Tycoon's Delicious Debt
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Susanna Carr
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HarlequinChapter One
THE NATURAL BEAUTY of the Algarve was lost on Cooper Brock as he strode across the well-maintained beach, his handmade shoes kicking up the white sand. Anger rolled through him, pressing against his chest, ready to tear free. He ignored the heat blistering through his black business suit as he scanned the people sunbathing.
Where was she? Cooper clenched his teeth as he studied a group of women frolicking in the ocean. Where was Serena Dominguez, the woman who had tormented him for the past month? The moment they met four weeks ago at a charity dinner in London, Cooper had pursued her relentlessly, enjoying the thrill of the chase. But what she did today changed everything.
She had no right to invade his territory. Cooper wanted to bellow his displeasure until it rang in the air. Victory had been in his grasp. After two years of incredible patience, he had almost closed the deal that had eluded the Brock empire.
And he had done it within the law. It was like winning a bar fight with one arm tied behind his back.
The Alves property had represented more than a major deal for his family’s business. It had been the one prize his father had not been able to claim. Finalizing the deal today would have proven once and for all that his methods were better than Aaron Brock’s.
Serena had interfered with more than his business, Cooper decided as his mouth settled into a grim line. This deal would have brought him a sense of deep satisfaction. The achievement would have blunted the edges of the restlessness he could no longer banish.
He came to an abrupt halt when he heard the throaty laugh over the ocean waves and the snatches of the desultory conversations. The sound gripped him as the sexual hunger scorched through his veins. He knew it belonged to Serena. He hadn’t heard it before—it was one of the many things she wouldn’t share with him—but somehow he knew. Cooper changed directions and marched to the oversize blue umbrella at the very back of the beach.
Cooper halted his pursuit when he spotted Serena Dominguez. His heart lurched and he hunched his shoulders as if he had taken a fist into his stomach. He raggedly drew in a breath, wishing he didn’t react like this every time he saw her.
He decided it was safer if he focused on her feet as he approached. The gold chain around her ankle caught his attention as it gleamed under the sunlight. It was the kind of gift an infatuated man gave to his woman. He didn’t want this woman to be claimed by another and fought the need to rip the anklet from her.
Cooper’s gaze traveled along the length of her strong and toned legs to the white bikini bottoms that scandalously clung to her hips. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard as the hunger for her tore through him. He forced his eyes open and determinedly stared at Serena’s profile as she ended a call.
He was disappointed that her large sunglasses hid most of her face. He stared at her high cheekbones, full lips and pointed chin. Serena Dominguez was more than just beautiful. Her sensual grace left him spellbound.
She tossed her cell phone down and reached up to smooth the wavy dark brown hair that cascaded past her shoulders. Her sudden stillness was his only indication that she saw him.
“What are you playing at, Serena?” he said in a rough whisper.
“Olá, Mr. Brock,” Serena said, her Brazilian accent making his name sound like a caress of a bold lover. “What brings you to Portugal?”
“Drop the innocent act. I don’t have time to play games.”
“How very unusual,” she said as she removed her dark sunglasses and set them on her head, pushing her hair back. “You live for games.”
The shade of her eyes reminded him of his favorite gold tequila, only her gaze packed a stronger punch. He also noticed her tight and polite grins had disappeared and were replaced with a wide and brazen smile. He had wanted to see her smile at him. He had ached for it. But not like this.
“I was supposed to close the deal today on the Alves land,” he said as calmly as he could while the anger whipping through him collided with his ferocious lust for her, “and I find out that you stole it from under me.”
“Stole?” She clucked her tongue at the word as her eyes glittered. “Careful, cowboy. I’m not a thief.”
The way she said it suggested he was the one who couldn’t be trusted. That was ridiculous. “How did you pull this off? I know you’re some sort of financial genius, but you don’t have the money or the connections to make this kind of deal.”
She splayed her arms out. “I don’t need any of that when all I have to do is bat my eyelashes and smile.”
And wear very little, Cooper decided as his gaze drifted to her voluptuous breasts. The delicate bikini top faithfully outlined her curves as her tight nipples pressed against the thin white fabric. She may as well be sunbathing topless.
