'Then frame them and mount them on a wall. But you most definitely will not be wearing them out again.'
That wild streak widened. 'I thought you would be man enough to handle a little … challenge. Are you saying you're not?'
His eyes narrowed. 'Don't bait a hungry lion, querida, unless you're prepared to be devoured,' he grated out.
'Did you tell your last girlfriend how she should dress too?' she challenged.
His mouth compressed. 'My last girlfriend was under the misconception that the more frequently she walked around naked the more interested I would be in her. She lasted ten days.'
Inez's curiosity spiked, along with an emotion she was very loath to name. 'How long did your longest relationship last?'
'Three weeks.'
Her breath caught. 'So why three months with me?' she asked.
He looked startled for a moment then he shrugged. 'Because you're not my girlfriend. You're so very much more.'
Inez was struck dumb by his reply. A small foolish part of her even felt giddy, until she reminded herself that she was intended to be nothing but his mistress. Again unfathomable emotions wrapped themselves around her heart. She cleared her throat and fought to keep her voice even. 'Why misconception?'
'Very few women manage to catch and keep my interest for very long, anjo.'
'Because you get bored easily?' she dared.
His lashes swept down for a few seconds before they rose again to capture hers. 'Because my demons always win when pitted against the rigours of normal relationships.'
'Demons?'
'Sim, anjo. Demons. I have a lot of them. And they're very possessive.' A wave of anguish rolled over his face, then it was gone the next instant. He nodded to the hovering sommelier and ordered their wine. Another pulse of surprise went through her when she noticed it was the same wine she'd served at the fund-raiser and her favourite.
'The burning is now off the table. Hell, you can even keep the damn shorts. But, for the sake of my sanity, can we agree that you don't wear them outside?' he asked with one quirked eyebrow.
She pretended to consider it. 'What is your sanity worth to me?'
'You think you're in a position to bargain with me, Inez?' he asked, his voice deceptively soft.
'I never pass up an opportunity to bargain.'
He regarded her silently for several minutes. Then he shrugged. 'As long as I achieve my goals in the end, I see no reason why the road to success shouldn't be littered with minor obstacles. Tell me what you desire.'
'Is that what I am, a minor obstacle?'
'Don't miss your opportunity with meaningless questions.'
The need for clarity finally forced her to speak. 'I wish to know exactly what you want of me.'
'Sorry, I cannot answer that.'
She frowned. 'Why not?'
'Because my needs are … fluid.' The peculiar smile accompanying his answer sent a tingle of alarm down her spine.
'So I am to live in uncertainty for the next three months?'
'The unknown can be challenging. It can also be exciting.'
'Is that why you came to Rio? To seek challenge and excitement?'
For several seconds he stared at her. Then he slowly shook his head. 'No, my reason for being in Rio is specific and a well-planned event.'
Inez shivered at the succinct response. 'I can't help but be frightened by your answer.'
Her candid admission seemed to surprise him. 'Why is that?'
'Because I have a feeling it has something to do with my family. Pietro has his flaws but he's never done anything without my father's express approval. Besides, you're much older than him, which makes it unlikely that he's the one you came here for. You're here because of my father, aren't you?'
* * *
It took an astonishing amount of control not to react to her simple but accurate summation of the single subject that had consumed him for over a decade.
Thinking back, he realised he'd given her several clues to enable her to reach this conclusion. Somehow, in the mere forty-eight hours that he'd known her, Inez had managed to slip under his guard and was threatening to uncover his true purpose for being in Rio.
He also realised that he'd given her much more leeway than he'd ever intended to when he'd formulated his plan. Inviting her to compromise? Inviting her to state her desires with the knowledge that he was seriously considering granting them?
After his hasty departure this morning he'd realised that he'd let those marks on her arms sway him into going easy on her. Because he hadn't wanted her to think he was a monster like her father?
The man who hadn't so much as asked after his daughter when Theo had attended his office to sign the agreement papers?
The man whose eyes had shone with greed and triumph even before the ink had dried on the documents?
No, he was nothing like Benedicto da Costa. He wasn't about to lose any already precious sleep wondering about that little statement.
What he had to be careful of was that his enemy's daughter didn't guess his intentions. He was so very close to having Benedicto right where he wanted him. He couldn't afford to be swayed by a heart-shaped face or the most sinfully sexy pair of shorts he'd ever seen in his life, no matter how acute the ache in his groin.
'Will you please tell me why you're after my father?' she implored softly. The concern on her face appeared genuine and he suddenly realised that, despite Benedicto's treatment of her, Inez cared for her father.
His nostrils flared as bitterness rocked through him. He'd once been in that same position, foolishly believing that the father he'd idolised and loved beyond reason cared just as deeply for him. That he wasn't the fraudster and philanderer the press were making him out to be.
Now, he wanted to rip the blindfold from her eyes, make her see the true monster in the man she called Pai. Make her see that her love was nothing but a manipulative tool that would be used against her eventually.
Except he had a strong feeling she already knew, and chose to overlook it. Which made his blood boil even more.
'Why, do you plan to sacrifice yourself to save him?' he taunted.
She gasped, dropping the sterling silver fork she'd been nervously toying with. 'So, it is my father!'
He cursed under his breath. 'If you so much as breathe a word in his direction about your suspicions, I'll make sure you regret it for the rest of your life.'
She paled. 'You really expect me to sit back and watch you destroy him?'
'I expect you to hold up your end of the bargain we struck. Live under my roof in exchange for me leaving the loophole in the contract alone. Are you prepared to do that or do I need to plot another plan of action?' he asked, not bothering to hide the threat in his voice.
She stared back at him apprehensively. Her chin rose and her brown eyes burned holes in him but she nodded. 'I'll stick to our agreement.'
When their wine was served, he watched her take a big gulp and curbed the desire to follow suit. He was driving and needed to restrict his drinking. Nevertheless, a sip of the Chilean red went a way to restoring a little order to his floundering thoughts.
Thee mou, he hadn't even fired the first salvo and things were getting out of hand. Why on earth had he shared the presence of his demons with her? And that comment about her being so much more than a girlfriend? He silently shook his head and sucked in a control-affirming breath.
Their dinner progressed in near silence. Theo reminded himself that his main reason for bringing her out hadn't been for conversation. When she refused dessert, he settled the bill quickly and rose to help her out of her seat.
Fire shot through his groin, hard and fierce, as he was once again confronted with the risqué shorts. While they'd been seated, he'd managed to tamp down the effect of those shorts on his raging libido.
Now, as she walked in front of him, he was treated to a mouth-watering sight of her deliciously rounded bottom and stunning legs. With each sway of her hips, he grew harder until he wondered if he had any blood left in his upper extremities that hadn't migrated south.
He was reconsidering his decision not to burn the shorts at the earliest opportunity when he caught a male diner staring in blatant appreciation at her legs.
His growl was low but unmistakable. The man hastily averted his gaze but Theo was still simmering in primitive emotions when they reached the car park.