WHAT ON EARTH WAS SHE DOING HERE?
The helicopter swooped low over the trees and Grace felt her stomach roll.Beneath her lay acres and acres of lush tropical rainforest, the canopy forming a dense green umbrella that sheltered and concealed the exotic mysteries of the forest floor. At any other time she would have been captivated by the wild, breathtaking beauty of her surroundings, but she was far too tense to think about anything except the meeting that lay ahead of her. The meeting and the man.What on earth was she doing dressed in this ridiculously hot, scratchy suit, flying over the top of the Brazilian rainforest to throw herself at the mercy of a man who apparently didnât know the meaning of the word?Rafael Cordeiro.Brilliant, dangerous, damaged. So many words came to mind when thinking of him, none of them tame or soothing. Shockingly wealthy and wielding more power than kings and presidents, he was reputedly so clever with figures that the financial press had likened him to a walking computer. Which didnât bode well, Grace thought gloomily as she clutched at her seat, given her allergy to technology.Beneath her, the trees parted and a swollen river snaked through a deep gorge and plunged over rocks in an explosion of white froth. âHehas properties all over the worldââ she turned to the pilot, seeking answers to the questions bubbling in her mind ââso why is he living all the way out here?âThe pilot kept his eyes on the treetops. âBecause the world wonât leave the man alone. He likes his privacy.âWhich fitted with what sheâd heard about him. Ruthless, unemotional, unsentimentalâthe list of unflattering adjectives went on and on. Considering the man never gave interviews, there was no shortage of information on him. âHeâs a loner?ââWell, I wouldnât exactly call him soft and cuddly, if thatâs what youâre asking, not that women seem to mind. Being bad and dangerous just seems to bring them flocking. That and the power. Women can sniff out power from a hundred paces. Power and money.â The pilot fingered the controls and then glanced towards her. âYou donât look like his usual type.âHis usual type?Wondering how anyone could possibly mistake her for a billionaireâs girlfriend, Grace almost laughed. âI have a meeting with Mr Cordeiro. His company put up the original investment for my business.â And that investment had changed her life. âHeâs what they call a business angel, but I expect you know that, given that you work for him.ââAngel?â The pilot convulsed with laughter and the helicopter swooped alarmingly close to the treetops. âRafael Cordeiroâangel?ââItâs an expression. It means that he invests in small businesses that interest him.â And heâd been interested in hers. Until recently. The sick feeling in her stomach was suddenly back and Grace lifted her briefcaseonto her lap and stroked the surface, trying to solder her fractured confidence.The pilot was still laughing. âAngel. I donât know what he does to make his money but I can tell you one thing,â he fiXed his gaze on the horizon and fiddled with the controls, âthe man is no angel.âRefusing to let him frighten her, Grace straightened in her seat. âI donât believe everything I read in the papers.ââObviouslyââ he glanced towards her and the smile on his craggy, weathered face was faintly pitying ââor you wouldnât be here. I can see youâre a gutsy girl with a mind of your own and thatâs good, it will get you a long way out here in the jungle.ââThereâs nothing gutsy about attending a business meeting.ââThat would depend on who youâre doing business with.â The mountains rose and dipped and the helicopter swooped through a green- clad valley. âAnd where. Not many people have the courage to visit the wolf in his lair.âDespite her determination to keep an open mind, Grace felt her mouth dry. âYou call him the wolf?ââNot me. Thatâs what everyone else calls him. I just call him the boss.â His hands shifted on the controls and the helicopter lost height.Losing her stomach and her nerve, Grace closed her eyes briefly and tried not to also lose her lunch. Sheâd never been any good on roller coasters. âIâm sure Mr Cordeiro is a very reasonable man.ââAre you?â He fiXed his eyes on a spot far below them. âThen youâve obviously never met him. Hold on. Weâre going down.ââGoing down?â Grace stared at him in alarm, her worries about sickness and the dangers of Rafael Cordeiro momentarily eclipsed by that less than reassuring statement. âDo you mean weâre landing or weâre crashing?âBut the pilot didnât answer. His eyes were narrowed and his jaw clenched as he played with the controls. For a moment it looked as though they were going to plunge into the trees and then, at the last minute, a small landing pad revealed itself and he lowered the machine down, landing like a giant insect in what seemed like a ridiculously small gap between the trees.