“Sandra told me your secret, Amy. To say I was astonished would be an understatement, but no one will get to hear about James from me. By the way, you know he married Sophia Bellucci?”
“Yes. Please can we not talk about him?” She stiffened, wishing he would change the subject.
“Very well, but I wondered if you knew that he—”
“Please, Jake, I know. I know everything I need to know about Alessandro di Benedetto.”
“Fine. Sorry. Well, here are your papers and a reference in case you ever have to work again…which I doubt. Good luck, Amy. We’ll miss you,” he said gruffly.
With a quivering smile, she left his office and went into her own to clear her desk. Ten minutes later, the door opened, and she didn’t instantly look up because she was shuffling through a pile of papers. Then a long shadow fell over her and a waft of a familiar scent drifted past her nose. With a violent start, she gazed up into Alessandro’s blazingly angry eyes.
Her whole body went into a spasm, as though she had been electrocuted, and with a horrified gasp, she clutched the edge of her desk and stared, mesmerized by him.
“Please come with me…unless, that is, you want me to cause you great embarrassment by carrying you off over my shoulder.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Alessandro,” she managed to say at last. “I’m not going anywhere with you. Get out of my office.”
“It plainly isn’t your office anymore.”
“Nevertheless, I won’t be bullied by you. Who do you think you are?”
“Déjà vu,” he replied. “You asked me that once before, and I told you then that our souls recognized each other. Nothing has changed. Now come…”
He held out a hand, but ignoring it, she rose and brushed past him, watched by the fascinated staff in the main office as she preceded him into the lift.
Once inside, she knew she had made a mistake, because suddenly, she was trapped in a very confined space with Alessandro. She folded her arms protectively over her breasts and, giving him a withering look, leaned back against the wall. He mirrored her action, leaning against the opposite wall, and glared at her in silence until the lift doors opened at the ground floor.
“Where are we going?” she demanded as they emerged into the sunshine.
He took her arm and led her to his car. The red Jaguar, now mended, sat outside, and he opened the passenger door and almost pushed her into the car. Wordlessly, he pulled out into the traffic, causing a blaring of horns from irate taxi drivers, and headed for Kensington.
“How did you know I was at the office?” she demanded.
“I had a call.”
“Can’t I trust anyone?” she groaned.
“You could have trusted me!” he shouted at her.
“Oh, really?” she tossed at him scornfully. “Where are you taking me? Is this another of your over-the-top grand gestures? Are you going to surprise me with a fabulous apartment?”
“How well you know me, my darling. Yes, as a matter of fact, except it’s not just an apartment. It’s the new hotel your former employers have just helped me negotiate for.”
Amy, in spite of herself, began to laugh.
He led her through reception, and a buzz went round the staff and guests. As always, Alessandro was a striking figure in his grey Italian suit. He oozed good looks, style and money. Beside him, in her Levis and T-shirt, her hair caught in a curly ponytail, Amy felt incongruous. She had not dressed for the office, intending only to stay long enough to collect her belongings and then to be gone.
Alessandro pulled her into the lift and pressed the button labeled “Penthouse.”
“I don’t believe this,” grumbled Amy. But standing so close to him, even when they were both feeling so antipathetic, the hairs on her arms rose and every fiber of her being seemed to be aware of him. Her nerves jangled, her breathing was uneven, and a rising sense of panic threatened to engulf her. No, no, she pleaded, silently. Please don’t let him try to seduce me. I hate the man, and now, to make matters worse, he’s married. But a fire had been lit, and she was terrified of being alone with him. The pain she had already suffered at his hands was enough for a lifetime.
After what seemed like an eternity, the lift door opened and he took her across the hallway into a predictably sumptuous apartment.
“Please sit down, Amy. I don’t know about you, but I need a drink.” He poured himself a scotch and soda and raised his eyebrows, gesturing to the drinks cabinet.
“A brandy,” she snapped.
When he brought it to her, he sat opposite her, studying her thoughtfully. “You look amazing. You have filled out a little, but it suits you.”
She didn’t answer and simply twirled the brandy in her glass. If he thought a few compliments and this over-stuffed apartment were going to seduce her, he was going to be disappointed.
“Why did you run away, Amy? I thought you loved me.”
“And I thought you loved me. That was my big mistake. You trampled through my life when I was young and inexperienced and made a fool of me. You tried to dazzle me with all your worldly goods, but you know what, I wasn’t impressed with them—I’m still not. I was impressed with you. You were exciting and fun, and I saw…thought I saw…a man who had humanity and who cared for me. You taught me to make love in a way I had only ever dreamed of, and I was so, so stupid because I really believed it might be for life.” She was on her feet now, screaming at him in a rage.
“So why, in God’s name, did you disappear into thin air?” he demanded.
“Because I would never be your clandestine mistress, Alessandro, the courtesan of a rich Italian kept in a pretty flat in Rome.”
“I never asked you to do that…”
“But that’s what you had in mind for me, wasn’t it? I was never going to be rich enough or influential enough to be a part of your family; just an adoring lover who would satisfy your every whim on a Saturday afternoon while your beautiful wife was playing bridge. That’s why I ran away. That’s why I want you to stay out of our lives.”
