A Venetian Affair

by Catherine George

  He didn’t point out that he usually did, but decided to make her work. ‘I’m looking forward to discussing the project—though of course, if it’s not convenient to have dinner now, Nell, we can make it some other time.’ He made his voice uninterested, as though she’d lost his attention.

  ‘No! No, dinner is great. I’ll just call Marianna to let her know where I am, but that’s fine.’

  She sounded really worried as the lift doors slid open…and she trembled beneath his hand when he touched her back.

  ‘Guess I’m stuck with you, then,’ he said lightly.

  She was as casual as could be, but she removed herself from touching distance once they were inside the lift. ‘I guess you are.’

  Luca Barbaro was the most charismatic human being she had ever met. She was in real danger of falling under his spell, Nell realised. How was she supposed to stop thinking what it would be like to be in bed with him?

  Ever since she had discovered the truth about Jake she had stayed clear of sex. She’d got her fingers badly burned trying to hold the interest of a man every woman wanted—but now, thanks to Luca, her hormones were running riot again. Luca Barbaro was everything Jake had been, and much more. And now she was about to do business with a man who looked as if he might throw her to the ground and ravish her at the slightest provocation.

  Was she ready for this? Blood surged through her veins as she thought about it. She had never felt so aware, so alive—which was all Luca’s fault. Celibacy had been a piece of cake before he arrived on the scene.

  ‘Nell?’

  Nell’s face flooded with heat as if he had guessed at all the erotic thoughts crowding her mind. And all he was doing was standing outside the lift doors waiting for her to step into the lobby.

  ‘Shall we?’ he invited.

  She stepped out promptly, knowing she had to get him on board; if she did that, the rest would follow. She would have to chant that like a mantra if she was going to get through the rest of this evening unscathed.

  Luca had chosen the very place Nell had been longing to try, though she had ruled it out, as it was far too expensive. It was small and smart, with leaded glass windows, and the sign above the door was discreet to the point of invisibility. It would have been almost impossible to find without him. Located in the maze of narrow walkways that spread out like a web behind the Grand Canal, it was reputed to have the best food in Venice. The concierge at the hotel had told her that even out of season a table had to be booked at least one month in advance. She noticed Luca didn’t seem to have any trouble getting a table just by walking in off the street.

  ‘A café would have been fine.’

  Luca ignored that comment as he held her chair. ‘Are you happy for me to order the food for you?’ he said, once they had sat down.

  ‘Perfectly.’ It gave her a chance to weigh him up while he scanned the menu. ‘But no tentacles, or stomach linings.’

  ‘I’ll see what I can do for you.’

  Again the wry smile that made her heart pound, and his position a mere arm’s length across the table from her was distinctly worrying. She should have thought more carefully before accepting this invitation.

  He spoke rapidly to the waiter, who hurried back to the kitchen.

  ‘What did you say?’ she demanded. It had taken Luca all of five seconds to order their meal. Maybe it would just be one course and coffee? Perhaps he didn’t want to linger over it either?

  ‘The chef knows what’s good. I’ve left it to him. Fish OK? I told him white fish, no awkward bones.’

  ‘Not eel?’

  He gave her a quizzical glance. ‘Not very adventurous, are you, Nell?’

  ‘I can be,’ she said defensively.

  ‘Plenty of adventure in other areas?’ Luca suggested drily.

  Arousal ripped through her like a tornado. There was a smile hovering around his lips, which warned her to be more circumspect about her assertions in future. It was easy to believe Luca knew every salacious thought running through her mind. And this was just a preliminary business meeting?

  ‘Just no taste for slimy things,’ she clarified, dragging the conversation back to terra firma.

  Luca’s smile deepened. ‘But eel is delicious. Rich and savoury. And don’t they say you should challenge yourself every day?’

  ‘Well, this is my day off.’

  ‘Really? I didn’t know you had such a thing as a day off. In that case—’

  ‘It’s still a no-eel day,’ she said, doubling her determination not to be drawn into a flirtatious discussion.