âNot crashing, then.â Grace gave a wobbly smile and let out the breath sheâd been holding. âI had a mental image of carnage.ââIf youâre meeting with Cordeiro then thereâs going to be carnage.â The pilot flicked a switch in front of him. âIâve seen grown men in tears after five minutes with him. Take my advice and fight your corner. If thereâs one thing the boss hates, itâs wimps. Welcome to the Atlantic rainforest, Miss Thacker. One of the most endangered little ecosystems on our planet.ââYouâre leaving me? Here? In the middle of nowhere?â Grace turned her head and looked out of the window and only then did she see the lodgeâa building that seemed to consist of nothing but glass domes and smooth, weathered wood, it blended into the forest so cleverly that it seemed almost to have grown naturally amongst the trees. âOh.â She looked at the walkways suspended high above the forest floor. âItâs stunning. Amazing.âThe pilot was laughing to himself. âRafael Cordeiroâangel.â Stillchortling, he wiped a hand over his forehead and removed the beads of sweat. âOut you get and keep your head down until youâre clear of the blades. Iâm flying back to Rio to pick up a package and then back to SĂŁo Paulo.âGrace sat glued to her seat, unwilling to abandon her last link with civilisation. âYouâre not waiting? He said I could only have ten minutesâŠâAnd it was completely ridiculous to have travelled all this way just for ten minutes, but what choice did she have? It was that or give up and there was no way she was giving up. Her one hope was that heâd agree to give her more time because she knew that ten minutes was never going to be enough time to dig herself out of the hole sheâd fallen into.âIf thereâs anything left of you when heâs finished, Iâll come back and pick up the pieces. Take the walkway over there to the left and, whatever you do, donât stray off the path. This is the jungle, not a theme park. Watch out for the wildlife.ââWildlife?â Sheâd been too busy worrying about the meeting to even think about wildlife. She glanced dubiously into the dense forest that surrounded them. Some parts were in total shade whereas in others the sun penetrated the thick canopy of trees and was channelled onto the forest floor like spotlights. Was it her imagination or was it all moving? âYou mean insects?âHe gave a wicked smile. âOver two thousand different species at the last estimation. And theyâre just the ones we know about.âTrying not to think about all those legs scurrying towards her, Grace smoothed her skirt over her knees and wished sheâd worn trousers. âAndsnakes?ââOh, yes, there are snakesââ his grin widened as he glanced towards her thoroughly inadequate shoes ââand then there are the giant anteaters, jaguars and theâââOK, I think Iâve heard enough,â she said breathlessly, interrupting him with a shaky smile. Any moment now sheâd be clinging to his arm and begging him to fly her home. âIâm sure Mr Cordeiro wouldnât live here if it were that dangerous.âThe pilot threw back his head and laughed. âYou obviously donât know the first thing about him. He lives here because itâs that dangerous, baby doll. He has a low boredom threshold. Likes to live life on the edge, so to speak.âBaby doll? The careless way heâd diminished her to nothing irritated Grace sufficiently for her to forget her nerves. All her life sheâd been patronised and underestimated. All her life people had doubted and dismissed her. And sheâd proved them wrong, over and over again. Sheâd fought against the odds and sheâd succeeded.Until now.Now she was in danger of losing everything sheâd worked for. And she wasnât going to let that happen.This was probably the most important fight of her life and she was going to win. She had to win. And to win she had to forget that she was probably the worst person in the world to be given the responsibility of talking numbers with the Brazilian billionaire with the computer brain. She had to forget everything except the consequences of losing. And thepeople depending on her. If she failed then they lost their jobs, it was as simple as that.If Rafael Cordeiro called in his loan, then it was all over.The humid, oppressive heat wrapped itself around her like a thick, suffocating cloak and she pushed a damp strand of hair away from her face, her eyes drawn upwards, following the straight lines of the trees that rose to such impressive heights. It was like being in a remote, exotic paradise and it was hard to remember that cities like London and Rio de Janeiro even existed. âIsnât he afraid, living out here?ââCordeiro?â The pilot chewed on a piece of gum and gave a grim smile. âHe isnât afraid of anything.