by Maggie Cox
‘I’ll have to tell the Cathcarts about us,’ she murmured.
‘Yes, you will.’ Shrugging off his jacket, Dante dropped it onto the arm of the couch. Turning back to Anna, he smiled enigmatically. ‘But don’t worry. they’ll have plenty of time to absorb the news.’
‘Why’s that?’
‘Because after discussing the changes that need to be implemented I’m going to suggest we close the hotel for a month while it’s being refurbished and modernised. In that time we will travel to Lake Como with Tia, where you and I will marry.’
‘You’re intending to close the Mirabelle for a whole month?’ Slamming her wine glass precariously on the side-table, Anna widened her brown eyes in disbelief. ‘What about the staff? What about their jobs? They can’t possibly afford to take a whole month off.’
‘It will be paid leave.’ An irritated muscle flinched hard in the side of Dante’s cheekbone. He’d just told her he was taking her to Lake Como to marry him and all she could think about was what was going to happen to the staff! It seriously irked him that Anna’s soft heart did not include fretting about him in such a concerned manner.
‘Can you afford to do that?’ she asked in wonder.
He could have replied that he could buy and refurbish the hotel and fund the staff’s leave several hundred times over and still have change, but Dante didn’t. The stunning house he owned in Lake Como would be a surprise and hopefully a delight to her when she saw it, and perhaps would bring home to her just how wealthy her soon-to-be husband actually was. But there was a hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach that he should take refuge in something so superficial when in truth he wanted Anna to regard him totally for himself, to see the man behind the thousand dollar suits and impressive portfolio, not what his money could buy.
‘I have interests in several very successful businesses worldwide, Anna, so trust me…’ His hand cut expressively through the air. ‘Worrying about whether I can afford it is not something that even has to enter your head.’
She was puzzled that he seemed so annoyed. Had she dented his ego by querying whether he could afford to do as he’d said? But, more perturbing than that, Anna was under siege from far more unsettling concerns. Events were moving at a pace she hadn’t remotely expected, and one major issue was disturbing her above all else. Dante’s insistence that they marry was making her feel as though he wanted to control and possess her, and was disturbingly reminiscent of her father’s behaviour as she was growing up.
Frank Bailey had had two major passions in his life… his love affair with booze and his diminutive, too passive wife—Anna’s mother, Denise. He’d been so possessive and jealous that he’d completely banned her from even having friends, because he couldn’t bear her attention to be on anyone else but him. That jealousy had even transferred itself to Anna if he thought she was too demanding—which even as a small child she rarely was. But her father had been able to misread the most innocent situations, and had made his judgements with an authority that chilled the blood.
Consequently, Anna had lost count of the times she’d witnessed his rage—and that included being frequently belittled by him verbally. An occurrence that had become even more frightening and threatening to her peace of mind when he was drunk. She knew intimately that mental torment was just as destructive as physical violence. There were too many times when, upon hearing her father’s key in the door, she’d sat on her bed quaking with terror, praying to disappear, praying for a greater power to make her so small that he wouldn’t even notice she was there.
In agitation, she rose to her feet… ‘Dante. about us going to Lake Como to—to get married…’
‘What about it?’
She obviously had upset him, because his handsome face was fierce for a moment. But, however unapproachable he seemed, Anna refused to be intimidated by him.
‘I’ll go with you on one condition.’
‘I have already told you that—’
‘Hear me out.’ Although shaking inside, her tone was unerringly firm, and there was a definite flash of surprise in Dante’s light-coloured eyes. ‘I don’t want a wedding arranged until I see how we get on together. And I won’t have you issuing me with threats of going to court for custody of Tia either. I’ve seen the damage it can do to a woman’s spirit to have a man try to control her, and I won’t accept it from anyone…not even and especially the man who fathered my child!’
‘You’re speaking from personal experience?’ Although Dante’s voice had turned quiet, it was underscored with shock and a sense of impatience too—as if he wanted to hear the full extent of what Anna had endured.
