“Of course I do.”
“Then you don’t trust your father.”
She hardly dared to breathe. “What makes you say that?”
His eyes narrowed. “I’ve just realized something. This deal of his was why you changed your mind about marrying me, wasn’t it? It wasn’t only about merging our two families. Your father wanted to make sure the deal went through, so he forced you to marry me.”
Her brain stumbled. Her father would kill her for admitting this, but she couldn’t lie.
“He was worried, yes. He thought he might be undercut by a competitor.”
“So he made sure he wasn’t,” Nick said cynically.
Sasha couldn’t argue with that. Still, she had to stand up for her father. “I think it’s understandable he’d be worried about losing the tender.”
Nick’s eyes riveted on her, and all at once a mask came down over his face. Perhaps he knew the conversation was leading them places neither of them wanted to go.
He inclined his head. “You’re right.”
Thankfully Angelo appeared with their meal, and Sasha smiled and praised the food but somehow the evening had been spoiled. Talking about their families always caused friction.
They ate in silence for a while.
“By the way,” Nick said eventually. “I’ve invited a couple of people to dinner Friday night. If you could coordinate it all with Iris that would be great.”
All at once she felt a chill. “That’s only a couple of days away.”
“I know, but they’re visiting from Europe and only have Friday night free.”
“So it’s a business dinner?”
“Yes.”
“And you want me to arrange it all and host it as well?”
“Of course.”
Her heart sank at his assumption that she would drop everything for him. Not only did she have a late afternoon appointment with one of the contractors, but it reminded her of her parents, her father snapping his fingers and her mother jumping to it.
She’d sworn never to be like her mother.
“You’re quiet,” Nick said after a few minutes more of silence.
“Am I?”
He looked at her sharply. “What’s the matter?”
Her disappointment in him was immense. She should have known not to let herself get close to him again. She would only get hurt a second time.
“You brought me out to dinner to sweeten me up, didn’t you?”
His brows drew together. “What are you talking about?”
“Actually I’m surprised you even did that,” she scoffed. “Did you think I would say no, Nick? Well, you’re right. I am saying no.”
His face hardened. “No to what?”
“To arranging your business dinner and playing your hostess.”
“You’re my wife.”
She bristled. “Yes, not your slave to be told what to do and when to do it.”
He sat back, his eyes assessing hers. “Where’s all this coming from?”
“I’m sick of being expected to drop everything for everyone else. First my parents expect me to give up my freedom for them, and now you think I should just fall in with whatever plans you make.”
And truth to tell, she was sick of being a nobody to Nick. Because that’s what it all came down to. He hadn’t been interested in her years ago. He still wasn’t interested in her.
Not as a person.
A pulse began to beat in his cheekbone. “I didn’t mean to treat you like your father does.”
She gave a silent gasp. Clearly he thought of her as her father’s lackey as well. “Thanks very much.”
“You know what I mean.”
Hurt gnawed at her. “Unfortunately, yes, I do.”
His gaze rested on her face with a hint of regret. “Sasha, I’m sorry. I’ll take them to a restaurant in the city. You don’t need to come.”
She sighed, suddenly feeling bad yet knowing she shouldn’t. “Nick, if you were to ask me, then I don’t mind hosting the dinner. I just don’t like the expectation that I have to do it.”
He considered her across the table. “Then would you mind being my hostess on Friday, Sasha? I’d really appreciate it.”
Her heart thudded at the sincerity in his tone. “Yes. I’m happy to help.” She would reschedule her appointment with the contractor.
His shoulders relaxed a little, and there was an odd amusement in his eyes. “You’re quite fiery when you’re upset. I never noticed that when you were growing up. You were always quite shy.”
Shy and in love.
Her stomach did a flip at the thought. “Perhaps I didn’t want you to notice back then,” she lied.
“And now?”
She took a moment to answer as past hurts rose in her throat. “I’m older. I want respect.”
“You always had my respect, Sasha.”
“No, Nick. I didn’t.”
He went still, his eyes probing hers. “Then I’m sorry if I made you feel that way. It wasn’t intentional.”
“I know.” And therein lay the crux of the matter. It was another example of her meaning less than nothing to him.
Angelo reappeared to check that their meal was enjoyable and Sasha welcomed the interruption. She’d said more than enough. If Nick didn’t think she mattered, then she wasn’t going to force him to change his mind.
She had her pride after all.
Chapter Six
Nick phoned Sasha late the following morning to tell her the deal had been signed and that Alex was calling her father now to tell him the news.
Enormously relieved, Sasha thanked him for letting her know, then waited for her mother to call and share in the good news and perhaps say thanks.
Her mother didn’t call.
“No doubt your parents were relieved,” Nick said when he came home.
“No doubt they were.”
He froze. “You mean they haven’t called you?”
A lump lodged in her throat. “No, but they were probably busy.”
“They weren’t too busy to ask you to spy for them,” he rasped.
She sucked in a sharp breath. “It wasn’t like that.”
A pulse beat in his cheekbone. “Not on your part, but they got what they wanted from you. They used you, Sasha.”
He was right, and on one level she was warmed by his concern for her, but loyalty to her mother kept her quiet. “Let’s forget that for now.”
“Can you?”
“No.” If she thought about it the pain would overwhelm her. She’d always known she came second with her mother, but until recently she hadn’t realized just how low down on the scale she was compared with her father.
She pretended to dismiss it all. “Come on. I want you to pick a color scheme for the study. I can’t decide by myself.”
He made a dismissive gesture. “Any color will do.”
“No, Nick. You’ll be using it a lot, so it’s important I get your input.”
“You’ll be using it, too.”
