"Ooh, the kitten has claws. I like that." Bianca laughed and grabbed another gla.s.s of champagne from a pa.s.sing waiter"s tray. "I just offer you a word of warning, poco gattino. You step away even for a few moments and the women surround him licking their lips and rubbing against him. Why, look at him now." She indicated with a wave of her hand.
Tessa turned to see Alex indeed surrounded by a bevy of women, all of them young and gorgeous, not a man in sight. He smiled and laughed with one of them, looking so carefree and devilishly handsome he took her breath away.
That he looked at another woman like that and not her...her heart panged painfully at the realization.
"See how the woman touches him, looks at him?" Bianca asked.
The woman reached out and touched Alex"s forearm, her eyes sparkling as she stared up at him. She wore a revealing dress, black and sleek, and she was 66 rail thin. He nodded at whatever she said and then they quickly embraced, much to Tessa"s shock, before the woman walked away, a satisfied smile on her face.
"I see," Tessa said sadly, turning to Bianca. "But I"m just his-"
"It doesn"t matter what you just are," Bianca interrupted. "You go back to him and show every woman in this room he belongs to you, gattino. Bare your fangs, show your claws. Let them know he"s yours and no one else"s." With that, Bianca patted her on the arm, offered a sad smile and walked away, disappearing in the crowd within seconds.
Such a strange conversation, one minute Bianca insulted her, the next she offered sound advice. Tessa had come so close to revealing the truth to her too.
Thank goodness, Bianca had interrupted her.
Was Bianca disappointed she couldn"t be with the man she wanted to declare as her own? Tessa knew she wouldn"t be able to stand being in the same room with Alex while another woman stood with him as his date. Not after tonight...
She sidled up to him quietly, not wishing to interrupt the conversation he was having with yet another beautiful woman. When he caught sight of her he smiled, a look of relief in his eyes. "Ah perfect, she"s back. Tessa, I"d like to introduce you to Helene Rousso. Helene, this is Tessa Crawford."
"How do you do?" The woman smiled and offered Tessa her hand, which she took, slightly sh.e.l.l shocked.
Helene Rousso? Daughter and head of the Rousso fashion dynasty? Tessa"s knees literally shook as she shook her hand. "It"s an honor to meet you, Ms.
Rousso."
"Please, call me Helene." She sent a smile in Alex"s direction. "She"s a pretty little thing, Alexander. And so respectful. Wherever did you find her?" Tessa frowned. Was every woman in attendance this evening a catty witch?
67.
"We"ve known each other for quite a while," Alex said smoothly, slipping his arm around Tessa"s waist and pulling her in so she was plastered to his side.
"Indeed?" Helene arched a perfectly plucked brow. "She"s not your usual type, Alexander. You always seem to prefer a more-refined woman." Tessa wanted to die. Or just magically disappear. Bianca had been bad enough. This woman was completely evil.
And totally insulting.
"I went against type, Helene." Leaning in, he dropped a kiss on Tessa"s forehead. "And I"ve never been happier."
A few other words were spoken, trite and meaningless, before Helene slipped away with a smirk. The call for dinner was announced and Alex took her hand, leading her to a table where they were the first two to sit down.
"That was awful. I"ve always admired Helene Rousso," Tessa said, full of remorse.
"Helene is a wretched cow who loves to tear people down more than anything in the world." Alex took a sip from the water gla.s.s in front of him before he turned to her. "Don"t let her bother you."
"She only said what everyone else is thinking." Tessa shrugged. She"d known from the beginning this was a bad idea, accompanying Alex to the ball.
She"d told him so, too, but he"d convinced her it would work.
Looks like she was right, much as she hated to admit it.
"Hey." Reaching out, he tucked two fingers beneath her chin, lifting her face so her gaze met his. "I don"t care what anyone else thinks. Remember what I told you earlier?"
She nodded, her skin heating from his touch. Such an innocuous touch, yet it affected her completely. "I don"t know why you"re doing this," she whispered.
"Pretending to be with me, it makes no sense." 68 His eyes darkened, to that familiar, turbulent swirl of gray and blue that she adored so. "I agree. It makes no sense."
Tessa gasped, tried to jerk out of his grip but he firmed his fingers around her face, keeping her in place. "But it"s there between us," he continued. "Can"t you feel it?"
She blinked up at him, struck dumb by his words. What did he mean? Was he attracted to her too? Did he feel the same chemistry that seemed to buzz between them every time they were together?
"You do feel it," he whispered harshly. "I know you do. And as much as I want to deny it, the more time I spend with you, the harder it is for me to do so." His fingers gentled on her face, stroking along the line of her jaw. Feather light and so soft she released a shuddering breath and closed her eyes. "G.o.d, you"re beautiful," he said just before she felt the brush of his lips against hers.
He was an absolute fool, making such a public spectacle of himself but Alex couldn"t resist. Not with the sadness filling Tessa"s eyes, hurt over Helene Rousso"s thoughtless and catty insults.
That he would partially confess he wanted her. That he would kiss her while hundreds of people milled about-it was completely unlike him. His brothers, h.e.l.l, everyone he knew and dealt with on a constant basis would wonder what was wrong with him.
Tessa. That"s what was wrong with him. Though it didn"t necessarily feel wrong.
Being with her felt inexplicably right.
That he felt such an overwhelming need to comfort her, to sweep the sadness from her eyes and make her smile, well he couldn"t think about that now. Nor worry about the consequences.
69.
Tonight, this entire trip, he just wanted to be with her.
"Why did you do that?" she asked once he drew away.
