The Italian's Bedroom Deal Page 0,3

she told herself for the millionth time.

She stood under the willow tree, separated by the shadows from the party hoping to get a glance at the man she was searching for but, no matter how much she hoped and prayed, he still didn’t appear. Glancing at her watch, she felt a deep sense of disappointment as she acknowledged that he probably wasn’t going to show if he wasn’t here already. Her disappointment intensified as she accepted that it was time for her to greet her father and a few others and become a member of the party once again, leaving the sanctuary of willow tree. But once the social necessities were finished, she could head back to her cottage and take off this silly dress and relax, regroup and figure out her next move.

Stepping out of the shadows and onto the patio, Clarissa pasted a bright smile on her face and searched out her father. Him, she’d seen a few minutes ago so she knew exactly where to find him. Heading for one of the bars, she found James Montgomery in a small group of people who were all laughing uproariously at some joke. Clarissa stood on the outskirts for a moment, waiting for the laughter to die down slightly before she worked her way through he crowd to greet her father.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward, only to be knocked back slightly when a woman pushed carelessly in an attempt to steady herself. Clarissa studied the crowd for all of five seconds before turning around, getting ready to leave. She’d tried in good faith, she told herself. If her father wanted to be surrounded by all these sycophants then let him but she wanted no part of it. She turned on her heel, prepared to slowly walk through the crowd back to the oasis of her cottage when she was suddenly faced with a very large, very masculine chest. She looked up, then up again. And up some more since Maximillian Diantes was only inches from her.

“You’re not leaving so soon, are you, cara?” his deep voice said, his amused eyes traveling over her delicate features.

Clarissa saw his eyes move from her face down her figure and was only a little disappointed when his eyes changed from amused to shocked when he took in her low cut dress. She ignored his expression, too excited to see him after accepting that he was going to be a no-show tonight. As her joy washed over her at the sight of him, her whole body started quivering with excitement. “Signor Diantes!” she gasped, unable to hide her pleasure. Oh how she loved the soft lilt of his words, his Italian accent softly floating through the air, making all of his words sound as if they were a caress.

“I thought we agreed you would call me Max,” he said, tucking her hand into the bend of his elbow and turning her around. “Were you trying to greet your father?” he asked gallantly, weaving his way through the crowd that seemed to melt away for him.

Clarissa glanced down, wanting to tug her dress higher, suddenly self-conscious with his sexy, dark eyes looking down at her. She felt small and silly dressed like this. Kind of like a school girl trying to impress her older brother’s friends, which was painfully gauche, she knew.

Her hand lightly held onto his arm, her fingers discovering muscles underneath the perfectly tailored tuxedo jacket. “I was trying but gave up, unable to squeeze through the crowd surrounding him,” she said softly, wishing she could put more force behind her words.

By that time, Max had maneuvered them to the center of the group and her father spotted her. “Clarissa!” she heard her father’s booming voice greet her. “And Max! Good to see you!”

Clarissa stepped back slightly, knowing that her father was more interested in Max than in her. But Max was having none of it and while James Montgomery tried to pump Max’s hand in greeting, Max pulled her forward, blocking out the crowds and creating a small group of just the three of them. “You’re lovely daughter,” he said, indicating Clarissa, “was about to be swallowed up by the crowds,” he explained. “I saved her from escape,” he joked.

James looked over at her as if he’d just realized she was there. Perking up and doing exactly as he knew he should, he smiled. “Clarissa, Dear! Are you having a good time?” he asked. “What do you think of the