Too Cold To Love (5 page)

"I noticed. The likes of you ought to carry
a government health warning. I suggest you try tobe more careful in future. I
have no wish to spend half my married life mopping up after you."

"Then let me go. I can stay as your nanny.
Hell, I can even work in the office. Just don't make me…"

"Make you what,
pasticcino
?"

Elise fought back the tears once again as he
cupped her chin in his hand and tipped her head up to make her look at him.

"I can't marry you. You're asking too
much."

His face turned even frostier, if that was
possible.

"On the contrary, my darling." The
tone of his voice made the endearment feel like slap to her face. "You
can, and you will. I find myself in need of a wife, and I have no time, nor the
inclination, to find myself another one."

"But…"

"But nothing, you and I will rub along well
enough for now, and you'll want for nothing as long as you stick to the plan.
As for all those willing women you seem to think I have, I wouldn't make the
mistake of marrying one,I can assure you. This is a business deal. My
solicitors will hash out the details, and you
will
stick to it!"

"And what if I don't?"

The grip on her chin turned painful as he
brought his mouth down hard on hers. He forced his tongue inside her clenched
lips, branding her with an intensity and brutal ruthlessness that made Elise
cling to him for support, as he shifted his hands to her back side, lifting her
off the chair. He pinned her to the huge American-style fridge. The cool metal
surface on her back made Elise gasp. Marco deepened the kiss, grinding his hips
into hers, until she'd lost any ability for coherent thought and reacting
purely on instinct wrapped her legs round his back, eliciting a low groan from
Marco. Her heart went into overdrive; moisture soaked her panties, and his grip
on her grew painful, when she ground her hips into the hard, long ridge of his
cock, straining against the flies of his trousers. When he eventually broke the
kiss they were both breathing heavily, and his face was unreadable, his voice a
low, carefully controlled whisper that sent shivers down her spine.

"That would not be wise." And he
released her as abruptly as he'd grabbed her and stalked out of the kitchen.
Elise stood trembling like a leaf and wondering what that had been all about.

"Can I help you?"

Elise jumped at the efficient voice of the
middle-aged receptionist behind the desk of the airy foyer. She'd been so
engrossed in her musings about Marco she hadn't realised she had actually
wandered into the offices of the prestigious firm of solicitors. Elise suddenly
felt very grateful for Marco's order to dress up. She would have felt very out
of place in her favoured jeans in this place that reeked of success and money.

The receptionist looked at her expectantly.

"Urm, yes sorry. I have an appointment with
Robert Johnson I believe."

"Name?"

"Elise Donovan."

The receptionist frowned, looking through the
appointment book and then her computer screen. "No, I'm sorry. I do not
seem to have you here. Mr. Johnson is fully booked this morning. When was the
appointment for, please?"

Oh this was embarrassing. What was Marco playing
at? Elise pulled her phone out of her bag to check the message. Definitely said
11.00 am on here, and the large chrome clock on the wall behind the
receptionist stated it was almost that time now.

"It is supposed to be for eleven?"

"No, I'm sorry, Miss Donovan. Mr. Johnson
has another client booked at that time, and ah here he is now. Excuse me,
please."

The receptionist dismissed Elise, smiling behind
her, and Elise found herself grabbed by a strong arm as she made to leave.

"Denise, would you please tell Robert that
my fiancée and I are here."

Marco bent down to drop a kiss on Elise's
forehead, drawing her in closer to his side, and Elise had to smile at the
expression on the receptionist's face before she quickly recovered.

"Yes, of course. Miss Donovan, I am so
sorry. I didn't realise you were with Mr. Giovanni. Robert is ready for you,
Sir.Please go straight through."

"Did she keep you waiting? I will have
words if she did." Elise looked up at Marco's annoyed voice and
immediately wished she hadn't.

He'd had his hair cut short, making him look
even meaner. The expensive business suit clung to his broad shoulders, the deep
blue of his shirt bringing out the storm in his eyes as they focused on her,
before frowning towards the rapidly paling receptionist.

"No, no, she hasn't at all, Marco. My fault
entirely. I should have made it clear I was with you."

Elise smiled at the poor, terrified looking
woman, and her shoulders relaxed a tad, when Marco mumbled. "If you are
sure,
pasticcino."

"Yes, absolutely, Marco!"

He turned them around with one last menacing
glare towards reception, and before she could blink they were in a large
office, facing what she presumed to be the solicitor.

"Robert."

"Marco, good to see you. And you must be
Elise. Let me congratulate you on your impending marriage."

Robert Johnson's smile was kind and his handshake
firm.

"Cut the crap, Robert. This isn't a love
match, and you know that. Have you got the papers drawn up?"

"Yes, they're all prepared, Marco. But are
you sure about this?"

"I do not pay you for your opinion, Robert.
I pay you to get the job done. Will my marrying Elise ensure that my ex-wife
can't get her mitts on Mimi?"

Robert glanced towards Elise with an apologetic
smile before addressing Marco.

"Well, that depends on the hearing, but the
Private Investigator you hired has got more than enough ammunition for us. Your
marriage will ensure you are the stable parent, so, yes, it should be a
formality, but is all this really necessary? She hasn't tried to take Mimi
away, after all."

Marco jumped out of his seat, pacing the office
space with barely controlled fury.

"You bet it's necessary. I'm not taking any
chances for the bitch to get her claws into my child again. She's done too much
damage already, and I'm done paying her off. Let one of her lovers pay for her
for a change."

Oh my
. It seemed
Marco Giovanni hated his ex-wife even more then Elise had thought possible.
Whatever had the woman done to him?

