A Gift of Passion (Lover's Gift Book 1) Read online

  She’d scheduled a meeting with a private investor and his firm who knew all about the markets we planned to enter. Since venturing into the Asian market, we’d run into more complications than I had anticipated. While we were doing well, our company could use some guidance in navigating the terrain.

  Since the partnership with the Zinghai Ma Corporation fell through, we were in desperate need of strategic direction in these markets. Although my grandmother was from China and I was well versed in the culture, I still had a lot to learn.

  “He’s on his way here. Do you want me to act as your surrogate again?” she asked. I shoveled through the spreadsheets on my desk. From this point forward, I needed to arrive on time. Showing up late to meetings wasn’t like me at all. I organized what I could and gazed at Maya before closing out of my computer.

  “Yes, that will be fine. Get a feel for him and let me know how it goes,” I said. She gave me a nod before making her exit. “By the way, who is this person you’ve scheduled?” She stopped and turned back into my office. After shuffling through the papers in her arms, she pulled out a single piece and looked at the header.

  “Mr. Alonso, I believe,” she said. I dropped the pin in my hand onto my desk and stood up. We gazed at each other for a brief moment when I emerged from behind my desk to approach her.

  “Did you just say, Mr. Alonso?”

  “Yes.” She gave me a confused glance.

  “As in Dante Alonso, head of the Cayman Roth Conglomerate, who is currently ranked in the top ten of Forbes’ ‘The World’s Billionaires’? That Dante Alonso?”

  Still confused, she stepped back and looked at the sheet of paper in her hand again. “Yes. It says right here—Dante Alonso.” I snatched the paper from her to have a look at it myself. Sure enough, it said Mr. Alonso. I looked at her and then at the paper again.

  “Is everything all right?” she asked. My nerves rattled. I was both confused and a bit excited. I never thought the Cayman Roth Conglomerate would even consider working with us. I’m sure Maya didn’t set up this meeting herself. There had to be something else going on here.

  “I’ll be conducting the meeting myself. Tell Oliver and his team to get ready,” I said.

  “Are you sure?” she asked disappointedly. I’d strode to the corner of my office and looked at myself in the mirror before I headed into the meeting room.

  “Yes, I’m sure.” Maya fixed the papers she held in her arms and turned to leave.

  “Hey, Maya,” I called before she got too far. She threw me an uneasy glance. “You can join us if you wish.” Her eyes lit up, and I gave her a slight smile before fixing my makeup. Dante Alonso—who would have thought?

  ***

  “He’s here. The receptionist is bringing him to Conference Room E.,” said Oliver, who was with our financial analyst team next to the receptionist’s desk. Maya had assembled our legal team, and they were all waiting in the conference room. It was then I saw Dante approach. The moment I saw him goose bumps formed on my skin. His eyes were the color of a mystic gray fog and his slick dark hair were like something out of an erotic novel. The sensual Spaniard in him illuminated the room. He was such a powerful and influential man. I had read about him ever since I decided to go into business for myself.

  Noted for his genius when it came to strategic management and investment, a Forbes article I’d read once called him The Great Visionary. He was able to turn every company he ever bought to profitability within just a few short years. The one thing I always admired about him was that he never liquidated a business for its assets. He always thought of the people first and ensured they would have a job under his management.

  He made his approach into the conference room as I stood on the opposite end just outside the door. My hands were starting to sweat.

  “Isabella, are you ready? He’s waiting,” said Maya.

  Okay, pull yourself together, Isabella. You’ve dealt with hundreds of clients and potential partners over the years; this is no different. B-but just look at him.

  “Isabella, are you coming in or not?” asked Oliver in a stern voice. We entered the conference room. Dante arrived with a glimmer of light in his eyes and a slight smile on his face. He seemed to be looking directly at me.

