Читать книгу Sinfully Summer - Aimee Duffy - Страница 6

Wild. Daring. Completely bonkers.

Alexa had been accused of all these things, but it didn’t bother her. Ric’s accusation that she was childish hit a nerve. She twisted the knob and threw the door open. Jenna yelped into the hotel phone, while Sarah paced the living room. They both turned to her with wild, worried eyes.

Alexa shut the door behind her. The gymnasts in her tummy felt more like heavy weight champs. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Where have you been, Alexa?’ Sarah stomped towards her, a frown marred her brow.

‘It’s okay, she’s back now,’ Jenna spoke into the receiver then hung up. She glared at Alexa. ‘We’ve been worried sick.’

Hugging her stomach, she swallowed. ‘The dare didn’t go as planned. I ended up in Enrique Castillo’s penthouse.’

She was rewarded with wide eyes and gaping mouths. Jenna recovered first. ‘His t-shirt?’

Alexa nodded, her eyebrows pulled together. ‘He blackmailed a date out of me too.’ The arrogant, pushy, git. She shook her head in exasperation, who’d have thought he’d actually back up his threat? If it was her father, he wouldn’t want bad press for his hotel. Not Castillo. ‘Tomorrow night. Some mortuary gig.’

Well, not quite. But it didn’t sound promising. Formal, in her opinion, meant boring and there was nothing she loathed more than boring. Except having to call her father to ask him to bail her out of a Spanish prison. She shuddered at the thought.

‘A date?’ Sarah perked up, skipping over the fact Alexa had said blackmailed, and clapped her hands like a loon. The shiny diamond on her ring finger sparkled in the light.

Alexa quelled a grimace as a chill ran through her. Why her friends felt the need to settle down so young was beyond her. Then again, they hadn’t been brought up by her father.

‘And he’s gorgeous,’ Jenna added, already on her way to the mini bar. Did neither of her friends hear the word blackmail? Jenna pulled a bottle of Cristal from the fridge. ‘This calls for a celebration.’

‘I don’t think so.’ Alexa accepted the champagne flute though—how could she not? The sip she took was heavenly and exactly what she needed right now. They settled down onto the sofas. ‘I’m not looking for the one.’ And even if she was, Alexa knew it wouldn’t be Ric. Lush as that chest may be…

‘Just imagine. We could all end up getting married this year!’ Sarah bounced up and down in her seat, her short blonde bob swished around her shoulders.

The blood drained from Alexa’s face and the weight in her stomach felt heavier than lead. ‘No.’ Her protest was barely a whisper. Bunnies would rule the earth before she married a man even remotely like her father. From her experience, successful men, even aspiring ones, were all the same. God knows her father had tried to set her up with enough of them. He’d even staged a proposal from one. She had pulled on her running shoes and bolted in the opposite direction.

Jenna saved her. ‘Sarah, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. They’ve not been on the date yet.’

Alexa flashed her a grateful smile.

Sarah just pouted. ‘Where’s he taking you? You said mortuary?’

Shrugging, she sipped her wine then tucked her legs under her. ‘He said formal, which means black-tied, straight-laced, men dribbling on about their success. Might as well be a wake. Those kind of parties are always dull.’

Rolling her eyes, Sarah said, ‘You never moan when we go to functions like that.’

‘That’s different. That’s networking for my business. This is a boring date with a boring guy whose sole idea of fun is a frisk between the sheets.’

Hell, in other words. Shivers ran through her again and her body tingled, betraying her thoughts. It seemed her hormones liked the idea of a frisk with Castillo. Well, they’d just have to be disappointed.

‘Sounds like fun to me.’ Jenna giggled. ‘Seriously though, what are you going to wear? You’ve nothing formal with you.’

Sarah clapped her hands together again. ‘We could go shopping tomorrow.’

Alexa smirked. ‘No need. I have the perfect dress.’

Jenna frowned at her, unconvinced.

‘The bronze silk Gucci.’ Her lips curved wider. She couldn’t wait to see Ric’s face. It would serve him right for blackmailing her into going.

‘Alexa, that scrap shows off more than it hides. He said formal.’

