The Spanish Tycoon's Takeover
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‘You know nothing about my grandfather! He was the kindest, most gentle of men, and he didn’t deserve what Aggie did to him.’
‘Have you ever noticed that when a man gets his heart broken it’s always the woman’s fault, but whenever a woman’s heart is broken she’s usually found at fault too?’ She shot to her feet, hands on hips. ‘You want to know what your sad little story tells me about your grandfather? That he was a fool risking his motel in a game of cards! What on earth was he thinking?’
A fool? Xavier clenched his hands so hard he started to shake.
‘I also know that Lorenzo married and sired three sons. That doesn’t exactly speak of heartbreak to me. And you needn’t look so surprised. Did you expect me to do no homework on the Ramos Corporation? I know that Lorenzo founded a great hotel empire.’
Lorenzo had thrown himself into work because there’d been nothing for him at home. Not that Xavier had any intention of telling Wynne that.
‘Which means he could’ve bought back Aggie’s Retreat any time he wanted to while he was alive—if it was that important to him.
If? ‘He had his pride!’
Her jaw dropped, but her shock was far from edifying.
‘If he truly loved Aggie, but let pride prevent him from pursuing her, then...then he deserved his broken heart.’
‘You’re as heartless as your grandmother!’
She closed her eyes and dragged in a breath. ‘I’m just pointing out that you know only one side of the story. I can tell you right now that Aggie enjoyed male attention. She never made any secret of it. I can also tell you, with my hand pressed to my heart, that she would never have cheated in a matter of honour. But as you don’t know her I don’t expect you to believe me. And here’s a novel thought for you, Xavier. What happened between Aggie and Lorenzo has absolutely nothing to do with us—it’s none of our business. And I have absolutely no intention of troubling myself with it further.’
The burning in his chest intensified. ‘You do not love your grandmother?’
‘On the contrary—I adore her.’
‘But you do not care that I mean to obliterate every trace of Aggie—your beloved grandmother—from this motel?’
Her brow wrinkled and she leaned towards him. ‘Xavier, Aggie resides in the hearts of all those who love her—in my heart, my mother’s heart... Lorenzo’s heart. This—’ she gestured around the conference room, presumably to encompass the whole motel ‘—when you get right down to it, is nothing more than an old pile of cold bricks.’
The woman didn’t have a sentimental bone in her body! It didn’t give her the right, though, to make him feel guilty or...or juvenile for trying to right a past wrong.
* * *
Xavier lifted his jaw at just that angle—full of imperious arrogance—that made her want to slug him.
‘I’m willing to accept your resignation any time you wish to proffer it, Miss Stephens.’
‘It’s Ms. Also, you left out the “Wynne Antonia”. I promise you the full name carries more weight.’
He glared at her, but before he could open his mouth and fire her she continued.
‘I have no intention of proffering my resignation. I knew you would make changes to the motel. I have no issue with that. Some changes are long overdue. As for the history between our grandparents—as I’ve said, I have no intention of concerning myself with it. As far as I’m concerned nothing has changed.’
Xavier’s glare deepened, but April chose that moment to appear in the doorway.
Wynne stood and excused herself.
‘This had better be important,’ she murmured to the other woman.
April nodded, and as Wynne listened to what she had to say her stomach started to knot.
She swung back to Xavier briefly. ‘I’m sorry, but there’s a situation I need to deal with.’
Irritation flitted across his face. ‘Can’t you get—?’
‘No, I can’t.’
There was no time to stand around arguing. She took off down the corridor to Room Twelve. Ignoring the Do Not Disturb sign on the door, she knocked. ‘Ms Gladstone?’ She knocked harder. ‘Serena?’
No answer.
Without further ado Wynne swiped her master key and pushed through the door. The breath caught in her throat when she saw Serena crumpled on the floor.
‘April, call for an ambulance immediately.’ She raced over to kneel beside the unconscious woman, reaching for her hand. ‘Let them know she’s diabetic and twelve weeks pregnant.’
CHAPTER THREE
WYNNE’S FINGERS SHOOK, but she found Serena’s pulse. Thank you, God! It was faint, though, and that couldn’t be good. She chafed one cold hand between both of her own.
‘Serena... Serena, honey, can you hear me?’
