She pretended to dismiss it all. “Come on. I want you to pick a color scheme for the study. I can’t decide by myself.”
He made a dismissive gesture. “Any color will do.”
“No, Nick. You’ll be using it a lot, so it’s important I get your input.”
“You’ll be using it, too.”
“Exactly. It’s something we need to choose together.”
He suddenly broke into a sexy half smile. “You’re very good at getting your own way. Subtle but very effective.”
She found herself smiling back. “That’s always been my policy.”
The rest of the week went quickly and before she knew it, it was Friday. She was nervous about hosting their first dinner, and of course she helped Iris arrange it all, but there was a difference in doing it because she wanted to and not because it was expected of her.
“You look beautiful,” Nick said when she’d finished dressing in a blue dress that hugged her body in all the right places, her blonde hair up in a chignon, delicate diamond earrings at her ears.
Silly delight rippled through her. “Thanks.” Her eyes slid over his dark suit and white shirt that did him full-on justice. “You’re looking quite spiffy yourself.”
He smiled. “Spiffy, eh?”
She smiled back then saw him fiddling with his tie. “Here, let me do that for you.”
“You don’t mind?”
“No, I like doing up men’s ties,” she quipped as she stepped close to him and began working on the tie.
His smile vanished. “Just how many men’s ties have you done up?”
“The odd one or two.”
He stared down at her, then must have seen her lips twitching because he broke into a grin. “I think you’re making that up.”
“Am I?”
“You’d better be,” he pretended to growl, sending a thought flashing through her mind. He liked being the only man to make love to her.
Well, well, she mused. Who’d have thought he’d be so old-fashioned?
“You’re not nervous about tonight?” he asked, dragging her from her thoughts.
“Yes, I am.”
“You don’t show it.”
“Neither do you.”
One brow rose. “Who said I was nervous?”
“You usually don’t have trouble doing up your tie.”
“Thanks for noticing,” he said wryly.
She finished her task and patted the tie. “There.
That’s better.”
He turned away to look in the mirror. “Perfect.”
Yes.
He was.
She cleared her throat. “So this dinner is important, is it?”
He reached for his jacket. “Yes and no. Alex has already made the deals to launch ‘Valente’s Woman’ in France and Germany. I just need to keep relations agreeable between us until the launch.”
Sasha realized that this must be all quite new to Nick. Previously Cesare and Isabel would have hosted any clients, and then Alex and Olivia, but this time it fell to him. No doubt he would be an accomplished host as a playboy bachelor, but this was the first time he’d be hosting a dinner in his own home as a married man.
She felt bad now for refusing before. “You’ll do fine,” she said, prompting an arrogant smile from him.
“I know.”
And he did.
Extra fine, Sasha thought sourly an hour later as she watched Claudine, the beautiful wife of the French businessman, flirt with Nick from the moment she set foot in the house.
In the meantime the German couple just sat back and smiled, along with Jacque, who didn’t appear concerned by his wife’s behavior.
It concerned Sasha, especially when Nick looked thoroughly smitten by the gorgeous brunette leaning close to him and talking French in a low, husky voice.
“Ooh, Nicolah, you are teasing me,” she said in her accented English, laughing sexily as she squirmed in her seat.
“No, really,” he teased. “If you’re going to the fashion show tomorrow make sure they don’t mistake you for one of their models.”
Claudine preened. “Perhaps I will need you to come with me and protect me.” She looked at Sasha. “Would you mind if I borrowed your husband tomorrow, Sasha?”
Her blatant approach took Sasha’s breath away. And Nick, the rat, was sitting there smiling and thoroughly enjoying himself and probably expected she would say yes.
She’d be damned if she’d be humiliated like this.
“I’m sorry, Claudine, but I need him tomorrow,” she said sweetly, smiling at Nick like her very existence depended on him.
“Ooh,” Claudine pouted at Nick. “Another time perhaps, Nicolah?”
“It’s a date.”
