‘You’re lying to yourself if you believe that.”
She crossed her arms over the betraying rigid tips of her breasts and glared.
‘l’d rather go to bed with a sewer rat than with you, Salvatore Rafael di Vitale.”
His head jerked as if she’d hit him. She wished she had.
His next words totally shocked her because they were so calm.
‘ di Adamo needs several security upgrades before either you or he will be safe in the store and even with them neither of you should be here alone at any time.”
She fell back into her office chair, feeling the weight of her responsibilities too heavy to hold up any longer. Those upgrades even the basic security measure of having two people in the store at all times were not even pipe dreams.
‘l’m sure you’re right but nothing can be done.”
‘lt must be done.”
‘There is no money.”
Unmoved by that assertion, he said, ‘nevertheless, it must be done.”
Hadn’t he heard her? Or was it that to a man like Salvatore, whose family owned one of the most prestigious and sought-after security firms in the world the concept of not having any money did not compute? He being richer even than her father she supposed that was exactly the case.
‘We can’t.” She sighed and rubbed her eyes with her thumb and forefinger, for a moment not caring if her enemy saw this sign of weakness. She was so tired. assignor di Adamo is trying to hold on to the store for his grandson but it gets harder every year.”
‘The auction for the crown jewels will bring in funds.”
yes. A great deal of money that he needs very badly, but I don’t know if even that will be enough.
‘The security system isn’t the only thing needing improvement around here.”
She thought of the building’s leaky plumbing and dodgy wiring. It was old, original to the store’s inception. She shuddered to think of what sort of improvement di Adamo’s private apartments required.
‘I will take care of it.”
‘He won’t let you.” One of the things that had drawn her to the old man was his fierce sense of independence so like her own. His pride would never accept charity.
She said so, but Salvatore just shrugged. Not really a smile, the tiny tilt at the corner of his lips
reminded her of things she would rather forget.
‘I know how to work around a man’s pride.”
‘I don’t doubt it. You’re good at manipulating people.”
He shook his head.
‘I will not allow you to draw me into another argument cara.”
‘Idon’t want to argue with you.” It was true. The rage that had sprung up before was all but burned out. She just wanted him to be gone.
‘This is good.”
For a moment her mind could not comprehend what he had said until she realized she had only spoken aloud regarding not wanting to argue, not her desire for him to be gone.
‘I don’t want to see you at aII.”
‘We cannot have everything, dolcezza.”