Read Online Reckless Night in Rio by Jennie Lucas - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jennie Lucas
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clap of her hands she scattered them.
‘Tchau,’ Gabriel said to Laura, kissing her on both cheeks before he turned away.
He was abandoning her to face the sharks alone? Laura gasped, ‘You can’t leave!’
‘Missing me already?’
‘Hardly!’ she retorted witheringly, even as she looked around her nervously.
‘You’re in good hands,’ Gabriel said. ‘Carlos will bring you to Oliveira’s mansion. I have business to attend to, unfortunately. But I’ll be waiting for you at the party.’
‘But what if…what if you’re disappointed? What if my makeover is a failure? What if—’
Gabriel leaned forward to whisper in her ear, ‘Have fun.’
Fun? Laura glared at him, her heart in her throat. What kind of fun would it be to look like a fool, to be nearly naked in front of Rio’s notoriously body-conscious crowd, to be compared to Adriana da Costa in a bikini? She shook her head desperately and said for about the millionth time, ‘This isn’t going to work!’
He gave her an annoyingly confident smile. ‘You’re going to love this.’
‘You will not be disappointed, Mr. Santos,’ the older woman said, gently pulling Laura back into her clutches. Laura was suddenly aware that there were twenty salesgirls hovering around her, while all the other customers were being chased out of this expensive, exclusive store.
The two-story luxury boutique had just closed—for her.
‘No,’ she whispered, feeling scared that she would let Gabriel down. ‘You’re wrong about me. I’ll never be a beauty.’
‘You are the one who is wrong.’ Gabriel’s eyebrows lowered fiercely as he looked down at her, his dark black eyes glittering. ‘Today, the whole world will see how beautiful you really are.’
CHAPTER SEVEN
O LIVEIRA ’ S party was in full swing when Gabriel arrived.
Security was tight for this event, one of the most coveted private parties of the Carnaval season. Not for tourists or international celebrities, this was for well-connected Cariocas, the richest local tycoons and their glamorous mistresses and wives.
Gabriel was grimly sure he’d gotten this invitation only so that Felipe Oliveira could taunt him in public that he’d decided to sell Açoazul SA to someone else.
And where was Laura? Gabriel cursed softly under his breath. He’d arrived ten minutes late, after an urgent phone call from London. He needed Laura here at once, so he could introduce her to Felipe Oliveira and try to undo the damage that Adriana had spitefully caused.
Oliveira’s mansion was on the most beautiful stretch of the Costa do Sul to the north of Rio. The sprawling house was a white classical confection like a wedding cake, surrounded by multilevel terraces, with a large pool that overlooked a private beach. Oliveira had been a workaholic all his life, but now that he was in his mid-sixties, he’d apparently lost interest in business in favor of possessing—and pleasing—a woman half his age. It was the only reason he’d finally offered to sell the company back to Gabriel after almost twenty years.
Gabriel stood on the upper terrace, looking down toward the pool where he instantly saw Oliveira, wearing baggy shorts and a button-down shirt. The man was deep in conversation with French tycoon Théo St. Raphaël, who was definitely not a local, and whose presence here could be for one reason only.
Gabriel ground his teeth. The Frenchman wore a sleek gray suit. He alone among all the guests was not even pretending to dress for a pool party. Gabriel’s hands tightened on the railing. The aristocratic French bastard excelled at breaking companies up for parts. The two had tangled before, and Gabriel knew St. Raphaël would like nothing more than to steal Açoazul from under his nose. All the assets of his father’s company would be scattered around the world, coldly dissected for St. Raphaël’s profit.
Gabriel narrowed his eyes. He couldn’t let that happen.
But where was Laura?
Scowling, he glanced
‘Tchau,’ Gabriel said to Laura, kissing her on both cheeks before he turned away.
He was abandoning her to face the sharks alone? Laura gasped, ‘You can’t leave!’
‘Missing me already?’
‘Hardly!’ she retorted witheringly, even as she looked around her nervously.
‘You’re in good hands,’ Gabriel said. ‘Carlos will bring you to Oliveira’s mansion. I have business to attend to, unfortunately. But I’ll be waiting for you at the party.’
‘But what if…what if you’re disappointed? What if my makeover is a failure? What if—’
Gabriel leaned forward to whisper in her ear, ‘Have fun.’
Fun? Laura glared at him, her heart in her throat. What kind of fun would it be to look like a fool, to be nearly naked in front of Rio’s notoriously body-conscious crowd, to be compared to Adriana da Costa in a bikini? She shook her head desperately and said for about the millionth time, ‘This isn’t going to work!’
He gave her an annoyingly confident smile. ‘You’re going to love this.’
‘You will not be disappointed, Mr. Santos,’ the older woman said, gently pulling Laura back into her clutches. Laura was suddenly aware that there were twenty salesgirls hovering around her, while all the other customers were being chased out of this expensive, exclusive store.
The two-story luxury boutique had just closed—for her.
‘No,’ she whispered, feeling scared that she would let Gabriel down. ‘You’re wrong about me. I’ll never be a beauty.’
‘You are the one who is wrong.’ Gabriel’s eyebrows lowered fiercely as he looked down at her, his dark black eyes glittering. ‘Today, the whole world will see how beautiful you really are.’
CHAPTER SEVEN
O LIVEIRA ’ S party was in full swing when Gabriel arrived.
Security was tight for this event, one of the most coveted private parties of the Carnaval season. Not for tourists or international celebrities, this was for well-connected Cariocas, the richest local tycoons and their glamorous mistresses and wives.
Gabriel was grimly sure he’d gotten this invitation only so that Felipe Oliveira could taunt him in public that he’d decided to sell Açoazul SA to someone else.
And where was Laura? Gabriel cursed softly under his breath. He’d arrived ten minutes late, after an urgent phone call from London. He needed Laura here at once, so he could introduce her to Felipe Oliveira and try to undo the damage that Adriana had spitefully caused.
Oliveira’s mansion was on the most beautiful stretch of the Costa do Sul to the north of Rio. The sprawling house was a white classical confection like a wedding cake, surrounded by multilevel terraces, with a large pool that overlooked a private beach. Oliveira had been a workaholic all his life, but now that he was in his mid-sixties, he’d apparently lost interest in business in favor of possessing—and pleasing—a woman half his age. It was the only reason he’d finally offered to sell the company back to Gabriel after almost twenty years.
Gabriel stood on the upper terrace, looking down toward the pool where he instantly saw Oliveira, wearing baggy shorts and a button-down shirt. The man was deep in conversation with French tycoon Théo St. Raphaël, who was definitely not a local, and whose presence here could be for one reason only.
Gabriel ground his teeth. The Frenchman wore a sleek gray suit. He alone among all the guests was not even pretending to dress for a pool party. Gabriel’s hands tightened on the railing. The aristocratic French bastard excelled at breaking companies up for parts. The two had tangled before, and Gabriel knew St. Raphaël would like nothing more than to steal Açoazul from under his nose. All the assets of his father’s company would be scattered around the world, coldly dissected for St. Raphaël’s profit.
Gabriel narrowed his eyes. He couldn’t let that happen.
But where was Laura?
Scowling, he glanced
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