Wife By Force(42)
"Yes, yes," she enthused. "I love it when we come to Italy."
"May I present my wife, Lara." His mild smile gave nothing away. "Lara, this is George and Miranda Marchond. They have been kind enough to invest in some of my endeavors."
"Kind enough?" George threw back his head and gave a loud guffaw. "More like lucky enough."
"How brilliant to meet you, my dear." Lara found herself engulfed in a vanilla-scented cloud of perfume and plump arms. The woman drew back and beamed. "I'm so glad Dante married such a lovely wife. A nice man like Dante should have a lovely wife."
Nice? Lara shot an amused glance at her husband.
One brow rose a millimeter, yet his composed look stayed in place. "You are right, Miranda. My wife is very lovely."
The compliment was smooth and suave and a month ago she would have thought it was part of his façade, a mere nod to social dictates. Now, though, she sensed some element to his tone she would have missed in the past. Some strand of truth. Her heart warmed.
"How did you meet?" Miranda burbled.
"Our families have been friends for years," her husband said.
"I bet you were young sweethearts as children. Meant for each other from the first. How romantic." The older woman clasped her hands in delight.
"Not exactly." Lara's words were edged with wry humor.
A low rumble of a chuckle from Dante tickled her side. The sound scarcely cracked the loud chatter surrounding them, but she heard and felt it. Surprised, she glanced his way and found a slight curl edging his mouth and a responding smile was hard to keep back. That humor of his, she was always shocked by its appearance and how much it tugged at her own.
"What do you do, dear?" Miranda was a chatterbox, while George seemed happy to stand beside her and beam.
"I help run a school." Flustered at the question, she tried to ignore the unease she always felt when talking about her mission, because she knew how quickly she could slip into defensiveness.
"A school?" Miranda cocked her head like a little red robin.
"Si, a school for dyslexic children." Dante's deep voice held enormous respect and conviction. "The teaching is designed to help the children overcome any handicap and achieve every success possible."
Her husband evidently had no compunction about talking about her school. Which thrilled her. And scared her. She tried to catch his attention so she could communicate a strong message of be quiet, yet he kept going.
"Lara is constantly working to improve the education for these children. She has plans to open her next school in Rome. She has a large group of students attending on scholarship to ensure no child is excluded."
"How impressive." Miranda gave her a look of real respect.
Taking a slight breath of relief, she scanned her mind, trying to think of a change of subject. Even though there was clear approval from the couple, why push it?
"Public funds pay for all that?" George managed to edge into the conversation.
"As a matter of fact, no." Her husband's smile was pleasant and pointed.
She watched with horror as the older couple's eyes widened at the unspoken message. "Dante-"
"Well, well," George warbled. "Must cost a pretty penny."
"One of Lara's main duties is trying to raise funds." Dante's ruthlessness was covered in velvet Italian charm.
"We'd love to make a contribution." Miranda's small fleshy hand rested on her husband's beefy arm.
"Naturally, naturally." George glanced at the shark before him and then pinned a cheerful smile onto his broad face. "Happy to give some of the money I've earned with Dante's advice to his wife. Good cause and all."
She didn't want this. Didn't want them to feel like they had to donate. "Oh, but-"
"I appreciate it." Her husband's swift acceptance cut her off before she could express her rejection. "Lara appreciates it too."
"Well, well, glad to help." George's huge belly bobbed as he nodded his encouragement to his wife to take over the conversation once more.
Miranda was happy to oblige and babbled on for several more minutes as Lara unsuccessfully tried to steer the discussion back to the school so she could tell them they didn't have to give anything. Before she got a word in edgewise, however, the couple left in a flurry of hearty smacks on the Dante's shoulder from George, and kisses and hugs from Miranda.
She turned out of her husband's grasp and stood toe to toe with him. "Dante."
"What?" He still wore his mask, yet she detected a strain of smugness beneath.
"You … you … " Her arms flapped by her side.
"Si. I did." A long finger ran along her naked arm, trailing a line of fire as it went. "I have made George millions. The least he can do is to give some to my beautiful wife's cause."
"You forced him."
His gaze cooled slightly, but determination was stamped on every facial muscle. "He had a choice. He could contribute to a worthwhile cause or take the chance he would offend me. George is not brilliant. But he's not stupid."
"I don't think … " She tried to articulate her fear, her embarrassment. "I'm not sure … "
Her husband sighed. "Start to see yourself as you are now."
"What do you mean?"
His dark stare drilled into her. "A woman married to a very powerful man."
"I don't-"
"Which makes you powerful."
"I don't want to be powerful."
He growled with frustration. "Think. With power, you can make a huge difference for your kids."
"I'm making a difference right now."
"Yet with this power, you can make a much bigger difference." Both of his hands held her elbows, forcing her to confront his words and his thoughts.
"I don't know-"
"There are dozens and dozens of people in this room who owe me." The warmth of his hands didn't take away from the fact he held her hard and fast. "And here comes another one right now."
Lara swiveled in her husband's grip to spot another tall, sleek shark.
He cut through the crowd as easily as Dante had, his powerful physique matching the dynamic presence he exuded from every male pore. The man caught her eye and grinned as he walked up to them, a cocky smile that didn't quite fit with the smooth silk suit and the red power tie. Perhaps it was because his long black hair lay in curls over his shoulders, making him appear like a pirate pretending to be civilized.
"Vico." Dante held out his hand in greeting. "You're back from China."
"Si." The man grasped the hand, his expression alive with conquest. "It went well."
"Good to hear." Turning to her, he gestured at the man. "Lara, this is Vicenzo Mattare, a gentleman I do business with on a regular basis."
She looked at the shark. This man was no gentleman.
"Vico, this is my wife, Lara."
The man glanced her way. He must have caught something of what she thought because a devil began to dance in his tawny eyes. "How lucky you are, Dante."
"Si, I am."
Was that a warning in her husband's tone? She peered at him and noted the tough rigidity of his jaw. Trying to smooth the sudden tension swirling around them, she reached out and clasped the hand presented to her. The palm was rough, the fingers blunt and solid. "Nice to meet you."
The devilish pirate's eyes danced for a second more, then went cool as he glanced back at her husband. "The trade deal is complete. It just needs your signature."
"Fine. I can come over to your office tomorrow."
"That will work." The shark had gone from a devil into a calculating businessman so fast, it took her breath.
"I also want to talk to you about my wife's project."
Horror filled her again. "No, I don't-"
"I'm sure you'll be interested, Vico." Again, her husband ignored her wishes.
A tight hurt was eclipsed by her growing anger.
"Is that so?" The man turned his formidable focus back on her before she could gather her senses and the best words to head this whole conversation off.
"Si."
Vico Mattare didn't appear fazed by Dante's brutal hint. "Then I will look forward to seeing you tomorrow."
"I don't want-"
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Lara." Exactly like her husband, the shark or pirate or devil-she couldn't tell which he was-ignored her. Grasping her limp hand, he held it in his, leaning down to place a soft kiss on the back. "Buonanotte," he said with simple elegance.