A Diamond Deal With The Greek

He slammed down the phone with more force than was needed.

‘Wow, was that really necessary?’

He turned to find her standing in the same position before the window, her hand on her curvy hips and her head tilted to one side. The loose knot of her silky black hair fell lopsided as she stared at him with one eyebrow raised mockingly.

‘I have a client meeting in less than half an hour. I’d throw you out myself but I don’t have time to take a shower before then.’

Her expression slipped at the thinly veiled insult. Draco felt childish satisfaction at scoring a direct hit. Absurdly, he’d been off balance since he’d seen her from his office next door. His need for transparency in all things had transmitted to his office layout, and with the open-plan setting and see-through glass windows across the floor he could keep an eye on most of his employees. Although he liked to believe it was unnecessary where his employees were concerned as he’d earned their loyalty, he’d learned the hard way that loyalty came at a cost.

The alternative career he’d had to choose was a cutthroat one at best. He’d made a few hard bargains along the way to get him where he was.

What he hadn’t bargained for today was seeing a decadently curvy woman on display on his CFO’s floor. He’d stopped an important call mid-conversation, a move he’d never made before. Now he had an irate, egocentric client waiting for him to call back. And a snarky stranger openly mocking him.

‘I hope you don’t feel too silly when you find out who I am,’ she said in that voice that snagged his senses, made him strain to hear her every word.

‘I’m not interested in who you are. My security will furnish me with that information if I need it. What I am interested in is you being escorted off the premises—’

‘Okay, this is getting ridiculous. My name is Rebel Daniels, Nathan Daniels’ daughter. I’m here to have lunch with my father. I forgot to sign in downstairs so Stan let me in. My dad wasn’t here. I assumed he was in a meeting or something, so I thought I’d wait for him. The yoga thing was just to relieve a little bit of stress.’

Several questions stormed through Draco’s mind. Was his security so lax that someone could just forget to make themselves known downstairs and still make it up here? She was Daniels’ daughter? Why was she stressed?

‘Your parents named you Rebel?’ Mildly disconcerted at the least relevant question that had chosen to fall from his lips, he watched a smile twitch at the corners of her mouth.

‘Hardly, although my mother did wonder why she hadn’t thought of that when I started using it at fifteen.’

Draco waited, wondering at the shadow that crossed her face a moment later. When she continued to stare at him, he pursed his lips. ‘So your real name is?’

‘I thought you weren’t interested.’ She turned and bent over to pick up her yoga mat.

He forced his gaze from her delectable behind to her bare feet, then away from her altogether when he realised he was even growing fascinated with her peach-painted toenails. ‘I’m only interested in you if it helps me locate your father.’

Her head jerked up, the rolled mat held against her body as she frowned at him. ‘What do you mean locate him? Isn’t he here?’

‘Did you have any reason to think he would be?’ he countered.

‘Of course I did. Why else would I have come here?’

Draco spotted two burly men rushing towards the office. His head of security looked extremely nervous. As he should be. He held up his hand when they reached the door. ‘When did you last speak to your father?’

Her gaze darted from the men back to him, a tiny flash of nervousness darkening her eyes. ‘Why, what does it matter?’

‘Because I would very much like to speak to him too.’

Her eyes widened, again a minuscule motion that he otherwise would’ve missed had he not been watching her closely. ‘So he’s not here?’ she pressed.

‘I think we’ve established that, Miss Daniels. Now are you going to answer me, or shall I hand you over to them?’ He jerked his head at the security men.

She frowned. ‘What exactly is going on here? If my father’s not here and you want me to leave, I will. There’s no need to throw your weight about. And I certainly don’t need to be escorted out.’

‘But you were in here on your own for over fifteen minutes. Who knows what information you’ve made yourself privy to?’

‘Are you accusing me of stealing something?’ she snapped.

‘Did you?’

‘Of course not!’

‘I’ll leave them to be the judge of that. I’m sure you’ll be released in a few hours once the security footage has been analysed, your belongings searched, and your alleged innocence confirmed.’ Draco motioned for his men to enter.

