‘You heard me,’ Morgan said. ‘I won’t be your mistress.’
Luca dragged in a breath, then threw his head back and laughed. His initial reaction had been one of shock; he wasn’t used to anyone refusing him something he wanted. But now that he was over his initial surprise he felt a wave of excitement ride his spine. He loved a challenge, and Morgan was proving to be a challenge in more ways than one.
She was a beacon of defiance, resisting him at every turn. It was a long time since a woman had done that. Usually all he had to do was crook his little finger to have whatever woman he wanted come running.
The thrill of the chase set his insides buzzing until it was all he could do to sit still.
He would win in the end, of course. He always did.
But this time he had the feeling the journey would be half the fun.
‘You’re just dragging this out, you know,’ he murmured. ‘As I told you last night, I always get what I want.’
Tina Duncan lives in trendy inner-city Sydney with her partner, Edy. With a background in marketing and event management, she now spends her days running a business with Edy. She’s a multi-tasking expert. When she’s not busy typing up quotes and processing invoices, she’s writing. She loves being physically active and enjoys tennis (both watching and playing), bushwalking and dancing. Spending quality time with her family and friends also rates high on her priority list. She has a weakness for good food and fine wine and has a sweet tooth she has to keep under control.
Da Silva’s
Mistress
by
Tina Duncan
To mum, dad and Edy for their never ending love,
support and encouragement. I wouldn’t have made it without you.
Chapter One
IT WAS DONE.
Or at least it was as good as done.
The requisite phone calls had been made and instructions given. Gino had been despatched to collect the Marshall woman and bring her back here to the London headquarters of Da Silva Chocolate.
She had no idea what was about to hit her.
No doubt she thought her precious Joseph was behind her unexpected summons.
Instead he would be waiting for her.
Luca smiled grimly.
Within the hour it would all be over.
Within the hour Morgan Marshall would discover just how stupid she’d been to mess with the da Silva family.
Luca swung the black leather chair back to his borrowed desk and picked up the latest quarterly figures for the chocolate division of his vast empire, pushing the whole ugly incident with the Marshall woman to the back of his mind.
She would be here soon enough. He would say his piece and then throw her out on the street where she belonged.
She wouldn’t bother him or his family again; he’d make sure of it.
Twenty minutes later Luca was still poring over the report, this time with a frown, when someone knocked on the door.
‘Enter!’ he said, without looking up.
He heard the door open, but continued circling some numbers he wasn’t happy with. When he was done, Luca closed the folder, tossed down his pen and looked up.
His heart stopped.
The breath locked tight in his lungs.
Standing in front of the burly figure of Gino was one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen. Tall and slender, with raven black hair swirling around her shoulders, she had an elegant face totally belied by the I’m-in-charge black leather boots encasing her calves.
Luca exhaled slowly, staring at her through narrowed eyes.
This was the she-devil threatening his sister’s marriage?
This was the heartless and conniving witch who had seduced his brother-in-law?
She wasn’t what he’d been expecting at all.
In Luca’s opinion, a callous marriage-wrecker should look hard and calculating. Not young—she couldn’t be more than twenty-two or three—and gifted with an intriguing mixture of innocence and sensuality that even he, a connoisseur of some of the most beautiful women in the world, couldn’t help but appreciate.
Just by looking at her Luca could tell that Morgan Marshall was way, way out of Joseph’s league.
He was much more her type.
He knew how to handle a beauty like this.
Luca put a brake on his thoughts. There was only one way he was going to handle Morgan Marshall—and that was by teaching her a lesson she’d never forget!
‘You’re Morgan Marshall?’ he asked, needing to be sure.
The woman angled her chin into the air in a gesture Luca found vaguely familiar. ‘Yes. I’m Morgan Marshall.’ She looked around, then pinned him with the most incredible black eyes. ‘Where’s Joseph?’
The blood turned to ice in his veins. She was so eager to see her lover. Would she feel the same way after he’d finished with her? Somehow Luca doubted it.
Ignoring her question about Joseph’s whereabouts, he asked, ‘Do you know who I am?’
She nodded. ‘You’re Luca da Silva.’
‘That’s right. Joseph’s brother-in-law.’
She didn’t say anything to that.
He could imagine why.
‘Are you aware of that?’ he pressed.
Her eyes remained steady on his but Luca sensed her sudden tension. ‘Yes. Joseph is married to your sister, Stefania.’
Although he’d half expected it, her answer still disappointed him. For a second—just one—he’d hoped there had been some terrible misunderstanding. That maybe she hadn’t known Joseph was married. That perhaps Joseph had kept that information to himself.
Instead he had confirmation of her culpability.
Rather than re-igniting his anger, as it should have done, her response left him feeling strangely flat and out of sorts.
Because he wanted to pursue her himself?
The answer came quick as a flash: yes!
Given the right circumstances, that was exactly what he would do.
Only the right circumstances didn’t exist—and never would.
He had to face the ugly truth.
Morgan Marshall had known exactly what she was doing when she’d slept with Joseph. She hadn’t accidentally found herself in bed with a married man. She’d gone into the affair with her eyes open.
Now she had to face the consequences.
‘Do you know why I brought you here?’ he asked softly.
‘No.