Serena didn’t stir.
And then she was aware of Xavier, kneeling beside her, taking Serena’s other hand.
‘Dios! She is freezing.’
She hadn’t realised he’d followed her. He’d probably meant to fire her once he’d caught up with her, for insubordination. He still might.
He made as if to lift the unconscious woman, but Wynne stopped him. ‘I’m not sure we should move her.’
She was pregnant. What if they accidentally did something to hurt both Serena and the baby?
Without a word, he pulled the quilt from the bed and tucked it around the woman with such gentleness it had a lump forming in Wynne’s throat.
‘What else can I do?’
She swallowed. ‘Can you hold her hand?’
Shocked dark eyes met hers. ‘She knows you, yes?’
She nodded.
‘If she regains consciousness a familiar face will be a comfort to her.’
That was true, but in that case what she was about to ask him to do was far from glamorous.
‘Tell me,’ he ordered.
She wondered briefly if the man even knew how to couch his demands as requests. She shook the thought off. They had far more important things to consider at the moment.
‘Can you check the bathroom for any signs of vomit or...’ she swallowed ‘...blood?’
He didn’t even blink—just set off to do her bidding at once.
He returned a moment later. ‘Vomit, but no blood.’
That meant Serena hadn’t lost the baby.
Yet.
‘We need to let the paramedics know that when they arrive.’
April appeared in the doorway. ‘The ambulance is on its way. Tina is primed to show them up here the moment they arrive. They’re less than five minutes away. Is there anything else you’d like me to do?’ She sent a covert glance in Xavier’s direction. ‘Or would you like me to...get on with things?’
Dear Lord. If Libby or the other housemaids got wind of this there’d be tears before bedtime.
‘Thanks, April. If you can just...keep things as normal as possible for the rest of the staff and guests, that would be great. And, if we can manage it, I’d like as few sightseers as possible. It’s our responsibility to safeguard Ms Gladstone’s privacy.’
‘I’ll do everything I can,’ April promised, closing the door behind her.
Wynne glanced back down at Serena, gently pushing the hair from her face. ‘Serena, honey, can you hear me? Give my hand a squeeze if you can.’
Nothing.
In the next moment a damp washcloth was pushed into her hand, and she wasn’t sure why but the large solid shape of Xavier in the room helped to steady her. She gently pressed the washcloth to Serena’s brow, and then her cheeks, murmuring to the other woman the entire time—telling her where she was and what they were doing, saying anything she could think of to reassure her.
She glanced up briefly. ‘Xavier, could you check the dishes on the sideboard—’ she nodded in its direction ‘—and tell me what food is there? I want to know if she’s eaten this morning.’
He strode across with long, assured strides and the more she looked at him the steadier her pulse became.
‘One rasher of bacon, two eggs, two pieces of toast.’
He glanced back at her with his eyebrows raised.
She sent him a weak smile. ‘So that means she’s eaten one rasher of bacon and the beans.’
He lifted up some orange peel. ‘And an orange. This we must tell to the paramedics too, yes?’
She nodded, and beneath the quilt Serena stirred.
‘The ambulance is here,’ Xavier murmured from the window that overlooked the front of the motel.
Excellent.
‘Hey, honey.’ Wynne found a smile as Serena opened her eyes. ‘It’s good to have you back with us.’
Serena blinked and frowned, glanced about, and then her hand clutched Wynne’s. ‘The baby?’ she croaked.
Wynne gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. ‘Now, don’t you go upsetting yourself. There’s absolutely no indication of any kind that there’s anything wrong with your baby. And look—’ She tried to stand as the paramedics entered the room, but the other woman refused to relinquish her hand. ‘The ambulance crew is here, and they’ll take excellent care of you. They’ll take you to hospital and the doctors will give you a thorough check to make sure everything is okay. You’ll see. Everything will be fine.’
Fear flitted across Serena’s face and she struggled to rise. ‘Please don’t leave me, Wynne.’ She coughed as if she had a dry throat. ‘Please, I—’
The entreaty in the other woman’s eyes twisted Wynne’s heart. ‘I’ll come with you.’ She squeezed her hand. ‘And I’ll call your sister. You don’t worry about anything—you hear? You just concentrate on feeling better.’
