he murmured.

“I don’t.” She raised her chin. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t study the rules. Just in case.”

His low laugh slid through the room and stroked between her legs. She acknowledged her body’s physical reaction even as her mind remained detached. “you are a fascinating woman, Julietta Conte.” His tongue rolled over her name and gave it a whole new meaning. Normally she cringed in the boardroom at the mention of her birth name.

Too many men used romance and intimacy to demean women in business. But Sawyer combined respect with a leashed sensuality, keeping her off-balance. “I’m glad I followed my instincts to give you the first opportunity to work for me.”

She closed her briefcase and settled it back on the floor, then thumbed through the file in a deliberate power play.

“While I appreciate being first in line, I would have preferred knowing the details of the offer. I do hate wasting my morning on a deal not worthy of my time. I’m sure you understand, Mr. Wells.”

“Sawyer.” He rested his chin on his fingers. “After all, I already met most of your family. Am good friends with your brother-in-law. The least we can do is be on a first-name basis.”

“Fine.”

“Say it.”

She looked up. “excuse me?”

An odd tension stretched between them, as if a pre-liminary game was being played, and she didn’t know the stakes. “My name,” he instructed softly. “Say it.”

Julietta blinked. Warmth flooded her body and made her skin itch. Her tummy dropped, then settled. She didn’t want to and opened her mouth to gloss over the whole weird exchange, but found herself responding to his command. “Sawyer.”

His name stumbled across her lips and she cursed herself for the move. Satisfaction and something deeper flickered over his face, but he only nodded in approval. “Thank you.”

She cleared her throat and refocused on the file. “Now that we’re properly acquainted, I’d appreciate moving forward. It seems your reputation precedes you.”

“In a good way, I hope,” he drawled.

“Mostly.”

Another short laugh. “you are quite different from any-one else in your family.”

She ignored the throbbing wound and managed a tight smile. “In a good way I hope.”

He frowned and leaned a bit closer. “Did that comment bother you? I only meant your focus proved an asset for Michael. your sisters weren’t meant to take over the family business. everyone is lucky to have you.”

The wound softened to a slight bruise. Why did he seem so concerned about upsetting her? As if he held the ability to poke at her secret insecurities without the drive to expose and hurt? As if he just wanted to know.

“of course I’m not bothered. I consider myself lucky to run La Dolce Famiglia. I don’t think I realized you had met most of my family.”

The harsh lines of his face softened into affection. “Max and I ran in the same circles and we became close. He’s told me about Venezia, and I was lucky enough to meet Carina in Vegas last year. I attended their wedding.”

The memory of her sister’s quick nuptials flickered past.

She hadn’t had the time to fly in and had always regret-ted not being there. Mama was the only one in the family able to witness the exchange, but the idea of Sawyer seeing such an intimate ceremony bothered her. “Interesting,” she murmured. “And my mother?”

All expression smoothed out to a blank canvas. “I had the pleasure of meeting your mother many years ago. I respect her greatly.”

There was a story behind his words, but she figured he was a master at secrets. Julietta motioned to the manila folder in her lap. “It seems you have the advantage. My research began when you started taking over hotels and transforming them into profitable entities. There’s no mention of family, birthplace, or anything else. Almost as if your life before twenty-three never existed.”

The darkness flared and swallowed up the light in his whiskey eyes. Her breath hitched at the rage and raw pain she saw, and just as quickly the emotions were gone from his face. “It didn’t,” he said. “That will have to be enough for you.”

Julietta respected his demons. After all, she hid her own.

Slowly, she nodded. “That’s enough for me.”

He smiled. His teeth were dazzling white but crooked slightly in the front, which kept him from looking pretty.

“Good. Let’s talk business. I have a proposition for you. A merger of sorts.”

She crossed her arms in front of her chest and didn’t respond. He seemed intrigued with her control and pa-tience. Julietta wondered what type of women he was used to dealing with in his world. “I’m about to unveil a chain of my own signature luxury hotels. For the past few years, I’ve bought property in prime locations in main cities throughout europe and the United States. The plan is ambitious and begins with hotels opening up in Milan, rome, Venice, and Florence. I’ll move into england with three locations including London. Then the United States, where I’ll build in New york, LA, and Chicago.”