âKnowing that if she heard any more about the man she wouldnât have the courage to face him, let alone fight her corner, Grace stumbled out of the helicopter and discovered that her legs were shaking. At that precise moment she would have been hard pressed to say whether she was more afraid of the jungle or Rafael Cordeiro.In a world obsessed with celebrity and image, he treated the notion of both with something approaching contempt, rejecting every invitation to talk about himself. And he didnât need to, because everyone else did the talking for him. The papers were full of curvaceous blondes whoâd been persuaded to âtell allâ for the right amount of money. And so the whole world knew about his relentless pursuit of his billions, his prowess as a lover and his determined refusal to indulge in âhappy ever after'.Once. Once heâd done that and the news of his glamorous wifeâs departure from his life after less than three months of wedded bliss had filled the newspapers with stories that had lasted longer than themarriage.Heâd been impossible to live with. Heâd ended their relationship by email.He was only interested in making money. And more money.The speculation had been endless but if any of it was to be believed then Rafael Cordeiro was little more than a machine and she knew, she just knew, even before she had to fight for her business, that he was going to be just the sort of man that brought out the worst in her.She wouldnât look at him, she promised herself. If she didnât look at him she wouldnât become tongue-tied or stammer. Sheâd just pretend that she was in her small sitting room at home, talking to the mirror as she always did when she had an important presentation to memorise.Grace felt her stomach lurch again and this time the feeling of sickness that enveloped her had nothing to do with the helicopter and everything to do with her past. At times like thisâtimes that really matteredâthe memories rolled up behind her like a giant wave, waiting to engulf her.For her this was the ultimate test. And she wouldnât fail. She just couldnât.Too much was at stake.There was no reason to be afraid of Rafael Cordeiro, she assured herself as she stroked a hand over her straight, formal skirt and forced herself to move forward onto the wooden walkway that was suspended above the forest floor.His personal life, no matter how dark, wasnât her concern. This meeting was about business and, whatever murk hovered around theman, he was a businessman, like her father. When she showed him her plans for taking the business into profit, heâd be positive. Heâd change his mind about calling in the loan. She would save everyoneâs job and then she could fly home and leave the jaguars, the snakes and the billionaire Brazilian businessman to their jungle hideaway.If you are reading my book right now, I say thank you so much. Much love đ
The tropical heat made her suit stick to her body and suddenly she realised just how woefully ill-prepared she was to meet this man. She wasnât even comfortable in her clothes. Stooping to free the spindly heel of her shoe from the careless bite of the wooden planks beneath her feet, Grace clutched the briefcase in her hand and suddenly wished sheâd gone over the figures one more time in the helicopter.But what difference would that have made? With the help of her father, sheâd committed them to memory. There was nothing in her briefcase that wasnât already fiXed in her mind.Jerking her shoe from the jaws of the walkway, she regained her balance and straightened.And saw him.He stood directly in front of her, as dark and dangerous as anything that might have prowled out of the jungle, his body completely still, his eyes watchful.And he was watching her.Entirely unprepared for the physical impact of the man, Grace ceased to breathe. The helicopter, the rainforest and all her
Grace turned her head and squinted into the dense forest that surrounded them. With the helicopter gone she was suddenly aware of the constant background noise that enveloped them. Jungle sounds. Yelps, calls, shrieks, chirping and warbling. It was as if the whole forest was alive. âIt sounds as though someone is being murdered out there.â Laughter in her eyes, she looked back at him, seeking to build an emotional connection and falling at the first hurdle.There was no connection. No answering smile. And it was impossible to know what he was thinking because his face revealed none of his thoughts.âYouâre afraid of the jungle, Miss Thacker?â His tone was less than encouraging. âOr is it something else that is making you nervous?âSomething else? Like the fact that her whole life was on the verge of being ground into the dust, perhaps, or the fact that she was alone in the rainforest with a man who obviously disliked the entire human race?There were so many things to make her ner