Suppressing a giggle, she pulled her face into her best innocent expression. ‘It’s ankle length.’

Still, Jenna was right. It was over-the-top and revealing. But, with her sun tan at its peak, the dress would be a killer, and she’d work on ridding herself of the bikini lines in the morning. Maybe it would teach Ric he couldn’t push her into doing what he wanted. Maybe he’d stare at her with that hungry-predator gleam in his dark eyes. Alexa’s stomach quivered. Either way, tomorrow promised to be interesting.

Her phone beeped on the counter and she rose, crossed the room and opened her emails. Her eyes almost bugged out of the sockets when she saw the name of the American actress asking if Alexa’s business Together could set her up with a companion when she visited London for business next week.

She brought her phone back to the sofa and showed Jenna and Sarah. ‘Look at the new client I got!’

Sarah grabbed the phone out of her hands and gawked at the screen. ‘Can I be the one you set her up with?’

Jenna and Alexa rolled their eyes.

‘She wants a tour guide and a dining companion, not a crazed stalkery fan,’ Alexa teased.

‘I can’t believe she heard about your business in the States,’ Jenna said. ‘But we agreed, Alexa. No work on this holiday.’

‘I can’t lose a client, Jenna. It will only take half an hour to set things up. I have the perfect woman in mind.’ She didn’t mind setting clients up with the opposite sex, she based the service Together provided on common interests, but she didn’t think an A-lister would want to be seen with a mystery man. The press in London would be all over that like a rash.

Sarah nodded. ‘Alexa, reply before she changes her mind.’

Jenna grumbled something under her breath and guilt broke through Alexa’s excitement. But holiday or not, Together was her livelihood and big named clients would mean better publicity. With her reputation still shot to pieces and her refusal to touch her trust fund, she couldn’t let a client like this slip through her fingers.

She scrolled through her contacts and found the number she needed. It was great business and a brilliant distraction from the whirlwind of hormones and irritation Ric had brought to the surface. Hitting dial, she ignored Jenna’s pout and brought the phone to her ear.

The midday sunshine heated her skin like she was in a just-too-warm jacuzzi, but Alexa didn’t care. She had tan lines to get rid of and lying topless was the only way to do it, even if that meant being more wary of low-lying paparazzi.

‘I can’t believe you made us pick a spot this far away from the bar,’ Jenna grumbled as she returned with a tray of cocktails. ‘There are plenty of topless women next to the pool; you don’t need to hide away here.’

Alexa opened her eyes to squint at Jenna. ‘Last thing I need is to be back in the papers, especially with the new client I’ve just scored.’

Jenna laid the tray of multi-coloured cocktails down on the table between Alexa and Sarah’s sun loungers. Jenna then pulled a Spanish magazine from her bag and threw it at Alexa. She caught it, exposing herself to the sun again, so rolled onto her stomach.

‘Page three,’ Jenna said.

Alexa opened the magazine to the page Jenna had pointed to, and her breath caught. ‘You’re kidding me.’

The sneaky paparazzi had the cheek to snap a picture of her at Sarah’s hen party. Alexa was tipsy and in the process of getting out of a limo, with her knickers in full view. ‘Can’t they just leave me alone, I wasn’t even doing anything shocking. Two seconds later and they wouldn’t have seen a thing.’

She wished she could read Spanish to see what the article said, but she wasn’t an idiot and could guess. Exaggerated rubbish, since she wasn’t as crazy as she had been in her teenage years.

‘What is it?’ Sarah asked.

Alexa handed the magazine to Sarah, her blood heating with irritation. Jenna lowered onto her lounger with a pink cocktail. Alexa went for the tray, picked up the glass with the red contents, and drained half. The fruity liquid was cool and relaxed her a little. If she didn’t have Together to worry about, she wouldn’t care. But being caught with a goofy expression on her face and her knickers on show wasn’t exactly sending images of the professional business woman she wanted to be.

‘It isn’t as bad as the one where you fell out of that club,’ Sarah said, flicking through the pages, ‘it hasn’t made any of the gossip rags in the UK. The Spanish must be short on scandal.’

‘Let’s just forget about it, okay?’ Alexa was sick of being the wild-child. ‘We still have to plan Jenna’s dare.’