“Our lives?”
“Yes!” Amy realized her mistake. “Me and…and my mother, who had such a terrible time watching me suffer after I left. Now, if you will excuse me, I have things to do.”
“No, I won’t excuse you!” He moved swiftly between her and the door and stared into her furious face, his eyes dark and intent.
She knew she had no chance of getting past him, and to her chagrin, tears poured down her face.
“Oh stop it…” she moaned softly to herself. And then to Alessandro, brokenly, she sobbed, “This is your fault! I never cry, but the past few weeks, I’ve almost become dehydrated. Why did you have to come back into my life? Please, please…leave me in peace. I can’t do this again…please!”
Instantly, he moved to her, and she was helpless when he reached out with his thumb and wiped her tears away. His touch and the suddenly soft look in his eyes lit a fuse.
“There are many explanations to make, but they can wait a while. You want this as much as I do—there will be plenty of time to talk after I have convinced you that you are only ever going to be mine.” And he took her in his arms and brought his mouth down on hers in a crushing kiss, which left her breathless with desire.
She wound her arms around his neck, ignoring the voice of common sense telling her this was madness, but every nerve in her body, every inch of tingling skin craved his touch. He lifted her, as though she weighed no more than a feather, and carried her into the bedroom, where he dropped her on the bed and proceeded to undress her, tugging off her jeans and, inch by inch, kissing and caressing each exposed part of her body until, not long afterwards, an ecstatic cry escaped her lips. Triumphantly, he moved across her and, with a moan, possessed her as only he ever could.
Afterwards she lay staring at the ceiling, incapable of speech, wondering what on Earth she had done. Six years of trying to get over this man wasted,
Alessandro lay very quietly, eyes closed beside
her, caressing her stomach, and she turned and examined his face. There were a few extra fine lines on his brow and one or two silver hairs among the dark ones at his temple, which only served to make him look more distinguished. She gazed at the deep dimple in his chin and knew that if he ever saw James, he would know instantly the boy was his. This had been a disastrous mistake, and she knew somehow, she had to escape.
Unexpectedly, her chance came when his mobile phone rang, and with a curse, he got out of bed, picked it up, and looked at the number flashing on the screen. “Please excuse me a moment. I have to take this, and then we must talk. Don’t move.”
He took the phone into the dressing room, searching for a pen, and she slithered out of bed and pulled on her clothes in record time. Then, before he returned, she slipped quietly out of the apartment and frantically pressed the lift button outside. To her everlasting relief, the door opened immediately, but the journey to the ground floor seemed to take forever, and she shivered with shock at what had just happened and with anxiety in case Alessandro was already descending in the other lift, trying to catch her.
She fled from the hotel, gasping with relief when a taxi pulled up in front of her immediately, but in the traffic, it took an age to get back to the office to collect her car, by which time she was a nervous wreck. Amy paid the taxi driver with shaking hands and crossed the road to her car, looking around all the time in case Alessandro had caught up with her. By chance, Sandra was going to the post. Amy called to her urgently as she left the office and signaled her to get into the car.
“Amy! What happened? You have to tell me!” she demanded breathlessly.
“Something that never should have, and now I have to fly back to Venice as soon as I can get a flight. I only cleared half the things out of my office, but I can’t go back, so will you finish it for me? Can you put any personal stuff in the post?”
“Of course I will. Keep in touch, Amy. I’ll call your mother if there is anything to report.”
“Thanks. You’re a star.”
They hugged, and Sandra checked there was no sign of Alessandro before getting out of the car. Amy raced off to collect her things from her house, say a hasty goodbye to her mother, and make a dash to Heathrow Airport. By the evening, she was flying over the English Channel and away from Alessandro di Benedetto. But as she stared down from the aircraft window, her heart ached for what she had lost.
Chapter Five
Hving left London in such a hurry, Amy had not had a chance to alert Gabriel, so there was no one to meet her in Venice, and she took a vaporetto back to the Lido. She dragged her case the few hundred yards from the landing stage to the villa and went inside to find Sonya in the kitchen making dinner for everyone.
“Mama!” James flew to her, and she swept him into her arms.
“Amy! Heavens, we had no idea…I’m so embarrassed,” said Sonya, coloring a bright pink. “You must think it very strange to find me cooking in your kitchen, but we’ve all been working hard, and I thought a huge pot of spaghetti would be a good energy booster.”
“I don’t mind in the least—” Amy sniffed the wonderful aroma appreciatively “—as long as there’s enough for me. It’s so kind of you.”
Sonya relaxed and shooed the children to set the table.
Carmela and Antonio appeared, looking tired and dusty. “I’ve been in the attic room, Amy,” Antonio told her, “with Gabriel. All the old trunks have been brought down, and we got rid of everything except some old photos. We found one of your father with you as a little girl—look.”
They all pored over the pictures, seated around the table eating Sonya’s delicious spaghetti and drinking a well-earned bottle of chianti. Amy thought, not for the first time, how close they had all become and how lucky she was to have such wonderful friends.
