Bound To A Billionaire: Protecting His Defiant Innocent (Bound to a Billionaire) / Claiming His One-Night Baby / Buying His Bride of Convenience. Michelle Smart
still want to visit the hospital site and meet up with the charity, then I suggest you get dressed. We leave in thirty minutes.’
He left her suite without further comment.
Alone, Francesca drew her knees to her chin and hugged her legs. She felt she could start dancing again.
For all her fears that she’d made another monumental mistake, Felipe did desire her and that knowledge took away the sting of his rejection. If he’d flat-out denied it she thought it possible she might be tempted to curl into hedgehog-like ball and hibernate until she could be sure of looking at him without toe-curling shame and embarrassment. That the attraction was mutual made it a whole lot easier to bear even if he was adamant that last night was a one off.
Eventually she straightened and took some long breaths, forcing herself to concentrate on what was important. She was in the Caribbean for a reason and that reason wasn’t for a holiday or for a man.
The woman she was meeting from the Blue Train Agency had promised to discuss the hospital, the needs of the people and how Francesca should navigate her way around the additional bureaucracy she would find.
She needed to be alert and have her professional head on, not be fantasising about what it would take to wear down Felipe’s defences.
* * *
The day passed quickly and much more productively than Francesca could have hoped. Eva Bergen from the Blue Train Agency had been there to meet her at Caballeros’ airport, as she’d promised, escorted by a couple of Felipe’s men, and they’d spent the day visiting the site where they hoped to build the hospital and met some of the officials she’d have to deal with when the site was signed over to Pieta’s foundation on Saturday. After arranging meetings with the other officials for the next day, they headed back to Aguadilla.
When they dropped Seb and James off at their lodging, she stayed in the back of the car to make more calls without the distraction of Felipe’s strong thighs in her eyeline.
Her first call was to Alberto. It went to voicemail.
‘Problem?’ Felipe asked from the driver’s seat when she cursed under her breath, adopting the same grim tone he’d used since he’d left her suite that morning.
Clearly his regret of their relations meant he was now determined to keep his distance as much as the situation allowed. Today he’d left it to Seb to stand at her side as principal protection but had still been close enough to listen in on every conversation, close enough to ward off any perceived threat that might come her way.
Not once had he met her eye.
In a way she was grateful for his distance as it had allowed her to concentrate on what needed doing.
‘I’ve been trying to get hold of Alberto to arrange for the cash to be sent over in time for the Governor’s party,’ she explained. ‘He’ll know what to do about the bribe too without getting the foundation into trouble but he’s not answering his phone.’
Until everything was sorted out with Pieta’s estate and businesses, Alberto controlled the finances for the foundation. When she’d spoken to him at Pieta’s funeral he’d assured her he would sign off the funds when a deal was brokered.
‘It’s already in hand,’ Felipe informed her. ‘My men will transport it. The money arrives in Aguadilla on Saturday.’
‘How do you know that?’
‘I made the arrangements.’
‘What? When?’
‘Yesterday.’
‘But... How...? Why?’ She couldn’t get a coherent question to form.
‘I decided the best way to get you out of the mess you’d got yourself into was to sort it out myself before you dragged yourself in deeper.’
It took a long time for Francesca to find her voice. ‘This has nothing to do with you. You’re here as my protection...’
‘Exactly. A young woman with a suitcase of cash? Four hundred thousand dollars is a fortune to the people of Caballeros. You’ll be a magnet for every thief out there and you’re already a target.’
‘How’s anyone going to know about the money?’ she protested. ‘It’s a private transaction between myself and the Governor.’
‘A private transaction—or bribe—agreed in a residence I warned you was filled with cameras recording every word you said. This is damage limitation. The cash for the site will be paid in full from the foundation but the bribe money will come from a different source. There will be no trail leading it to you or your brother’s foundation.’
‘You’ve done all this? The damage limitation?’
‘Yes. Don’t ask me how. I have no wish to lie to you.’
Francesca clenched her hands into fists and forced herself to breathe. She knew she should be grateful to him for saving her from herself, not wanting to bash him over the head with her handbag.
‘I thank you for thinking of my career.’ She spoke carefully, struggling for breath. ‘But don’t ever go over my head like that again. If anything else occurs, speak to me before acting.’
‘If you’d been thinking clearly in the first place I wouldn’t have had to go over your head.’
‘That was then,’ she contested tightly. ‘What happened to drawing a line under it all? I made one mistake...’
‘My actions prevented you making another.’
‘I made one mistake that I’m doing my best not to repeat and it’s not fair to keep throwing it in my face. Have you never made a mistake? Or were you born perfect?’
He didn’t answer.
They drove the rest of the route back to the hotel in silence and went to their respective suites without a further word.
FRANCESCA CLOSED THE folder sprawled on her lap with a sigh and rubbed her eyes. It was gone midnight. She’d been in her suite since their return to the hotel, having another re-read of the foundation’s files. She wished she’d brought some of the case files she was supposed to be studying for her traineeship with her, could kick herself for not even thinking about it. When she returned home to Pisa she would get her head down and get stuck back into her studies.
In the hours spent reading, she’d ordered room service and drunk nothing stronger than black coffee but even all the caffeine couldn’t stop the heaviness of her eyes. All those Tequila Sunrises from the night before had finally caught up with her. She was exhausted.
She really needed to get some sleep but was terrified of closing her eyes, wondered if there was some magic pill out there that guaranteed a dreamless sleep.
Her thoughts, as always, drifted back to Felipe. As the night had gone on her fury at his high-handed behaviour had slowly evaporated.
She wondered where he was. Had he left his suite that evening or stayed in as she had done? The hotel’s walls were so solid that no sound penetrated.
On impulse she leaned over, picked up the telephone receiver from the bedside table and dialled his room number.
He answered on the second ring. ‘Yes?’
‘It’s me. Francesca Pellegrini.’
She pulled a disgusted face at herself. Why did she give him her surname?
There was a small pause before he said, a slight tinge of amusement in his voice, ‘What can I do for you, Francesca Pellegrini?’
His words sounded like a caress. He really had the dreamiest of voices.
‘I wanted to say thank you...for digging