Hired: The Italian's Bride

The fact that I can.

She pushed the automatic answer away. She didn’t have to justify her choices to him. He didn’t need to know how she’d had a narrow escape, how it could have turned out so very differently years earlier.

“This isn’t about me, it’s about what’s going to happen to this hotel. Paul Verbeek resigned when you bought the hotel. How much more is going to change? Staff is already upset at the possibility of change and insecurity. If I start handing out pink slips, morale’s going to take a serious dip.”

“That’s the first thing you’ve said that I agree with.”

She bristled. He waltzed in here and after what, four hours? decided she was wrong about just about everything. She knew how to do her job and she did it well, despite being new at it. This was going to be another case of owners sending in an emissary, turning everything upside down, then leaving the mess for local management to clean up. She sighed. Everything had been going fine. Why did this have to happen now?

“I don’t know what to say. We obviously have differing opinions yet I have no wish to cause any discord. You’re the boss.” She folded her hands. One of them had to keep a logical head.

“Describe the Cascade in three words.”

She squeezed her left fingers in her right hand. “Are you serious?”

“Perfectly. What are the first three words you think of when you think of this hotel?”

“Efficient. Class. Profitable.” She shot the words out confidently. She prided herself—and the hotel—on them. It was the image she tried to portray every day.

He stopped pacing and sighed. “I was afraid of that.”

“What’s wrong with that? We have an efficient staff, an elegant establishment and we make a profit. You should be happy with all those things.”

“Come here.” He went to the balcony door again and slid it open. She followed, bringing the wine with her and cradling her glass in her hands. What on earth was he doing now?

“Look out over there.”

The afternoon was waning and the sun’s rays filtered through trees and shadows. Goose bumps rose on her skin at the chill in the air and she shivered.

“Just a minute,” he murmured, disappearing back inside.

When he returned he draped a soft blanket over her shoulders and took the glass out of her hands. She tensed at his casual touch.

“Now look. And tell me, what do you see?”

“The valley, poplar trees, the river.”

“No, Mari.”

His body was close, too close and she fought against the panic rising instinctively in her chest. Please don’t touch me, she prayed, torn between fear and an unfamiliar longing that he’d disobey her silent wishes. What would it feel like to have him cradle her body between his arms? Torture, or heaven? The way her heart was pounding, she recognized the sensation for what it was—fear.

As if he sensed her tension, he stepped to the side and gripped the iron railing. He breathed deeply, closed his eyes. When he opened them again he gazed over the vista before them.

“Freedom. Right now, what I’m feeling is freedom.” His smile was wide and relaxed. “Look at this place. Look at where we are. There’s no place in the world like this place. The Cascade can be a jewel in a beautiful kingdom. Wild and free on the outside. And inside…a place to rest, rejuvenate, to fall in love. Can’t you feel it seducing you, Mari?”

Tears pricked her eyes but she blinked them away, gripping the edges of the blanket closely around her in a protective embrace.

Freedom. Rest. Rejuvenation. All the things she had spent years searching for, and exactly how she felt about her new life in this tiny resort town.

And with his good intentions, Luca Fiori was about to ruin it all.

CHAPTER TWO

“I DON’T understand.”

Mari stepped back from the railing, away from the whispering trees and Luca’s warm voice. He was talking castles and falling in love? She’d stopped believing in fairy tales a long time ago. “How exactly do you intend on accomplishing this?”

Before he could answer she scuttled back inside, removed the blanket from her shoulders and kept her hands busy by folding it. Having it around her shoulders had felt too much like an embrace and that didn’t sit well. It was becoming increasingly clear that she and Luca were two very different people. She was firmly grounded in reality. Full stop.

He followed her, watching her from the glass door until she put the blanket down and then he stepped forward, giving her back the wine.

“I’m just working on impressions, for now.”

“I prefer to work with facts, and so far all I’ve heard from you are nebulous statements of…of grandeur,” she finished, faltering a little. Her heart pounded in her ears as she fought back the feeling that she was crossing an invisible line.