Serena subsided with a nod. ‘Bless you, Wynne...’
The paramedics allowed Wynne to ride in the ambulance.
Before they left, Xavier pushed Serena’s handbag into Wynne’s arms. ‘You’ll probably need her details. And her phone to find her sister’s number.’
His quick thinking surprised her. ‘Thank you.’
‘I’ll take care of everything that needs doing from this end.’
Would he even know what to do? She let that thought slide as the ambulance doors closed. She didn’t want to leave him alone with her staff, but she had no choice. Between them Tina and April would take care of everything...keep the ship afloat.
She crossed her fingers. Crossed them for Serena, for all her staff, and for herself.
* * *
Wynne planted herself on a bench in the anonymous hospital waiting room. She waited. And waited. She rang Serena’s sister, who lived two hours away. She made the other woman promise to drive safely. She made her promise to take a ten-minute break at the halfway point in her journey.
She glanced at her watch. She’d only been here for thirty minutes, but the minutes seemed like hours. The medical staff told her that Serena was in a stable condition, but they refused to tell her anything else...such as whether Serena had lost her baby or not.
Her stomach churned. Let the baby be okay. Serena wanted that baby with every fibre of her being. If she lost it—
Don’t even think that.
She started when a plastic cup was pushed underneath her nose. She took it automatically, and stared in astonishment as Xavier folded himself down on to the padded bench beside her, holding another cup.
‘Tea,’ he said. ‘I thought you might like one.’
She blinked, but he didn’t disappear. ‘What...what are you doing here?’
‘I brought Ms Gladstone’s things. We thought she might need them.’
She nodded, and then glanced around.
‘I left them at the nurses’ station.’
‘Oh, good thinking.’
He frowned, and leaned forward to peer at her. He smelled like vanilla and pinecones and the sea—all her favourite things.
‘Wynne, are you okay?’
She suddenly realised she’d been staring, but not talking. She shook herself. ‘I’m fine. Just worried about Serena.’
His frown deepened. Gone was all his former arrogance and...and hardness. In its place...
In its place was concern and warmth and something else she couldn’t quite pin down—but it made her stomach curl and warmed the toes she hadn’t even realised were cold.
‘The nurse has informed me that she is in a stable condition.’
Oh, that accent! When he wasn’t playing the role of demanding boss or avenging angel... A shiver rippled through her. Yes, that accent could do the strangest things to a woman’s insides.
‘So why all this worry?’
She leapt up to stride across the room. ‘Because that’s all they’ve told me too!’ She strode back again. ‘What they haven’t told me is if her baby is all right.’
He stared up at her, but she couldn’t read his expression.
Very gently he pulled her back down beside him. ‘Yes, I can see why that would be important. I will make a deal with you, Ms Wynne Antonia Stephens.’
He didn’t use an ominous tone, and the way his mouth shaped her full name, with the smallest of smiles playing across his lips, made her pulse race.
‘A deal?’
‘The minute you finish your cup of tea I will go and find out all I can about Serena and her baby.’
She stared at him, liking this new, improved version of her boss. But... ‘What makes you think they’ll tell you anything?’
He raised a supercilious eyebrow and she found herself having to choke back a laugh. This was a man used to getting his own way. Tomorrow that might be devastating. Today, however, it would be useful—very useful.
She pulled the lid off her cup. ‘Xavier Mateo Ramos, you have yourself a deal.’
When she smiled at him he smiled back, and the day didn’t seem so bleak and dark. Somewhere a ray of hope shone amid the dark gloom of worry.
‘You must not gulp it down in one go,’ he ordered. ‘It will be very hot.’
And sweet. She tried not to grimace as she took her first sip. Maybe he thought she needed sweetening. She thought back over their conversation in the conference room earlier and conceded that he might have a point. She really needed to work on her deference and being tactful skills.
She bit back a sigh and took another sip of her tea. ‘I’m sorry, Xavier. This isn’t what I had planned for your first day.’
‘It is not your fault.’ He eyed her thoughtfully. ‘You were quite amazing, you know—very calm and collected.’
She’d felt like jelly inside. ‘So were you.’
‘But you knew what to do. I did not.’
