The Ultimate Playboy(11)

                Focus!

                She glanced down at the watch. The timepiece was truly exquisite, a brand she’d heard of and knew was worth a fortune.

                Unable to stop herself, she skated her fingers over it, her pulse thundering all over again when she remembered how he’d looked at her before slipping the watch on her wrist. She shifted as heat dragged through her and arrowed straight between her legs.

                No!

                She wasn’t a slave to her emotions like her parents. And she wasn’t the gullible fool Simon had accused her of being.

                She had a goal and a purpose. One she intended to stick to.

                Exactly half an hour later, she approached, willing her gaze not to trace those magnificent shoulders. Up close they were even broader, more imposing. When he shifted in his seat, they moved with a mesmerising fluidity that made her want to stop and gawp.

                Keeping her gaze fixed on the red velvet table, she quickly deposited his drink on the designated coaster and picked up his almost-empty one. He flicked a glance at her.

                ‘Grazie.’

                The sound of her mother tongue on his lips flipped her stomach with unwanted excitement. She told herself it was because she was one step further to confirming his identity but Ruby suspected it was the sheer sexiness of his voice that was the bigger factor here.

                ‘Prego,’ she responded automatically before she could stop herself. She bit her lip and watched him follow the movement. A deeply predatory gleam entered his eyes.

                ‘I want the next one in fifteen minutes.’ His gaze returned to his opponent, who looked a little paler since the last round of drinks. ‘I have a feeling I’ll be done by then. Unless you want to quit while you’re behind?’ he asked, sensual lips parted in a frightening imitation of a smile.

                The older man let out a pithy response that Ruby didn’t quite catch. Two players quickly folded their cards and left.

                The two men eyeballed each other, pure hatred blazing as they psychologically circled one another.

                Narciso laid down his cards in a slow, unhurried flourish. His opponent followed suit with a move that was eerily similar and made Ruby frown. The connection between the two men was unmistakable but she couldn’t quite pin down why.

                When the older man laughed, Ruby glanced down at his cards. She didn’t know the rules of poker, but even she guessed his cards were significant.

                She held her breath. Not with so much as a twitch did Narciso indicate he’d just lost millions of dollars.

                ‘Give it up, old man.’

                ‘Mai!’ Never.

                * * *

                Ten minutes later, Narciso calmly laid down another set of cards that won him the next game. Hearing Giacomo’s grunt of disbelief was extremely satisfactory. But it was the indrawn breath of surprise from the woman next to him that drew his attention.

                He didn’t let himself glance at her yet. She’d proven a seriously delicious distraction already. He had plans for her but those plans would have to wait a while longer.

                For now, he revelled in Giacomo’s defeat and watched a trickle of sweat drip down his temple.

                They were barely an hour in and he’d already divested him of several million dollars. As usual, Giacomo had been lured in by the promise of trouncing his son, enabling Narciso to lay the bait he knew wouldn’t be resisted.