His Paris Affair (The Albury Affairs) (7 page)

So it made her wonder if the failing hotel was the only
reason they sent Ruiz over. They knew where she was and she’d asked them not to
tell him, so was this some kind of plot to get them back together because the
failure that Red Roses had become would have warranted a visit from the
managing director, Reno and of course Matthew. Reno wasn’t the rip off the
bandage type like Allan he was more like peel the onion one layer at a time. He
would be the ideal one to confess her troubles to, but he’d gone through enough
already. Maybe Ruiz could…

Her heart stuttered at the sound of his booming voice,
echoing off the walls of the hall.

“I’m going to cut to the chase and save us from the false
pleasantries because there is nothing pleasant about this meeting today. I’m
beyond shocked by what I’ve seen in the three hours I’ve been here.”

Ruiz…
her heart
sighed. The man was gorgeous. And somehow, with his stern glare and rigid
imposing stance as he stared down at a room full of employees who’d probably be
wishing him dead by the end of the meeting, he looked even hotter. He looked
like a bad boy in his blue jeans and black boots that matched his button down
black dress shirt. His jet black and wavy hair didn’t help matters as he kept
tossing it back either by a jerk of his head or combing it back with his
muscled fingers as he berated the room. She was sure she wasn’t the only woman
swooning over that. He’d always kept it reasonably long but now it was long
enough to pull it into a pony tail.

What she would give to run her fingers through it…

The push to her shoulder and the following snickers brought
her out of her reverie and she blinked looking around only to meet Ruiz’s glare
and thin lipped smile.

How the hell did he spot her? She’d sank so low on her seat
and with the mass of bodies shielding her it would have been impossible. She
looked down at herself only to notice she was sitting very upright, practically
pushing herself up on her hands.

Damn!

“Miss Sinclair, or is it Mrs.—”

“How may I help you?” she practically yelled as she shot out
of her seat, preventing him from insulting her or announcing the truth to a
room full of people who had no respect for her. The last thing she wanted was
for things to get worse off for her.

Ruiz smirked. “I was just introducing
Monsieur
Jon Luc. He is an attorney who is going to help you and I
restructure the hotel and that includes re-staffing.”

Murmurs filled the room but he didn’t break momentum.

“If we are unable to do this in three months, Red Roses
Paris will be shut down. Make no mistake we will not risk the entire franchise
because of one ill managed hotel.”

Melody gasped. When she’d said that to Antonio it was only
to irk him, but hearing the words come from Ruiz it frightened her. They
couldn’t do that. The Red Roses were her hotels. They couldn’t shut down the
Paris one without her consent, but the way his eyes bore into hers as he
announced this, it was clear the rest had out voted her. She had no say in the
matter, not anymore. She’d made a deal with Allan to never let the hotels slip
through her fingers out of fault of her own and she’d down just that. She’d
failed him and herself.

God what he must think
of me!
But if he only knew the circumstances…how could he if she won’t tell
him? And Antonio, was this his plan right from the start, to ruin Red Roses?

“Melody.”

She looked up at the sound of her name rolling off his
tongue.

The room had cleared and it was just the lawyer, him and
her. He raised his hand and she watched it, keeping very still as he lightly
brushed her cheek with his finger. It was either he wet it or she was crying.
The look in his eyes gave her the answer.

His brows creased and his eyes looked pained making her
heart ache. “Melody—”

He stopped abruptly, pulling his hand away and stepping
back, his expression turning stern.

What Ruiz, what were
you going to say? Why did you stop touching me, why are you so cold all of a
sudden?
She screamed inside wishing she had the guts to say the words out
loud.

“Am I part of this restructuring and re-staffing?”

Melody felt her heart drop to her stomach. Of course that’s
why Ruiz’s demeanor changed so fast. She fought the urge not to cringe when
Antonio placed his arm around her waist. Ruiz’s lips split in a smile though
the rage in his eyes was scotching.

“You have to be an employee here for that and if I recall, I
already fired you.”