She’d bet that didn’t happen very often. It wouldn’t be particularly tactful to point that out, though. Still, it was nice to have some evidence that he wasn’t totally invulnerable.
‘Serena is one of our regulars, so I know her situation.’
‘Her diabetes and her pregnancy?’
Her heart started to pound again. Please let Serena’s baby be safe.
‘Tell me your procedure in such cases. You obviously have one.’
‘Cases like this are rare, thankfully.’
‘Why did April come and get you? She must clean occupied rooms all the time.’
‘We have a policy that if the Do Not Disturb sign is on the door for too long two staff members should be present when entering the room.’ And, given April’s criminal record, Wynne had no intention of placing her housekeeping manager in a potentially compromising situation.
Xavier nodded slowly. ‘Yes. I can see how that would be wise.’
‘April had Tina ring through to the room first, but when there was no answer...’
‘She came and got you?’
Wynne nodded.
He stared at her, a frown in his eyes. ‘I do not understand why April was concerned enough to raise the alarm.’
Oh. ‘Like I said, Serena is a regular. She’s a hair and make-up artist and she was in the Gold Coast for a fashion show yesterday—she does a lot of them. She normally checks out at ten on the dot. She’d made no other changes to her usual routine—her breakfast was delivered at seven-thirty—and as it was after eleven...’
‘So...’ Xavier pursed his lips. ‘You choose to risk invoking your clients’ wrath—which you might have done if Serena Gladstone had simply been seeking quiet and solitude—in the interests of ensuring their wellbeing?’
That was a no-brainer! ‘Yes.’
He leant back and sipped his tea. ‘It is lucky for Serena that you chose the less professional option.’
Was he criticising her? He couldn’t be serious?
Bite your tongue, Wynne Antonia Stephens. Pick your battles.
‘How long would you have left it?’ She tried to keep the accusation out of her voice.
‘I hire staff to make those decisions for me.’
Do you feel safe and smug, tucked up in that ivory tower of yours?
She bit her tongue until she tasted blood. She wanted to bring this conversation to a close. Now. She lifted her cup and drained the rest of the awful tea. Oddly, though, both the liquid and the sugar had made her feel better.
She handed him her cup. ‘I’ve kept my side of the deal.’
His eyes throbbed into hers, but without a word her rose and left—presumably to find out all he could about Serena’s condition.
Wynne couldn’t endure sitting for another moment. She paced the waiting room, hoping the activity would help allay the tension that had her coiling up tighter by the second. In her mind’s eye, all she could see was the excitement stretching across Serena’s face last night as she’d told Wynne all her plans for the baby.
It had made Wynne almost...jealous.
Xavier was gone for twenty minutes.
Wynne paced the waiting room. Please. Please. Please. That one word went round and round in her head like a prayer. There would not be enough comfort in the world for Serena if she lost her baby.
For no reason, all the hairs on her arms lifted. She spun to find Xavier standing in the doorway. Her mouth went dry.
‘Well?’ She couldn’t manage anything above a whisper.
‘At the moment the doctor is optimistic that both Serena and her baby will be okay. Serena may need bed-rest for the remainder of her pregnancy, but...’
Xavier continued, but Wynne barely heard the rest of his words. She just let them wash over her in a comforting rush. She dropped down to one of the padded benches that lined the walls, the strength in her legs giving way.
‘Oh, Xavier.’ She pressed both hands to her chest. ‘That’s great news.’
And to her utter embarrassment she burst into tears.
In two strides he was across the room. A warm arm went about her shoulders, a strong thigh pressed against hers as he took the seat beside her. From shoulder to knee she found herself held against him—he was warm and solid and comforting, and she drew all of that in as she hauled a breath into shuddering lungs and wrangled her emotions back under control.
‘I’m sorry. I know this isn’t very professional of me, but...’
‘But it has been a harrowing morning and it has ended better than you feared. Wynne, your tears are entirely understandable.’
Really?
‘Come.’
He smiled, and she couldn’t find a trace of criticism in those dark eyes of his.
‘It is time I took you home.’
Her heart clenched. She wasn’t sure she even had a home any more.
‘I promised Serena’s sister I’d wait here till she arrived.’
He settled back with a nod.
Shock had her straightening. ‘You don’t have to stay, Xavier.’
