Castell’s
Passion
Arabella Sheen
A night in his arms,
but it comes at a price. Will her heart survive?
Billionaire Marc
Castell, owner of the Castell Hotel Group, isn’t looking
for love. His jet-set lifestyle means he’s a ‘love them and leave them’ type of
guy…that is, until Kate McKenna
walks into his life.
Kate is on the warpath. Her underage sister is planning to spend a
weekend in Paris with Marc’s nephew, and she’s determined to put a stop to the
affair before it begins.
Marc has a plan of his own. He promises to save Kate’s sister from his
nephew, but there’s a condition attached. Kate has to travel to Cannes with him
and play the part of his girlfriend―including spending the night in his bed.
Marc hopes this will solve the problem of the unwanted advances he’s been
receiving from his friend’s wife. But whenever Marc takes Kate in his arms his
world is turned upside down, and he discovers he wants more from her than a
casual weekend fling.
Kate has no time for sexy, powerful playboys. She’s too busy building
her career and expanding her catering business. But when she gets to know the
man behind the façade, she wonders if she can resist the sensual attraction
growing between them. Will she be seduced by his charm and sacrifice everything
she believes in for one night of passion in his arms?
Marc has a battle on his hands as he strives to win Kate’s love…and her
heart.
Excerpt 2…
Kate couldn’t relax. She was too on edge to sit still. Restless, she
stood and wandered over to the high Georgian windows to look out at the elegant
town houses in Grosvenor Square.
Most of the buildings were tall, resplendent structures, and Castell
House was no exception. In fact, Castell House was one of the most elegant,
imposing town addresses she’d ever been to. On the front façade of the house
were two magnificent columns. There was also a lintel doorway and a porch
entrance under which sat two imposing stone lions. When she first arrived at
the Square she’d known it was a grand address in Central London, but she hadn’t
realized exactly how chic and impressive Castell House would be.
Looking across the road to the Square’s splendid gardens, she noticed
some mothers playing with their children near the fountain. Young lovers lay
stretched out on blankets on the well-kept lawns, basking in the heat of the
glorious afternoon. Seeing that, Kate wished she was anywhere but here. She
didn’t want to witness the pleasures and enjoyments of others when she was in
such a horrible mood.
As the London traffic of cars and buses drove by, a flitting thought
passed through her head that she ought to be spending her precious time in a
better way. She should be working, not running around after Nikki’s amorous
admirer.
It had taken Kate several years of hard work to build up her catering
business, and she was doing well. She was a successful business woman, and she
was achieving what she’d set out to do. Her business was flourishing, and she
was slowly but surely gaining a reputation as being one of the best events
caterers in the business.
McKenna Catering had several on-going contracts with a select group of
clients. The majority of her clientele were the rich elite of London, and they
were willing to spend substantial amounts of money for the services she
provided.
There were always parties and bookings to organize, and although Kate
had an excellent team of workers covering events, she liked to be on hand to
make sure things ran smoothly. Her clients were also keen to see her at their
parties. Even if she only made a brief appearance before disappearing, they
liked to know she was in charge and holding the reins.
Gazing out of the office windows there was time enough for Kate to
surreptitiously study the man sitting at the desk. Castell was concentrating on
the work in front of him, and she assumed he was unaware of her scrutiny from
beneath her lashes. Looking him over, Kate couldn’t find fault with his appearance.
He was incredibly gorgeous. The sharp, chiseled lines of his face and
the thick mass of black hair were things she found attractive in a man. His
body looked lean, strong, and powerful, and with his bronzed, sun-kissed skin
and his dark looks, he looked almost princely.
When he moved to turn the pages of a document, or he reached for a file,
the silky material of his shirt stretched, rippling across his wide shoulders,
accentuating the muscles in his arms. Even though he was seated she could tell
he was more than six-foot tall.
