Propositioned By The Tycoon: Mr Strictly Business / Bought: His Temporary Fiancée / A Win-Win Proposition

“It doesn’t matter, anymore, does it? Because you left.” She spoke carefully, as though holding those long-ago emotions at a cautious distance. “You left me there with the beautiful flowers and an uneaten dinner congealing on the plate. You left me with your gorgeous ring and empty promises echoing in my ear. Because when it came right down to it, your top priority was and always will be Piretti’s. So you left, explaining without saying a word where our relationship rated in the grand scheme of things, and you didn’t come home again. Not that day. And not the next.”

“Hell, Catherine. You may not have known about the attempted takeover two years ago, but I explained all this to you yesterday at your apartment. What was I supposed to do? Let Piretti’s go under? Let those bastards take my business from me?” He stood and yanked on his clothes. “And I did come home. I came home to find a stilted little note from you and the ring you’d cried such pretty tears over sitting on my damned dresser.”

If nothing else, their lovemaking had opened a wide crack in her defenses, allowing him to see all she’d kept buried before. And what he saw was pain and fear and vulnerability. “Why would you expect anything else, Gabe? Do you think I’m some sort of plaything that you can pick up and discard when it suits you? Did you ever wonder what I did while you were off running your empire? Or did you simply stick me on a shelf and forget about me until it was time to come home and pick me up again? I don’t go into hibernation like one of your damn computers.”

“I never said—” He thrust a hand through his hair and blew out his breath, fighting for calm. “Is there a reason we’re dredging all this up again? I know what happened. And I know that you wanted more from our relationship than I could give you before. I’m willing to do that. But I don’t see the point in rehashing the past.”

“If not now, then when?” She tilted her head to one side. “Or were you hoping it no longer matters and move on?”

“You’re good at pointing the finger, Catherine. And I’m being as honest as I know how. I screwed up. I made mistakes. But if we’re going to go there and dig into all that muck, then you have to be honest, too.”

Her eyes widened. “Meaning?”

“Meaning…I’m willing to continue this conversation when you stop lying and tell me what really happened. Why did you really leave me?”

She shook her head in instant denial. “I don’t know what you’re—”

“Bull. Just cut the bull, will you?”

He snatched a deep breath and fought for control. For some reason his gaze landed on the bedside table. A cell phone sat there, not his. He eyed it for a long minute as he considered how and when Catherine had left it there. And then he knew. She hadn’t taken the bedroom at the end of the hallway when she’d moved in the previous day. She’d moved her things in here with him, at least initially. He could make a pretty accurate guess when that had changed and why. Crossing the room, he picked up the phone and tossed it to her.

“Call your partner,” he instructed. “Have her meet us at Piretti’s in an hour.”

“Excuse me? We were in the middle of a—”

“An argument?” he shot at her.

“A discussion.”

Right. “Well, it’s one we’re going to set aside until you come clean. Until then, it’s off the table.”

Indignation shot across her face and reverberated in her voice. “Just like that?”

He inclined his head. “Just like that.” He deliberately changed the subject. “I saw some of your financial records last night. And I did a quick scan of the documents you provided when I returned to the office yesterday. You told me your partner handles the books?”

“Yes, but—”

“Then I want to meet her. Now.” She opened her mouth to argue again, and he cut her off without compunction. “You came to me for help,” he reminded her. “This is how I help.”

“Okay, fine. I’ll call her.”

“I’m going to shower. You’re welcome to join me.”

“Another time, perhaps.”

He managed a smile. “I’ll hold you to that.” He started toward the bathroom, then paused. “The breakup in our relationship? It wasn’t about children or careers, Catherine. There’s something else going on. I just haven’t figured out what, yet. But I will. And when I do, we’ll do more than put it back on the table. We’re going to have this out, once and for all.”

Chapter Six

They accomplished the brief ride from the apartment to Piretti’s in silence. Catherine appeared a little paler than Gabe liked, but whether it was the result of the upcoming meeting with her partner, or because of their argument, he wasn’t certain. Perhaps a bit of both.

