Never Dare a Tycoon (8 page)

“She looks lovely,” Brett said as calmly as possible to Sal.

Sal looked at the man next to him, registering that he was angry about something, but couldn’t fathom what it might be about. “Yes, she does,” Sal agreed reluctantly and turned his attention back to watching his sister – or more accurately, the man she was dancing with.

“Nice dress,” Brett said, noting that another man stepped up to take the previous one’s place as soon as the music changed.

 

“Some think so,” Sal said.

 

“Where’d she get it?” Brett asked. Sal gritted his teeth. “I guess I bought it for her,” he said.

 

“Why?” Brett challenged.

 

Sal turned to the man standing next to him. “Why are you so interested?” he said, somewhat belligerently.

“I’m not,” Brett lied and tried to look around the room. But his eyes were drawn back to Antonia, wanting to punch the man who was currently dancing with her
– too closely in his mind.

Sal took a new look at the man and realized that he was jealous - furiously jealous that his sister was dancing with other men, vying for her attention. After studying Brett for a long moment, Sal came to a decision.

“So what are you going to do about it?” Sal asked, turning back to watch the dancers.

Brett said nothing for a moment, just stared at her as she laughed at something her current partner said. But then he carefully and calmly put his glass of champagne on the table next to him. “Retrieve her.”

off her, he would continue to be angry. he was going to have to deal with it. didn’t react to it well.
Brett’s casualness was all a façade. Until he’d gotten other men’s hands

He didn’t like that fact, but it was reality and Jealousy was a new emotion to him and he

Tapping her current partner on the shoulder, he elegantly stepped in and took Antonia’s hand in his, then placed her other one on his shoulder, since she seemed too stunned to do it herself. He barely glanced at the man who had been dancing with her, dismissing him as soon as her hand was in his.

“Nice dress,” he said as he moved them back into the line of dancers.

Antonia couldn’t breathe. How could one man be so incredibly gorgeous in a tuxedo? It was only a suit, for goodness sake. Why did the sight of him make her so crazy?

Taking a deep breath, she turned her head away, refusing to look at him. “What are you doing here?” Suddenly, she wished she was wearing the dress Sal originally chose. At least it would provide more coverage for her. She hadn’t felt exposed until Brett glanced down at her and she saw the heat in his eyes. The same heat she felt as she moved to the music, his legs touching hers accidentally during each turn.
“You’re a good dancer,” he said, pulling her closer.

“Thank you. But that doesn’t answer my question. Why are you here?” she asked, marveling at how strong he was. She could feel his muscles as they flexed under her fingers or against her legs.

“Your brother invited me.” He said simply.

“Don’t you have a date?” She was praying that there was a woman out there that would drag him away from her. She ignored the jealousy that almost choked her at the idea of him dancing with anyone but her.

“Nope. Sorry,” he said. “I got the impression that you are now my date.”

“Who gave you that impression?” she asked suspiciously, her eyes turning to slits. She tried to put some space between them but he wouldn’t allow it, just held her closer.

“Your brother,” Brett said, smiling suddenly. He returned a nod when Sal raised his champagne glass to him. Feeling immensely better than he had for the past two weeks, he pulled her imperceptibly closer and looked down into her fiery eyes. “You look beautiful tonight.”

“You said that already,” Antonia replied.

 

“No, I told you that your dress was nice. But I didn’t mention how lovely you look in it.”

 

His voice was husky and the sound of it sent shivers down Antonia’s spine. “Stop it,” she said.

 

“Stop what?” he asked.

 

“Stop doing this to me. I can’t see you,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

 

“That’s impossible,” Brett said, swinging her around so that he wasn’t staring at all five brothers as they danced. “Come home with me,” he said.

 

“No.”

 

“Yes,” Brett whispered in her ear, his hand moving to the bare skin on her back.

“No,” Antonia repeated, but even she could hear the weakness in her voice. She tried to pull out of his arms, but Brett stopped her before she could move more than a millimeter.

“Oh, no you don’t,” he said, bending down so that his lips were almost touching her ear. “You did that twice already. It’s not going to happen three times. Don’t ever run away from me again,”

Antonia stared at the buttons on his snowy, white shirt. “I didn’t run away,” she lied.

