Seduced by the Tycoon at Christmas Page 12

  “So, you’re Zoe,” Francesca said, cocking an eyebrow. “Very interesting.”

  For the second time in minutes, Zoe didn’t know what to say or think.

  “Romeo’s been talking my ear off about you ever since we left his office, and now that we’ve met, I can see why. You’re stunning.” Francesca flicked a finger in the air. “I love your outfit. Is it from Casa Di Moda?”

  Zoe touched her chest. You do? Her long-sleeved plaid jumper was a gift from Jiovanni, and she loved how it fit her shape. “Yes, as a matter of fact it is. Jiovanni designed it,” she said, proudly. “In fact, he’s been dressing me ever since I arrived in Milan.”

  “I was stoked to hear about Casa Di Moda’s plus-size line. How exciting!”

  “Jiovanni is the creative force behind the line, and with him at the helm, it’s going to be a runaway hit. He’s talented and creative, and all of his designs are outstanding.”

  The owner appeared, carrying a tray filled with food, and put it down on the table.

  “We’d love to hear more about the line,” Romeo asked. “Can we join you?”

  Zoe started to speak, but Jiovanni interrupted her.

  “No, sorry, we were just leaving. Enjoy your lunch. Ciao!”

  Zoe gave her best friend a funny look. He never missed an opportunity to flirt with an attractive woman or boast about his fresh, cutting-edge designs. She was surprised when he grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the ice cream shop. “What was that all about?” she asked, perplexed by his odd behavior. “You love meeting new people. Why didn’t you want to hang out with Romeo and his sister?”

  “Today you’re mine, all mine, and I don’t want the Morretti family interrupting our fun.”

  He draped an arm around her shoulder and gave her a wet, sloppy kiss on the cheek.

  “You’re crazy!” she said with a laugh.

  They crossed the intersection arm in arm. Out of the corner of her eye, Zoe noticed Romeo watching them from the café window and hoped she hadn’t blown her chance with the drop-dead gorgeous tycoon with the killer smile.

  Chapter 13

  “I think we should sever ties with Capone Costruzioni,” Simona announced, clasping her hands together on the conference room table at Morretti Finance and Investments on Wednesday morning. “Mr. Capone blames the economic crisis for his company’s financial woes, but his poor management and organization skills are to blame. Worse still, he treats people like crap.”

  Seated at the head of the mahogany table, reviewing the stack of business contracts his attorney had dropped off minutes earlier, Romeo listened as his chief operating officer complained about the owner of the beleaguered construction company. Morretti Finance and Investments had hundreds of clients around the world, and Romeo took great pride in connecting with his investors on a regular basis. There was nothing his employees could tell him that he didn’t already know, but he enjoyed Simona’s weekly updates and nodded his head as she spoke. He’d never met a more tenacious woman, and Romeo was thankful the Princeton graduate was an integral part of his executive team.

  “All business isn’t good business, and I think Mr. Capone is a liability. I’m worried he’s going to do something to embarrass us, so it’s imperative we act now...”

  Tapping his diamond ink pen on his file folder, Romeo considered Simona’s words. His gaze strayed to the wall clock hanging above the door, and he wondered what his favorite PR director was up to. Since running into Zoe at the gelato shop ten days ago, he’d seen her every night of the week. Without fail, he’d drop by Casa Di Moda at the end of her workday and convince her to have dinner with him. They’d talk and flirt for hours at a nearby pub. Romeo could always count on Zoe to make him laugh. Some nights they’d have dinner at a quaint, out-of-the-way bistro; other nights they’d check out a jazz bar or watch Christmas movies at her cozy studio apartment. Three weeks after meeting her, Romeo was ready to take himself off the market. “No ring, no rules,” used to be his dating motto, but he didn’t want Zoe unless he could have all of her—her heart, her mind and her body—and he didn’t want to share her with anyone else. She was special to him, someone he could be himself around. There was nothing fake or pretentious about her. Zoe lived her life in an authentic way, and that appealed to him—“I know you rarely drop clients, but I hope you’ll consider what I’ve said.”

