Free Bound to the Tuscan Billionaire by Susan Stephens

champagne bottles. Since then Cass could never leave the debris of the night before until the next morning.
    â€˜What the hell are you doing?’
    She froze as Marco roared at her. And then she fired up. His manner was insufferable. Why had he paid her to come here at all? She was a member of his staff, and she saw no reason why she couldn’t make a start on tidying up.
    â€˜Leave it!’ he insisted. He was at her side in a couple of strides. ‘I have staff to do this.’
    â€˜Are you going to make them work through the night?’ she demanded, shaking his hand from her arm.
    â€˜Of course not,’ he exploded.
    The last thing he had expected was for her to answer back, Cass suspected as they glared at each other.
    â€˜My staff will be here in the morning,’ Marco informed her brusquely.
    And meanwhile they were alone...the last guest had left. And so far there was no sign of Marco’s driver.
    â€˜What are you so angry about, Cassandra?’
    She wasn’t angry. She had just realised the compromising position she had put herself in. ‘You think you can insult me and I won’t feel anything?’
    â€˜Insult you? What on earth are you talking about?’
    â€˜You,’ she fired back. ‘You talk about your staff as if they’re robots programmed to obey. You promised to introduce me round. You said it would be a great opportunity for me to network, and I thought so too, but you ignored me all night. I’m not sure why I’m here at all.’
    â€˜There were plenty of opportunities for you to network. It was up to you to take them. Everyone was here.’
    â€˜Everyone in your world,’ she pointed out, ‘and though I’m usually quite good at chatting to people and introducing myself, they just didn’t want to know. An introduction from you would have broken the ice...’ She paused. ‘Or was it that you didn’t want anyone to know you had brought your lowly gardener to the party?’
    â€˜Don’t be so ridiculous. What about the ambassador? You were talking to him. The embassy has beautiful gardens. There was an opportunity for you right there.’
    â€˜I was chatting to the ambassador because I wanted to talk to him. He was a really interesting man. Should I have taken advantage of that? Was I supposed to ingratiate myself with him for no better reason than to persuade him to give me a job?’
    â€˜Why not?’ Marco demanded with a dismissive gesture. ‘That’s what networking is all about.’
    â€˜In that instance, it would have been calculating, and not very nice.’
    â€˜That’s your opinion.’
    â€˜Yes, it is.’
    â€˜It’s possible to be too nice, Cassandra.’
    â€˜Is it? Is it really? I had no idea there was such a thing as being too nice. I liked the ambassador. We got on well together, and I had no thought of using him for networking, as you suggest.’
    â€˜He could have given you a glimpse into another world—’
    â€˜As you can?’ she flashed. ‘Maybe I don’t want to see what’s in that other world—maybe I already know. You’ve got no idea, have you, Marco? You live such a privileged life you don’t have a clue what it’s like to be on the outside, looking in.’
    â€˜You couldn’t be further from the truth,’ he assured her tensely. ‘I know exactly how that feels.’
    â€˜Do you?’ she exclaimed angrily. ‘Do you also know how it feels to be described as a nobody?’
    Marco’s expression blackened ‘Who said that?’
    â€˜You did!’ she flung back at him. ‘Is that how you think of everyone who works for you? Are we all nobodies?’
    â€˜I have no idea what you’re talking about.’
    â€˜I heard you say it.’ And when Marco looked at her blankly, she spelled it out for him. ‘When one of your guests asked you about me, you said I