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‘She has walked out, if that’s what you mean. Along with my bar manager, Max Rodriguez.’
‘Walked out?’
‘Si. Disappeared without a trace.’
‘Oh, God.’ Harper reached forward to grip the edge of the desk with hands that visibly shook. ‘Where has she gone?’
Vieri shrugged his lack of knowledge, watching her reaction closely.
‘You have no idea what might have happened to her?’
‘Not yet.’ He picked up some papers on his desk, tidying them into a pile. ‘But I intend to find out. And when I do, her troubles will be just beginning.’
‘Wh...what do you mean by that?’ Harper’s remarkable green-brown eyes widened.
‘I mean that I don’t take kindly to my employees disappearing off the face of the earth. Especially with thirty thousand dollars of my money.’
‘Thirty thousand dollars?’ Her hands flew to her mouth. ‘You mean Leah and this Max guy have stolen money from you?’
‘Your sister and I had a business arrangement, or so I thought. I made the mistake of paying her the first instalment up front. She has absconded with the money.’
‘No! Oh, I’m so sorry!’
She looked suitably shocked, enough to convince Vieri that she knew nothing about it, but he noted with interest that she didn’t challenge the facts.
‘She will be too, believe me.’
He leant back in his chair. Much as he blamed Leah for her devious deceit, most of his fury was directed at himself. How could he have been so stupid as to fall for her sob story and give her the payment in advance? All that garbage about needing the money straight away to send back home to her family, for her father who was struggling to keep his job. It smarted like a smack in the face. Not the thirty thousand dollars—he didn’t give a damn about that. If she had had the guts to ask him outright for the money he might well have given it to her. But the fact was that he, Vieri Romano, billionaire businessman, international tycoon, a man both revered and feared in the corporate world, had been taken for a fool. By a woman. Something he had sworn would never happen again.
But Leah McDonald had caught him at a low point, when his defences had been down. And what had seemed like a good idea at the time, the ideal solution in fact, had now spectacularly backfired.
He had been drinking in the club one evening, uncharacteristically feeling the need to drown his sorrows after the news he had received earlier that day. Leah had been his waitress. She had been attentive but discreet, just the way he liked his staff to be. On another night he might have made a mental note to congratulate the management on their staff training. But tonight, to his surprise, he found he just wanted to talk. And so he had, sharing a quiet booth and a bottle of Scotch, appropriately enough, with this bright-eyed Scottish woman. With her soothing encouragement he had told her about his godfather, the man who meant more to Vieri than anyone else in the world. The only person who meant anything to him. How he had received an email from the man that morning, confirming Vieri’s worst fears. His godfather was dying. It was just a matter of time.
Had he left it there no harm would have been done. He would have gone home to continue his drinking and Leah would have pocketed a handsome tip, just another night and another guy offloading his troubles. Even if this time the guy was the boss. But something about her gentle voice had drawn him in, made him go further, and he had found himself telling her about the last time he had seen his godfather, the heart-to-heart they had had. How Alfonso had revealed to him what he had suspected at the time and now knew for sure, his dying wish. To see Vieri settled. With a wife. A family. The one thing Vieri had never had. Nor ever would have.
And Leah’s response had been remarkably practical. If that was his godfather’s last wish then it had to be accomplished. It was Vieri’s duty. She had been quite adamant about it. If there were no genuine contenders for the role of fiancée, then he would have to find somebody, pay someone if necessary. Anything to make his godfather happy.
And to Vieri’s surprise he found himself wondering if maybe this young woman was right. Maybe that was the solution. He had always made his godfather proud, he didn’t doubt that, but this was different. This was about happiness. Something that for all his wealth and success Vieri had never fully understood. But he did know that if there was any way of fulfilling his godfather’s dying wish, he would give it a go. Even if it meant a bit of subterfuge.
And so, by the time he had savoured the last of the peaty whisky at the bottom of his glass, the deal had been struck. Leah needed money and he needed a fake fiancée. In return for a down payment of thirty thousand dollars, Leah would pretend to be engaged to him for a couple of months, or for as long as it took. At the time, his alcohol-soaked brain had thought it the ideal solution. A way of making his godfather happy that didn’t involve messy emotions. The potentially insoluble problem had suddenly shaped into something that he could control, something he understood better than anything else—a business deal.
But that was then. No sooner had Vieri paid the money into Leah’s account than she had absconded. But, crucially, not before he had announced to his delighted godfather that he had taken his advice. That his wish had been granted and Vieri would be introducing him to his fiancée in the very near future.
Now he was left with a problem. When security had alerted him that Leah was back he had made the short journey from his offices in Midtown Manhattan, determined to have it out with her, to make her honour the deal. But the defiant young woman perched on the seat before him wasn’t Leah McDonald and he was no closer to solving the infuriating situation.
Or was he? Harper McDonald said she had no idea where Leah was and he believed her. But maybe she could help him in another way.
Vieri coldly assessed the twin sister in front of him, his eyes narrowing as he waited for common sense to veto the crazy idea that had popped into his mind. Because it was crazy, wasn’t it?
