feel that all business transactions should be conducted with total honesty and in a highly ethical manner?”
“Don’t you?”
“That’s a very admirable sentiment, but don’t you find that occasionally it’s just not possible? That sometimes you need to bend the rules a bit in order to get what you want?”
“Rules have the occasional exception,” he told her, “but I prefer to trust that most people are honest and ethical.”
“Hypothetically speaking, what would you do if you found yourself involved in a deal and discovered your trust had been misplaced, that the person you were dealing with was unethical and unprincipled?”
Bryce stopped walking again, stared her square in the eyes and gave a straightforward reply. “I’d break off the negotiations.” Without waiting for her response, he proceeded down the street.
Paige rushed to catch up with him. It was a conversation she was grateful to have ended, even though it was one she had started. There was something about his words that made her regret bringing up the topic of ethics and trust. Bryce Lexington was beginning to seem a little less like the villain she had painted him and more like someone she would like to know. And if the way he made her heart pound and the blood race through her veins was any indication, she wanted to know him intimately…very intimately.
She pursed her lips as she tried to get her thoughts back in order. She needed to reaffirm her dedication to her goal. The truth of what really happened between her father and Bryce rested somewhere with Bryce Lexington and she had to find it. Just because he said the right words didn’t mean he really lived his life that way.
She clenched her jaw. She didn’t believe those words, either. She couldn’t trust what he said without some kind of proof. She couldn’t trust him. No one who had achieved his level of success did it by always being honest and forthright regardless of his attempt to convince her it was true. She would find the proof she needed and would force him to take care of her father’s employees. She would find that chink in his armor no matter what it took to do it.
Three
Bryce and Paige entered a modest building on a quiet side street. It was a charming little Italian restaurant off the beaten path. The aroma of good food floated on the air. Music played softly in the background, just loud enough to be discernible above the buzz of happy and cheerful voices. This was a neighborhood establishment, not one for the tourists.
“Ah…Bryce, my friend!” A short, dark-haired man in his late fifties rushed to them as soon as they came through the door, his thickly accented words leaving no question about his Italian origin.
“It’s good to see you again, Antonio. How are you feeling?”
Antonio projected a feigned air of annoyance. “You begin to sound like my wife and children, always asking me how I feel. I feel fine.” His voice teased and his dark eyes sparkled as he tapped his hand against his chest. “I am good as a young man of twenty.”
Bryce looked around the crowded restaurant, then spoke to Antonio in Italian. Antonio answered him, then signaled a busboy. Paige watched in amazement as a table and two chairs appeared from nowhere and were set up in a quiet corner that just moments before had contained a large potted plant.
She paid close attention to everything. Bryce became more and more puzzling with each new encounter. He seemed to function comfortably on all levels of society—a phone call directly from the French ambassador with a personal invitation to a formal reception and a small neighborhood restaurant owner who called him by his first name while acknowledging their friendship.
Antonio’s voice cut into her thoughts. “This way, Bryce—” he stepped aside, waving them in the direction of the table as he smiled at Paige “—and your lovely lady.”
No sooner were they seated than a bottle of wine appeared at the table along with menus. Bryce poured them each a glass of wine, then opened the menu. “What’s your pleasure, Bradford?”
She looked at the numerous selections. “You seem to know this place very well. Do you have any suggestions?”
“Everything is good. All the pasta is made daily right here in the kitchen and all the vegetables are fresh. Antonio’s wife is the cook, his daughter helps with the cooking and fills in as cashier when Antonio isn’t here and his sons are the waiters. The entire operation is family run.”
A handsome young man of about twenty-two appeared at their table. “Good to see you again, Bryce.” He shot a quick look of approval in Paige’s direction.
“How are you, Rudy? How’s business been?”
The young man laughed, an open and easy laugh. “You should know the answer to that better than I do.”
Rudy’s words weren’t lost on Paige, but she did not understand what they meant.
Bryce quickly scanned the room, then he lowered his voice. “Antonio’s been sticking to his reduced work schedule, hasn’t he?”
“You know Pop. It’s tough to keep him out of here. He’s been doing pretty good, though. The doctor says things are just fine.” Rudy shot another quick glance in Paige’s direction, then leaned over to whisper to Bryce. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you with such a foxy lady…someone special, huh?”
He may have been whispering, but it was loud enough for Paige to make out what he had said. She quickly turned away so her embarrassment wouldn’t be obvious to everyone. Bryce, on the other hand, did not seem to be embarrassed at all.
“Rudy, this is Paige Bradford. She’s a business associate. Bradford, this is Rudy—the youngest of Antonio’s five children. He’s the least tactful of all the family members…and the biggest flirt.” Then, with the swiftness that she was beginning to get used to, Bryce changed the subject. “What’s good today, Rudy? Does Maria have something special for a hungry customer?”
Rudy seemed totally unconcerned about the comments concerning his character. “Only a business associate, huh?” He grinned at Paige, then gave her a quick wink before turning his attention back to Bryce. “You’re in luck. Mom just finished making some cannelloni.” He hurried off toward the kitchen.
“I hope you’re hungry, Bradford. Maria doesn’t know the meaning of the word moderate when it comes to portions of food.”
A classically beautiful Italian girl in her early twenties came up behind Bryce, slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. “Papa said you were out here.”
“I’d know that sultry voice anywhere.” He twisted around in his chair, took her hands in his and extended a warm smile. “Angela, how have you been? Last time I was here you were one month away from motherhood.” He slipped his arm around her slim waist and pulled her close to him. His smile quickly shifted to a teasing grin that matched his tone of voice. “Look at this! I can actually get my arm around you now.”
“Twins.” She beamed at him, her total and complete joy covering her face. “A boy and a girl. We named the girl Sofia, after Grandma. And the boy—” the smile faded from her face and tears formed in her beautiful brown eyes “—we named Bryce…” She quickly blinked the tears away and recovered her enthusiasm. “Bryce Antonio Roberto Vincent—”
“Stop,
