involuntarily, for he looked up.
‘Are you all right, Casey?’ he asked her softly.
She passed a hand across her brow, pretending concentration on a breathtaking collar of emeralds and diamonds which Raffa had just removed from a velvet case. ‘So, what kind of retail facility did you have in mind for all this?’ she asked him in a voice turned suddenly dry. ‘I should own up right away and tell you I have never sold anything of this value before.’
‘Very few people have,’ he pointed out. ‘But you can sell anything, according to your CV.’
‘That refers to concepts and schemes rather than fabulous objects like this.’
‘Then it’s time to stretch yourself,’ Raffa countered.
How had their heads become so close their faces were almost touching? They were both leaning over the glittering mound of jewels on the table like two children examining a pirate’s hoard; both of them with eyes bright with the light of possibility. Though Casey guessed hers was the only heart trying to beat its way out of a chest.
‘So, what do you think?’ Raffa said as he toyed with the magnificent emerald and diamond necklace.
Everything she shouldn’t, Casey thought, wishing she could concentrate on the only thing that mattered—which was the job she was here to try out for.
‘Casey?’ Raffa prompted.
She snapped her brain onto full alert. ‘I think I should hire experts to advise and assist me,’ she said. ‘But I will sell these for you.’
‘Good,’ he said, settling back. ‘Though I think sapphires would suit you better,’ he added, as Casey distractedly toyed with the emerald necklace.
‘You do?’ She made the very serious mistake of looking at him questioningly.
‘Yes, I do,’ he murmured.
She swallowed deep as, having selected a fabulous sapphire necklace from the hoard in front of them, Raffa used one hand to brush her long hair to one side before looping the glinting band of royal blue stones around her neck. She was suddenly acutely conscious of the silence between them, and of her own unsteady breathing. She couldn’t move or break the spell, and though she was wearing her hair neatly tied in a ribbon, and was in every way modestly dressed, her prim exterior bore no relation to the hot thoughts racing through her head.
It was another forceful reminder that having no experience of sex was no guarantee that she would never think about it. Vividly. And, yes, at the most inopportune of moments. Like now…when the warm touch of Raffa’s fingers on her collarbone was making it so hard to remain still, and when the heavy platinum collar he was placing round her neck felt like a restraining device of a wickedly erotic kind—one that should horrify her, but instead tempted her to sigh and roll her head as the cool metal met her skin.
As if this wasn’t dangerous enough, when Raffa snapped the catch into place her body yearned for him. ‘I’d better not get used to this,’ she said out loud. Coming determinedly to her senses, she reached up, removed the necklace and handed it back to him.
‘It doesn’t hurt to indulge in a little fantasy shopping once in a while.’
‘As long as you don’t confuse fantasy with reality,’ Casey agreed. As she watched Raffa replace the priceless jewels in their nest, Casey murmured, ‘I wonder who they are destined for?’
Raffa’s sharp glance caught her out. For all her brave words about fantasy and reality, she had never been short of imagination.
‘You never know, I might want to keep them,’ she said, laughing to make light of it.
‘Then I’d better lock them away…’
His gaze held hers for a moment. Was it possible to want a man so badly? Or to be so frightened of the consequences of those feelings?
Raffa appeared not to notice these darker thoughts as he replaced the jewels in their velvet case. ‘Sapphires suit you,’ he said. ‘You should remember that. They’re the same colour as your eyes…’
‘Oh, I will,’ Casey assured him with a wry smile. ‘Next time I go jewellery-shopping I’ll put sapphires at the top of my list.’ She was deadpan. They really did inhabit different worlds.
Raffa smiled too. His was more of an eyes glinting, tongue in cheek kind of smile. So he did have a sense of humour. ‘Do you have jewels in every colour?’ she asked in a posh voice, acting the customer and trying not to giggle.
It backfired on her. Raffa took hold of her hands in a firm grasp. She gulped as she stared at his strong hands resting over hers and felt a terrible yearning inside her.
‘Hold your hands like this…’ He formed her hands into a supplicant’s bowl. ‘Ready?’
She nodded stiffly as he steadied his amused gaze on her. ‘Ready,’ she whispered hoarsely.
Picking up a drawstring bag, he loosened the cord and tipped a heap of polished gemstones into her hands. There was every colour imaginable.
‘And these are what I’ve got to sell? I really am going to need some help.’ She was already frowning as she thought about where to find the appropriate experts.
‘If you can’t do it—’
‘I can do it.’ She met Raffa’s gaze and saw that it had changed. There was no warmth now; just rigorous expectation. ‘I’ll find who I need to help me with current market valuations. I’ll be fine,’ she said firmly. ‘My only concern is that wherever I have to sell these there must be a secure environment in which to display them and for my staff to work.’
‘You can leave that to me,’ Raffa told her. ‘Anything else?’
‘Other than that, I see my only problem being moving stock quickly enough to satisfy your demands and—’
‘Wrong,’ Raffa interrupted. ‘I don’t expect you to sell them.’
Casey frowned, waiting for an explanation, hoping it wouldn’t be too long coming, so she didn’t have to keep on staring at Raffa’s fiercely handsome face. ‘Can you explain?’
‘You’re going to auction them,’ he said.
Casey sat back, stunned, her head swimming with insecurity. She was a businesswoman, yes, but she was a back- room girl, not an extrovert. She stood no chance of whipping up a sophisticated crowd into a buying frenzy.
‘Your task is to do this at a charity event that means a lot to me,’ Raffa explained.
‘And the event is…?’
‘A grand ball in three days’ time to honour my…’ His lips tugged.
‘Your recent coronation?’ Casey suggested.
Raffa’s lips pressed down wryly. ‘You can call it what you want. The main thing is that the charity benefits on the night.’
But for all his dismissive talk she saw his gaze grow serious; there was