  ‘That leaves us with a lot more avenues to explore…’

  ‘Dead ends?’ She firmed her lips. She mustn’t get into verbal jousting with him! Easing her position on the seat, she picked up the discarded menu and started to study it avidly—until Luca took it out of her hands and replaced it the right way up.

  The food came in a steady stream—asparagus spears dripping in butter, celery with olive oil, artichokes with parsley and mint, as well as delicious fat tomatoes sitting on a bed of finely chopped basil and mozzarella cheese. ‘I’ll never be able to eat a main course after this,’ she moaned.

  ‘Mangiando, mangiando, viene l’appetito.’

  ‘I beg your pardon?’ Nell paused with the fork halfway to her mouth.

  ‘Something my grandmother used to say,’ Luca explained. ‘Eat, and your appetite will come.’

  She didn’t think he was talking about food.

  The possibility of seeing more of Luca while she was in Venice was suddenly a very exciting prospect indeed…

  No, Nell told herself firmly, she was being ridiculous. Maybe Luca was irresistible, but she wasn’t the type to indulge in a holiday romance. She had too much responsibility to be able to disengage her everyday life from the possibilities that opened up when you were a stranger in a foreign country…

  ‘Are you enjoying yourself, Nell?’

  Actually no, she was feeling far too tense now. ‘The food’s delicious,’ she said carefully. It occurred to her then that beautiful people expected every door to open for them before they even had time to raise their fist and knock. Day-dreams were one thing, but she had to show Luca that her own door had no intention of opening for him—by so much as a crack.

  Fat pink prawns slicked in butter and oil were followed by pasta in cream sauce, crisp slices of pizza, aromatic soup. ‘Oh, no, really, not for me,’ Nell protested as the waiter placed a plate of succulent melon and prosciutto ham in front of her.

  ‘Don’t you like it?’ Luca frowned. ‘I could have it changed for something else.’

  ‘No, it’s not that, but…’

  ‘You can’t eat any more?’

  ‘I like to think I know when I’ve had enough.’

  His lips curved as he inclined his head. ‘That’s good, Nell. Shall we take a pause? Another glass of wine, perhaps?’

  ‘Half,’ she cautioned.

  As if he’d picked up her discomfort, he started talking about Molly, which was the verbal equivalent of a neck massage. At some time during the conversation the memory of him heckling her at the meeting faded into insignificance. Nell liked nothing more than to talk about Molly, and she was the one thing they had in common that was a safe topic. She explained how Molly’s steady return to good health had given her the opportunity to expand the scheme—leaving out the part where Luca had been one of the drivers with his arrogance and aloofness.

  ‘It’s wonderful to hear,’ he said. ‘Some children can be lucky, others less so.’

  ‘The diary helped a lot,’ Nell admitted. The log of Molly’s symptoms had been the prime instrument in keeping Molly’s doctors accurately informed about her progress under their treatment.

  ‘Do you still keep it?’

  ‘Every day.’

  ‘I’d like to see it some time.’

  Nell was surprised to find it easier to talk to Luca now that he had slipped into professional mode. Was it possible he had moved on as much
as she had? Was it too much to hope that, just as she had listened to his advice regarding Molly’s treatment, Luca had taken note of her distress at being kept out of the information loop when Molly had been a patient in his hospital? Did it signal the fact that he really was receptive to her scheme?

  ‘Never become complacent, will you?’ He reclaimed her attention.

  ‘Don’t worry, I won’t. And…’

  ‘And?’ he prompted.

  ‘And thank you,’ she said simply.

  ‘It’s my job,’ he reminded her.

  It was like crossing a bridge from her side to his. The vast chasm that had been between them had narrowed considerably, though it seemed strange to be thanking him when she had left Venice that first time so full of anger and resentment—feelings so pronounced she had built up her campaign on the strength of them.

  ‘I’ve been thinking about what your organisation has to offer.’

  Nell’s ears pricked up. This was everything she had hoped for. It made dinner less of an ordeal as she struggled to keep her senses in check, and more of an opportunity.

