The Twelve-Month Marriage Deal (8 page)

‘I thought we would eat out tonight,’ he said when she eventually returned to the house. ‘At a favourite restaurant of mine, which I feel sure you will enjoy.’

Elena’s smile was weak and definitely not enthusiastic, even wary perhaps, which made him wonder whether he was doing the right thing. They needed time together, though. Somewhere on neutral ground where they could relax and she wouldn’t feel that she was being led into an even deeper and darker corner.

When Elena came back downstairs an hour later his heart did a strange leap. She looked amazingly beautiful in a soft amethyst dress that clung to her curves in all the right places and sent dark arrows of need through his groin. All of a sudden he didn’t want to dine out, he
wanted to rip the dress off and ravish her until they both ran out of energy.

Of course he did nothing of the kind. He smiled politely. ‘You look stunning, Elena. Shall we go?’

Elena tried her hardest to remain distantly polite, but it lasted for less than five seconds. Vidal was the most amazing lover and after such intimacy how could she ignore him? Her feelings scared her if the truth were known. Scared her to death. But it was surely better this way than to have to suffer a sexual relationship that did nothing for her? It had been wrong to say she was doing a job, because there was no way on this earth that making love with Vidal could be called a job.

It was a pleasure.

A sheer, insatiable pleasure.

While she had been showering and getting ready to go out Elena had told herself that relaxing and enjoying the time she spent with Vidal was the only way to get through the coming year. Fighting him would be pointless. She would always be the loser, he was too gutwrenchingly sexy to ignore.

Her nerve ends were sensitised when he took her elbow and carefully helped her into the waiting limousine. She felt as though there were a time bomb inside her waiting to go off. It was a strange, inexplicable feeling. And Vidal was adding to it by being so attentive.

Thankfully it was but a short ride to the restaurant, which was elegant and historic and one she had never been to before. With grand architecture and original features, it had a rarefied hushed atmosphere so that she felt compelled to talk in whispers.

‘This is beautiful,’ she said as Vidal indicated that they wished to be shown straight to their table. Was it coincidence that it was in an alcove that set them apart from other diners? She swept the thought away. Vidal clearly wanted this evening to be special so she mustn’t question his choice.

It wasn’t about angering him again, it was about building bridges, getting to know each other better. At least that was what she assumed Vidal had in mind. In his house with his staff always hovering it was difficult to get any real solitude. Except in bed, of course, but they had other things to occupy their minds then.

The light from the candles lent an added glow to his smooth olive skin, created a mysterious element to the silver of his eyes, and Elena sensed a different man here. Not someone who had taken her as part payment for the bank, but someone who actually cared. Someone who wanted her to enjoy this evening for what it was.

It was an odd feeling, one that she had never expected to experience with Vidal. Up until now he’d only ever wanted sex from her. It had been his enduring passion. Not that she was complaining, she enjoyed it too. But tonight looked like being something special.

‘What are you thinking?’ Vidal’s deep, attractive voice penetrated her thoughts.

‘What a beautiful place this is,’ she answered.

‘You’ve not been here before?’

Elena shook her head. ‘I take it you have. Is this your usual haunt?’

‘It’s a place for special occasions, for special people,’ he answered, his voice dropping into a low growl that sent a shiver down Elena’s spine.

‘You’re saying that I am special?’ she asked with sudden daring.

‘
Naturalmente!
You are very special to me, Elena.’

It was on the tip of her tongue to say that of course she was since he was getting what he wanted, but she did not wish to spoil their evening when he had gone to so much trouble. Had he felt guilty when she had shot her earlier jibe at him? Was this his way of making her feel better about their situation?

Her thoughts were interrupted by an attentive waiter and for the next few minutes as they studied their menus they were silent, though Elena was aware of Vidal constantly slanting a glance her way.

His vigilance made it difficult for her to concentrate and in the end she closed her menu. ‘You order for me,’ she said huskily.

Vidal’s smile told her that he was completely aware of her turmoil and she did not even listen as he gave the waiter their order. Instead she sat back and sipped her aperitif—an excellent white Rioja that had appeared at the snap of Vidal’s fingers.

Gradually she began to relax and at Vidal’s prompting she told him how she had started up as a wedding planner.

‘I used to help out a friend,’ she told him. ‘When she was suddenly taken ill she asked me to look after things. Unhappily her illness was more serious than was at first thought and when it became clear that she wouldn’t be able to return to work I bought her business. I had to take out a loan but I’ve long since paid that back.’

‘So you’ve become a very successful lady?’ Vidal sat
back in his chair, wine glass in hand, lazily studying her. ‘How long have you been running your business now?’