Melody felt Antonio’s hand fist, pinching her flesh and she
winced. She caught Ruiz’s gaze and feared his reaction knowing he’d noticed her
own.

“You do understand that I’m married to the owner?” Antonio
added with a fake laugh.

“Part owner like me,” Ruiz gnashed out. “And I have the
backing of the rest of the owners—Matthew, Reno and Allan.”

“But I have part majority.” Melody bit her lips shut wishing
she hadn’t said that, but it was a knee jerk reaction. It had been so long
she’d had to stand up for herself against the domineering men in her family to
assert her own voice. It felt foreign after a year of captivity.

Ruiz’s smile widened. “Yes, just not enough to keep
your husband
in control.”

Melody fisted her hands at her sides. “So what you’re saying
is, you’re asking me to join you out of courtesy.” She shrugged, trying to
appear nonchalant. “Why should I? You are quite capable of making the changes
on your own.”

Antonio scoffed. “So what? He’s firing you!”

“No, I’m hiring her because she needs to redeem herself.
It’s quite clear she’s been ignoring her duties as owner for that of wife
otherwise the hotel wouldn’t be in such a shameful state.” Ruiz added glaring
at her.

Melody looked away, the jab hitting home. Ruiz cleared his
throat and she looked at him from under her eyelashes.

“We’re starting tonight. Bring the files to the suite.
Excuse us.” Ruiz turned around and left the lawyer on his heels.

With Ruiz gone, Melody could feel all the stress drain out
of her and she fell back into her seat only to be yanked up by the arm.

“Ouch! You’re hurting me!” she lamented, struggling to pry
his fingers open from around her arm.

“Fix this Melody and do it fast. Allan may be too far away
to hurt, but the
bambina
,” he shook
his head whistling, “she’s close enough to put a pillow over her face when she
sleeps.
Lei capisce
?”

Melody
nodded her entire body shaking with fear. He gave her a curt nod, released her
to fall back into the seat and sauntered out with a victorious swagger. God she
needed help, she needed to get Antonio out of her life.

* * * *

Ruiz
banged his door shut. “I can’t believe her!” he hissed.

“It’s
quite unbelievable any woman would be married to that Italian toad.”

Ruiz
turned to where Jon Luc stood, pouring himself a drink from the bar. “You
picked up on the accent too?”

He
shrugged. “It’s as distinct as my own,
oui
?”

Ruiz
nodded. “But he told Melody he’s Cuban.”

The
glass halted at Jon Luc’s lips as he stared at Ruiz with a raised brow. “It
would be foolish of us not to check on your love’s husband.”

Ruiz’s
hands fisted so tight they shook.
My
love’s husband
. Those words made him mad enough to make Melody a widow!

“Why
did she marry him? It was quite clear she has no feelings for him…and judging
by how she looked at you throughout the meeting, she is very much in love with
you.”

Ruiz
combed his fingers through his hair in frustration. He had been sure of a lot
of things about his relationship with Melody before that meeting. He’d noticed
too how she stared at him, like she was stuck in the memories of them when they
were together and quite happy to be there. The look in her eyes had made him
stumble a few times before he reminded himself of how she was married to
someone else. But right after, when her cheek was wet with tears and his
judgment lapsed…he was so close to confessing how stuck he was too in the
memory of them until Antonio turned up. Then she flinched when Antonio touched
her…there was no way the two of them were intimate if his arm on her waist made
her cringe. It made Ruiz question their relationship. There was a lot more
going on there than what they would want him to believe.

That
brought him to the question that had been rattling around his head after
Antonio’s marriage announcement.

“Jon
Luc, what are your laws against bigamy?”

Chapter Four

Melody took several deep breaths to steady her nerves before
she raised her hand to knock on Ruiz’s door. She’d almost not come after
Antonio’s threat but Jackie had promised to look after Esme for a few hours. It
broke her heart that she wouldn’t be there for Esme’s first bottle and the fact
that she had to go on a bottle so young. She felt guilty, like she’d abandoned
her. Jackie said those feelings were normal and she had nothing to be guilty
about, but that didn’t change anything. A bottle was one of Esme’s little
milestones and she wouldn’t be there to either help or see.

