Player's Ultimatum (11 page)

“I’m very flattered, but. .” Yvonne was unable to finish her polite refusal because Matteo raised his hand and halted her.

“You do not have to give me an answer tonight. I have laid my cards on the table as you Americans say. When and if you are ready to commit, cal me.”

Snapping his fingers, Matteo summoned over one of the countless servants at his disposal. Instructing him to fil his champagne glass, Matteo then stood with the glass aloft immediately silencing the group.

“I am honored to have al of you as my guests. I hope you enjoy your stay. May al of your secret desires and even some you didn’t know existed be satisfied this weekend…
salud
.”

Several choruses of
salud
drifted around the table fol owed by everyone downing their champagne. Instead of retaking his seat, Matteo slapped his hands together.

“I have a special treat. I’ve arranged for dessert to be served on the rooftop terrace.” A chorus of excitement buzzed throughout the room as they jumped from their seats and fol owed Matteo from the dining room. Yvonne held back to wait for Robbie.

“Final y some time alone. For a minute there, I was thinking Matteo was trying to steal you away from me.” Yvonne’s eyes widened. Robbie had unknowingly hit the nail on the head. “He offered me a position as his VP of International Marketing.”

A low whistle drifted between them. “He skipped mail-room clerk and brought out the big guns. What did you tel him?”

“I didn’t get a chance to tel him anything,” she gushed as they took the stairs. “He told me to take my time and think about it.” Robbie’s mouth dropped open. “You’re going to keep him waiting?”

Yvonne shrugged. “I don’t want to take on anything until we accomplish our goal.”

“This is your dream. What you’ve worked so hard for in graduate school.” Robbie stopped mid-step. “I can’t stand in your way.”

Yvonne took his hand and pulled him behind her. “Stop being so melodramatic. I real y didn’t turn him down. He stopped me before I could. The offer stil stands if and when I’m ready.”

Robbie hooked his arm around her shoulders, impeding their progress. “Promise me that when al of this is over you’l give his offer serious consideration.” When she didn’t say anything, Robbie started to plant raspberry kisses al over her face.

“Promise me,” he said between each blow of hot air.

“I promise!” Yvonne cried. “Just leave me be!”

Robbie didn’t. He only let her go when they cleared the top landing, leading out to a rooftop terrace or more like a green oasis set high above a city dominated by water.

Matteo’s rooftop terrace contained actual grass, potted topiaries and orange trees. There were more than a half a dozen individual groupings of lounge furniture scattered about. The space lighted by Japanese paper lanterns hanging overhead.

In a private alcove backed by a pergola covered with trained grapevines sat a long white-clothed table dotted with candles and dozens of mismatched dining chairs pulled halfway out at an angle. Yvonne breathed in deeply. The smel of orange blossoms was intoxicating.

Matteo tried to accost her again by showing her to a chair next to his own. This time Robbie stayed close by her side.

“What’s wrong?” Yvonne paused to thank the servant as he placed a bowl of orange gelato in front of her. “Afraid Matteo’s going to steal me away for good this time?”

Robbie stopped a passing waiter, grabbed two flutes of champagne and handed one to her. “Of course, especial y when it seems every man in Italy wants you al to himself.”

They’d just finished their dessert when an explosion of fireworks rent the night sky, turning it into a menagerie of dark purple, blistering whites and hot red. One after the other, fireworks shot into the Venetian sky, lighting up the street below.

Enthralled with the display overhead, Robbie and Yvonne were unaware of the arrival of another guest. Having just arrived on the last flight from Rome, Paulo missed the evening meal.

Not wil ing to cause a disturbance and preferring his own company to strangers, he’d taken his meal in his room. He only came out of hiding for the night’s festivities. Even he couldn’t resist a firework display during
Carnivale
.

“I see you final y decided to show yourself. What beautiful blonde waylaid you this time?” Nico asked, handing him a glass of champagne.

“None. My mind’s occupied by only one woman. And she’s not blonde, but a brunette. I wish
she
would have been the cause of my late arrival and not a delayed flight.”

Paulo laughed at Nico’s shocked expression. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I-I’ve never known you to juggle less than one woman,” Nico sputtered.