His head of security entered, followed by his assistant. Draco ignored their contrite expressions. ‘Take Miss Daniels’ bag—’

‘You can’t be serious!’

‘And the yoga mat. Make sure she’s not in possession of anything that doesn’t belong to her—’

‘Okay, fine. I’ll answer your damn questions.’

The men paused.

Draco shook his head. ‘Take them. Leave her shoes. I’ll let you know when I’m finished with her.’

She sent him a look filled with pure vitriol and her fingers clenched around the yoga mat as the younger guard stepped towards her. Eyes flashing blue fire, she released her hold on it, slipped her feet into her knee-high boots and propped her hands on her hips.

‘Shall we get this ludicrous inquisition over with?’

Sparks virtually flew off her. In another time, Draco would’ve enjoyed stoking that fire just to see how high her conflagration burned. It’d been far too long since any emotion besides bitterness, guilt and the rigid control he’d put in place ruled his life. Anything beyond that was a luxury he could ill afford.

It was the same control that dictated he take hold of this situation before it blew up in his face. He’d allowed his suspicions about Nathan Daniels to go unquestioned for far too long as it was.

He straightened. ‘Come with me.’

‘Where are we going?’ the question was snapped back immediately.

‘My office.’

‘Uh...sir?’

He turned to his security chief.

‘We need the lady’s full name in order to log her into the system.’

Draco raised an eyebrow at her.

Her mouth pursed, bringing his reluctant attention back to her plump lips.

‘It’s...my name is Arabella Daniels,’ she muttered reluctantly.

It took less than a second for Draco to place her. Arabella Daniels had once been a promising cross-country skier until she’d abruptly changed disciplines to become a ski jumper. Although she’d remained in the top ten for the last few years, the twenty-five-year-old woman had never risen above fifth in competitions. Probably due to her off-piste antics.

His mild shock subsided into a heavy dose of distaste, but he kept his expression neutral as he dismissed his men and strode to his office.

He waited until she entered, then activated the privacy setting on his windows. Once the glass was frosted, he perched at the edge of his desk and watched her pace warily in front of him. The burn in his groin as he followed her lissom figure made him kick out a chair.

‘Sit down.’

‘No, thanks. I thought you had an important meeting? Or was that just a fib rolled up as an insult?’

‘It wasn’t a lie. But the party concerned will understand. I tend to surround myself with reasonable, rational individuals.’

She paused in her pacing, her eyes narrowing. ‘Is that supposed to be some sort of dig?’

‘I know who you are, Miss Daniels.’

‘Well, since I told you my name, I should hope so. I wouldn’t like to think you were thick or anything, seeing as you seem to be the head honcho in this glass playhouse.’

‘So the rumours are true.’

‘What rumours?’ she asked, her expression growing more wary.

‘You take pride in being deliberately offensive and exhibiting wild behaviour.’

‘And you don’t seem to like being told things the way they are. In fact your actions reek of more than a touch of melodrama. Why is that? Are you overcompensating for something?’ Her gaze conducted what started off as a mocking perusal. But a trace of heat flared up her cheeks when her eyes dropped below his belt.

When her gaze darted away, Draco allowed himself a stiff smile. ‘I’ve never needed to overcompensate for anything in my life, Miss Daniels. If I had time to waste and felt so inclined, I’d give you a demonstration.’

‘You assume that I have the time to stand around listening to your rubbish. Keep your veiled threats, ask me what you want to know and let us both get on with our lives.’

‘You seem a little off balance. Is it because you feel out of your depth?’ he drawled.

She jerked the hair band from her hair. Thick, silky jet waves fell over her shoulders and down her back before she started combing her fingers through the tresses.

‘Why would I feel like that? Just because you’re being disgustingly unreasonable—’

‘Or is it because you don’t find me as gullible as you do the men you like to associate with?’

‘I don’t know what you think you know about me, but if these absurd questions are why you brought me in here—’

‘You like to dominate your men, do you not?’

She tossed her head. ‘Only when they beg me to. Do you want me to dominate you? I’m fresh out of horse whips but I’m sure I can get inventive with a pair of boot laces.’

