Wedded, Bedded, Betrayed

Gabriele made the introductions.

She shook hands with them both before casting him with another of the baleful glares he was becoming accustomed to.

He waited until Milo and Anna Maria had left them alone before saying, ‘That is not the kind of greeting a man expects from his fiancée when in public.’

‘Get used to it.’

He fixed her with a stare. ‘I do not expect you take pleasure in my company but when we are in the company of others I expect you to treat me with respect and adoration. That will begin immediately.’

‘Adoration?’ she snorted, taking the seat opposite him and crossing her legs.

‘Have you read through the contract? It details it quite clearly.’

She met his eyes.

Colour flooded her cheeks and he knew that she knew what he had seen.

She snapped her gaze away and cleared her throat. ‘As long as you only expect adoration in public. In private you can sing for it.’

‘I wouldn’t expect anything else,’ he replied sardonically. ‘Do you have any questions about the contract?’

‘The sleeping arrangements...’

‘Are non-negotiable,’ he supplied before she could go any further. ‘For as long as our marriage lasts, it will be a traditional marriage, one in which we make a child.’

‘We can use insemination.’ Elena knew she sounded desperate but she didn’t care. How could she sleep with him? He might be a walking pack of gorgeous testosterone but she hated him.

He laughed. For once it sounded genuine. ‘No. We will make a baby in the traditional way. The world will believe our marriage is for real. Given the history between our families, our marriage will generate media scrutiny like nothing you will have ever experienced. Our staff will be besieged and offered money which would tempt even the saintliest person. We sleep together and that’s the end of the matter.’

Elena squeezed her eyes closed and wished herself away from this nightmare she had fallen into.

The contract had been as concise as Gabriele had promised but seeing the terms written so bluntly made her wish there had been some superfluous words to take the edge off.

Divorce proceedings shall be initiated by Party 2, Elena Ricci, only when conception has been achieved and subject to that Party 1, Gabriele Mantegna, shall initiate divorce proceedings without any encumbrances.

There were even long clauses regarding the custody of their mythical child, clauses that, while splitting custody evenly, gave Gabriele all rights with regards to education and ‘moral upbringing’ whatever that meant. He’d included her demands but had also stipulated his stance that her family must not be allowed any contact with their child or else all custody rights would be revoked and he would become sole guardian.

That he would use an innocent child as a pawn in his game of vengeance made her blood fire with fury. What kind of despicable monster would do such a thing?

Yet a different kind of heat suffused her as she imagined sharing a bed with him.

She’d never shared a bed with anyone in her life. To think of sharing one with a man as overtly masculine as Gabriele, of being burrowed under the same sheets...

‘The evidence against my father. I want it destroyed now, not when we divorce.’

He shook his head. ‘If I destroy it now there will be nothing to stop you from backing out of our deal.’

‘Isn’t my word good enough?’

‘You’re a Ricci. Your word is as useful as a chocolate teapot.’

A choked laugh razed her throat and she coughed.

One day she would learn not to laugh at inappropriate moments. Unfortunately it wasn’t something she had any control over and completely involuntary.

Finally daring to look at him, she found his quizzical gaze upon her.

‘You’re amused?’ he asked with an arched eyebrow.

‘I have a warped funny bone.’

A glimmer of light flashed in his eyes but it vanished as quickly as it came.

‘Do you have any other issues with the contract?’ he said.

‘Other than the entire document itself?’

‘Anything specific,’ he clarified drily.

‘I have issues with everything but no, not anything specific.’

‘Excellent. Then let’s get it signed and we can start our new life together.’

* * *

The helicopter took them straight to the airport where Gabriele’s flight crew were waiting for them in his private jet. Before long they were in the air and on their way to New York.

‘Why New York?’ she asked. She’d assumed they would go straight to his home in Italy, what with them both being Italian.

‘Because we can marry in a couple of days there.’

‘That soon?’

‘We’ll get the paperwork sorted on Monday and marry on Tuesday.’

She swallowed.

Everything was moving so quickly it felt as if she’d filled up on rocket fuel.

‘After we’ve married we’ll go to Florence. I’m launching a new car at my headquarters there in a month’s time so I need to be on site.’

‘I thought Mantegna Cars were based in the US?’ Despite herself, her curiosity was piqued. As a child she’d loved it when her father had taken her out for a drive in one of his new Mantegna Cars. They’d always been so glamorous and powerful, ahead of their time in the gadget department. She’d always been proud that so many of those gadgets had come from her father’s factories.

‘Florence is Mantegna Car’s birthplace and it’s always been our European headquarters.’ There was a hardness in his face. ‘My parents loved their time in America but with retirement around the corner, they wanted to go home. As you know, my father died before he could make it back. Being incarcerated solidified the decision for me. Florence is my main home now, and it’s back to being the headquarters of our entire company.’

A gleam came into his eyes, dispelling the hardness. ‘Just think, come the launch, you might have the seed of life growing inside you.’

‘But the nightmare won’t be over, will it?’ She crossed her legs as an unexpected ripple of heat pulsed low in her. ‘A child will tie me to you for the rest of my life.’