He cleared his throat but his voice was gruff as he replied. “If you think I’m going to let you take what is mine and walk off into the sunset, you don’t know me very well.”
She laced her hands behind her head and he knew the movement was not as casual as it appeared. It was designed to divert his attention. “You would be surprised at how much I know about you.”
“Don’t play with me, sweetheart,” he warned quietly as he dragged his gaze back to Serena’s eyes. “What do you want with this project?”
“Nothing. I simply wanted to intercept the deal. How does it feel not getting what you wanted? To fail? To have something you need snatched away. It must rub at you.” She pursed her full red lips with false concern before her mouth widened into a bitter smile. “Don’t worry. It will only get worse.”
“If you wanted to get my attention, you’ve had it since I first met you.”
Serena arched one eyebrow as her smile faded. “It’s not your attention I want. I thought I made that very clear.”
“Who are you kidding? You can’t keep your eyes off me.” It was one fact that had kept him sane all these weeks.
“Only because I’ve learned not to turn my back on a Brock,” she said as she reached for her drink.
“Well, don’t leave me in suspense. You must want something very badly from me to go through all this work.”
She took a sip of her cocktail and licked the moisture from her lips. He wanted to capture the tip of her tongue with his own so badly that he almost missed her answer.
“How is it that you have pursued me for the past month but you don’t know anything about me?”
He crossed his arms and braced his legs as he towered over her. “I know all that I need to know. You’re smart, sexy, and you keep your distance from me because you know I would actually make you feel something.”
Amusement flickered across her face. “Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better.” She paused and tilted her head. “That’s it? That’s all you know?”
“What else do I need to know?” Other than the magic word that would get him into her bed, but she wasn’t going to share that.
“This should not surprise me at all. It’s exactly how you make a business deal. No research. It’s a visceral decision for you,” she said with a mix of distaste and wonder. “You decide you want something and you go after it, so sure that you will succeed.”
“It works for me.” He didn’t see any need to apologize for it.
“If there are any obstacles, all the better. It makes the win sweeter. Any enemies blocking your way and it makes the game more interesting for you.”
Cooper narrowed his eyes. “You know this and yet you are in my way.”
“You keep pursuing me without learning anything about me.” She paused to take another sip of her drink. “But I have learned so much about you.”
“I’m touched,” he replied as he watched a drop of condensation fall from her glass and onto her chest. He watched it glide between her breasts, his hands itching to rub it into her oiled, bronzed skin. He wanted to follow the lazy path of the droplet and catch it with the curl of his tongue. “You could have saved yourself the work and asked me directly,” he bit out as the lust pounded in his blood.
“But you wouldn’t have told me what I wanted to know,” she said in the soft, lilting voice that always made his body harden. “Would you have told me that you just made a lucrative deal with the Australian mining company? Congratulations, by the way.”
Cooper squashed the start of surprise and jutted out his chin. “How do you know about that? It hasn’t been announced.”
“Or that you’re secretly negotiating with the telecommunications conglomerate in Zurich?” Her dark eyelashes fluttered. “It’s a gamble, but I think you will pull it off like you always do.”
Cooper’s eyes narrowed. He had just visited Zurich this weekend and both companies had been very careful not to have that information leaked. “Where did you hear that?”
“Around.” She gave a delicate shrug. “And I know you wouldn’t have told me what you won at the Chatsfield poker tournament in Las Vegas last year.”
Cooper frowned. “No one knows...”
“That you won a twenty-five percent stake in The Harrington from John Harrington, Jr.?” she finished for him. “Don’t worry, my lips are sealed.”
Cooper stared at Serena. No one knew he had the shares. No one. John Jr. definitely didn’t want anyone to know. How had she found out? And did Serena know why he needed the Harrington shares so badly?
He had underestimated her. The woman had single-handedly uncovered his secrets. How many more did she know? And what did she plan to do with it? “Why have you been acquiring all of this information about me?”
She yawned and stretched, arching her back. He held himself very still as he watched the sensuous roll of her torso and the tantalizing thrust of her breasts. “I guess I just find you so fascinating. Growing up in such wealth and privilege.”
Cooper pulled at his shirt collar. “Serena...”
