asked for his help. He didn’t give it.’
Faith felt a flash of guilt. ‘I didn’t mean to get him fired. Shouldn’t you give him another chance?’
‘I gave him one chance. I employed him.’ His smile didn’t falter but there was something in his eyes that hinted at a more ruthless side of him. The side that had made him a billionaire by the time he was thirty.
Sensing that the subject was best dropped, Faith glanced around her. ‘Where are we going?’
‘You’ll find out.’ Without answering her question, he turned his attention back to the controls and the helicopter lifted into the air.
Terror soon turned to exhilaration as they swooped above the pampas. ‘The view is amazing from up here,’ she breathed, her eyes fixed on the landscape beneath her.
They flew over grassland, interspersed with lagoons and wetlands. Occasionally Faith saw cattle being herded by men on horseback, but this was a vast landscape and the sheer size of it took her breath away.
Eventually a large lake came into view and Raul landed the helicopter.
‘We’re here. This is the boundary of the estancia.’ He jumped down from the helicopter and led her towards a luxurious lodge that nestled between water and trees. ‘My secret hideaway.’
Faith stopped dead, her heart bumping against her chest. ‘We’re alone here?’
He turned, his eyes on her face. ‘Does that bother you? Are you nervous?’
She swallowed. ‘Maybe. Just a little.’
‘You were alone with me on the pampas on that first day,’ he said softly, strolling back towards her and taking her face in his hands. ‘And you weren’t nervous then.’
‘That was an accidental meeting.’ The skilled brush of his fingers set her pulse racing and nerves fluttered like butterflies in her stomach. ‘I don’t do this sort of thing, Raul. I shouldn’t have come.’
‘Stop panicking. You haven’t done anything yet,’ he pointed out gently. ‘And you won’t be doing anything you don’t want to. All I ask is that you allow yourself to be spoiled. This is a thank-you for having saved my favourite horse. Treat it like a spa day.’
‘A spa day?’
His mouth hovered tantalisingly close to hers and then he stepped away and smiled. ‘I want to spoil you. And we’re not alone here. You can shout for help any time you feel the need and a hoard of staff will come running and beat me away with sticks.’
He led her up a few steps, onto a wooden deck that was suspended over the water and into a large bedroom filled with natural light. ‘This is your room. Have a rest, you deserve it. When you’re ready for a massage or whatever takes your fancy, just pick up the phone and dial zero.’
Faith blinked. Her head was full of questions but she had no chance to ask any of them because he’d left the room.
It was like being dropped into paradise.
She slept in the enormous, comfortable bed and then lay in the shade on the deck while a girl rubbed scented oils into her skin, the skilful stroke of her fingers removing all the last strands of tension from Faith’s body.
After the massage, she sat and gazed across the tranquil water of the lake while someone tended to her nails and another did her hair.
There was no sign of Raul and when she eventually walked back into her room, she wondered how she was supposed to contact him.
A splash of colour drew her eye and she glanced towards the bed, her eyes widening as she saw the beautiful silk dress laid carefully on the cover. The exquisite fabric shimmered in the late-evening light and Faith stepped towards it, puzzled. Had Raul left this for her? And then she saw the diamond necklace, draped almost casually across the bodice, the stones sparkling and glittering like shards of ice.
She was so stunned that it took her a few moments to notice the card. Her fingers shaking, she opened the envelope and read the dark, bold scrawl: Every woman deserves to be given a silk dress and diamonds at least once in her life. Enjoy. R.
Completely out of her depth, Faith stared at the dress and the necklace. It was an enormously generous gift. Obviously she couldn’t possibly accept it.
She stood for a moment, her lip caught between her teeth, her eyes on the dress. Tormented by indecision, she stepped away from the bed and then immediately stepped back again. Then she let the dressing gown slip from her shoulders, the feminine side of her completely unable to let her ignore such a gorgeous dress.
She was just going to try it on. Nothing more than that.
Just for a minute.
The silk slithered over her skin and she gave a moan of indulgence as she realised that it was a perfect fit.
How had he guessed her size?
Feeling as though she was living someone else’s life, Faith fastened the dress and then tried to secure the clasp of the necklace. Strong fingers covered hers and swiftly finished the job.
Stifled by sexual awareness, she turned slowly and found herself looking into Raul’s laughing eyes.
‘So how is your day going?’ His fingers lingered at the base of her throat. ‘Do you feel properly thanked?’
‘I can’t possibly accept any of this.’
‘Of course you can. It is nothing.’
To him, maybe, but she suspected that the necklace alone was worth more than she earned in a year. ‘I’m just trying it on, that’s all. And then I’m taking it straight off.’
‘Why would you want to do that?’
‘Because this is not my life.’
He turned her gently until she was facing the mirror. ‘So who is that, if it isn’t you?’
Faith barely recognised herself. Her hair fell past her shoulders like sleek, polished gold, the diamonds glinted against her pale skin and the dress hugged her figure. She felt like a princess. ‘Maybe I’ll wear it just for this evening.’ She almost laughed at her own weakness. ‘But then I’m giving it back.’
Acknowledging her internal battle, Raul smiled. ‘We’ll have dinner on the terrace. The view is very pretty.’
‘So do you do this often?’
He dismissed the staff with a discreet movement of his head and reached over to pour her another glass of wine. ‘Eat dinner? Yes. All the time.’
‘No, I mean—’ She glanced down at herself. ‘Play the part of the fairy godmother.’
‘It’s fun buying gifts for a woman who appreciates them.’ He watched her across the table. ‘You’re not eating. Aren’t you hungry?’
Her stomach was churning so badly that she just couldn’t
