She picked up her cup and started to blow on her coffee, noticed his intense gaze on her mouth and thought better of it. ‘Are you really that shallow?’
‘Sì, I am.’
‘No, you’re not.’
‘You wound me.’
‘You wound yourself. You’re clearly intelligent—’
‘Grazie—’
‘Or you wouldn’t be worth billions. I fail to see why you feel the need to add this to the equation.’
‘Tell me, sweet Ruby, why is it sexist to state that I appreciate an attractive body when I see it?’
Her mouth tightened. ‘It’s sexist when you imply I got where I am by flaunting it when you couldn’t be more wrong.’
‘Point taken.’ He said nothing further.
‘Is that supposed to be an apology?’
‘Yes, I apologise unreservedly for making observations about your body.’
‘That’s almost as bad as saying “I apologise if your feelings are hurt” instead of “I’m sorry for hurting your feelings”.’
‘Let’s not dwell on the pedantic. You have my unreserved apologies.’ His gaze was steady and clear.
Ruby chose to believe he meant it. ‘Thank you.’
‘Good. I tried to reach Stone. I’ve been informed he’s on vacation and can’t be reached.’
She took a huge gulp of coffee and nearly groaned at the superb taste. Then his words broke through. ‘Right. I wasn’t born yesterday, you know.’
The seriously gorgeous grin returned. ‘I know, and I’m very grateful for that.’
‘Get to the point, please.’
‘Stone is trekking in the Amazon for the next three weeks.’
Alarm skated through her. ‘I can’t wait another three weeks. I’ll lose everything I’ve poured into getting the restaurant off the ground so far.’
‘Which is what exactly?’
‘Simon secured the rent but I put up my own money for the conversion of the space and the catering equipment.’
He froze. ‘Who is Simon?’ he asked in a silky tone threaded with steel.
‘My ex-business partner.’
‘Enlighten me why he’s your ex,’ he said in that abrupt, imperious way she’d come to expect.
The ache from Simon’s betrayal flared anew. ‘We didn’t see eye to eye so we parted ways.’
Narciso’s eyes narrowed. ‘Was he your lover?’
She hesitated. ‘Almost,’ she finally admitted. ‘We met in college, but lost touch for a while. A year ago we met again in New York. I told him about opening my restaurant and he offered to become my partner. We got close...’
He tensed. ‘But?’
‘But he neglected to tell me he had a pregnant wife at home and...I almost slept with him. He almost made me an accomplice in his infidelity.’ The thought sent cold anger through her.
‘How did you find out?’
Her hand tightened around her coffee cup. ‘We were on our way to Connecticut for a romantic getaway when his wife called to say she’d gone into labour. I trusted him, and he turned out to be no better than...’ She shook her head angrily and jumped when his fingers touched hers. Looking up, her eyes connected with his surprisingly gentle ones.
‘I think you’ll agree he takes the douche-bag crown, no?’
She swallowed the lump in her throat. ‘Yes.’
He remained silent for several minutes, then he drained his cup. ‘So my company’s contribution is to help finish your restaurant?’
‘That and the advertising costs for the first six months.’
‘Do you have any paperwork?’
‘Not with me, no. I couldn’t exactly bring a briefcase to the job last night. But Nigel can prove it...’
‘I’m taking over from Nigel,’ he said abruptly.
‘Excuse me?’
He set his cup down. ‘As of now, I’ve relieved him of his duty to you. You’ll now deal with me and me alone.’
That felt a little too...sudden... Ruby assured herself it was the reason why her heartbeat had suddenly escalated. She refused to let hope rise until she’d read the small print in his words. ‘So...you’ll sign over what NMC promised me?’
His eyes gleamed as he regarded her. ‘Eventually,’ he said lazily.
‘Ah, there it is. The big, fat catch. What does eventually mean?’ she demanded.
‘I need proof that you’re as good as you say you are. I don’t endorse mediocre ventures.’
‘Wow, are you always this insulting in the morning?’
‘Sexual frustration doesn’t sit well with any man, amante, least of all me.’
‘And you think bringing your sexual frustration into a business discussion is appropriate?’
Silver eyes impaled her where she stood. ‘You followed me thousands of miles and inveigled yourself into my company under false pretenses. You wish to discuss who holds the monopoly on what’s appropriate right now?’
‘What other choice did I have? I couldn’t lose everything I’ve worked for because your employee is chasing orangutans in the Amazon.’
‘I may be way off the mark but I don’t think there are any orangutans in the Amazon. Borneo, on the other hand—’
‘I didn’t mean it literally. I meant...’ She sighed. ‘Bottom line is, NMC agreed to help me launch my business and it’s reneging on the deal.’
‘And I’m giving you a chance to get things back on track.’
‘By making me jump through even more hoops?’
‘I employ the best people. There must be a reason why Stone delayed in honouring the agreement.’
‘And you think the fault is mine?’ Irritation bristled under her skin. He stood there, arrogant and nonchalant as she flailed against the emotional and professional sands shifting under her feet.
‘I’m trying to meet you in the middle.’
‘All you have to do is review the show’s footage. There were world-renowned food critics who judged my cuisine and cocktails the best. I won fair and square.’
‘So you keep saying. And yet I’m wondering if there’s something else going on here. If everything was above board, why didn’t you use lawyers to hold my company to account? Why the very personal touch?’
‘I don’t have the kind of money it takes to involve lawyers. Besides, I was hoping you’d be reasonable.’
He moved towards her, his gaze pinned on her face. Danger blazed from his eyes. Along with hunger, passion and a need to win at all costs.
Her heart hammered as she forced herself to return his stare.
‘You lied in order to get close to me. And you continued to lie until we were alone together. Having caught a glimpse of who I am, Ruby, how reasonable do you think I am?’ His tone was silky soft, but she wasn’t fooled. Underneath the lethally thrilling charm and the man who’d shown a surprising gentle side moments ago lay a ruthless mogul