Buch lesen: «Bound by the Italian's Contract»

CHAPTER ONE

CAPRICE TREGORE WRAPPED her confidence around her like a protective cloak and strode into The Corbett, Aspen’s newest five-star hotel, which a Russian billionaire had built one year ago to cater to the rich and famous. She surveyed the interior, her senses in overdrive.

It was a breathtaking, palatial design of marble pillars, gleaming granite floors and exquisite tapestries dressing massive walls. This lavish and elite winter hotspot was exactly what she had pointedly avoided the past seven years. If she didn’t desperately need help, she wouldn’t be setting foot in this playground for the rich and famous now.

She quickly circled the three-tiered castle fountain that dominated the center of the expansive lobby and scanned the myriad seating nooks tucked here and there for the handsome Italian she’d come here to meet. With rising annoyance, she realized not one man resembled him. Was he late? Had he stood her up?

“Punctual as always, Miss Tregore?”

That deep voice rumbling behind her, flavored with a distinct Italian accent, sent an electric shiver zinging through her. That was the last reaction she wanted this playboy to incite in her and she wouldn’t tolerate another second of it!

“Punctuality is one of the cardinal business virtues,” she said stiffly as she turned to face him with a professional smile she’d perfected.

For one second it threatened to slip as she stared into his riveting blue eyes framed in a face surely reserved for an archangel. Or the devil?

God knew either could apply to Luciano Duchelini. That reminder stiffened her spine and her resolve.

“A Don Marquis quotation, but you left the rest off,” he said, not one iota of amusement ringing in that velvety voice that she’d once found incredibly attractive. “Always insist on it in your subordinates.”

“I wasn’t suggesting you were—”

“It doesn’t matter. I watched you walk in five minutes ago,” he said. “Your promptness is an asset.”

That he knew exactly when she’d walked in the door spoke volumes. So did the fact he’d remained a bit hidden, making her seem the one a bit late and harried.

Not the impression she wanted to impart.

The Luciano she’d known had always run five to ten minutes late. It was a control thing and she’d accounted for it by arriving exactly on time. But he’d been here waiting.

That was a huge surprise. And a miscalculation on her part.

Seven years ago Luciano had been the world champion on the slopes, winning more gold medals than any Alpine skier before him, besting even his acclaimed father. The only things he was ever on time for were competitions.

It had been proven no man could beat him on the slopes. Rumors had flown that his ex-wife had captured his heart and taken it with her to her grave. That he no longer cared what anyone thought of him. That he lived for the moment, in sport and pleasure.

That no woman could reach the heart of the man.

Yet once she’d foolishly fallen for the champion, beset by a strong teenage crush. He was her idol. Her coach.

Her friend. Or so she’d thought.

He’d used her friendship, her naïveté, just as he’d done with his lovers. She’d hated him then for hurting her, and hated herself now because she knew better than to trust his type.

He was a celebrated playboy. Life had been a game to him and he’d played it to the hilt. He laughed. He partied. He took nothing seriously.

Not her. She’d assumed the role of a reckless flirt one time in her life. A stupid act of retaliation that she’d regretted every day since. That one horrific incident convinced her that she wasn’t a player in that world.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me,” she said, refusing to let him fluster her.

He smiled, though it appeared as practiced as hers. “My pleasure.”

If only she could say the same. She had to strike a winning deal. A position she deeply resented.

She’d worked hard. Saved. Scrimped. Yet it hadn’t been enough to save her when crisis struck. Now she needed this deal or she would lose Tregore Lodge, her heritage, her home, her livelihood.

“I’ve come prepared, Mr. Duchelini,” she said, getting right to the point.

He laughed, a brief, rich contralto that set his blue eyes twinkling and carved his beautifully sculpted lips into a half smile he likely used to charm ladies. “You are a take-charge woman. I remember how expertly you cracked the whip to get me to those pre-event meetings on time.”

She nearly smiled until she recalled how bitterly their last working relationship had ended. “It would have been easier if you hadn’t been a night owl.”

He simply shrugged, just like he’d done back then only lacking the teasing smile. Zero contrition. She expected no less from a rich womanizer who’d skirted conventions all of his life.

“Come,” he said. “Let’s go someplace private to talk.”

Said the spider to the fly? Being anywhere private with him was the last thing she wanted to do, but she said, “I’m ready.”

“As am I. This way,” he said, and gestured to the elevators.

