ he said, his onyx gaze pinning her in place.
‘Not me.’
He was the one doing all the touchy-feely stuff that was causing the stares.
‘Absolutely you.’ He laughed. That amusement danced in his eyes too and she couldn’t tear her attention from him.
‘You enjoy messing with people’s lives?’
‘In what way am I messing with your life?’ He raised his eyebrows. ‘Don’t overdramatize having to spend one night alongside me. It’s not going to change your world.’
‘It’s not?’ She furrowed her brow in mock-disappointment. ‘But I thought any woman who spent a night with the amazing Alejandro had her world rocked.’
‘Minx.’ He laughed again. ‘Come on, we’d better keep moving.’
‘Must we, darling?’ she murmured as she stepped alongside him.
The look he shot her then promised absolute retribution.
Kitty lifted her chin, feeling more game than ever. But, now she could look more freely about the house, she realised there was much gone from the rooms. Her family had had a ‘maximalist’ rather than a ‘minimalist’ style of decor but the mantelpieces were bare and shelves barren—the spaces punctuated by used champagne glasses and platters of stupidly tiny delicacies she’d yet to sample. With a pang she wondered what he’d done with all the smaller items of furniture and the trinkets and sculptures that she’d loved all her life—surely they weren’t all crammed into those boxes in the bedrooms upstairs.
‘Alejandro?’ a woman called from almost halfway across the room and walked over with quick, clipping steps. ‘I’ve just had a text from Saskia,’ she added, her eyes cold and wide as she locked her gaze on Kitty. ‘Bit of a bombshell, actually.’
‘Oh?’ Alejandro couldn’t have sounded less interested but his arm tightened infinitesimally, pressing Kitty closer to his side.
She wished he wouldn’t do that; feeling his hard strength was appallingly distracting, but she had the feeling he did it without even realising—so used to having a woman with him.
‘She said you’ve met someone else.’
There was a split-second of awkward silence and Alejandro was utterly still. The woman’s confident expression suddenly faltered.
‘Oh, that would be me,’ Kitty interjected sweetly before Alejandro had a chance to speak. ‘When I’ve had enough of him she’s welcome to have him back.’
She heard Alejandro’s sharply drawn breath and braced herself. Was he finally going to tell her to go now?
But he drew her closer still. It wasn’t an unconscious, almost undetectable gesture now. ‘But sweetheart,’ he breathed. ‘It’s my job to ensure you’ve never had enough.’ He turned to the woman. ‘If you’ll excuse us, I’d like to get Catriona a drink. I think she needs one.’
‘How many times do I have to tell you—it’s Kitty?’ she muttered as he held her hand tightly and drew her through the crowds with him.
He smiled back at her and his hand tightened. ‘What will you have?’
She was aware of everyone watching them as he led her through the room. ‘Got any cyanide in the champagne?’
‘I’ll save you some for later, when it’s time to face your—how do you say?—fate worse than death.’ He looked pleased with himself at that.
‘I already told you, that’s never happening.’
He stopped in the centre of the room and faced her, apparently uncaring that everyone was staring, and positively hauled her right into his arms. ‘No? Not even a kiss to say sorry?’ Slowly and deliberately he brushed his thumb across her lower lip. ‘Methinks the lady doth protest too much.’
‘Methinks the asshole doth have an outsize ego.’
He gazed at her, his expression delighted. He couldn’t have looked more proprietorial. Or more smitten. But his whispered words were so sarcastic and his awareness of her unbelievably smug. He was enjoying her discomfort hugely. She could tell by the unholy gleam in his eyes, but every touch made her acutely aware of him and his magnetism grew stronger.