Jenna groaned. ‘I’d rather talk about your date with the hunk.’

Sarah dropped the magazine and turned on her side to face Alexa. ‘What’s his story, anyway? Didn’t he used to be reckless, a bit of an adrenaline-junkie?’

‘He was as far as I know.’ Alexa thought maybe the git would have cut her some slack, since he had hardly been a good little boy growing up.

Jenna pulled out her iPhone and swept her fingers across the screen. A few minutes later, she grinned. ‘It’s so sexy to see a man jump out of a plane, and all these woman must think so too.’

Alexa ground her teeth. She wasn’t going to ask, she wasn’t.

Sarah piped in. ‘What women?’

Jenna turned the phone around to show Google Image results for a search on Enrique Castillo. She didn’t want to look, really. But she couldn’t not. In all the tiny pictures, he was with a different woman, rarely pictured with one twice. She tried to tell herself the twisty feeling in her stomach was disgust. After all, it definitely couldn’t be jealousy.

She polished off the rest of her cocktail then lay down on the lounger, her hands covering up her sensitive bits from the rays of the sun. The twisting sensation in her tummy turned to an almost low burn, and her already warm skin flared hotter. Puffing out a breath, she tried to wipe the images Jenna showed her from her mind. She really didn’t care if Ric had dated, or even slept with all those women. After tonight, she’d never see him again if she could help it.

Ric glanced at his watch again. Seven thirty. She should be here by now. He grabbed another glass from a passing waiter, then made his way through the throng of Spanish socialites to the exit.

The car park was empty. Party already in full swing, all the guests had parked up or their chauffeurs had left. He glanced toward the road leading off the beach. Frustration set in as he saw the empty strip of tarmac before him.

Running his free hand through his hair, he cursed under his breath. Today was a hell of a day for people letting him down. First his events organiser, Lydia, who had a family emergency, and now the unpredictable heiress.

He turned back to the boathouse and took a long gulp of champagne. Boathouse was an understatement. The Castillo holiday home covered at least a quarter of an acre and had its own private stretch of beach. The house itself consisted of four levels, the ground floor specially kitted out as a ballroom to host parties for those who were somebody in the Costa Del Sol—or those, like himself, with a connection to the owners, a fat wallet and deep pockets.

The sound of wheels crunching against the tarmac made him turn. His driver nodded at him from the front seat and Ric exhaled. She was here.

Manuel exited the vehicle, rounded it and then pulled open the rear door. Ric heard every one of his heartbeats pounding in his ears as he visualised what Alexa would look like in a glamorous gown. He’d couldn’t help but notice her around his hotel. Scandal was something he wished to avoid if he could help it—even in his adrenaline-junkie days—and scandal seemed to follow her wherever she went. He’d worked hard to gain some respect in this society, and whether he deserved it or not, it wasn’t something he wanted to lose.

He’d seen her in non-existent shorts, a tiny cocktail dress which made his blood heat and now he could add undies to the list.

But none of it could have prepared him for what he saw now.

Taking Manuel’s hand, she stepped out of the limo. First he only noticed the plunging neckline and his gaze followed the cut of the material to the curve of her breasts and then further, down to the flash of toned, tanned stomach above her navel.

Fire ripped through his veins. Ric gulped down the last of the champagne. It didn’t help.

She turned to him, a smile of triumph curved her hot-red lips, flashing bright, white teeth. He opened his mouth—to say what, he had no idea—but then she stepped out from behind the car door and his mind blanked.

His gaze was drawn down over the clingy fabric which hugged every delectable curve of her body. The bronze silk flowed down to her ankles, but it by no means covered her legs. A slit cut through the material, up past her bare hipbone. The pulse in his groin grew more prominent as he prayed she wore high legged knickers and hadn’t gone without.

A long, supple leg poked all the way out of the slit as she strode toward him. He was frozen to the spot and his mind seemed to have crashed south.

Pausing in front of him, Alexa tilted her head to the side and looked up. ‘You like?’

Too much.

He remembered his promise to himself. Straightening and dragging in a breath through his teeth, Ric forced himself to concentrate. ‘I said formal, Alexa.’ He frowned to drive home his point.

