He fell silent, his gaze resting on her, still veiled. For a moment longer she did not move. Then she did.
She got to her feet.
‘I’m sorry you went to the trouble of drawing up that NDA I just signed, signor, because it won’t be necessary. I would never make any mention to anyone of this insane discussion!’
She made to turn, presumably to exit, but Salvatore was before her. He was on his feet, around his desk, blocking her way to the door.
‘Unusual it might be—insane it is not,’ he said tightly.
Her head swivelled. ‘It’s insane,’ she insisted.
He didn’t argue with her. He cut to the chase instead.
‘Whatever you or I choose to call it, I am prepared, should you agree to spend the next twelve months as my wife, to pay you a sum that will entirely clear the outstanding debt your ex imposed upon you.’
His eyes met hers. His were unreadable. Hers were not. They had widened, and in them was a mixture of disbelief and something quite different.
Salvatore stepped away. Behind the mask of his expression he was giving nothing away. But he knew from long business experience that he had hooked her.
‘Let us discuss this more fully,’ he invited, and gestured to the pair of leather sofas.
Jerkily, but obediently, Lana did as he’d bade.
Relief filled Salvatore. And more than that—anticipation. But that was for later. For now there was the matter of a marriage to be hammered out...
Lana’s head was reeling. Numbly, she sat herself down on one of the sofas, sinking down into its depths. Opposite her, on the other one, the man who had just offered, with a flick of his fingers, to lift her out of the bottomless financial pit Malcolm had so callously tossed her into did likewise, crossing one elegant leg over the other.
‘What I require from you is this,’ Salvatore Luchesi said.
He spoke in the brisk, impersonal tone he’d used since her arrival—which perhaps, she allowed, made it easier to cope with what he was saying...easier to forget that he’d once invited her to dinner, to an affair.
‘As soon as it can be arranged, we will undertake a legal marriage. After which you will return with me to Rome, where we will present to the world the appearance that we are normal married couple, following a whirlwind romance here in London.’ His voice tightened. ‘A wife at my side will dispose once and for all with the wishes of my business associate’s daughter and her father’s ambitions for closer financial involvement with me. I shall use the duration of our marriage to extricate myself from my various complex high-value joint ventures with him. Once that is accomplished...’ his eyes were holding hers, an intent expression in their dark depths ‘...our marriage can...and will...terminate.’
Lana said nothing, still trying to get her head around what he was saying. But he was speaking again.
‘At that point we will divorce, and you will receive, according to the prenuptial agreement you will sign before we marry, the sum of four hundred thousand pounds and any accruing interest.’
She swallowed, her head still reeling, and fought to get control of her blitzed thoughts.
This isn’t really a marriage—it’s a business deal, that’s all! A marriage for public consumption only. And when it’s over I get my debt paid for me.
And because of that—because he was going to pay off her mortgage for her—of course the marriage would be for show only...nothing else.
Something flickered inside her as if it were a little dart, piercing her.
Nothing else.
Her own words echoed in her head, that little dart piercing again. At their first encounter he’d invited her to dinner—to an affair. She’d turned him down.
Now all he wants is a business deal.
A business deal that would lift the crushing burden of debt from her.
‘Well?’ The single word fell from Salvatore Luchesi’s lips. ‘Do we proceed?
For a timeless moment Lana could not answer.
Then she did.