 

“What would you call it?” he asked.

 

“Surviving,” she said accidentally, wishing she could take back the word as soon as she spoke it.

 

“Surviving what?”

 

“You,” she said after a long pause.

 

Brett didn’t reply. His only response was to pull her closer.

Antonia couldn’t fight it. She relaxed into his embrace and enjoyed the sensation of being close to him again. After all the long nights of dreaming about him, the reality was so much more wonderful.

Brett took her back to their table after several dances and she asked him to get her a drink.

 

“What would you like?” he asked.

 

“Anything,” she said, feeling desperate. “Champagne is fine.” She intended to head home as soon as he left her, afraid of what he made her feel.

Brett nodded and turned to find a waiter. Once he was out of sight, she finally thought she could make her escape. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be right back,” she said to Sal.

Sal didn’t even look at her when he gently, but firmly, held her arm. “Stay for a moment.”

 

“Sal, I’m just going to the ladies room,” she said, trying to keep the panic out of her voice.

 

“No you’re not. You’re going to try to slip out the door,” Thomas said as he came up to stand on her left side.

 

Antonia hadn’t heard him come up beside her, but that wasn’t unusual for Thomas. He was the more soft-spoken of all of them. “I am not,” she denied.

 

Carlos came up in front of her and shook his head. “Oh, no you don’t. Stick around, let’s see what happens,” he said, a huge grin on his face.

“I can’t believe what’s happening here!” Antonia said, shocked that her brothers were conspiring against her in this way. “Are you all willing to throw me to the wolves? Please, let me go. I can’t stay here.”

Sal’s grin was almost imperceptible, but Antonia saw it. “Not all the wolves – just one. He’ll be right back. Then he can escort you home if you still need to leave,” he said.

Antonia stood there in shock. “I can’t believe you would force me to stay in the company of a man I don’t like,” she said, furious with all of them.

 

Carlos laughed. “You certainly liked him when you showed him the hedges a few weeks ago.”

 

“And it looked as if you liked him out on the dance floor,” Giuseppe said, laughing and shaking his head as he took his place in their circle.

 

Antonia turned beet red. But she had no response. Instead, she stood there surrounded by her brothers, blocked on all sides by five huge men.

Brett finally returned with two glasses of champagne. As soon as he approached, the wall of men evaporated and she was left to look at Brett’s lazy smile as he handed her the glass of sparkling wine.

Antonia took the glass and downed the liquid. Then she handed the glass to Brett and took the other one, drinking the bubbly liquid quickly.

 

“Thanks,” was all she said.

 

He swallowed a laugh. She was outraged with her brothers, but they were doing his unspoken bidding. “Would you like to dance some more?”

 

“Yes,” she said grudgingly.

Brett nodded his thanks to her brothers without her knowing it as he led her back onto the dance floor. He didn’t even mind when she took another glass of champagne from a passing waiter, downed the liquid and set it on a table, all without losing step with him.

Out on the dance floor, he pulled the reluctant beauty into his arms, trying not to shake with laughter. He knew what she was doing. Since she couldn’t escape physically, she would try to escape mentally. But it wouldn’t work. He’d been trying it all week, and he hadn’t been able to get her out of his mind.

God she felt good, he thought to himself. He knew the champagne was going to hit her hard and fast in a short time. So he reveled in the feeling of having her in his arms for the short time before he had to get her home.

He wondered if he’d finally learn where she lived now. It would be ironic if he could accomplish in one night what a private investigator had been unable to do for two whole weeks. That had been part of his frustration when he’d walked into the ballroom tonight. He hadn’t been able to find out anything about her. Not even her phone number. There wasn’t a listed or unlisted Antonia Attracelli anywhere in the Washington Metropolitan area.

Tonight, perhaps he’d get some information.

Two hours later, Brett felt her lean more heavily against him. They were standing in a small group of people talking about the weather and politics in general when Brett looked down to find that the champagne had finally hit. Instead of becoming drunk, she slowly started fading. He noticed the fatigue in her eyes and the relaxed stance.

