Hot Latin Men 1-5 Omnibus Page 4

  Edna nodded. “Her son dropped them off just before you got here. You just missed him. I’ll get one of the girls to help me with the inventory next week.”

  “Sounds good. Whenever you get finished here, feel free to go on home. I’ll lock up.”

  Alexa then went toward the back office she shared with Edna. After sitting down in the chair behind the desk, she tapped the keyboard and took a look at the inventory for the week.

  “Not bad,” she murmured.

  Smaller donations arrived a couple of times during the week, and Edna had already noted in the system who the donations were from and that they needed a thank-you card sent to them. She added Ms. Johnson’s name to the list. Showing their appreciation served to not only encourage donors to donate again in the future, but it also gave them a good mailing list to work from when soliciting for special events and additional donations.

  Alexa clicked through the data on the screen, noting the number of vouchers that had been redeemed. Her train of thought was interrupted when the phone on the desk rang, indicating Edna had transferred a call to her.

  “Hello, Alexa,” Leonardo said in his smooth voice, the slightly accented pronunciation of her name creating goose bumps along her arms. “Have you already been to see your brother?”

  His unexpected call diverted her attention away from the computer screen. “Yes, I have. He was very appreciative of what you did for him.”

  “It was my pleasure.”

  Alexa thought she detected a smile in his voice. When she told Xander that Leonardo liked him, it hadn’t been an untruth. Leonardo did like his enthusiasm for his work, and at times she thought he saw Xander as the younger brother he never had.

  “I wanted to let you know that I have an invitation to Russell and Joan’s anniversary party taking place tomorrow evening. They’ve invited about a hundred or so people to their home. I thought it would be a good idea for us to go out together and let everyone see that we’re back together again.”

  Alexa stopped her nervous twiddling of the pen in her hand. She didn’t want to go to a party with Leonardo because she didn’t feel up to smiling and pretending they were a happily reunited couple. It would be even harder because she really liked Joan and Russell and had considered them friends when she and Leonardo were together. She would have to be cautious about how she turned him down.

  “I can’t,” she responded.

  “Why not?” She could hear the arrogance in his voice, as if she should drop whatever it is to join him tomorrow night.

  “I’m busy. I have to get settled in.”

  “That’s a nonissue,” Leonardo informed her. “One of the servants can unpack your bags, and my assistant is taking care of the logistics. She’ll be calling you later tonight with the details.”

  Making one more attempt to get out of the invitation, Alexa said, “It’s not a good time. It’s the end of the month, and I need to review the books for The Closet. Not to mention I’ll have to find something to wear, and I’m not so sure it’s a good idea for us to be seen together so soon. Do you really think I’m that good of an actress? Are you that great of an actor?” There. She’d said it. Neither of them could pretend that well under the scrutiny of dozens of other people.

  “It wasn’t a request, Alexa.”

  She allowed silence to remain on the line for a few moments. Of course it wasn’t. Leonardo was in control, and he wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Just drop whatever I have planned?”

  “Precisely.”

  “Is that what I can expect moving forward? This can’t go on indefinitely.”

  “It won’t. As you reminded me before you left, it’s only for two months.”

  “Fine. Since I don’t have a choice.” She wanted to sound angry, but instead her voice came out weaker than she intended. For some ridiculous reason, having him remind her that they were only back together for a short while made Alexa unhappy.

  “You always have a choice. You had a choice of whether or not you should come back to me, and you chose to do so. I didn’t force you.”

  She held back the laugh that threatened to ripple from down deep in her throat. How could two people have such disparate views of the same situation?

  “I still have to find a dress,” Alexa said. “There isn’t much time. I’d have to spend all of tomorrow shopping if I’m going to find something appropriate to wear to the Simpsons’ party.”

  “There’s no need to be concerned about what you’ll wear tomorrow,” Leonardo said in a brisk voice, which was an indication he was ready to wrap up the conversation. “Everything you need is at the house. So you’ll join me tomorrow? I think everyone will enjoy seeing you and be pleased that we’ve reconciled.”

  Except that they weren’t reconciled. It was a lie.

  Alexa bit back the angry retort that hovered around her lips. Instead, she kept her voice neutral when she spoke again. “I’ll join you tomorrow night. I’ll go along with your charade for the next two months, Leo. I’ll go to your parties, act like the perfect hostess when you throw your own, and run your home the way you like. But as soon as the time is up, I’m walking away as quickly as I can.”

  “Don’t forget you’ll also have to share my bed every night,” Leonardo said.

  Alexa felt her pulse flutter. Of course he would remind her of that part.

  “I will see you tomorrow night at home,” he added.

  At home.

  Alexa froze as her neck muscles tensed. The words left his tongue with ease, but for her, it was difficult to imagine the sprawling mansion as home. It hadn’t been home for some time, and she wondered what it would feel like to be back there and if anything had changed. No doubt Leonardo had worked to eradicate from every corner any evidence she had ever lived there.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, Leo.”