Roxanne was already at her desk when they arrived, and he watched with interest as the two womene xchanged a long look. Another brewing problem, one he needed to think about before determining how best to resolve it.

They entered his office just as Catherine’s cell phone rang. “Excuse me a minute,” she murmured. After answering the call, she listened at length, her expression growing more and more concerned. “Thanks. I’ll take it from here.”

“Problem?” he asked once she’d disconnected the call.

“I have the Collington wedding scheduled for a week from tomorrow. The bride just called in to cancel our services.”

“At this late date?”

Catherine shook her head. “Obviously, she heard about what happened at the Marconis’ and it’s panicked her. Di—my partner managed to get her to agree to meet with me for lunch.”

“I’ll go with you.”

To his surprise, she didn’t argue. “Normally, I’d be able to handle it. Brides are often in crazy mode by now. I’m used to it.”

“But trying to calm her down after hearing about everything that went wrong with Natalie’s party…”

“Will prove challenging. Fortunately, I have an ace in the hole.” She smiled, the first natural one she’d offered since their argument. “You. You’ve always had a way about you, an ability to smooth ruffled feathers.”

“I’ll do my best.” He checked his watch. “Your partner is late.”

“Maybe she hit traffic.”

“You’re sure she’s coming?”

“She was in the city when she called me just now.”

Right on cue, voices reverberated through the thick wooden door panels, one irritated, clearly Roxanne. Gabe winced. His assistant wasn’t at her best this morning. The other, a voice he’d known for every one of this thirty-three years, snapped back with impatient authority. His office door banged open, and his mother paused with her hand on the knob.

“I know the way into my own son’s office, Roxy,” she informed Gabe’s assistant.

“It’s Roxanne.”

“Well, maybe when you’ve worked here awhile I’ll remember your name.”

Gabe could see his assistant visibly struggling to hang on to her composure. She managed it. Barely. “He has a meeting scheduled, Mrs. Piretti. And just to set the record straight, I’ve worked here for three years, as I’m certain you’re well aware.”

“Huh. Could have sworn you were one of those annoying temps.” With that Dina slammed the door in Roxanne’s face. Turning, she offered a broad, delighted smile. “Gabriel, Catherine. It’s so good to see the two of you together again. Give me a minute to just stand here and enjoy the view.”

Gabe’s lips twitched. “I’m sorry, Mom, but Roxanne was right. We’re waiting for Catherine’s business partner to join us in order to—” He broke off as the connection clicked into place, a connection he would have made long ago if he hadn’t been so distracted by the apprehensive woman standing at his side. “No. Oh, hell, no. You’re not…You can’t be—”

Dina stuck out her hand. “Dina Piretti, co-owner of Elegant Events. So good of you to help us with our small financial crisis.”

The meeting didn’t last long. The minute Dina exited the room, Gabe turned on Catherine. “My mother? You dumped me, and then you went into business with my mother?”

Catherine struggled not to flinch. “Really, Gabe. I don’t see what one thing has to do with the other.”

“You don’t see—” He forked his fingers through his hair, turning order into all-too-attractive, not to mention distracting, disorder. “You must have suspected I wouldn’t like the idea considering that the two of you have been careful to keep me in the dark for nearly two years now. Why is that, Cate?”

She planted her hands on her hips. “You want logic? Fine. Here’s some logic for you. I didn’t want to see you. If you knew I was in business with your mother, you wouldn’t have been able to stay away. Worse, you might have tried to interfere, or…I don’t know—” She waved a hand through the air. “Tried to protect her from me and stopped us from doing business together.”

“You’re damn right I would have stopped you from doing business together,” he retorted. “But not for the reason you think. It isn’t my mother I would have wanted to protect. It’s you.”

That stopped her cold. “What are you talking about?”

“I told you that I had to step in and take over Pir-etti’s,” he began.

“Right.” He’d never gone into details, other than to inform her that it had been one of the toughest periods in his life. But she’d been able to read between the lines. “After your father died.”

He shook his head. “Not exactly. After he died, my mother took over.”

That caught her by surprise, not that it caused her any real concern. “So? She’s brilliant.”

“Yes, she is. What I never told you before was that she brilliantly ran Piretti’s to the verge of bankruptcy. That’s when I seized control.”

