He let out a deep belly laugh, the rich tone booming and pumping the room with life. “God, you’re magnificent,” he murmured. Suddenly, the laughter faded and was replaced by a glimmer of hard lust. Her toes curled in her bone-colored pumps. “you are correct, Julietta. This is a valid offer and negotiations are definitely in play.”

Her confidence wobbled. Why did it feel like he was back in charge? She reminded herself to stick to business and not get distracted by his sexiness. After all, he probably used such assets to his advantage. “Very good. I believe we should raise the limit from one to two.”

“Done.”

She blinked. Way too easy. Why did he seem so danger-ous? His tongue wet his bottom lip as if imagining her taste when he finally pounced. “oh. Well, good. Then I guess we have a deal.”

“oh, we’re not finished.” Sawyer moved toward her a few steps and studied her face. “I assume, first off, this will not be a written contract, but verbal?”

She fought the blush this time and won. “yes, I trust your word and would rather this deal not be in ink.”

“Agreed.” one more step in. She slid her foot back in a casual manner and gained another inch of distance. “Time is important. you mentioned eight hours. I think we should be more specific—let’s say eight p.m. to eight a.m. for a full twelve hours.”

“Uh, I don’t think I should be staying overnight. or sleeping in your bed. How about eight to two?”

“Nonnegotiable. I’ll need a certain amount of intimacy to have a fair shot at getting you two orgasms. you will stay the night.”

She hated the idea and had been hoping to scurry out before the morning light. “I’ll agree to six a.m., but no later.”

Was that pride reflected in his face or her imagination?

“Agreed. Let’s discuss location. Where shall this take place?

your apartment?”

Julietta frowned. “No. It should be on neutral territory.”

“I’ll book a hotel.”

She dragged her other foot back. “I don’t want any gossip. Discreetness is key.”

“I promise to take care of it. Do you trust me?”

Did she? Did she trust him to keep her secret safe, along with the use of her body? yes. The word floated from her gut and she didn’t question it. Julietta had learned the hard way to always trust her instincts, whether she wanted to or not. “yes.”

Satisfaction gleamed from his eyes. He moved forward three steps. “Thank you.”

Her fingers curled into tight fists. “Prego. Anything else?”

“yes. Methods.”

Mio Dio. “What type of methods?”

An intimate smile curved his lips. “Am I allowed to use toys? or just my fingers and mouth?”

Her heart thundered so loud she heard the boom, boom, boom echo in the room. The idea of him using a vibrator on her was too much to handle. She shook her head. “No, no toys. It gives you an unfair advantage.”

“Hmm, I’m tempted to fight you on this point. I can further your pleasure and take you higher.”

Perspiration dampened her palms. “No, thank you.”

“Very well. It will give me something to work for.”

Not able to take his closeness, she pivoted and practi-cally raced back toward the safety of her desk. “Good. I think that’s it. I should get back to work.”

His voice was whisper soft. “When?”

She dived into the chair. “Saturday night?”

“Done. oh, and one more thing, Julietta. It’s a rule and I won’t bend on this one.”

Her stomach dropped. “What rule?”

Slowly, he moved toward her. Her haven became a prison as he came around the desk, grasped the supple leather arms of the chair, and swiveled her around to face him head-on. Thoughts emptied from her head and turned her into a wide-eyed idiot. His scent swarmed her nostrils, and he dragged the chair a few inches forward. Leaned in.

Stopped a hair’s breadth from her lips.

“I’m in charge. The moment you enter that door, your body belongs to me. I tell you to do something, you must agree to do it.”

She trembled. “That’s ridiculous. I’m not going to do everything you say.”

“Then no deal.”

His gaze drilled hers and confirmed there was no back-ing down. All or nothing. “What if I’m uncomfortable or scared?”

His face softened. He ran an index finger over the curve of her lip. “I’d never hurt you. I’ll give you a way to slow things down, or stop, but you need to trust me.”

There was that word again. Trust. Trust a man with a savage scar and no past, who was a sexual force to be reckoned with. Again her gut screamed the answer, and the word broke from her lips.

“Va bene.”

The triumph in those butterscotch eyes almost made her withdraw her consent. Almost. He must have known she was tempted, because with one last stroke of his fingers, he pulled back and gave her space. “Saturday night, then. I’ll let you know where to meet me.” He shrugged on his coat, twirled the scarf around his neck, and headed toward the door. “Let me know if you have any problems with Wolfe. I’ll be in touch.”

He walked out without another word.

Julietta shuddered and wondered if she’d just made a bargain with Hades himself.

…

“I don’t want this kid involved.”

Julietta held back a sigh and faced her long-term, opinionated director of marketing. She’d never particularly cared for him, even if he was good at his job. She found him a bit snobby, with his designer clothes, his perfect posture, and his tendency to pass judgment on everyone. He was probably the biggest gossip in the place, and most of the female employees panted after him. She took in his crisp blue suit, Gucci boots, and stylish Stone rose pink shirt. Dark hair was cut ruthlessly short to accent riveting green eyes and a sculpted mouth.

Julietta found that so-called sensual mouth quite sulky and his voice whiny. He liked getting his way just to say he could.

He adjusted his diamond cuff links and jerked his head toward the closed door of the conference room. “He looks like a criminal. I’m certainly not working with a teenager with an attitude problem.”