  The sound of Simona’s voice yanked Romeo out of his thoughts. “I take it your meeting last night with Mr. Capone at El Porteno didn’t go well.”

  Her cheeks turned as red as an apple. Simona wore a troubled expression on her face, and Romeo felt guilty for not giving his COO his undivided attention. What had Zoe said yesterday? You’re a workaholic who’s obsessed with making money, and you need to change your ways. Then she’d plucked his cell phone out of his hands, dropped it into her snakeskin purse and dragged him out onto the dance floor at the Hollywood nightclub. Was it true? Had he fallen back into his old habits? And most importantly, was he putting his health at risk?

  Romeo considered his furious work schedule. He did his best thinking on the treadmill, so he woke up every morning at the crack of dawn to jog eight miles. Exercising helped to clear his head, and three times a week he also took a tae kwon do class with his executive team. Building strong relationships with his employees was the key to his success, and he enjoyed getting to know his staff better. Romeo never forgot what it was like being a lowly associate at a successful financial institute in Milan, so he made a point to touch base with everyone who worked at Morretti Finance and Investments regularly.

  Simona’s cell phone pinged, and she picked it up off the table. “Oh, no, I just got an email from Mr. Capone. He’s threatening to...to...” She trailed off. She dropped her cell on the table and glared at the device as if it were her mortal enemy.

  “He’s threatening to do what? Talk to me, Simona. I want to help.” Last year, when he’d been away on three months’ medical leave, she’d done an outstanding job running the office in his absence. Romeo wanted to support her now. “What happened last night?”

  Simona picked up her mug and sipped her coffee.

  “Should I call Mr. Capone and ask him, or are you going to tell me?”

  “It was nothing. He had too much to drink and crossed the line, but I handled it.”

  Setting aside his contracts, Romeo took off his reading glasses and stared at his COO. Slender with curly black hair, the Venice native looked more like a preschool teacher than a brilliant investment banker with decades of experience. “He made a pass at you during your meeting and you shot him down, didn’t you?”

  “No,” she said, a smirk twisting her peach lips. “He grabbed my ass in the parking lot. I slapped him so hard his glasses flew off his face and landed in a mud puddle!”

  Romeo cracked up. Picturing the scene in his mind’s eye—his soft-spoken COO, slapping the crap out of the burly construction worker—made him chuckle so hard his body shook. “Damn, Simona. That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in a long time,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. “Thanks for the laugh.”

  Her eyes widened. “You’re not mad at me for losing my cool?”

  “Why would I be mad at you? You handled the situation perfectly.”

  “Mr. Capone says he has a black eye. He’s threatening to file a police report.”

  Romeo scoffed. “I’d like to see him try. Ignore him. He’s bluffing.”

  “What about his contract? Do we have to honor it?”

  “Not if he put his hands on you. I’m behind you one hundred percent, Simona, so prepare the necessary paperwork and have the legal team review it.”

  Simona sighed. “Great. I’ll get right on it and follow up with you at Blue Bar tonight.”

  “I have plans, so let’s touch base tomorrow morning.”

  “You’re skippin
g out on drinks with the executive team again? How come? You used to encourage everyone to go, and lately you’re a no-show.”

  Romeo wanted to tell Simona about Zoe, but thought better of it and shrugged. Thirsty, he reached for his mug. Realizing it was empty, he decided to go to the staff room for more. He’d been in the conference room from for hours—returning phone calls, proofreading contracts, rewriting mistake-ridden proposals—and he wanted to stretch his legs before the eleven o’clock board meeting. “Let’s go make some fresh coffee,” he proposed as he stood up and opened the door. “It’s going to be a long day, and we’re going to need some caffeine.”

  “Speak for yourself. I did yoga this morning and I feel great. You should try it sometime.”

  Laughing, they exited the conference room and walked down the corridor. The scents of peppermint and cinnamon overwhelmed his senses. To please Simona and the rest of his Christmas-loving staff, he’d agreed to let them decorate the office, but they’d gone overboard. Strings of miniature lights lined the windowsill, velvet stockings were displayed on the walls, and candy canes, colored ornaments and gingerbread men hung from the Santa-themed tree. It had a belt and a red tutu. Every time Romeo looked at it he chuckled.