She fell into step beside him and tamped down her annoyance that he hadn’t simply arranged for her to meet him at a set location for their meeting. The sooner this phase was over, the better. No, not over. Resolved, so she could move forward achieving her dream.

“I brought plans for the lodge and a prospectus for my program, Mr. Duchelini,” she said, not wishing to waste a minute, not wanting to be here any longer than necessary.

“Please, you know me. Call me Luciano or Luc.” He motioned to the open elevator and she stepped inside, then stood as far from him as she could though she may as well have not bothered.

The mirrored wall behind made the space loom larger, but it did that to her companion as well. Not that he needed any physical enhancements.

Luciano simply consumed any space he was in with his commanding presence, absorbing the energy of everything around him.

She knew most women would be content to stare at his gorgeous body and classically handsome features because years ago she’d fallen under his charismatic spell. Not now, though it was tempting to admire him. Thank God she was stronger than that, that she’d learned from her mistakes.

“Very well, Luciano,” she said, refusing to use his nickname as she’d once done. That would be too familiar. “To be honest, I’m surprised you didn’t send someone in your stead.”

He shot her a frown, his gaze cool. “There is much business that I attend to personally.”

“You never used to, unless it pertained to competition,” she said, and it was the truth. “What I meant was I hadn’t expected you to fly halfway around the world to speak with me.”

“It was no bother to coordinate my schedule to come here,” he said matter-of-factly. “I was already in Denver to interview a ski therapist, like yourself, when my assistant phoned to let me know you were seeking a financial backer.”

In a second, the stakes skyrocketed with competition thrown into an already tense equation, but she remained calm and determined to win his bid. “Good. I’m eager to discuss business.”

“As am I,” he said with a bite of impatience.

Game on. Having a rival meant she had one way to proceed—full tilt.

“Please,” he said as the elevator door whispered open, motioning her to precede him with a disarming smile that was likely meant to throw her equilibrium askew.

Immune to his charms, she returned his smile with a cool one of her own and stepped from lift. And came up short. She blinked, surprised to be standing in a short hallway with a single door at one end and carved double doors to her right.

“This way.” Luciano escorted her toward the double doors, where he reached around her, swiped a key in the slot and knuckled the door open. “I trust you don’t mind discussing business in my suite?”

“Not at all,” she said, stepping inside to regain the buffer of personal space he’d come too close to crossing.

The amazing view of the mountains from his private suite drew her to the windows. She welcomed the calm their rugged beauty always gave her, this grounding to reality that gave her strength.

“Thank you for showing interest in my proposal,” she said, turning to face Luciano, whose attention seemed riveted to a small laptop open on the desk. “If there’s anything in particular you wish to know about the designs I’ve envisioned for Tregore Lodge...”

“Your property is small and in need of intense restoration,” he cut in, not bothering to look at her.

She cursed the flush burning her face, a show of emotion that she’d never learned to control. “True. Tregore Lodge needs major updating to make it competitive again. But I believe it has much potential...”

“I don’t,” he said, rudely shooting down the momentum she needed to build before she had a chance to explain how she could establish a state-of-the-art rehabilitation facility there.

“If you feel that way, then why did you ask for this meeting?” she asked, the question burning holes in her patience despite her determination to maintain a business mien, despite the determination to finance her program.

“Simple. The only admirable investment on your property is you.”

“Is this some kind of joke?” she asked, needing to know she hadn’t misunderstood him.

“Not at all.” He studied her with eyes that took everything in and gave absolutely no emotion away, eyes that touched her as intimately as a caress, bold and without apology. “You hold my interest, Caprice. I want you.”

Seven years ago she would have fallen all over him, deliriously happy. But then she’d been innocent. Trusting.

She knew better than to trust a man now. Though this was the faintest glimmer of the playboy she’d known, passionate and direct, she took his remark as an insult.

“Look, I came here to discuss business that is near and dear to my heart, Mr. Duchelini. If you’re not interested in hearing my proposal, then you’re not interested in me.” She turned and strode toward the double doors with calm, precise steps, determined to walk out with her head held high and in charge of her life.

“Stay,” he said, the command soft yet persuasive.

She stopped, fingers tightening around the leather handle of her bag. “Why should I?”

“I’ve a proposal that will benefit us both,” he said. “I can grant you what you want.”

That was a fact she knew all too well. And really, could she afford to walk out without hearing his offer? No, she admitted.

