The Italian's Bedroom Deal Read Free Page B

software product now,” she explained. “Definitely not as interesting as the French mystery.”
     
    “How many languages do you speak?” he asked, twirling her under his arm gracefully.
     
    Clarissa’s heartbeat increased. How could such a large man be so wonderful of a dancer? He should be clumsy and awkward but he managed to lead her through all the steps as if he were born on the dance floor.
     
    “I speak three, not including English but my forte is French.”
     
    “Italian?” he suggested, speaking of his mother tongue.
     
    She smiled brightly. “Not yet but I’m going to learn it.”
     
    “Belissimo,” he replied, his voice coming over her skin like a piece of rich satin. His eyes were looking at her as if she’d accomplished something magnificent instead of only language translations. She didn’t understand this man, but that only made her more determined. He was the one, she thought to herself.
     
    Max stared down at the incredibly soft beauty in his arms and almost had to grit his teeth. Did she have any idea how lovely she looked when she smiled? Her full, pink lips were any man’s dream. He’d had many fantasies about them and he had to stop. That kind of thinking would be bad. It wasn’t appropriate to think of this delicate woman like that. She should be protected and cared for. Not lusted after.
     
    “I saw that the merger with Lexor is about to be finalized. I’m impressed. How did you get them to agree to your offer?” she asked, her soft, pretty blue eyes encouraging him to talk.
     
    This woman continued to surprise him. No other woman of his acquaintance would follow the business news except to ensure that he was still rated number one on the richest men in the world list. Yet this tiny, delicate beauty knew of his recent acquisition. He had to resist her lures. She was not the type to dally and he had too much respect for her to even think along those lines.
     
    “The merger is now final. That was one of the reasons I was late. The news will be in the papers tomorrow morning,” he said softly, unable to stop himself when he pulled her closer. There were still several inches between them, but he justified his actions by looking around and seeing other couples that were not as considerate, bumping into others. No one would harm this woman, he thought to himself.
     
    She laughed softly. “You bought them out, didn’t you?”
     
    His eyes smiled down at her. “Why do you say that?”
     
    “Because a year ago, Lexor Pharmaceuticals vowed they would never be bought out. The CEO swore that they had enough cash to handle any hostile takeovers. And here you are,” she said proudly, “the new owner of a multi-billion dollar corporation. And yet, this holding represents only a small portion of your current empire. How did you do it so quickly?” she asked, genuinely curious.
     
    Max shrugged and spun her around. “Some would say luck.”
     
    Clarissa stared up at this handsome, dynamic man for a long moment. Then shook her head, her long, brown curls teasing his hand on her back unknowingly. “No. You’re brilliant,” she countered. “I don’t think luck has much to do with anything you touch.”
     
    He grinned down at her. “Luck, my lady, has everything to do with business.”
     
    She laughed and shook her head. “No. Luck implies a gamble.”
     
    “You don’t think business is a little like gambling?”
     
    She laughed softly but lifted her shoulder dismissively. “Oh, sure. For the rest of us ordinary people I’m sure it has a lot to do with gambling.”
     
    He raised a dark eyebrow at that comment. “But you think my success is based on something more.”
     
    Clarissa smiled brightly, her decision to make him her first lover was reinforced by his lack of bragging about his business endeavors. “If you want to call it gambling, then I believe you’re stacking the deck in your favor.”
     
    Max laughed openly, delighted with her wit. “How would I