Uh-oh. That didn’t sound good. “Seized. You mean—” She struggled to come up with a more palatable word. “Took charge.”

His mouth tightened. “No, I mean I swooped in and instigated a hostile takeover. You’ve teased me often enough about my nickname, but you never came right out and asked where I got it.” He lowered his head and rubbed a hand along the nape of his neck. “Well, that’s where.”

She approached and rested a hand on his arm. She could feel the muscles bunching beneath her fingers, his tension palpable. “I can’t believe you’d have done such a thing unless it was absolutely necessary. What happened, Gabe? Why were you forced to such extremes?”

He stilled. “Catherine.” Just her name, spoken so softly, with such a wealth of emotion behind it. He lifted his head and looked at her. The intensity of his gaze mesmerized her, the shade of blue so brilliant it put the sky to shame. “You show such faith. Not a single doubt. Not a single hesitation. How can you think what’s between us is temporary?”

“I know you.” The admission slipped out on a whisper. “I know what sort of man you are.”

“I’m hard and ruthless.”

“True.”

“I take apart companies.”

“And put them back together again.”

The smallest hint of a smile played about his mouth, easing some of the tension. “Or make them a part of Piretti’s.”

“Well, you are a businessman, first and foremost.” Sorrow filled her. “And that’s why I say our relationship is temporary. Because Piretti’s isn’t just a place where you work. It’s who and what you are.”

The tension stormed back. “There hasn’t been any other choice. I had to take the business away from her.”

She drew him over to the couch and sat down with him. “Explain it to me,” she encouraged.

“You are right about one thing. My mother is a brilliant business woman. When it comes to numbers and accounting and contracts, there’s no one better.”

“But…?”

“But she’s too damn nice.”

“Yeah, I hate that about her, too,” Catherine teased.

The grin was back, one identical to his mother’s. “That soft heart means people can take advantage of her.”

“And they did.”

He nodded. “After my father died she began staffing Piretti’s with friends and family. Nepotism became the byword.”

Catherine tried to put herself in Dina’s shoes. “It probably comforted her to have loved ones around at such a time.”

He started to say something, paused, then frowned. “Huh. I never considered that possibility, but looking back, you may be right.”

“I am right. Dina told me so one evening.” Catherine interlaced her fingers with his, needing to touch him. She suspected he needed the physical contact as well. “I think it was on the fifth anniversary of your dad’s death. Shewas having a rough night, and we talked about all sorts of things. It was one of the few times she mentioned Piretti’s.”

“Taking the business away from her nearly killed her.” Pain bled through the words. “I did that to her. I did that to my own mother.”

Catherine frowned in concern. “Were her friends and family members incompetent?”

“Not all. Those who were took gross advantage. She paid them ludicrous salaries for jobs they, at best, neglected, and at worst didn’t perform at all. They’d put in a few hours and then take off. That forced Mom to hire more people to do the jobs that weren’t getting done.”

“Which explains why you refuse to mix business and pleasure.” It explained so much. “Couldn’t you have simply come in and cleaned house?”

“If she’d let me, yes. But there was the board of directors to consider.”

Understanding dawned. “Let me guess. The board comprised those individuals who were taking advantage of her. And they weren’t about to let you mess with the status quo.”

“Got it in one.”

Compassion filled her. “So the only solution was for Gabe ‘the Pirate’ Piretti to raid the company.”

“I cleaned house, all right. Starting right at the top with my mother and working down from there.”

“How did Dina handle it when you took over?”

“She was furious. She wouldn’t even speak to me. So, I abducted her.”

Catherine’s eyes widened. “Excuse me? You what?”

“I loaded her into my car, protesting all the way, and took her off to a resort and forced her to deal with the situation. Of course, the daily massages and mai tais—heavy on the rum—didn’t hurt. It also helped that I brought along the accounts and forced her to look at the bottom line.” He shot her a cool look. “I’ve considered using the same approach with you in order to get to the bottom of some of our issues.”

She released his hand and swept to her feet. “It wouldn’t have worked.”