  The office was quiet except for the sound of the ringing telephones, but Romeo knew his staff was hard at work. He spotted two men in dark suits enter the reception area and suspected they were cops. The man in the sunglasses had a gruff demeanor, and his partner wore a terse expression on his fleshy face. Romeo’s gut was telling him something was wrong, so instead of ducking into the staff room to feed his caffeine addiction, he stalked into the waiting area.

  “Good morning, Officers.”

  Romeo put his empty coffee mug on the glass desk and slid his hands into the pockets of his gray pin-striped suit. It was a gift from Davide, but every time he wore it he thought about Zoe. She meant a lot to him. He was so excited about their relationship, he wanted to spend all of his free time with her. He’d cleared his schedule for the weekend so they could hang out at his villa, but he still had to convince her to be his guest.

  “I’m Romeo Morretti, and this is my chief operating officer, Simona Vitti,” he explained, nodding his head in greeting. “What can we do for you today?”

  Double Chin flashed his badge, then introduced his short balding partner with the chipped front tooth. “We have a sensitive matter to discuss with you,” he said in a quiet tone of voice. “Is there somewhere we can speak in private?”

  “Yes, of course, right this way, Officers. We can talk in my office.”

  Leading the group through the corridor, Romeo tried to figure out why the police were at his company. His thoughts ran wild, jumping from one theory to the next. Maybe they wanted to discuss his speeding tickets. But why would they waste their time? It was only a few thousand euros, and the late penalty was minimal. Besides, he’d racked up speeding tickets numerous times before and never received a visit from Milan’s finest.

  Entering his office, Romeo was temporary blinded by the intensity of the sun and closed the window blinds. He offered the detectives something to drink from the bar, but they declined and sat down in the padded armchairs in front of his desk.

  “To what do we owe this pleasure?” he asked, anxious to get down to business. He had an executive board meeting in forty-five minutes and wanted the officers long gone before it started. “Is this about my speeding tickets? If it is, I can pay them today.”

  Double Chin reached into his suit jacket, took out a photograph and dropped it on the desk. Romeo picked it up and a cold chill flooded his body.

  “Do you know who the man in that mug shot is?”

  Simona took the picture from Romeo’s hand and dropped it on the table. “Yes, of course. It’s Julio Mario Domínguez. I signed him to Morretti Investments last year, and we have a great business relationship. In fact, he’s one of our most successful investors.”

  “Were you aware of his ties to organized crime when you took him on as a client?”

  Romeo was taken aback by the question, but he wore a blank expression on his face. “Every investment we’ve done on his behalf in the past year has been legal, by the book.”

  Chipped Tooth snarled like a pit bull. “You knew full well about his shady business practices and criminal endeavors. You handled his money.”

  It was a statement, not a question, but Romeo wasn’t afraid to set him straight. “As with most of our clients, we only handled a small fraction of his income. Fifteen percent to be exact.”

  “Fifteen percent of a billion dollars is a substantial amount of money, Mr. Morretti.”

  Double Chin leveled a finger at him. “That’s chump change to a man like you, but regular folks like me think a hundred and fifty million euros is a ton of money. If we find out you’re lying we’ll prosecute you and everyone at this company to the full extent of the law.”

  “Do you have proof that a crime has been committed?” Simona asked, pursing her lips.

  “Julio Mario Domínguez was arrested in Paris this morning and charged with money laundering for a notorious Colombian drug dealer with a lengthy criminal record.”

  Romeo glanced at Simona. She didn’t even bat an eyelash. Detectives had revealed pertinent information about the criminal case against Julio Mario Domínguez, but his COO maintained her calm disposition. As always, he could count on her to have his back.

  “With all due respect, Detectives, I don’t understand why you’re here,” Romeo said, projecting confidence, even though sweat was dribbling down the back of his dress shirt. “If Mr. Domínguez was arrested, then there must be a strong case against him. Why are you here, interrupting our busy workday?”

