Free Blackmailed Merger by Marie Kelly Page A

with his decision based on who her boyfriend was.  However, within minutes the two were talking like old friends, Joseph impressed with her knowledge and enthusiasm for design.  He had started her as a junior designer, quickly promoting her to be a lead within a month of working for him. 
     
    She had an ability to work well with clients and see both their practical needs and their vision, with a ruthless ability to stick to budgets that so few others seemed able to do.  Soon she was one of his most requested designers , and Sam loved her job.
     
    Most nights she would arrive home before Dante, who as she had predicted was a worka holic.  She loved to then make dinner for them both, taking pleasure in such a small chore, given that the apartment was professionally cleaned on a daily basis.   He had told her that she did not have to do this, but had loved the fact that she wanted to, finding that coming home to her and dinner, where they would both talk about their day was strangely enjoyable something he had not anticipated .
     
    Both would try and make sure that they had at least one day during the week-end free, to allow them to spend that important time together .  On those days they would explore or simply have long lie s in , where they would invariably make love for most of the morning, Dante realising that he was happy, the revenge plan put onto the back b urner for the time being.
     
    Their fourth month together Dante had sat in his office, his mind playing over the previous evening, smiling gently at the way she had surprised him at the door, wearing nothing more than six inches heels and a smile , a glass of whisk y in her hand as she had purred so seductively at him .
     
    “Whisk y or me ? ” a wicked smile playing on her lovely mouth, her green eyes flashing so warmly .  Moving forward he had remembered plucking the glass from her fingers and depositing it on the nearest table before pulling her into his arms, just the memory making him shiver with pleasure.  At 28 he had never lived with a woman, preferring his own space, but being with Sam had been more than just easy, it had been wonderful.
     
      The ringing of the phone had pulled him from his very pleasant musings .
     
    “ Dante Dur ant” he had replied, falling silent as the person on the other end had spoken, his fingers curling whitely around the receiver as he had listen ed to the news being given to him .  When the call had ended he had slammed the receiver back down, swearing loudly under his breath, the white searing rage filling him.  Dante was a man who took precautions, ensuring that he knew of anything that might be happening that could jeopardise his company, his network of informers widespread.  Once more glad that he took such precautions h earing that his rival was trying to surreptitiously buy stock in his company, knowing that often such action heralded a hostile takeover .  His handsome mouth harden ing, h e had fo ught to control the rage fill him at this man’s plan s , determining that he would put a stop to it, that he would not let history repeat itself.
     
    His mind had moved back to Samantha, his revenge plan once more coming to the fore , frowning as he had realised that things were different now.  When he had initially set out on his plan, Samantha Trey had in his mind been a spoilt brat, deserving of what was about to befall her.  However,    She was kind and gentle with a caring nature, her intelligence and sense of humour fascinating him, the thought of hurting her not pleasant.  There had to be a way that she would be none the wiser that what was to happen had been by design.  Already he knew that Sam antha was in love with him , although never openly stated, he instinctively knew it , not sure how he felt about her himself .  Sitting back he had entwined his fingers together pressing them thoughtfully against his mouth, his eyes looking unseeingly out at the city skyline as his new plan had taken