It was beginning to feel like an argument and she forced herself to relax, taking slow breaths and picturing the stress leaving through the soles of her feet. She hated conflict. With a passion. She’d learned to stick up for herself over the last few years but it didn’t mean it came easily to her. If it weren’t for the rest of the employees looking to her for leadership, she’d be tempted to back away and let him have a go at it rather than argue.

But she was the manager and if she wanted to keep that job, she needed to fight the battles that needed to be fought. People were depending on her. People who had been there for her since she’d made this her home, whether they knew it or not. She steeled her spine and made herself look up again.

“That’s the problem with the Cascade,” Luca explained. He poured a little more wine in his glass, took a sip and smiled a little. “Everything’s been compartmentalized. One room says cool elegance and another is modern and another is rustic comfort…all admirable designs and styles, but without unity.”

Unity?

His hand spread wide. “We need to decide what the Cascade is. What it means…what we want to achieve…and then work around that. If we work on one area at a time, it means less disturbance to everyone. The goal is to make everything exemplify Fiori Cascade.”

Mari’s eyes widened. “That will cost a fortune.”

“Fiori has deep pockets.”

“Of course…I’m just…weighing the cost versus the benefit. The Bow Val…I mean the Cascade is already doing well. Look at the numbers—we have excellent capacity even for this time of year.”

“That’s not remotely the point.”

And there was where they differed. She realized that they did not see anything the same way. Maybe it was having money and security that made the difference. Luca didn’t have to worry where his next meal was coming from, or where he’d sleep, or what the future held because his was there waiting for him. It always had been. But her life wasn’t that way. It was planning and dollars and cents and making the most out of less, rocking the boat as little as possible. It was staying in the background, out of notice, causing little trouble. And there was nothing wrong with that. It had gotten her where she was. She worked quietly but effectively and she’d been rewarded for it through steady promotion.

“If you implement all these great ideas, when can we expect the memo from head office telling us to downsize our staff?”

“That won’t happen.”

“Will you guarantee that in writing? Because I’ve seen it happen, the expenditures are too great to sustain staffing and layoffs occur. Are you planning on closing us down during renovations? What are these people to do then? They count on their pay to put food on the table. Have you considered that?”

A smile flickered on Luca’s face and Mari steeled herself against the onslaught of charm she knew was coming. This was important. As much as she wanted to back away and say, “Yes sir, whatever you want sir,” she wouldn’t.

“Of course I’m not shutting the hotel down, don’t be ridiculous. And if any employees aren’t required during refurbishing, they’ll get paid vacation. Will that suit you?”

“I want it in writing,” Mari reiterated, and put down her wineglass. He was the boss, and she was treading perilously close to insubordination. She thought back to the timid girl who had started working here only a few years ago. It was the people in this very hotel that had helped her. She wouldn’t let them down now.

“You are a sharp one.” His voice held a touch of irritation and she felt the warm thread of slight victory infuse her. She’d gotten to him, then. His implacable charm was faltering and it emboldened her.

“I’m no one’s yes-man.”

“I’m beginning to see that.” His gaze appraised her and she felt a flush climb her cheeks. It felt as though the air in her chest expanded. No, no, no. She had to keep focused on work!

“Perhaps tomorrow we might schedule a meeting to go over the preliminary details.”

“I have a better idea.”

Mari met his eyes yet again, and for a moment the air seemed to hum between them. The annoyance of moments ago was dispelled as he slid one hand into his jeans pocket. His eyes were warm, crinkled at the corners as he smiled at her.

“Have dinner with me tonight.”

She took two steps back as sure footing flew out the window. Alarm bells started ringing in her head. “Absolutely not.”

“Here, in the hotel. It’ll be a business supper. What is it you say…scout’s honor? Strictly work.” He lifted a finger to his forehead.

“It’s two fingers, and dinner is hardly a business meeting.”

Luca stepped forward, putting his glass down on a side table with a small click that echoed in the silence.

He was too close again. Part of her held the thread of panic and the other part was drawn to him, plain and simple, which meant that nothing was simple at all. It was much easier when they were disagreeing. Easier to keep him at a distance. She wasn’t equipped to deal with his charm. He didn’t even seem to know he possessed it.

