hard keeping her voice level. ‘How can you say that? How can you describe marriage between two people who dislike each other’s guts fun?’
His smile widened. ‘Perhaps we’re each interpreting it differently?’
‘Precisely,’ she snapped. ‘Mine is that it would be hell.’ She deliberately put emphasis on the word and saw the sudden change in his eyes, quickly disguised. ‘If you want to know what I think, Señor Marquez, I believe that you’re prepared to do whatever it takes to get your hands on my parents’ bank. Even if it means marriage to someone you—you despise.’ Her breathing had deepened by the time she had finished and it was all she could do to sit still.
Vidal’s face really did harden now. His eyes grew fiercely angry, his brows drawing together in a ferocious frown. ‘So that is what you think of me? Let me tell you, something, Señorita Valero, if it were not for the fact that I do not wish to see your parents in trouble I would not be doing this. Do you think I want to marry someone like you? Someone who has turned her back on her family? When they could do with your support you have not been here. Tell me, what is it that you do over there in the States? If I remember rightly all you were ever interested in was having a good time.’
Elena could not believe she was hearing this, and especially from Vidal. He certainly wasn’t doing anything to enamour her with him—in fact, he was driving her further and further away. She was tempted to get up and storm out of the restaurant, except that she did not want to give him the pleasure of seeing how much he had hurt her by his unkind comments.
‘I don’t have to tell you anything,’ she snapped fiercely, her head held high, her eyes shooting sparks of fire. ‘You can think what you like, but the fact remains that the thought of marrying a man I do not love fills me with horror. My parents are aware of this and I believe they are hoping that you will do the honourable thing and go through with the merger regardless.’
His eyes glinted shafts of steel and he sat up straighter in his chair, his body as taut as a bow string. ‘Good try, Elena, but it is not to be. If you don’t agree to marry me then the deal is off.’
Elena let out her breath on a deep sigh, feeling as though all the stuffing had been knocked out of her body. This was turning into a nightmare. ‘What are you made of, Vidal? Certainly not flesh and blood. You don’t have a compassionate bone in your body. You’re cruel and mercenary and marriage to you would be sheer hell. Do you really think I’d be prepared to put myself through that?’
‘I haven’t got where I am today by being soft,’ he growled, ‘and I certainly don’t intend to start now. You either marry me or your parents lose their business. It’s as simple as that.’
Simple? How could he say it was simple? He was using emotional blackmail. He was trying to use her to get what he wanted. Reina had thwarted him so now it was her turn. Damn the man! If he thought she was going to change her mind then he was very much mistaken.
‘You do not care who you hurt to get what you want, do you?’ she demanded, her eyes fiercely aggressive. ‘You’d marry someone you don’t even like to further your massive ego, to pile more coffers into your bank. My God, I hate you.’
Vidal shrugged indifferently, his silver eyes ever watchful on her face. ‘You’re entitled to your opinion.’
It was as though her words had meant nothing, as though they had drained away like water off a duck’s back. Hot, fierce anger pulsed and pounded inside her head. This man was unbelievable! ‘You’re not denying it?’
Vidal gave a tiny shrug, his lips pulling down at the corners. ‘I think we should forget this entire conversation and finish our breakfast instead.’
He was denying it! Only good manners stopped Elena from getting up and walking out. And the thought that her parents would be devastated if she arrived home too soon, especially if she told them that Vidal Marquez was a swine and she wouldn’t marry him if he were the last man on earth.
There had to be some other way of persuading him to go through with the deal. Maybe she ought not to have been so hot-headed? Maybe she ought to have been nice to him instead of getting his back up right from the beginning. She had played this all wrong. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down. ‘I guess you’re right, we should enjoy our food.’
But enjoy was not a word she could associate with eating in front of Vidal. She merely nibbled on her toast and drank copious amounts of coffee. Neither the merger nor marriage was mentioned again, they both did their best to be pleasant and amiable, but nevertheless their hostility simmered beneath the surface, waiting for one wrong word to bring it back to life.
It never happened. Polite to the end, Vidal took her home, suggesting as she got out of the car that they meet again the next day to discuss the matter more fully. ‘I realise it was wrong of me to want to talk business over breakfast,’ he said. ‘Come to my office tomorrow and we can discuss matters there.’
Elena wanted to tell him to go to hell, that there was nothing left to talk about. Hadn’t she made herself clear? But he had gone, his powerful car roaring away into the distance. She stood there watching until he had completely disappeared and then walked slowly into the house.
Her parents were waiting and she had to tell them that they hadn’t yet reached a decision. She had never seen her mother look so disappointed and it was all she could do not to fling her arms around her and promise that she would find some other way to help them.
Not that there was a way. Even though her weddingplanner business was doing very nicely for itself she didn’t have nearly enough resources for what they needed.
The following day Elena shivered as she dressed carefully for her further meeting with Vidal. She knew that she would need every inch of armour if she was to remain cool and positive so she wore a severely tailored black suit, teaming it with a cream shirt. A pair of stiletto heels gave her the height she needed to match up to Vidal’s impressive stature and she was ready.
It was the end of the day and they were meeting in the bank’s inner sanctum reserved for boardroom meetings. Deliberately she was a few minutes late. There was no way she wanted to be there first, tapping her fingers impatiently, trying to still her racing pulses while she waited for Vidal.
Instead he was the one doing the tapping. From outside the door she could hear his footsteps as he paced up and down, and she paused a moment or two listening.
Although she had intended remaining cool and calm, as she once again denied that marriage to him would work, Elena’s heart rate increased. There was no disputing the fact that Vidal was one hell of a sexy man. Had the circumstances been any different she might have found herself actually fancying him. As things stood he was the most hateful man on earth. Nevertheless when she eventually turned the handle and entered the room she managed a neutral expression.
‘I’d begun to think you weren’t coming.’ In contrast to the business suit that she wore he was in shirt-sleeves, rolled up to the elbow, revealing strong, sinewy forearms covered with fine, silky, black hairs. His jacket was on the back of a chair, suggesting that he had been here for some time. The collar of his shirt was undone, the knot on his tie loosened. Making her almost wish that she weren’t so formally dressed.
Nevertheless she held her head high as she faced him across the boardroom table. ‘I’ve not changed my mind.’
Clearly her forthrightness shocked him because his eyes grew instantly hard, his face developing harsh angles. ‘So there’s actually no point in you being here?’
