The Arrangement .(4)
“Even if we were not compatible in other areas of our marriage, we never had problems satisfying each other in bed.”
Alexa’s pulse quickened at the intimate tone of his voice, the way it dropped several octaves and whispered across her skin like a caress.
“That’s beside the point.”
She swallowed past the lump that formed out of nowhere in her throat.
She didn’t want to admit how correct he was. They had always been great together. She had always found him irresistible, with his strong jaw, smooth, beautiful bronzed skin, and a perfect, muscular male body that could put any Greek god to shame.
“The choice is yours, Alexa. You came here for a reason, to get money for your brother. I’m willing to give you the money.”
She whirled around, drawing a sharp breath at his close proximity. She made an impulsive step back.
“You’ll do it, but for a price. There’re strings attached.”
“Did you think you could come here and charm me into handing over such a large sum of money—for nothing?”
She hadn’t really thought that, but she’d hoped it was a possibility. She wouldn’t admit it, though. It was ludicrous for her to even have considered coming here, much less asking for money. If she hadn’t been so desperate to help her brother, she would have never needed to step foot in Leonardo’s opulent office again. She decided to try one more time to reason with him.
“Are there any other terms you’d consider? We could pay you back, Leo.
It would take time, but—”
“You couldn’t afford the interest,” he interrupted in a brusque tone. His chiseled face became as hard as stone. There was no softness in him at all toward her or her predicament. “Your brother’s a high risk. Besides, that’s not what I want. I told you want I want. Now you need to make a decision.”
Chapter Two
“I know I do.” Alexa clenched her fist. “Why don’t we just call it what it really is? Revenge. Pure and simple. You want to take your revenge on me because I dared walk out on you, and no one walks out on Leonardo da Silva!”
She was talking too much, being reckless. This was not the way to convince Leonardo to help her. Yet she couldn’t stop the rush of words. She and Xander had exhausted every possibility before she came here, and she wished she didn’t have to ask him for anything.
His demeanor changed. Where he was cold before, he was now fuming, hot anger rolling off him in waves, a palpable entity that reached the few feet between them to warn her she was treading on dangerous ground.
His eyes narrowed to slits so thin all she could see was the glitter of his pupils as he looked down at her with ill-concealed anger.
“Don’t flatter yourself into thinking that abandoning our marriage mattered more to me than it did.”
The cutting words were an effective slap in the face, meant to put her in her place and remind her of how little she meant to him. She didn’t need reminding, though. She recalled very well the nights she spent alone in their vast bed while he traveled or worked late. Or the nights he claimed to work late and came home exhausted, never touching her and falling asleep, only to awaken and leave again in the morning before she awoke.
She would never forget how other women clamored for his attention, as if she weren’t in the room. Did he ever turn them away, or stop the behavior? No. Her presence did nothing to stop the women or him from their flirtations, and it hurt. It hurt more than she would like to admit right now.
“Then why ask me back, if I’m so unimportant? If it’s not revenge, then what is it?” Fool that she was, she held her breath with the hope that his answer would contain a modicum of kindness. Of course it didn’t.
“Because you need to be taught a lesson, and I’d like to think of myself as a good teacher. You see, there are consequences for one’s actions, and to expect to walk in here and not have to do anything in return—well, that’s simply ridiculous. I’m a businessman, and I would never agree to that kind of deal.”
“I didn’t expect to not have to do anything. As I told you, you would get your money back. I didn’t think you would just give it to me and it wouldn’t have to be repaid. Let’s discuss the terms, and we can draw up a contract.”
Leonardo shook his head. “How could you possibly afford my terms?
Because of course, I would set the terms, not you.” He tapped a finger on his desk. “Trust me, Alexa, I’m doing you a favor. You’re learning a valuable lesson, and I’m getting a much better return on my investment than if I gave you the option of paying me back.”