Why did he have such beautiful eyes? thought Elena. They could never be ignored. At this moment they were sending a smouldering message, one that ignited inside her stomach, setting a trillion sense buds into motion.

‘Just over five years. I’m quite well established.’

‘And this assistant of yours—Kate did you say her name was? Will she protect your interests?’

‘Absolutely.’

‘Will you need to fly home periodically to make sure?’

Elena’s brows rose. ‘You would allow that?’

‘Infierno,’
he laughed. ‘I am not such a terrible man, Elena! Of course you must go if you are needed.’

Elena could not believe what she was hearing. This was a different side to Vidal. Perhaps she ought to have told him all this in the very beginning—then he might not have insisted on their marriage. He might have found it in his heart to help her without all this nonsense.

And pigs might fly!

She had taken him by surprise and he’d had little choice but to say what he had. She doubted he’d let her go. He had made it very clear that she was his and his alone for the next twelve months. Nevertheless she said, ‘That is very generous of you, Vidal.’

‘So whose weddings have you organised? Anyone I might know?’

Elena shrugged and named one or two film stars he might have heard of.

‘Does anything ever go wrong?’

‘Oh, yes,’ she answered with a laugh. ‘I remember
when the bride caught her heel in the back of her wedding dress as she got out of the car at the church. She was in floods of tears especially as the hole was at the back for everyone to see. Thank goodness I had my emergency repair kit with me. A few judiciously sewn on silk flowers did the trick.’

Vidal’s eyebrows rose, though he said nothing. He continued to sit quietly and listen, a faint smile playing on his beautifully moulded lips.

‘And then there was the occasion when the groom never turned up.’ Elena rolled her eyes at the memory. ‘It transpired that his car had taken him to the wrong church because of a relief driver at the last minute. The bride was in floods of tears, even I felt panicky. But we tracked him down and all was well in the end.’

‘And here was I thinking what a cushy little number it was, Elena. You have my admiration.’

‘There are lots more things I could tell you about. I could sit here all night.’

Vidal smiled. ‘We have the time,’ he said softly.

His first genuine smile, thought Elena. He looked more relaxed than she had ever seen him; she had even forgotten her own unfortunate situation. She felt comfortable in his presence now, and when their first course arrived she ate the grilled eggplant in tomato vinaigrette with sheer enjoyment.

She was surprised when their plates were cleared away and Vidal tossed a business card onto the table in front of her.

‘What’s this?’ she asked with a faint frown.

‘You made an impression. Andres—you remember Andres at our wedding? His daughter is getting married
later in the year and he’d like you to plan it. I wasn’t sure that I wanted you to do it, but having listened to you now, heard your professionalism, I believe it is something you might enjoy, something for you to do while I’m at work.’

Elena studied the card and then looked back at her husband. ‘You wouldn’t mind?’ Andres Francia was head of a big business corporation. Money would be no object, she could pull out all the stops. It was a fantastic opportunity.

‘So long as it doesn’t interfere in
our
time,’ he answered, his brows rising, telling her as clearly as if he had spoken the words that every moment he was home he expected her to spend it with him. Quite possibly in bed.

‘I’d make sure that it didn’t.’ Elena allowed a tiny smile to turn up the corners of her lips, deliberately making herself sound demure. While inside she was trembling with excitement. This could be the start of something much bigger. Maybe even the potential to expand into Europe!

‘Perhaps you might even settle back here? I’m sure this won’t be the first offer you’ll get.’

‘Perhaps not,’ she answered with a faint smile, a happy smile. ‘But I like it in LA. It is my home now. I have no wish to come back here permanently.’ Not even if there was someone as fantastic in bed as Vidal. She could live without him quite easily.

Couldn’t she?

It was doubtful she would find such a skilful lover elsewhere, but that wasn’t what life was all about. She had been perfectly happy until now. And would be again.

And why was she thinking like this when she had the rest of the year to get through?

She actually felt sad when the evening came to an end. Every course had been perfect, Vidal’s company couldn’t be faulted, and they had got to know each other much better. She even nestled her head on his shoulder during the drive home and was pleasantly surprised when all he did was drop a kiss to her brow and drape his arm across her shoulders.

As far as she was concerned it was the end of a perfect evening.

Except that Vidal was not yet finished with her. When they went to bed his kisses were more passionate than ever. They spoke volumes, told her how hungry he was for her body.

It had been simmering all night. Even though he had kept his hands off her, his eyes had given him away. She wondered whether he had any idea how they darkened when he was aroused.

Neither of them wore anything when they slept—there had never been any need because whatever she had on, no matter how minuscule, he always ripped it off with hungry, impatient hands.

