A Mistress, a Scandal, a Ring

Jordan pulled her chin back and blinked. ‘Really?’

Her patent disbelief earned her a look of wounded affront.

‘You think I’m a cold, heartless boss who knows nothing about his employees?’

When she hesitated a second too long his eyes narrowed and his voice turned low and silky.

‘I see I shall have to disabuse you of some of your erroneous notions later tonight.’

Laughter rose in her throat then, and her pulse skipped in her veins. This lighter, teasing side of Xavier never failed to surprise and delight her.

The fact that neither of them had yet broached the question of what would happen when they returned to Barcelona tomorrow was something she chose not to think about just now.

‘So naturally you’ve given them both some time off so they can celebrate?’ she challenged.

‘Sí. Along with first-class air tickets to Berlin to see their daughter and son-in-law.’

Suddenly her insides went a little mushy. ‘Rosa didn’t mention you were doing that.’

‘She doesn’t know. Alfonso is surprising her. He came to me a few months ago, without Rosa’s knowledge, to discuss the two of them having some time off. They haven’t seen their daughter in a long time and he wanted to take Rosa to Germany for their anniversary. I agreed to the time off on the proviso that he allow me to pay their airfares.’

Ridiculously, her eyes welled. ‘Oh, Xavier. That...that’s such a lovely thing to do.’

He shrugged. ‘They’ve given me ten years of loyal service. It is something small I can do to show my appreciation.’

Only a billionaire would dismiss such a gesture as ‘small’. She swallowed down the silly lump in her throat. It was difficult to reconcile the man in front of her—a man who clearly had a generous heart buried inside that impressive chest of his—with the one who’d expressed such cold, clinical views about love and marriage.

What could possibly have happened to him to make him so cynical?

Quelling her curiosity, she asked, ‘When are they going?’

‘Tomorrow. For ten days.’

‘Ten days without Rosa’s cooking? That’s a lot of takeout,’ she teased.

He twisted the stem of his wine glass between his thumb and forefinger. ‘Stay,’ he said suddenly, fixing his gaze on hers.

Her heart stalled for a moment, then took off at a frantic pace.

‘While Rosa and Alfonso are away?’

‘Sí.’

She willed her pulse-rate to calm. For a split second she’d thought—

‘I’ll take you to Mallorca over the weekend,’ he said. ‘And London the following weekend.’

Her heart sank a tiny bit. She thought of the private jet they’d flown in, of his luxury homes in Barcelona and Madrid, then tried to imagine the sort of opulent place they would stay in Mallorca or London. Was this the kind of incentive he thought would keep her in his bed for another week? The promise of free luxury travel and swanky accommodation?

He didn’t know her at all. If he did he’d know she would settle for the promise of something far simpler and less expensive—like a whole uninterrupted day with him. A whole twenty-four hours with no work, no phone calls, no emails... Nothing but him and her, talking, teasing, getting to know one another...making love.

She looked down, twirling her glass between her hands. Maybe the high life was what wealthy men expected their mistresses to demand.

Mistresses.

Ugh. Was that what this fling, or affair, or whatever you called it, made her? A rich man’s mistress?

‘I’m not sure,’ she said, lifting her gaze and accidentally catching the eye of the man she’d noticed earlier. She quickly looked away and focused on Xavier. ‘Let me think about it.’