His gaze dropped to her knee-high boots. ‘I’m sure you can, in the right circumstances, but I’ll pass.’

She wrinkled her nose and Draco’s temperature rose, along with his irritation. ‘Why? Because you always wait for the right circumstances? How boring. Giving in to your impulses might just surprise you.’

Draco bared his teeth in a smile that had been described by the tabloids as his dragon smile. He knew its effect well enough to know it’d made its mark when her agitation escalated.

‘I find that people like you easily confuse the reckless with the impulsive. Personally, I find the wait builds the anticipation.’

Her gaze held his for one bold heartbeat, then she glanced away. Although she engrossed herself in his office decor, Draco was certain she wasn’t as bored with him as she pretended to be. The colour in her cheeks was more pronounced and the pulse beating at her throat had increased. His own blood thickened as he followed her figure. He assured himself, now he knew who she truly was, this mild fascination with her would swiftly abate.

‘Well, as interesting as this all is, I’m one hundred per cent sure you know very little about me. And I have to insist you either get on with your ever-so-important questioning, or tell your guards to return my things.’

‘You’re attempting to compete in the Verbier Ski Championships this year. Shouldn’t you be training instead of making an exhibition of yourself and taking extended lunches?’

She inhaled sharply and turned towards him, all pretence at being bored vanishing from her expression. ‘You know who I am?’

‘I make it my business to know people like you.’

‘What do you mean, people like me?’

‘Reckless athletes, who try to buy their way into the big leagues.’

She stalked to where he leaned against his desk, her whole body bristling with anger. ‘How dare you? That’s a ridiculous and totally unfounded allegation.’

‘I know enough. The rest I don’t intend to bother myself with.’

Her hands clenched. ‘Just who the hell do you think you are?’

‘I’m the man who intends to make sure all the sponsors you’ve been chasing the last month drop you from their books. People like you paint talented and dedicated sportsmen and women in a bad light, not to mention your reckless behaviour on and off the ski slopes needs to be stopped once and for all. You have three measly sponsors left, who probably, mistakenly, think your notoriety will bring their products the attention they crave. Perhaps I’ll let you keep them.’

Her eyes had been widening with each condemnation. Slowly, shock replaced her anger. And this time, when she looked around at the trophies and pictures that decorated his office, her interest was genuine.

Draco knew the moment the penny dropped.

Her lustrous hair flew as she whirled back to him. ‘You’re Draco, the super-agent.’

‘I’m Draco Angelis, yes.’

She swallowed. ‘You represent Rex Glow.’

‘Your former sponsors? Yes.’

She inhaled sharply, but the next question wasn’t what Draco had expected it to be. ‘And my father works for you?’

‘You’re surprised by that.’

A frown clamped her brows. ‘Well...yes, to be honest.’

‘Why?’ he fired back, his need to probe the reason behind Nathan Daniels’ disappearance returning.

‘Because...’ She hesitated, a trace of pained bleakness flitting over her features. ‘Let’s just say the world of competitive sports isn’t his first love.’

He folded his arms, alarm bells clanging loudly. ‘Well, he was my chief financial officer up until two weeks ago, when he seemed to fall off the face of the earth.’

‘And you’re looking for him because...?’

‘There’s a small matter of a half a million pounds that seems to have evaporated from my company’s accounts. I would very much like to speak to him about that,’ Draco replied, his eyes narrowing at the mixture of guilt and trepidation that froze on her face.

CHAPTER THREE

REBEL KNEW SHE’D given herself away a split second before Draco straightened to his imposing six-foot-plus height and took the single step that brought him to within a whisper of where she stood. His broad shoulders and the cloak of power draped around him eclipsed her every thought and action. But even without them, the expression on his face as he stared down at her dried the words that rose to her lips.

This man was responsible for Rex Glow dropping her. While a significant part of her was enraged by the blatant admission, the greater part of her was shocked by the other information he’d imparted.

He was her father’s boss. A father who, for all intents and purposes, had disappeared. Along with the uncomfortably exact amount of money that had landed in her bank account. The shock of it rendered her attempt to keep a neutral expression hopelessly futile.

‘Tell me where your father is,’ he pressed.