‘Yes, I am.’ She crossed her arms in front of her, knowing there was no point in keeping her past a secret. It wouldn’t serve her in the long run, however painful it was to talk about it. Ghosts could only haunt a person if they colluded with them to keep them hidden. ‘My father was a cruel and jealous drunk, and he made my mother’s life a living hell.’
‘Where is he now?’
‘No longer in this world…thank goodness.’ An icy shudder ran down Anna’s spine.
‘And your mother…where is she? ‘
‘She’s gone too.’ She briefly pursed her lips, fighting hard to win the struggle over her tears. ‘They said at the hospital that she died of heart disease, but I know that’s not what killed her. She was simply tired and worn out… beaten down by living with my brute of a father.’
His glance glinting with anger as well as sympathy, Dante stepped towards her. ‘Was he a brute to you too, Anna?’ he demanded huskily.
‘A man with a propensity for intimidation doesn’t care who he tries to intimidate. He just gets off on the power. His children are the easiest targets of all—especially when they’re too scared to answer back in case they get another verbal lashing. And the situation becomes even more horrendous when the impulse to dominate and show what a big strong man he is is fuelled by alcohol.’
Shame and despair cramped her throat for a second. ‘Have you any idea what it’s like to have foul beer or whisky-smelling breath right in your face, and a mocking voice yelling at you how useless you are? How worthless? Anyway, I don’t want to talk any more about this right now.’ She made as if to move towards the kitchen. ‘I don’t think I can drink any more wine, lovely as it is. I think I’ll make some coffee. Would you like some?’
‘No.’ Dante laid his hand on her arm to prevent her from turning away, but he didn’t curl his fingers to grip it. Right now he needed to tread very carefully. He could see the fear and terror in her eyes from her disturbing memories and it shook him deeply. ‘We’ll do as you suggest. We’ll go to Lake Como and live together for a while before embarking on marriage. Does that make you happier, Anna? ‘
Perversely, the look of relief crossing her face was like a hammer blow to Dante. He didn’t want to possess Anna—he knew that would be wrong. In the light of what she’d experienced with her bullying father it would be doubly wrong. Just the thought of such a man hurting her in any way brought out the most base of animal instincts in him to deal with anyone who threatened her or Tia. Ultimately all he wanted to do was take care of them both—to show Anna that beneath the facade of wealth and success his genuine heartfelt desire was for family and connection. He wanted the chance to prove that underneath the outward material trappings and his drive for achievement existed the good, responsible, caring man that his mother had always insisted was the real Dante Romano.
‘Thank you,’ she answered softly.
Reluctantly he let go of her arm, even though touching her through the material of her dress made him long for so much more.
‘Perhaps while you make your coffee I could look in on Tia? I just want to sit beside her bed and watch her sleep for a while,’ he said.
‘Go ahead. Take as long as you like.’
* * *
Half an hour later, Anna opened Tia’s bedroom door to find Dante comfortably ensconced in the cosy slipper chair beside their d
aughter’s bed, his elbows resting against his long-boned thighs in his exquisitely tailored suit trousers and his body quite still. His avid gaze was transfixed by the angelic blond child who lay sleeping peacefully beneath the Walt Disney character-decorated pink duvet, one arm flung out by her side and the other clutching her favourite chewed teddy bear.
Anna needed a moment. It was as though one of her favourite made-up stories had come to startling, vivid life, and she hardly dared breathe for fear of disturbing it and making it disappear.
But Dante had heard her come in and, turning in his chair, treated her to the most disarming, knee-trembling smile she’d ever seen.
‘She’s so beautiful,’ he breathed quietly. ‘I don’t want to leave her…not for a minute or even a second. I’ve missed so much of her growing up.’
Anna didn’t mistake the catch in his voice. Advancing into the room, which was illuminated only by the soft night light glowing in the corner, she dropped her hand on his hard-muscled shoulder, silently thrilling to feel the sensuous warmth that emanated through the luxurious cashmere of his sweater.