“Always a first for everything. Speaking of firsts. Why are Roberto Gutierrez and his fiancée here? When did you make their acquaintance?”

Nico followed Paulo’s gaze to the other side of the terrace.

“Lovely pair, no? His fiancée actual y made my acquaintance. You know she’s the driving force behind his new image.” Chuckling, Nico reached up and stroked his goatee. “She’s a very shrewd business manager that one. She’s fashioned this entire campaign to promote his image. She aims to make him a household name by the European cup.”

“And from first-hand experience, she wil . I am so impressed by her negotiating skil s, I offered her a job. With a woman like that, the sky’s the limit for Nico Acqua.”

“How do
we
fit in with Gutierrez’s new image,” Paulo said, reminding the other man he was stil a silent partner but with a majority share in Nico Acqua.

“He’s our newest pitch man,” Nico declared as if he’d bagged some prized bul .

Paulo’s hand tightened on the flute’s thin stem. “When and how?”

“Haven’t you been listening? His fiancée cooked up the deal, we came to favorable terms, I drew up the contracts and now al that’s needed is his signature.”

Red hot anger shot through Paolo, almost blinding him. “I’m only a silent partner, but why didn’t you consult me first?”

“We needed someone to take João’s place. You told me you didn’t care who I replaced him with, so I chose Gutierrez.” Paulo looked back at the couple who’d become the focus of his every waking moment.

First
Roma Internazionale
, now his company? Unable to stomach any more, Paulo shoved his glass into Matteo’s hand and then left him alone to stare after him in puzzlement.

* * * * *

“How do I look?” Yvonne pivoted slowly, affording Robbie a view of the Lit le Bo Peep costume he’d put together for tonight’s masquerade bal .

Robbie’s eyes raked over her with a shrewdness reserved only for a fashion shoot or the catwalk.

“Can I borrow those when we get home?”

“The corset or the boots?” Yvonne asked twirling around again. In spite of the costume’s brevity, she felt hel a sexy!

“Wel I wouldn’t mind borrowing the whole outfit, if I could fit into it.” Yvonne offered Robbie her hand and helped him from the bed. His pants were so tight he had to lie down to string the laces together. In turn he handed her a white silk domino that would only cover her from brow to nose.

“I’m almost afraid to be your escort. They might slaughter the sheep to get to the shepherdess,” Robbie drawled fol owing her from the room.

“Now you’re real y fishing for a thank you.”

Robbie winked down at her. “Just a lit le.”

* * * * *

Prone to theatrics, Robbie made sure they didn’t arrive on time. In fact, the masquerade bal was already in ful swing when Robbie and Yvonne entered
Villa Reale’s
grand salon. With barely room to move, loud music, clinking glasses and the addition of several hundred people eclipsed their wel -planned arrival.

The scene was almost macabre as masked faces bobbed and swam within a sea of sweating bodies in various stages of dress and undress.

“Did I just see a penis?”

“I hope so,” Robbie yelled over the boom of techno music pulsating through a tower of speakers on the far end of the room.

“Come on let’s dance.”

Yvonne al owed Robbie to pul her onto the dance floor. Caught up in the overal revelry, they began to swirl and pulse along with the partiers around them. Their bodies quickly coated with sweat. Feeling a gust of air stir her ponytail, Yvonne looked up. Overhead, two women dressed in abbreviated costumes swung back and forth on trapezes.

“Want to give it a try?”

“Do you think they’l let me?” Yvonne asked truly excited by the prospect. Of course swinging above a crowd of people was ludicrous and total y out of character for her. But since she’d been in Italy she’d done quite a lot of things she’d never thought of doing.

“Come on.” Robbie took her hand and led them over to where one of the swings dipped before going backwards.

Robbie stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled, instantly gaining the girl’s attention.

“She wants to try it out,” he shouted, pointing at Yvonne.

The girls painted ruby red lips split in a huge grin. She glanced over her shoulder and signaled to a young man holding a remote control.

The trapeze jerked upward, stopped and then slowly lowered. At a height slightly above shoulder level, the girl jumped lithely to the ground. With an infectious grin, she patted the seat for Yvonne, who looked to Robbie for a lit le support.

