Before he could gather his wits for a response at this provocation, mischief flared on her beautiful face, and she added, “And at least I know you’re not going to beat me and that you’ll feed me, and on that subject, I’m starving, so can we get something to eat?”
For fuck’s sake, she threw in a provocative statement like that and then asked for food in the next breath?
You’re a very sexy man…
Using all his strength to control his responses, he held her bold stare and softly said, “You, Miss Marino, are the biggest pain in the ass I have encountered in my thirty-eight years, and I do not doubt that any man who takes you on will spend the rest of his life regretting it.”
Her smile at this was dreamy. “I do hope so.”
Gino’s apartment was busy with his domestic staff and guards going about their work. He felt not a whisper of surprise when Francesca hailed a cheery hello to the maid vacuuming the corridor, or when they passed one of his armed guards on patrol, she gave an equally cheerful, “Good morning, arsehole helping to keep me here against my will.”
Ignoring her, Gino led her into the kitchen.
Carmita, his housekeeper, was in there. She smiled to see him, the smile fading into wariness at Francesca’s appearance.
After making quick introductions, he said, “My guest requires food. Are there any pastries to keep her going before lunch?”
“I’m not his guest, I’m his hostage,” Francesca interjected brightly. “But you must already know that.”
In the eleven years Carmita had worked for him, Gino had never seen her flustered. He sympathised.
“Bring the pastries to the office,” he said, taking a firm hold of Francesca’s elbow and steering her out of the kitchen.
“Did I touch another nerve?” she asked in that infuriatingly serene manner she had.
“Not at all. You have simply reinforced the fact that I can’t leave you unattended with any of my staff for even a minute – I’m quite certain you could drive even the sanest person to insanity.”
“Thank you!”
He ushered her through his office door and indicated the sofa. “Take a seat, Miss Marino.”
Bounding over, she sat with a flourish. Palms placed primly on either side of her thighs, she smiled. “And now what?”
Taking his seat at his desk across the room from her, he smiled back at her. “Now you sit there in silence while I get on with my work.”
“For how long?”
“Until late afternoon.”
“And when do I get my two hours to interrogate you?”
He turned his desktop on. “Later.”
“When later?”
“Some time after I have finished my work.”
“You said…”
“That I would give you a two-hour window to ask me any question today.” He opened his laptop. “There are many hours of today left for me to fulfil that.”
“So I am supposed to sit here for hours and hours doing nothing while you work?”
He entered his password on his desktop. “Exactly that.”
“Mr Vicario, it can’t have escaped your attention that I have a very low boredom threshold.”
“And it cannot have escaped your attention, Miss Marino,” he said as he entered his laptop’s password, “that you’re here as my hostage.”