This was her baby, she reminded herself. She had all the answers she was going to need. âPeople who come into our cafĂ©s are given far more than a shot of caffeine. For as long as it takes them to drink their coffee or eat their lunch, theyâre transported to Brazil. With your initial investment we opened twenty coffee shops across London. Weâre ready to open more, but not if you withdraw your support âŠâ She broke off and rose to her feet, needing to pace. She couldnât sit across the table looking at that handsome face. She couldnât concentrate. âDo you mind if I walk around? Iâm not great at sitting at tables and if I only have a short time I have to be comfortable or I wonât be able to make the most of it.âHis sardonic gaze slid to her feet. âFrankly Iâm amazed you can stand, let alone walk around. I see you gave careful thought to the footwear that would be most appropriate for a visit to the rainforest.âTrying to keep her thoughts together, she refused to allow his sarcasm to un
He was a billionaire. Surely the fact that she hadnât yet given him a financial return on his investment couldnât be that much of a problem? âI realise that youâve given us an enormous sum of money but we will pay it back with interest as the business grows. Iâd really appreciate an opportunity to go through the figures with you and show you our plans. I really hope that when Iâve given you a full picture of where weâre going with CafĂ© Brazil, youâll agree to extend your investment.ââWhy would I do that?ââBecause youâll see that itâs worth it for you.â She lifted her briefcase onto the table. âIf you withdraw your investment then the company goes under, itâs as simple as that. And if the company goes underâââYou lose your enviable lifestyle.âShe frowned slightly, thinking of the fourteen-hour days sheâd been putting into the business. Was that what he meant? âIâm certainly lucky to have a business that I love,â she said, venturing a smile and then withdrawing it instantly as s
THE sunlight poured through the windows and Rafael Cordeiro watched as the colour fled from her cheeks.Your gameâs up, beauty, he said to himself, wondering how she could have been so naĂŻve as to think that he wouldnât discover what was going on in her company. Not that she hadnât been clever, because she had. The numbers added up. Most people wouldnât have spotted what he had.Most people didnât have his lack of faith in human nature.At first glance her accounts appeared to reveal nothing more than a business that was slow to get off the ground. And her apparent desire to be friendly and chatty was a strategy that might well have succeeded with a man less cynical and experienced with her sex than him. Grace Thacker came across as engaging, enthusiastic and refreshingly open.A different man could have been impressed by her admission of disappointment that her business should have been in profit by now.A different man might have allowed himself to believe in her innocence.It
âI hadnât planned on sightseeing.ââIâm talking about visiting the fazenda. The coffee farm that supplies your chain. Itâs right that you should know more about the product you sell.â He watched her carefully but she simply smiled and the smile put dimples in her cheeks and made her seem even younger.âI couldnât agree more. Iâd love to visit the coffee growers. My father insisted on doing that bit when we originally set up the deal. What a great idea.âIgnoring the dimples and the sudden heat in his loins, Rafael suddenly wanted to laugh.For sheer bald front, you couldnât fault her. By now she had to be wondering just how much he knew about her and yet there wasnât even a flicker of guilt in her eyes. Or concern about his proposal to take her deep into the jungle. She just stood there in her perfectly cut Armani suit, balancing on four-inch heels, as if tramping through the Brazilian rainforest was something sheâd packed for and which she frequently did in her spare time.She c
Her confidence lasted as long as it took her to join him at the table.Heâd changed into a dark shirt and a pair of lightweight trousers. In the fading evening light he looked masculine, sexy and totally unnerving.âSit down. Drink? Caipirinha?âShe looked at the fresh, exotic-looking cocktail he was drinking. âIâd better not.â She smiled at Maria, who was hovering. âSomething non- alcoholic? Juice would be lovely.âRafael gave a faint smile. âKeeping your wits about you?âGrace waited until the drink was in front of her and they were alone before she replied. âYouâre very angry with me, arenât you?â Hating tense atmospheres, she decided on the direct approach. âI know Iâve made mistakes but everyone does when they start in business.ââDo they?â He was relaxed and in control, his handsome features displaying not a flicker of emotion, and she watched with a growing feeling of helplessness.How did you communicate with someone like him? Someone who lived his life through facts and
