Page 32 of Business Temptations

His body hardened painfully and he nearly groaned out loud.

However, as soon as she opened the door, Tim stood in the now-open space, his hand lifted in the air as if he were about to knock.

Matteo quickly got his body back under control and Bailey straightened her shoulders. That sexy, I’ve-got-ideas smile hastily disappeared. But Tim was an observant man and he caught the expressions on his business partners’ faces before they had a chance to hide them. A huge, triumphant grin spread across his face and he folded his arms over his chest.

“So it’s finally happened?” he asked, his gaze moving from Bailey to Matteo, then back again. “You two figured it out?”

Bailey self-consciously smoothed a hand over her stomach. “Figured what out?”

Tim laughed and reached out to hug her, adding a friendly kiss to the top of her head. “That you two are madly in love with each other,” he finished. He released Bailey and stepped into Matteo’s office. “I’m so happy for you both.” He walked around Matteo’s desk and hugged him as well, then stepped back and swiveled his eyes, taking in both of them. “Unfortunately, I have some new images to review.” He looked over his shoulder at Bailey. “I know that you have meetings, but can you delay them for a few minutes? I need you two to see these pictures. Tom and I reviewed the security footage yesterday and came up with this.” He laid several grain images on Matteo’s desk. “We don’t have a good facial image, so Tom isn’t able to run the image through the facial recognition software, but he thinks we can try to mesh several of the images we have together with some video images from other security footage from different buildings along the streets. If we can get enough partial images of this person, then we can form a full image.”

Matteo looked at the picture, his gut tightening in his stomach. “No need,” he replied. “I know who this is.”

Tim looked surprised. “How the hell do you know this person?”

A new voice interrupted the group. “Because he is from our village.”

Everyone turned to look at the newest intruder to Matteo’s office. There was an audible gasp from Bailey as she and Tim noticed the astounding similarities between the man in the doorway and Matteo. The two men weren’t twins, but they were definitely brothers. The dark, almost black hair, tanned skin, and aristocratic features were telltale markers that Bailey and Tim noticed immediately. And if the man’s aristocratic nose wasn’t a sure giveaway as to his identity, the similarity to the previous visitor would have offered the needed clues. Plus, the man’s whole demeanor shouted “aristocrat”.

“Antonio,” Matteo greeted the other man flatly.

His half-brother stood in the doorway, surveying the group. His face was completely devoid of emotion as he stepped into the room, nodding politely in Bailey’s direction.

“You must be Bailey Larkin,” Matteo’s half-brother said. Instead of shaking her hand, Matteo’s ass of a half-brother lifted a dark eyebrow, obviously reading the stunned reactions from the other three people in the room and guessing that his presence wasn’t appreciated.

Bailey stepped back, glancing at Matteo.

“Your father was just here,” Matteo replied, not standing up nor offering his hand in greeting. It was an insult that didn’t go unnoticed, but Antonio didn’t react. He stepped deeper into the office, looking directly at his half-brother.

“I know our father was just here.”

“Your father,” Matteo corrected. “He was never my father.”

“He is your father,” Antonio challenged, bracing his feet wide, as if he were expecting a battle.

Matteo ignored his half-brother’s body language. “He was the sperm donor. Nothing more,” he said, tapping his pen against his shoulder. That was the only indication that Matteo was upset by the other man’s presence.

Antonio tilted his head slightly with acknowledgement. “Fair enough.” He looked at the other two in the room. “May we speak privately?”

Matteo shook his head. “These are my friends and business partners. Whatever you have to say will be said in front of them.” He leaned back, glaring at the man with such similar features. “Just so you know, Father has ordered me to merge my business with yours and return to Spain. He says that I’m to take up my rightful place in the family business.”

Antonio’s only reaction was a slight lift of a dark eyebrow. The gesture was so similar to Matteo’s that Bailey couldn’t hide her gasp. He glanced at her sharply, then returned his attention to his half-brother. “What do you want? Besides stepping down so that I can take over as he insisted.”

The only reaction visible on the other man’s features was a slight tightening of the muscles around his mouth. “Did he?” He nodded slightly. “That was very…arrogant of him.”

“If you and your father are trying to destroy me by selling the formula of one of our products, you’re going to be–”

Antonio lifted a hand, stopping Matteo’s next words. “I have no doubt that your formulas are secure,” he interrupted.

“They are,” Matteo assured him. “So, what are your plans?”

Antonio shrugged. “I have no idea what my father’s plans are, but mine are to fix the company he’s nearly destroyed.”

“Is that so?” Tim interjected, moving to the side of Matteo’s desk in a show of solidarity. “So, you’re not trying to sell the formula to Sheik bin Aristi of Sidrina?”

“Zahir?” Antonio echoed, clearly confused. “What the hell does Zahir have to do with any of this?”

Bailey’s mouth fell open in surprise. “You know him?”

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