will give you a ring. The rest is up to you.’ He thought of the large diamond ring he’d bought. Proof, if she needed it, that this whole scenario had been planned down to the last detail. But that was of no importance now; she’d agreed to the deal. He had her right where he wanted her.
As soon as he’d discovered her desperation to get the bracelet he’d done everything in his power to prevent her buying it privately, making a deal with the seller and then bidding for it all over again. It had cost him a fortune, but one he could easily stand, and he’d forced Bianca out into the open where he could snatch it away from her. It was his bargaining tool, but what he hadn’t been prepared for was just how badly she wanted it.
‘Up to me?’ Shocked, her blue eyes widened, sending his thoughts briefly off course again.
‘Yes. The sooner our engagement is known, the sooner you can gain my acceptance with the use of your family name.’
‘And that’s all it’s about?’ Her dark eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion and he wondered if he’d been too unguarded, let too much slip. It was a fine line he was walking between gaining all the information he could from her and telling her too much.
‘I am to attend a charity function this Friday and you will also attend—as my fiancée.’
‘So soon?’
‘I intend we are seen in public as a newly engaged couple as soon as possible.’
She inhaled deeply. ‘Very well. I agree but only for three months and not a day longer.’
‘You will also use your business connections to introduce me to those people who would be most influential in establishing my company here in New York.’ He pressed home the need to be accepted by society, which whilst being beneficial, it was not the main purpose for his deal. The main purpose was to extract information from Bianca about Dario Di Sione and the finer details of ICE, the company he intended to bring down.
She sighed as if bored with the whole discussion—or was it resigned to her fate? ‘I will also expect you to ensure our engagement is as public as possible and gains the interest of not only society, but the press, although I do have a few plans for that myself.’
‘So you want me to act the adoring fiancée in public, pose for the press at every opportunity and arrange a PR campaign that will launch you and your business into the heart of New York’s business world?’
‘That is exactly what I want, Bianca.’
BIANCA HADN’T HEARD from Liev since the day of the auction, but the idea that he had forgotten about their first public date this evening wasn’t a comfort she could afford. For the best part of the past week she’d looked at every other way possible to get out of the deal she’d been forced to accept, but nothing had presented itself. If she wanted the bracelet she didn’t have a choice.
Already photos of them leaving the auction and Liev’s high bid for the bracelet had caused a stir, alerting the gossip columns to a blooming romance. They’d speculated if the self-made Russian billionaire was the man to melt the sleeping heart of Bianca Di Sione, labouring hard on the fact that she’d not been seen out with male company for many years.
With no other way of getting the bracelet, Bianca knew she and Liev needed to be seen together again, and when they were, it would make the next piece of their engagement story. She stood at her apartment window, looking out over the city of New York as it basked in the sunshine of a July evening, willing Liev to arrive. She just wanted to get this evening over with.
He had chosen one of society’s biggest and most well-attended charity parties at which to parade her as his fiancée. Inside she was all nerves, wanting to do nothing other than run and hide, but outside, as ever, she was cool, calm and sophisticated. She’d hidden her vulnerabilities further with heavy eye make-up and dark lipstick—very much her preferred mask to hide behind.
The firm knock on her apartment door made her jump like a nervous kitten. That had to stop. There was no way she was going to allow Liev to see how anxious she really was. This was all just business, and the fact that it reminded her so starkly of her prom night had to be pushed aside; otherwise she’d never be able to put on the required act of adoration.
She picked up her clutch bag and headed for the front door, the silk of her dress sighing softly as she moved. At the door she took another deep breath, then looked out through the spyhole. Liev’s broad shoulders and hardened yet handsome face filled it. She drew in a sharp and ragged breath.
The way she reacted to him only made this more difficult. There had only been one other man who’d caused that kind of kick to her heart rate and he’d done nothing but humiliate her, betting with his friends he’d take her virginity the night of her prom. He hadn’t, but that night had only made her more determined to give it to the right man—and she hadn’t met him yet.
‘You can do this, Bianca. You have to,’ she whispered sternly, pushing back the past. She lifted her chin, put her shoulders back and pinned on a smile before opening the door.
Liev stood there in all his male glory, dressed in a tuxedo and looking so damn good she couldn’t drag her gaze from him. He in turn allowed his unconcealed scrutiny to travel down the length of the emerald green silk dress which clung seductively to her, before slowly moving back to her face.
She met his gaze with a haughty expression. ‘I trust this meets with your approval.’
He nodded and his cold grey eyes looked directly into hers as his superiority radiated off him in waves, irritating her further. ‘Yes. Exactly right.’
Bianca marvelled at the fact that he hadn’t actually dictated how she should dress, but then maybe even he had thought that was a step too far. She knew they would create a stunning couple and was certain they would end up in one of the celebrity magazines. But being seen and photographed with him was the easy part.
Tonight, if their sudden engagement wasn’t to be questioned by her family, she would have to act like a woman in love, swept away by Liev’s commanding presence. If one hint of their deal showed, Liev would find the doors he wanted opened slamming in his face and she would lose the one thing she just had to have.
‘But there is something missing.’
‘There is?’ She stumbled over her words again. What had she forgotten? She’d made sure every part of her act was right.
He stepped towards her, getting too close. From his inside jacket pocket he pulled out what could only be a ring box. Her heart turned over. The fake engagement ring.
‘You cannot truly be my fiancée without this.’
Cautiously she took the box from him. This had never been how she’d imagined the moment a man would propose. Their fingers brushed and her gaze shot up to meet his. The air around them sparked, as if a bolt of lightning had struck. He held her gaze as she glared angrily back at him.
She opened the box, trying to ignore the pounding of her heart, and gasped as a large diamond glittered expensively. ‘Where did you get this?’
‘Another auction. Like you, I have a liking for the finer things in life.’
She looked at the diamond glinting at her. ‘I can’t wear this.’
‘You can and you will.’ He took it from the box and lifted her hand, sliding the ring onto her finger in silence. She couldn’t help but watch and wish things were different.
The single large diamond which sparkled in the light as she moved was hardly going to go unnoticed this evening. By tomorrow morning, news of their engagement would be sweeping across the city and she still hadn’t found the courage to tell any of her family.
‘We should go.’ She had to move on from this moment and the crushed dreams it represented. Remember why she was doing it.
She