Mills & Boon Stars Collection: Seductive Nights: A Deal with Alejandro. Майя Блейк
lingering a touch too long before Alejandro removed his own hand.
The knot in his jaw equalled that in Elise’s throat. She looked up in relief as the head waiter approached.
The first course of Cajun fusion food arrived. Alejandro directed the conversation towards business as often as Mindy tried to direct it to the personal.
Jeff drank more and the atmosphere grew tense.
Cognisant of the extent of Alejandro’s temper, Elise racked her brain for something to alleviate the tension. When Mindy invited Alejandro to come and inspect her newly built steam room for the third time, Elise shifted her seat closer and placed her hand on Alejandro’s arm, his earlier statement lending her the bravery to risk the move.
Gleaming green eyes darted to her. Mindy stopped speaking. Jeff rushed in to fill the taut silence.
Elise leaned in, her mouth a whisper from his ear. ‘I’m sorry. I’m doing my best to steer her away from you,’ she murmured, ‘but short of crawling into your lap and performing a lewd act on you, this is the only way I can think of to get her to back off. Do me a favour and pretend you’re enjoying the sweet nothings I’m whispering in your ear?’
He didn’t move. Or respond. Horror dredged through her, colour surging up her cheeks as seconds stretched.
Beneath her hold, his muscles flexed. Then he turned and aligned his face with hers. His breath washed over her neck as his neat stubble brushed her cheek. Strong fingers found hers on his arm, strangling her breath as he murmured, ‘Crawling into my lap isn’t the worst idea I’ve heard, but perhaps the timing isn’t quite right for that. And these aren’t sweet nothings. They’re extremely useful somethings that could do the trick.’
Her breath caught. She started to move away. He held her still.
‘No. Stay. And don’t look now, guapa. You’ll ruin the effect.’ Slowly, his mouth drifted light kisses along her jaw to the corner of her mouth, then returned along the same trail to the pulse beating beneath her ear.
Elise, not having taken a breath in almost a minute, felt her heart hammering against her ribs as she held still and let him deliver his message. The drugging excitement that launched through her veins was a mere by-product of this act, she assured herself. Once Alejandro was done, sanity would be restored.
After an interminable age, where Mindy cleared her throat more than a few times, Alejandro finally pulled back.
‘I didn’t realise you two were a thing,’ Mindy said after a brief moment of sullen silence.
Alejandro, his hand still locking hers into place, replied, ‘We aren’t just a thing, Mindy. We’re exclusive.’ He sent Elise a heat-filled glance.
The Stoneleys departed shortly after that. When Elise refused coffee, Alejandro requested the bill. Elise excused herself to visit the ladies’ room and was returning when a shadow fell across her path.
‘I see you’re practising your moves on another chump.’ The statement was delivered with a sinister laugh she’d hoped to never hear again. ‘I’m surprised, though. I credited Aguilar with more sense.’
Ice filled her veins as her gaze snapped up to meet Brian Grey’s. A part of her urged a swift retreat back into the ladies’ room. Or a quick dive past the heavyset man back to the safety of the restaurant and Alejandro.
But she’d stood up to him once, had fought tooth and nail to prevent a life-altering assault. And though her insides shook alarmingly, Elise didn’t back down.
‘Your self-esteem must be at an all-time low if you’re referring to yourself as a chump. Just proves money can’t buy you everything, huh, Brian?’
Arctic-blue eyes that gleamed a little too brightly snapped pure hatred at her. ‘I see you still haven’t learnt your lesson. Maybe I should’ve put more effort into teaching it to you last year.’
Anger and pain fought for supremacy within her. Cold anger won. ‘And I should’ve delivered two knee-to-groin responses instead of one?’
His face reddened. His shadow loomed larger as he reached for her.
Fighting panic, she stepped back. Into strong, solid arms.
‘Everything okay, Elise?’ Alejandro drawled.
Relief punched through her despite the latent danger she heard in his voice. Whirling, she looked up into his rigid face. ‘Can we go now?’
He didn’t answer. His gaze remained pinned on Brian, his eyes coldly assessing.
‘Alejandro, please?’
His glance shifted to her. Elise knew her emotions were displayed clearly for him to see, but she just wanted to leave Brian’s unpleasant presence.
After a beat, Alejandro nodded and settled his hand in the small of her back.
The walk through the restaurant and into the back of the limo was conducted in silence. As were the first ten minutes of the journey.
But tacit questions churned through the air. When he finally turned to her, her stomach dipped.
‘Grey was the professional issue you spoke of.’
It was a question disguised as a statement. But she didn’t want to answer. ‘Please, can you let it be?’
‘No.’ He caught her chin between his fingers. ‘Answer me, por favor.’
She grimaced at the politely couched command. When she shook her head, his face hardened. ‘You can tell me or we can return to the restaurant and I can ask him myself.’
‘Alejandro...’ She stopped at the intractable expression on his face.
‘Now, Elise.’
She sucked in a steadying breath. ‘You mentioned him by name so you know who he is and what he does?’
He nodded. ‘He runs nightclubs but recently added a clothes line to his business, is that correct?’
She nodded. ‘Mostly lingerie. He contracted Jameson to help launch his lingerie line last year.’
He released her chin, but his gaze didn’t waver from her face. ‘And?’
‘My father and I worked on the campaign for the first month. Then Brian requested that I take over. I didn’t think anything of it.’
Alejandro’s jaw clenched. ‘Go on.’
She stopped when she realised they’d pulled up in front of her building. Alejandro noticed, too, and made a rough sound of impatience.
‘We’ll continue this inside,’ he snapped.
The walk to her apartment was rushed and silent. He requested her keys and unlocked her door. ‘Invite me in,’ he muttered, his low voice tight.
Tension gripped Elise, but, because she didn’t want to conduct the rest of the traumatic tale on her doorstep, she cleared her throat and stepped into her apartment. ‘Come in.’
He followed, kicking the door shut.
Her one-bedroom apartment was compact, decorated with whatever money she could spare after rent and loan payments. The living room held a single faux-velvet sofa, matching armchair and floor rugs. The pale walls were brightened with cheap landscapes, and floor and table lamps softened the starkness of the battered cabinet on which perched her TV and MP3 player.
Alejandro didn’t spare the room a single glance. His gaze remained fixed on her, tweaking her already frazzled nerves.
‘Would you...umm...like a drink?’
‘No.’ He came forward, took her wrap and purse from her nerveless fingers. ‘Sit down, Elise.’
He was ordering her around in her own home. Part of her wanted to stomp on his autocracy. A greater part wanted this over with.