  * * * *

  The well-tended lawn and shrubs looked the same when the chauffeured car Leonardo sent for Alexa cruised through the iron gates and made its way up the winding cobblestone driveway made of granite pavers. The grass looked like a soft green carpet, and the shrubs were rounded and trimmed into neat cylindrical shapes. Even the rose bushes she’d requested the gardener plant were still in place on either side of the imposing front door, adding a vivid splash of color against the stucco walls.

  Upon entering the house, Alexa found that the furnishings and décor were exactly the same, too. She didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. Because her surroundings were identical to when she left, she felt her old apprehensions resurfacing. She was back in the same imposing house she had fled because she was so unhappy.

  “Good afternoon, Mrs. Silva.”

  The housekeeper greeted her with a smile when their paths crossed. Because of the housekeeper, the maids, the house manager, the butler, the cook, the gardeners, the pool man, and the chauffeur, the mansion operated like a Fortune 500 company. When Alexa lived there, her role as the woman of the house was to manage the staff, but they were so efficient she often felt superfluous.

  Alexa returned the housekeeper’s greeting. If she was surprised to see Alexa, she gave no indication, and neither did the other employees. Everyone behaved as if she had never left. It made her wonder what exactly Leonardo had said to them.

  She took her time up the stairs to the room she would once again share with her husband. The master bedroom suite was at the end of a hallway in the east wing of the house. The balcony leading off of it overlooked a swimming pool. Concrete steps led from the balcony to the private courtyard below.

  The main room was minimally furnished, with a large king-size bed in its center, a wall-mounted flatscreen television, two nightstands, and expensive original paintings from several contemporary artists hanging on the walls. A sitting room complete with large cushioned chairs was off to the side.

  It also included a desk, chair, and a networked laptop and printer so Leonardo could work late at night if he chose to without having to go to his office on the ground floor.


  Three doors opened into two large walk-in closets and a gigantic bathroom decorated with slate gray imported Italian marble tile, a jetted tub, and two sinks.

  Leonardo’s assistant had arranged for Alexa’s luggage to be brought to the house, but she didn’t see her personal belongings in the room when she entered. She assumed one of the servants had already unpacked her few bags and put away her things. She walked over to the closet that used to be hers before she left—and gasped.

  Alexa stood immobile in front of the immense closet, staring at the contents in disbelief. The built-in shelves and hangers were filled almost to capacity. Everything she’d left behind was still there: the designer clothes, shoes, handbags, accessories—everything. No wonder he’d seemed unconcerned about whether or not she’d have something to wear tonight.

  The closet doubled as a dressing room, with a vanity and mirror in a corner, and a full-length mirror nestled between shelves that held neatly arranged shoes and boots. She opened several drawers and discovered more clothes, undergarments, lingerie, all neatly folded where she had left them. It was almost eerie how perfect everything remained, as if she’d never left—or as if he’d known she would be back.

  Her one-of-a-kind jewelry box dominated one of the shelves where she’d left it and the contents. Other pieces were locked in the safe. She hadn’t left with any of the jewelry or clothing Leonardo had given to her, although she knew it was rightfully hers. It was obvious if she did an inventory of what was still there, she would find not one single item had been removed.

  A faint sound made her swing around. Alexa found herself face-to-face with Leonardo in the suddenly confining space.

  “Don’t look so frightened.” He began tugging on his striped tie as he spoke. “I don’t plan to maul you.”

  Alexa licked her suddenly dry lips, focusing on his face instead of allowing her gaze to drift down to the smooth, swarthy skin of the newly exposed column of his neck. She was embarrassed by her instinctive reaction to his small movement.

  “It’s the middle of the afternoon. I didn’t expect you home so soon.”

  He couldn’t seem to take his black gaze from her moistened lips, and Alexa felt the shimmer of awareness hum between them.

  “I wrapped up a business deal sooner than expected. When you’re the boss, you can leave work early.”

  Alexa wanted to ask if he had a habit of leaving work early nowadays, but she didn’t. Before they separated, she hardly ever saw him before the middle of the night. She couldn’t count the number of nights she ate dinner alone. On the days when he did arrive early, after they made love, he would work in the sitting room or shut himself in his office so that she was forced to entertain herself.

  With a short hand gesture, Alexa indicated the contents of the closet. “I thought you would throw everything out once I left. Why didn’t you?”

  Leonardo didn’t answer right away. He strolled over to the far side of the closet, where the jewelry box was located.

  “Sentimental reasons,” he said, his voice laced with cutthroat sarcasm. He lifted the top of the box and pulled something out. “You forgot these when you left.” He held out his open palm to Alexa.

  Her stomach tumbled over itself when she saw what he held. The large diamond in his palm captured the overhead light. The matching platinum wedding band lay nestled next to it.

  “I didn’t forget them,” Alexa responded, barely above a whisper. The painful constriction of her chest made it difficult to speak.

  She stared at the jewelry. She left them because she hadn’t wanted a reminder of her marriage, which to her was already over. She also wanted to make a point of showing Leonardo how serious she was about leaving him. At the time, she never knew she would be back here again, still married to him.

  “I didn’t think you did,” Leonardo admitted. He made his way over to her. “Give me your hand.”