‘This—’ She spun around, exhibiting golden skin he ached to drag his teeth over. ‘—is as formal as you’ll get from me.’

Her smile, filled with mischief, tipped his libido over the edge. He grabbed her hips and pulled her flush against him. Humour fled her expression as her head tilted back and her eyes sparkled shiny platinum. Ric didn’t know what she’d see, but he could guess. His hunger pulsed in his groin in time with his rapid heartbeats. Her pupils dilated, and he knew then he wasn’t the only one feeling this crazed pull between them.

‘This—’ He drew a finger down the silky skin on her naked back, pausing when it met the material over the curve of her buttocks ‘—is not formal.’ Her tremble vibrated through him.

Alexa planted her palms on his chest and her breathing sped. Her tongue poked out and moistened her lips. Irritation forgotten, he lowered his head. As he drew closer he could taste her sweet breath. Every cell inside him screamed to plunder her mouth and take all she had to offer, and he knew from her pliant body and come-to-bed eyes that she would definitely offer, whether she was still angry at him or not. His hands, now settled on hips that were exactly as firm as he’d imagined, itched to slip through the split and find out whether she did wear anything beneath the scrap.

Alexa’s eyes closed and her lips parted. His hands were an inch away and his body hummed in anticipation.

‘Ric, darling. There you are!’

Ric snapped out of the spell Alexa held over him and turned his attention to his mother, Maria Castillo, who was walking toward them from the boathouse. His whole body ran cold. Alexa tried to pull out of his hold, but he tightened his grip reflexively.

Ric hated being indebted to anyone and the fact he owed Maria and Antonio more than he could ever repay made him uncomfortable. They’d adopted him to protect his past with their name and help him start a new life. He’d thrown it back in their faces, using their money to fund his obsession to find a new high jumping out of planes, speedboat racing and whatever else caught his interest.

Now he wanted to prove he could change, be trusted enough to pay them back by making their hotel and new resort in Marbella flourish. Maybe even go into the new resort as a partner, not just an employee. The fact they had handed him the management of Hotel Castillo after all he’d done made him more determined to prove himself.

‘Maria,’ he acknowledged. ‘I’d like you to meet my date, Alexa Green.’

Maria beamed at Alexa, who he released, grateful for the interruption. Kissing Alexa would have been a colossal mistake. Though there’d been a time when he wouldn’t have hesitated to seduce her for gain, he wasn’t that person any more. And he wanted that part of his past to stay buried. If what he had done became public knowledge, the Castillos’ reputation would be tarnished beyond repair. Dating someone with her bad press would be like digging up everything he was ashamed of and announcing it to the world.

Using her fame to his advantage, however, was a risk he’d take for the charity.

Alexa turned to the older woman and extended her hand. ‘Mrs Castillo, you have a lovely home.’

Ric couldn’t believe Alexa recognised the other woman. Maria and her husband were well known in Spain for their expanding chain of luxury hotels and charity work, but he hadn’t thought the news of their success would spread to London or if it did, that it would be the kind of news to interest Alexa.

‘Thank you. Where did you get your dress? It’s stunning.’

Ric stiffened. He was reminded yet again how little the silk number covered. It was entirely inappropriate. His irritation returned full force.

Not to mention the way it chiselled away at the resistance he’d spent the day building up towards her. Alexa answered Maria and went on to talk about shoes. He held onto his irritation with a death grip. Inviting her tonight had been a mistake. People would take one look at her on his arm and he could kiss their presence at his function goodbye. After all, what self-respecting businessman would date someone as wild and inappropriate as Alexa?

Flowing champagne, good food and boring conversation seemed to make the stick up Ric’s ass more apparent. Alexa kept a polite smile on her face as he stiffly marched her from one mind-numbing introduction to another, his hand never leaving her hip.

Her skin hadn’t stopped prickling since she’d seen the way he’d eyed her when she left the limo—the look she’d been both dreading and anticipating all day. The one that said he wouldn’t mind tearing the dress from her body with his teeth, then showing her what his idea of fun really was…

Get your head out of the gutter, girl.