  “Hello, Mrs. Williams. It’s nice to meet you finally. I’ve been looking forward to this day for quite some time,” he said, entirely bypassing my team and walking directly toward me to shake my hand. Taking my seat, I hoped he didn’t notice my nervousness and the sweat on my palms. What the hell was wrong with me? Where was the confident businesswoman known as Isabella Kam-Williams who took charge in any given situation? I needed to regain my composure.

  “Is there any way we can have a word alone, if even for a moment?” he asked. He sat right next to me. In my head, I fainted three times.

  “Sure. Oliver, Maya, please give us a few minutes,” I said. I needed to prepare myself mentally. My team exited the room along with everyone else.

  “I’ve been studying your business for quite a while now, and needless to say, I am fairly impressed,” he said. Internally, my mind was all over the place. I never thought I would be in a room with Dante Alonso. While being in his presence was awe-inspiring, I couldn’t help but wonder what his true intentions were for meeting with my company. I strategically wiped my hands on the cloth next to my cup of water and adjusted my seat.

  “Thank you,” I said. Dante smiled and moved his seat closer to me. I looked outside and saw Maya stealing glances at us. My nerves were already on edge, and I didn’t need an audience. Giving her a side-eyed glance, I gestured my head toward her to make her go away. Dante looked outside to see what had my attention. Maya had already walked off before he could see her smiling at us. I took a sip of water and focused my attention back on our conversation. He did the same.

  “As I was saying. I’m impressed with what you’ve built here. Not only with your business, but also with you. If you don’t mind—could you tell me what happened to your partnership negotiations with the Zinghai Ma Corporation? I heard they were caught up in a scandal or something.” That’s when it hit me. He must be here to collect information about the Zinghai Ma Corporation. My sense of him took a gut check.

  “Yes. They were caught up in an accounting scandal along with corruption and bribery charges in China. We decided to cease all partnership talks with them. My CFO alerted me to this after I asked him to look over their books. After finding irregularities with their earnings, we withdrew from the deal. A couple of weeks later the news broke about their accounting scandal.” He leaned forward in his chair and took another sip of his water. His eyes never wandered away from me.

  “That scandal led us here, didn’t it?” he said.

  “What do you mean?”

  He gave me a slight grin when I put my hands in my lap. “I mean if it weren’t for that scandal, I wouldn’t be here now—with you.”

  The nervousness within me intensified. That smile of his was so damn haunting it was forcing the sweat out of my pores. What was he after? It couldn’t be just the business. There must be something else.

  “Are you all right, Mrs. Williams?” he asked as I looked on in a daze.

  “Yes, Mr. Alonso. I’m fine.”

  “You can call me Dante, or whatever you wish, Mrs. Williams.”

  My cheeks flushed. “Should I call my team back in so we can discuss where we’d like to go in this market?”

  His smile brightened, and he leaned in closer to me. I didn’t back away. His scent caught my attention and it was so exhilarating. He reached over my hands, which had made their way on top of the table, and grabbed a spreadsheet on the pile of papers next to me.

  “I’ve already had my people look over your marketing plan. If it’s all right with you—you will be working with me solely. I’ll ask for nothing in return.”

  Taken aback, I glanced him over and gave him a dumbfounded look. “Did you just say nothing?”

  “That’s correct. I’ll h
elp with your strategic plans and business development in Asia, and in return, you give a few of my executives a free supply of your cosmetic products. I’m planning to implement a new incentive program for outstanding executives, and I’m sure my female executives and the wives of my male executives would be pleased. It’s going to be part of a larger package of year-end bonuses. The deal should cost you less than five thousand dollars.”

  “Wait . . . All you want from me are a few products for your executive compensation packages?”

  “That, and to work closely with you. I believe we can learn a lot from each other.”

  My instincts flared as I sensed something was off. This was too good to be true. He couldn’t be serious.

  “This isn’t a joke, is it?”

  He laughed and placed his hand on top of mine for a brief second before removing it. “I assure you, Mrs. Williams, I am very sincere. I have some of the brightest minds in the world working for me, and I’m confident they can handle things while I’m working with you to expand your brand. What do you say—is it a deal?”