Ah, his straightforward Tessa. He appreciated her for it. Most of the time.
"You look like you needed it."
She lowered her lids, her thick, dark lashes obscuring her eyes. "You"ve never kissed me before. Now you do it twice in the span of a half hour." He"d do more than kiss her by the end of the night if she let him. "I"ll stop if you want me to."
She opened her eyes wide and slightly shook her head. "I don"t want you to stop." Immediately she bit her lower lip, looking as if she wanted to take back the words.
Chuckling, he stroked her cheek. She had such baby soft skin. He didn"t want to stop touching her. "We probably shouldn"t keep doing this. I"m your boss."
"I know."
"Yet every time I think of you I..." He let the words trail off, distracted by the heat in her eyes, how her skin warmed beneath his touch. She was responsive, not afraid to let her feelings show. Other women he"d been with were so calculating, so cool, never wanting to reveal what they might really feel for fear they"d give him the upper hand.
Tessa exposed herself, allowing him a raw glimpse. Making him want more.
So much more.
"You what?"
"I shouldn"t say another word." He dropped a kiss on the tip of her adorable nose and released his hold on her, turning so he faced the table. Her disappointment palpable, she did the same, scooting her chair in before she reached for her water gla.s.s and took a sip.
70.
Others joined their table, a couple he"d met the last time he was in Europe and a business a.s.sociate of Giorgio"s. He didn"t know any of the rest though they were all friendly and seemed to know of him. He introduced Tessa to everyone, never clarifying who she might be to him and no one was rude enough to ask.
She smiled politely and greeted them in her soft, seductive voice.
The entire table conversed in Italian, and he knew Tessa didn"t know a word of it. She sat quietly, pretending interest though he could see the distance in her gaze. Two waiters came to their table and presented their first course, which she seemed grateful for and he watched in silent amus.e.m.e.nt as she devoured her salad.
"Hungry?" he asked, leaning in close so she was the only one who could hear.
Her cheeks flushed a becoming pink and she nodded, setting her fork carefully upon her now empty plate. "Starved."
"And bored?"
"Oh, no." She turned, their faces so close it would be incredibly easy to kiss her yet again. "Never bored. Tonight has been an-enlightening experience." He held himself in check. Just barely. "I warned you it would be swarming with barracudas."
She smiled. "You were right. I ran into Bianca earlier."
"Who?"
"You know. The woman who was with your friend Giorgio that night at the hotel." She leaned in close and lowered her voice. "His mistress."
"Ah." He hadn"t seen her. Was surprised Giorgio would have his mistress in attendance at his wife"s charity ball. "Was it awkward?"
"It was so odd. She was equal parts rude and kind." Tessa sighed. "I think she"s a very sad woman."
71.
"Really?" Tessa was so softhearted. He found it endearing-and also dangerous. If she didn"t watch out, someone could take advantage of her.
Alex frowned. Like himself.
"Oh, yes. Can you imagine? Being here tonight, watching the man you love be with the woman he"s married to? I mean, I know it"s not right, your friend indulging in an affair and at first I felt so sorry for his wife when I met her. But now I feel sorry for Bianca too. She looked so sad, so resigned." Tessa shook her head. "I couldn"t stand by and watch the man I want to be with more than any other spend time with his wife. "
"I would hope you would never lower yourself so much that you"d be with a man who"s already married." His voice was stern and he took hold of her hand.
"You"re worth more than that, Tessa. You deserve happiness." She smiled but it was full of sadness. "Sometimes things don"t work out the way you expect them to. I find it best to be prepared to settle."
"You should never settle. You should always go after what you want, declare it to the world, work for it and make it happen." He paused, the words sinking into his brain. He could be talking about her, about the two of them together.
"Never, ever settle. It"s a word that shouldn"t even be in your vocabulary."
"Ah, but I"m not you. The rich and successful Alexander Worth could have anything he wants. You"re so determined, so powerful. What more could you ever ask for?"
"There are still things I haven"t obtained yet." Like you.
"Really? Like what?"
She issued the question like a challenge. He glanced about, saw that no one paid them any mind. Everyone was involved in his or her own conversations.
Returning his gaze to her, he saw the question in her eyes. The light from the 72 glittering chandeliers above shone down upon her, catching the sparkles in her gown and making her look like an enchanted fairy.
His enchanted fairy. He never wanted to let her go.
"If I confess what I want to you, you cannot tell a soul." He lowered his voice, his gaze dropping to her succulent mouth. The urge to kiss her, drink from her right at the table was so strong it took everything within him to fight it.
"I won"t tell anyone," she murmured. "Your secrets are safe with me, Alex." Hearing the words, hearing Tessa say his name, did something to him. He wanted to trust her, wanted to give everything he could to her but something was always holding him back. He continually blamed it on their professional relationship but he"d never been one to freely give himself to another. Always held himself in check, never broke control, needing to stay above his emotions, his feelings, his worries.
For once, Alex wanted to give it up, give in. But it was so d.a.m.ned hard.
"Are they safe? I usually don"t share such intimacies with another." Taking her hand, he brought it up to his mouth, pressing his lips against her knuckles.
Her fingers trembled in his grip. "You can share them with me. I"m loyal to you. You know I am."
"You are," he agreed. "As an employee and as my a.s.sistant, you"re extremely loyal. But are you loyal to me as a man? Forget who I am to you.
Forget my name. Forget all of it. Are you still loyal then?" She nodded and reached out with her free hand, touching his face. She gave him no verbal answer but her soothing touch was enough.
"What I want more than anything is..." He took a deep breath.
"Is you."