His eyes narrowed. “And there’s that secret again, right smack-dab between us.” He rose as well. “How many mai tais would it take to pry it out of you, Catherine?”

She shook her head. “There’s nothing to pry out. I told you. Your view of marriage and what you want from it are a hundred and eighty degrees different from my wants and needs.”

“You know one of the qualities that makes me such a good pirate?” He didn’t wait for her to respond. “I’m excellent at reading people.”

She took a step backward. “Not all people.”

“You’d be surprised.” He followed in the path of her retreat. “For instance, it only takes one look for me to know that you’re lying. You’re keeping something from me, and all the denials in the world aren’t going to convince me otherwise.”

“Too bad. You’ll just have to live with it.”

“For instance…” He trapped her against one of the huge picture windows overlooking the sound. Brilliant light encased them, sparkling over and around them. “I know for a fact that you’ve always wanted children. You told me so yourself.”

She forced her gaze to remain steady, to be captured and held by his. “Long ago. In another lifetime. But I’ve changed since then. My wants and needs have changed, as well.” She forced out a laugh. “I find it ridiculous to have to explain this to you, of all people. You, who puts business ahead of everything and everyone. Why is it acceptable for you and not for me?”

“Because it’s not true.”

He leaned in. Even with layers of clothing separating them, she could feel the heat of his body, feel the sinful contours that were so potently male. And then he made it so much worse. He slid his hand low on her abdomen, his fingers spread wide across the flat surface. She shuddered beneath his touch, her belly quivering in response. Liquid heat pooled, stealing thought and reason.

“Are you telling me you don’t want any children at all? Not even one?”

She forced out the lie. “No, not even one.”

A lazy smile crept across his mouth, one that told her he didn’t believe a word of it. He dropped his head, his mouth brushing along the sensitive skin of her throat, just beneath her ear where her pulse skipped and raced. “You don’t ever want to give birth?” The question burned like acid. “You don’t want to feel your womb swell with our baby? Feel the flutter of new life? Sing and talk to him while he grows and becomes? Encourage his passage from his safe little nest into a world just waiting for his arrival?”

Dear God, make him stop, she silently prayed. She fixed her eyes on a point just over his shoulder and took a long, calming breath. “That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

“More than you can possibly imagine.”

One more slow breath and she’d worked up the courage to shift her eyes to his. It took everything she possessed not to respond to the rich warmth of those impossibly blue eyes. “Then I suggest you start looking for someone who can give that to you. Because it’s not going to be me.” She spread her hands across his chest and nudged him back a few inches. “Look at me, Gabe. Look at me and tell me I’m lying to you. I won’t give you a child. Not ever. Is that clear enough for you?”

His hand slid from her abdomen and he stepped back. “Quite clear.” His face fell into hard, taut lines. “And quite honest.”

“Thank you for recognizing it.” She twitched her blouse into place and smoothed her skirt. “And thank you for admitting as much.”

The phone on his desk gave a soft purring ring. He crossed to answer it. Listening a moment, Gabe said, “Put him through.” Then he covered the receiver. “I’m sorry, but I have to take this call.”

She slipped behind her most professional demeanor. “Of course. I’ll wait for you in the foyer.”

He stopped her just as she reached for the doorknob. “Catherine? If you think our discussion has changed my mind about our relationship, you’re wrong.”

She glanced over her shoulder. “Why? Because you think at some point in the future I’m going to change my mind?” She could see from his expression that was precisely what he thought. A smile escaped, one of infinite regret. “Let me clue you in and save both of us a lot of time and grief. I won’t.”

And with that, she escaped his office.

Closing the door behind her, Catherine took a quick breath. As long as her day was progressing so well, she might as well keep the streak going. The time had come to deal with Roxanne. Either they came to terms here and now or Catherine would take action. But never again would she step back and take it on the chin. Never again would she allow this woman to cause harm to her business or make her life the misery it had been during those earlier years.

She paused by Roxanne’s desk, fully aware that she’d been noticed and equally as aware that she wouldn’t be acknowledged any time soon. It was unquestionably a power play, one Catherine intended to commandeer.