“You’l been fine. If you can wrap a CEO and a seasoned journalist around your finger, you can definitely handle this one, honey. If you need me just hol a, I’l be close. I’ve got my eye on a certain Billy goat. ” Yvonne kissed Robbie on the lips for luck surprising him, considering the way his eyes widened. Before he could tease her, she jumped onto the swing.

“Alberto controls the ascent and descent. Al you do is swing.” The girl instructed in halting English. “Ready?”

“Take me up!” Yvonne shouted as excitement ran like adrenaline through her veins. The girl raised her hands thumbs up and Yvonne shot into the air.

*****

Paulo had never been a huge fan of parties, but Nico’s weren’t your run of the mil social gatherings. More like a phenomenon, debauched marvels you talked about for years. Like the young girl who’d just gained his attention. Wearing only a gold mask with peacock feathers and gold body paint, she was one of many unusual delights to be offered at this week-end’s activities.

Al owing the girl to take his hand, she pulled him behind her to the center of the bal room. Finding a pocket of space amongst the multitude of sweating bodies, the girl turned to face him arms akimbo. The position lifted her smal breasts to him as if in offering. Caught up in the beat of the music, the girl closed her eyes and rotated her narrow hips seductively round and round.

Even though his at raction to her was lukewarm, Paulo reached his hands out to pul her to him. Before he made contact a woman’s peal of laughter ripped the air directly above his head. Looking up, Paolo watched what looked like Lit le Bo Peep swinging back and forth, her head thrown back in laughter.

Paulo’s eyes narrowed. For some reason the woman looked very familiar. Taking a step back, he held his breath as he waited for the swing to arch backward. He knew that body and chocolate skin even in his sleep.

Although Yvonne wore twice the amount of clothing than the young woman writhing in front of him, her appeal eclipsed every woman in the room tenfold. Plus it didn’t hurt that she wore thigh high boots and short skirt.

She never ceased to intrigue him!
What other secrets was she hiding? Unable to take his eyes off of her, Paolo edged closer.

*****

Yvonne kicked her four-inch heels out and propelled herself higher and higher. Swinging on a trapeze above hundreds of people should be added to everyone’s bucket list. What an adrenaline rush! She could do this al night.

Al night turned into al of twenty minutes when the DJ introduced strobe lights to the bal ’s entertainment. The combination of speed, height and artificial lighting messed with Yvonne’s equilibrium, causing a wave of dizziness that made her head swim and remember firsthand what she had for dinner.

Damn! I should have skipped the caviar.

Suddenly cold and strangely numb al over, Yvonne stopped rocking back and forth. She looked over to Alberto and waved her arm, gaining his attention. She signaled for him to let her down and pronto.

For several moments, Yvonne hung in the air, unmoving, shaking like a leaf. She glanced down and her stomach lurched. He was banging on the remote and obviously spewing a litany of curses because his lips were moving rapidly.

So not a good sign!

“No need to worry, you’re only stuck fifteen feet in the air,” Yvonne assured herself while Alberto frantical y hit but on after but on.

No longer able to hold her anxiety in check, she glanced down at the press of bodies below. She contemplated jumping, but she nixed the idea. She would either break a leg or stab someone’s eye out with the heel on her boot.

Yvonne tried to remain calm in the face of adversity. But every time she glanced at Alberto, he looked sweatier and sweatier.

Again, she looked down at the revelers looking for help. Where the hel was Robbie?! Total y oblivious to her predicament, they continued to bump and grind against each other like animals in heat, except for one lone partier dressed like a wolf.

Like her, his mask concealed the upper half of his face. The bare lower half revealed a strong jaw, tanned skin and ful lips turned up in a smile. Yvonne focused on him. Out of the chaos swirling around her, he seemed to be the only stable thing in the entire universe right now. And the longer she stared, the more she relaxed.

“Hey handsome,” she whispered, returning his smile.

Unfortunately, the wolf suddenly turned insane. He cleared the space around him and lifted his arms, holding them out for her to drop into them.

Shaking her head, Yvonne yelled, “No way, not going to happen!” Seeking a safer way to descend, she looked at Alberto again, who now held half of a box with protruding wires. Yvonne searched for her wolf. He stil stood directly below, his smile stil in place and his arms lifted.

Tired of flying high, Yvonne took a deep breath, closed her eyes and slid off the trapeze.