force his way into Battista’s life. Not the first time. You yourself admitted he seduced her,“ Jared said
meaningfully.
„Well, forewarned is forearmed! I’m not going to let you seduce me!“
„Don’t be afraid of me….“
„I’m not afraid of you, dammit!“
He appeared to consider that. „No, I don’t think you are. It’s yourself you’re worried about, isn’t it? You’ve got
your life arranged just the way you want it, and you’re afraid of letting me into it. But am I such a risk? You know who I
am. You know a great deal about me. I’m not a passing stranger. We’ve corresponded for three months, and now I’m
here to meet you in person. All I’m asking, for the moment, is that you spend the day with me and have dinner with me
tonight Is that too much? After all we’ve shared for the past three months?“
„You’re trying to coax me into a relationship which I have no interest in pursuing….“ she began resentfully,
knowing she was already responding to his lures.
„Just think, instead of arguing with me on paper, you can have the satisfaction of making all your points in
person,“ he prompted. „Surely you’re not going to admit you can’t handle me. What would Battista say?“
In spite of herself, Alina felt the sudden laughter in her threaten to spill over. Her hazel eyes were lit with it as she
regarded her tormentor.
„You’re not fooling me for a minute, you know. I realize you’re deliberately trying to back me into a corner from
which my pride will allow only one exit. I’m quite familiar with your various techniques of getting me to agree with you.
You’ve used them all in your letters! But they won’t work any better in person than they did through the mail!“
He sighed. „Perhaps. But they’re worth a try. Can you really resist the opportunity of spending the day arguing
with me about Battista and Francesco, though?“
Alina tipped her head to one side, once again, now that he no longer held her, aware of a feeling of being in
command of the situation. And she had the confidence which had come since her disastrous marriage had terminated.
Alina was very accustomed to having things go her way. She could manage herself and her life. „You have a point,“
she drawled.
A slow, mocking grin revealed his own half-buried laughter. But the expression in the gem-green eyes was one of
undeflected determination. „I know,“ he said. Then he flicked a casual glance out the window, satisfied for the moment
with his small victory. „The fog’s clearing. How about a drive up the coast? It’s been awhile since I saw the ocean.“
„Nobody said you had to live in Palm Springs!“
„It suits me. Most of the time.“ He switched on the powerful engine and put the Ferrari in gear.
Something occurred to her. One of the insignificant little things which shouldn’t have mattered to her one way or
the other.
„How do you run your business from Palm Springs? Have you an office there?“
„I have a portion of my home set up as an office. I operate alone, you see. I follow the market activity with a small
business computer, and I have a couple of telephones. It’s all I need.“
„A regular cottage industry,“ she quipped, thinking of the rumors she’d heard of his success in the commodities
and stock markets. Quick, decisive kills and then total disappearance from the scene for a while. Ruthless, hard, and
very, very shrewd.
They wound their way through the now sunny, elegantly Spanish-style town by the sea. Following a few
directions from Alina, Jared guided the car along the streets that ran closest to the water. They passed secluded, exotic
beachfront homes, busy motels catering to tourists, and acres of green parks. Stretching back up into the hills, the
Spanish architecture of the town’s homes gleamed brightly in the morning light.
„How did you wind up in Santa Barbara?“ Jared asked at one point as they drove through the green
meaningfully.
„Well, forewarned is forearmed! I’m not going to let you seduce me!“
„Don’t be afraid of me….“
„I’m not afraid of you, dammit!“
He appeared to consider that. „No, I don’t think you are. It’s yourself you’re worried about, isn’t it? You’ve got
your life arranged just the way you want it, and you’re afraid of letting me into it. But am I such a risk? You know who I
am. You know a great deal about me. I’m not a passing stranger. We’ve corresponded for three months, and now I’m
here to meet you in person. All I’m asking, for the moment, is that you spend the day with me and have dinner with me
tonight Is that too much? After all we’ve shared for the past three months?“
„You’re trying to coax me into a relationship which I have no interest in pursuing….“ she began resentfully,
knowing she was already responding to his lures.
„Just think, instead of arguing with me on paper, you can have the satisfaction of making all your points in
person,“ he prompted. „Surely you’re not going to admit you can’t handle me. What would Battista say?“
In spite of herself, Alina felt the sudden laughter in her threaten to spill over. Her hazel eyes were lit with it as she
regarded her tormentor.
„You’re not fooling me for a minute, you know. I realize you’re deliberately trying to back me into a corner from
which my pride will allow only one exit. I’m quite familiar with your various techniques of getting me to agree with you.
You’ve used them all in your letters! But they won’t work any better in person than they did through the mail!“
He sighed. „Perhaps. But they’re worth a try. Can you really resist the opportunity of spending the day arguing
with me about Battista and Francesco, though?“
Alina tipped her head to one side, once again, now that he no longer held her, aware of a feeling of being in
command of the situation. And she had the confidence which had come since her disastrous marriage had terminated.
Alina was very accustomed to having things go her way. She could manage herself and her life. „You have a point,“
she drawled.
A slow, mocking grin revealed his own half-buried laughter. But the expression in the gem-green eyes was one of
undeflected determination. „I know,“ he said. Then he flicked a casual glance out the window, satisfied for the moment
with his small victory. „The fog’s clearing. How about a drive up the coast? It’s been awhile since I saw the ocean.“
„Nobody said you had to live in Palm Springs!“
„It suits me. Most of the time.“ He switched on the powerful engine and put the Ferrari in gear.
Something occurred to her. One of the insignificant little things which shouldn’t have mattered to her one way or
the other.
„How do you run your business from Palm Springs? Have you an office there?“
„I have a portion of my home set up as an office. I operate alone, you see. I follow the market activity with a small
business computer, and I have a couple of telephones. It’s all I need.“
„A regular cottage industry,“ she quipped, thinking of the rumors she’d heard of his success in the commodities
and stock markets. Quick, decisive kills and then total disappearance from the scene for a while. Ruthless, hard, and
very, very shrewd.
They wound their way through the now sunny, elegantly Spanish-style town by the sea. Following a few
directions from Alina, Jared guided the car along the streets that ran closest to the water. They passed secluded, exotic
beachfront homes, busy motels catering to tourists, and acres of green parks. Stretching back up into the hills, the
Spanish architecture of the town’s homes gleamed brightly in the morning light.
„How did you wind up in Santa Barbara?“ Jared asked at one point as they drove through the green
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