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The Spaniard's Pleasurable Vengeance
LUCY MONROE
His plan is merciless revengeHis method is sizzling pleasure!Ruthless tycoon Basilio Perez, famed for his familial loyalty, has a new target in sight. Miranda Smith is poised to bring the Perez name into disrepute – she must be stopped! But when he meets Miranda, Basilio is captivated by her innocence and shy appeal. To uncover Randi’s secrets, his plan for revenge becomes one of lingering, passionate seduction…that tests his iron control to the limit!
His plan is merciless revenge
His method is sizzling pleasure!
Ruthless tycoon Basilio Perez, famed for his familial loyalty, has a new target in sight. Miranda Smith is poised to bring the Perez name into disrepute—she must be stopped! But when he meets Miranda, Basilio is captivated by her shy appeal. To uncover Randi’s secrets, his plan for revenge becomes one of lingering, passionate seduction...that tests his iron control to the limit!
A classic tale of passion, revenge and redemption...
USA TODAY bestseller LUCY MONROE lives and writes in the gorgeous Pacific Northwest. While she loves her home, she delights in experiencing different cultures and places on her travels, which she happily shares with her readers through her books. A lifelong devotee of the romance genre, Lucy can’t imagine a more fulfilling career than writing the stories in her head for her readers to enjoy.
Also by Lucy Monroe (#u789dfcc6-03d2-56f6-83f3-94cdf48f0faa)
Heart of a Desert Warrior
Not Just the Greek’s Wife
Million-Dollar Christmas Proposal
Kostas’s Convenient Bride
By His Royal Decree miniseries
One Night Heir
Prince of Secrets
Ruthless Russians miniseries
An Heiress for His Empire
A Virgin for His Prize
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk).
The Spaniard’s Pleasurable Vengeance
Lucy Monroe
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-07262-5
The SPANIARD’S PLEASURABLE VENGEANCE
© 2018 Lucy Monroe
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
For my readers, because you’ve stuck with me
through the challenges that make writing so hard.
Your letters reminded me that my stories touched real
people’s hearts and that is why I write—so, thank
you! I am so grateful to each of you who picks up a
book and completes the circle of connection to me,
the author, and especially thankful for the readers
who have encouraged me through some of the most
difficult times in my life. I write for all of you.
Contents
Cover (#ud58d9287-0ea5-53c4-9c51-158a4ba502f0)
Back Cover Text (#u2db5fba7-b9d3-59df-ae81-4e37391d2a7f)
About the Author (#uc91a4c29-d300-57ff-b733-cf241bf8b3c7)
Booklist (#u4ee1928b-c56c-5d38-859c-fa701294ad84)
Title Page (#u598f4ed1-30a9-544d-a063-f2a5aa1e1e2c)
Copyright (#u90973f31-dc8f-50ec-b4d3-bdaee23d1e24)
Dedication (#u898a1c3b-633c-5404-8342-c77241c4dead)
PROLOGUE (#u9d811a99-8d4d-54aa-9b9e-4e6a37dd1207)
CHAPTER ONE (#u1b3e78b5-6716-5003-b635-ef65db4a12ee)
CHAPTER TWO (#ue0b783e3-e9d5-5c35-85bf-b0179aa8644a)
CHAPTER THREE (#uf53fc223-9d82-58b2-8e3f-b7436cdb16a4)
CHAPTER FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)
EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
PROLOGUE (#u789dfcc6-03d2-56f6-83f3-94cdf48f0faa)
“I DON’T NEED a damn appointment! I’m his sister, you cretin.” The sharp American accent and strident tone of Gracia’s voice reached Basilio through his partially closed office door.
The heavy door opened forcefully, slamming back against the rich paneling of his wall, but surprisingly, his administrative assistant made it into the office a step ahead of Basilio’s sister. “Sir, I’m sorry.” The distress at not holding her post was clear in his admin’s tone. “She refused to even wait for me to ascertain if you were still on your conference call.”
Gracia came storming around his admin at the same time as his executive assistant came rushing in from her annex office.
“What is going on in here?” Her hair in a severe chignon, her navy business suit immaculate, his fifty-year-old executive assistant could do freezing aristocratic disapproval better than even Basilio’s mother, who was actually the daughter of a count.
His admin immediately began apologizing again as he stood from his desk, giving his sister a look that would have made Basilio’s mother proud. Gracia halted in her approach to his desk, her annoyed expression morphing to one of consternation.
She gave the EA a moderately polite look before looking at Basilio with wariness. “It is a family emergency.”
Basilio merely waited in silence for more information.
His executive assistant wasn’t so patient. “I see, and there was no time for you to call and apprise us of your imminent arrival so we could clear your brother’s schedule on your drive from the airport?” Camila Lopez asked with clear censure.
Gracia looked between Basilio and his EA, her cheeks going pink. “I wasn’t thinking of calling. Only getting here.”
“And if Señor Perez had been away from the office?” Camila pressed with a single raised, perfectly shaped black eyebrow.
“I didn’t think of that.”
As amusing as he found his sister’s interaction with his executive assistant, Basilio did not have time for the entertainment. He did, in fact, have a very busy day.
“Thank you for your assistance and I will need the next thirty minutes for Gracia,” he said to both his admin and Camila. “See that we are not disturbed.”
“Of course, señor,” Camila said to him with just the right amount of deference before offering his sister a look that said clearly, she wasn’t worried about someone else interrupting.
Once the other two women had left his office, both doors through which they’d gone closed firmly behind them, Basilio indicated one of the chairs facing his desk. “Sit down, Gracia, and tell me what has you forcing your way past my admin.”
Gracia sank into the seat with more grace than her behavior had shown so far. “It really is a family emergency, Baz.”
For the family that so rarely remembered he was a member?
“Explain,” he demanded as he settled back into his own chair.
Gracia frowned at his tone. “You remember when that awful teenager hit little Jamie with her car?”
“I am unlikely to forget.” Five years before, his then four-year-old nephew had spent two weeks in a coma after being hit by a car while on an outing with his mother.
“Well, apparently, she changed her name and moved away from Southern California.”
“Unsurprising.” While Basilio had been in Spain at the time, saving his father’s company from bankruptcy, he knew that Miranda Weber had been vilified in the broadcast media and even worse on all the social media outlets.
“Yes, well. Some idiotic reporter found out who she is and is resurrecting the story.”
And this was the family emergency that she needed Basilio’s help with? When usually both Carlos and Gracia were happy to forget they were half siblings most of the time.
Putting aside his own sense of cynicism about their definition of family, Basilio said, “I can see where that would be emotionally difficult for Carlos and Tiffany.”
“Yes. It’s awful! And this time some fly-by-night morning gossip show wants to interview the girl. She’s all set to give them her side of the story.”
“She’s not a girl any longer, surely.” Miranda had been nineteen five years ago.
“Woman, then,” Gracia said dismissively. “She’ll go on television and lie. About our family!”
“Surely Carlos has PR people who can handle this.” Not to mention lawyers. If the woman lied in a public forum, they could bring a civil suit.
“You know he prefers you call him Carl.”
Yes, because it was less Spanish, letting him forget he ever had a father named Armand Perez. “That is what you want to discuss now?” Basilio asked, his voice dry.
“No, of course not.” Gracia wrung her hands. “It’s just you have to do something!”
“What do you imagine I can do that Carl and Tiffany cannot? They are not exactly without resources.” Carlos’s wife came from an old and wealthy East Coast family.
Basilio’s brother ran his stepfather’s business, one of respectable enough size to have public relations people on retainer. While Perez Holdings was much bigger and more successful now, that had not always been the case.