“Bring your day planner if that makes you happy.” Happy? Huh. He was flirting, and she didn’t flirt. Ever!

“I think my office tomorrow would be much better.”

“Yes, but you see I need to get a complete picture, and that includes the quality of the dining experience. And eating alone does not constitute a fine dining experience, in my opinion.”

Oh, he was good. Smooth and persuasive and actually logical! She couldn’t find a good argument. How could she tell him why she didn’t go out to dinner with anyone? How she went home each night and made a meal for one and ate it with Tommy, her dog? Flimsy at best. And the real reason was none of his business. Not his, not anyone’s. No one here knew how she’d run away. How she still looked over her shoulder.

“A working dinner.”

“Of course.”

There was no polite way out of it. He was here, all the way from Italy, he was her boss and he was calling the shots. Like it or not. She’d pushed him as far as she’d dared just now and her victory was thin. If they were to work together for the next several weeks, months even…her heart quivered at the thought… then somehow they needed to reach an amicable status quo. She swallowed. He had to know she was not afraid. He had to know she put the hotel and its employees first.

“One dinner, that’s all. And we discuss work.”

“Naturally.”

Mari took a few sidesteps, thankful the door was within reach. “I’ll meet you in the Panorama Room at six.”

“Perfect.”

When he walked toward her she pulled open the door, a little too quickly to be poised. His hand gripped the door frame above her shoulder and she felt the heat from his body. Too close. She wasn’t sure if the tripping of her pulse was fear or exhilaration. She slid out the opening as fast as she possibly could, clinging to whatever grace she could muster.

“I’ll see you then,” Luca said softly.

She fled for the elevator without looking back.

It was 5:57 when Mari stopped before the entrance of the dining room and smoothed her dress.

She paused in the door, scanning the room, but he wasn’t there. Relief warred with annoyance. She didn’t have to worry about making an entrance this way, but at least he could be on time. She wanted to get this over with. It was irritating to have her initial impressions of him confirmed so accurately. Luca was unfocused, cavalier about the whole thing. He was every bit the playboy she’d read about. Sexy and smooth. Working together was going to drive her crazy.

She was shown to the best table in the room. She took her seat with surprise, looked outside at the mountains and trees being thrown into shadow by twilight. She hadn’t asked for this particular table; it was one usually reserved for guests requesting something “special.” It would be very wrong of them to monopolize the table when there was likely a paying guest waiting for it.

She sipped her drink and waited. By ten past six her toes had joined her nails, tapping with impatience. Only to stop abruptly when he stepped in the room.

God, he was beautiful. She could admit it when he was a room away from her and they weren’t embroiled in business. He was safe there. Safe and devastatingly sexy in black trousers and a white shirt. She shook her head, sighing. It was one of those tailored shirts that was meant to be untucked, emphasizing his narrow waist and moving up to broad shoulders. One hand slid casually into his pocket in a gesture she somehow already knew intimately. He said something to the hostess at the front, and the two of them laughed.

Luca Fiori was every woman’s dream. Everyone’s but hers. Dreams like that simply didn’t last. But it didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate the package. It was a lovely package. And for a very quick moment, she wished. Wishing wasn’t a luxury she afforded herself. But looking at Luca, with his bronzed skin and easy smile, she wished she knew how to be that free. To be able to accept, and to give.

He approached the table with an easy stride. “I’m sorry I’m late. I got caught up in e-mails my father sent and lost track of time.”

She pursed her lips, determined not to let him off easily, but he leaned over and pressed an informal kiss of greeting to her cheek.

She froze.

Seemingly unaware of her reaction, Luca took the chair across from her. “You look beautiful. Have you ordered?”

Beautiful? Her? She’d gone home to change and feed Tommy and then he’d drooled over the front of her outfit, causing a wardrobe change. Gone was the tailored charcoal trouser suit she’d picked and in its place was her generic little black dress—simply cut, black velvet with long fitted sleeves and with a hem ending just above the knee.

