“No, not with Alistair. And if Alice comes along?”
“What is so secret that Alistair can’t hear? I find this request extremely unusual.”
“Please, Sophia,” he insisted. “Lunch or tea. With Alice. You can set the date with her. I’m going to transfer the call to Alistair Connor.” Tavish was about to transfer the call, but his hand hovered for a second over the button and he returned to the phone. “Sophia, I’ll be waiting for your confirmation. Soon. Hold on, please.”
Which brother is more commanding? She asked her image in the mirror.
“Sophia, sweetheart, good morning. Did you sleep well? Did you have…good dreams?”
Alistair’s deep voice, full of sensual innuendo, reached deep down in Sophia’s belly, making her forget all she was supposed to say to him, as desire took control of her body and mind.
“Mmm, ah…” she moaned. And whispered a throaty, “Hi.” She heard him chuckling on the other side of the line. Goddamnit, Sophia. Mmm, ah…hi? Is this an intelligent or even coherent phrase? She pulled herself together and reprimanded him, “Alistair Connor. I’m not used to having men command my schedule.”
Alistair chuckled again. “I do hope so, mo chridhe. But, pray tell, who’s been ordering you around?”
“You.”
“Me?” His voice sounded genuinely surprised. “As if I could.”
“You tried to schedule an appointment with Dr. John Walter.”
“I didn’t try. I did it.” His voice had a dry tone. “I made an appointment for us. We talked about it.”
Sophia huffed. “Alistair, we talked about it, yes. But that was before my neck and thighs were covered with black-and-blue finger marks.”
He had no answer. A silence ensued on the line.
“Alistair?”
“I’m still here. And I’m listening. Go on,” he said in a drier voice.
Oh, damn. Damn. “I didn’t mean—”
“Oh, nae! You meant it. The thing is, Sophia, I don’t care if you are covered with pockmarks or bruises. You want to continue with our relationship, don’t you? So, we’re going to that appointment. Together. I’m sure John can handle a few black-and-blue marks.” The line at his end beeped. “Hold on for a second, please.”
Alistair didn’t wait for her answer and pressed down the button for the intercom, “Yes, MacKeenan? Quickly, please.”
“Mr. MacCraig, you asked me to confirm Dr. Walter’s appointment.”
“Aye. And?”
“Well, I just called and his secretary informed me that Dr. Walter won’t be able to see you at six, but he left a twelve-thirty appointment open for you and Mrs. Leibowitz. It’s his only available time. Today or tomorrow.”
“Confirm it for today, please. And inform Garrick I’ll be leaving at a quarter to eleven. Also, please, call Mary at Cartier. I want the matching ring for the Love bracelet I bought. And call Mr. Arkade about the Van Clef clip I had put aside last week. Send fresh white roses to Mrs. Leibowitz’s office and house. Make it a hundred…nae, two hundred. A hundred each. And ask for orange blossoms to be put among the roses. Ah, and MacKeenan, please, find a doll called Corolle. See if it needs batteries and if there are accessories available. Buy them all and send them to Miss Gabriela Leibowitz. I have all the cards ready. I’ll let you know as soon as I’m finished with this call so you can come get them.”
“Sir? Does Mary know Mrs. Leibowitz’s ring size?”
“Good question…hmm, ask for one size sixteen and one size seventeen. It’s probably one of them. Did you get all that, MacKeenan?”
“Yes, sir. Consider it done.”
“Thanks.” Alistair pushed down the button for Sophia’s call. “Sophia?”
“Yes, I’m still waiting, sire.”
Alistair smiled, he could almost see her bowing mockingly. Then he frowned at her petulant tone. Fuck, here I go again. “I’m sorry, Sophia. It was MacKeenan confirming our appointment with John. At mid—”
“Alistair Connor!” Sophia was aggravated. “Weren’t you listening to what I just told you?”
“Weren’t you listening to what I just told you?” he repeated her words, turning the question on her. When is she going to start complying with my wishes?
Oh, my God! What did I do to deserve this domineering man? She rolled her eyes heavenward.
“Sophia?”
“Yes, sire?” she taunted.
