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  Again, the Secretary’s wife gasped. She reached for her wine glass and took a quick gulp. When she went to take another, her husband surreptitiously stayed her hand and sent her a stern disapproving look.

  Her father nodded to the waiter, who stood poised with a bottle of the finest red wine. He took his time to savour his first sip before he answered.

  ‘You are quite mistaken, Mr Pantelides. My mother managed to escape the fate most of her lot failed to and bettered her life long before she bore me. But I inherited her fighting spirit and her determination to do what I can for the bleak place she once called home.’

  Theo’s eyebrow quirked. ‘Right. I may have been misinformed, then,’ he said, although his dry tone suggested otherwise.

  ‘I assure you misinformation is rife when it comes to the ploys of political opponents. And I have been told more than once that only a foolish man believes everything he reads in the papers.’

  Theo slashed a smile that had a definite edge to it across the table. ‘Trust me, I know a thing or two about what lengths newspapers will go to achieve a headline.’

  ‘We seem to have lost Alfonso. Would you care to explain his absence, Inez?’ Pietro’s voice slid through the conversation.

  Anger still rippled off him and Inez was acutely aware that he hadn’t directly addressed Theo Pantelides.

  Before she could speak, the man in question turned to her brother. ‘He was called away suddenly. Emergency business elsewhere. Couldn’t be helped. Since I was there when he took his leave, your sister offered me his seat and I graciously accepted, didn’t you, anjo?’

  She saw Pietro’s eyes visibly widen at the blatant endearment. Just as swiftly, they narrowed and she could almost see the wheels spinning in a different direction as his gaze swung between her and Theo Pantelides.

  No! Never! Her fingers curled into fists and she glared at him until he looked away.

  ‘Well, perhaps Delgado’s loss is our gain, sim?’ her father prompted.

  Again Theo smiled. Again her heart thudded hard at the sheer magnetism of his smile, even though it sorely lacked any humour.

  The man was an enigma. He’d inveigled his way onto the top table, then proceeded to insult his host, just as he’d insulted her.

  Inez had little doubt her father would unleash his anger at the slight later.

  But right now she was more puzzled by the man next to her. What was his game plan? If he was in a position to acquire a controlling share of their company then clearly he was a man of considerable means. But he wasn’t Brazilian. That much she knew. So why was he interested in her father’s political ambitions?

  She realised she was staring when that proud head turned and gold-flecked hazel eyes captured hers, one eyebrow quirked in amusement.

  Hastily averting her gaze, she picked up her glass and took another sip.

  Thankfully, the master of ceremonies chose that moment to climb onto the podium to announce the first course and the first speaker.

  Inez barely tasted the salmon mousse and the wine that accompanied it. Nor did she absorb the speech given by the health minister about what was being done to help the poor.

  Her hyperawareness of the man beside her interfered with her ability to think straight. The last time she’d felt anything remotely like this, she’d wandered down a path she’d hated herself for ever since. She’d almost given herself to a man who had no use for her besides using her as a pawn.

  Never again!

  Six more weeks. She needed to focus on that. Once her father was on his campaign trail, she could start her new life.

  She’d heard the rumours about her father’s ruthless beginnings when she was growing up; a couple of her school friends had whispered about unsavoury dealings her father had been involved in. Inez had never found concrete proof. The one time she’d asked her mother, she’d been quickly admonished not to believe lies about her family.

  At the time, she’d assured herself that they weren’t true. But the passage of time had whittled away that assurance. Now, with each day that passed, she suspected differently.

  ‘You look as if the world is coming to an end, anjo,’ the man she was desperately trying to ignore murmured. Again the endearment rolled off his tongue in a deep, seductive murmur that sent shivery awareness cascading over her skin.

  ‘I hope you’re not going to ask me to smile again, because—’ She gasped as he took her hand and lifted it to his mouth.

  Firm, warm lips brushed her skin and Inez’s stomach dipped in sensual free fall that took her breath away. Desperately, she tried to snatch her hand back.

  ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?’ she snapped.

  ‘Helping you. Relax. If you continue to look at me like you want to claw my eyes out, this won’t work.’

  ‘What exactly is this? And why on earth should I play along?’

  ‘Your brother and father are still wondering why Delgado left so abruptly. Do you want to suffer the third degree later or will you let me help you make it all go away?’

  She eyed him suspiciously. The notion that there was something going on behind that smooth, charismatic façade didn’t dissipate. In fact, it escalated as he stared down at her, his features enigmatic save for that smile that lingered on his wide, sexy mouth.

  ‘Why do you want to help me?’ Again she tried to take back her hand but he held on, one thumb smoothing over her inner wrist. Blood surged through her veins at his touch, her pulse racing at the spot that he so expertly explored.

  ‘Because I’m hoping it would persuade you to have lunch with me tomorrow,’ he replied.

  His gaze flicked across the table. Although his expression didn’t change, she again sensed the tension that hovered on the edge of his civility. This man didn’t like her family. Which begged the question: what was he doing here investing in their company?

  He swung that intense stare back to her and she lost her train of thought. Grabbing it back, she shook her head.

  ‘I’ll have to refuse the lunch offer, I’m afraid. I have other plans.’

  ‘Dinner, then?’

  ‘I have plans then, too. Besides, don’t you have business with my father tomorrow?’

  ‘Our business won’t take longer than me signing on a dotted line.’

  ‘A dotted line that gives you a permanent controlling share in my family’s company?’

  His eyes gleamed. ‘Not permanent. Only until I have what I want.’

  CHAPTER THREE

  ‘AND WHAT IS IT you want?’

  ‘For now? Lunch. Tomorrow. With you.’ Another pass of his thumb over her pulse.

  Another roll of sensation deep in her belly. The temptation to say yes suddenly overcame her, despite the warning bells shrieking at the back of her mind.

  She forced herself to heed those warning bells. Her painfully short foray into a relationship had taught her that good looks and charm often hid an agenda that would most likely not benefit her or her heart. And Theo Pantelides had metaphorical skull and crossbones stamped all over him.

  ‘The answer is still no,’ she replied, a lot sharper than she’d intended.

  His lips compressed but he shrugged. As if her answer hadn’t fazed him.

  And it probably hadn’t. He was one of those men who drew women like bees to pollen. He could probably secure a lunch date with half of the women in this room and tempt the other married half into sin should he choose to.

  With his dark, exquisite looks and deep sexy voice, he could have any woman he chose to display even the mildest interest in.

  The thought that he would do just such a thing punched so fierce a reaction in her belly that she suppressed a shocked gasp.

  What on earth is wrong with me? She needed to get herself back under control before she did something foolish—like discard her plans for tomorrow in favour of spending more time with this infuriatingly self-assured, visually stunning man.

  Giving herself a fierce pep talk, she pulled her hand from his gras
p.

  She folded her hand in her lap and wrapped her other hand over her wrist. But suddenly her own touch felt…inadequate.

  She was saved from exploring the peculiar feeling when the lights dimmed and the projector started reeling pictures of miles and miles of rusted shingle roofs that formed the world famous Rio favelas.

  Her father climbed onto the podium to begin his speech.

  The tale of despair-driven prostitution, violence, gang warfare and kidnapping of innocents, and the need to do whatever was needed to help was one she’d heard at many fund-raisers and charity dinners.

  She clenched her fist. Knowing that half the people in here, dripping in diamonds and tuxedos worth several thousand dollars, would’ve forgotten the plight of the favela residents by the time dessert was served made her silently scream in frustration.

  The need to get up, to walk out almost overwhelmed her but she stayed put.

  There would be no running. No walking away from the work she’d committed herself to, nor walking away from the formative minds that were depending on her.