This man wasn’t just a pen-pusher. He was fit, and it showed. He was
also very sexy. There was no denying his magnetism, and although her sister
might be a young, vulnerable teenager who had fallen head-over-heels for those
dark, sensual eyes, Kate wasn’t.
At twenty-four, Kate wasn’t such an easy target when it came to men.
Even though she’d never met this man before, she knew his type. She could spot
a womanizer and playboy a mile off, and she avoided them like the plague.
She wanted nothing to do with men who used people, especially women, for
their own pleasure. These men always discarded their lovers because they were
no longer the flavor of the moment. Shallow, temporary relationships were
something Kate had no time for, and with this type of man emotional investment
was generally absent. Kate suspected she was looking at trouble, and it was
trouble spelled with a capital “T”.
As Castell reached up to loosen the knot of his tie he turned his head
in Kate’s direction. His piercing eyes locked onto hers. He held her spellbound
and Kate’s stomach flipped, sending her heart pulsating with unexpected
excitement.
There was no protection from his penetrating gaze. He was looking her up
and down, and it was as if his eyes were stripping her naked. Exposing her, and
revealing all for his satisfaction and pleasure. And there was nothing she
could do about it.
Castell was obviously enjoying the fact that the t-shirt she was wearing
was too short. She’d been planning to take the morning off to catch up on some
chores at home. Things that she never seemed to have time for. These days
taking time off from her business was almost impossible. But then Nikki and her
problems had intervened with her plans, and now she was here…in Castell’s plush,
stylish office dressed totally inappropriately in a t-shirt and jeans.
The short, skimpy t-shirt she was wearing left her feeling vulnerable
and exposed. Although it covered her body, it didn’t conceal her curves. And no
matter how hard she pulled or tugged on the shirt it couldn’t cover the small
amount of exposed midriff that was showing. But that wasn’t the worst of her
problems. Gradually, Kate became aware that her nipples were beginning to show.
Compared to the warm heat of the spring sunshine outside, Castell’s
office was a cool haven from the balminess. The air conditioning was on full
blast, and although it was cooling her overheated skin, that wasn’t all it was
cooling.
Kate wasn’t wearing a bra, and as the cool air wafted gently over her
body she discovered her nipples were hardening. The fabric of her top made the
hard peaks obvious. Crossing her arms over her breasts, she hoped to conceal
what was becoming visible, but it was to no avail. It didn’t help. Castell had
a clear view, and he was examining every detail of her body.
“How is a man supposed to concentrate with you staring at him?” he asked
while running a hand through his hair in frustration.
Shrugging her shoulders, Kate remained silent. She didn’t care if he
couldn’t concentrate. And she hadn’t been staring at him. Or had she? At least,
she didn’t think she had.
“Mr. Castell...” She uncrossed her arms and straightened to her full
height of five feet, four inches.
“Yes...Ms. McKenna.” He sat back and threw down the pen he’d been holding,
giving Kate his full attention.
“We have to talk.”
“So you told me. If I remember correctly, it has something to do with
someone by the name of Nikki.”
“Of course it’s about Nikki. Who else would it be about?” Kate snapped.
He looked startled at her heated outburst, but he waited silently for
her to continue.
Kate was a confident woman with plenty of self-assurance, but in this
instance she sensed she was out of her depth. She knew she had a fight on her
hands. There was a battle to win, and even though her confidence was ebbing she
knew she had to stay strong. She had to fight this arrogant man and bring Nikki
back from the brink of a disastrous affair with Eduardo Castell.
Although the Castells had amassed a huge amount of real estate and
wealth over the years, it was still classed as new money. Kate knew
of the Castells―anyone who read glossy magazines or daily newspapers knew who
they were. They were a global name. Royalty of the hotel world. And
surprisingly, Nikki was working for them as part of her school work experience.
The Castells were the elite. The crème de la crème. Out of
reach. And with Nikki starting at the bottom, supposedly learning the ropes,
Kate hadn’t expected her sister to actually come into contact with any of them.