‘She’s still got a lot of growing up to do, Dante…she’s only four. And children quickly adapt to new situations and people. One day she’ll forget there was even a time when you didn’t mean the world to her.’
Covering her hand and holding it against him, Dante held Anna’s gaze with a passionate heated look. ‘I want her to know I’m her father. I want her to know as soon as possible. Can you understand that?’
Gripped by the pain in his voice, Anna breathed out slowly. ‘I do. Of course I do. But we just—we just have to pick the right moment.’
‘Tomorrow when you pick her up from school we’ll take her somewhere for tea. It will give her and me the chance to get to know each other a little. But I don’t want her to be kept in the dark about who I am for long, Anna.’ He let go of her hand. ‘I don’t think I could bear that.’
‘We’ll tell her soon,’ she said reassuringly, seeing by his expression how in earnest he was about Tia knowing he was her father.
Clenching his jaw for a moment, Dante exhaled a heavy sigh. His eyes flashed like distant lightning in a velvet midnight sky.
‘Good…that’s good. Now, I think it’s probably time I left. We have much to do tomorrow. I’ll see you in the morning, Anna.’ His lips brushed briefly against her cheek as he stood up. ‘Try to get some proper sleep tonight, eh?’
The sensuous trail of his cologne and the seductive warmth that was the legacy of his lips lingered on Anna’s skin long after he had gone.
She asked if Anita could spare a few minutes to talk during their afternoon tea break. Expressing her usual amicable concern, the older woman kindly welcomed Anna into the office she shared with her husband—an entirely organised and smart office in comparison with her son Jason’s. Grant had gone out to visit a new supplier and wouldn’t be back until later, she confided.
She appeared much happier, Anna noticed—as if a world of worry had been lifted from her shoulders. Dante’s rescue package for the Mirabelle was already making a difference, she realised. There was no doubt in her mind that he would turn the hotel’s fortunes around. He was an accomplished, experienced investor, and even their sous chef Cheryl, and Amy and Linda the receptionists, were already referring to him as their ‘knight in shining armour’. She didn’t know why their praise and ingratiating admiration should put her back up, but it did.
‘What’s troubling you, sweetheart?’ Stirring her tea, Anita sat back in one of the three easy chairs arranged round a coffee table, surveying Anna with concern.
‘Am I that easy to read?’ the younger woman
quipped.
‘Not always… But for some reason today I definitely sense that you’re anxious about something.’
‘It’s about Dante,’ Anna began, her fingers knotting together in her lap.
Her cheeks flamed red when Anita raised a curious eyebrow. The casual form of address had slipped out, because he’d been on her mind almost constantly since last night. Especially when she remembered that look on his face and the tremor in his voice when he’d passionately declared that he wanted Tia to know he was her father.
‘I mean Mr Romano,’ she corrected herself quickly.
‘What’s wrong? I know he’s been a little…shall we say abrasive with you, dear—but he can be extraordinarily thoughtful of people too. He’s already won friends here. And when he’s talked to me and Grant about plans for updating the hotel he’s consulted our opinion at every turn. There are exciting plans afoot!’ Her lips splitting in a grin reminiscent of an excited schoolgirl, Anita all but hugged herself. ‘We’re going to call a staff meeting later, to give everyone an update, but as you’re our assistant manager I may as well tell you confidentially that Dante has deemed it a good idea to close the Mirabelle for a month while the modernisation gets underway. All the staff will get paid leave.’
‘How do you feel about that?’
‘We’re perfectly happy. Not only is it necessary, but it’s a great idea too. Grant and I haven’t had a break in so long. We plan to devote some time to our much neglected garden, and spend some genuine quality time together. You should think about having a little holiday, Anna…you work so hard and you and Tia deserve it.’
‘Maybe I will.’ Shrugging lightly, Anna wished she could hear herself think over the clamouring of her heart. ‘Look, Anita…there’s no way of couching this or making it sound less surprising…I’ve got something important to tell you.’
‘You’re not handing in your notice? ‘
‘No.’ Anna took a nervous swallow. ‘It’s something much more personal. You know I’ve never told you before who Tia’s father is?’