In that moment, Rebel understood why this man was named The Dragon. His steely grey eyes were cold and deadly enough to freeze the Sahara. And yet his nostrils flared with white-hot anger that promised volatile, annihilating fire.

‘I...I don’t know where he is.’

Black eyebrows clamped darker. ‘You expect me to believe that?’

‘You can believe what you want. It’s the truth.’

‘You admitted to having been in touch with him lately. And you came here to meet him, did you not?’

‘We spoke briefly on the phone a couple of days ago. Lunch was mentioned, and I thought I’d surprise him today...’ She trailed off, unwilling to elaborate that she’d done most of the talking, while her father had remained stonily monosyllabic. Rebel struggled to hide the hurt that lanced her heart from knowing her father would’ve probably rejected any firm plans had he known she’d intended to come here today.

‘I urge you to come clean now, Miss Daniels, before things get worse for you and your father,’ Draco Angelis threatened.

The first tendrils of fear clawed up her spine. ‘If you must know, we didn’t make any firm plans. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision to stop by and see if he was free for lunch. I haven’t seen him in a while and I thought—’

‘How long is a while?’

‘That’s between my father and me, and none of your business.’

Firm, sinfully sensual lips pursed. ‘You don’t think my CFO’s sudden disappearance and you turning up unannounced in my building is any of my business?’

‘So he’s taken a brief vacation. So what?’ she speculated wildly, her unease growing as suspicion mounted in Draco’s eyes.

‘Considering he hasn’t taken one in the five years he’s worked for me, you’ll pardon me if I find his sudden need for one, without speaking to me first, more than a little suspect. Besides, we have a procedure for absences. My employees don’t make a habit of just not turning up to work when the mood takes them.’

‘Because that would guarantee them an on-the-spot sacking?’

‘Perhaps not on the spot. I would demand an explanation first before the sacking ensued.’

Rebel forced an eye roll, which was far from the nonchalance she tried to project. ‘So you’re not just a dragon to work for, you’re an ogre as well? Congratulations.’

Sharp grey eyes, surrounded by the most lush eyelashes she’d ever seen on a man, lasered her. ‘You find this subject amusing?’

Anger surged through her. ‘About as amusing as discovering that you seem to have a personal vendetta against me when we’ve never even met before.’

His face tightened, his expression growing even more formidable. ‘We didn’t need to meet before I knew exactly what sort of person you are. Your antics in the last half an hour have only confirmed it.’

‘Really? Would you care to share it with me or should I take a few wild guesses?’

‘You’ve barely scraped through into ski finals for the last few years because your work ethic is average at best. You’re more concerned with headlining in the tabloids with your extracurricular activities than putting in the hard work to secure yourself a position in the championships.’

She swallowed hard before her temper got the better of her. ‘I’ll have you know I was an under-twenty-one record holder for two years.’

‘But you haven’t placed higher than fifth in the last six years. Your position in the rankings has fallen in direct proportion to the rise of your notoriety. It doesn’t take a maths genius to work out where your true interests lie. Which is why I wonder why you even bother.’

Anger gave way to bewildered hurt, but Rebel locked in her emotions, determined not to show him how his words affected her. ‘I’m still at a loss as to how all of this or anything in my private life concerns you.’

‘If it concerns my client, it concerns me. Besides, it’s only a matter of time before your reckless actions have a direct impact on another athlete,’ he retorted pithily, his gaze boring harder into her, condemnation stamped in every pore.

Draco Angelis’ reaction was too strong for Rebel to believe his motivation stemmed from concern for his client alone. But she was too busy struggling not to react to the accusation of recklessness to pay it much heed.

The only thing Rebel wanted was to leave his office and his oppressive presence. She needed the head space to ponder exactly what her father was up to. And whether the money he’d sent her was indeed embezzled funds as her every instinct shrieked it was. The enormity of what that would mean struck cold dread inside her.

‘I think we’re done here, Mr Angelis. Rex Glow is no longer my sponsor, so I don’t have to listen to you or your groundless accusations about my life. If you choose to believe whatever nonsense you read in the papers, then that’s your problem, not mine.’

