Taming Ricardo, The Italian Billionaire

Chapter 5

“She’s always been shy.” Kyra scrunched her face and took on a nasal tone, as she mimicked Allegra. “A bit of a joy kill at times.” She threw herself down on the couch. “Ugh! How could she humiliate me like that?”

And why was she even embarrassed? It wasn’t like Allegra had spoken any untruths. She was indeed shy and boring. But Ricard Bianchi didn’t need to know that. To her disgust, she was actually attracted to the man. She couldn’t understand how she could feel anything but disdain for such a person, for someone who didn’t care about what happened to anyone else, as long as he made his money.

His piercing gray eyes and sheer physical perfectness were forefront in her mind and the images refused to go away. “Damn him and damn me for finding him so hot.”

Kyra exhaled heavily and plopped her chin on her hand. She probably wouldn’t see him again. It seemed like he and Allegra had hit it off. She had been all over him and he didn’t seem to mind. Which man would? Allegra was a bombshell, and totally Bianchi’s type, tall, leggy and slender. Kyra, on the other hand, was on the shorter side with more pronounced curves. She could imagine Ricardo going for the model type. 

What bothered her more, though, was that she had failed Chelsea and Deborah Griggs. That dinner was supposed to be about showing Ricardo why he couldn’t go ahead with his project. Thanks to Allegra, the entire dinner had been a waste. All she’d wanted to do was flirt with Ricardo. Kyra blamed herself too. If she’d been more assertive, she could have accomplished what she set out to.

At that point, she was already thinking about alternatives to help the Griggs. There was no way she could help everyone that had to move out of the building and it laid on her like a heavy burden.

“I need a drink,” she murmured. “Several drinks.”  But she was out of luck. She’d consumed every alcoholic drink she had in her kitchen on Friday night. Remembering that night made her cringe. Ricardo Bianchi must think she was an immature fool. 

Just then, a knock startled her. It sounded like it was her door. Impossible. She never had any visitors, not even Allegra. So, she ignored it, assuming there was someone at her neighbor’s door. The knock sounded again, louder this time. It was definitely her door.

“Who the hell could that be?” A tinge of fear shot through her. She was an avid watcher and reader of true crime dramas. She was a single female, living alone. Anything could happen. When the knocking continued, she rose and approached the door cautiously. Looking through the peephole, she gasped and pulled back.

“Holy shit!”

Ricardo Bianchi stood on the other side of the door. Just to make sure she wasn’t caught up in some strange hallucination, she looked again. It was him. What was he doing there? And why was her heart trying to jump through her rib cage at the sight of him? She could not handle having Ricardo in her small apartment. She backed away from the door, hoping he would leave.

“Kyra, I can hear you.”

The accented drawl stopped her in her tracks. Damn! “Uh, just a minute!” She looked down at herself and groaned. She grabbed the silk robe she had thrown over the back of a chair and put it on. It wasn’t even long enough to cover her thighs and her hair was caught in a messy ponytail. She was most definitely not fit to entertain an Italian Adonis. Smoothing a hand over her hair, she sucked in a breath and slowly opened the door.

Kyra peered around the ajar door. “Mr. Bianchi, h-hello.” Confusion rang in her tone.

His eyes seemed to bore into her. “You still insist on formality, I see,” he drawled. “Are you going to let me in? I come bearing gifts.” He held up both hands, a bottle in one and a coffee cup in the other.

All she could do was gawk at him. For the life of her, she couldn’t think of anything to say in her shocked state. When she could finally speak, she stuttered, “W-why are you here?”

His lips lifted into a charming smile and God help her, she nearly swooned. She was a fully-grown woman, not a teenager, and she nearly swooned because a man smiled at her. Well, it wasn’t just any man, it was Ricardo. Her brain turned to mush when he smiled at her.

  “I came to talk, of course. As I recall, we never had our intended conversation.”

Her eyes widened and she found herself opening the door wider. “You mean you came all the way here to talk about your project?”

“I thought it was only fair that you got the opportunity to make your concerns known.”

Her eyes narrowed and she nearly asked what was the catch. But she held her tongue. Now was her chance and she was going to jump at it. She stepped aside. “In that case, please come in, Mr. Bianchi.”

Satisfaction glinted in his eyes as he stepped in. “And you will call me, Ricardo.”

She snorted. “Was that an order?”

“I apologize. Call me Ricardo, please.”

Reminding herself that she should be nice on Chelsea and Deborah’s account, she smiled sweetly. “As you wish, Ricardo.”

He grinned, picking up on her sarcasm.

Kyra eyed the coffee and wine longingly. “So, those are mine, huh?”

He let out a laugh. “Yes. You didn’t have any wine at dinner so I bought you a bottle and you rushed off so quickly, you missed out on the coffee.”

She grudgingly accepted because she was dying for a sip of wine and coffee was always welcome. “Thank you. How thoughtful.” She placed the wine bottle. “Can I offer you something to drink, Ricardo. A glass of the wine perhaps?”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

Kyra tried to ignore how he seemed to take up all the space in her tiny living room. She glanced around self-consciously, wondering what he thought of her less-than-impressive home. She was sure he was accustomed to grandeur. “Please, have a seat.”

“Thank you.”

She pulled her robe tighter when his gaze trailed downward to her bare thigh. “I, uh, apologize for my appearance. I wasn’t expecting anyone.”

Ricardo took a seat. “I’m sorry for dropping in uninvited and you look…fine.”

“It’s okay and thanks.”

Kyra’s heart stilled because of what she thought she saw flash in his eyes. For a second, she thought she saw desire in those metallic depths but she had to have been mistaken. Why would he want her after spending time alone with the lovely Allegra? Had he kissed her goodnight after taking her home? Had they planned another date? Thoughts of him and Allegra swirled in her mind and she quickly reached for the coffee and took several sips.

She lifted her eyes to find him staring at her. If not for her darker complexion, she was sure she would be red from head to toe. It was tempting to lift her hand to check her hair again but she fought the temptation and lifted her chin. So what if she didn’t look her best?” How did you get my address?”

“Google, of course.”

“Of course,” she murmured. She couldn’t help smiling. With all the resources that she was sure was at his fingertips, he took the time out to Google her.

“I hope you don’t mind.”

“Considering the reason you’re here, I suppose I can’t mind much.”

Ricardo chuckled. “You are not good for a man’s ego, Kyra.”