“Then let’s hear it,” she said, whirling to face him.

“With pleasure,” he said crisply, then strode back toward his desk. “Would you care for a glass of wine?”

“No, thank you.”

She never mixed alcohol with business, and that had never been more crucial than now. Despite his wicked reputation, Luciano Duchelini was a superb businessman, and he would expect the same of her. He could take advantage of her and her lodge if she wasn’t careful.

Caprice crossed to the sofa angled near the balcony with her composure intact and her mind fixed fully on securing a means to fund her program. That was all she wanted from him.

“Tregore Lodge. Tell me your plans for it,” he said, as he dropped onto a leather office chair and twirled it to face her, his long fingers draped casually over the curved chair arms.

“Gladly,” she said as she set her portfolio beside her and dug inside it. “I plan to renovate Tregore Lodge inside and out. Foremost is establishing my alternative program for those who have never skied as well as for people who possess varying levels of aptitude on the slopes.”

“Your program is tiered then?” he asked.

“In its most basic form, as you’ll see by these,” she said, her confidence snapping into rapier-sharp focus as she handed him a copy of her carefully prepared prospectus.

He lounged back on the chair and thumbed through the papers, looking relaxed and in charge, the last thing about him that was still organic. But he’d changed.

Not in looks or physique. He was still disarmingly handsome. Still lean and fit. But he’d lost all trace of the flirtatious, teasing charmer she’d remembered so well and adopted the image of a serious businessman who detested wasting his time.

Or maybe he simply still wasn’t attracted to her. Maybe he believed if he was too friendly, he’d have a repeat of the teenager with the monstrous crush on the star athlete. If that was the case, he need not worry.

She had no desire in him beyond securing a business deal. “Regardless of one’s ability, I slant the program to the individual’s needs.”

“Just what I wanted to hear,” he said at last. “This is why I am interested in you.”

“I’m flattered,” she said, relieved he was referring to her program.

“As was intended,” he said with a bow of his head. “Do you recall my brother?”

“Julian? Yes, I do.” Quite well, in fact. “Years ago, he crashed often in your suite.”

She’d immediately liked the boisterous Italian who took great pleasure needling and teasing his champion older brother. And the world had gloried in the upstart’s daring exploits on the slopes, expecting Julian to set new world records, breaking those set by his father and Luciano despite his undisciplined ways.

But rumor had it Julian had kept his slot on the Italian team only because of his brother’s lead position. Whether that was true or not she never knew. One month after the World Cup, Julian had broken his neck in a tragic ski accident and ended up bound to a wheelchair for life.

“Julian is lucky to be alive,” she said and meant it.

He gave an abrupt nod, jaw snapping taut. “My brother doesn’t think so.”

“I’m not surprised. Paralysis is difficult for average patients to cope with. It tends to devastate top athletes.” And Julian had been a new star on the horizon. “Recurrent bouts of depression are understandable in cases such as his. That is why adaptive skiing works,” she said. “It boosts confidence both on and off the slopes, strengthens physical ability and agility, and provides a means to broaden social skills.”

“Unfortunately Julian has gained less than desirable results with alternative skiing and given up the effort,” he said. “Even more troubling, none of the therapists I’ve hired have a program as individualized as yours. He needs your help, Caprice. I believe he will respond to any challenge you put before him.”

She blinked, his effusive praise at odds with his earlier criticism of her plans for her lodge. “Wait a minute. If you believe my program is that beneficial, then why are you hesitant to finance the renovation of Tregore Lodge?”

“It is too small a facility to sustain a program of your scope.”

A fact she couldn’t deny. Still, the lodge was hers and she could expand in time if she wished. “It’s all I can manage.” All she could afford.

“Alone, perhaps.” He pushed to his feet and paced before the windows, his stride gracefully masculine. “You need to expand your scope. What you have envisioned has global appeal. Run with it.”

He couldn’t be serious. Just the idea of taking her program into the world market had her head spinning. She didn’t want to run something that huge.

“You’re talking incorporation and I want none of that,” she said.

“Why?”

“I want the lodge to remain controllable, and I can do that by keeping it family oriented,” she said.

He tapped one long finger on the side of his glass and studied her so long that dread lay like a lead ball in her stomach. “You want to police every aspect of your program. That’s why you balk at courting the après-ski set. The expansion would be too great and you would have to delegate, to trust others, and you can’t do that.”

