Hence this surprise party. Toni’s latest project had been staging professional studio photo sessions on the explosion in demand for sex toys and bedroom accessories and daring lingerie among women of all ages. Young and old.
When Toni had mentioned it was her birthday in a few days and the first anniversary of breaking up with her cheating boyfriend then the girls had insisted that they hold a party for her to mark the occasion while Amy was still in London. Complete with the full range of accessories which had been used on the show. Amy thought this was a great idea and had arranged the whole thing while Toni was at work.
These were her real friends. Her real family. Girls from the local school she had known all of her life, who had left their husbands and boyfriends at home for one evening to share her birthday party, pals from her work, students from Amy’s school. All loud, boisterous and having fun. And that was precisely how she liked it. No false pretenses here. Real people who shared her life each and every day.
She was so lucky to have them.
And she was officially on holiday for two weeks. Now that was worth celebrating. Even if she would be spending most of the time painting the company portrait of a very serious-looking businessman. According to his daughter Freya, Dr Lars Elstrom was a quiet academic used to desk work and she had talked him into sitting for his portrait while he was in the office researching some work for a client.
But there was a problem. The painting had to be painted in a specific two-week window in February before her father went back to Italy for the spring. Could she do it?
Piece of cake.
Especially when the cake came decorated with half the fee for the commission in advance.
Thank you, Freya, and thank you, Dr Lars Elstrom.
That fee had bought Amy’s round-the-world plane ticket and was paying to have the boiler replaced in her little house. Hot water! Central heating she could rely on! Bliss. Apparently any tenant thinking of renting her house would expect plumbing that worked. Amazing. Some people had no appreciation of character properties.
Toni glanced out of the dining room window at the flurries of February snow which were forecast to be with them for a few days to come. Not the weather to be modelling fancy lingerie in her freezing terraced house. It might only be thirty minutes away on foot but it might as well be in another world. Brr.
No. Much better to do it here in this nice warm house.
Freya had a lovely home and Toni was going to enjoy living here for the next two weeks rent-free. And with all of the hot water she could use.
She loved patrons who believed in carrying on old traditions! Especially when that tradition meant that the CEO of the company always had their portrait painted by a Baldoni. And since she was the last in the line... Result!
A warm glow of happiness and contentment spread from deep inside her like a furnace that pumped the heat from her heart to the very ends of her fingertips. She had not felt so safe and secure for years. Protected. And cared for and part of a very special community of friends who looked out for one another.
She grinned across at Amy’s best friend, Lucy, who was demonstrating the finer points of how to tie a sarong. They had known one another since they were at primary school together just a few streets away. It was hard to imagine that Amy, Lucy and the other girls parading up and down in various stages of undress would be flying out tomorrow, all ready for trekking through rough terrain in South America.
It was actually happening. Her baby sister was going around the world with her best friends. One month travelling. Four months on an archaeological dig in Peru then another month relaxing. Six months. Three girls. Three boys. All great teenagers she had known for years. But six months? The longest they had lived apart since their parents died was over a year ago, when she’d worked in Paris for five weeks but came home most weekends.
They might have had the training and they all spoke excellent Spanish but the hard reality of what they would be facing made her shudder.
But no sniffles allowed. Time to start living a bit. Right? That was what they’d agreed at some mad hour on New Year’s Day. A new start for both of them. Pity that Amy was insisting that a new boyfriend was part of the package.
Maybe turning twenty-seven was not so bad after all when she had friends like these in her life. So what if she didn’t have a mega career as a fine artist? She had something much better.
And somehow she knew that her father would understand that trying to scrape a living as a portrait painter had never been the life she wanted and never would be. That had been her father’s dearest wish, but it wasn’t hers. No. This portrait for Freya Elstrom would be the last. No more commissions as the last of the Baldoni family. It was time to say goodbye to foolish ideas like that and start focusing totally on her photography career.
Amy sashayed forward with a plate with a cupcake on and leant sideways and rested her head on Toni’s shoulder. ‘I stashed two of the red velvet specials, which I happen to know are your favourite, in the washing machine.’
‘Clever!’ Toni replied and popped a little finger loaded with creamy chocolate icing into her mouth and groaned in delight. ‘Delish. And have I said thank you yet again for arranging all of this? It’s amazing and I love it.’
Amy laughed out loud and gave her a one-armed hug. ‘Several times. It’s the wine, you know. Causes short-term memory loss in older women.’
Then Amy started rubbing her hands together and mumbling under her breath. ‘Now. Back to the important stuff. What totally outrageous thing have you decided to do while I’m away? Remember the rules—it has to be spontaneous, the opposite of what you would normally do, and fun! Points will be awarded for the most ingenious solution!’
‘Dance on the table? Toni suggested then shook her head and waved her arms around. ‘No. Forget that one. The table legs wouldn’t cope with my current body weight and this food is too good to waste. Something outrageous. Um...’
Then she looked over Amy’s shoulder back towards the door leading to the hallway and her breath caught in her throat.
