It Started With A Proposition: Blackmailed into the Italian's Bed / Contract with Consequences / The Passion Price

God, but she was hopeless where he was concerned.

Thank heavens she’d perfected the art of steely composure to cover any inner nerves.

‘Blackmailers are notorious for never being satisfied,’ she said curtly. ‘If I do as you want, what’s to stop you demanding more after tonight is over?’

‘I give you my word that if you spend tonight with me I will go home to Melbourne in the morning and never bother you again.’

‘Pardon me if I don’t put much store in your word.’

‘What alternative do you have?’

‘I could tell Chad what happened last Friday. He might understand.’

‘I wouldn’t,’ Gino growled.

And neither would Chad, Jordan conceded.

‘It’s not too much to ask, is it?’ Gino went on. ‘One night with me, in exchange for a lifetime as Mrs Chad Stedley.’

‘What’s to stop you causing trouble in my marriage at some future date?’ she asked curtly.

‘Nothing—other than my word. But I presume once you’re married you will move to New York. As much as I’m going to enjoy having you at my beck and call tonight, I doubt I’d travel that far for a repeat performance.’

‘Does your family know that you’re a heartless, conscienceless bastard?’

His face darkened. ‘Leave my family out of this.’

‘Gladly.’

‘So, what’s your answer, Jordan?’ he snapped. ‘Do we have a deal or not?’

Jordan grimaced, then gritted her teeth. Why was it just him who could make her heart race like this? Who could make her forget her pride? Could make her crave the things he did to her?

It infuriated her that she was so weak with him when normally she was a strong person, with a mind of her own. If it was any other man she would tell him to go to hell. There again, if it had been any other man she would not have willingly had sex with him last Friday night.

‘You do realise I will hate you for ever for doing this?’ she grated out under her breath.

‘It’ll be worth it,’ he returned coldly.

What would be worth it? she wondered, and worried.

An image popped into her mind, that of herself standing naked in front of him last Friday night and swearing that he would never see her like that again.

Bold, brave, foolish words. Words which Gino was obviously determined to make her regret.

The waiter taking away their empty entrée plates put paid to any conversation for a short while. The second of their crystal wine glasses was filled. Still white, but a Chardonnay this time, instead of the crisp Chablis which had accompanied the seafood cocktail. Clearly the main course was going to be something light.

‘I should tell you to go to hell,’ Jordan bit out, once the waiters had moved away from them.

‘You should, but you won’t. You’ll do what I want.’

‘Don’t be so sure.’

‘But I am. Because I’m not the only one here who’s heartless and conscienceless. Not to mention ambitious. Oh, yes, let’s not forget ambitious.’

‘You know nothing about the woman I am.’

‘Neither do I want to. I might have once. But I now prefer to keep my knowledge of you to the biblical kind. So is it a deal, Mrs Stedley-to-be? Will you trade total surrender of your body tonight in exchange for my silence?’

‘Total surrender?’ she repeated, aghast and aroused at the same time.

‘Didn’t I mention that?’

‘No,’ she said, shaken by the level of her sexual excitement.

‘I will not ask you to do anything you haven’t done with me before,’ he said.

Jordan suppressed a groan. That didn’t leave much, if anything at all. Her sex-life with Chad had never been as adventurous as it had been with Gino. Not even remotely.

‘You have ten seconds to seal this deal,’ he said, with chilling finality, ‘or I will do what I said I would. Immediately. I have your fiancé’s personal phone number in the menu of my cellphone. A simple visit to the gents will give me the opportunity to call him right now.’

Jordan would have called his bluff if he’d been any other man.

But she knew Gino meant it.

‘In that case,’ she said, her stomach contracting as she tried to imagine the consequences of Gino’s appalling ultimatum. ‘It’s a deal.’

CHAPTER TEN (#ulink_f55fde6a-ca16-59b5-bae5-46912270375b)

WHEN she agreed, it confirmed to Gino what he’d suspected all week: the sweet, sensual, sincere girl he’d once known and loved had turned into a cold-blooded, gold-digging bitch.

She didn’t love Chad Stedley. How could she when she’d gone to bed with him last Friday night?

But she was wearing Stedley’s engagement ring.

Gino had been furious when he found out she was engaged.

No, furious didn’t do his emotions justice; he’d been absolutely livid.

He’d come here tonight without any definite plan in mind. He’d just wanted to look her in the eye and let her know that he knew what kind of woman she was. But the moment he’d set eyes on her, standing there with her back to him, looking sexy in that prim little black dress, desire had consumed every pore in his body. By the time she turned round, he’d hated her for the way she could make him crave her, despite everything.

Blackmailing her into bed had not been on his agenda, however, till she’d added insult to injury by arrogantly pretending she didn’t know him.

That had been the moment when he’d resolved to bring her down a peg or two. To use her own ruthless ambition against her, at the same time satisfying his own rapidly escalating desire.

Even so, he’d still been shocked when she’d agreed to his proposal. Shocked and stirred. Right now, he was so turned on it would have been embarrassing if he hadn’t been sitting at a table.

‘I hope you’re happy now,’ she muttered.