"I want her destroyed, Robert. Do you hear
me? Drag her through whatever court you have to. Just get her out of mine and
Mimi's life forever."

Elise couldn't help it. She got up and put a
hand on Marco's arm. The pain in his eyes as he focused on her, took her breath
away, before he masked it behind a cynical smile.

"And just to make sure I am not making the
same mistake twice, give my fiancée her prenup to read. It will remind her what
will happen if she thinks she can cross me."

Chapter Six

"… et les Brochettes d'Agneau a la
Greque,silvous plait."

Elise smiled at the expression on Marco's face
as the waiter bowed to her.
"Tresbien, Madame."

"
Merci beaucoup, Garcon
."

Marco's banker, whomthey'd met up with for lunch
at the expensive French restaurant, laughed.

"Ah touché, Marco, the lady speaks French
it seems."

Marco smiled, his eyes never leaving Elise's
face. "My fiancée is full of surprises it seems, Henry."

"Oh I could never speak French.That all
just sounds so complicated. You must be terribly clever, Elise."

The auburn haired arm candy Marco's banker
arrived with giggled, and Elise suppressed a groan. It was going to be a long
lunch listening to the inane small talk of Candy.
Seriously Candy? What kind of a name was that?
Elise glanced at the
wedding ring on Henry the banker's finger and wondered if Mrs. Henry the banker
had any idea her husband was flaunting his mistress in one of his best client's
faces. Not that Marco took any notice of Candy's obvious assets.

Marco had informed herthat they were meeting his
banker for lunchafter Elise had signed that ridiculous prenup agreement. She
had almost flung it at Marco with a muttered, "There, I certainly don't
want your money."

His eyebrows had risen mockingly at her little
outburst.

"I'm expanding the business, and I'm in the
middle of hashing out the best deal. Knowing Henry, he will bring some piece of
fluff along to distract me, so you are my secret weapon. Make sure you pull
that dress down a bit lower when you meet him. Henry is a boob man."

Elise had been outraged. "Farming me off on
your business associates now, Marco Giovanni?"

Marco looked her up and down, the sudden heat in
his eyes making Elise swallow. "Hardly,
pasticcino.
He's allowed to
look, but if he as much as lays one finger on you he will need to see his
dentist."

The look on his face had been positively
dangerous, and Elise didn't doubt for one minute that he would follow through
on that threat.

Sure enough Henry zoomed in on her cleavage the
minute they were introduced, and right now he was once again staring at her
boobs whilst talking business to Marco. She met Marco's amused eyes over the
table, rolling her own as Candy droned in her ear about her dream to make it on
the
Playboy
cover.

"Why, your parents must be so proud of you,
Candy."

"Oh they so are. Do you know my dad bought
every cover of my latest glamour shoot that he could find in the village shop
and all the surrounding ones, too? He stashed them all somewhere. Isn't that
nice?"

Elise had a hard time keeping her face straight.

"In fact, he has done that with everything
I'm in. The minute it comes out he's right there buying the whole lot, but he
doesn't like me talking about it."

"I'm sure I cannot begin to imagine why,
Candy…"

Elise had to hide her twitching mouth behind her
napkin, and Marco's low chuckle did little to alleviate her mirth. A quick
glance across the table showed him watching her, genuine amusement in his eyes,
as he winked at her and turned his attention back to Henry.

She gave up trying not to laugh, especially when
the silly woman just laughed right along with her without knowing what she was
laughing at. Poor old Candy, she was nice enough, if not the brightest of
women. Elise sobered and made a real effort to include her in the conversation,
which earned her another long, considering look from Marco.

She breathed a sigh of relief when, a short
while later, Henry and his consort refused dessert and made an early exit. The
conversation between Marco and Henry had turned rather heated.

"Think about it, Henry, or the Giovanni may
have to look elsewhere for their banking," had been Marco's parting shot,
before he graciously bent over Candy's hand to kiss it, reducing her to a
giggling mess.

When Henry tried to do the same to Elise whilst
peering down her cleavage again she snatched her hand away. Marco's arms went
round her waist, drawing her in, his voice an angry whisper..

 
"Watch it, Henry." The older man
turned a nice shade of pink when Elise couldn't help herself to add.

"And in future, remember my face is up
here."

Marco's silent laughter vibrated against her
bare back. He kissed her lightly on the shoulder murmuring something in
Italian.

He was watching her now. They were alone
munching on their desserts.

"So, where did you learn French?"

"I spent a year working for a French
family. I had school French anyway, so that just helped."

"What made you take up nannying,
pasticcino
?"

His eyes were thoughtful, almost kind, as he
studied her across the table, and Elise almost forgot that this was just an act
.
Remember, Elise, that man is ruthless. Don't give anything away.

"Are you going to answer me?" he
asked.

Elise jumped as he took one of her hands in his.
His touch sent a spark of electricity tingling up her arm. It travelled down
her spine and finally settled low in her core. Her pussy clenched, and she
rubbed her thighs together to ease the delicious ache. Marco in this mood was
incredibly difficult to resist.

"Relax, I find myself interested to learn
more about the woman I'm going to marry tomorrow, especially after she has just
been so helpful."

"Helpful? I thought that didn't go
well?"

Marco's genuine smile lit up his features, and
Elise's heart missed a beat.
Oh my, the
man is gorgeous when he smiles like that.

"On the contrary, it went exactly like I
wanted it to go. He was too distracted by your assets to realise I was backing
him into a corner until it was too late. That's why he left early. I am fully
expecting a phone call later accepting all of my terms. All in all, I would say
it has been a very successful lunch."