It was now beginning to look like the work experience, which was meant
to be such a positive and educational encounter, was backfiring. Kate’s worst
fear was that Castell was abusing his authority and using his privileged
position to influence Nikki into acting inappropriately. She thought he’d
persuaded Nikki into having an affair, and nothing and no one was going to
prevent her from stopping this man taking advantage of Nikki. She was on the
war path.
Still standing beside the window Kate thrust her trembling hands behind
her back, hiding them from view. She didn’t want to reveal how nervous she was,
but her action was a big mistake, because it only accentuated her breasts even
more.
“You do understand that I can’t let Nikki go with you, don’t you?” she
asked.
The man looked ruthless. She thought reasoning with him was her best
option. She was certain she wasn’t going to become emotional or fly into a
temper, which she tended to do when championing a cause, but she knew anything
was possible; and anything could happen. The situation was volatile.
“You must see how impossible this is,” she said, searching his face for
a reaction. “You can’t take a young teenager away with you, even if she does
work for you.”
Kate had inherited her teenage sister when their
parents died in a car crash, and until a short while ago things had been going
well between them. They had a good sisterly relationship. As the older sister,
Kate had always looked after Nikki, and although there was almost a seven-year
age gap between them, they were close and shared their adventures with each
other. That was...until now.
It was only after Nikki went to work at The Castell Hotel on schoolwork
experience that things started to take a turn for the worse. Her sister had
gone into rebellion mode, and Nikki’s unexpected defiance was causing Kate
concern.
When she’d learned of Nikki’s plans, she’d gone straight to The Castell
Hotel with the intention of confronting Eduardo. She was going to call a halt
to the romance that was blossoming between Eduardo Castell and Nikki, but
Castell wasn’t at the hotel.
Having spoken to hotel reception, telling them that she’d like to see
Mr. Castell, the reply from a very curvy receptionist at the front desk had
been a mumbled, suggestive, “Who wouldn’t?” And with those words ringing in her
ear, Kate was left in no doubt that Castell was a heartthrob and a heartbreaker
extraordinaire.
“So...Nikki’s a teenager, is she?” he asked.
“Yes, she is, and I’m still her legal guardian until she turns eighteen,
which won’t happen for several months. If you take her to Cannes, you do
realize I’ll have to report you to the authorities, don’t you?”
“Me? Take a woman to Cannes? Now there’s an idea.”
“Yes. Your secretary said that’s where you’re headed.”
“Ah, yes. Of course...Cannes and the Anistons.”
“Nikki said she was going away with you. I hadn’t realized you intended
to take her out of the country.”
Standing up from his desk, he walked toward her like a panther zoning in
on his prey. He came to a stop in front of her. The man towered above her, and
she had to tilt her head back to look up at him.
He was close. Dangerously close. They were face-to-face, and sparks were
flying. She could feel the palpable tension pulsating between them.
“Ms. McKenna...Kate. It wounds me to think you believe I’m capable of
having an affair with a teenager. Let me put your mind at rest. It’s not my
intention to take Nikki out of the country...especially now that I’ve seen
you.”
“You mean you’re not taking Nikki to Cannes?”
“No, but I’m quite willing to take you along for the ride instead. That
is...if you’d like to accompany me,” he said, arching an eyebrow in a
suggestive manner.
Kate took in the full meaning behind his evocative words and was shocked
beyond belief. How dare he proposition her in that way. Surely he was joking?
And did he think she was the type of woman who would do that? The audacity of
the man!
Castell’s Passion
Copyright © 2016, Arabella Sheen
ISBN: 9781944270384
Publisher: Beachwalk Press, Inc.
Electronic Publication: August 2016
Editor: Pamela Tyner
Cover: Fantasia Frog Designs
eBooks are not transferable. No part of this book may be used or
reproduced without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations
in articles and reviews.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or
dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are
productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
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