Tempting the New Boss(64)

“You’re not color blind, are you?” she asked in an aside.

“No. Why do you ask?” He finally looked at her, and as ever, those big blue eyes, long black lashes captivated her.

She smiled. “No reason.”

The solicitor came in after a short awkward silence and introduced himself as Nigel Bennett. His client arrived a minute or two after that. Given the preliminary nature of the meeting, she had only skimmed the file, a million years ago by now. She pulled it out of her computer bag to glance at it again. Just as she had thought. Despite that the principal whose company Talbot, Inc. was interested in acquiring looked like a male model for Italian cologne, Lorenzo Mancusa was actually CEO of a struggling fiber optics operation in Venice.

When Camilla introduced herself and shook his hand, he held it a minute too long, his chocolate brown eyes staring steadily at her, his accent fluid and light. “So pleased to meet you, Miss Anderson.”

Unlike Mason’s messy curls and classic bone structure, this man’s perfectly blown-dried brown hair, tanned smooth skin, and manicured nails did nothing to start her pulse racing. She could never be with a man who just might be prettier than she was. Besides, she was with—

She stopped herself. Was she with Mason? Wasn’t she? It was hard to tell. She was positive whatever bargain they had struck was just temporary. It would blow up in their faces soon enough. Then she’d have to make some real decisions.

She glanced sideways to catch Mason glaring at her for some reason. After the silence this morning and then that look, maybe it would blow up even sooner.

Mr. Mancusa wandered over to the sidebar for coffee and Danish alongside blue and white patterned china. Camilla rose to refill her cup, and he leaned toward her, close, and asked in a tone too smooth to be businesslike, “Can I interest you in something?”

His speech was full of italics.

Was she giving off pheromones or something?

She smiled, which was something she was starting to think she did way, way too much, especially in a business context. But when she tried to stop herself, her lips hovered over her teeth like horses at the racetrack, not a very attractive image let alone sensation, and if she was able to refrain from it, she ended up feeling like a bitch. It was easier to go with her natural instincts and smile. “No. No, thanks. I’m getting some coffee here. Would you like coffee, Mason?”

He shook his head.

When they all sat at the table, Nigel summarized the proposed deal structure succinctly as Lorenzo gave her the eye, starting at her lips, smiling of course, then down to her neck and the beginnings of her collarless shirt. And farther down still. She hunched slightly. No, she was not imagining this. She’d been to Italy for business and knew Italian men’s boundaries were even more porous than Mason’s had been on the plane, but she did not need this right now. Especially since Mason caught her eye several times, glaring, as if he somehow blamed her for Mancusa checking her out.

A side of her lip went up, and she rolled her eyes, trying to indicate how ridiculous she thought this in-person stereotype of the Latin lover was behaving, but Mason gave no indication he understood.

At least the meeting itself chugged along just fine. Whereas in the gathering in New York, Mason did not participate or even appear to be listening, in this smaller group, he snapped out questions about production quotas and supply bases with regularity throughout the other side’s presentation, consulting his papers, writing actual notes, not doodles, following the train of thought of the answers and coming back with even more pressing inquiries. He clearly knew his own business, but whether Lorenzo could say the same was iffy.

After a series of particularly grueling back and forths, Mason said, “I need a few minutes to consult with my counsel.”

Lorenzo and Nigel stood up. Lorenzo wiped his brow. “Make no mistake, Mr. Talbot,” he said. “You brought this deal to me. I can take it or leave it.”

Camilla glanced at the income statement Mason had handed her earlier in the meeting. “Not with the way your enterprise is leaking cash. You need a company like Talbot behind you to staunch some of that until you can stabilize your supply base.”

Lorenzo clicked his tongue. “Barbs along with such beauty. Makes it more interesting, does it not, Mr. Talbot?”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Mason shot back.

Nigel interceded. “I think we all need some time to cool off so we can approach this in a more constructive manner. Miss Anderson, we’ll give you and your client a few minutes to discuss how you want to proceed.”

“Thank you.”

When the door shut behind them, Camilla said, “Do you want this company? It looks shaky to me. If you end up deciding to enter into a contract, I’d advise it be conditioned on the due diligence to make sure nothing really ugly comes up. I didn’t like Mancuso. He seems slimy.”