Elena blinked rapidly, trying to understand if one of the wealthiest and most ruthless men in L.A was trying to make such a proposal with her.
"I don't understand," she breathed. "You want me?""Yes," Andrea replied casually. "Are you always this slow to figure things out?""Are you talking about sex?""What else?" He said shrugging. "I want you to be my mistress in exchange for your father.""Is this some kind of test?""I don't do tests."Elena studied him for some seconds, sitting proudly behind his desk, in his beautifully tailored designer suit. He was dashingly handsome but she pushed the thoughts at the back of her mind immediately."Are you saying that you will keep my father out of prison if I sleep with you?" She asked."Yes."Elena was shocked by his revelation. Indeed, everyone had a price but Andrea's was nearly impossible to fulfill. "Don't you think that's wrong? Sleeping with me in exchange for my father?""We're two consenting adults. It's your choice to make, Elena." He said. "Most women will take the offer immediately.""Not everyone desires to be in your bed, Mr. Andrea." She bit back. "I am not one of the many women you sleep with. I have higher self-esteem."Andrea chuckled softly. "And that makes you even more desirable."Elena shook her head in disbelief. "Do you usually offer everyone who comes into this office sex? Do you just sleep with anyone you feel has no choice to make?""No," he rose to his feet. "Just you, Elena. Just you.""So, you're one of those men who love to desire what they can't have?"Andrea met her gaze briefly and felt the anger radiating from them. He was stunned and intrigued by her ability to resist him. No woman had ever done that. Everyone wanted to be in his bed. Everyone except Rocco's daughter who should have the greatest desire to be in his bed."I've never met anyone who I can't have," he told her truthfully. And he was right. In all his years, he had never had issues with women. Except with Elena."Well, you just met one and I will not sell my dignity to you." She said, almost gritting her teeth. Then she turned on her heel toward the door."Then your father will go to jail and I will make sure that he doesn't get bail." Andrea mustered and she froze, halfway to the door and turned back.Pure fury crashed through her as she stared gravely at him. She was torn between leaving to preserve her dignity or saving her father by doing what Andrea wanted.The idea of her father going to prison and suffering scared her and she could do anything to keep him out."Why are you doing this?" She asked, her voice shaking slightly."I am not doing anything, little one," he said. "Your father deserves to be punished. He deserves to rot in jail for stealing from me. No one does that!""And you've decided to punish his daughter too? To feed on my self-worth till I am worse than my father.""If you agree to be my mistress, I will withdraw the current charges against your father and ensure that no harm comes to him," Andrea said, swiveling in his seat. "So what do you think? Are you going to give it a thought?"Shivers ran down her spine as she ingested the words he spoke. He wanted her. Andrea Santino wanted her to be his mistress. Could he really want to have sex with her that much or he just desired to humiliate her more because of her father?Most women would be happy that they were made such an offer. But not her. She didn't want to be anyone's plaything but did she have a choice? Could she really say no when that was the only way to save her father?"What do I have to do as your mistress?" She asked, her naiveness written all over her face."Pleasing me," Andrea replied with a smug smile on his face."I don't know how to do that," she replied, hoping he would see that she was hopeless and offer her another condition."You'll learn how to please me," he told her. "I'll teach you the very things I love."Why couldn't he just give up, she thought to herself. She had never thought her visit to his penthouse would result in her making such a hard decision.She imagined what being his mistress would be like. She imagined taking her clothes off in front of him and cringed a little bit. She was attracted to him, of course, who wouldn't be? But she did not plan to lose her virginity that way.She knew a lot of people had sex without an emotional connection and never made it a big deal. But how could she do that? She intended to give her body and soul to the man she would love. Not the famous playboy and ruthless billionaire who wanted her body for pleasure."If sleeping with you for one night will save my father, then maybe I—""I don't intend to have you for one night, Elena." He said, cutting her off. "You'll be mine for as long as I want."His words dropped like a bomb to her aching heart. He wanted her for more than one night? He wanted to keep her for as long as he wanted.The realization of what he intended to do with her hit her