Then the almost kiss. Her heart pounded remembering. She’d forgotten that she was still angry at him and submitted to his hunger. She’d even felt the same feral attraction she saw in his eyes, an attraction she needed to get over quick. Thank god Mrs Castillo had interrupted them or she’d have been one frisk away from ending up like her mother.

Her eyes flickered to Ric. He sported a charming smile while he nattered in Spanish to a couple who couldn’t speak English. She wondered again why he tensed up when Mrs Castillo had appeared. Maybe he was grateful she’d interrupted them—or irritated—but he looked uncomfortable more than anything.

The fire in her belly, and her desperation to hide it, made the party more interesting than it should have been. Throughout, she managed to keep her business head on and treated the night like she would if she were scouting clients for Together. And she had the feeling Ric was scouting too, but no idea why.

As she glanced around at the décor, she felt like she was in a fairy-tale. Everything was shiny and grand. The lighting highlighted the white table cloths with pink and baby blue trimmings. A huge, crystal chandelier sporting five tiers centred the massive dance floor and a band dressed in tuxedos played on the stage at the far back of the room. The place oozed money and class and made her a little uncomfortable. It was too similar to the parties she’d been dragged to by her father after her mother died.

‘Mr and Mrs Santos, this is Alexa Green.’ Ric introduced her to an elderly man with a twenty something year old wife.

Alexa noticed that after he introduced her to Mrs Castillo he stopped referring to her as his date. It was around the same time he started to act like someone had shoved the stick up his ass.

Alexa held her hand out and allowed Mr Santos to brush the back with his lips. His wife threw her a death glare, then turned to Ric with a sultry glint in her eye. Alexa stepped closer to Ric. She may not be dating him, and didn’t even particularly like him, but it was rude to eye up other people’s partners, and so blatantly. Alexa decided she didn’t like the skinny blonde.

Ric’s hand tightened on her hip.

‘A pleasure to meet you, novia,’ Mr Santos crooned while his wife remained eerily silent.

‘The pleasure’s all mine.’ She said what was expected with a smile. Her father had taught her well.

‘Enrique, the whole place is buzzing about the charity ball you’re hosting next month. I’m assuming your presence here tonight is to secure our attendance?’

Trying to keep the surprise from her expression, she turned to look up at Ric. The charming smile he’d worn all night returned and a husky laugh escaped him. Alexa shivered all over.

‘You’ve caught me.’ He clapped the old man on the back. ‘It’s for a good cause. There are too many children living on the streets in Spain and it isn’t the government’s priority to help. Your support would be appreciated.’

Alexa ground her teeth to stop her mouth gaping. She wouldn’t have pegged Ric as the caring type. Especially about someone he couldn’t gain anything from. The fire in her belly morphed into a warm glow. She gulped down her champagne. Damn. She hadn’t expected him to have a heart in that magnificent chest.

Heart or not, don’t go there.

‘Of course we’ll be there.’ Mr Santos pulled his wife to his side. She looked like she’d rather be anywhere else.

Alexa felt a pang for the old man. He deserved better than a gold digger.

‘And I hope to see your beautiful Alexa.’

Only having a week left on her holiday, she opened her mouth to explain she would have to return to London.

‘Of course Alexa will be there.’ Ric squeezed her hip in what felt like a warning. ‘In fact, Alexa’s helping me organise the event.’ Another squeeze. Harder this time.

Uh, uh, no way.

She wasn’t going to allow him to use her, and he had nothing to blackmail her with this time. Her father had used her mother for his gain so many times she’d sworn she would never let anyone do the same. And Ric—the big sneak-freak—was trying to do exactly that.

‘I’m sorry, Mr Santos. I’m flying back to London next week. I hope you enjoy it.’

Ric’s arm stiffened around her. ‘Alexa, may I have a word?’ He spoke through gritted teeth.

‘Actually, I’d like another drink, if you don’t mind?’ She fluttered her eyelashes innocently, all the while knowing she was ticking him off, if his clenched jaw was anything to go by. Well, he wasn’t the only who was miffed. ‘Thank you, sweetie.’

Ric, obviously too straight laced to cause a scene, released her and left to find a waiter—or ditch her. Alexa’s lips quirked.