  Luca ordered water and they kept on chatting, Nell gaining in confidence as she explained the workings of her scheme. He didn’t need to know that it had taken all her courage just to return to Venice with Molly. That just made it all the more important that she didn’t return home empty-handed. He was right: dinner had been a good idea. She would do whatever it took to convince him the scheme would work—within reason, of course.

  Reason played no part in Luca’s thinking. He was working on blind instinct, feeling his way beneath Nell’s defences any way he could, waiting for her to open up to him, needing that to happen before he could take things further. He wanted the inside track on what her plans were, and he wanted her…now more than ever.

  Chapter Six

  TO GAIN her confidence Luca found himself telling Nell about the history of the osteria where they were eating dinner and his connection to it.

  ‘My great-grandfather opened the restaurant at the end of the nineteenth century. It was called Ai Tosi then, “the boy’s place” in Venetian dialect.’ He returned Nell’s look. ‘Named after his two sons, Rico and Giuseppe, rather than for any other reason you might suppose.’

  Her lips curved. Encouraged, he continued, ‘The wine we’re drinking now used to be brought by horse-drawn barge from the countryside around Venice, and then transported across the lagoon in rowing boats.’

  Resting her chin on the heel of her hand, she stared at him, but jerked upright when he leaned across the table to refill her glass. His senses roared into overdrive. The fact that she was so aware of him was a timely reminder of the most demanding reason for his wanting this meeting.

  ‘I don’t think I ought to drink any more.’ She placed her hand over the top of the glass.

  ‘No pressure. Just leave it.’

  ‘If you don’t mind, I will.’

  ‘But you should taste the sweet wine they bring with pudding. It’s served with hot chestnuts. A speciality of the house, unmissable.’

  ‘You make it sound irresistible.’

  ‘It is.’

  ‘You’re spoiling me.’

  Not half as much as he would like to! ‘Nothing special—this is my local.’

  ‘Your local?’ Tipping her head to one side, Nell gave him a wry glance. ‘I’d like to know where you go for a treat. Go on,’ she encouraged. ‘Tell me some more about this place.’

  ‘Well, as I said, the sweet wine is a speciality of the house. It’s the same wine my great-grandfather used to make when he was in charge here. You must try some, and eat the roasted chestnuts while you drink it.’

  Irresistible, Nell thought again, which was as far as her thought processes could stretch before Luca went on and she was bewitched by the sound of his voice again.

  ‘The cellar was equipped with large barrels, some of them weighing as much as five thousand kilograms, and others around seven hundred kilograms…’

  His accent was like honey, soothing her senses, making her relax. She could have listened to him talking all night.

  ‘The barrels had to be filled many times each year because the restaurant was so successful. But for the sweet wine…’

  ‘Yes?’ Nell found herself gazing, entranced, into Luca’s eyes, and quickly straightened up. Whirlwind romance…Love at first sight…Random thoughts kept breaking into her concentration. But she was sensible, level-headed—more than that, she was on a mission. She couldn’t afford to let daydreams take over.

  But still…

  ‘My great-grandfather kept his own equipment here on the premises to make it himself,’ Luca was explaining. ‘He crushed the grapes, and supervised the preparation of what soon became the most famous liquor in the region. And here it is.’

  Along with the roasted chestnuts, it was just as delicious as Luca had promised. In fact, everything was perfect—apart from the fact that she hadn’t got any sort of commitment to the pilot scheme from him. Perhaps over coffee…

  ‘No,’ Luca said when she suggested there was time for one small espresso. ‘Let’s not drink coffee here.’

  ‘No?’ Nell asked as he called for the bill. ‘So where are we going to have coffee?’ Not at his place, that was for sure!

  ‘We’ll take it with us.’

  His eyes were warm, his reserved, courteous manner everything she could have hoped for. It reassured her. ‘Take it with us? Where?’ Suddenly she was buzzing with anticipation.

  ‘It isn’t every day you come to Venice, and I want to make this evening special for you.’

  ‘Special how?’

  ‘Just special.’ Luca’s smile died and his face turned serious suddenly. ‘I shouldn’t have said that as if you were a regular tourist. I haven’t forgotten the last time you were here, Nell.’

