MATTEO BARBIERI stepped out of the chauffeur-driven limousine and glanced up at the four-storeyed Georgian-style building in front of him: the head office of Westwold Components, a company he had finally acquired two weeks ago. He had left Raffe, his top man, in charge of the changeover, so he had not expected to be needed in London in June, and he was not pleased…
He was ruggedly attractive, with black hair and shrewd dark eyes, and
the navy silk and mohair suit he wore was a testament to the expertise of his tailor. The jacket stretched taut across shoulders as wide as a barn door, and at six feet five he was a powerful, impressive figure of a man in every respect. Not a man anyone could overlook, though the fierce frown at present marring his bold features would scare all but the bravest into glancing the other way.
Orphaned at a year old by the tragic death of his young parents in a car crash, Matteo Barbieri had spent his early years in a children’s home in Rome. He had left at fifteen, with nothing but the clothes he stood up in and a burning ambition to become a success in life.
Tall, and looking older than his years, he had by sheer guts, determination and keen intelligence dragged himself up from the gutter that beckoned. He had studied by day and used his physical strength in the testosterone-fuelled world of the fighting game at night to earn money and build up a stake to set up his own company: Barbieri Holdings.
He had fought masked, under an assumed name, because he’d had total belief in his ability, mentally and physically, to be a winner in life. From a young age he had known he was destined to succeed on a worldwide
scale…never mind in a canvas ring…
His first purchase at the age of twenty had been a rundown farm in southern Italy that had included three cottages, a large farmhouse and a thousand acres of neglected land. A few weeks later the government had bought a chunk of the acreage to build a new runway to expand a local airport for the increasing tourist trade.
Some people said he’d had inside information. He had said nothing and recouped the money he had invested and more besides. He’d converted the farm house, which was situated on the coast at the southernmost tip of Italy, with stunning views over the sea, and kept it for his own use.
The remaining land had included an overgrown olive grove he had tried to cultivate himself, but he had quickly realised agriculture was not for him and finally hired an expert in the field to restore, enlarge and manage
the farm, while converting the cottages for the staff. Eventually he’d marketed the produce as Barbieri Extra Fine Virgin Olive Oil, and Barbieri Oil was today the choice of the connoisseur and priced accordingly…
It was the first business Matteo had bought and kept.
Now, fifteen years later, Barbieri Holdings was an international conglomerate that owned a vast array of companies, including mines,
manufacturers, properties and oil of the petroleum variety as well as from the olive tree. Nothing was out of Barbieri’s grasp.
Ruthless, arrogant, and merciless were some of the terms used by his enemies, but none in the business world friend or enemy could deny he was a financial wizard, and basically honest…A master of the universe who went after what he wanted and always succeeded.
‘Are you sure about this, Raffe?’ Matteo demanded of the man who had exited the car to join him on the pavement.
Raffe Costa was his right-hand man and his friend. They had met over a decade ago, when Matteo had applied for funding for a deal from a bank in Naples, where Raffe had been working in the commercial loan office. The pair had hit it off immediately, and two years later Raffe had joined Matteo’s swiftly expanding company as an accountant-cum-PA. The title was not important. Matteo trusted him completely, and knew him to be shrewd and rarely wrong.
‘Sure…?’ Raffe responded slowly. ‘No, I am not absolutely sure, but enough to want you to check it out,’ he qualified as they walked towards the entrance. ‘It wasn’t noticed in the due diligence we conducted before buying, because the siphoning off of funds—if that is what it is—has been
done very cleverly, and been deeply hidden in the accounts for years.’
‘You’d better be right. Because I had plans to take a holiday, and I did not intend it to be in London,’ Matteo said dryly, flicking his friend a glance as they entered the building. ‘I had a hot climate and a hot woman in mind.’
Matteo Barbieri was not a happy man. He had no trouble in thinking on several levels at the same time, and right now, while smiling at the security guard as Raffe introduced him, another part of his mind was wondering
how quickly—if Raffe’s suspicions were correct—he could sort out the problem and leave…
He had, after months of prolonged negotiation, finalised this deal.
Coincidentally it had been the following morning, standing in the shower, that he realised he had been celibate for almost a year. Ten months since he had parted with his last lady, because she was becoming too proprietorial and the M word had surfaced more than once.
Amazed at his own restraint, he had swiftly decided to rectify the situation by arranging a couple of dates with a rather striking model from Milan. He had planned to take her out on his yacht for the day and make her his mistress. If they proved to be compatible he had actually considered breaking the habit of a lifetime and allowing her to accompany him on a
cruise around the Caribbean for a few weeks.
He had never taken more than a week’s holiday in years, but just lately he’d found himself questioning if work was the be-all and end-all of life.
Unusual for him. He was not usually given to bouts of introspection and immediately he had decided to do something about it—hence Lisa the Milan model…
Unfortunately, the call last night from Raffe, voicing some concern over the recent acquisition of Westwold Components, looked like scuppering his plan.
He signed the log-in book where the security guard indicated—a formality, but no doubt the man wanted to impress—and was then introduced to the receptionist: Melanie.
‘I’m sure Mr Costa will have told you,’ the girl simpered, while hanging on to Matteo’s hand like a leech. ‘We are all really happy to become part of Barbieri Holdings, and if there is anything I personally can do…’ The busty blonde fluttered her eyelashes at him. ‘Just ask.’
The woman gushed and pouted at the same time, which was quite a feat, Matteo thought cynically.
‘Thank you,’ he replied smoothly, and, disentangling his hand from the receptionist’s grasp, he turned. ‘Come on, Raffe, let’s get—’ And he stopped, his dark eyes instinctively flaring in primitive masculine appreciation of the woman walking into the building.
‘Exquisite,’ he murmured under his breath, his stunned gaze roaming over her. She had the face of an angel, and a body to tempt any man with blood in his veins…
Big, misty-blue eyes, pale, almost translucent skin, a small nose and a wide mouth with full lips that begged to be kissed. Long ruby-red hair fell in soft curls around her slender shoulders, and the elegant white obviously designer dress she wore caressed every curve of her slender body.
Sleeveless, with a low square neck and a broad white belt circling her tiny waist, it accentuated her high full breasts.
She looked bridal…The unbidden thought flashed in his mind. But the evocative tap of high-heeled shoes on the marble floor knocked it straight out as his gaze lowered to where the hem of the skirt ended on her knees.
The red stiletto sandals she wore screamed sex.
His heart almost stopped. She had legs to die for…A mental image of them clamped around his waist had his body hardening instantly.
‘Who is that?’ he demanded of Raffe. ‘I have no idea, but she is gorgeous.’
Matteo looked at his friend and saw he was watching the girl as she drew nearer. He had to bite his lip to stop himself saying, Take your eyes off her. She is mine.
In that instant he came to a decision. Admittedly she was not his usual type. Tall, elegant brunettes had been his preference up until now. This woman was average height, with that long, red hair, but for some
inexplicable reason he wanted her with a hunger he had not felt in a long time. He decided he was going to have her…
His firm lips parted in a loaded smile aimed directly at her, but amazingly the girl walked straight past him with a dismissive shake of her head…