Julietta tamped down her impatience. “you don’t have to work with him long term, Marcus. He’ll have little to do with marketing—he’s here to help us transition and get on board with the Purity vision. We sell Purity, we sell La Dolce Famiglia. Simple math.”

The famous pout appeared. “I run my team and don’t need interference. The campaign with your mother as the main draw was a big seller. Moving into the hotel industry and targeting a larger catering, leisure audience will be a challenge, so we’ll need to come up with something fresh. I have an idea in the works.”

“Fine. Can you have your presentation ready for next week?

“Absolutely.”

She nodded. “Let me know if you run into any problems.” He glided out of the office and stopped short as the door swung open before him. Wolfe trudged in. His large gold hoop earring winked, and crazy spiked strands of hair shot toward the sky. The shaven-clean half of his skull only added to the bizarre effect. Funny, she was beginning to like having him around. Besides adding some local color, he seemed amazingly sharp and to the point, and had no ego to deal with.

Marcus backed up as if he was afraid to get pickpock-eted. A sneer curved the younger man’s lips. “Hey, Mark.”

Marcus shuddered delicately. “It’s Marcus.”

“Whatever.” Wolfe bumped into her director without apology and took a seat at the table. Marcus brushed his clothes off and glared. “Listen, enzo doesn’t want to work with me. Says he can’t trust me with the latest sales figures.

Probably thinks I’ll sell them to Princi Bakery and finance my new tattoo.” Julietta bit her lip and held back a laugh at Marcus’s horrified expression. “This isn’t gonna work. I respect you for trying, but I’m not up for a fight every time I go into a new office and ask for information. I’ll go back to headquarters and let Sawyer know.”

Marcus muttered something under his breath in obvious relief.

“Absolutely not.”

Both males turned toward her. She pivoted her headset closer and tapped a button. “I want heads of all departments in my conference room now. Pull them out of any meetings and be here in fifteen minutes.”

Her secretary responded immediately. “yes, Ms. Conte.”

Julietta directed her attention to Marcus. “Do you think I would throw someone I don’t trust into one of the most important deals this bakery has ever made?” Her frosty tone hit the mark. He blanched and glanced down at Wolfe in distaste. “Do you think I care he’s a decade younger and has a penchant for facial jewelry? He’s worked with Sawyer and is willing to help us move forward. He knows the vision we’re after, and I need everyone to get on board.”

Marcus stiffened. “I don’t appreciate his rudeness, un-professionalism, or your willingness to shove a stranger into a tight family circle.”

Julietta nodded. “Fair enough. I respect you, Marcus, and I agree. We need to work together in a strong envi-ronment.” Her gaze settled on the young man currently slouched in his seat and sporting a classic, conservative black suit that only made him stand out more. “Wolfe, you don’t need to like everyone here, but I expect you to respect a department head’s position. Agreed?”

She waited. Wondered if he’d walk out with a surly in-sult. Instead, he seemed to analyze her words with an assessing air that told her he’d be brilliant in the business world when he grew into his own talents. He held the same type of restrained wildness Sawyer did, but Wolfe was young and hadn’t yet been able to weave it into the fabric of society.

The kid turned and faced her director.

“I apologize.”

That was it. No more excuses, whining, or explanations.

Marcus still didn’t look happy, but he gave a curt nod. A strange rush of pride filled her for the boy’s courage. “Good.

Can you leave us alone for a few minutes, Marcus?”

He left the conference room. Wolfe shifted in his seat, obviously expecting some sort of retribution. The uneasy silence thickened the air. Julietta studied the boy. How far could she push? A level of trust was needed in the relationship between them if they were to move forward.

odd, a work bond was just as important as a personal one— sometimes more so. Long hours, stressful situations, and endless decisions regarding money and time were key. She handpicked her employees and made sure they bonded, or the end result was failure and messiness. She had ten minutes to decide before the employees came in.

Julietta plucked the headset off and settled in the chair opposite him. every muscle in his body stiffened as if he were preparing for a beating. Her heart squeezed. She wondered if he had the stamina to push past his distance and give her something precious. Something that might hurt.

“I want to work with you, Wolfe. I’m ready to back you to my team so you’ll never have trouble here again. you’ll be part of the group and be involved in all decisions with La Dolce Famiglia and Purity. you’ll earn their respect if you’re good. But I need to know if I can trust you.”

He gave a bitter laugh. “yeah, sure. Like anyone’s gonna trust me anyway. This whole thing was a mistake. I don’t belong here.”

The ravaged emotion in those blue eyes hit her like a sucker punch. But he didn’t need her pity or her sympathy.

His past was clearly a minefield of crap, and he’d do best if she kept it straight and to the point. “I don’t know your history, and I don’t care to. How you deal with me and my staff is all I care about. Make yourself belong if this is something you want to do.”

Wolfe lifted his head and studied her. She had gained his full attention and didn’t plan on squandering the time.

“Sawyer probably didn’t belong either, but he forced his way in. When I faced a wall of male employees who told me I couldn’t run a business because I didn’t own a penis, I didn’t belong either. I carved my own place. you can, too.”

“How?”

His honest question gave her hope. “I’ll give you my full support on one condition.”

A frown marred his brow. Suspicion laced his tone.

“What condition?”

“Give me one reason to trust you. Just between us, and everything stays here at this table. Why should I let you help lead a multimillion-dollar deal?”

He flinched. “What kind of question is that? you either trust me or you don’t.”

She shook her head. “No. Trust is earned. Give me something—a piece of truth—an admission no one else knows.