like a bullet. In exchange for her father's freedom, she would become his prisoner. But this time, he would be her jailer. Locked up in his penthouse for his personal benefit.He was going to explore every inch of her body till he got tired of her. That was her fate if she decided to accept his terms. And if she didn't? How many years of freedom was her father going to lose? Would he make it out alive from prison? How would he endure all the years of being shut away from his family?She could save him. She could save her father by selling her body to the devil himself. She would become Andrea's mistress for as long as he wanted her."I want your answer now," Andrea said, snapping her out of her thoughts. "My lawyers are eager to put your father away. You need to make your decision quickly."With a fervent prayer that he would get tired of her quickly, Elena exhaled before speaking. "You've made me an offer I can't refuse.""I'm glad you see it that way.""But I have my terms if I am going to be your mistress.""I'll have my lawyer prepare a contract between us. I like to keep everything professional and ethical.""Good," Elena replied. "I guess we have a deal."With a smile on his face, Andrea rose from his seat. Then he walked over to Elena who was nearly trembling.Before she had the slightest idea of his intentions, he cupped her face gently and brought down his mouth to hers.Elena froze for the first ten seconds as a wild surge of heat rose within her. She had never felt anything as intoxicating as that moment.Slowly, Andrea lifted his head and their eyes locked. "I've wanted to do that since you walked in here. Elena Mario, you're like a drug and I might want too much of you."Elena stared at him, unable to say a word.Leaning away and walking back to his desk, he said, "I'll be in touch with you as soon as my lawyers prepare the contract. See you soon, Elena."Elena stared at Andrea with shock as he pulled away from the kiss. She couldn't believe he kissed her. She touched her lips slightly and shivered. Elena truly didn't believe he was going to kiss her. Not until she felt his mouth against her own. As he lowered his head to hers, she just stared up at him in shock.Then she felt his lips against hers, rough and hot, hard and sensual as silk. She gasped, closing her eyes as she felt the caress of his embrace like a thousand shards of light.When he finally pulled away, she sagged against him, dazed beneath the force of her own surrender.But Andrea just sat back against the seat as if he hadn’t just changed her whole world—forever.“Why...” she whispered, touching her tingling, bruised lips. “Why did you kiss me?”Andrea glanced back at her. “Oh, that?” He shrugged, then drawled, “I can barely call that a kiss."Elena had never thought of herself as a violent person. If anything, she was the type to hide and quiver from conflict. But at
Rocco slowly shook his distinguished head. "I’ll have nothing left, not even my independence.""Do you really care about wealth now? Don't you care about your life in jail?" Elena questioned her father anxiously. She had told him about her endeavors with Andrea, leaving out the part where she had to become his mistress to save him. She had only mentioned that he was willing to let him go if they became friends. She didn't know how her father would take the news that she was selling her freedom in exchange for his. Her family meant everything to her and she was willing to do anything to save them."I would say that I still have a good chance of being set free if they do not find any evidence"Elena frowned. "Andrea said that you confessed to your crimes. What did he mean by that? Your confession will stand against you in court.""I didn't confess to my crimes. He has no proof that I embezzled money from his company," Rocco reminded her. "That will give me a chance in court. Although m
The next day, Elena drove slowly to the nursery in the van. There was nothing more that she could do for her father at present, she thought unhappily. He was going to have to deal with the fact that his life was never going to be the same again, but that would take time. Her brow was pounding out her tension. Reasoning was a challenge when she felt as though the shock of recent events had set up a barrier between her and her family. She was still struggling to accept that, in the space of five days, her whole life had fallen down round her like a house of cards and with it the future that she had taken for granted. The city where she had lived from birth would no longer be her home. She would be barred from the gardens where she had grown up and happily worked whenever she had a moment free. The business she had labored so hard to build would pass on to a stranger and might not even survive. After all, the profit margins at the nursery were low and, with Andrea taking over her fat