‘Trouble in paradise?’ The blonde parasite’s face twisted into a smile.

‘Not at all. In fact, Ric and I aren’t dating. I’m merely accompanying him for the evening,’ Alexa said, while trying her hardest not to give blondie the finger and tell her exactly what she thought of her gold-digging agenda.

‘Such a shame,’ Mr Santos said. ‘You two make an attractive couple.’

‘Yes, Alexa is a very beautiful woman.’

Ric’s tight voice sent a jolt of shock down her spine. She turned to him. He handed her a champagne flute, his face impassive. From the stiff lines of his shoulders, the hardness of his jaw, she reckoned his compliment was little more than polite etiquette. Irritation simmered in her veins.

Stick-insect stepped forward then, a sultry smile spread her silicone-filled lips. Alexa wanted to say something rude, something that would wipe the smile away. Especially when Mrs Santos directed that smile at Ric.

She touched the material of Alexa’s gown above her hip. ‘Where did you buy this dress, Mr Castillo? It’s beautiful.’

Mrs Santos ran a hand down the silk covering Alexa’s thigh. Her head spun to face Alexa, shock widening her eyes. ‘How did you find underwear so seamless?’

Alexa stepped back from the girl’s touch. Her irritation had hit its peak when the skinny bimbo assumed Ric had bought the dress. Mrs Santos feeling her up, like she was just another tool to get into Ric’s pants, made her blood boil. Now it brimmed over at the attempt to embarrass Alexa in front of the men.

Well, it would take a lot more than her knickerless state to embarrass her—blondie picked a bitch-fest with the wrong girl.

‘Actually, I bought the dress in London,’ Alexa smirked at the gold-digger. ‘Oh, and I’m not wearing any knickers.’

Mr Santos’ face turned scarlet, but an amused smile curved his lips. His wife shot another death glare. ‘I suppose we shouldn’t expect any less from a spoilt heiress, isn’t that right darling?’ She turned to her husband. His mouth gaped. ‘Alexa is the daughter of Robert Green. You remember we stayed at The Crystal? She’s in the news all the time for her trashy behaviour.’

The blood drained from Alexa’s face as understanding dawned on Mr Santos’ expression. If Ric really hadn’t known who she was before, he had a good idea now. He remained wooden and silent beside her. The only word she could think to throw back at the witch with a capital B wasn’t very polite at all. In fact, she reckoned it would get her thrown out of the party. Maybe even Spain.

Mr Santos turned to Ric. ‘I hope your function goes well. I don’t think my wife and I will be attending. Enjoy your evening.’

He tugged his wife away as Ric bid him farewell in Spanish.

Alexa had never been so angry or affronted in her life. Her body almost throbbed with both emotions. There was no way she was going to meet any more of the rich and pompous—especially if Ric was going to spout waffle to score guests and try to use her again. It seemed she’d been right about the scouting.

The band began to play a Sinatra number she recognised. Snaring Ric’s hand, she dragged him to the dance floor amongst the other guests, all swaying to the beat. Having no other options for privacy, she would have to chew him out here where they’d be close enough to whisper without being overheard.

‘Dance with me,’ she said through gritted teeth.

‘Alexa, if you wanted to press yourself against me, all you had to do was ask.’ His tone was light, but his expression was tight and deadly serious. Then again, on closer inspection, the hard lines of his face were rigid with what looked like fury.

‘Dream on, Castillo. I want to talk to you and unfortunately, dancing with you seems to be the only time I’ll have you alone.’

He slid his arms around her waist and rested them just above her buttocks. Half an inch lower and he’d be cupping her backside. The fire in her roared back to life, but she refused to let it overpower her. Fisting her hands, she rested them on his shoulders, positive if she felt the hard muscle there she’d lose herself and the anger she clung onto.

Ric eyed her balled hands with a frown then pulled her against him. Her breasts pushed against his chest and she grabbed his shoulders for balance. Ric’s smirk told her that had been his intention. She stifled an irritated squeal.

His head descended and hovered above her ear, ‘Ladies first.’

Alexa’s mind muddied when the full blow of his spicy aftershave hit her. With their hips pressed together, they swayed to Frank’s husky voice. Still, she fought against her loony hormones and refused to slide her hands along the contours of his shoulders like they craved to.