  Leaning forward in his seat, Double Chin wore a twisted smile on his mouth. “Because Julio Mario Domínguez named you as his co-conspirator.”

  The hair on the back of his neck shot up, but Romeo remained perfectly still.

  “My guess? Domínguez is probably cutting a deal with French authorities as we speak.”

  “That’s ludicrous,” Simona said. “He’s lying to save his neck.”

  “I don’t think so. I think Mr. Domínguez has a very compelling story.”

  Simona pointed a finger at her chest. “I’m the one who handled Mr. Domínguez’s personal investments, not Romeo. Furthermore, neither one of us has anything to hide.”

  “The way I see it, you have two choices. Cooperate with authorities or face jail time.”

  Chipped Tooth glanced around the office. “We need to see your financial records.”

  “And I’ll need to see a warrant.”

  The detectives shared a look, and Romeo knew they didn’t have one. Thanks to Markos, he knew his legal rights, and once Tweedledee and Tweedledum left his office, he would be calling his brother. His family was coming to Milan for the Christmas Wonderland Ball, but this was an emergency, and Romeo needed to speak to Markos as soon as possible. Before he was arrested for a crime he didn’t commit.

  “You have seventy-two hours to decide.”

  “But we’re swamped with work right now,” Simona argued. “Surely this can wait until the New Year.”

  “Justice waits for no man.” Chipped Tooth stood and buttoned his wrinkled gray suit. “It would be in your best interest not to repeat the details of this conversation with anyone. It could compromise the investigation. I’d hate to see you charged with obstruction of justice.”

  Stretching, as if he’d just taken a power nap, Double Chin rose from his chair.

  “We’ll be back,” Chipped Tooth said, with a curt nod.

  “Don’t forget your warrant next time.”

  Simona offered to walk the detectives out, and Romeo was so glad to see them leave his office he sighed in relief. He needed a moment to catch his breath. To think things through. To regain control befo
re he called Markos.

  The detectives’ threats loomed in his mind. Was it true? Had one of his richest clients been arrested for money laundering? Did Mr. Domínguez have ties to criminal organizations, or had the police made a grave mistake?

  Taking his cell out of his pocket, Romeo accessed the internet. Every morning, he read the local newspapers and his favorite business magazines, but there’d been no mention of Julio Mario Domínguez being arrested in Paris. Still, his heart raced.

  How could this happen? Every month, he contacted his clients to ensure they had no major issues and concerns... Romeo bolted upright in his chair. Is that why the Colombian businessman had been dodging his calls? Because he was busy cutting deals with the authorities? He shuddered to think what would happen if the story got out. If his esteemed clients discovered he’d been accused of money laundering.

  Romeo gulped. It would destroy him, cripple his financial empire and ruin his reputation. To clear his head, he stood and moved to the window. Staring out at the bright blue sky, he feared his first Christmas with Zoe was going to be memorable for all the wrong reasons.

  Chapter 14

  “Wrong, wrong, wrong,” Zoe complained, pitching clothes over her shoulder and onto the bedroom floor. Standing in front of her closet on Friday night searching for an outfit to wear to the Il Divo concert—when Romeo was due at her apartment in an hour—was stressful, but Zoe was determined to find the perfect dress for their five o’clock date. It was a miracle she’d made it home from work on time. All afternoon she’d been promoting the Christmas holiday line and the Men of Milan calendar. If she didn’t have plans with Romeo, she’d still be at the office tweeting and blogging on Casa Di Moda’s social media pages.

  Heat flushed her cheeks, warming her body all over. Just the thought of seeing Romeo again made her pulse race. What a difference a few weeks make, Zoe thought, as treasured memories filled her heart. Last night, after the Christmas tree lighting ceremony, they’d strolled the streets hand in hand. Romeo had been quiet and withdrawn, seemed to be in another world. It was obvious his mind was still at work, but when she’d asked him what was wrong, he’d apologized for ignoring her and kissed her passionately on the lips.