“Exactly. It’s something we need to choose together.”
He suddenly broke into a sexy half smile. “You’re very good at getting your own way. Subtle but very effective.”
She found herself smiling back. “That’s always been my policy.”
The rest of the week went quickly and before she knew it, it was Friday. She was nervous about hosting their first dinner, and of course she helped Iris arrange it all, but there was a difference in doing it because she wanted to and not because it was expected of her.
“You look beautiful,” Nick said when she’d finished dressing in a blue dress that hugged her body in all the right places, her blonde hair up in a chignon, delicate diamond earrings at her ears.
Silly delight rippled through her. “Thanks.” Her eyes slid over his dark suit and white shirt that did him full-on justice. “You’re looking quite spiffy yourself.”
He smiled. “Spiffy, eh?”
She smiled back then saw him fiddling with his tie. “Here, let me do that for you.”
“You don’t mind?”
“No, I like doing up men’s ties,” she quipped as she stepped close to him and began working on the tie.
His smile vanished. “Just how many men’s ties have you done up?”
“The odd one or two.”
He stared down at her, then must have seen her lips twitching because he broke into a grin. “I think you’re making that up.”
“Am I?”
“You’d better be,” he pretended to growl, sending a thought flashing through her mind. He liked being the only man to make love to her.
Well, well, she mused. Who’d have thought he’d be so old-fashioned?
“You’re not nervous about tonight?” he asked, dragging her from her thoughts.
“Yes, I am.”
“You don’t show it.”
“Neither do you.”
One brow rose. “Who said I was nervous?”
“You usually don’t have trouble doing up your tie.”
“Thanks for noticing,” he said wryly.
She finished her task and patted the tie. “There.
That’s better.”
He turned away to look in the mirror. “Perfect.”
Yes.
He was.
She cleared her throat. “So this dinner is important, is it?”
He reached for his jacket. “Yes and no. Alex has already made the deals to launch ‘Valente’s Woman’ in France and Germany. I just need to keep relations agreeable between us until the launch.”
Sasha realized that this must be all quite new to Nick. Previously Cesare and Isabel would have hosted any clients, and then Alex and Olivia, but this time it fell to him. No doubt he would be an accomplished host as a playboy bachelor, but this was the first time he’d be hosting a dinner in his own home as a married man.
She felt bad now for refusing before. “You’ll do fine,” she said, prompting an arrogant smile from him.
“I know.”
And he did.
Extra fine, Sasha thought sourly an hour later as she watched Claudine, the beautiful wife of the French businessman, flirt with Nick from the moment she set foot in the house.
In the meantime the German couple just sat back and smiled, along with Jacque, who didn’t appear concerned by his wife’s behavior.
It concerned Sasha, especially when Nick looked thoroughly smitten by the gorgeous brunette leaning close to him and talking French in a low, husky voice.
“Ooh, Nicolah, you are teasing me,” she said in her accented English, laughing sexily as she squirmed in her seat.
“No, really,” he teased. “If you’re going to the fashion show tomorrow make sure they don’t mistake you for one of their models.”
Claudine preened. “Perhaps I will need you to come with me and protect me.” She looked at Sasha. “Would you mind if I borrowed your husband tomorrow, Sasha?”
Her blatant approach took Sasha’s breath away. And Nick, the rat, was sitting there smiling and thoroughly enjoying himself and probably expected she would say yes.
She’d be damned if she’d be humiliated like this.
“I’m sorry, Claudine, but I need him tomorrow,” she said sweetly, smiling at Nick like her very existence depended on him.
“Ooh,” Claudine pouted at Nick. “Another time perhaps, Nicolah?”
“It’s a date.”
Sasha could feel the humiliation rise up in her throat but she refused to look at the others at the table. A date with a married woman? Wasn’t he forgetting something? Like he was now a married man himself? This was going beyond being more than a good host.
Or perhaps he just didn’t care. Perhaps he was too focused on making a conquest to worry about what this meeting was all about. Worse, perhaps this was how he did business as a playboy.
A reputation well earned?
Thankfully the German woman, Freda, asked Sasha about her plans to redecorate and the conversation turned to interior design. She was busy answering questions when she heard Claudine ask Nick if he could show her where she could freshen up.
“That’s okay, Claudine,” she said instantly. “I can show you.”
“Oh but … you are talking to Freda.”
“No, that’s fine. I want to freshen up, too.”
The woman pouted again, but Sasha ignored it, just as she ignored Nick as she passed him on her way out the door. If he dared to chastise her later, then he was in for a rude shock.
“Your name is French?” Claudine asked as they walked down the hallway. It was the first personal thing she’d said to her all night.
“No. It’s spelled S-A-S-H-A, not S-A-C-H-A.”
“You are not French then?”
“No.”
Claudine gave a grunt, evidently not impressed by a non-French person using a French-sounding name.
Then the woman sent her a sideways glance. “Nicolah is so handsome.”
Aah, now they were getting to the main thing.
Sasha just smiled. “Very.”
And he’s mine, she wanted to say.
“Jacques does not like the fashion shows.” She sighed deeply. “It’s a pity Nicolah cannot come with me. I’m sure he would like that.”
Sasha opened the bathroom door. “Family always comes first with Nick.”
And as she shut the door behind the woman, Sasha realized that was the truth. His family did always come first.
Just not his wife.
Nick was glad to see the back of their guests. Now all he wanted to do was go to bed—with Sasha.
“That went well,” he said, coming into the bedroom after he’d turned off most of the downstairs lights. Sasha was sitting in front of the dressing table, taking off her jewelry. She looked so right, so very feminine, and for the first time he felt thoroughly married.
It wasn’t a bad feeling.