He made no move to stop her as she headed for the door. She knew why the moment she tried to pull it open and found it unyielding.

‘Open this door now.’

Cold steel eyes pinned her in place. ‘I’m not finished with you.’

‘But I am with you,’ she replied, a vein of panic rising in her belly. She rattled the door harder, but the reinforced glass didn’t budge an inch.

‘You can leave once you tell me where your father is hiding.’

She whirled at the hard demand. He was less than a foot from her, his stance even more imposing than before. His scent attacked her senses a second later, once again cutting a dangerous swathe through her thought processes.

The man wasn’t just a dangerous dragon. He was a precariously beautiful creature, his face and body an alluring, breathtaking combination designed to trap helpless prey.

Not that she was one!

‘Do you jump to conclusions about every single subject or are my father and I being singled out for special treatment?’

‘You think I want my company exposed to the fact that my CFO has embezzled from me?’

Renewed panic gripped her insides. ‘Where’s your proof that he has?’

‘The evidence isn’t concrete yet, but what I’ve found so far doesn’t look good. It’s only a matter of time before we trace where the funds ended up. His not answering my calls or emails doesn’t exactly look promising.’

‘What...what would you tell him if he answered?’

Draco’s narrowed eyes scoured her face. ‘He’s served me well for five years. I’d be prepared to listen to his explanations.’

‘Before throwing the book at him?’

‘You think I should let him go scot-free if he’s guilty?’

Her heart lurched. ‘Since we haven’t established that he’s done anything wrong, I think this is a moot point.’

‘Sadly, your poker face isn’t as flawless as you think. You know where he is. Tell me now and I’ll consider not pressing full charges.’

‘I don’t know where he is. I swear,’ Rebel answered.

Draco took the last step that separated them and grabbed her bare arm. The hand still clutching the door handle dropped as raw electricity raced across her skin. Intense tingling tightened her every cell, straining towards the point of contact with a severity that stole her breath. Her lips parted as she fought to get air into her lungs.

Above her, Draco inhaled sharply. The expression on his face reflected her bewilderment for a second before the cold façade slid back into place.

‘You may not know where he is, but you know something. I suggest you come clean now.’ He repeated his earlier threat.

Rebel shook her head. If her father had truly embezzled the money he’d deposited in her account from the Angel International Group, there was no way she could get it back. And right now, Rebel couldn’t be sure which was worse—confessing her suspicion of her father’s guilt, or informing Draco Angelis that she had used the funds to secure her place in the Verbier tournament. From Draco’s censorious reaction to her as an athlete, Rebel knew he wouldn’t hesitate to condemn her as an accessory to the crime and have her thrown in jail.

‘Arabella, this is your last chance.’

The sound of her name on his lips sent shafts of disconcerting fire through her belly. The sensation was so powerful it weakened her knees, and the secret place between her legs was dampening with each second his hand remained on her.

God, what was wrong with her? She’d heard her girlfriends confess to growing wobbly at the knees when some hot guy glanced their way at a nightclub. She’d secretly rolled her eyes at that implausible statement, knowing she’d never be one of those women. The shocking sensation ramming through her right now filled her with horror and more than a touch of anger.

She parted her lips, but Draco shook his head, his other hand rising to clamp her other arm.

‘Think carefully before you speak.’

She pulled in a deep, sustaining breath. ‘No,’ she stated firmly.

‘Just so we’re clear, to what exactly are you saying no?’ he breathed softly, dangerously.

Rebel ignored the warm breath washing over her face and raised her chin. ‘To answering any more of your stupid accusations. To being kept prisoner in this office. To you having your hands on me. No to everything. Now, let me go before I scream this place down.’

‘Scream all you want. This room is soundproof.’

‘How very convenient. Do you do this a lot, then?’ she taunted.

‘Do what?’ he sliced at her.

‘Drag women in here and hold them against their will?’

A muted curse in a language she didn’t understand spilled from his lips. ‘No woman has been in here who didn’t want to be.’

The images his words conjured up jarred her into squirming before she forced her muscles to lock tight. ‘So you admit to seducing women in your office during the workday?’