Standing not ten feet away from her was one of the most remarkable-looking men that she had seen in her life.
She was five foot nine so he had to be at least six foot two, from his heavy working boots and quilted jacket to the black cap pulled low over long, crazily curled dirty blond hair.
Slim hips. Broad shoulders. Long legs.
Her gaze tracked up his body before the sensible part of her brain clicked in to stop it.
‘Oh, Amy—’ she breathed in a low hiss of appreciation ‘—I owe you big time.’
‘This is so true! But what particular thing have I done now?’ Amy replied between mouthfuls of cake.
‘You didn’t tell me that you hired a lumberjack male stripper.’
‘Who? What?’ Amy looked up and whirled her head around like a meerkat before it froze in the same direction Toni was focusing on.
‘Oh. I see what you mean,’ she said with a cough and started taking photographs with the small digital camera that Toni carried with her everywhere.
‘I have no idea who that is and he is nothing to do with me, but what are you waiting for? Go and find out who he belongs to and if he’s available—nab him for yourself before any of the other gals do.’
And with that Amy pranced off towards her friends in her frilly lace-trimmed corset, which was going to be of zero value on an archaeological excavation in the Andes.
Leaning against the door frame, the mystery man didn’t move an inch. The very tall, very rugged, very cold-looking mystery man.
He was a fashion stylist’s idea of what would pass for an Indiana Jones style adventurer—after the action. In fact she would go so far as to say that he was quite scruffy.
Conscious that she was standing there ogling his long denim-clad legs, Toni’s gaze ra
tcheted up to his face just as he glanced in her direction. Blue eyes gazed at her so intently from under heavy dark blond eyebrows that she almost blushed under the fierce heat of that focus.
With cheekbones that sharp he could have passed for a male model if it was not for the heavy, definitely non-designer dirty blond and grey beard and the blue strapping that was bandaged around his right hand. His clothing was practical. Stained and well used. If this was a costume then it was entirely authentic!
He had not said one word to anyone but in those eyes and on that powerful face she recognised something very special. Confidence oozed out of every pore of this man’s body. He knew exactly who he was and what he wanted and what he was doing there.
That must be nice!
The way he simply leant against the door frame enjoying the view, as though he walked into a lingerie party every day of the week, screamed someone who was so totally comfortable in his own skin that it was sickening.
While she was dressed in a tiny purple satin push-up bra and matching shorts.
Oh, what? Not funny. So not funny.
Toni grabbed her kimono from the back of the sofa and pushed her arms into the sleeves faster than she’d thought possible!
Okay, some of these girls were used to wearing lingerie in front of the camera for a living, but she wasn’t. She didn’t like the idea that some stranger was standing there getting a good eyeful of a catwalk show.
Wait a minute. What the hell was he doing here? And who had invited him? Freya never said anything about having a boyfriend.
Perhaps he was just passing and someone left the door open!
‘Man alert!’ Toni cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, ‘Unaccompanied male in the room, girls!’
The screaming and squealing had to be heard to be believed.
Utter chaos erupted on all sides as the girls scattered to the wind, mostly upstairs to the bedrooms from the sound of it.
Righty. Time to sort this out.
Toni narrowed her eyes and pulled the edges of her kimono tighter together.
She tried to stomp over to the hulk but it was a tad tricky in feather mules so she ended up mincing across the room instead. Head high, chin forward.
And those blue eyes focused on every tiny step she took.
She cleared her throat and looked him straight in the eye.
‘Okay. You look like the kind of guy who likes straight talk. I’m Antonia Baldoni, house guest of Freya Elstrom. This—’ and she waved one hand towards the abandoned articles and some very odd bedroom toys ‘—is my birthday party. And you are?’
He moved slightly away from the wall to an almost upright position so that when he spoke the sound came from several inches above her head.
‘Tired. Hungry. Surprised. And delighted to make your acquaintance, Antonia Baldoni. House guest.’ He rolled back his shoulders and exhaled very slowly through his nose. ‘Strange. I’ve just come from Freya and she never mentioned anything about a house guest.’
There was a definite squeak and a giggle from behind Toni’s back and one side of this man’s mouth twitched just once before he breathed, ‘Make that house guests. And just when I thought this day could not get any more bizarre.’
‘You’ve just seen Freya?’ Toni looked at him with her eyes narrowed and her head tilted to one side. ‘Really? You have to forgive me, but I find that a little hard to believe. Freya was invited to my party tonight but sent her apologies from Italy. So. Perhaps it’s time for you to start talking before I throw you out. Let’s start with the big ones. Where exactly did you say you met Freya? And what are you doing here? And who are you?’
A low thundering sigh rumbled low in this big man’s chest and Toni stepped back as he slung his body forward as though it was taking a huge effort and strode past her into the kitchen, looking around as he did so from side to side, leaving an aroma in his wake which made her waft the air with one hand.
‘Hey. Wait a minute. I didn’t invite you in,’ Toni said and shuffled after him in her mules.