“After all, you have been living the life I should have had.” Her eyes dulled with cold anger. “You dismissed the opportunities that should have been mine.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Ask your father,” Serena said in a hiss as she glared at him. “Ask him about Felipe Dominguez. Fourteen years ago he bankrupted my father’s company. Destroyed it.”
His skin prickled as a cold sensation settled in his chest. The name wasn’t familiar but that sounded like something his father would do. “If that happened, it has nothing to do with me.”
“Right,” she said in a drawl. “You only benefited from it. You lived off the spoils of war. But it has nothing to do with you.”
He raked his fingers through his short hair and gave a huff of frustration. “What does this have to do with the Alves land?”
“Everything,” she replied flatly. “I’ll tell you more tonight. Meet me at the grill for dinner here at The Harrington. Let’s say around eight? Where are you staying?”
Cooper stared at her as he shook his head. No way. He would not let her dangle pieces of information in front of him. Put him off and have him heel to her commands. Cooper swiftly moved forward and clamped his hands on the armrests of her chair.
He reluctantly admired Serena’s composure. She didn’t jump or scream. She didn’t curl into a protective ball or push him away. Serena unflinchingly met his gaze as if she already knew what his next move was going to be.
He leaned in, so close to her that the tropical scent of her suntan lotion hit him in the back of his throat. “Tell me everything now,” he ordered. His voice was harsh as his anger started to slip but Serena obviously didn’t give a damn.
“I wish I could but I’m working right now.”
She was such a princess, Cooper thought with disgust. A spoiled socialite who got whatever she wanted the minute the idea popped into her head. She thought the world revolved around her. Cooper fought the urge to grab her out of the chair and toss her into the ocean. “Serena, I swear...”
“You really have no choice in the matter.”
His fingers curled around the armrests until his knuckles whitened. “I always have a choice. What I don’t have is the time for this.”
“Time?” She scoffed at the word. “Cowboy, I’ve been waiting fourteen years for this moment. Of course, I thought it would be with your father, but you’ll do.”
He’ll do? He slowly released the armrests and rose to his full height. He needed to keep his distance before he followed his impulse and wrapped his hands around her slender neck. “I don’t know where you get the audacity...”
“We will discuss the details over dinner.” She waved her hand as if she were dismissing a servant. “It’s the only time I can fit you in but you may not have the stomach for all the gory details. It is Aaron Brock we’re talking about.”
He swore this woman had a death wish. He wouldn’t allow people to talk about his family that way, not even this temptress who had invaded his dreams. “My father is a respected businessman throughout the world. No one has a bad thing to say about him.”
“No one said a bad thing because they feared him,” she said. “I’m happy to tell you all that I know tonight.”
He wrestled with the unfamiliar sense of being backed into a corner. He wanted to claw his way out but he didn’t have enough information to fight with. Did she really know something or was this a fishing expedition for her? Cooper needed to find out what Serena knew. It required him to retreat, which was the most difficult thing to do in the middle of battle.
“I will meet you at the restaurant here at eight,” he said as he reluctantly took a step back. “If you run I will hunt you down.”
“Why would I run when I have everything I want?” she asked as he turned away.
Cooper kept walking as her earthy laugh rang in his ears. He only had a few hours to find out everything about how Aaron Brock had destroyed Serena Dominguez’s life. Dread seeped in his bones as he forced his legs to move. He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that his father had shown no mercy.
* * *
Serena watched Cooper Brock storm off, a dark and menacing figure surrounded by color and light. She slowly exhaled, her breath stuttering past her lips. The ice in her drink rattled and she gripped the glass tighter, refusing to give in to the case of nerves. Her stomach was still in knots and her skin felt cold. She shivered under the heat of the sun and refrained from rubbing her hands against her arms in case he looked back.
Serena’s tension didn’t evaporate once Cooper was out of view. If anything, his absence made her anxiety coil tighter around her chest. It would be best if she knew where he was at all times. She didn’t like surprises, especially those wrapped in a six-foot-three athletic male body.
She had planned on confronting Cooper but she hadn’t expected him so soon. News traveled fast and Cooper Brock worked even faster. He had caught her at a disadvantage but she had done her best to hide it. Her parents had taught her that image was everything and hiding what she really felt had become second nature to her.