The door swung open and Jon Luc, Ruiz’s lawyer halted in his
steps when he saw her. After a stunned moment, he smiled down at her. “
Madame,
I didn’t notice you’d knocked.”

Melody gave him half a smile.“I hadn’t.”

“Jon Luc, who is it?”

Melody’s heart leaped at his voice, but that little reaction
was nothing compared to when Jon Luc stepped aside, exposing Ruiz. He stood in
the middle of the room, barefooted on the wall to wall grey carpet, his shirt
halfway undone one hand holding his cell phone the other a glass of what she
could only guess as
Jameson
. Ruiz was
a beer kind of guy, but he partook in a little whisky once in a while,
especially when he felt stressed. He did have a lot to be stressed about, thanks
to her.

“
Madame
is here
for your meeting,” Jon Luc said with a noticeable laugh in his voice that
earned him a glare from Ruiz.

Was that supposed to
be a joke or was she missing something?

“Come in Melody, you have the files?”

She nodded choosing to ignore his brisk tone. She pointed to
her side. “They’re right here.”

Jon Luc stepped out as he subtly pushed her in. He probably
noticed she was ready to run. Who wouldn’t be in this situation? There was so
much in those boxes that would make him mad and she didn’t want to be on the
receiving end even though she deserved it, and her hormones were on overdrive.
She was ready to jump him, damn the consequences and everything else.

“I hope someone helped you with all these boxes?” Jon Luc
asked.

She turned just enough to nod then turned back around,
almost running into Ruiz’s bare chest, visible by the gaping shirt.

“Ah…yeah…the ah…” She swallowed hard, dragging her eyes away
to land on his bare feet. He had such nice toes—large but nice. Like the rest
of him…large and so very, very nice, especially his hands. She trembled at the
thought of having those hands on her again doing very wicked things.

Melody, wake up!
“After Ruiz’s speech the employees were more than willing to help out.”

“Good,” he snapped, walking around her to the door. “Why so
many boxes? Was nothing digitally filed?”

She shook her head, moving into the room and stopping by the
table where his drink and phone now sat. “No. Antonio doesn’t bother with
paperwork.”

She heard Ruiz mumble something unintelligible under his
breath and knew it was a mix of oaths and curses all at Antonio…and probably at
her.

The phone vibrated, the screen lighting. The words ‘Do not
answer’ caught her interest for a mere second before she noticed the
screensaver. The back of her throat burned with the threat of tears. What she
would give to go back to that time. Sunny days, sandy beaches, beautiful ocean
and amazing cuisine all that added to fantastic company in the hottest man on
the island. She’d spent all her time there with him, following him around like
a little girl with a crush. And he, he fed into her crush teasing and flirting
with her, stealing kisses and innocent touches, always holding her hand,
picking off where he’d left it at Riana and Allan’s wedding. Her face was
constantly red around him. She’d chastised herself for her naïve behavior but
quickly looked for a reason to go to the Bahamas. It was like a bear to honey.
Knowing very well she’d get stung if she went near the beehive but willing to
risk it because the honey was delicious.

And Ruiz had been exactly that, delicious when they made
love, worth the risk because he gave her Esme and stinging bees because of his
secret agenda that had torn them and her heart apart.

His hand covered the screen as he turned his phone off then
flipped it so that the screen faced the glass table top.

“Let’s get started,” he announced gruffly.

Melody nodded, sinking onto the floor by the table as he
carried the five boxes to her and began pulling and tossing papers onto the
table. She had to catch a few to keep them from sliding off. He tossed aside
the first box now empty and went to empty the second in the same manner when
she placed her hand on his arm. He froze and she gasped at the contact.

“Why…ah…why don’t we start with these papers first?” she
stuttered, her voice barely audible.

The muscles under her hand clenched and if her hazy mind was
working well, his panting was a clear warning she should move away but instead,
she tightened her hold on his arm. Just this once, after the year she’d had,
she needed this for herself just this once.