‘You don’t have to,’ the blond said and pointed to a framed photo on the wall between the cabinets. It was one of a collection of what looked like holiday snaps which Toni had not had time to admire. Until now.
By going up on tiptoe Toni could get a better look at what seemed to be a family photo of people gathered around a dinner table. She recognised Freya and an older man who looked so much like her that he had to be her father, Lars Elstrom. And standing behind them, grinning for the camera, was a tall handsome blond man with broad shoulders and blue eyes the same colour as...
She whipped around, blinked at the man standing with his arms folded and then back to the photo.
Her shoulders dropped. He nodded very slowly up and down. Once.
‘Scott Elstrom. Freya’s brother. And I live here.’
Then he sniffed and gestured with his head towards the worktop. ‘Is anyone going to eat that pizza?’
Toni stared at the photograph and then glanced up at the serious expression on his face before returning back to the framed snapshot of the man, scowling at her at some sort of winter sporting event.
It was definitely him. No mistaking the dirty blond hair and physique.
It was definitely on Freya’s kitchen wall.
And, just like that, the effects of two hours of wine-drinking and general merriment popped like an overstretched balloon and what was left of the rational part of her brain kicked right back in.
Not a male stripper.
Not a birthday present in the shape of a hunky lumberjack.
He was Freya Elstrom’s brother.
Nightmare!
Toni closed her eyes and pinched the top of her nose. She gestured back towards the party, which had magically returned to full swing inside the dining room, with the flat of her hand. ‘As you can see, this is my birthday party. And I’m rather occupied at present.’
His slightly bloodshot blue eyes locked onto hers. ‘I’m not going anywhere.’
At this distance all she could focus on were the thin pale tan lines radiating out from the corners of his eyes and the dark stubble and grey-blond beard above that full, sensuous upper lip.
But there was nothing polished about this man. Far from it. His cheeks looked more sunburnt than tanned and his jacket and trousers were designed for hard use and had seen it. Unshaven. Unkempt.
Inhaling was a mistake. He smelt of leather and travel and acrid sweat mixed with wet dog in a combination which perfume manufacturers could bottle as instant girl-repellent.
Smelly did not quite cover it. This man was seriously in need of a long soak and a shave and several cans of deodorant.
Then the right side of his mouth turned up into what was probably meant to be a reassuring smile.
And every sensory switch inside her body turned on to maximum power.
Just like that. Completely out of the blue and totally, totally not what she wanted to happen. Especially not now.
Speech was impossible and for what seemed like minutes, but was probably only seconds, they both stood there in silence. Breathing in air which positively crackled with electricity. Neither of them willing to shift an inch.
It was almost a relief when someone’s mobile phone started ringing. The ringtone was the theme song for a popular Italian coffee shop. Amy had been playing with it earlier that day; she loved coffee and wasn’t sure when she would see her next cappuccino.
‘I think it’s yours.’ He blinked, breaking the connection, stepping back and folding his arms.
Toni turned away and sucked in some air because apparently she had stopped breathing. She reached into the tiny evening bag she had left on the kitchen worktop and found the phone in the inside pocket, flipping open the tiny, silver, high-tech unit as a familiar voice hissed down t
he line.
‘Sorry to interrupt, but are you coming back in?’ Amy whispered. ‘Lucy is just about to light the candles on the birthday cake and we’re frightened of the fire risk. You can bring the hunk with you if you’d like to help.’
‘Be right there,’ she replied and closed the phone.
Sucking in a long breath, Toni lifted her head and stared into the face of one of the strangest-looking men she had ever met in her life.
Hell. Who was she kidding? He was smelly, bandaged and glaring at her. And totally gorgeous.
‘Stay right where you are. Help yourself to the pizza. I’ll be back soon and we can sort all of this out.’
TWO
Hustling a gaggle of still giggling party girls into their clothes proved more difficult than Toni had imagined, especially when their unexpected male guest was trapped in the kitchen and they were all desperate to take another peek before they left.
In the end Amy came to her rescue with the vague excuse that it was getting late and some of them had an early plane to catch. The next ten minutes were a mad rush of tidying up, distributing the bedroom toys and assorted lingerie items into party bags and arguments about whether they should break into the kitchen to rescue the chocolate brownies they had saved for the coffee.
It was almost a relief when she finally kissed Amy goodnight with promises that she would call if there was any trouble, and finally waved the girls goodbye from the doorstep.
Toni dropped her head back against the heavy door and gazed down the hallway towards the kitchen.
Trouble was waiting for her behind that innocent white-painted door. She just didn’t know how much.
Swallowing down a huge lump of apprehension, Toni inhaled a couple of short, sharp breaths. Perhaps she shouldn’t have downed all of those mystery cocktails Lucy had concocted followed by the champagne and wine.
Probably.
Blinking hard, she pushed away from the front door with the flat of both hands. Time to find out what Scott Elstrom was doing back in town.
Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Boss? Page 2