‘Why did you lie like that?’

Ric’s nose grazed her earlobe. The brief touch sent the fire in her belly burning over her skin. ‘I didn’t lie. You will be there and you will help me organise it.’

Alexa pulled back. His eyes were the colour of scorching espresso. His strong jaw serious. The lusty fire inside morphed into indignation. ‘Not a chance. I’m going home next week.’

But when she saw his expression harden, his eyes set with determination, Alexa squared her shoulders and readied herself for the fight.

Ric whirled Alexa around the dance floor in time with the tempo. The woman had driven him crazy all evening. The dress she sported covered nothing, yet it covered too much for his liking. He was torn between ripping it off, and wrapping his suit jacket around her. Not to mention he’d been worrying all night that she’d step over the mark, make an inappropriate comment, offend someone or embarrass him further.

And then she’d gone and done it, nuclear bomb style. When Santos, a man with more money and influence than Ric had ever known gave him the time of day, he wanted to do anything to secure his attendance at the fundraiser. Even if it meant spending more time with Alexa-the-pantieless-heiress. Heat simmered in his veins, but he ignored it. Although Santos seemed embarrassed, but mostly amused by Alexa’s outburst, it pissed him off. Ric had been right. She didn’t have a brain-to-mouth filter at all.

Now, she’d lost him Santos. Ric gritted his teeth. He knew it hadn’t been entirely her fault. When Santos’ plaything goaded Alexa, Ric froze and waited for the torrent that he expected would come. Instead, she’d kept her mouth shut, even though he could feel the anger pounding off her in waves. Then again, if Alexa had kept her mouth shut about her underwear—or lack thereof—the incident could have been avoided. Making Alexa work for him would be appropriate punishment and would solve his recent problem.

A little into the conversation, he’d made the decision. His party planner announced this morning that her mother was ill and she had to return to Madrid to care for her for a month. That left him up the creek without a clue how to organise a charity ball.

And he bet if anyone could throw a party, it would be the wild party girl Alexa Green. Of course he’d have to supervise, make sure that the party was classy and not trashy, and the close contact could devastate his libido. Still, he didn’t see any other options at such short notice.

He needed to focus all his free time running the hotel and overseeing the building work. This party was something he needed to do for himself. He’d lived on the streets, done things he wasn’t proud of and had been used. If he could help it, no other child would have to suffer what he had.

Alexa was his only option.

‘No, you’re staying here for the next four weeks, helping me plan the charity ball. I think that’s the least you can do after showing up here like this.’ He ran his finger up the gaping slit at the front, traced the outline of her cleavage. She gasped and tiny bumps rose on her golden skin. Arousal zapped down to his groin. Again, he ignored it.

‘And you’ll behave yourself,’ he added, in a no-nonsense tone.

Her stormy eyes cleared to flinty silver. She slid her hands down his chest and pushed, but he didn’t let go. ‘Don’t cause a scene, Alexa.’

She darted a glance around the room, then scowled up at him. They continued to dance while her eyes shot daggers. He grinned, though he was far from amused.

‘I have a business to run. I can’t drop everything and anyway, why should I? My dress is gorgeous. People have been staring all night.’ Her gaze dropped, but not before he caught the shame there.

He gritted his teeth. Men had been gaping all night at the silky skin on display. That was his point exactly. ‘Staring in disbelief, I imagine. I’m respected in these circles, Alexa and I’ve worked hard to gain that respect. Having a woman on my arm so scantily dressed lowers people’s opinion as Santos changing his mind proved. You will make it up to me.’

He spun her around. By the time she was back in his arms, her eyes flashed stormy black. ‘That wasn’t my intention, but I’m not going to apologise for being who I am. You asked me here. What did you expect?’

‘I expected more class from Robert Green’s daughter.’

‘I’m not, nor will I ever be, anything like my father.’ Steely resolve hardened her eyes.

Ric wondered why she spoke of her father with such barely contained anger. She’d been born into this life with everything. A family and the best start a person could ask for. Ric had been left on the streets, barely a child of five, with a bleak chance of survival.