Anita stared, her gaze intrigued. The ticking wall clock suddenly seemed noisily loud.
‘Well, it’s—’
‘Yes?’
‘It’s Dante Romano.’
Beneath her carefully applied make-up, her boss paled a little in shock. ‘Dante Romano? But how can that be? As far as I’m aware he’s never been here before, so how could you two have met?’
‘He has been here before.’ Clearing her throat, Anna smiled awkwardly. ‘It was about five years ago. I was working the late shift in the bar, and he—he was there having a drink. He’d just returned from Italy, where he’d been to his mother’s funeral, and had stopped en route to New York, where he was living at the time.’
‘And you and he…?’
Lifting her chin, because she wouldn’t be ashamed of that incredible life-changing night, Anna met her boss’s brown-eyed glance without flinching.
‘There was an immediate attraction and we slept together that was how I fell pregnant with Tia.’
CHAPTER EIGHT
‘ANNA, can I have a word?’
She was walking by Jason’s office when he opened the door and beckoned to her. Having had their staff meeting, everyone was now perfectly aware of the imminent plan to close the hotel for a month while it was being modernised, but she hadn’t had an opportunity to discuss it with the manager—especially the news that he’d been made project manager to oversee the refurbishments while everyone else was away. No doubt that was why he wanted to see her. It was a big step up for him, and a huge responsibility. But Anna had no doubts that Jason could do it.
Regarding her relationship with Dante, Anita Cathcart had suggested that they keep it to themselves for a while—at least until the changes were underway and the staff had returned from leave. It was cowardly, but Anna’s relief that she wouldn’t be the focus of curious speculation just yet was boundless.
Shutting the door behind them Jason invited Anna to sit down. ‘You look very nice,’ he commented, his glance running lightly over her outfit.
‘I’m collecting Tia, then we’re going out to have tea.’
‘Going anywhere special?’
‘I’m not sure yet, but we’ll find somewhere nice, I’m sure. We’re spoiled for choice in Covent Garden,
aren’t we?’
Her heart was thudding a little at the idea of telling her little girl some time soon that Dante was her father, and her smile was uncertain. But Jason seemed preoccupied with own problems as he started to restlessly pace the floor.
When he stopped pacing to nervously return his attention to Anna his dark eyes were shining. ‘I’ve met someone,’ he said in a rush.
‘You have?’ He’d been single for a long time, and didn’t have much confidence in blind dates or being hooked up by some well-meaning friend as a means of finding ‘the one’, so Anna was genuinely pleased for him.
‘I won’t say any more just yet, in case I jinx things, but we’re seeing each other this weekend.’
‘Oh, Jason, that’s wonderful—and of course you won’t jinx things!’
Getting to her feet, she threw her arms round him in an affectionate hug.
Someone rapped on the door and stepped into the room before Jason could invite them. It was Dante. Anna had no reason in the world to feel guilty, but when his frosted gaze alighted on them, radiating obvious disapproval, she felt awkward and embarrassed—like a child caught red-handed, raiding the fridge after bedtime.
‘I’ve been looking for Anna,’ he said to Jason without preamble. ‘A staff member suggested I see if she was with you. Looks like I hit the jackpot.’
‘We were—we were just talking.’ Flashing him an uncomfortable smile, Jason stepped quickly away from the girl at his side.
‘Well, if you’ve finished talking, Anna and I have to go. We have some important business to attend to.’
‘Isn’t she taking her daughter out to tea?’ The younger man’s brow was furrowing.
‘I see that you like to keep completely up to date with Miss Bailey’s diary, Mr Cathcart. It would be nice if you could be as diligent in looking over that list of new equipment for the hotel that I left you, and let me have your thoughts first thing in the morning. This is an absolutely vital responsibility you’ve accepted, becoming project manager, and the work begins right here, right now. Don’t let me down.’ Holding the door open for Anna, Dante was impatient. ‘We really have to go,’ he said firmly.