Those dark eyes were large and dominated her face, but a swirl of actual gold around the irises gleamed with a hidden depth he bet most men never caught. A strong nose, chin, and defined cheekbones set off a mouth so soft and plump he wanted to spend hours just sucking and licking. The fact that she didn’t even accentuate them with lipstick made her mouth even more tempting.
She wore her clothes with the command of a woman who liked classic, expensive fashion and knew how to carry it off. Her long, lithe frame had set off the Vera Wang cream suit: the pencil skirt skimming her hips and hitting midcalf.
She had walked across the room with purpose in her bone leather pumps, as if her body were only along for the ride, and almost a separate entity. As if her mind and body were completely disconnected in a dueling battle. The thrust of her small, high br**sts under her suit jacket and the smooth peek of warm brown skin as she crossed her legs revved his body to immediate attention. Full staff. Thank God the desk was high, because wouldn’t that have been an embarrassing moment. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman turned him on by just walking into a room. Not since Carina.
The memory of Julietta’s younger sister flashed before him. Before his friend Max made his claim, he’d been fascinated by the earthy need and innocence Carina exuded in Vegas, but he realized immediately she was in love with Max. Never one to settle for second place, he’d let her go because she wasn’t meant for him. Not long term. Perhaps a brief affair, but she’d never look at him the way she did his friend. Sawyer was glad they were happily married after such a long journey. But even his reaction to Carina was a slight buzz compared to the roaring in his dick when Julietta entered the room.
Her fingers were strong, smooth, and trembled ever so slightly in his grip. She dominated the challenging conversation that most men wouldn’t have been able to follow, and she never lost her footing. yet when he’d made his comment about her being different from her family, she’d stiffened and pain had flared in her cocoa eyes.
Beneath that tight, buttoned-up demeanor was a tangle of passion, emotion, and mess. The best decision lay before him. Cancel the dinner. Back away from the deal. Move on.
A woman like Julietta had the power to wreck his concen-tration, screw with his business, and make his life miserable.
yet something pulled him to her. Twisted his insides with a raw need to strip her surface bare and make her face who she really was. The way she responded to his demand that she say his name spoke volumes. She had natural submissive tendencies, which intrigued his dominant side.
What would she be like in bed? Her mind was so bent on constant control, he bet she had a hard time focusing on the pleasures of her body.
He could teach her.
His blood pounded and heated through his veins. She wouldn’t be an easy match, though. She’d be one major pain in the ass. Did he have time for this now? His long-held dream of building his own hotel empire lay right before him. Tying her up in his business could prove risky. But damn, tying her up in any way, shape, or form was too f**king tempting.
Sawyer realized the past few years he’d been skimming the edges with women. He played at relationships to a point he wouldn’t know a real connection if it was advertised in blinding neon. Work had been his driving force for the past decade, and it remained his sole demanding mistress. His forays into pleasure were set ahead of time with ironclad rules. But many women slipped into clinginess and emotion he couldn’t handle, forcing him to end the relationship quickly. Julietta might be able to offer him a bit more depth, with the ability to keep business separate from pleasure.
Most women couldn’t handle the limitations.
He bet Julietta Conte handled any challenge thrown at her.
Sawyer tapped his finger against his lips and analyzed all the options. Such a delicate line to walk between business and pleasure. Snakes twisted in a pit beneath him, ready for even one misstep. She’d need to be handled with kid gloves at first, before he switched to the delicious sting of the whip. He needed to learn what drove her, what she hid, and how best to yank away years of barriers. Was it too risky, especially when he was about to unveil his dream and his only reason for survival all these years?
The answer coursed through him with a bone-deep knowledge he never questioned.
And he made the decision he’d wanted to from the moment he met her.
Chapter Three
Julietta glanced up: 4:58 p.m.
The papers were spread neatly in front of her on the conference table. The room was quiet, and just the hum of low chatter and ringing phones drifted in waves. She had informed the board. Spoken with the lawyers. Made a call to Michael. Pounded out numbers nonstop through the night and refused to sleep. And came up with one decision.
She’d be crazy not to take the deal.
It would be her opportunity to do something on a global scale for the company. Though she’d been acting Ceo, it had only been a few years ago she’d been given full control.
Her brother had true intentions but still kept the reins on her leadership role until he married Maggie and saw the error of his ways. Finally, she had leapt forward and started making deals on her own. When Michael had begun infil-trating top hotels in the States, Julietta had burned with the desire to push the bakery chain to a new level in Italy. She’d already conquered the street market, but she wanted to go after the hotels. The big ones. The failure of her last deal with The Palazzo still stung. She’d been completely prepared, and every pore of her body had craved a final deal.
She hated the simmering knowledge that The Palazzo’s ex-ecutive team didn’t believe a woman could give them what they desired. oh, in bed, yes. But in business?
No. Instead, they gave the deal to her competitor who boasted no vision and an Italian patriarch grandfather.
Julietta realized too late The Palazzo wanted full control over her. once they’d realized the little woman had a strong voice, they’d dropped her contract without another word.
But now she faced a resurrection of her dream. Sawyer’s contract could launch La Dolce Famiglia into the world of luxurious hotels.
There were risks, though. With an exclusive contract, she’d be unable to install any other bakeries. She’d be locked up with Purity, and if Sawyer failed, so would she.
The gamble lay before her in all shades of gray. excitement pulsed through her. When was the last time she’d gotten fired up about a deal? She desperately needed a challenge to focus on to launch her out of the current self-pity tour she hosted every evening. There was nothing better than a shot of adrenaline on a new contract.