She stiffened, disliking that he thought her that intractable. “My reputation is on the line here. I don’t want to slap my name on programs around the world, even if I personally train every therapist I hire. There is more to it than technique. The personal connection I strive to achieve with clients is what makes my program unique.”

“Are you sure you aren’t equating small with safe?” Luciano asked.

“I simply want to renovate my lodge into an alternative ski facility and launch my program,” she repeated. “That’s why I need a backer.”

He pushed to his feet and crossed to the bar. “You want my money and nothing more from me, and you don’t want to take a risk,” he said over the clink of glasses.

“Basically, yes,” she said. “Is that a problem?”

“It could be one for you.” He strode toward the sofa with two glasses of decadently red wine and handed one to her, his gaze hot on hers, probing, assessing. “Everything has risks to some degree.”

Like being here alone with him. Like courting his interest and financial support, which was all she wanted from him.

“I’m cautious, Luciano,” she said, taking the wine at last but hesitant to taste it.

Challenge glinted in his eyes. “Be bold.”

“I am.” To a point. “What’s your proposal?” she asked, mindful of the disastrous turn her life had taken the last time she’d acted boldly.

“Ignite my brother’s love of life again with your program. It is my hope that he will regain his desire to ski and develop his own line of adaptive equipment.”

All built under the la Duchi logo of course.

It was a logical sound business move that would surely make Luciano millions. That he was going to great lengths for his brother spoke volumes.

“I can’t promise that therapy will totally heal him,” she said honestly. “Julian must want my help as well.”

He sat on the sofa, so close to her she saw flecks of silver flare in his eyes. “Give him a reason to. In exchange for your tireless effort and expertise, I will completely finance the renovation of Tregore Lodge to your specifications. Anything you want. Do we have a deal?”

She shook her head, refusing to agree to any verbal agreement, no matter how tempting. “It can’t be that simple. What’s the catch?”

“No catch,” he said, his gaze riveted on hers, hot and intense. “I will finance the renovation and equipment for the launch of your adaptive ski program if you agree to come to my Alpine lodge and do all in your power to help Julian regain his life.”

“Why is this so important to you?”

“He’s my brother and has all but given up hope of having any normalcy of life,” he said. “Look around. There are far too many like him similarly afflicted. I have the means to give him that new start. You have the knowledge to reach and motivate him.”

She bit her lower lip, thinking. Her program would gain huge accolades if it helped Julian. But even if it didn’t, she liked him and wanted to help. And she did need to cinch this deal with Luciano.

“What you’re expecting of me is massive,” she said. “The chance for failure is great. You must realize that.”

His frown deepened but he gave an abrupt nod, troubled eyes meeting hers. And for a heartbeat she was lost in them. Lost in the emotional pain that flickered a nanosecond in his eyes before vanishing behind that same blank wall.

“I understand the risk,” he said. “But it is worth it if Julian will one day lead a productive life again.”

“That’s admirable of you.” Touching.

He shrugged, his blue eyes as turbulent as a restive sea. “As I said, I care about my brother.”

She didn’t doubt that. But something else was bothering him deeply. What was it?

This vulnerability of his to the travails of others was another change, a huge switch from the ruthless, competitive champion she remembered. Could a man change that much in seven years?

Her father had taught her that a leopard never changed its spots. Yet this stern businessman she faced now was nothing like the rash playboy she’d known. Nothing similar to the man she’d expected to deal with.

This Luciano was all business. Serious, driven, and clearly tormented. What had caused this transformation? His bitter divorce? The accident? Or did it run deeper than that?

Hard to guess as she rarely read anything about him in the tabloids either. It was as if he’d dropped out of sight. She rose from the sofa and walked to the stunning vista offered by the windows. She needed the space between them to think.

“Will Julian’s transformation free you to live your life again?” she asked.

His jaw clenched. “My life is as I wish it. Your answer, Caprice,” he said, his intense gaze locked with hers in silent challenge again.

She nodded, mentally kicking herself for getting sidetracked over the state of Luciano’s health instead of getting on with her business with him. But she wasn’t fool enough to accept his word at face value and snap up the chance to work with him, forgetting the slights.

“If we agree to this on paper, you’ve got a deal,” she said and extended her hand just like she would to wrap up any business deal.

His lips curved in a rare smile that brought back memories of the fun-loving man she’d known. Just as quickly it vanished behind that wall of indifference that he wore so well.