It wasn’t as businesslike as she’d have preferred, but it worked and while classy there wasn’t much sexy about it. It seemed compliments rolled off his tongue as easily as assurances.

“Thank you, and no, I was enjoying a drink and the music.” Mari struggled to make her voice sound less strangled than she felt.

A recent jazz CD played over the speakers. She hadn’t paid it a whit of attention but needed to cover. It was becoming clear that Luca was a toucher. He was comfortable with easy, physical gestures like polite kisses and hand clasps. It should help, knowing they were impersonal, but Mari knew she could never be that tactile with people. It was simply too difficult. Yet to explain was unthinkable. She’d just have to muddle through.

“I ordered us some wine on the way in. I’m looking forward to tasting something more local.”

Brenda came back with a bottle and moved to uncork it, but Luca took it from her hands. “Thank you, Brenda, but I can do this.”

Mari looked at him, tilting her head as he applied the corkscrew to the bottle. He was new, and likely jet-lagged, but he’d remembered Brenda’s name. She couldn’t help but be impressed. It showed an attention to detail that surprised her, and people didn’t often surprise her.

He pulled out the cork with a minimum of fuss and put the bottle down briefly. “You haven’t said anything.”

“I’m waiting to get to the business portion of the meal.”

She set her lips and looked him dead in the eye. A deal was a deal. As long as he kept it about the Cascade they’d have no problems.

He chuckled as he poured wine into two glasses. “Single-minded. I like that. It means you’re focused, driven.”

“A compliment.”

“Perhaps. I’m reserving judgment. Waiting to see if you’re also rigid, stubborn and always need to be right.”

Mari grabbed her tonic water as her face flamed. Of all the nerve!

“I don’t apologize for being organized or efficient.”

“Nor should you. They’re admirable qualities.”

Mari looked out the window and away from him. She’d never met a man like him. She couldn’t quite pin him down and that threw her off balance. Normally she could typecast a person within moments of meeting. She put them in a file in her mind and dealt with them accordingly.

But not Luca. There was something different about him that she couldn’t put her finger on. He was very urban with his carefully messed hair, the way he left his collar open so that Mari was treated to a tempting glimpse of the tanned hollow of his throat. As he lifted his glass she spied a ring on his right hand…plain, not ostentatious at all. It almost looked antique. In the centre of the flat gold oval was the imprint of a lily. The same imprint that she recognized from the company logo. It was the only jewelry he wore. His entire demeanor suggested playboy, but there was something more.

“Let’s order,” he suggested, his voice drawing her eyes away from the ring. “We’ll talk about the food and brainstorm about what the Cascade will become.”

He flipped open his menu, skimmed it and shut it again.

“Just like that?”

“Absolutely.”

Mari looked down at her own menu, though she could recite it without seeing the words. Everything about him threw her off her stride. Just when she credited him with not making decisions, he surprised her by being annoyingly definitive.

“We should switch tables. There’s usually a wait for this one and our guests do come first.”

Luca regarded her over his glass. “No need. I took care of it.”

“And how, may I ask, did you do that?”

His smile was disarming. She noticed again the sensual curve of his lips and wondered what cruel joke the universe was playing, sending such a man for her to deal with. She was completely out of her depth and drowning fast.

“I called the room, spoke to a lovely gentleman who is here celebrating his twentieth anniversary with his wife. I explained who I was and said that the hotel would be happy to treat him—and his wife—to a five-course meal in their room, along with a bottle of champagne.”

Mari’s lips dropped open before she could help it. Mentally she added up the cost of such a thing. It was selfish. Indulgent. All so he could have the best table.

“It would have been easier, and cheaper, for us to simply eat at a different table.”

Luca ran a finger down the leather spine of the menu, a smile playing on his lips. “Perhaps. But they get an anniversary to remember and I get to enjoy the sight of you at the best table in the house. It is…how do you put it? A no-brainer.”

She ignored the compliment. “It’s self-indulgent.”

“Of course. Shouldn’t the Cascade be about indulgence?”

She lowered her voice to a whisper that hissed across the table. “You’re going to indulge us right out of business!”