Later, she and Gabriel wandered round the house, which now looked rather bare. A few basic bits of furniture remained, but they had taken down the dusty old curtains and thrown away the threadbare rugs. Sonya had cleaned the windows, and moonlight flooded the rooms.
“It’s going to be lovely, Gabriel. This is going to be the dining room, overlooking the canal. The proportions of the villa are so graceful, and Maria will be proud when she looks down and sees how beautiful it will be.”
“Once the plans are through, the main house can be converted in about three months, so with luck, you should be able to open for business in February—in time for the Venice Carnival.”
“That would be wonderful. I’ve never seen it, except in pictures.”
“Then you have a treat in store. Amy, I have to be away for a few days. I’m going to be travelling to auctions in Zurich, Barcelona, and Turin, and possibly Christies in London, as well. If you take me to the airport tomorrow, you can keep the boat while I’m away.”
“Thank you, Gabriel. That would be so useful. We must buy our own soon; perhaps you can help me to choose one when you get back?”
Gabriel fell silent for a moment, then turned her to face him. “Did you see him?”
“How did you know?”
“It’s in your eyes.”
“He came to the office while I was there.”
“And?”
She fell silent, her shoulders bowed with misery.
“I see.” Gabriel sighed. “You know the lawyer will be corresponding with his company to transfer deeds to some of Maria’s investments to you, right? He might see your name on some documents.”
“I know.”
“Amy…would it help if…if I married you?”
“Gabriel!”
“Well…I care for you very much, and I would be good to James. I think we could make a go of it.”
“But why? Why would you do something like that when you know how I feel about Alessandro? I could never love you like that, even though I adore you as my friend.”
“Because then Alessandro would have no hold on you. I would adopt James so that even if he did find out about him, he would be powerless to take him away from you.”
Amy put her arms around Gabriel and rested her head on his shoulder. “That is the most wonderful thing anyone has ever offered to do for me, darling Gabriel.”
“Think about it. Give me your answer when I get back from my trip.” He tipped her head back and kissed her lightly on the mouth. “I think it would be fun being married to you, Amy. We should fight a lot, but I think I can promise you it would be interesting making up.”
“You are outrageous.”She laughed softly. “And I do love you. Truly, I do.”
Neither of them heard the door softly close as Sonya crept sadly back to the kitchen to take Donna home to bed.
The next morning, when Amy returned with the boat, which she was now very adept at using, Carmela told her Sandra had called from England and that she should call back urgently. With trepidation, she called the office, and Sandra answered, sounding very flustered.
“Amy, I got this number from your mother because I had to talk to you personally. After you left, Alessandro came back to the office and went straight to your room. He went through your remaining personal stuff, even though I gave him a real roasting for it. He said he couldn’t believe you had run away from him again and that there had to be a reason. Fortunately, there was nothing with your number or address in Venice in the drawer—but there was a picture of James.”
“Oh, no,” sighed Amy. “What did he say?”
“He looked at it long and hard and put it in his pocket. I think he knew instantly—well, you could hardly miss the likeness, could you? He went very pale and just left the building without saying a word to anyone.”
“Well, I suppose it had to happen sometime. Now that he has edged back into my life, I had a gut feeling he would find out. Thanks for letting me know.”
“Look, Amy, he can’t just come in and take James away—however powerful his family is, there is still the law. And you know it might be important for James to know his father. Have you thought of that?”
“
Yes, increasingly, I have. I am so confused, Sandra, because James has been my reason to live ever since I split up with Alessandro. I have an almost pathological fear of losing him too. But I have denied him his father, and one day, he may hate me for it.”
“I think you should just wait and see how Alessandro deals with the knowledge, which I am certain he now has. He will probably move heaven and Earth to find you, so be on your guard. But I wonder how he will explain an illegitimate son to his wife?”
“Has she been to the office?”
“No, nor has he mentioned her at all, come to think of it. But then, we have kept all discussions on strictly business footing, and he hasn’t socialized with any of us. I know he was due to fly to Paris today and then back to Rome next week with a couple of stops along the way, so you’re not likely to see him for a while. He has a busy schedule, and he still doesn’t know you’re in Venice. Take care, and keep me informed.” She rang off, leaving Amy staring at the phone in dismay.
For the next week, Amy was very jumpy. She spent a lot of time with James after school, and most days, Donna came round to play. The children rarely quarreled, so it was with some concern that Amy went running to the garden when she heard their voices raised. A shouting match was in progress, and James was bright red with tears running down his face.
“I never had a papa,” he yelled. “I didn’t need one because I had Mama and Grandmamma. And you’re telling lies! You never had a papa either because he wouldn’t have left you if he loved you! Papas who love you stay.”
Donna instantly burst into tears too. “I did have a papa,” she sobbed, “and he did love me, he did! But God took him away because he was ill and couldn’t stay with us anymore. But he still loves me from Heaven and my mama too. If your papa doesn’t know you, how can he love you? If he’s in Heaven, he must be wondering who you are.”
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