Shadow Rider
Page 147
Vittorio laughed softly. “No one has to speak on Francesca’s behalf, Barry. We’re all in love with her. How could anyone help be anything but in love with her? The things the paparazzi dug up are all in the past. It’s just enough to feed the frenzy and to be interesting, but not enough to be a huge scandal, although we’ve never shied away from that.”
The siblings all laughed. Francesca managed a faint smile. Stefano grounded her with his absolute confidence. The family helped with their unconditional support.
“That’s good then. Great,” Barry said. “Such a relief. Francesca is a great girl. I had hoped we’d become good friends since we shared the love of her sister.” He lifted his eyebrow at Francesca. “Perhaps one day. Have you set a date for the wedding, Stefano?” Clearly he didn’t believe for a moment that Stefano was really marrying her. It was there in the subtle sneer.
Emmanuelle clapped her hands together. “I’ve been seeing to all the details. Francesca feels a little railroaded, I’m sure, but my mother and I are following Stefano’s orders to the letter. He wants to marry his lady immediately and since we’re all in total agreement, we can’t put the wedding together soon enough.”
“Do you feel railroaded, Francesca?” Stefano asked, his eyes meeting hers. Voice soft. Low. Intimate. He brought her fingertips up to his mouth and nibbled, looking for all the world as if he might devour her right there in front of everyone.
She shook her head, allowing Barry to see the truth—that she was absolutely mesmerized by Stefano, completely in love with him. Barry would never have that kind of devotion and love from anyone because he couldn’t feel it himself. He could never sustain his interest long enough for a woman to find herself completely and utterly in love. He needed power over and then the destruction of his pretty toys long before true devotion ever happened.
“Will you be in Chicago long, Barry?” Taviano asked.
“Enough that I rented an estate for the month. I’d like to close this deal.” He winked at Emmanuelle. “Plenty of time to hit the clubs and maybe have a dinner or two with your sister.” His voice held complete confidence.
“Barry, you’re such a flatterer.” Emmanuelle batted her eyelashes at him. “And so brave with all my brothers sitting around you like a bunch of hawks. The last man who tried to take me out ended up in the hospital for two weeks. He had thirty-seven stitches in his head and no one was altogether certain if he would ever be able to function properly, if you know what I mean.”
Barry’s smile slipped. Her voice was very bright, almost as if she was teasing him, but she sounded serious enough. Francesca looked up at Stefano. He grinned, as if the memory was a happy one. Ricco cracked his knuckles.
Giovanni sighed. “We’re not taking the blame for that one, Emmanuelle.” He shook his head at Barry. “She did that one all on her own.”
“Seriously?” Barry looked Emmanuelle up and down. She was small, almost slight. She had a good figure, but she was much smaller than her brothers. “I can’t see that happening.”
“It’s true,” Emmanuelle said with a casual shrug.
“He attack you or something?”
“He did that, he’d be dead,” Stefano said.
“Then what?” Barry insisted.
Emmanuelle rolled her eyes. “I was PMSing, okay? No big deal. I told him to back off a couple of times and he wouldn’t. He should have listened. I warned him twice.”
Barry looked around at all her brothers and then he laughed nervously. “Good one, Emmanuelle. I almost believed you.”
“Where are you staying, Barry?” Giovanni asked.
“The Mardsten estate. It’s very private. I brought my own security with me. I’ve had a few threats lately. Someone’s been after my design for a new racing engine.”
“That’s right,” Stefano said. “Your company has been in the developing stages for a few years now for a new engine. Is it finally finished? Are you ready to debut it on the track?”
“Not quite yet, but we’re close.”
“You stole Martin Estee away from Aeronautics, didn’t you? That was quite a coup. As a designer, he’s the top in the business,” Ricco stated. “You got lucky, especially if he manages to design you something new. We’ve been working on our own for a while now.”
Vittorio nodded. “We’d give anything to be able to lure Martin away from you.”
“Although you, Taviano and Emme have done a good job for us,” Stefano pointed out to his brother. “Our last cars have kicked ass.”
The siblings all laughed. Francesca managed a faint smile. Stefano grounded her with his absolute confidence. The family helped with their unconditional support.
“That’s good then. Great,” Barry said. “Such a relief. Francesca is a great girl. I had hoped we’d become good friends since we shared the love of her sister.” He lifted his eyebrow at Francesca. “Perhaps one day. Have you set a date for the wedding, Stefano?” Clearly he didn’t believe for a moment that Stefano was really marrying her. It was there in the subtle sneer.
Emmanuelle clapped her hands together. “I’ve been seeing to all the details. Francesca feels a little railroaded, I’m sure, but my mother and I are following Stefano’s orders to the letter. He wants to marry his lady immediately and since we’re all in total agreement, we can’t put the wedding together soon enough.”
“Do you feel railroaded, Francesca?” Stefano asked, his eyes meeting hers. Voice soft. Low. Intimate. He brought her fingertips up to his mouth and nibbled, looking for all the world as if he might devour her right there in front of everyone.
She shook her head, allowing Barry to see the truth—that she was absolutely mesmerized by Stefano, completely in love with him. Barry would never have that kind of devotion and love from anyone because he couldn’t feel it himself. He could never sustain his interest long enough for a woman to find herself completely and utterly in love. He needed power over and then the destruction of his pretty toys long before true devotion ever happened.
“Will you be in Chicago long, Barry?” Taviano asked.
“Enough that I rented an estate for the month. I’d like to close this deal.” He winked at Emmanuelle. “Plenty of time to hit the clubs and maybe have a dinner or two with your sister.” His voice held complete confidence.
“Barry, you’re such a flatterer.” Emmanuelle batted her eyelashes at him. “And so brave with all my brothers sitting around you like a bunch of hawks. The last man who tried to take me out ended up in the hospital for two weeks. He had thirty-seven stitches in his head and no one was altogether certain if he would ever be able to function properly, if you know what I mean.”
Barry’s smile slipped. Her voice was very bright, almost as if she was teasing him, but she sounded serious enough. Francesca looked up at Stefano. He grinned, as if the memory was a happy one. Ricco cracked his knuckles.
Giovanni sighed. “We’re not taking the blame for that one, Emmanuelle.” He shook his head at Barry. “She did that one all on her own.”
“Seriously?” Barry looked Emmanuelle up and down. She was small, almost slight. She had a good figure, but she was much smaller than her brothers. “I can’t see that happening.”
“It’s true,” Emmanuelle said with a casual shrug.
“He attack you or something?”
“He did that, he’d be dead,” Stefano said.
“Then what?” Barry insisted.
Emmanuelle rolled her eyes. “I was PMSing, okay? No big deal. I told him to back off a couple of times and he wouldn’t. He should have listened. I warned him twice.”
Barry looked around at all her brothers and then he laughed nervously. “Good one, Emmanuelle. I almost believed you.”
“Where are you staying, Barry?” Giovanni asked.
“The Mardsten estate. It’s very private. I brought my own security with me. I’ve had a few threats lately. Someone’s been after my design for a new racing engine.”
“That’s right,” Stefano said. “Your company has been in the developing stages for a few years now for a new engine. Is it finally finished? Are you ready to debut it on the track?”
“Not quite yet, but we’re close.”
“You stole Martin Estee away from Aeronautics, didn’t you? That was quite a coup. As a designer, he’s the top in the business,” Ricco stated. “You got lucky, especially if he manages to design you something new. We’ve been working on our own for a while now.”
Vittorio nodded. “We’d give anything to be able to lure Martin away from you.”
“Although you, Taviano and Emme have done a good job for us,” Stefano pointed out to his brother. “Our last cars have kicked ass.”