“Excellent. I’ll arrange for us to meet with my interior design team as soon as possible. Once they are made aware of what we require, they will be able to come up with a plan for my lodge by the end of next week.”

“Whoa! I thought I was to decide how my program should be designed and implemented at your lodge.”

“You’ll have a voice at the meeting.”

A voice she intended to use. “I suppose you plan to sit in on the design meeting for Tregore Lodge as well?”

“Of course I am. I’m financing it,” he snapped, brows drawn in a dark frown. “Why are you being so contrary?”

“I don’t mean to be difficult. It’s just that this is all very important to me.”

“Do you think it isn’t for me as well?”

“I really don’t know what you’re thinking.”

He muttered something she didn’t catch, rose and strode toward her, his long legs moving with fluid grace, the broad width of his shoulders a shifting wall of lean muscle. Each step exuded power and masculine grace and purpose, like a cougar stalking the canyon rim in search of prey.

She stepped back, startled by the power that was all Luciano. He was a force to be reckoned with and she would do well to keep that in mind at all times.

He stopped, his larger hand grasping hers in a warm, but clipped shake. “I am thinking I made a very savvy deal with a very smart woman who I admire.”

“Thank you,” she said, pulling her hand back and hoping it didn’t appear as if his touch disturbed her. “To our mutual success.”

“It will be.”

“You’re that sure of yourself?”

His smile was brief but oh so cocky, just like the man. “I play to win, Caprice. In everything.”

She nodded, not needing to be reminded of that. “This isn’t a game to me either. It’s business. It’s what I’ve wanted to do for years and have put all my efforts into.”

“Your business is your life,” he said, his features hardening into a benign mask.

“I’ve put a lot of time into the lodge while my father was ill,” she said, hoping he understood. “The past year it demanded most of my attention because my program is a fledgling operation and I couldn’t afford a mistake.”

“If you hope to succeed, you need to learn how to delegate,” he said, advice she’d received before and ignored.

“Nobody knows my business like I do,” she shot back in defense.

He frowned. “Still the same need for control, Caprice?”

If only this wasn’t the first time she’d been accused of that, she thought, face burning. “I have to be picky when my reputation as a therapist is on the line.”

One dark brow lifted. “You need to learn how to play the game.”

That word again.

She had no doubts that he referred to business and pleasure, her heart kicking up its pace at the thought of the latter, which was totally unacceptable. Under no circumstances would she fall victim to his charm again.

So what if her business was her life? It was her choice, though she didn’t expect him to understand what she had gone through to get where she was at now.

“I’ve told you before and I’ll tell you again. This isn’t a game to me, Luciano. This is my future. My dream. I couldn’t have gotten this far with the few resources I have available if I hadn’t focused on getting my program started,” she said, gaze fixed on his.

He huffed a breath, shaking his head. “I do understand.”

He couldn’t. Not that it mattered. She wasn’t looking for friendship with Luciano Duchelini. Wasn’t looking for pity. All she needed, wanted, from him was a fat check for setting up her program in Italy and renovating Tregore Lodge before she returned to Colorado.

She needed his business acumen and financial support. Her best chance to get both was to remain immune to his charismatic charm as she solidified this deal. She couldn’t let her judgment be clouded by emotions she had no intentions of pursuing.

“Where do you suggest I start delegating?” she asked, determined to move forward.

“Now. Let me be in charge of the renovations from start to finish,” he said.

She stiffened at the idea of handing over control to him. “You don’t want my input in my own lodge?”

“Your ideas are welcome,” he said, though the impatience creeping back into his voice belied it. “But there is no need for you to remain in Colorado to oversee the project.”

He was right. She couldn’t devote full attention to her ski program if she had to deal with the building issues at the lodge. “You must understand that there are certain structural specifics I need in place to make my program work—”

“I get that,” he interrupted, tossing his hands upward. “As I said before, you will sit down with my design team and list what is needed. When the plans are drawn up, you will see them again to ensure all your needs are met.”

“I get final approval?”

“Of course.”

She bit her lip, searching for a shadow to pick apart and finding none. “That sounds good.” Perfect, actually.

“It is. I will bring this renovation of your lodge to fruition.” He leaned forward, riveting gaze locked with hers, mesmerizing yet commanding. “Trust me.”

“That’s hard for me to do again.”

He spread his arms wide. “Why? I was nothing but honest with you.”