The CEO Takes a Wife(26)

Everything, actually.

They’d nearly driven her mad with their confidences. If she had to choose, she’d prefer a man who didn’t need to share too many of his feelings. There was a time and a place for talking but she definitely liked the strong, silent type.

Alex was one of those.

Something softened inside her. “Alex, do you think our dinner will spoil if we leave it for a while?”

He scowled. “I shouldn’t think so. Why?”

She got to her feet and held out her hand. “I want to make love to you, Alex,” she said huskily. “Do you mind?”

He looked shocked but recovered quickly. “I’d be a fool if I did.” He got to his feet and put his hand in hers. “And I’m no fool.”





Seven




A t the end of the week they returned to Sydney and moved straight into Alex’s luxurious apartment at Woolloomooloo, with its spectacular city, park and harbor views and just a short stroll from the center of the city itself.

Now that Alex was back at work and she had a lot of time to herself, Olivia banked the other check that he’d given her the night of their wedding.

Her mother had excitedly returned to the States on the Valentes’ private jet, having been called back for a second audition in the movie she’d been coveting. Olivia prayed her mother would win the part.

As for herself, she was excited about the designs she’d created while at Villa Valente, and during the following week she settled into working on them at her Sydney boutique while helping Lianne arrange a fashion show soon to be held in Melbourne.#p#分页标题#e#

And then, one evening the following week, Alex said during dinner, “We’ll be going to the States on Friday.”

Olivia’s fork of salmon stopped in midair. “We’re going in two days?”

He nodded. “The launch is set for the twentieth, but they need us there a couple of days earlier for some other publicity.”

She took a deep breath and placed her fork back down on her plate. “You didn’t tell me it was going to be so soon.”

“You didn’t ask.”

“But that’s the day of my fashion show in Melbourne. Lianne arranged it months ago. I have to be there.”

His eyes hardened. “No. You have to be at the perfume launch with me. Let Lianne handle the fashion show by herself. She has staff to help her.”

She didn’t like the way he was dismissing her commitments. “It’s my name on the collection and it’s my show, Alex. I need to be there. Lianne’s gone to a lot of trouble to get this all up and running.”

“And I’ve gone to a lot of trouble to get the launch up and running,” he said, totally uncompromising.

“But I need all the business I can get.” She’d paid off most of her debts but there were still ongoing ones, not the least her mother if she didn’t get that part in the movie.

“Olivia, you made a deal with me.”

He was right but still, his arrogance was showing again. “So this is what the next year is going to be like, is it? I’m to drop everything to fit in with your plans?”

“Yes.” There was no hesitation.

She shot him a withering look. “I’m not some housewife from the fifties, you know. I have a job outside the home. I have responsibilities to others.”

“No, you have a responsibility to me. It was the reason I married you, remember?” he said with cutting emphasis. “If you renege on the deal then it’s all been for nothing.”

Hearing him say it like that made her feel less than worthless. She had been a commodity, that’s all. After the past two weeks she’d thought their lovemaking had brought them closer together. She’d thought that their getting to know each other a little might have counted.

Obviously it hadn’t.

Her throat tightened. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Good.” His eyes said he expected it all to be sorted to his satisfaction, and no doubt every woman he had ever known had done exactly that. How she wished her hands weren’t tied over this.

When Olivia went to the boutique the next morning and told Lianne of her dilemma, the other woman was as dismayed as she was about the situation, but then she became philosophical about it all. Knowing that her partner was able to handle the upcoming show without her made Olivia feel better.

Amazingly, in late afternoon, Lianne came into Olivia’s office to tell her the venue for the show had been cancelled.

“You don’t think—” Lianne began, then stopped.

“What?”

She shrugged. “No, nothing.”

Olivia had a suspicious gnawing in her stomach. “Do you think Alex arranged this?”