“Hiding behind that computer screen isn’t going to make me go away. All it does is confirm that you’re afraid to look me in the eye.” It was the perfect gambit, Catherine thought with some satisfaction, causing Roxanne’s head to jerk up and anger to flare to life in her sloe eyes. “You and I are going to get something straightened out.”

“You’re the one who needs to be straightened out. I—”

“I’m not interested in what you have to say,” Catherine cut her off smoothly. “It’s your turn to listen. Or shall we have this conversation in Gabe’s office?”

“And talk about what?” she demanded. “Your whiny complaints about his favorite assistant? He’s too logical to give them any credence.”

“It’s because he’s so logical that he will.” She gestured toward Gabe’s closed door. “Shall we find out which of us is right?” She wasn’t the least surprised when Roxanne didn’t take her up on the offer.

“Where do you get off, threatening me?” she asked instead. “You have no idea who and what you’re taking on.”

Catherine planted her palms on Roxanne’s desk and leaned in. “I know precisely who I’m taking on, and, sweetie, I knew what you were from day one. Now you close your mouth and listen very carefully, because I’m only going to say this once. If you mess with me or my business ever again, I will see to it that your career as you currently know it ends. I will make it my mission to introduce you to hell on earth.”

“You don’t have that power,” Roxanne scoffed.

“Watch me.”

Gabe’s assistant leaned back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest, a smug smile playing about her generous mouth. “Is this about your little disaster at the Marconi party?”

“No, this is about your little disaster at the Marconi party. Specifically, the boaters whose advent you were so eager for me to witness.”

Roxanne’s smile grew, slow and catlike. “You can’t prove I had anything to do with that.”

“Can’t I?” Catherine straightened and thrust her hand into her purse. Retrieving her cell phone, she flipped it open. One press of a button snapped a digital picture of Roxanne. Another press had it winging its way to Catherine’s e-mail account.

Roxanne straightened in her chair. “What the hell did you just do?”

“I’ve e-mailed myself your photo. When I get home, I intend to print it off and hand-deliver it to the King County Sheriff’s Marine Unit. They have some very contrite boaters who are eager to point the finger at the person who invited them to the Marconis’ party and encouraged them to make—how did they phrase it? Oh, right. A splashy entrance.” Roxanne turned deathly pale, and Catherine smiled. “Nothing to say? How incredibly unlike you.”

It was too much to hope the silence would last. Roxanne recovered within seconds. “So what if I extended an invitation? It’s their word against mine how it was phrased.”

“You be sure to explain that technicality to Natalie Marconi…right after you explain your side of things to Gabe. I doubt either of them will be terribly sympathetic considering the damage done.”

“They won’t believe you.” An edge of desperation underscored the statement.

“Oh, I think they will. And once Natalie finds out you were behind the boat incident, I don’t think it’ll take much of a nudge to convince her to ask around and see if any of her guests happened to notice a very striking guest in an attention-grabbing red dress hanging around the sprinkler controls. I guarantee someone will have noticed you. That’s what happens when you work so hard to be the center of attention. Sometimes you get it when you’d rather not have it.” Catherine gave that a moment to sink in. “This ends and ends now. You keep your claws off my business. More importantly, you keep your mouth—and every other body part—off my man. And you stop setting up business appointments that interfere with our life together.”

Roxanne fought to recover a hint of her old cockiness. “Spoiled your first night together, did I?” She released a sigh of mock disappointment. “Such a shame.”

“Gabe more than made up for it this morning.” That wiped the smile off her face. “I’m giving you precisely one week to convince Natalie that someone else is at fault for the events of last night, someone other than Elegant Events. You have seven days to convince her that somebody other than me sabotaged that party.”

Roxanne’s eyes widened in panic. “Have you lost your mind? How do you expect me to do that?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t care. You’ve always been fast on your feet and quick to spin a story. Find a way.”

“What if I refuse your…request?”

“It wasn’t a request. In one week’s time, I act. I start with the sheriff, and I end with a lawyer. And somewhere in between—one night in bed, perhaps—I’ll wonder out loud whether you’re the type of person Gabe wants representing Piretti’s. Seeds like that have an uncanny knack of taking root.”