Da Silva's Mistress. Tina Duncan

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СКАЧАТЬ becoming increasingly familiar with and equally irritated by—because he couldn’t figure out who she reminded him of.

      ‘Why don’t you spit it out, Mr da Silva? If you have something to say, just say it.’

      Luca had to admire her spirit. She had guts. He’d say that for her.

      It was just a shame she didn’t have the morals to go with it.

      He shifted position on the desk and was aware of her quick appraisal. He leaned forward, inhaling the tangy scent of citrus. ‘I brought you here because I am terminating your employment with Enigma Marketing.’

      She gasped. Swayed in her seat. Paled until even her mouth looked parchment white and her eyes blacker than black. ‘You can’t do that!’

      ‘I certainly can.’

      Normally such a blatant misuse of power would be abhorrent to him. But these were exceptional circumstances that required drastic action.

      ‘You may own half the world, Mr da Silva, but you don’t own Enigma Marketing. You have no say over who they employ or don’t employ.’

      He smiled with genuine amusement. ‘Surely you can’t be that naïve? One phone call was all it took to seal your fate.’

      She gasped again, her eyes so wide they looked like saucers. ‘I don’t believe you. My boss wouldn’t do that to me!’

      ‘No?’ He leaned closer. ‘Not even if I threatened to take away the Da Silva Chocolate account from her agency?’

      A deathly silence fell. The look on her face told him Morgan knew the answer to that question as well as he did.

      Da Silva had done for chocolate what Versace had done for fashion. The brand had developed a cult following among chocoholics, connoisseurs and A-listers around the world, their exclusive lines de rigueur on the tables of the rich and famous.

      Da Silva was the marketing agency’s flagship account. Losing it meant losing jobs, not to mention reputation and the kudos that came from being associated with the brand.

      And Enigma’s CEO, Dawn Merchant, would do just about anything to stop that from happening.

      He reached across to the corner of the desk and slid the phone towards her. ‘Why don’t you call her? I’m sure Dawn will be happy to confirm what I’ve told you.’

      Morgan looked from the phone to his face and back again. ‘OK. I believe you. But you’d better have a damned good reason for firing me or I’m going to sue the pants off you!’

      Luca almost laughed in her face. Almost. Except there was nothing funny about the way she was trying to tear apart his sister’s marriage—particularly at a time when Stefania was so vulnerable.

      His sister was battling depression over her inability to conceive. Although she was trying to put on a brave face and maintain a positive attitude, her failure to fall pregnant after the last IVF treatment had really knocked the stuffing out of her.

      The last thing she needed right now was to discover the husband she adored was having an affair!

      Luca was determined she would never find out.

      It was because of him that Stefania was in this predicament in the first place. If only he’d—

      Luca slammed a lid shut on his thoughts. He’d been through enough what-ifs and if-onlys to last him a lifetime. He’d almost driven himself crazy imagining what he could have done differently to avert the accident that had changed their lives.

      But that was in the past. It was the present and the future that concerned him now. While he couldn’t do anything about Stefania’s infertility, he sure as hell could do something about Morgan Marshall.

      ‘I could say it’s because you’re incompetent…but I won’t,’ he bit out harshly.

      ‘Good,’ she said hotly, eyes glinting. ‘Because you’d be wrong. I’m good at what I do. Very good! Dawn must have told you that.’

      He inclined his head. ‘If it’s any consolation, she did.’

      In fact Luca had been surprised by just how rigorously Dawn had defended her employee. When he’d first called her, he’d phrased his request as exactly that. A request. When she’d rattled off what seemed to him to be an inordinately long list of qualifications and skills, he’d turned the request into an order.

      An order Dawn had continued to resist.

      Morgan was a model employee.

      She was an excellent team player.

      Not to mention innovative and creative.

      Luca had frowned at the phone as he’d listened.

      Were they talking about the same woman? he’d wondered.

      The paragon Dawn was describing hardly sounded like the type of woman to have an affair with a married man. But then, he’d reasoned, just because she was a capable professional it didn’t mean she couldn’t also have the morals of an alley-cat!

      ‘It’s no consolation and you know it!’ Morgan glared up at him, her eyes glittering like black diamonds. ‘Now, tell me why you fired me, and make it good—or I’ll have my solicitor here before you can say Jack Robinson!’

      Luca couldn’t help but admire her spirit. At the same time her continued refusal to admit the truth hardened his heart, until it felt as if it was encased in a block of ice.

      He put his face close to hers, watched her draw back in her chair. Then he said softly, ‘I think your relationship with Joseph Langdon is reason enough, don’t you?’

      Morgan’s world tilted on its axis. The blood drained from her head so quickly a series of black dots began swimming in front of her eyes.

      She’d suspected something was wrong from the minute she’d walked through the door and found Luca da Silva waiting for her.

      But not this.

       He knew!

      Somehow, Luca da Silva knew.

      A wave of panic engulfed her. She couldn’t breathe—as if a band of steel had been strapped around her chest and tightened until it hurt. Her palms grew sweaty. Her heart was pounding so fiercely she was surprised he couldn’t hear it.

      She dragged in a deep breath, and then another. Closed her eyes. Opened them again. And found herself looking at the hard shafts of his thighs. Her pulse quickened and heat stirred low in her pelvis. Swallowing, she dragged her gaze away.

      How could this have happened?

      They’d been so careful to keep their relationship a secret.

      They always met in out-of-the-way places or in the privacy of her apartment. They’d even met here, in this very office, sometimes on genuine business matters but as often as not on the pretext of business just so they could see each other.

      But СКАЧАТЬ