it’s been outvoted,’ Lauren bit out, barely trusting herself to speak as she struggled to regain some sense of composure. ‘You…you took me by surprise, but I don’t want you, Ramon.’
‘Are you sure about that?’ Ramon demanded disbelievingly. ‘I’ve just proved that the fire still burns for both of us.’ She had tormented his thoughts and disturbed his dreams for months, until he had given in to his need to find her again. ‘I want you back, Lauren,’ he admitted roughly.
His voice had softened, and when Lauren stared into his sherry-brown eyes that were so like Matty’s her heart ached. His words were beguiling. Perhaps it was being back here at his apartment, where they had shared so many good times, that was undermining her defences, but Ramon had sounded serious. Did he mean that he wanted a proper, meaningful relationship with her? she wondered, clutching at the fragile green shoot of hope. And, if so, would he want Mateo too? Was there the slightest possibility that they could work things out?
‘I thought you were supposed to marry a woman from the Spanish nobility who would give you an heir to continue the Velaquez name?’ she said shakily. ‘Are you saying the situation has changed?’
Ramon shrugged. ‘No. It is still my intention to fulfil my duty. But that is for the future. For now I want to concentrate on running Velaquez Conglomerates and the Castillo del Toro. I do not wish to have a child yet, and therefore I do not need to consider marriage for several years.’ He paused, and deliberately dropped his gaze to her breasts. ‘But neither do I have any wish to live like a monk, querida,’ he drawled softly.
Lauren cursed her body’s traitorous reaction to the hungry gleam in his eyes. So all he wanted was an affair. The little shoot of hope shrivelled and died. Nothing had changed, she thought painfully. She wondered if he realised how insulted she felt to be told that he only considered her good enough to be his mistress, but not his wife.
Admittedly marriage was not something she wanted, she thought wearily, rubbing her brow as myriad confused thoughts swirled inside her head. Having witnessed her mother’s devastation after her father had walked out, she had decided that she would never give up her independence for any man.
Plenty of couples lived together without being legally bound in a relationship. But Ramon was not even suggesting a long-term commitment, she thought dully. He simply wanted her in his bed for a month or two—until he grew tired of her. Perhaps if she’d only had herself to consider she might be tempted to bury her pride and accept his offer. Eighteen months ago he had stolen her heart, and she longed to recapture the fun and laughter and the long nights of tender lovemaking that they had shared during their affair. But there was not only herself—there was Matty. And Ramon had stated that he did not want a child yet. She wasn’t sure he would ever want a child born to his English mistress.
Her conscience prickled. She had never given Ramon the chance to show how he would react to the news that he had a son. But everything he had said a few moments ago reinforced her belief that he would not want Matty. His strong sense of duty might compel him to offer financial support for his child, but, as she knew only too well, a child needed to feel loved and cherished, and she feared that Matty would find a monthly maintenance cheque a poor substitute for a father.
She dragged her gaze from the sight of him refastening his shirt, blushing when she recalled how she had wrenched the buttons open in her feverish need to touch his naked skin.
‘It would be inappropriate for me to have an affair with you,’ she told him stiffly. ‘You are a client of PGH, and you must see it would be highly unprofessional.’ She walked over to the door, praying that she appeared more in control of herself than she felt. ‘For that reason I think it would be best if you chose another lawyer from the commercial property department to work on your project. There are a number of excellent lawyers at PGH who would be delighted to work for Velaquez Conglomerates.’
Guy Hadlow would seize the chance, she thought dismally. She would have to make the excuse to Alistair Gambrill that she did not feel capable of taking on the Velaquez project because of personal commitments. It would almost certainly ruin her chances of promotion, but she could not work with Ramon now that she knew he wanted her back in his bed.
‘I’ll speak to Alistair.’ She opened the door, and was about to step into the hallway when Ramon’s voice halted her.
‘How do you suppose Alistair Gambrill will take the news that I am cancelling the Velaquez contract with PGH?’ he drawled.
‘You’re not.’ Startled, Lauren swung back to face him, imagining with horror the senior partner’s reaction if he learned that the lucrative contact with Velaquez Conglomerates would not go ahead. ‘I mean, there’s no need for that. I’ve explained. There are other commercial property lawyers…’
‘I want you.’ His expression was unfathomable, but something in his voice warned Lauren that his threat to cancel the contract with PGH was deadly serious. ‘I will respect your position as my legal advisor and there will be no other relationship between us—unless you wish there to be.’
‘I don’t,’ she snapped.
He ignored her interruption and continued smoothly, ‘My decision to use PGH only stands if you agree to act as my lawyer on the wine bar project. If you refuse then I will find another law firm—which I am sure that both you and Alistair Gambrill would prefer not to happen,’ he added, with a gently mocking smile.
If she was deemed responsible for the loss of a highly influential client her career would suffer irreparable damage at PGH, and probably with other law firms, Lauren thought sickly. Senior lawyers were a tight clique. Doubts about her professional ability would spread, and she would find it hard to get another job in the City.
She stared at Ramon’s hard face and her heart sank. ‘That’s blackmail.’
He lifted his shoulders laconically, utterly unconcerned by her accusation. ‘You should know by now that I always get what I want.’
Oh, yes, she knew all right, Lauren brooded bitterly. Ramon’s reputation as a ruthlessness businessman was legendary. She had no option but to work for him, but if he thought she was going to fall into his bed because he had decided that he wanted her back as his mistress he had better think again.
‘Doesn’t it bother you to know that you’ll be working with someone who dislikes you intensely?’ she said tightly.
‘No.’ His arrogant smile caused her to grind her teeth. ‘But I have to say I’m surprised that someone who dislikes me as much as you say you do could have responded to me with such passion a few minutes ago. Perhaps you don’t know what you want, querida?’ he suggested softly.
While she struggled to formulate a reply, he strolled over to the desk and opened a file. ‘These are the details of the office complex in St Katherine’s Dock. I’d like you to start work on the lease agreement straight away. If you’re staying, that is?’ he added, when she continued to hover uncertainly in the doorway.
With as much dignity as she could muster Lauren marched back across the room, sat down at the desk, and immediately focused her attention on the pile of documents, her silence thrumming with fury.
Ramon resisted the urge to brush a tendril of hair off her face, and dropped her hairclip on the desk. ‘I guess you want this back.’
‘Thank you.’ Her voice dripped ice.
He watched her scrape her hair back and clip the honey-gold mass on top of her head,