  Fierce pride tightened her chest at the part she was playing in the young lives under her charge. And the fact that she’d managed to change that part of her own life without her father or brother’s interference.

  She refocused as her father finished his speech to rousing applause. The projector was shut off and the lights grew brighter.

  She reached forward for her glass of wine and noticed that she was once again the focus of Theo’s gaze.

  ‘Should I be offended that I’m being so comprehensively ignored?’ he asked.

  ‘It’s not a state you’re used to, I expect?’ With her surroundings once more in focus, she noticed the looks he was getting from women on other tables. She didn’t delude herself that any of them were interested in his views on politics or world peace. No, each and every one of them would vie for much more personal, much more physical contact with the lean, broad-shouldered man next to her, whose hands casually caressed his wine glass stem in a way that made her think indecent thoughts.

  She noticed the young famous actress on the next table where Theo should have been sitting gazing over at him, and again felt the sharp edge of an unknown emotion pierce her insides.

  His smile grew hard. ‘You’d be surprised.’

  Curiosity brought her gaze back to his. ‘Would I? How?’

  ‘That question makes me think you’ve formed an opinion of me.’

  ‘And that answer convinces me that you’re very good at deflecting. You may fool others, but you do not fool me.’

  He stared at her for a moment before one corner of his mouth lifted. Abruptly, he stood and held out his hand. ‘Dance with me, anjo, and enlighten me further as to what you think you know about me.’

  The demand was silky and yet implacable. In full view of the other guests, her refusal would be extremely discourteous.

  Her heart hammered as she slowly slid her hand into his and let him draw her to her feet.

  Emotions she was trying and failing to suppress flared up at the warmth and firmness of his grip. Fervently, she prayed for time to speed up, for the evening to end so she could be free of this man. Her reaction to him was puzzling in the extreme and the notion that she was being toyed with unsettled her more with each passing second.

  As they skirted the table to head for the dance floor, her gaze met her father’s. Expecting approval for accommodating the man whose business he was so obviously keen to garner, she was taken aback when she saw his icy disapproval.

  Through the elite Rio grapevine she knew Alfonso Delgado’s net worth and knew he couldn’t afford to acquire a controlling share of Da Costa Holdings. So why did her father disapprove of a man who was clearly superior in monetary worth to Alfonso?

  ‘You really have to do better with your social skills than this. Or I’ll have to do something drastic to retain your attention.’ The hard bite to Theo’s voice slashed through her thoughts. ‘Or were you really that into Delgado?’

  ‘No, I wasn’t.’

  Her immediate denial seemed to pacify him. ‘Then tell me what’s on your mind.’

  Inez found herself speaking before she could snap at him not to issue orders. ‘Have you ever found yourself in a position where everything you do turns out wrong, no matter how hard you try?’

  ‘There have been a few instances.’ He pulled her close and slid an arm around her back. Heat transmitted to her skin via the soft material of her dress and flooded through her body. This close, his scent washed over her. Strong but not overpowering, masculine and heady in a way that made her want to draw even closer, touch her mouth to the bronze skin just above his collar.

  Deus!

  ‘You think this is one of those occasions for you?’

  ‘I don’t think; I know.’

  ‘Why?’

  Her laugh grated its way up her throat. ‘Because I have a perfectly functioning brain.’

  ‘You’re worried because your father and brother are displeased with you?’

  ‘Everything else this evening has gone according to plan except…’

  ‘Delgado. You’re worried that your father offered you up on a silver platter because he seems to think you’re a prize worth winning and now he’ll demand to know what you did wrong.’

  Her eyes snapped to his, the insult surprisingly painful. ‘What do you mean by seems to think? What do you know about my father? Or about me, for that matter?’

  Theo forced himself not to tense at the question. Or let the fact that her body seemed to fit so perfectly in his arms impact on his thinking abilities. ‘Enough.’

  ‘Do you always go around making unfounded remarks about someone you’ve just met?’

  He let a small smile play over his mouth. ‘Enlighten me, then. Are you a prize worth winning?’