  ‘I didn’t think you had.’ As he reached out to touch her hand Nell felt Luca’s confession had brought them another step closer.

  ‘Good.’ He exhaled and relaxed. ‘You can’t have many happy memories of Venice to look back on.’

  ‘How could I?’

  ‘Will you let me change that?’

  There was nothing in his eyes but concern…concern, warmth, and maybe perhaps there was something more, but she didn’t want to dwell on it in case she was mistaken. She settled on business instead. ‘I would like an opportunity to tell you a bit more about what my organisation can bring to your hospital. We haven’t done too much talking about business tonight, have we?’

  ‘There’s still time. Over coffee. If you’ll come with me.’

  ‘Oh…well…’ She was wavering suddenly. Perhaps this wasn’t a good idea. Surely the morning would do just as well. But did she really want the evening to end?

  ‘Don’t look so worried. I promise to give you a hearing.’ He glanced at her. ‘Now would be the best time, as I’m pretty tied up for the next couple of days.’

  ‘Oh, well, then…’

  The waiter distracted them, arriving with the bill and a flask of coffee. Nell smiled. ‘I thought you were joking about taking it with us.’

  ‘I never joke about coffee.’

  Luca’s eyes were full of humour, which Nell thought almost more dangerous than the wine. But still she said yes.

  ‘We won’t be going in a gondola, will we?’ Irrational maybe, but the fear had never left her.

  ‘Not a gondola,’ Luca confirmed as they walked past a row of the traditional boats. He came to a halt beside a sleek white craft.

  ‘I’m impressed.’ Nell stared at it.

  ‘Don’t be. Practically everyone in Venice has a boat.’ Luca dismissed the fabulous launch with a wave of his hand.

  But not like this one, Nell guessed as he handed her on board.

  ‘So, where are you taking me?’ She acted cool, but she hadn’t expected him to start casting off. An evening on board a fabulous yacht, alone with a man she found intensely attractive? She wasn’t normally so reckless, but on this occasion
—

  ‘Out onto the lagoon,’ Luca said, breaking into her thoughts. ‘It’s a sight everyone should see at least once in a lifetime. It’s so magical at night—and it’s a crucial part of my programme to rebuild your faith in Venice.’

  ‘You don’t need to go to all this trouble for my sake.’

  ‘I want to.’ He held her gaze for a moment. ‘And it’s my pleasure. I’m very proud of my city.’

  With one last glance at the shore, Nell told herself not to be so silly. Luca wasn’t going to try and seduce her on his boat. Anyway, it was her best chance to talk to him about her scheme without distraction.

  Though surely she could have one night off, she thought rebelliously. A trip by moonlight along the shores of the most beautiful city in the world? How could she resist? Luca was right: this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and one she had no intention of squandering.

  The black velvet sky was littered with stars, and the ancient buildings lining the San Marco Basin might have been made out of spun sugar with their dainty trelliswork picked out by moonlight. As Nell settled back on the comfortable leather seat her spine tingled at the thought that she would soon be gliding across the water, admiring the same sights that people for centuries had loved. And Luca hadn’t been exaggerating when he said it would be beautiful. It was absolutely stunning.

  ‘This is incredible.’

  ‘Didn’t I tell you? I’m going to drop anchor here and then we can have our coffee.’

  ‘Do you come here often?’ she teased.

  ‘Only when I’ve got a really difficult case on my hands.’

  ‘Are you suggesting I’m difficult, Doctor?’

  ‘Difficult?’ He gave a short laugh. ‘You’re one of the most complicated cases I’ve ever encountered.’

  What was she doing? This was getting dangerous. She shouldn’t be flirting with Luca, she should be talking about work. But her pulse disagreed. It had started racing the moment Luca had stopped the boat. How was she supposed to concentrate on work when he had brought her to one of the most romantic places in the world; when they’d had such a wonderful evening together, and that evening still had time to run? And when the biggest surprise of all had turned out to be the fact that they got on so well?