Excusing them both from the group, he put an arm around Antonia’s waist and guided her back to her family. “I’m going to get her home. Could you hand me her shawl and purse?”

Sal obliged. Nodding at Brett, he watched the man guide his sister out of the ballroom and into the night. Oddly, he didn’t feel the slightest bit of anxiousness at the idea of his baby sister leaving with Hancock.

Thomas, Carlo, Michael and Giuseppe all moved closer to Sal, five sets of eyes watching as the tall man guided their sister out of the ballroom.

 

Thomas finally voiced what all of them were thinking. “Are you sure she’s safe with him?”

 

“She’s safe,” Sal said. “Hancock and I have an understanding.”

 

“What’s that?” Carlo asked. Sal looked at his four younger brothers. “If he hurts her, he deals with us.”

 

The other four men nodded in agreement, then turned back to the party, confident that Sal’s unspoken warning was enough to protect their little sister.

Brett handed a few bills to the valet, then picked Antonia up and carefully placed her in his car, knowing she was about to fall asleep. Coming around to the driver’s side, he worried that she was too far gone to give him directions to her house.

He pulled away down the street slightly, out of sight of the building and its current occupants. He then tried to wake Antonia up to ask her where she lived. When she just pushed his hands away, he gave up and took her purse off her shoulder. Looking at her driver’s license, he shook his head, not believing that she actually lived at the address on it.

He drove to it anyway, thinking it might not be as bad as he suspected.

 

He arrived at her apartment and was able to wake her up enough to get her to focus. “Antonia, is this your building?” he asked, holding her head gently.

 

“Yes,” she said sleepily. “Fifth floor. Thanks for the ride.” After that, Antonia turned and curled up more comfortably in the soft leather seat.

 

Brett shook his head. She was out.

 

Sighing, he went around to the passenger side and lifted her up. She barely weighed anything, he thought as he carried her into the building.

Then he reached the lobby and read the note on the front of the elevators which claimed all of them were out of service. With no other alternative, Brett carried Antonia up the stairs. She got heavier and heavier with each flight.

Once he was standing in front of her doorway, Brett set her down and leaned her against the doorjamb while he searched through her purse for her keys. Finding them, he unlocked the door, then carried her through the darkened apartment.

He found the sofa the old-fashioned way, by running into it. Swallowing a curse, he put Antonia down on the sofa and found the lights.

When he turned around, he was astonished by the relatively large apartment. The furnishings were nice but not top rate. It was the smaller items scattered about that were real gems. She apparently collected tapestry pillows, wicker baskets, which added a homey effect, and old, black-and-white photographs, all displayed in intricately carved frames.

He shook her gently to wake her up since she’d fallen asleep again on the sofa. When she didn’t respond except to push his hands away and yawn deeply, Brett resigned himself to his task. He lifted her up and carried her into what he assumed was the bedroom.

Again, he was struck by how nice the room looked. It could be out of a magazine for old-fashioned cabins or mountain retreats. The soft yellow walls warmed the room while the quilt was an artist’s dream.

Brett laid her down and took off her shoes, placing them beside the bed. Next, he withdrew her stockings, groaning out loud when he realized she was only wearing thigh high stockings. Had he known that while dancing, he never would have made it so long. He wished he could look at her with them on, but he reminded himself that she was passed out.

So he averted his eyes and pulled the sheer stockings off her legs. Next came the dress. The fantastic dress. Now that he was the one taking it off her, he didn’t mind it so much. In fact, he loved it, he thought as he pulled it down and revealed her strapless bra.

Averting his eyes again, he lifted her up and pulled the quilt and sheets down, then tucked her under before taking her bra off. Once off, he lifted the scrap of material to his face, inhaling her soft perfume.

Brett groaned again. He had to get out of here. He couldn’t take any more of this. Turning off her bedroom light, he moved about the apartment and made sure the balcony was locked, then turned off the lights and closed the door behind him.

Chapter 5

Rolling over in bed, Antonia unfolded her arms, stretching sore muscles. She wished the sun wasn’t so bright and chided herself for not pulling the shade down on her window last night. Shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight streaming in through her bedroom window, she wondered why her head ached so much.