CHAPTER TWO

      MIA STARED AT Alessandro’s determined, unyielding expression, registering the iron in his eyes, the laser-like focus of his gaze, and tried to make sense of his request.

      ‘Pardon?’ she finally said, wishing she didn’t feel wrong-footed by his invitation. She’d been doing her best to be the perfect, unflappable PA since he’d stormed into the office, practically vibrating with energy. At moments like this it felt like no more than a flimsy façade.

      ‘A charity gala at the Ritz,’ Alessandro clarified, his voice now very slightly edged with impatience, as if she wasn’t catching on quickly enough. ‘Many of Dillard’s clients will be there. I’m attending to reassure them of their assets’ safety. You will attend with me.’

      A command, then, and one she couldn’t afford to disobey. Still, Mia’s mind whirled. She’d never attended such a highbrow function, and in what capacity? As his PA? As his date?

      No, of course not. She was mad to think that way even for a second, and yet somehow the way he’d said ‘with me’ had felt…

      Possessive. As if he were staking his claim on her, branding her with his words.

      But of course that wasn’t what he meant. The prospect horrified her, and would undoubtedly horrify him even more. Alessandro Costa most certainly didn’t think of her like that. And she most certainly didn’t want him to.

      But why did he need her at such an event? When she’d been Henry Dillard’s PA, she’d always had a quiet, unnoticeable presence. Invisible on purpose, gliding through the shadows. She’d attended the summer party, yes, but only as the organiser, slipping quietly behind the scenes, doing her best to be both indispensable and out of the way.

      She’d never gone to any other of Henry’s many social functions—the balls and cocktail parties, fundraisers and expensive, boozy dinners in Michelin-starred restaurants. Of course she hadn’t.

      ‘I’m not sure…’ she began, and then stopped, because she wasn’t sure what she was trying to say. That she wasn’t the kind of person he should ask? That she didn’t normally go to these events? That she’d be out of her depth? All three, but the last thing she wanted to do was admit her weakness or unsuitability. Alessandro Costa seemed as if he was simply waiting for her to give him one good reason to fire her, and she was determined not to humour him in that regard.

      ‘You’re not sure…?’ he prompted, an edge to his voice, as if he was daring her.

      Mia lifted her chin. ‘When is the gala?’

      The tiniest smile quirked the corner of his mouth, electrifying her. The man was devastating already, but heaven help her if he smiled. His eyes turned to silver and Mia’s insides turned molten. She swallowed audibly and kept her chin up.

      ‘Seven o’clock.’

      Mia’s mind raced. It was undoubtedly a black-tie event, formal wear absolutely necessary, and her only appropriate outfit was a basic and rather boring black cocktail dress, back at her flat in Wimbledon. It would take nearly an hour to get there, and then back again…

      ‘What is it?’ Alessandro demanded, now definitely starting to sound annoyed. ‘Why are you looking like this won’t be possible, when I can assure you it is?’

      ‘No reason,’ Mia said quickly. She’d manage. Somehow she’d manage. ‘I’ll be ready at seven.’

      ‘Six forty-five,’ Alessandro returned. ‘On the dot. I like to be punctual.’

      Back at her desk Mia couldn’t concentrate on anything, not that there was very much for her to do. Like everyone else she was in limbo, waiting to find out how Alessandro Costa decided to handle his new acquisition, and whether they would have jobs come morning.

      A few minutes after she’d left the office, Alessandro strode out of it, without sparing her a single glance. As he stepped into the lift, she tried not to notice how the expensive material of his suit stretched across his shoulders, or his dark hair gleamed blue-black in the light. She certainly wasn’t going to remember that twang of energy that she’d felt reverberate between them when she’d been standing close enough to inhale the heady scent of his aftershave. No, definitely not noticing any of those things. In fact, she decided, now was as good a time as any to go back to her flat and fetch her dress.

      Her heart tumbled in her chest as she grabbed her handbag and headed out, half afraid of running into Alessandro and having to bear the brunt of his ire. It was lunchtime, so she had a reason to be leaving the office, but she still felt nervous about crossing or irritating him in any way. Her job, she acknowledged grimly, was in a very precarious place, no matter how useful she seemed to him at the moment.

      An hour and a half later, Mia was breathlessly hurrying back into the office, her dress and shoes clutched in a bag to her chest. As the lift doors slid open, she stepped inside—and smack into Alessandro Costa.

      The breath left her chest with a startling whoosh, and she would have stumbled had Alessandro not clamped his hands on her shoulders to steady her. For a heart-stopping second his nearness overwhelmed her, the heat and power rolling off him in intoxicating waves. Her mind blurred and then blanked, her palms flat on his very well-muscled chest, fingers stretching instinctively as if to feel more of him. She could not think of a single thing to say. She couldn’t even move, conscious only of his powerful, hard body so very near to hers. If she so much as swayed their hips would actually brush…

      Then Alessandro released her, stepping back, his mouth compressed in a hard line as he raked her with a single, scathing glance. ‘Where have you been?’

      ‘I’m sorry, were you looking for me?’

      ‘I wanted the files on Dillard’s less impressive clients. Did you think I’d be satisfied with only the top ten?’ Even for him, he sounded on edge, his body taut with barely suppressed tension.

      ‘I’m sorry, I was at lunch.’

      ‘For an hour and a half?’

      Mia shook her head, a flush fighting its way up her throat and across her face. She’d been afraid of this exact scenario, and now that it was a reality she couldn’t handle it. He was still standing so close, and every time she took a breath she inhaled the aroma of his aftershave, felt his heat. ‘No, of course not.’ She drew herself up, holding onto the last threads of her composure. She could do this. She needed to do this. ‘If you must know, I went back to my flat to find a dress to wear this evening. But I will have the other files to you shortly, I promise.’

      Alessandro stared at her for another agonising moment before he gave a brief, terse nod. ‘Very well. I expect files on all the other clients within the hour. Exactly.’

      Mia had no doubt he’d been timing her to the second. The man was a stickler for detail…among other things. Back at her desk she hung her dress up on the back of a door and hurried to amass the files Alessandro had demanded. She’d be hard-pressed to do it in an hour, but she was determined to show Alessandro she could.

      Fingers flying, mind racing, she managed to assemble everything and jot down relevant notes, stepping into Henry’s—now Alessandro’s—office with one minute to spare. Alessandro glanced at his watch as she stepped through the doors, and then one of his faint smiles quirked his mouth for no more than a second, making her catch her breath.

       Heaven help her.