‘I meant what I said, Mr Dragunov.’ She stayed behind the protective mask of professionalism she always wore, even though inside, things she’d long ago locked away were now being disturbed, just by his very presence. ‘I am not in a position to discuss this now, but you are welcome to make an appointment with my secretary on your return to New York.’
Applause filled the room and she forced her attention to the stage, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that he still had power over her. Somehow he’d gained the advantage; she had no idea how, but he was now in a position above her and able to use that power. ‘If you will excuse me, I need to speak with my sister,’ she said quickly, grasping at the first thing she could think of. She hadn’t felt this out of her depth for many years.
He looked at her, his hard gaze piercing into her soul, as if he could see everything she’d ever run from. She didn’t like it, not one bit. There were enough worries on her mind without Liev Dragunov and his persistence adding to them.
‘Have dinner with me tonight, Ms Di Sione. If after that you still do not want to represent my company, then I shall leave you in peace.’
Dinner? With this man? Why did the idea of sitting at a table over a glass of wine and dinner set her pulse racing so wildly?
‘My answer will still be the same.’ She kept her air of indifference, desperate to hide the rush of strange emotions which were now flowing through her. She hadn’t had dinner with a man for a long time.
‘Then nothing will be lost and we will have had the pleasure of one another’s company.’ A hint of a smile played on his lips and she wondered how he would look if he really smiled. Would that hard expression soften? If it did, he’d melt every female heart in the vicinity.
‘If I agree,’ she began, not knowing where the words were coming from or why she was playing with fire in such a reckless way, ‘you will find you have had a wasted evening, Mr Dragunov.’
‘That is a chance I’m prepared to take.’ He smiled at her, confirming her suspicions. He was lethal and already she could feel the innocent woman within her stirring, imagining things that would never be possible. Not with this man.
‘What I’m saying, Mr Dragunov, is that I will not, under any circumstances, change my mind.’
‘Just dinner, then? You are staying at this hotel, are you not?’ He glanced at his watch and she found herself studying his strong hands, blushing slightly as he looked back at her.
‘Yes, I am.’ Suspicion raced through her. He seemed to know just a little too much about her, but she dismissed the idea as far-fetched, deciding she would uncover the reasons for his persistence.
‘I will meet you in the lounge at seven-thirty.’ His clipped tones, made harsh by his accent, brooked no argument, but she wasn’t about to allow him to dominate her. If he still wanted her company to represent his, he had to realise she called the shots.
‘I’m not sure it’s such a good idea.’ Bianca remained forceful, keeping her words strong. He was like no other man she’d met; he was indomitable, but there was something else. When he’d left her office she’d made her usual client searches, but nothing had shown up. No reason to refuse his business other than the fact that he was a potential competitor of her brother’s company, ICE.
‘A business dinner, Ms Di Sione.’ The broad width of his shoulders rose as he drew in a deep breath, the only hint that he was working at keeping up the cool aloofness which almost dripped from him. ‘It is still my hope that I can persuade you to represent my company.’
‘That isn’t possible,’ she began, but to her disbelief he cut her off midsentence.
‘Just dinner.’
* * *
Liev watched Bianca Di Sione look around the room as the speaker finished to a rapturous applause. He couldn’t help a smile of satisfaction. Finally, he’d begun to crack the ice princess. His previous attempts, all businesslike and professional, had missed their target, but it seemed that, like most women and one in particular from his past, fine wine and candlelight dining were all that was required. The auction brochure on Bianca’s desk last week had given him that clue; if sparkling jewels caught her attention, then so would dinner, even if it was offered and accepted under the guise of a business meal.
As they’d spoken he’d had to fight off the image of Bianca, long dark hair flowing freely around her shoulders as she sat opposite him at dinner, candles glowing, highlighting her beauty. The image filled his mind and fired his body with heat. No, he couldn’t allow anything to threaten his plans. Even an attractive woman...and he knew well enough just how distracting and destructive a beautiful woman could be.
He’d slammed the door shut on such thoughts, pushing them roughly from his mind. Physically wanting the haughty Bianca Di Sione was not part of his plan. His strategy was to ensure her company represented his, allowing him to get closer to his ultimate goal. She was a necessary means to an end. Nothing more.
‘Just dinner.’ She glanced at her watch, then echoed his thoughts. ‘Nothing more.’
‘You have my word.’
She looked back at him and frowned. Briefly he caught a glimpse of vulnerability in the blue of her eyes as they met his, but then the glittering of icicles in hers froze him out. ‘Why should I trust you? I don’t know anything about you, Mr Dragunov. For a man with such a successful company, it is hard to find any information about you.’
So she had been researching him. She might have turned down the very generous amount he’d offered for her company to represent his, but she had still been interested enough to find out more. As always, money talked. ‘I think you will find, the same can be said of yourself, Ms Di Sione.’
He knew all the ways to keep information under the radar, away from prying eyes, and from the subtle way she ran her company, it was a skill she, too, possessed.
‘Which means, you have tried to find out more about me? Just as I have, about you.’ This time there was a hint of amusement in her voice, the slightest curve of her lips. What would it be like to kiss them, to feel them soften beneath his? He erased the thought from his mind quickly, annoyed this fiery woman was getting to him.
‘Isn’t that what business is all about? Knowing who your enemies are?’ He certainly knew who his enemies were. He’d known since he was just twelve years old, since his parents had died within months of each other. After the loss of the family business and home, he’d had to watch his father spiral into drunken oblivion, too depressed to care how sick his wife had become. Liev had been powerless to help and found himself alone with nowhere but the streets to live, forced to steal just to survive.
Those memories were etched in his mind, the scars going deep. The rage his father had shown, shocking him and his mother. The happy family they had once been, with the bright and prosperous future, was snatched away as even before his parents’ deaths he’d had to fend for himself, his mother too sick and his father too intoxicated.
Oh, yes, he knew who his enemy was.
He doubted she had any idea what an enemy was, having grown up cosseted and protected from the big bad world by her family name. She would have wanted for nothing, would have had every luxury possible. The only thing in common they shared was the loss of their parents. Other than that they were worlds apart.
‘Enemies?’ Her eyes widened, the true extent of their blue showing clearly. ‘Is that what we are?’
He looked at her, irritated he’d forgotten himself and spoken the truth. ‘How could any man make an enemy of such a beautiful woman as you?’
To his amazement, she laughed, a soft gentle sound, which nudged at memories of happiness from long ago. ‘Now you have gone too far, Mr Dragunov.’