Keep mocking. “I’ll be waiting for you downstairs, at eleven-fifteen sharp. Don’t be late.” He hung up, with a wry smile on his face. Get used to obeying, Sophia!
Sophia’s mouth dropped open when she realized he had just hung up on her. Oh, no, Alistair Connor. You didn’t just do that. She yanked the door open and stormed into the office, saying out loud, “You’re so screwed, soooo screwed.”
Edward startled and looked up from the papers on his lap. “Who? Me?”
“Oh.” She halted mid-stride. She had forgotten Edward was waiting for her. “Oh, no, Edward. Of course, not you.” She looked at the blond man in front of her but saw a dark-haired green-eyed one instead. A slow dark grin appeared on her face.
“What did I do to deserve that awful smile?” He cocked his head and observed as she walked lithely to her leather chair without answering. “Sophia, you’re growing horns and a pointed tail. I’m almost afraid. What just happened?”
“Horns and a pointed tail?” she asked, absentminded.
“Yeah, you’re just missing goat hooves and the trident. You have that devilish look that scares the hell out of me. What’s happening?” he insisted.
Nothing.” She bared her teeth at him in a rictus. “Yet.” She singled out her iPhone from her Cartier bag and put it on vibrate mode and rested it against her iMac where she could easily see the screen.
Then she touched the intercom, slowly. “Sarah,” Sophia’s voice was sugar-coated, “I’ll only receive Gabriela’s calls from now on. Please, don’t transfer any others. And inform reception that if Mr. MacCraig comes here in person, he should be held downstairs for at least five minutes—no, make it ten—before being allowed to come up.” She turned her chair, facing her computer and selected her personal email account.
To: Handsome (
[email protected])
From: Sophia Santo (
[email protected])
Date: Monday, March 15th, 2010 at 09:54 p.m.
Subject: Dr. Walter’s appointment
To the Marquis of I’m-so-powerful-and-I-give-the-orders-amen!
Dear Sire,
I’m not going.
Have a good day.
Your humble servant,
S.
She bit her lip for a second before clicking on the ‘send’ button. She dusted off her hands and blinked innocently at Edward. “Where were we?”
His blue eyes were twinkling and he chortled. “Poor, poor MacCraig.”
She just smiled back at him and turned to the contract on her computer and started discussing it.
Chapter 2
The intercom buzzed and Sophia answered it, “Yes, Sarah?”
“Mr. MacCraig sent…ah…some flowers for you, Mrs. L. Shall I bring them in?”
“Sure, Sarah. I’ll open the door for you.” Sophia touched the remote on her iPhone and unlocked her door.
Edward smiled at Sophia. “How many e-mails and WhatsApp messages till now?”
“Just one e-mail and no messages,” she shrugged, disappointed. He was supposed to go nuts. What’s happening?
“Aren’t you curious, Sophia? Come on. Open it.”
“I’m not curious. No.” Liar.
“Liar,” he shot at her.
She flicked her eyes to her iMac and back to Edward, who smiled smugly at her. Control yourself, Sophia. Turning back to look at the contract, she asked, “Shall we continue?”
What’s taking Sarah so long?” Sophia murmured. “She knows I don’t like to leave my door unlocked.”
“Calm down, love. No need for panic,” Edward soothed, looking concer
ned at her. “You’re in a secure building with 24/7 surveillance and Steven and Zareb are just out—” He looked away from her face at the opening door, where short, thin Sarah was opening the door to a stern Steven and a smiling Zareb.
Both men were carrying the biggest crystal vase with long stemmed white roses mixed with orange blossoms and eucalyptus Sophia had ever seen.
Edward thinned his lips in a futile attempt to stop his laughter, but had to let go as he looked at Sophia’s astonished face.
“Has he bought all the white roses in London?” she asked Edward who just shrugged.
Her iPhone chose that moment to vibrate and her home number appeared on the screen.
“Yes?”
“Mamãe, Mamãe!” Gabriela’s excited shouts reached Edward as Sophia kept the phone away from her ear.
“Yes, my angel?”