Now his head moved lower so that he could suckle her breasts, nipping and teasing her nipples until she squirmed with delight, while his hands explored and aroused the other part of her body that demanded his attention.

Her whole being became a mass of incredible sensation, intensified a thousandfold when he brought her time and time again to the brink of insanity. He asked for nothing himself, he was intent only on pleasuring her—and how he did that!

Inside her everything was dancing, bursting to get out. She felt as if the merest prick of the finest needle on her skin would release her feelings, they would escape to dance joyfully in the air. She fancied that she would actually be able to see her pleasure right there in front of her eyes. It would be full of light and beauty and she would never want to let it go.

Her fingernails clawed Vidal’s back and she called out his name in agonised delight until he was able to hold back no longer. He took her then, not once but several times, until they both collapsed in exhaustion, swiftly followed by sleep.

When morning came Elena found the bed beside her empty and she wondered if it had all been a beautiful dream. A figment of her imagination. Wishful thinking on her part.

Then her bedside phone rang. ‘Good morning, Elena.’

‘Vidal, where are you?’

‘I’m at the office. I wanted to check you were okay.’

And why wouldn’t she be? He’d made love to her before and left without bothering to check her welfare. Why this time? But she knew the answer. Last night had been special, different. Whether it was her imagination or not Elena felt that something had changed in their relationship.

‘I’ve just woken,’ she said, adding more shyly, ‘I missed you.’

She heard a sigh the other end and immediately knew that she had said the wrong thing, read the wrong signals. None of this was supposed to be serious. It was an
affair and they were both free to walk at the end. No commitment.

‘I’ve been called away, Elena. I’ll be gone three days. If you want to return to LA to check on things there, feel free. Nevertheless I shall want you home when I get back.’

As suddenly as the phone had rung it went dead and Elena was left looking at the receiver as if she could actually see his face.

E
LENA
was wickedly angry that Vidal had ended their phone call so abruptly.
I’ll be gone three days. Do what you like in my absence, but make sure you’re there when I get back.

Or something like that. He made it sound as though all she was good for was a bed partner. Damn the man. He had ruined every warm feeling in her body. He had cut her down to size as efficiently as if he had used a knife.

She had half a mind to go to LA and
not
come back. Why should she let him get away with it? He couldn’t dictate to her like this, could he? Who did he think he was? The trouble was he had her over a barrel and he knew it. Her mother’s health was at stake here. It was a case of grinning and bearing it and putting up with whatever he wanted to dish out. She had no other choice.

He was an overbearing, pompous swine and she hated him. She ought never to have succumbed to his advances. She ought never to have agreed to share his bed, insisting on separate rooms. Except that then he wouldn’t have gone ahead with the merger.

Everything came back to one thing.

She shared his bed and he helped her family.

That was it. Full stop. No getting out of it. She was stuck with him whether she liked his attitude or not. Twelve months sounded like a lifetime. A prison sentence.

She phoned Kate in LA, who assured her that everything was under control and there was no need for her to come home.

Then she visited her parents. ‘You look down, my darling,’ said her mother, eyeing her critically. ‘Is the marriage too much of an ordeal for you? I know we—’

‘It’s fine,
Mamá.
’ Not for the world would she let them know the anguish Vidal was putting her through. It would break their hearts. ‘Vidal’s gone away on business for a few days.’

‘But he is looking after you?’ enquired her father anxiously.

Elena nodded and pasted a smile on her lips. ‘He’s the perfect gentleman.’ She wasn’t about to tell her parents that he wasn’t a gentleman in bed. These were the sort of details they would not want to hear. They were under the impression that the marriage was in name only and would be horrified if they knew what their daughter got up to. If she and Vidal were in love it would be different, but under the circumstances…

‘Your father and I, we worry about you. We know you’re doing this for us, but Vidal’s a good man.’

‘Of course he is,
Mamá,
he wouldn’t have offered to help you otherwise. And guess what.’ She made herself sound excited. ‘He’s been approached by someone who wants a wedding planned. Which means I’ll have some
thing to do while Vidal’s at work. I’m going to ring the guy when I get home.’

‘That’s wonderful news,’ said her mother with a wide smile.

And her father’s eyes filled with hope. ‘Could it lead to you coming back here permanently?’

‘I don’t think so,’ she answered with a faintly regretful grimace. She didn’t want to get their hopes up. ‘But if it does take off it means that I’ll get home more often.’

Her parents looked at each other and smiled and Elena could see that she had set their minds at rest. And that was all that mattered.