  This man had to have another agenda. Nothing in this world was free. I put my hands back in my lap and curled my brows. His gaze was still affixed on me as he waited for my answer.

  “Let me try and wrap my head around this. You, Dante Alonso, one of the wealthiest men on the planet, want to help me and my business as a consultant—for free?”

  “Is that so hard for you to believe? By the way, I’m not working for free. As I mentioned, you’ll supply my high-performing executives with a supply of your products.” He extended his hand to me with that same lasting smile on his face. I didn’t know what to do. Something in his smile was enchanting. I couldn’t describe it, but the way he was looking at me now and the way he talked reminded me of something, of someone, I once knew in my youth. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but his expressions made me reminisce of something I might have heard or read before.

  “Well?” he asked.

  I smiled hesitantly and met his hand with my own. “We have a deal.” We shook hands as Oliver opened the door.

  “Sorry to interrupt, Isabella, but we have another meeting in half an hour. We should discuss—”

  “It’s already over. We’re in agreement,” Dante said, cutting Oliver off mid-sentence. “I look forward to seeing you soon, Mrs. Williams. Until then.” He stood and handed me a white cloth made of silk. “For your hands,” he said, much to my embarrassment. I took the cloth and put it to the side. “It was a pleasure, Mrs. Williams.” He exited the conference room, leaving me bewildered. Oliver stood there confused.

  “Uh . . . What just happened?” he asked.

  I gazed at the cloth and then at Oliver. “Something really bizarre.”

  Chapter 11

  Isabella

  It had been three months from the time of my meeting with Dante, and we had talked on the phone just about every day since. It started out strictly business, but after the second month, we started to talk about personal matters like family, home life, friends, and whatnot. He was so humble and sweet. We had planned a trip to South Korea a month back.

  The meeting was next week, and I was still nervous about going on a business trip with him. I hadn’t seen him since our initial meeting, and talking to him so much since then had made me warm up to him. Secure in the knowledge that his intentions were pure, I wasn’t sure why I was so nervous around him. He didn’t give me the vibes of him wanting to purchase my company. Everything about Dante was honest and upfront, so I needed to put that out of my mind.

  Nathan and I had just finished dinner, but neither of us spoke a word to each other. I was sure he could tell something was on my mind, but I didn’t think he cared. The only thing he was concerned about was finishing some project he’d briefly mentioned to me the other day. I cooked us chicken cordon bleu with a side of stir-fried broccoli and red peppers, then served it along with his favorite bottle of wine. After I’d slaved all day in the kitchen, he didn’t even bother thanking me.

  It seemed as if things had gone back to the way they were before. I had no idea what was going on with him. The last time we’d made love, he’d been very aggressive and left three bruises on my inner thigh and arms. Luckily, it had been close to four months and the bruises had since healed. The worst part of it all had been that he’d seemed to enjoy inflicting pain on me. I’d screamed for him to stop, but he wouldn’t until he instructed me to say Alpha Red. Only then did he stop.

  Say it, say it, he’d screamed, pounding me harder, squeezing my backside and pulling my hair. It was only when the pain became unbearable that I said what he wanted me to. When I did, he closed his eyes and let out a long sigh of relief as if someone had just released him from captivity. I could see in his eyes that he enjoyed making me suffer. He enjoyed seeing me in pain. I hadn’t allowed him to touch me since, not until he promised me he would be gentler.

  Maybe that was payback for accusing him of cheating. Whatever it was, I didn’t like it. When I’d told him to stop being so aggressive when we made love, he’d become annoyed and gone right into the shower without saying a word. The more his attitude changed, the more I wanted to take Maya’s advice and hire someone to follow him so I would know what he was up to when I was away or at work. I was torn on the subject, however. Maybe I needed to go outside and get some fresh air to clear my mind. It wasn’t as if Nathan were going to come down to talk to me anyway. I opened the door quietly, but it made a slight creaking noise, triggering Nathan to come to the balcony to see who it was.