“Co-ro-lle! Co-ro-lle!” Gabriela sang. “Just like he promised. She’s so lovely, Mama. And he sent a card for me and a hundred-million flowers. But I didn’t understand all the words. His handwriting is a little bit confusing, but it’s beautiful just like him.”
Sophia looked at Edward, amused.
He just laughed, “Poor, poor Sophia. Now, what?”
“Mamãe, Mamãe, can I take Corolle out of the box?”
Sophia shook her head, amused. “Yes, my love, you can. Why don’t you call Alistair and thank him for your doll?”
“I will. Can I ask him to have dinner with us tonight? Can I, Mama?”
Sophia sighed as she followed Sarah’s movements around the room arranging the huge vase, “Yes, Angel, you can.”
“And can I choose the food with Aisha? And can we have chocolate cake with ice cream for dessert? Can we use the dining room?” The little girl’s happiness was contagious.
“Yes, my dear. Just ask Lucy to call me afterward, okay?”
“Obrigada, Mamãe. Thank you. Are you going to arrive earlier to play with Corolle and me?”
“I can’t. But I’ll be there at five. And we can read Alistair’s card together.”
“Okay, Mamãe. Eu te amo.”
“I love you, too, my love.” Sophia hung up and, unbidden, her lips split open in a delighted smile.
“You’re sooo doomed, Sophia,” Edward chuckled. “I forgot who commands you. A tiny, blonde girl of almost four. And he knows it, too.”
She made a face at him and he shook a cream and dark-green card at her.
“This is for Mrs. Leibowitz. Shall we read it?”
“Aren’t we curious today, Mr. CEO?”
Edward just smiled, taking his time teasing Sophia.
London, March 15th, 2010
My dear Sophia,
I’ve never been so happy and you’re the reason for it. You have brought light back into my life.
I want to give you as much joy as you have given me these past months. And I’ll endeavor to accomplish this. I promise.
I was wrong when I said you were a sight to behold. You are much more. You are one of those special people who grace the Earth once in a while and having the pleasure of knowing you is incomparable.
I don’t want to behold you, I want to hold you in my arms. Forever.
I can’t wait to see you again. To love you again.
Yours,
Alistair Connor
“Sophia, you lucky girl. This is practically a proposal. ‘I want to hold you in my arms. Forever.’ So romantic.” He shook his head, smiling, “You should call—”
“No,” she interrupted him.
“No? Have you gone crazy?”
“I’m just setting boundaries. He’s too…sure of himself. He likes to give orders and if he thinks I’m going to do whatever he wants, he’s wrong. It’ll teach him to treat me like a partner, not like an employee. Let him suffer a bit. In the end, as everything in life, a relationship is about power. I will only cede, if he does too.” She smiled and wiggled her brows at him. “As things are, Edward, I have to give you some lessons. I’m unbeatable against these kinds of men.”
“Yeah, it seems so,” he mused, bobbing his head and looking at the flowers. “So many roses. I’ve never seen anything like it. And more at your house. Impressive.”
Her iPhone vibrated with a message from Alistair. She ignored the itch to grab the mobile and see what he had just texted her.
“So, what do you think of the contract?”
“It’s unbelievably favorable to us…” he paused and looked down at the paper in his hand and frowned. “How did Williams manage to fulfill all their environmental requirements?”
The cell phone vibrated again and again and again.
Sophia didn’t even glance at it as she discussed the new contract she was analyzing with Edward. “Do you—”
The intercom buzzed, interrupting her and she pressed down the button. “Yes, Sarah?”
“Mrs. L, I’m sorry to disturb you, but are you sure we have to keep Mr. MacCraig waiting for ten minutes in the lobby?” Sarah’s voice was worried. “Kathleen has just informed me he’s been pacing with furious strides.”
“Hmm. How long he has been waiting?”
“Five minutes, ma’am.”
Sophia’s face split in a naughty grin and she looked at Edward, asking, “So, what do you think?”
“Well, Imperatrix, it’s your call. I’d say he’s not a man to be trifled with.” Edward tilted his head to the side and a blond lock fell over his forehead.