  ‘There’s no point enlightening you because it will serve no useful purpose. After tonight you and I will never meet again.’

  She took a firm step back. Attempted to prise herself out of his arms. He held her easily, willing back the thrum of anger and bitterness that rose like bile in his throat.

  ‘Never say never, anjo.’

  Her fiery brown eyes glared at him. ‘Don’t.’

  He feigned innocence. ‘Don’t what?’

  ‘Don’t keep calling me that.’

  ‘You don’t like it?’

  ‘You have no right to slap a pet name on someone you just met.’

  The hand holding hers tightened. ‘Calm down—’

  ‘No, I won’t calm down. I’m not an angel. I’m certainly not your angel.’

  ‘Inez.’ A warning, subtle but effective.

  Inez’s pulse stalled, then thundered wildly through her veins.

  ‘Don’t,’ she whispered again. Only this time she wasn’t sure what she pleaded for.

  He leaned closer until his mouth was an inch from her ear. When he breathed out, warmth teased her earlobe. ‘Don’t use your given name? It’s either that or anjo. All the other words are only appropriate for the bedroom.’

  Heat flamed through her belly as indecent thoughts of rumpled sheets, sweaty bodies and incandescent pleasure reeled through her mind.

  She shook her head to dispel the images and heard his low laugh.

  When she stared up at him, his eyes blazed down at her with a hunger that smashed through her body. Her nipples slowly hardened and the fire raged higher as his lips parted on another heart-stopping smile. Unable to help herself, her eyes dropped to the sensual curve of his mouth.

  ‘I think it’s my turn to say don’t. Not if you don’t want to be thrown over my shoulder and raced to the nearest cave.’

  She forced a laugh despite the sensations rushing through her. ‘This is the twenty-first century, senhor.’

  ‘But what I’m feeling right now isn’t. It’s very basic. Primeval, in fact.’

  He swerved her out of the path of another couple and used the move to draw her even closer. At the fierce eviden
ce of his arousal against her stomach, Inez swallowed hard.

  Her confusion escalated.

  Constantine had been charismatic and breathtaking in his own right. But he’d never made her feel like this, not even in the beginning…before everything had gone disastrously wrong.

  Thinking of the man who’d broken her heart and betrayed her so cruelly threw much needed ice over her heated senses. She’d made a fool of herself over one man. Foolishly believed he was the answer to her prayers. She was wise enough now to know Theo Pantelides wasn’t the answer to any prayer, unless it was the crash and burn type.

  ‘I believe I’ve fulfilled my obligatory dance duty to you. Perhaps you’d like to find a more unwitting female to club over the head and drag to your cave?’ She injected as much indifference into her voice as possible.

  ‘That won’t be necessary. I’ve already found what I’m looking for.’

  * * *

  Theo watched several emotions chase over her features before Inez da Costa regained her impeccable hostess persona.

  Although he silently cursed himself for his physical reaction, he was thankful she realised her effect on him.

  Let her think she held the power. Allow her to believe that he could be manipulated to her advantage. Or, rather, her father’s advantage.

  Her reaction to Delgado’s departure had shown him that fulfilling her role as her father’s Venus flytrap was most important to Inez da Costa. Or was it something else? Did she hope to bag herself a millionaire while serving her father’s purpose? She came from a family ruthless in its pursuit of wealth and power. Was that her underlying agenda?

  That knowledge demanded that he rethink his strategy. The conclusion he’d arrived at was surprising but easily adaptable.

  He had an opportunity to kill a few more birds with one stone. With any luck, he would conclude his business in Rio in a far shorter time than he’d already anticipated if he played his cards right.

  Inez tried to wrench herself from his grasp once more. The primitive feelings he’d mentioned so casually a moment ago resurfaced. When she tugged harder, he forced himself to release her. Her soft hand slid from his, leaving a trail of sensation that made his groin pound and his blood heat.