The song ended and his frustration grew. He didn’t release her. Instead he loomed over her with a hard expression of his own. ‘You owe me for this, and you will work with me to organise the fundraiser.’

Her hands fisted in his jacket and she frowned. ‘No.’

‘Stop acting like a child and take responsibility for your actions.’

Alexa jolted back like he’d struck her. ‘I am not acting like a child.’ She shook her head. ‘I’m twenty-three. Not forty.’

‘At your age I started running Hotel Castillo.’

‘Explains why you’re so dull.’ She placed a hand on her hip, causing the cut down the front of her dress to gape wider. His gaze was drawn to the half globes exposed by the material. ‘It doesn’t explain why you want me working with you. Don’t you have a party planner?’

‘She’s indisposed for a while.’

‘The plot thickens.’ Her sarcastic tone grated on his temper. She glared at him. ‘And my lack of class was the perfect excuse to guilt me into working with you, but you can forget about trying to make me feel bad for losing Santos. I have a business to run back home and no inclination to spend any more time with you.’

‘I didn’t ask. You will work with me, and maybe even rid yourself of your wild-child reputation by doing so.’

She opened and closed her mouth a few times. Ric could see she was considering what he’d said. He resisted the urge to smirk and pulled her into another dance. Alexa’s brows creased, but she didn’t pull away. He smelled victory.

Alexa’s bravado had buggered off. Again he’d called her childish and again it hit her like a hard slap to the face—harder than when blondie had told her husband Alexa was trash. But she wasn’t going to be bullied into working with him, even though she could see what he said made sense. And she did feel a trickle of guilt about losing Santos and wearing the dress.

Not that she cared what everyone thought about her, but if she lost a major benefactor for a good cause, she had to try and make that right. Still, Alexa didn’t know what she could do to persuade Santos to attend. Maybe helping out would prove she wasn’t the spoilt little rich girl everyone thought she was.

She’d started her business, Together, two years ago, but she knew the money she made barely paid the cost of living in London and she wouldn’t touch her trust fund. It was just another reminder that she was her father’s possession.

‘What kind of coverage will your event have?’ She had to ask. If the media didn’t hit London with the news she’d helped organise such an event it was pointless.

Ric grinned down as he swayed her to the music. Still, she could see his eyes were tight with anger. Alexa straightened her shoulders.

‘It depends how much interest we can raise.’ He shrugged. ‘I came here tonight with the hope of convincing people like Santos to come. He’s well known in society and the more people like him who attend, the more media coverage.’ He frowned down at her. ‘And while telling men you meet in London clubs that you have no underwear on may score you a date, it won’t here Alexa.’

He scowled down at her. She was galled at his arrogant assumption and the suspicion that he knew exactly who she was grew stronger, but now at least she understood why he was angry. Ric was all about respect. Plus, if she was going to do this, she’d need as many people like that to attend the ball to benefit her—which meant hunting down Santos and charming him into changing his mind.

But organising a party this big and glamorous wasn’t something she’d done before. Still, she couldn’t let fear get in the way. She had planned lots of parties for her friends and herself, this couldn’t be much different.

‘For the record, I don’t make a habit of informing people whether or not I’m wearing knickers.’ His lips twitched. ‘If I agree to do this, I have a few conditions.’

He cocked an incredulous brow. Alexa smiled. If he thought she was going to bow at his feet he had another think coming.

‘For the next week I get to enjoy my holiday. After, I’ll have to spend some time on my work. I’ll need access to a landline and the internet.’

His expression smoothed out. Alexa thought she saw a hint of relief in his dark eyes. ‘All are reasonable requests, but I do need you visit a potential venue with me tomorrow since it looks like the new resort won’t be ready in time. A few hours should do it. You can meet me in the lobby at eight.’

She pressed her lips into a firm line. ‘Fine. Lobby at eight. But from midday I’m off the clock.’

‘Fine.’ His dry tone mirrored hers. Holding out his hand, he said ‘Let’s network.’

Alexa grimaced and he laughed. She knew she had to do this if she wanted the ball to gain international interest. Pulling herself together and remembering everything her father had taught her about how to act at places like this, she placed her hand in his.