“Send him up, Sarah, but keep him in my reception room. Tell him I’m busy and you can’t interrupt the meeting.” Sophia released the intercom and jumped from her chair, running to her bathroom.
Edward was too curious not to follow her.
“Edward, do you know what your problem is? Why your partners dump you so easily?” she asked, as she sprayed Sublime Vanille in her long, ink-black hair and brushed it.
“Please, tell me. What’s my problem?” Edward leaned on the doorjamb watching as Sophia put some mascara on her lashes and transparent gloss on her dark-red lips.
“You don’t keep things in the dark. You open up to easily. You tell them your secrets. Secrets aren’t supposed to be told.”
“And you, on the other hand, since Gabriel, have cloistered yourself and kept everyone out, afraid of loving again.” Edward immediately regretted his words as pain flickered in Sophia’s eyes and they filled with tears.
“It’s not true,” she whispered, the brush held in midair.
“It is and you know it. You are afraid. You’ve been hiding in this office since Gabriel died. You just work and work. You don’t go out. If not for Ethan Ashford’s insistence, your head would still be stuck in a hole in the ground.”
“I can’t afford to be found, Edward.”
“Who are you trying to fool, Sophia? Me? Yourself? Alberto has no proof, the Brazilian police won’t come after you without any evidence and the only missing criminal is probably still on the run, terrified of your wrath. You’re a young, lovely woman, with a big heart waiting to be filled again. You have to end this eternal mourning you’ve imposed on yourself.”
Sophia bent her head and bit her lip for a while, before whispering, “I went out with Ethan. I’m now with Alistair. I have moved on, Edward.”
“Maybe you’re starting to move on, my love. But to fully do it, you have to let the guilt go. Gabriel will always be an important part of your life. I don’t even want to imagine how difficult it is to move on, but a new love always helps. I can bet you will find it in MacCraig’s arms. He may be domineering and commanding, but everyone has flaws.” He pulled her out of the bathroom and directed her to the phone. “Call Sarah and ask her to let him in.” He curled his fingers under her chin to make her look at him, “Sophia, he’s not Gabriel.”
“I don’t care,” she shrugged. “If he’s not satisfied with me as I am, he can walk away.”
“So you say. You aren’t manipulative, Sophia. You’re trying to fool yourself because you are afraid of his intensity and of your f
eelings. Deep down here,” he lightly touched her heart with his index finger, “you like him, too.”
Sophia stared into Edward’s blue eyes and nodded, “I do. And I told him that it didn’t scare me. I lied,” she breathed. “I don’t want to risk losing everything again.”
“Therefore you decided to push away everyone that comes near your heart.”
She sighed, despondent. “My dear friend, I’m an ill-fated Midas. What I touch, doesn’t even turn to gold. It rots and dies.”
His blue eyes darkened. “That is the most idiotic thing that has ever left your lips.”
“Edward,” Sophia gripped his arms, her nails digging in the cloth of his suit, “I’ve killed—”
He shoved a hand over her mouth. “You did not! Stop saying that. It got out of control. I don’t need to remind you of that.”
“I should have imagined it was going to derail. You can’t negotiate with criminals. They died because of me, Edward.”
“It’s done. Forget it.”
“I can’t. I see their faces every night before I sleep. They haunt my dreams. I don’t know what I was thinking when I did it. I started a charitable institution. I’m a lawyer, for God’s sake. Revenge wouldn’t bring Gabriel back.”
“You’re doing what you can to redeem yourself. Their families are much better now than they were before. Their children go to good schools—”
“But…what about me, Edward?” Sophia’s beautiful eyes were shadowed by torment. “What about my conscience?”
Edward hugged her against his chest. “Sophia, love, only you can forgive yourself.”
Chapter 3
Don’t think about this anymore, Sophia. Promise me?”
“I’ll try,” she whispered.
Edward slowly released her from his arms and picked up the handset, touching Sarah’s intercom. “Sarah, inform Mr. MacCraig that Mrs. L’s meeting has ended, please. I’m opening the door.” He went to the door and just before he opened it, he looked at her. “Don’t be afraid to love again, Sophia.”