Bidding on the Billionaire (Bad Boys Billionaire Bachelors Club) (5 page)

Chapter 10

T
he next day Mandi and Diedre went to have
lunch together because everyone else was busy.  Mandi wasn’t exactly sure what
was going on, but she had a hunch that Diedre wanted to share something with
her.  Hopefully she didn’t think Mandi was a gold digger like Olivia had been. 
She didn’t even know if Sergio had ever taken Olivia to Rome and didn’t want to
ask.  Thoughts of her, someone who’d had Sergio’s heart and more, were like
poison in her thoughts, ruining what should be an exceptional adventure.  Of
course, having Sergio by her would have helped.

When
the waiter came over to take their order, Diedre asked him for a few minutes
and he quickly turned around.  Mandi was impressed, reflecting on how a waiter
in New York would treat a customer who said that.  They’d probably spit in their
food and make the service exceptionally lousy. Not in Italy though…the land of
gentle grace and reassuring patience.

“You
know, Mandi, this entire community owes so much to Sergio.  He has really made
a difference in so many people’s lives, stopping them from a life of despair
and tough times.”  Diedre’s eyes welled up with emotion as she spoke.

“What
did he do?” Mandi asked.  She knew Sergio was a good man and an excellent
business man, but she couldn’t really understand Diedre’s strong emotions that
came with her statement.

“The
Leon family has always been an aristocratic family and successful at business. 
However, they have always thought locally.  I saw this on a minor level when I
moved from southern Italy to marry Marcel.  The subtle differences in accent
and the way we presented ourselves was there and they didn’t understand it at
first…but that’s a story for a different day.”  Mandi smiled and Diedre
continued.  “Sergio brought everyone hope.  When he took over for the family
business it was in dire straits.  People were getting laid off from the factory
and it was very challenging for La Bella Donna to stay afloat.  There was so
much competition.  After Sergio’s father retired he took over the company and
brought new energy and perspective to it.  From that point on, what was slowly
dying began to quickly thrive.  That’s all a reflection of Sergio’s talents and
not only the family, but the town are so thankful to him for what’s he’s done. 
Sophia’s mother has never been a business woman.  She’s more of a socialite
like Sophia.”

Mandi
smiled.  She knew that Sergio was incredible, but the way Diedre talked about
him showed that he was a man of passion and dedication too.  “Thank you for
sharing that with me.  It means a lot, Diedre.  It really does.”  However,
mentioning Sophia’s name made her miss her best friend badly.  They didn’t get
to see each other as much as either would like, but they always managed to talk
every few days.

“Sergio
tells us that you and him are a couple.  You’re a lovely young lady and we
couldn’t be happier for the two of you.  How long have you been dating?”

Mandi gulped,
not knowing what to say.  Not only had Diedre surprised her with the statement,
but she didn’t feel comfortable lying to her.  She was saved in a nick of time. 
“Surprise,” a lively voice boomed out from behind her.  Mandi turned around and
saw Sergio standing there with Marcel, Frederic, and Angelica behind him.

“We
decided to come and join you all for lunch.  The maitre de is preparing a
larger table.  Hopefully we’re not intruding,” Sergio said.

Mandi didn’t
wait for Diedre to say anything and smiled grandly, truly feeling excited about
it.  “What a great surprise.  Lucky us!” 
So, we’re a couple, are we.  I
like it.

“Wonderful,”
Sergio said. 

“If
you’ll all excuse me for a moment.  I need to use the restroom,” Mandi said. 
She went to the rest room and pulled out her cell phone.  She suddenly had the
urge to hear Sophia’s voice and acknowledge that she’d arrived safely.

“Mandi,
I’m so glad to hear from you,” Sophia said when she picked up the phone.  “I
take it you arrived safe.”

“I
have and your family home, as well as your family, is just lovely.  They are
amazing.”

“Sergio
isn’t shoving you off on them to work, is he?” Sophia asked. 
She is too
perceptive at times,
Mandi thought.

“We’ve
only been here for a day and a half.  I can tell you that many people are
demanding of his time, but that makes sense since he is the CEO of a major
international fashion company.”