Forcing herself to concentrate on something other than him, she lifted the cup to her lips, sniffed and gave an appreciative sigh. No matter what the stresses, coffee always soothed her. âThat has to be the best smell in the world.ââIâm glad you think so. That coffee comes from the local fazenda that supplies your business.âShe sipped. âItâs delicious.â Perhaps the owners of the fazenda would add their plea to hers because if her business closed down then theyâd have to find a new buyer for their coffee. âIâm really looking forward to my visit.ââGood.ââWellââ she placed the cup back down on the table ââwe seem to have spent the entire evening talking about me, which is very boring. What about you? Were you born and bred in Brazil?ââI donât understand what possible relevance my heritage can have on the survival of your business,â he said softly, his accent strangely thickened. âTake my advice and concentrate on the things that matter.ââI just wondered about you, thatâs al
âARENâT you going to the gym any more?â Rhiannon asked two days later. âThis is the third day in a row youâve missed.â Georgie scrubbed at her red eyes. âI donât want to run into Ben-Break- Your-Heart Blackwood,â she said. âIâm going to switch my membership to another gym.â âPoor you,â Rhiannon said, as she stroked Georgieâs head. âHe really did a good job on you, didnât he?â Georgie blew her nose and tucked the sodden tissue into her bra, joining the others for a lumpy potato effect. âIâm so dumb when it comes to dating,â she said. âIâm not going on another date for siX months, I swear it.â âThatâs a long time, Georgie.â âI donât care,â she said as she got to her feet. âIf I so much as look at a man with a view to dating him, Iâm going to donate a thousand dollars to the hospital research foundation ⊠no, make that five thousand dollars. That should make me think twice before I fall into the same trap again.â âWow, thatâs a lot of money,â Rhiannon said. Georgie set her shoulder
âONE hundred, two hundred, three hundredâââStop,â Rhiannon said as Georgie counted out the hundred-dollar bills the following morning. âI have something to confess.âGeorgie let the next note flutter to the table. âWhat?â Rhiannon bit her lip. âIâve been seeing someone.â Georgieâs eyes went out on stalks. âYou have?âRhiannon nodded. âI was going to tell you a couple of days ago but I wasnât sure if the guy felt the same way about me. We werenât really dating âŠ. sort of catching up.â She gave a little grimace and added, âSorry.ââWho is it?â Georgie asked. âAnyone I know?â âJules Littlemore.âGeorgie gaped at her. âJules?ââWhy are you so surprised? Heâs a really decent man. I know heâs a couple of years younger than me but Iâve always liked him and when he kissed me I sort of ⊠fell in love with him.ââIâm really glad for you, Rhiannon,â Georgie said. âJules is a great guy and perfect for you when I think about it.ââSo youâre not angry at me?ââNo,â she said, smiling at he
BEN answered the door with a towel hitched around his hips, his hair still dripping from his shower.âOh ⊠sorry âŠâ Georgie bit her lip and tried to keep her eyes north of the border. âUm ⊠I picked a bad time to drop in on you.ââNot at all,â he said, stepping aside to let her in. âI just got back from the gym.â He closed the door and added, âI thought I might have seen you there. You didnât hang around at the hospital so I thought youâd gone straight there.ââIâm so sorry I didnât keep our appointment,â she said. âI got a bit distracted by ⊠by something that happened just after I left you with Mr Tander.âHe frowned as he looked down at her. âJonathan Tander didnât have another go at you, did he? I left him with the hospital chaplain in the relativesâ lounge. Did he somehow track you down again?âShe shook her head and cupped her elbows with her crossed-over hands. âI had a bit of a run-in with Richard DeBurgh ⊠well, not exactly a run-in, more of a misunderstanding ⊠of sorts
GEORGIE didnât leave anything to chance the next morning and left extra early so she could turn up on time in Theatre for Emma Stanleyâs case. She had found it hard to sleep the previous night, thinking about the young girl who had so much at stake, not to mention Ben, who as Emmaâs neurosurgeon had so much pressure on him to perform a miracle when the chance of one was not very likely.Linda greeted her as she came into the change room. âTough morning this one,â she said. âBenâs really feeling it. He hides it pretty well but Iâve worked with him long enough to know the signs.ââHe told me about the case yesterday,â Georgie said as she put her bag into one of the lockers. âItâs hard, what life tosses up, isnât it?ââSure is,â Linda agreed. âThe parents are such lovely people who would move heaven and earth to get their daughter back to full health. I only hope Ben can pull this one off. Mind you, if anyone can, he can. Heâs got that steely determination to succeed where others woul