‘So what do you intend to do?’ Harper’s anxious voice cut through his thoughts. ‘About Leah, I mean. Have you involved the police?’
‘Not yet. I prefer to deal with these things in my own way. For the time being at least.’ He drummed his fingers meaningfully on the desk.
It had the desired effect. He saw her swallow hard, her imagination no doubt running away with her. Well, he wasn’t going to try and stop it. For the time being it would suit his purposes to let her fear him. The fact that he abhorred physical violence and had striven to eradicate any organised crime from his establishments was of no consequence.
‘Look, I can help you find her.’ Like a fish on a hook, Harper squirmed about, trying to come up with something that would appease him. ‘And I’ll pay the money back myself if I have to. All of it.’
‘And how exactly will you do that?’ Vieri regarded her coolly. ‘From what Leah tells me, your family are destitute.’
He saw the flush creep up her neck. ‘She had no right to say such a thing!’
‘So it’s not true? Paying back thirty thousand dollars won’t be a problem?’
‘Well, of course it will a problem, the same as it would be for any normal family. But that doesn’t mean I won’t do it.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes, really.’ She pushed her hair away from her heated face. ‘I could work here, for example, for free, I mean.’
‘I think one McDonald sister working in this establishment was more than enough, thank you.’ Sarcasm scored his words.
‘Well, some other job, then. I’m practical and capable and a fast learner. I’ll do anything. I just need a bit of time and the chance to try and find Leah myself.’
‘Anything, you say?’
‘Yes.’ Sheer determination was written all over her pretty face.
‘In that case maybe there is something you could help me with.’ He deliberately held her gaze. ‘You could honour the commitment made by your sister.’
‘Yes, of course.’ She blinked, thick lashes sweeping low over those wide hazel eyes. ‘What is it?’
A beat of silence hung in the air.
‘To become my fiancée.’
CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_6961b32b-afdc-5b85-a2ba-49e3fe83c5e3)
‘YOUR FIANCÉE?’
The word sounded just as ridiculous when choked from Harper’s closing throat as it had done uttered from Vieri’s now purposefully drawn lips.
‘Si, that is correct.’
‘You want me to marry you?’
‘No.’ He gave a harsh laugh. ‘I can assure you it won’t come to that.’
‘What, then? I don’t understand.’
‘Your sister and I made a deal. In return for a generous payment she agreed to play the part of my fiancée for a limited period of time. It’s really not that complicated.’
Not to him maybe, or her loony sister. But Harper was certainly struggling with the concept. ‘But why? And what does limited mean?’
‘In answer to your first question, in order to please my godfather. And as for the second, it will just be for a matter of weeks, months at the most.’ He paused and took a breath. ‘My godfather is dying.’
‘Oh.’ Harper could see the pain in Vieri’s eyes. ‘I’m so sorry.’
Vieri shrugged. ‘His last wish is for me to settle down, take a wife, start a family. I would like to be able to fulfil that wish, in part at least.’
‘But how? I mean, if it’s just a lie...surely that wouldn’t be right?’
‘I prefer to think of it as a small deception.’
Harper frowned. It still sounded like a lie to her. ‘And Leah agreed to this?’ She didn’t know why she was bothering to ask. It was just the sort of madcap idea that her sister would leap at.
‘Actually, it was her idea.’
That figured.
‘So what exactly is the deal? What did Leah sign up for?’ She swallowed hard, bracing herself for the answer, a kick of dread in her stomach. Thirty thousand dollars was a huge sum of money. And had she heard him say that was the first instalment? But she knew Leah—she could have agreed to just about anything for such riches. An anything that Harper herself might now have to honour. It was a terrifying thought.
‘Flying to Sicily, meeting my godfather, acting like the doting fiancée.’
Harper nervously chewed her fingernail, waiting for more information.
‘It may entail several visits, maybe some lengthier stays. I would like to spend as much time with him as possible.’
‘I see.’ A tight silence fell between them as Harper tried to get to grips with this. ‘Go on.’
‘That’s it. The arrangement between Leah and myself was left deliberately fluid.’
Deliberately fluid? What the hell did that mean? Faced with this formidably handsome man, Harper found her thoughts flying in some very surprising directions. Reining herself in, she stared at him primly. ‘Obviously before I agree to anything I need to know what else would be expected of me.’
Vieri made a low noise in his throat. ‘If you mean will you have to share my bed, then the answer is no.’ His dark, mocking gaze slashed across her hot cheeks. ‘I am not in the habit of paying women to sleep with me.’
‘No, of course not.’ Harper hurriedly tried to erase the erotic image of being in Vieri’s bed. ‘Anyway, I know my sister would never have agreed to such a thing.’ That had to be true. Didn’t it? ‘And neither would I, to be clear.’
Argh. Why didn’t she stop digging and shut up?
‘I’m very pleased to hear it.’ His deep blue gaze slid over her. ‘So, do we have a deal? Are you prepared to take on your sister’s debt?’
‘I don’t know.’ Still Harper hesitated. ‘If I did, what would happen about Leah?’
‘I would have no further interest in her.’