Sasha could feel the humiliation rise up in her throat but she refused to look at the others at the table. A date with a married woman? Wasn’t he forgetting something? Like he was now a married man himself? This was going beyond being more than a good host.
Or perhaps he just didn’t care. Perhaps he was too focused on making a conquest to worry about what this meeting was all about. Worse, perhaps this was how he did business as a playboy.
A reputation well earned?
Thankfully the German woman, Freda, asked Sasha about her plans to redecorate and the conversation turned to interior design. She was busy answering questions when she heard Claudine ask Nick if he could show her where she could freshen up.
“That’s okay, Claudine,” she said instantly. “I can show you.”
“Oh but … you are talking to Freda.”
“No, that’s fine. I want to freshen up, too.”
The woman pouted again, but Sasha ignored it, just as she ignored Nick as she passed him on her way out the door. If he dared to chastise her later, then he was in for a rude shock.
“Your name is French?” Claudine asked as they walked down the hallway. It was the first personal thing she’d said to her all night.
“No. It’s spelled S-A-S-H-A, not S-A-C-H-A.”
“You are not French then?”
“No.”
Claudine gave a grunt, evidently not impressed by a non-French person using a French-sounding name.
Then the woman sent her a sideways glance. “Nicolah is so handsome.”
Aah, now they were getting to the main thing.
Sasha just smiled. “Very.”
And he’s mine, she wanted to say.
“Jacques does not like the fashion shows.” She sighed deeply. “It’s a pity Nicolah cannot come with me. I’m sure he would like that.”
Sasha opened the bathroom door. “Family always comes first with Nick.”
And as she shut the door behind the woman, Sasha realized that was the truth. His family did always come first.
Just not his wife.
Nick was glad to see the back of their guests. Now all he wanted to do was go to bed—with Sasha.
“That went well,” he said, coming into the bedroom after he’d turned off most of the downstairs lights. Sasha was sitting in front of the dressing table, taking off her jewelry. She looked so right, so very feminine, and for the first time he felt thoroughly married.
It wasn’t a bad feeling.
“For some,” she said coolly.
Her unfriendly tone dragged him from his pleasant thoughts. “What do you mean?”
She spun around on the stool, and suddenly sparks were flying from her green eyes. “I’m sorry if I spoiled your plans for tomorrow, Nick, but I didn’t think it right you go out on a date with another woman when you’re already married to me.”
He stared in amazement, then snorted. “You didn’t think that was for real, did you? Claudine was just flirting.”
And mild flirting at best. He’d known women who came on a lot stronger than that.
“Is that why she was practically begging me to let you go to the fashion show with her?”
“When?”
“When I escorted her to the bathroom.”
He shrugged. “She’s French. She does things over the top.”
“Not with my husband she doesn’t.”
A crazy thought blew him away. “You’re jealous!”
Her slim shoulders tensed. “Don’t be ridiculous. You promised to be faithful, and I expect you to keep that promise, that’s all.”
Okay, so she wasn’t jealous.
And now he was getting annoyed. His word was good enough for the rest of the world. It should be good enough for his wife.
“Look, I told you I take my marriage vows seriously, and I do. There’s no way I’ll be unfaithful to you.”
“I’m trying to believe that.”
He considered her tight mouth. “You’ve really got a thing about this, haven’t you?”
She hesitated, then, “Yes, I do. I’ve spent a lifetime watching my father having affair after affair and my poor mother putting up with it. Not me. I won’t put up with it. I won’t allow myself to be humiliated in such a way.”
The words were heartfelt, and something kicked inside him. “So you know about your father’s affairs?”
“Doesn’t everyone?” she said with a catch in her voice.
“Does your mother know?”
“We’ve never mentioned it, but I’m sure she does.” She straightened her shoulders. “And I won’t ever let myself be put in that position.”
“I’m not asking you to.”
Her expression clouded. “It’s all about respect, isn’t it?” she said, as if talking to herself. “Respect for another person.”