He waited for a comment. She remained silent.

“The hotel chain will be called Purity. I’ve been working on the concept for years—a dream, so to speak—and have a team ready to move fast. I’ve decided to begin in Italy for a variety of reasons. The statistics are quite high for travelers in those areas and the need for something extra, especially for many Americans. I’ll be combining a line of exclusive spas and catering. I prefer to work with specific vendors who can sign an exclusive contract to my line. My intention is for the people I do business with to work for some of the most sought-after companies in the world.

Travelers will beg to experience the uniqueness of Purity’s assets. I’ll launch this in three main components: one, the linens will be handmade and exclusive to Purity. Luxurious robes, slippers, towels, beds, and sheets. Similar to Frette, but we’ve been able to create a new line that Armani can’t boast of. There won’t be one thing a customer touches that he doesn’t crave to curl into. Component two is the spa and restaurants. I’ve already signed contracts to incorporate the finest dining and best relaxation methods in the world.

The two chefs I stole turned down television deals to come with me. The third component is delicacies: shops with fine gold, customized jewelry, designer fashion, and of course, desserts.”

Julietta leaned slightly forward. Her heart hammered as she hung on his next words.

“I want to sign a chain of bakeries to provide exclusive catering at all Purity hotels. This will encompass catering events of all kinds, including weddings. I need an exclusive, high-quality bakery that can provide product to all restaurants, room service, and a pedestrian shop for impulse buys.”

Her mind sifted through the possibilities. The plan was risky. Almost crazy in the current economy. yet, the sim-plicity of exclusiveness and the locations screamed genius.

If the components worked together, Sawyer could launch one of the most successful brand names in the world. She pursed her lips in thought. “Do the chefs you contracted understand the terms? Most want total control of all food, including the desserts.”

“They all know the rules. I don’t want some great cooks who can bake good desserts, or one pastry chef. I need a well-oiled chain that can give anything my clients want in a variety of outlets. And I want the best. La Dolce Famiglia is the best.”

Pleasure cut deep, but she ignored it. The man was a genius, but she’d learned early there were always hidden clauses in the deal of a lifetime. “I’m impressed. of course I’ll need to see your development plans, timetables, and locations to get a better feel if this would be right for us.”

“of course.”

“estimated profit margins are key.”

“yes.”

“There’s just one word that’s bothering me in your proposal.”

“What’s that?”

“exclusive.”

His gaze dropped to her mouth. The hungry predator look surprised her. She wasn’t a woman who normally in-spired lust. Challenge, yes. But in a business meeting, she was always able to detach the feminine part of her, so attraction never became a problem. For the first time, a matching need flared deep in her belly in an attempt to claw free.

What would it be like to be on the receiving end of all that pent-up male attention? He stroked his chin in contempla-tion while he studied her. Those tapered fingers skimmed lightly over a clean-shaven jaw and right under his plump lower lip. Was his skin as golden toasty brown everywhere under that black Gucci suit? Would his fingers play a woman’s body and coax a delicious river of need from between her thighs?

She pushed down a sigh. Just a fantasy. The moment he kissed her and found she wasn’t the normal weak-kneed female he preferred, he’d lose interest. They all did. And Julietta didn’t blame them. Dio, what was she doing thinking about him naked anyway? Had she gone pazzo?

“you have a problem with being exclusive?” With a lean, masculine grace he pushed back in his chair and hooked his ankle over his knee. The casual gesture contradicted the steely question wrapped in fuzzy cotton. Her mouth dried up. Why did it suddenly seem they were talk-ing about a whole different meaning of the word?

Julietta gave a delicate shrug. “Sometimes. Multiple partners even out the risk.”

A wolfish grin spread over his mouth. “exactly. The risk of failure. Making a commitment to the right partner pushes the percentage of success to a higher level.”

“or the attachment can equal bankruptcy.” The blood pounded and rushed through her veins as they thrust and parried in round two of their mental game. “It’s happened too many times.”