Serena knew her image was that of a spoiled socialite. She allowed the media to perpetuate that myth. The world only saw the glittery jewelry, the standoffish sunglasses and the haughty smiles. It wasn’t who she was but it was her armor. She’d rather people see that than the fear and vulnerability that constantly rolled through her.
And the next time she met Cooper she wouldn’t be half-naked and lying down, Serena decided. She would take charge and wouldn’t let him trap her. Corner her. Next time she would meet him at eye level and stand toe to toe. And at the end of their meeting, she would walk away with a proud swagger.
She heard the buzz of her cell phone. Serena reached for it and saw how her hands still trembled. It was a good thing Cooper didn’t bother noticing the small details. If he had known that his sudden appearance left her unsettled, he would have ruthlessly used that to his advantage.
“Alô?” She managed a breezy tone as she answered the call.
“Serena?” she heard a man ask. The clipped British accent was nothing like Cooper Brock’s Southern drawl. “This is Spencer Chatsfield. I want an update.”
She pressed her lips together and swallowed back an irritated sigh. She didn’t appreciate Spencer checking up on her. He had seemed completely on board when she had presented him with this business opportunity but it felt as if he was having second thoughts. She had everything under control but she knew Spencer had a lot of money riding on this venture.
“It’s all going as planned,” she announced with supreme confidence. “This morning I won the bid for the Alves property with the money you gave me. I have already arranged a meeting with Cooper Brock and this evening I will make him an offer. He will agree and I will transfer the land to Cooper for the Harrington shares you want.” She couldn’t wait to present this deal to Cooper and see his expression. Watch the confidence drain from his silvery-gray eyes and be replaced with defeat.
“If the transaction was going to be that simple I would have done it myself. What if he refuses?”
She fully expected Cooper to refuse...at first. “He won’t because I have something he wants more,” she said with a sly smile. He wanted this more than the land. More than shares to The Harrington.
“He’s a Brock. Making deals is in his blood. He never loses.”
Serena took a healthy sip of her cocktail as she gathered the last of her patience. Cooper never lost because he had the Brock name backing him up. He didn’t know what it was like to make a deal in a position of fear, worried that he would lose everything in an instant. But she was going to change all that. She was going to reclaim her power by stripping him of his own.
“Spencer, we discussed this when I visited you in London,” she answered sweetly. Her feminine charm had distracted him then. It was her most successful technique to get what she wanted in the boardroom. “If you didn’t think I could negotiate with Cooper Brock, then you shouldn’t have fronted me the money.”
“If it all goes to plan, Brock gets his deal and I get the shares to The Harrington,” Spencer said. “What do you get? Why are you doing this?”
She knew what he was really asking. What am I missing? Apparently he no longer believed her explanation when she first proposed this idea. The reason she had given was admittedly weak, but she had couched her answer with the flirtatious smiles and body language that left men flummoxed. She wasn’t going to tell him the truth now no matter how much money he had invested in her plan. There was a lot he didn’t know and she was going to keep it that way.
“I hope this will show you my abilities for future projects,” she lied. “Anyone can gather information but no one can make the intuitive leaps and connections like me.”
“Serena,” he said in harsh tone, “if you don’t get the shares for The Harrington...”
“I have researched Cooper Brock for years,” she sharply reminded Spencer. “One could say I’m an expert on him and his father. You will get those shares by the end of the week.” She ended the call with an angry stab of her fingertip and tossed the phone onto the stack of business magazines lying next to her on the sand.
Serena lowered her sunglasses onto the bridge of her nose and determinedly stared at the crashing waves. The offensive attack on Cooper Brock was a new feeling for her. She didn’t like it because as much as she could predict the outcome, she was still putting herself at risk. Every action, every plan she made up to now, was defensive, protecting what she had.
She breathed in deep, her chest still tight as she inhaled the briny scent of the ocean. She knew what she was doing. Her strategy was solid. Indestructible. She wasn’t going to let anything—or anyone—get in her way.
Anticipation fluttered just under her skin. After years of hard work, sacrifice and planning, she was finally ready to battle Cooper Brock. And by the end of the week, she would be the ultimate victor and get her revenge.
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