A waiter came to take their order. Without missing a beat, Luca ordered the Harvest Squash Soup and Pancetta Salmon, while she scanned the menu once more. In the heat of the discussion, she’d forgotten what she wanted, and the gap of silence was awkward.

“The pasta, Ms. Ross?” the waiter suggested. She closed the leather cover and nodded. When the menus were taken away, Luca leaned forward, close enough she could smell the light, masculine scent of his cologne. Exclusive, expensive and somehow perfectly Luca. Her pupils widened as he took the finger that had caressed the menu and ran it lightly over her wrist. The action surprised her so much she couldn’t even think to pull away.

“Mr. and Mrs. Townsend will have an incomparable anniversary night. Mr. Townsend is a prominent attorney, did you know that? His wife is involved in several charities. What do you think they’ll say to their friends when they return home? That the room was lovely? That the mountains were splendid? That could be said of nearly every hotel in this area.” He withdrew his finger from the delicate skin of her wrist and looked in her eyes. “They will remark at how special they felt. The delightful meal served in their room by attentive staff. The complimentary champagne and the single red rose presented to Mrs. Townsend.”

He sat back, satisfied. “Don’t underestimate the power of a happy customer, Mari. We’ll more than earn back what dinner cost. The Townsends will come back. And they’ll likely bring a trail of friends and associates with them. They’ll remember the romance.”

His eyebrows lifted as it dawned. “That’s it. That’s what the Cascade needs to become. Get out your day planner, Mari.”

He changed tack so often she was having difficulty following. “What on earth are you talking about?”

“The Fiori Cascade. Remember the Romance.” He clapped his hands together then reached for his wine. “This room—the Panorama. It’s romantic, don’t you think?” He didn’t wait for her answer. “Look at the color, the furnishings. Timeless, nostalgic, reminiscent of a golden age. Gleaming wood, rich scarlet and gold. A place where women feel beautiful and wooed. A place to slow down, be indulged, pampered. Chandeliers and fine wine and…”

He paused.

“You’re not saying anything.”

“I can’t get a word in edgewise.” Mari left her planner right where it was. By tomorrow his ideas could have changed a half dozen times, for all she knew.

“You don’t like it? You don’t agree?”

“I think you’re getting carried away with an idea.”

“Oh, but, Mari ideas are the best part.” He reached out and clasped her hand. “There is nothing more exciting than looking and seeing all the possibilities.”

She pulled her hand away, cradling it in her lap. Luca carried on as if he hadn’t noticed her abrupt withdrawal. “Taking a vision and making it reality is the best part of my job.”

Their first course was served. Mari watched as Luca tried the soup, closed his eyes and murmured, “Mmm.”

She stared at the full curve of his lips, shocked to feel the stirrings of attraction in the midst of such animosity. Instantly those stirrings were followed by numbing fear. It wouldn’t matter. She wasn’t capable of relationships. She was done with trusting and taking risks. That she’d suddenly gone from physical appreciation to attraction startled her sufficiently to keep her on task. She stabbed at her greens like she was wielding a pitchfork.

He looked around and Mari tried to see what he was seeing. People enjoying fine food in an elegant setting. It’s what they paid for, what they expected. How would the rest of the hotel look, if it followed in the tradition of this room?

“What are you thinking?” He put down his spoon and she felt his eyes on her.

“Just wondering.” The trouble was, she could see it. Could see how stunning, marvelous it would be. Like stepping back in time.

“Trust me, Mari.”

She dropped her eyes and focused on spearing a large chunk of walnut from her salad. “I can’t.”

“Don’t you feel the beauty here? This room… this is what the Cascade should embody. It’s warm, it’s cozy, yet it’s rich and opulent at the same time. From the outside it’s a castle. On the inside…it needs to be an embrace. When guests are here they need to be soaked in beauty.”

“Please.” That one word was ripe with disdain. She could not be wooed by pretty words, and he’d been doling out more than his share. Pretty words did not keep a four-star hotel profitable. Pretty words did not…would not keep her in line.