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Authors: Kimberley Reeves
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disappointment, he merely kissed her cheek. Even so, there was a tingling sensation where his lips had briefly touched her skin. It didn’t help that a slew of drunken butterflies had taken to bobbing and weaving in her stomach, making her feel as if she’d just stepped off a carnival ride. It was ridiculous to get so flustered but she couldn’t seem to help herself. She only hoped Raffaele didn’t hear the whoosh of air that was expelled from her lungs when he withdrew the light hold his fingers had on her face and sat back in his seat.
“Where are we?” she asked as the car came to a stop.
“Vittorio Enterprises. The helipad is on the roof.”
The butterflies kicked into high gear. “ But I…I haven’t called my sisters yet. Or my parents. And I really don’t think I can take off work on such short notice…”
“You can make your calls from my office while I check with the pilot to make sure the chopper is fueled and ready to go. And I’m sure your sisters can manage the business for a few days without you.”
Jenesa’s spine went rigid. “How did you know I run a business with my sisters?”
“You told me,” he replied without missing a beat. “Don’t you remember?”
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “I remember every word. I never mentioned the company or that I was a co-owner.”
“Of course you did,” he insisted. “The night we met. We did talk for quite some time before we went back to your room and…”
“Yes, yes…I remember now ,” Jenesa interrupted, a furious blush burning her cheeks.
No doubt his brother had recounted everything about his night with Jillian in vivid detail , she thought resentfully. She could almost hear them laughing at poor Jillian’s naiveté; how she’d fallen for his seductive words and hollow promises when there had never been any intention to see her again. How cold these Vittorio men were, how painfully destructive. And Raffaele was the worst of the lot. Covering up the affair Luca had indulged in was at least understandable, but attempting to seduce the woman he believed had already slept with his brother?
Jenesa looked away from him, ashamed to admit that she had done something equally contemptible by kissing him when she believed he was Luca. The fact that he wasn’t Luca, that he had never even met Jillian, didn’t make her transgressions any more palatable. Whatever she’d hoped to gain by telling Luca what she thought of him was lost now. Raffaele would make sure she never gained access to him, and any allegations she made would be brushed off as gossip or tabloid garbage. Unless Jillian was carrying Luca’s child. That was something neither of them could sweep under the rug.
Of course, i f Jillian was pregnant, he would probably try talking her into aborting it. And when that failed, he would offer to pay her off and do everything in his power to insure his perfect life wasn’t ruffled by her existence. Her baby would never know his father. Given the type of man he was, perhaps it was better that way. No, there wasn’t a thing she could do or say that would instill a shred of decency in Luca, but maybe in going with Raffaele for a few days, she could uncover a chink in his brother’s armor. It wasn’t revenge, Jenesa told herself, but a way to extract a little justice from both of them.
If Raffaele wanted her as much as the ravenous look in his eyes indicated, th en she would give him what he wanted. But it would come at a price. She wasn’t beautiful in the ways her sister’s were; there were too many curves and cushy areas , as Linette called them, for Jenesa to be considered anything except average. She could only assume that Raffaele saw her through the eyes of his brother, who had obviously found Jillian too desirable to resist. It wasn’t important to know why he was attracted to her, but rather how she could use it to her advantage.
In theory, it was a pretty decent plan. In practice, it was riddled with holes. For one
“Where are we?” she asked as the car came to a stop.
“Vittorio Enterprises. The helipad is on the roof.”
The butterflies kicked into high gear. “ But I…I haven’t called my sisters yet. Or my parents. And I really don’t think I can take off work on such short notice…”
“You can make your calls from my office while I check with the pilot to make sure the chopper is fueled and ready to go. And I’m sure your sisters can manage the business for a few days without you.”
Jenesa’s spine went rigid. “How did you know I run a business with my sisters?”
“You told me,” he replied without missing a beat. “Don’t you remember?”
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “I remember every word. I never mentioned the company or that I was a co-owner.”
“Of course you did,” he insisted. “The night we met. We did talk for quite some time before we went back to your room and…”
“Yes, yes…I remember now ,” Jenesa interrupted, a furious blush burning her cheeks.
No doubt his brother had recounted everything about his night with Jillian in vivid detail , she thought resentfully. She could almost hear them laughing at poor Jillian’s naiveté; how she’d fallen for his seductive words and hollow promises when there had never been any intention to see her again. How cold these Vittorio men were, how painfully destructive. And Raffaele was the worst of the lot. Covering up the affair Luca had indulged in was at least understandable, but attempting to seduce the woman he believed had already slept with his brother?
Jenesa looked away from him, ashamed to admit that she had done something equally contemptible by kissing him when she believed he was Luca. The fact that he wasn’t Luca, that he had never even met Jillian, didn’t make her transgressions any more palatable. Whatever she’d hoped to gain by telling Luca what she thought of him was lost now. Raffaele would make sure she never gained access to him, and any allegations she made would be brushed off as gossip or tabloid garbage. Unless Jillian was carrying Luca’s child. That was something neither of them could sweep under the rug.
Of course, i f Jillian was pregnant, he would probably try talking her into aborting it. And when that failed, he would offer to pay her off and do everything in his power to insure his perfect life wasn’t ruffled by her existence. Her baby would never know his father. Given the type of man he was, perhaps it was better that way. No, there wasn’t a thing she could do or say that would instill a shred of decency in Luca, but maybe in going with Raffaele for a few days, she could uncover a chink in his brother’s armor. It wasn’t revenge, Jenesa told herself, but a way to extract a little justice from both of them.
If Raffaele wanted her as much as the ravenous look in his eyes indicated, th en she would give him what he wanted. But it would come at a price. She wasn’t beautiful in the ways her sister’s were; there were too many curves and cushy areas , as Linette called them, for Jenesa to be considered anything except average. She could only assume that Raffaele saw her through the eyes of his brother, who had obviously found Jillian too desirable to resist. It wasn’t important to know why he was attracted to her, but rather how she could use it to her advantage.
In theory, it was a pretty decent plan. In practice, it was riddled with holes. For one
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