“Blah,
blah, blah.  Mandi, I need you to do me a favor and really make an effort for
Sergio to have some fun.  He cannot obsess about business and he needs to get
some spark back in his life.  And frankly, you do to.  I know you’ve had a
rough go of it lately, but before your mom got sick and you had to take over
the gallery you used to be the most positive person I’d ever met, letting
nothing hold you back from the joy of life.  You need this as much as Sergio
does.”

 “Have
I changed that much?”

“It’s
getting there, but I still see the real you in there,” Sophia commented.

“I’ll
do my best.  It’s hard to compete with a factory, a town, and an anniversary
celebration.”

“You
can do it.  Well, I’ve got to go.  Andre and I have an appointment with a
customer at the gallery in a few minutes and have got to prepare.”

“Okay,
love ya’.”

“Back
at you, Mandi.  Arrivederci.”

“Ciao,”
Mandi shot back, showing her limited grasp of the Italian language.

Just
like that Sophia had hung up, but her words lingered with Mandi. Sergio had
surprised her for lunch. Yes, his family was there, but it was still something
and a chance to be by Sergio, and hopefully alone with him by day’s end.

The
words that Sophia planted in Mandi’s ear helped her make one determination. 
This trip was a gift, one that welcomed her to go wild and go for it.  It
wasn’t the time to hold anything back because action was what was needed.  If
it didn’t work out at least she tried.  It wasn’t like she ran into Sergio on a
daily basis anyways. 

A
fantastic lunch of Italian style pizzas came and Mandi was having a wonderful
time. Mandi had always loved a great slice of za in New York, but Italian pizza
was so different. It was equally scrumptious but seemed more like something
besides pizza, maybe a flat bread or something.

Marcel
and Diedre opened up, sharing stories of Sergio’s youth, and even some funny
things that Sophia had done over the years. They really helped Mandi get to
know more about the Sergio that he didn’t easily show anyone else. It turned
out that Sergio and Sophia were the first descendents of the Leon family to be
born and raised in the States.  That fascinated Mandi, who really didn’t know
anything about her heritage. Her mom had once told her they were fourth
generation removed Germans, but there was no real documented history from back
in Germany available. Here, talking with this family, showed that they embraced
their history and it was a part of who they were through and through. She loved
it.

However,
when lunch was done things got even better. He said his goodbye’s and claimed he
was kidnapping Mandi to show her that he hadn’t abandoned her for work. Mandi
couldn’t believe it and in an instant all of her paranoia and fears that she’d
carried the day before and even that morning were gone—vanished!

“Are
you ready for some fun?” Sergio asked Mandi, taking her hand and guiding her
out to the parking lot where his beautiful Ferrari was parked.

“You
have time?” 
He has time.  Why are you asking?

“I
am making sure I have time,” Sergio responded, squeezing her hand as he spoke.

“That
must mean that everything is okay now with your work obligations.  That’s
great, Sergio.”

“It’s
under control.  These visits are always taxing on my time and there’s only so
much of me to go around.  It’s a rather huge juggling act, but I pulled out all
my tricks to ensure I could surprise you this afternoon.”

“I
like your tricks.”  Mandi smiled, feeling the tingles that Sergio seemed to
deliver her so masterfully travel through her body.

“Good. 
What I’m about to show you is something I did not create though, but I love it
as if it was.  It’s my favorite spot here.”

After
Sergio seated Mandi in the passenger seat of his car he walked around and sat
down in the driver’s seat.  Mandi looked at him and was in awe of his casual
eloquence.  He moved so effortlessly and was naturally sexy while doing so. 
Nothing was forced.  It just was.

“Where
are we going?”

“It’s
a surprise. I wish I could blindfold you, but I’m afraid that this vehicle is a
bit noticeable around town.”

“Blindfolding…now
that’s interesting,” Mandi replied, hoping she relayed a flirtatious tone that
showed what she was feeling at the moment. This was really cool and she was so
curious about where Sergio was taking her.

“You
have a surprising side that I hope to learn more about,” Sergio commented.

“Of
course that involves spending some time together,” Mandi said. It was bold, but
it was necessary.

