would print and which would no doubt hit the stands by morning, or he could allow the story to stand. If he took the second option, Carla’s name would be dragged through the mud. He would not allow that to happen.
Until that afternoon, he had been certain about the one thing he didn’t want: a forced marriage to Carla Ambrosi.
But that had been before she had waved Alex Panopoulos in his face.
The elevator door slid open. Jaw tight, Lucas strode to his apartment and waited for Tiberio to swipe the key card.
He walked through to his bedroom, every muscle locking tight as he studied the rumpled bed. He picked up the sexy, exotic silk wrap, his fingers closing on the silk. Her delicate feminine scent still clung to the silk, the same scent that currently permeated the very air of his room and would now be in his bed.
If she had wanted to force his hand, he reflected, she could have done it at the beginning, when the media had published the story about the first night they had spent together. Instead, she had walked away from him. He was the one who’d had to do the running.
He had gotten her back, but only after weeks of effort. His fingers tightened on the silk. It was an uncomfortable fact that he wanted Carla more now than he had in the beginning. With each encounter, instead of weakening, his need had intensified.
Now Panopoulos had entered the picture.
Alex was a clever man who had leveraged a modest fortune into an impressive retail empire. Lucas was aware that he wouldn’t miss the opportunity to enhance his bid to place his stores in Atraeus resorts by marrying close to his family.
Lucas reached for his cell phone, and remembered that Carla had destroyed it. He shook his head at the irrational urge to grin. The destruction of personal property, especially his, shouldn’t be viewed as sexy.
He found the landline then, irritated because his directory had been on his dead cell and he had to ring his PA on Medinos to find the unlisted number. Frustrating minutes later, he made the call. Panopoulos picked up almost immediately.
Lucas’s message was succinct and direct.
If Panopoulos offered Carla any kind of position within his company, or laid so much as a finger on her, he would lose any chance at a business alliance with The Atraeus Group. Lucas would also see to it personally that a lucrative business deal Panopoulos was currently negotiating with a European firm The Atraeus Group had a stake in, deVries, would be withdrawn.
Panopoulos’s voice was clipped. “Are you warning me off because Constantine is now married to Carla’s sister?”
“No.” Lucas made no effort to temper the cold flatness of his reply. “Because Carla Ambrosi is mine.”
The instant he said the words satisfaction curled through him. Decision made.
Carla was his. Exclusively his.
He was over making excuses to be with her. He wanted her. And he would do what he had to to make sure that not Panopoulos or any other man went near her again.
Terminating the call, Lucas propped the phone back on its rest.
Panopoulos was smart; he would back off. Now all Lucas had to do was talk to Lilah, then deal with the press and Carla.
Carla wouldn’t like his ultimatum, but she would accept it. The damage had been done in the instant the reporter had snapped them on the street.
* * *
The following morning, after a mostly sleepless night, Carla dressed for the scheduled press conference and luncheon with care. Bearing in mind the elegance of the restaurant Lucas had booked, she chose a pale blue dress that looked spectacular against her skin and hair. It was also subtly sexy in the way it skimmed her curves and revealed a hint of cleavage. High, strappy blue heels made her legs look great, and a classy little jacket in powder-blue finished off the outfit.
Normally she would dress in a more low-key way for a press conference, but any kind of meeting with Lucas today called for a special effort. The heels were a tad high, but that
Until that afternoon, he had been certain about the one thing he didn’t want: a forced marriage to Carla Ambrosi.
But that had been before she had waved Alex Panopoulos in his face.
The elevator door slid open. Jaw tight, Lucas strode to his apartment and waited for Tiberio to swipe the key card.
He walked through to his bedroom, every muscle locking tight as he studied the rumpled bed. He picked up the sexy, exotic silk wrap, his fingers closing on the silk. Her delicate feminine scent still clung to the silk, the same scent that currently permeated the very air of his room and would now be in his bed.
If she had wanted to force his hand, he reflected, she could have done it at the beginning, when the media had published the story about the first night they had spent together. Instead, she had walked away from him. He was the one who’d had to do the running.
He had gotten her back, but only after weeks of effort. His fingers tightened on the silk. It was an uncomfortable fact that he wanted Carla more now than he had in the beginning. With each encounter, instead of weakening, his need had intensified.
Now Panopoulos had entered the picture.
Alex was a clever man who had leveraged a modest fortune into an impressive retail empire. Lucas was aware that he wouldn’t miss the opportunity to enhance his bid to place his stores in Atraeus resorts by marrying close to his family.
Lucas reached for his cell phone, and remembered that Carla had destroyed it. He shook his head at the irrational urge to grin. The destruction of personal property, especially his, shouldn’t be viewed as sexy.
He found the landline then, irritated because his directory had been on his dead cell and he had to ring his PA on Medinos to find the unlisted number. Frustrating minutes later, he made the call. Panopoulos picked up almost immediately.
Lucas’s message was succinct and direct.
If Panopoulos offered Carla any kind of position within his company, or laid so much as a finger on her, he would lose any chance at a business alliance with The Atraeus Group. Lucas would also see to it personally that a lucrative business deal Panopoulos was currently negotiating with a European firm The Atraeus Group had a stake in, deVries, would be withdrawn.
Panopoulos’s voice was clipped. “Are you warning me off because Constantine is now married to Carla’s sister?”
“No.” Lucas made no effort to temper the cold flatness of his reply. “Because Carla Ambrosi is mine.”
The instant he said the words satisfaction curled through him. Decision made.
Carla was his. Exclusively his.
He was over making excuses to be with her. He wanted her. And he would do what he had to to make sure that not Panopoulos or any other man went near her again.
Terminating the call, Lucas propped the phone back on its rest.
Panopoulos was smart; he would back off. Now all Lucas had to do was talk to Lilah, then deal with the press and Carla.
Carla wouldn’t like his ultimatum, but she would accept it. The damage had been done in the instant the reporter had snapped them on the street.
* * *
The following morning, after a mostly sleepless night, Carla dressed for the scheduled press conference and luncheon with care. Bearing in mind the elegance of the restaurant Lucas had booked, she chose a pale blue dress that looked spectacular against her skin and hair. It was also subtly sexy in the way it skimmed her curves and revealed a hint of cleavage. High, strappy blue heels made her legs look great, and a classy little jacket in powder-blue finished off the outfit.
Normally she would dress in a more low-key way for a press conference, but any kind of meeting with Lucas today called for a special effort. The heels were a tad high, but that
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