He briefly clasped her hand, and heat flooded her. His eyes speared hers and she felt suspended between breaths. And then he edged away slightly, and the tightness about her chest eased a fraction.
‘I’ll wait.’
She wasn’t sure she wanted him to. But nevertheless she found his presence comforting. She told herself it was because while he was here with her he wasn’t at Aggie’s Retreat unsupervised, finding fault with things without her there to explain them in context. But the truth was that she simply appreciated the company.
She swallowed. It was the same way she’d have appreciated Tina or April’s company. Except...
She couldn’t remember Tina or April ever sending unexpected jolts of adrenaline coursing through her and reminding her of what it was like to feel alive—truly alive—rather than worried about everything and running around trying to put out fires.
For the moment, she decided to put the thought of fires and catastrophes out of her mind and simply enjoy the opportunity for some peace and quiet.
* * *
‘This isn’t the way back to the motel.’
Xavier glanced across at Wynne. ‘I’ve instructed Reyes to take us to an Oceanside restaurant. You haven’t had lunch and it is after two. You need to eat.’
She glanced at her watch, and although he had a feeling that she wanted to argue with him, she subsided back against the upholstery of the limousine. She barely seemed to notice the luxury of the large car, but he appreciated the leather seats after spending so long on those hard hospital benches.
Wynne must be worn out. He felt drained and he’d done next to nothing.
‘I have it on good authority that Clementine’s is an excellent restaurant.’
‘Yes, the reviews have been admirable.’
He frowned as the car came to halt in front of one of the Gold Coast’s most exciting new restaurants and Wynne showed not the slightest interest or excitement. He’d wanted to give her a treat for all her quick thinking and kindness to Serena Gladstone, but it appeared this wasn’t the kind of excursion designed to bring a smile to Wynne’s lips.
‘You would rather eat somewhere else?’
She sent him a look that he found difficult to interpret. ‘I’d be just as happy with hot chips on the beach.’ She glanced down at his feet. ‘But you’re not dressed for the beach.’
He too glanced down at his Italian leather shoes and silk blend socks. Before he could stop the words coming out of his mouth he said, ‘That can be fixed. I can take them off.’
She stared at him with so much surprise that he reached down and removed them at once. He met her gaze, defiance threading through him, and raised a deliberately challenging eyebrow. After two beats she gave a laugh and kicked off her own shoes. To see the effervescence and energy return to her eyes was the only reward he needed.
He bought two cones of chips and they ambled along the beach before finding a spot to sit where they could dig their toes into the sand. The beach—all golden sand and blue skies—stretched for miles in both directions, with the Gold Coast skyline stretching behind—mile upon mile of glamorous high-rises. The lightest of breezes touched his face, bringing with it the scent of salt and jasmine—the former from the ocean and the latter from the woman sitting beside him.
‘I want to tell you again that I think you did an extraordinary job today.’
She frowned. ‘You mean I was supposed to take your earlier criticism as a compliment?’
He stiffened. ‘What criticism?’
‘That by ignoring the Do Not Disturb sign I was being unprofessional.’
He glared at her. ‘That is not what I meant!’
She shrugged and stared back out at the surf. ‘It’s what you said.’
He found himself wrestling with a sudden anger. He was her employer. He didn’t need to explain himself to her.
Except...except if he’d given her the impression that he’d been criticising her then perhaps he did.
‘I am sorry if I gave you that impression.’ His words came out stiff, and he could have sworn out loud when her jaw tightened. ‘What I was trying to say was that I admire your understanding of your clients and your attention to their needs. I admire your...vigilance.’
She turned back to him, the smallest of frowns lurking in the depths of her eyes. ‘I work in a people profession. I’m trained to anticipate people’s needs.’
‘I work in a people profession too.’
A laugh shot out of her and she immediately tried to smother it. ‘We may work in the same industry, but we’re worlds apart, Xavier—and I’m not just talking about Northern and Southern hemispheres, here. You’re not the least interested in anticipating anyone’s needs. You hire staff for that. What you’re used to is barking out orders and having them obeyed immediately and without question.’
The moment the words left her she winced, her shoulders edging up towards her ears. ‘I didn’t mean that to sound disrespectful. I just meant we play different roles on the hotel industry’s food chain.’