“And
I plan on doing that, Mandi. I’m sorry that I shoved you off on my family, as
wonderful as they are.  I know that you want to spend time with me, not just
them.”

“You
have that correct, Sergio. I heard a lot of great things about you the past day
and a half though. Even though you weren’t around I feel like I know you a bit
better. It’s nice.”

“That’s
good. I doubt everyone would say nice things about me,” he rebutted.

Mandi
didn’t know what Sergio meant by that and she didn’t care. She was happy and
feeling sexy in the slick Ferrari heading toward the coastline. It was so
incredible.

A
small grove of olive trees was along the cliff, seeming most unusual to the
openness of the rest of the landscape and Sergio took a quick right, making his
way down the dirt path that was in between them.  It went about fifty feet and
then opened up again, revealing a hidden cliff with a view that was
breathtaking.

“Oh
my gosh, Sergio. It’s beautiful.”

“As
are you.”

Mandi
looked at Sergio, smiling softly. She was so thankful to have him to herself
and it really warmed her, making her more courageous for the potential they
had.  Or at least, to discover if there was any potential.

“I
was wondering…” Sergio began. Mandi could see that he was actually hesitant and
nervous. It was something that she’d never seen in him before with his high
level of confidence and directness.  “What do you say about us trying this
thing out…the arrangement we spoke about on the jet?”

“Here’s
what I think,” Mandi said. She leaned in and placed her hands around Sergio’s
neck, pulling him in closely. She began to kiss him passionately and he
responded right away.

Mandi’s
entire body was on alert, ready to accept any touch that Sergio had to offer
and longing for more. She was surprised when he pulled away and gently cusped
her head in his large masculine hands.  “You have gotten to me, Mandi Jenkins. 
Do you know that?”

“I’ve
been hoping, I’ll admit, Sergio Leon.”

“Ever
since our encounter on the jet I’ve been distracted and I don’t distract
easily.”

Mandi
mumbled, “I think you do.” She was leaning back in to kiss him again before he
could say another word and he didn’t resist her aggression either.  She wanted
this badly and it was not the time to talk herself out of indulging in what she
had been longing for to the point of insanity.

It
was tempting to go beyond kissing for Mandi, and she suspected for Sergio too. They
decided to hold off until they were in a place that was a bit more private. Sergio
surprised Mandi by pulling out a small plate of cheese and crackers, along with
a bottle of wine from their family’s private label and they sat down at the
edge of the cliff, their feet dangling over the rough ocean below.

“It
would be amazing to sketch this place. I wish I would have brought my
supplies,” Mandi commented. “Maybe we can come back.”

“For
you, anything, but for now I’d like to get back to Benvenuto.”

“For
anything in particular?” Mandi was temporarily jarred from her bliss, believing
Sergio had some sort of business to attend to. He hadn’t even answered his
telephone all afternoon.

“Yes,
something very particular. You’ll have to wait and see.”

Every
word Sergio said was perfect and Mandi couldn’t even believe how this day had
turned out.  What started out as a nice, but slightly disappointing day had
turned into a dream.  She felt like she was living the life of an adventurous
wonder woman who experienced amazing things all the time. Today, Mandi was the
wonder woman and she was loving it.

When
Sergio and Mandi were heading back to the villa, Mandi recalled what Diedre had
said to her at the restaurant about them being a couple, and she couldn’t
resist asking about it.  It was as good of a time as any by her estimations.

“When
Diedre and I were alone at the restaurant she mentioned something most
interesting,” Mandi began.

“Oh,
something about me growing up?”

“No,
something about us.”

“What’s
that?” Sergio asked, looking over toward Mandi.

“I’ll
tell you if you keep your eyes on the road.  This is one winding path and I am
very close to the edge of the cliff.”

Sergio
laughed. “Fine, I’ll try to keep my eyes off you, but you shouldn’t look so
damn sexy if you want that to happen.”

“Diedre
told me that you said we were a couple. I was just wondering why?”

“I
didn’t want to embarrass or compromise you, Mandi. Nothing more. You are
actually staying in my room right now.”