If Harper had thought his bald statement would be a comfort, she was wrong. Suddenly the idea that Vieri Romano had lost all interest in her sister worried her almost as much as the thought of him hounding her. She didn’t know how to start tracking Leah down, whereas Vieri knew people; he would have contacts, resources at his disposal.
‘But what about this Rodriguez guy? You must want to speak to him?’ A sudden spark of hope mixed with fear lit inside her. ‘He might be the one responsible for stealing your money. He might have kidnapped Leah.’
‘Unlikely. From the little I saw of your sister she didn’t look like kidnap material.’
‘And what exactly does kidnap material look like?’ Harper indignantly challenged the idea that no one would want to kidnap Leah, and, by association, her too.
‘Heiresses, high-profile celebrities, children of the filthy rich.’
Clearly the McDonald sisters were none of those things.
‘Well, there’s the thirty thousand dollars. Rodriguez might have somehow lured Leah away to try and get his hands on that.’
‘Possible, though unlikely. Rodriguez has been working as a bar manager here for some time, having access to large sums of money every night of the week. There’s never been any suggestion that he’s stolen from us before. My guess is that, if anything, your sister has lured him away. Though I’ve no idea why.’
Neither did Harper. But right now she didn’t have the capacity to try and work it out.
‘But you are right.’ Ruthlessly, Vieri continued. ‘If a member of my staff walks out with no warning, regardless of the circumstances, I make it my business to investigate. I will find Rodriguez. And if your sister is still with him, then I will see that she is returned to her family.’
‘Without involving the police?’
‘I see no reason to contact the police.’
‘Or violence. I would hate to think anyone would get hurt.’
Rising to his feet, Vieri walked around the desk until he was standing in front of her, towering over her, all formidable dark presence.
‘I think perhaps I need to make a few things clear, Ms McDonald.’ He locked eyes with hers, the dark intensity of his words matched by the stark angles of his handsome face. ‘I will deal with this incident as I see fit. I make the decisions. I make the rules. You should consider yourself extremely fortunate that you have this opportunity to prevent Leah from a possible prison sentence.’
Fortunate? That was not a word Harper would use to describe herself right now. Her head was spinning with the shock and sheer enormity of what was being asked of her. But what choice did she have?
‘So what do you say?’ Vieri fixed her with a punishing stare. ‘Are you prepared to go along with my plan to save your sister’s skin?’
Harper looked away, balling her hands into fists. Right now she would like to flay Leah herself, string her up and set about her, make her see what a completely stupid, totally irresponsible person she was. But Leah was her sister, her twin, almost a part of her. Of course she would save her—she would do anything to keep her safe, to protect her. It was what she had been doing the whole of their lives. Because Harper was the older twin, the sensible one, the healthy one. The one that shouldered the responsibility, took charge, tried to make everything right. Which in this case meant temporarily shackling herself to this shockingly attractive but coldly calculating man.
‘Yes.’ Her voice came out as little more than a whisper but as she raised her eyes to meet Vieri’s she saw the look of satisfaction reflected in his midnight stare. Her fate had been sealed.
* * *
Harper peered through the window as the island of Sicily came into view, its iconic position off the toe of Italy’s boot clearly visible from the air. As Vieri’s private jet started to descend she craned her neck for a better look, taking in the rivers and the mountains, the clumps of towns and cities and, the most amazing of all, Mount Etna, shrouded in snow but puffing out a stream of smoke in welcome.
She had only ever been abroad once before, a bargain break holiday to the Costa del Sol in Spain when she was nineteen. Which might have been fun if she hadn’t ended up trailing around after Leah trying to keep her out of trouble.
And nothing had changed. Here she was again, still trying to sort one of her sister’s messes. But this time it was serious, really serious. Leah had stolen a large sum of money and Harper didn’t doubt that if Vieri decided to press charges she could well go to prison.
Which was why she’d had no choice but to put her own life on hold and climb into Vieri’s private jet to be flown back across the world to take part in this hateful little charade. She could kill Leah. She really could.
And it had all happened ridiculously fast—less than twenty-four hours had passed since she had first set foot in Spectrum nightclub. Once she had agreed to go along with the plan Vieri had leapt into action, insisting on sending a car to pick up Harper’s suitcase from the hostel she had checked into earlier, refusing to even let her go with it. No doubt he was worried that if he let her out of his sight she would abscond—just like her sister. So now here she was, thousands of miles away, about to embark on a crazy deception.
It had been a long flight, starting in the small hours of the morning, and even though Harper had been shown to a sumptuous bedroom she had found sleep impossible, eventually venturing into the lounge area, where Vieri had been immersed in work, the light from the screen of his laptop suffusing his handsome face with an eerie glow. He had shown no interest in conversing with her so instead she had scrolled through the movies on the wide-screen television, in the hope of finding something to take her mind off things. Which was impossible. How was she supposed to divert herself from the mad reality of what she was doing? Pitching up with a man who was almost a total stranger and pretending to be his fiancée.
But it was happening. As the plane landed she looked across at her ‘fiancé’, watching as he closed his laptop, unbuckled his seat belt and drew himself up to his full height. He shrugged on a dark cashmere coat, then ushered her down the steps of the plane and across the tarmac to the waiting car.