As soon as she was home she made her phone call to Andres, who said he’d be in touch. In the meantime she spent her days swimming or riding. She also went shopping, charging everything to the card Vidal had left on her bedside table before he went away. It had surprised her when she found it, but she’d had no compunction about using it. Why should she when he was the one who had insisted on this ludicrous marriage?

Actually that wasn’t really true—it was her parents who’d wanted the wedding. She was their lifeline, their loving daughter who had put her life on hold.

On the third day there was no sign of Vidal. He hadn’t even phoned to see whether she was all right, or to say when he’d be back. In a fit of pique she decided to take out Vidal’s stallion. He had expressly forbidden her to ride Jet, but she was in a dark mood this morning and needed to do something dangerous.

She had looked at Jet enviously many times, but the grooms always stood up for their master. Only one of them was allowed to exercise him, the tallest and stron
gest man, and he was horrified now, but Elena was determined and there was nothing he could do to stop her.

‘I’ll take the blame,’ she said. ‘I won’t let you get into trouble, no matter what Vidal says.’

Jet was a magnificent thoroughbred and it felt like riding the finest, most powerful horse in the world—which he probably was. There would be nothing but the best for Vidal. He was nothing like the pony she used to ride, who was sedate and sometimes had to be urged into a trot—a gallop being a very rare event.

Now, though, Elena felt as though she were flying with the wind as she galloped alongside the river before heading into the hills. Here she wanted to slow down, but the horse had it in his mind to keep going, so she gave him his rein and whooped with delight as they sailed over fallen branches and narrow streams. Not even stopping to think that if she fell off or had an accident no one would know where to find her.

Vidal could not believe how much he had missed Elena. He had thought it would be a good thing to be away for a few days, give him breathing space; allow him to look at things from a different perspective. But it hadn’t worked out like that. For some insane reason he had not been able to get her out of his mind.

Especially in bed. The space beside him had felt empty, his arms had felt empty, and when he had fallen asleep he had dreamed about her. Hot dreams that had resulted in him springing out of bed and taking cold showers. Not that they had made much difference.

Elena had infiltrated his senses. She was there day and night, in his thoughts and in his dreams, wickedly
wild, softly sensuous, a tantalising temptress, and he couldn’t wait to hold her in his arms again, to take her to bed and make magical, heart-stopping love.

He entered the house now with a sense of anticipation. Already his heartbeats were quickening, his pulses racing, but to his intense disappointment and frustration Elena was nowhere to be found. He questioned the servants and no one had seen her since early that morning.

He scoured the grounds, his temper rising, and was about to go back inside and phone her parents when his head stable boy came running after him. ‘Señor Marquez, your wife, she has taken Jet out,’ he confessed uncomfortably. ‘I tried to stop her, but I could not do so. She was very determined.’

Alarm bells rang in Vidal’s head. ‘But you know I allow no one else to ride him,’ he roared. ‘Especially a woman. What were you thinking?’

‘I am very sorry, señor. But there was nothing we could do. She looked—very—capable,’ he added lamely. ‘She convinced me that she was a good rider.’

As if that helped, thought Vidal angrily. No one knew the vagaries of Jet as he did. The horse had a mind of its own and it was sometimes all Vidal could do to control him.

Every worst-case scenario flashed through his mind—she could have fallen and killed herself, the horse could have broken a leg, anything could have happened. He was on the verge of telling his groom that his services were no longer required when he heard the sound of a horse’s hooves.

His relief was faint. Not only was his stable hand in
trouble but Elena too. She ought to have known better. His heart had raced when he discovered what she’d done, and he’d certainly have something to say to her.

He had come home eager to see her again, more eager than he should have been under the circumstances, and found—what? That she had taken his priceless stallion on a joyride. If anything had happened to his horse…

Or Elena!

He drew in a swift uneasy breath. It didn’t bear thinking about.

Elena grinned as she halted beside him. ‘I didn’t know you were back. What an impressive beast. How I enjoyed riding him.’

‘You could have been killed,’ he snarled. ‘Haven’t I told you never to take him out? No one rides Jet but me. He’s far too strong for you to handle. You’re lucky he didn’t throw you.’

Her golden eyes looked innocently into his. ‘He’s safe and sound, what are you worrying about? Besides, we both needed the exercise,’ she added as she dismounted, patting the black beauty, who nuzzled his head against her.

Vidal could not believe what he was seeing. Jet loved no one but him. He’d always been difficult to handle. And yet here he was showing affection for Elena. Damn it!

‘What if you’d fallen? What if you’d hurt yourself?’ he asked savagely. ‘What if Jet was hurt?’