  “Where are you going?” he asked.

  “Just outside for some fresh air.”

  “Oh. Have fun.” Before I could turn around to see his expression, he had already gone back to his room. He closed his door and locked it. If he thought he could just throw me a little sex and things would go back to the way they’d been, then he was mistaken. It wasn’t going to be that easy to wash away the discussions we’d had before.

  The more distant he became, the more I found myself drifting away from him. I really hoped he didn’t think our marriage could survive on sex alone. I needed so much more than that. It became a void Dante was beginning to fill. That made me feel guilty. I shouldn’t be thinking of Dante that way. But the way he talked to me made me feel at peace—special even. I knew I couldn’t jeopardize our business relationship. I had to clear these thoughts from my head. Nothing good would come of them.

  I found myself on the beachfront of our villa, alone, gazing at the sky. My white nightgown blew in the wind, as did my hair. This place always brought me peace. The breeze consumed my body. It refreshed me as it always did. The caramel-colored sand offset the orange-and-white tones of the sunset. I wanted to fly into it. Most days I wished I could. It was so beautiful. If only I had someone to share it with. The waves of the ocean hit my feet as I dug my toes into the sand with every step. This beautiful sunset was wasted on me. This scenery belonged to two people in love. They should take part in its beauty until the sun could be seen no more and the stars lit up the night sky anew.

  The view mesmerized me so much I didn’t notice the bottle that washed up on shore until it hit my shin. It hurt like hell. Nothing, it seemed like, until I knelt down to pick it up. I didn’t know if I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and happened to be hit by someone’s discarded trash . . . or if it was something much more. I didn’t want to get my hopes up for nothing, so I contemplated throwing the bottle back into the ocean until I saw a thin piece of paper inside.

  I opened the bottle and, no surprise, it was another letter addressed to me. Who in the world was sending me these things? It had to be someone who lived around here. I was going to find out who eventually. I took the letter out of the bottle and opened it.

  There was my name at the top of the note: Dear Isabella . . . My heart sank. My emotions were tense enough with talking to Dante so much, and especially considering my husband’s recent behavior. Now it seemed I had a secret admirer. I
unfolded the note all the way and gazed at the words written. The handwriting was elegant. Before this, each letter had been typed. I wondered what made this person write it out by hand this time. Either way, it was lovely.

  Dear Isabella,

  I will not say anything that will reveal my identity to you, for I don’t want you to know who I am just yet. That will come in due time. It will happen when the moment is right for us to proceed with this relationship, if one should develop between us, as I hope it will. Let me just say we met a couple of months ago. We did not talk for very long, but that brief discussion we did have solidified how deeply I care for you. Your smile lit up my heart with an intensity that could rival the rays of the sun. You are to me what water is to life. I may sound like a naïve fool, but I do believe in love at first sight. I have harbored these feelings for a very long time, and it took a lot of courage to address you by name in my last letter.

  Isabella, you deserve so much better than what you have. You deserve someone who will cherish you, never hurt you, and never inflict pain upon you for their own enjoyment. You deserve a love that would make the gods themselves blush in awe. I don’t know if my words are getting through to you or if you’re laughing with each letter I send out, but rest assured that I am opening myself up to you without shame or ego. You have ripped those two emotions from my heart, and I am wide open to express how you make me feel with every breath you take, with each smile that graces your lips.

  I had a dream about you a while ago. We were in a garden on the outskirts of Japan, surrounded by beautiful trees and bushes and nature. That’s when the cherry blossoms began to fall like rain, lighting up your face like a blessed angel put in this world just for me. You were wearing a pink silk dress when rainwater coupled with the blossoms started hitting us both—those soft, warm droplets. Your dress melted off and you stood there calling out to me. You wanted me to take you up against the trees . . . I dared not. My heart couldn’t take the chance of being rejected due to your current marital status.