  “Do we really have to do this?” Alexa asked. It was ridiculous, but she felt once she put the rings back on, her surrender to him would be complete, his control over her irrefutable.

  “Yes.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “It’s an important part of convincing everyone that we’re back together again.” He reached for her hand.

  Alexa pulled back. “I can put them on myself.”

  Leonardo grabbed her hand anyway. He shoved the wedding ring onto her finger.

  “Leo, I can do it myself.” Her fingers shook slightly. The warmth of his touch sent her emotions into a tailspin.

  His lips compressed into a thin line, and his grip on her wrist tightened, a clear indication he heard what she said but had no intention of honoring her request.

  “Are you afraid of me?” The diamond followed, sliding easily onto her finger.

  “No. I just don’t want you to touch me!” Alexa pulled away, her back connecting with a row of shelves behind her. She needed to get away from him. The closet, bigger than the average person’s bedroom, was ridiculously small with him in it.

  His dark eyes glittered down at her. “Well, that’s going to be a problem, isn’t it? Considering our arrangement most definitely includes periods of me touching you.”

  There was that word again.

  Arrangement.

  That’s what this farce of a marriage had been reduced to. She shouldn’t be here, pretending everything was back to normal. But here she was, with her husband, with her rings on her finger, and she would have to feign normalcy for outside observers.

  She was back in the house, but not because he loved her or couldn’t live without her. In fact, four months had passed, and not once had he called or come after her. She’d waited, hoped, and he’d never called. Instead, when presented with a chance, he took the opportunity to teach her a lesson and satisfy his lust for her at the same time.

  “I shouldn’t have agreed to this.” Alexa’s voice was tight, strained.

  “It’s too late for regrets.” Leonardo prowled closer, crowding her against the shelves without touching. “You’re here now.”

  “I don’t belong here.” Alexa glanced around the closet, taking in the extravagant design, intricate woodwork, the clothes, all symbols of his wealth.

  Her upbringing had been in an upper middle-class neighborhood, and she’d been a business owner for a few years before her partner bought her out. Still, there were times she found Leonardo’s lifestyle so out of her league it was intimidating. When she looked at him again, the muscles in her throat tightened even more. “I never belonged here, and you know it. I was different, that was all.”

  A shocked look came into his eyes. “Is that what you think? That I married you because you were different?”

  “Yes. Why else? I’m sure our ethnic differences were enough of a novelty to be intriguing. That didn’t last, though. As the weeks wore on, it became more and more evident how much I didn’t belong, and that maybe you even regretted it.”

  His eyes widened. “When did I ever tell you I regretted marrying you?”

  Alexa promptly answered, ready to prove to him how correct she was, even if he wouldn’t admit it outright. “You never came right out and said that, but it was obvious you regretted our marriage.

  “You were hardly ever here. Your hours at work became longer and longer. And the women…” Her voice trailed off miserably. That was the hardest part. She never actually caught him doing anything wrong, but she had her suspicions.

  “What women?” Leonardo ground out. “What regret? If anyone regretted our marriage, it was you. You ran away from me because it wasn’t what you thought. Isn’t that right?”

  “No, it wasn’t what I thought!” Alexa was gripped with the need to explain. “I didn’t think I would be ignored by my own husband!”

  “I wasn’t ignoring you,” Leonardo said testily. “I was busy, working. You had everything you wanted. I gave you a generous allowance. You had a car at your disposal, a beautiful home, jewelry, everything a woman wants.”

  Not everything, Alexa t
hought. “I never thought I’d have to fight for your attention.”

  “You never had to fight for my attention. You always had it.” Leonardo ran a weary hand through his hair, ruffling the chestnut locks. “Why didn’t you tell me you felt this way before?”

  Alexa looked into his dark, emotion-filled eyes and tried to read what she saw there. She couldn’t. He was a master at hiding his true feelings whenever he needed to.

  “Would it have made a difference? Would it have stopped you from pursuing your business deals or stopped you from ignoring me and flirting with the beautiful women who caught your attention at every function you dragged me to?”

  His eyes narrowed. “I never flirted. You clearly have a very active imagination.” His gaze traveled over her chic, well-fitting clothes, as if reminding himself of what was beneath. “From the moment I saw you, there was never anyone else.”

  “Do you really expect me to believe that?”

  He didn’t know, but she’d seen him leaving a restaurant with another woman, on a night he was supposed to be working late. She watched from the cab as they parted ways, his arm resting against the small of her back as he helped her into her car. He had told her he would be working, but he had lied. He’d been enjoying dinner with the striking redhead.

  Alexa glanced away as the pain of the memory lanced through her.

  Leonardo sighed heavily, frustrated by the turn of the conversation. He closed his eyes briefly. When he looked at her again, he seemed to have calmed himself.

  “I don’t care what you think anymore, Alexa.” He completely removed his tie and bunched the silk into a fist. “Whatever was wrong, you were the one who left, without giving me a chance to rectify what you thought I’d done wrong. That’s how much our marriage meant to you.”

  When she opened her mouth to speak, he cut her off.

  “Whatever you thought, it’s in the past. All I care about is what we do from here on out—what you agreed to in my office yesterday. Do you remember that conversation?”