‘But we weren’t so you’re protesting about nothing,’ she retorted. ‘I can’t see what all the fuss is about. He’s a little pussycat.’ She smiled to the groom who led him away and then flared her eyes magnificently at Vidal.
‘I’m going to shower and change. To think I was actually looking forward to you coming home.’

Vidal watched her as she walked away. She had the arrogance of Jet, it was there in every line of her body, the way she moved, the lift of her head—she even had the same black hair. Elena was a thoroughbred without any doubt.

Maybe he had gone over the top, but
infierno,
what if she
had
fallen? What if she’d been badly hurt? It didn’t bear thinking about and he most certainly was not going to let her take Jet out again.

Perhaps it hadn’t been such a good idea going away. Except that it had been very necessary. And there would be other times. Maybe it would be more expedient in future to take her with him.

He’d certainly missed her in his bed. Elena had begun to relax in his company. When she’d related those stories about weddings gone wrong he had enjoyed seeing her lighter side, warming to her more than he had ever thought possible.

He’d lain there every night unable to sleep, imagining her lithesome body next to his, the fragrance of her skin filling his nostrils, the tight feel of her as she closed around him. The delightful sounds she made when an orgasm shattered her.

Even thinking about it now made him hurry after her. He shouldn’t have been so hard on her. She was safe. It was time to calm down and enjoy the delights of her body once again. It was what had driven him all day, right from the first second he awoke. His disappointment when he’d found her missing had been acute. Was it any wonder that he had flared up?

Vidal stalked through the house, memories of the time they had shared a shower, the first time he had made love to her, flooding back with a vengeance. He drew in a swift, painful breath, his body reliving that moment, recalling every tiny detail, growing hard.

He wanted that same experience again and he wanted it now!

He forgot that he had just berated her, forgot that she had marched away in anger, it didn’t enter his head that she might not be willing. He began tearing off his clothes even before he reached the bedroom, leaving a trail on the floor, only slowing down when he neared her bathroom and heard Elena singing.

She had a beautiful voice. He’d never heard her sing before, and now he stood listening. It was a love song, intense and passionate with words about tasting sweetness on lips and magic every time they touched. Was she equating it to him and her, or was it just a song that she liked and held no real meaning?

He wanted it to be the former. He could equate to those words so easily. Elena’s lips tasted far sweeter than any other woman he had kissed, and each time they touched, each time skin brushed against skin, there was definitely something magical in the air.

Vidal felt his breathing getting deeper and quicker and, although he knew that he mustn’t rush in and demand his conjugal rights, he found himself striding far more quickly towards her than sanity declared he should do.

He was stopped in his tracks. Elena’s arms were held high, her head back and her eyes closed as she sang her heart out, at the same time clearly enjoying the feel of
warm, silken water streaming down her perfectly toned body.

This was temptation personified. It was almost as though she were offering herself to him. He could hear the words in his head.

Here I am, Vidal. I am yours. Yours and yours alone. Take me, take me now.

Of course he knew that this was not true, never would be true. Elena was not his, she was married to him under sufferance. She would never offer herself freely. Not that she didn’t enjoy their lovemaking, but there was always a tiny part of her that held back, that reminded herself that she was under contract.

He did not want to frighten her by jumping into the shower, or even by calling out her name. So instead he began to sing the song with her, his baritone voice uniting in perfect harmony. He saw Elena go still, her voice faltering for a few seconds, until she gave a secretive smile. She didn’t open her eyes, she didn’t look at him; neither did she drop her arms—she simply carried on as if he were not there.

In an instant Vidal was in the shower with her, his hands on her waist. ‘I never knew you could sing,’ he said softly, gruffly. ‘You have the voice of an angel.’

Her arms came down to drape around his neck and shoulders. ‘There are many things about me that you do not know, señor.’ And she slid her body sensuously against his.

It was almost his undoing.

‘I’m sorry I shouted at you,’ he said.

‘I’m sorry I took Jet out against your wishes.’

‘Shall we kiss and make up?’

‘Mmm,’ was the only reply he got before she stood on tiptoe and touched her lips to his.

He groaned and slid his hands around to cup her pert behind, pulling her against him. He drew in his breath in a swift whoosh of pleasure and hunger and heard Elena’s similar response. Whatever else was going on in their lives, there was no doubt that making love was something they both enjoyed. Even
enjoyed
was too feeble a word. They both gloried in it—feverishly!

But remembering the time before in the shower when he hadn’t stopped to use protection, Vidal now lifted her into his arms and carried her through to the bedroom, dropping her down onto the bed dripping wet. He’d been lucky that time, but he might not be so again. And complications such as a baby were definitely not on his agenda.