One Summer Night: An Indecent Proposition / Beholden to the Throne / Hers For One Night Only?. Carol Marinelli

be him, of course, given he was on his balcony, but her heart was thumping as she opened the door. The bellboy was hidden by a huge bunch of orchids and, on reading the attached card, an apology from Zander for any indiscretions and a summons, rather than an invitation, to join him for morning tea so that he could apologise in person. To add insult to injury, the florist had signed his name incorrectly.

      Both card and flowers went in the bin.

      Unless he contacted her about work, she would have nothing to do with him, Charlotte decided.

      Indiscretions indeed! He was a brave man to request her presence.

      The smell of orchids filled the room, but she refused to open the sliding doors, deciding instead that she would have the massage that Nico had suggested.

      It was but a brief escape, although a pleasant one. Her body was smoothed and pummelled, oiled fingers massaged her scalp and she could almost feel the tension seeping out of her body and through her fingertips. As she was left alone for the lotions to work, as she lay in the warm, darkened room, her mind did not automatically drift to Zander, as it did all too often these days, for he was not the only problem she had. Neither did her thoughts drift to the constant worry about her mother. No, given this pause, for the first time in a long time there was a moment to focus on self, and the voice she had been silencing for a while now started to make itself known. It was a voice that was familiar from her childhood. It blamed others for her problems, heaped on the guilt—the voice of her mother was becoming her own and Charlotte did not like the sound of it a bit. Yes, Zander had hurt her. Yes, his behaviour had been beyond appalling, but her problems were her own and she knew they needed to be sorted out rather than shelved, knew that so much had to change.

      The massage both regenerated and soothed her, but it was a fix that Charlotte knew was only temporary for all too soon she was back in the lift, heading to her room. She swiped the card in her door, relieved to be inside, but her relief was short-lived for there he was, sitting on the chair. She didn’t jump, for she put nothing past him.

      ‘I’ll complain.’

      ‘To whom?’ Zander said. ‘I own the hotel.’ He glanced over to the bin. ‘I see that you don’t like orchids.’

      ‘I love orchids,’ Charlotte said, ‘or rather I used to.’ She gave him a very tight smile. ‘Though the scent of them will now forever make my stomach curl.’

      ‘I asked you to join me in the restaurant.’

      ‘To discuss business?’ Charlotte asked, and watched his jaw tighten. ‘Because if that was the case then a phone call would have sufficed—flowers and a secondhand apology weren’t necessary.’

      ‘Second-hand?’

      ‘They spelt Zander with an X. Anyway it’s irrelevant. I have nothing to discuss with you unless it’s about business.’ Zander was not used to being stood up or turned down and certainly not when he’d deigned to send flowers.

      ‘I wish to talk.’

      ‘You really think that you can just walk in anywhere and get whatever you want?’

      ‘Of course.’

      ‘You’re just a spoiled rich boy …’

      And he looked to where she stood and knew he could correct her, could tell her there had been nothing spoiled about his childhood, that the privileged life he led now had been built by his hands, but he spoke of his past with no one, although he had, occasionally, with her.

      ‘You don’t know anything about my life.’

      ‘I thought I was starting to,’ Charlotte said. ‘I thought when we walked on that beach, when we went out to dinner, when you took me to bed …’

      He was not here to discuss his past; he was here to find out about her, to put to rest the rare guilt she had generated in him, a feeling that did not sit well with him. ‘What you said about your mother, about her having to go into a home …’

      ‘I shouldn’t have.’ Charlotte’s response was instant, that precious time in the spa allowing her to speak with clarity, on that subject at least. ‘My problems are my own and they have nothing to do with what happened between us, so you can leave now.’ She went to open the door, but Zander was not going anywhere.

      ‘I want to know what is happening.’

      ‘I don’t want to discuss my mother, and I have nothing to say to you.’

      For the first time with a woman he could not leave it there, did not want to leave it there—for although their day had been engineered, although their night had started with cruel intent, it had concluded differently, and he wanted her back. He wanted the Charlotte that had spoken with him, but her stance was closed, her face a mask, and he fought with the one thing he had left.

      ‘What if I am here about business?’ Zander said.

      ‘Then I’ll schedule you an appointment. ‘

      ‘I have already been more than patient …’

      ‘Really!’

      ‘Do you know how valuable my time is? Instead, you keep me waiting in a restaurant. You will come out with me. I have arranged to take out the yacht. I am considering releasing the land …’

      ‘I just need your signature.’ Charlotte did her level best to keep her voice even. ‘It isn’t necessary to go out on your yacht.’

      ‘Necessary for whom?’ came his snobbish response. ‘It is how I conduct business.’ He paused for a moment. ‘Okay, ring Nico and tell him to join me.’

      ‘That’s not possible now. I could speak with Paulo.’

      ‘I have no time for him. It is to be Nico or you. We would go out on the boat, then naturally we would share a long lunch, we would talk, and then I would, perhaps, sign. In fact …’ She could feel her nails digging into her palms as cruelly he continued. ‘It should be Nico taking me out, given how much he wants this deal. Perhaps he is not so keen after all. Perhaps given his PA can only spare me a few minutes of her time …’

      ‘You know that is not the case.’

      ‘So where is he?’ Zander pushed and of course she could not answer, knew that he had her trapped, and she did not want to be on a boat with him. She just wanted it over and done with, wanted him out of her life.

      ‘You know you don’t need to take me out for a signature.’

      ‘I want to, though.’

      ‘You think I’ll change my mind, that you’ll seduce me again …’ The trouble was that he would, he absolutely would, and that was what most terrified her.

      ‘I came here to do business,’ Zander said coolly. ‘I expect either Nico or yourself on the jetty at midday.’ He looked at where she clutched her dressing gown to herself. ‘Hopefully you will dress suitably. Speak with Ethina in the boutique, I will tell her to expect you.’

      Bastard.

      ‘Nico …’ She apologised for disturbing him, but she would not make a move without telling him, and Nico listened as she explained what his brother had in store for her.

      ‘I’ve told you, you don’t have to go out on his yacht with him. I would never ask you to do that.’

      ‘I’m willing to, though. I just want these papers signed, Nico. And then, I’m sorry, I just want to go home.’ She took a deep breath for there was so little to lose now. ‘I’m having some health issues with my mother and I really need to fly home first thing tomorrow.’

      ‘I’m sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do to help?’

      ‘I don’t know …’ she admitted. ‘I need to see how she is before I make any decisions.’

      ‘You can cope?’ Nico checked. ‘With Zander?’