BEN had to force his eyes to stay fiXed on Georgieâs face as she opened the door at his summons. She was dressed in a knock-out pink dress that skimmed her slight curves and highlighted the healthy glow of her skin. Her hair was loose about her shoulders, its sun-kissed light waves full of body and bounce, making his fingers twitch yet again to reach out and thread through its silkiness. Her perfume drifted towards him, a different one this time. It was a subtle but totally intoXicating scent that reminded him of sun-warmed honeysuckle.âHannah is waiting in the car,â he said by way of greeting, not able to think of anything else on the spot. âShe had a good day today. Thank you.âGeorgie followed him towards the lifts. âI had fun, too,â she said. âSheâs a lovely girl and great company.âHe stabbed at the lift button without looking at her. âI canât help worrying about her,â he confessed with a small frown. âSheâs lived in the country all her life. Sheâs not as street smart as city
BEN called Hannah on her mobile to arrange a meeting place and half an hour later caught sight of her and Georgie sitting on the grass near the Hyde Park fountain, a pair of ibis coming closer and closer for the crumbs Georgie was tempting them with.âEven the animal kingdom isnât safe from her natural beauty and charm,âhe muttered under his breath as he made his way towards them.âHi, Ben, look what I bought,â Hannah said, leaping to her feet and showing him her jeans and top inside the boutique bags she had in her possession.âMmm, very nice,â he said. Swinging his gaze to Georgie, who was still sitting cross-legged on the grass, he asked, âWhat did you get?ââSore feet,â Georgie said wryly, as she made to get up.He smiled and offered her a hand, pulling her up so strongly she tumbled forward into his arms.âOoh!â she said breathlessly, her hands flat against the hard wall of his chest.âThatâll teach you to wear those ridiculously high heels all the time,â he admonished h
BEN had seen Emma Stanleyâs MRI scans two weeks ago but there had been considerable change in her condition since then. The young siXteen-year-old track and field star had a tumour on her lumbar spine, which thankfully was benign, but that didnât mean she was out of the woods by any means. The tumour was pressing against the cauda equina, causing numbness in her buttocks and weakness in her legs.Surgery was the only option but there were huge risks involved, especially as imaging had shown the tumour was extensive and its removal had the potential to cause damage to multiple nerve roots. She had fallen several times over the last few days and her parents had panicked and contacted him directly rather than wait until Monday to see him in his public clinic, as he had advised them to do.Ben sat Emma and her parents down in his office. Taking his own chair, he began to run through the risks. âI know weâve talked through all this before but as Emmaâs symptoms have worsened it wonât hur
BELINDA BRONSON was coming out of the gym on Friday evening as Georgie was going in. âJust the person I wanted to see,â she said, pulling Georgie to one side away from the cluster of members near the front door.âI was going to say the very same thing to you,â Georgie said with a little frown. âI got into heaps of trouble over talking to you about the Tandersâ accident.âBelindaâs expression turned cynical. âThat kind of figures,â she said. âI spoke to a mate of mine in Trafficâhe must have pressed a few too many sensitive buttons. He told me Mr Tander is a legal eagle. Lawyers always think theyâre above suspicion and that the legal system they represent and defend so volubly in court doesnât apply to them outside it.ââYeah, well, heâs not just any old legal eagle,â Georgie said. âHeâs a high court judge. If heâs serious about going ahead with this, my career is over.âBelinda tapped her top lip for a moment. âYou know, it might be worth having a deeper look into this,â she said.
GEORGIE was totally exhausted by the time her list with Richard DeBurgh ended and she still had three more hours of on call before she could finally relax. Richard had been encouraging towards her but he was nothing like Ben in Theatre. Richard had a tendency to snap at the nursing staff if instruments werenât handed to him quickly enough, and when a patient with a meningioma had a major venous bleed from the sagittal sinus he swore as his tension level rose, which made everyone feel on edge. At one point he bellowed at Georgie for bumping the microscope while he was suturing the sagittal sinus bleed, and although he had moved it himself, she knew there was no point in trying to defend herself.Linda Reynolds, the scrub nurse Georgie had met in Benâs theatre on her first day, caught up with her in the female change rooms once the list was over.âSee what I mean about there being a waiting list to work on Benâs lists?â she said as she stripped off her theatre scrubs. âRichard is fine