"Why would almighty Andrea Santino be bothered over a phone call? Are you jealous by any chance?"Andrea scoffed. "I've never been jealous of anyone and that will certainly not change now.""Then, why do you ask about Michael?" She asked, strolling next to him but keeping a good distance. "Because once you're mine, I would hate to share you with anyone." He said, eyeing the distance between them. It irritated him that she didn't take delight in his presence. She was simply trying to keep her distance. Was he losing his touch or was she just different? It would be erotic to bend her to his will. To make her crave his existence and desire him greatly. "You say that like you don't see me as anything more than a plaything," Elena voiced. No man had ever expressed their desire for her like Andrea. But he only wanted her for selfish reasons. "You are a honorable woman, Elena." Andrea responded, and her eyes widened with shock. "You hardly know how much influence you can have over any ma
She was seriously ashamed of her own behaviour and the fact that she couldn't resist a man she met few hours ago. Violet had saved her from losing her virginity because she was sure she wouldn't have been able to push Andrea away. And she did not believe that Andrea Santino would have called a decent halt. He did what he liked when he liked. He had hauled her into his arms like a Viking on the rampage. He was violently oversexed. Those daunting truths had sunk in on her. Her mouth felt hot and swollen and she was afraid to look at him. "The gardens are a wasteland beyond the wall. There’s really not anything more to show you." She said, trying to steady her breath. "The ancestral mansion?" He asked. "Are you kicking me away so soon?"A few minutes later she came to a halt a hundred yards from the large shell of the Regency house where her mother had been born. Andrea kept stealing a glance at her and even as he stared at the house, she could feel his disapproval. "What’s the ins
Andrea settled his black gaze on the ugly little dog messily digging up the border behind her back. The dog with a foolish owner twisted round its short but crooked tail. No way was he prepared to share house-room even briefly with her pet. ‘He goes to the hotel. My staff will choose the very best available.’‘But if I’m not there he won’t eat—’‘Nonsense.’‘It’s not nonsense—’‘I’m not into animals indoors,’ Andrea pronounced with finality.Elena breathed in very deep and reminded herself that it was two years since Violet had starved himself to skin and bone while she was on holiday. The following year, Toby had helped her to get the little dog a pet passport so that he could travel with his mistress. But now it was very much to be hoped that he had got over such excessive reliance on her for his sense of security. She could feel her eyes prickling at the prospect of life without Violet and would have died sooner than betray her weakness. Andrea Santino would be fed up with her with
Four days later, Elena was in London. The morning after her arrival, she was met at her hotel by an elegant brunette in her thirties. A senior coordinator in Andrea Santino’s employ, it had been Josephine Carper who liaised with Elena on the phone and orchestrated all the arrangements to be made on her behalf.‘It’s my job to ensure that you enjoy a smooth transition to city life. You have a full programme of appointments today,’ Josephine trilled with a polished smile that displayed her perfect white teeth to advantage. ‘First on the agenda, I’ve organised a viewing of the property Mr Santino has selected for you.’A smooth transition? Elena could have wept at that useful little cover-all phrase that took no account of the drastic upheaval in her once tranquil daily existence. Only now that her contentment had been wrenched from her did she appreciate just how happy she had been pottering about with plants. The same day that Andrea had visited, her father had signed over all the prop
Elena bit down on her ready tongue. She was shocked to realise that she was trembling. Honesty obviously didn’t pay with him, she reflected uneasily. She had made him angry and she knew that wasn’t a good idea. She dared not say what she had almost said for fear of provoking him even more. But, in her opinion, the fancy trappings of a house in Chelsea would not alter the nature of the sexual transaction he had offered her and if a cheap hotel got the wretched business over with quickly she would have been the last to complain. False pride was not one of her problems.‘If it is my wish, you will live in a stonking great mansion even if it is only for five minutes. Is that understood?’ Andrea enquired in a chilling tone of finality.‘Yes,’ she conceded in a voice wiped clean of any expression or life.‘I have work to do. I’ll see you when I get back to London.’ Andrea set down the phone. He was furious with her. He had expected her to be overjoyed with the house. It had an award-winning