Bound by the Italian's Contract(86)

                God, she never should have feared that for years. That error in judgment had vindicated Mario and sentenced her into shamed silence.

                That was the one thing she wanted to make sure never happened to another woman. Rape and abuse had to be reported or the victims were sentenced to suffer in silence.

                Tomorrow was opening day at Tregore Lodge and she would stay up all night to ensure everything was ready. She desperately needed this premiere to go as smoothly as the one in Italy had. But at Luciano’s lodge, she’d had his support and staff at her beck and call.

                Her opening wasn’t as grand or nearly as organized, despite the fact that his crew had done a remarkable job rebuilding the lodge. The timing was crucial. She had competition, and getting the word out that she was here and ready for both adaptive and standard skiers was vital. She had sent grand opening invitations to all the news stations covering the areas around Colorado Springs, Denver and Loveland, touting the merits of her program and mentioning that a sister facility resided in Italy under the direction of former champion Julian Duchelini.

                She was smart enough to realize that name alone could draw skiers to her facility. Plus, having Julian make a surprise appearance tomorrow would make a massive difference. But what would he think of her announcement?

                She couldn’t fret about that now!

                Tomorrow was enough to worry about. She had to wow the press and potential clients now or she stood a chance of failing. And she had to unburden her soul of the rape.

                Her future as a whole person depended upon her nailing both points.

                * * *

                Luc slipped in the door of Tregore Lodge and took a position along the side of the great hall, pleased by the crowd gathering for Caprice’s grand opening. He looked beyond the attendees to the beauty and integrity of the structure and furnishings and nodded, noting with pleasure the attention paid to detail, right down to the new mantel gracing the massive fireplace.

                The entire lodge was impressively massive. Upbeat. Yet a touch of rustic appeal vibrated through it like a favored song, which was exactly what Caprice had wanted and he’d balked at, confident that a departure from original would look far better.

                He’d been wrong, much to his surprise.

                Now, as he scanned the people gathering for the grand opening, he was confident Tregore Lodge and her program would be a huge success. He threaded his fingers through his hair, fully aware she didn’t need him or any man now.

                But did she at least still want him?

                He’d soon find out.

                Luc slipped from the crowd and made his way to Caprice’s office, wanting to catch her before she met with the press, wanting to see her, hold her, kiss her. He wanted her, and he knew exactly how he was going to win her over this time. Permanently.

                “Mr. Duchelini!” Her secretary popped up from her chair, her frantic gaze flitting from him to the closed office door.

                He pointed to Caprice’s office. “Is she in there?”

                The secretary wrung her hands. “Yes, but I don’t think you should go— Wait! You can’t do that!”

                But he was already through the door and closing it behind him, or trying to with the secretary fast on his heels. He stopped, his hungry gaze arrested by the sight of Caprice digging through the mountain of papers on her desk, looking harried and desirable.