by Alexia Adams
“And you will play the loving wife so Mrs. Wilkins keeps her hands off me?”
It stung that he asked. No, I’m going to stand back and let her have you on the reception desk.
“It would be a disaster if the deal fell apart because Chet Wilkins cannot control his wife,” Luca continued.
Like you can control yours?
“I have played the devoted wife at every business function you’ve taken me to, in front of our friends and your mother. I’m pretty sure I can manage to convince a lush for one weekend that I’m desperately in love with my husband.”
His knuckles showed white on the steering wheel, but he didn’t make any other reply.
Eight hours later, Sophia nearly kissed the ground as Luca pulled to stop in front of a generic cement building. A couple of flags over the portico and a nondescript sign at the front were the only indications it was a hotel. The long drive from the villa had been interminable. Only once had Luca asked if she needed to stop for a break. Sensing his need to get the journey over with, she’d declined.
Traffic had been horrific. With the beautiful weather, it seemed most Italian city-dwellers were heading out to the countryside for some fresh air. At one point, they’d crawled along the motorway, rarely going above thirty miles an hour. The whole trip had emphasized just how far away it was from their home. If Luca moved here and she stayed in the villa, they’d have thirty-six hours together, if they were lucky, on the weekends. And she’d overheard a conversation where Luca had mentioned that Chet wanted the restoration done as soon as possible and was willing to pay extra for weekend work.
Which meant Luca wouldn’t be able to leave. She’d have to come down and see him. And if he was busy working, what would be the point? They’d be back to the first days of their marriage when they were roommates who worked opposing shifts.
At the reception desk, Luca asked if the Wilkinses had checked in already and was told they’d arrived a half hour earlier. Before they could even make their way to the lift, Leslie Wilkins emerged from the hotel bar, drink in hand.
“There you are, darlings. Hurry up and put your bags away and meet us in the bar,” Leslie said, her words only slightly slurred.
Luca slid his hand into Sophia’s, the first time he’d touched her that day. “Of course, Leslie. We will just freshen up and join you in a few minutes.”
Sophia swallowed down the bile that rose in her throat. It was show time. She wasn’t sure why it felt different this time, pretending to be in love with Luca. Peeking at him from the corner of her eye as they rode the lift up to their third floor room, it hit her. It was no longer a pretense. She loved her husband. Shit, that wasn’t supposed to have happened.
• • •
Luca put his arm around Sophia and although she smiled up at him, it didn’t reach her eyes. She’d been distant, more reserved around him, since he’d reminded her of the trip to Teramo earlier in the week. She was still a passionate and enthusiastic lover. But the little touches, the moments of intense connection were gone. She was withdrawing from him, millimeter by millimeter.
Chet Wilkins droned on about the boutique hotel industry. Luca had never known a man who only had one topic of conversation. He’d tried to steer the discussion to something more general where everyone could contribute. But Chet always found a way to return to his beloved industry.
Sophia shifted in her chair next to him, and her smile became a little more forced. Her acting talent was slipping. He should be annoyed, but he’d rather have her genuine than pretending. He fiddled with a lock of her silky hair. Across from him, Leslie Wilkins was on her fourth drink, and he had to keep moving his legs under his chair to stop her rubbing her foot along his calf. The woman knew no bounds. Every other business associates’ wives had stopped making advances when he’d introduced his wife to them. Leslie hadn’t taken the hint.
“It has been a long day and we have a full schedule tomorrow. Shall we meet at seven in the restaurant?” Luca suggested.
Leslie groaned. “Darling, I don’t get out of bed at seven for any man. Even one as gorgeous as you. Nine o’clock is the earliest I appear,” she said.
No wonder this site visit had already been delayed by four weeks. And if they didn’t start until after nine, there was no way they’d be done in one day. Luca had hoped to take Sophia to the coast before they headed back to Milan. Spend a little time with her away from both their businesses.
“If we do not start until nine, then it will be a very long day,” he said.
“Then we’ll just have to take two days, won’t we, darling?” Leslie replied.
He stifled a groan. If this wasn’t the deal of a lifetime, he’d walk out the door right now. As if sensing his frustration, Sophia put a hand on his thigh.
“Actually, I’m getting a headache. A later start is probably a good idea. If you’ll excuse me, I need to take some tablets and get my head on a pillow.” Sophia stood and Luca prepared to depart as well.
“You don’t need to go, too, darling. Stay and have another drink,” Leslie interrupted.
Luca’s eyes flashed to Chet. The man sat there like a dead fish, staring blankly into the distance. What had happened to these two that they were so indifferent to each others' needs? Had they ever been in love? Luca turned back to Sophia, who hovered by her chair. She seemed to be battling her need to flee and her promise to help him. His stomach fluttered.
“No, I will say goodnight, too. If I massage my wife’s neck, sometimes her headache disappears. And we need you fresh for tomorrow, yes, amore?”
“Yes,” she replied, her voice subdued.
As they returned to their hotel room, Sophia didn’t say a word. However, as the door clicked closed behind her, she released a weary sigh.
“If I have to spend the whole day with that woman tomorrow, I may take up drinking as well,” she said.
“As long as you do not take up flirting with other men.”
“Why would I, when I have you? Well sort of.”
“What do you mean, ‘well sort of’?” He pulled her against him, cradling her head against his chest. The embrace was more for his sake than hers. He needed to feel her, know that at least the distance between them wasn’t physical. Although it soon may well be.
“I mean I have that bit of you that is not married to your company.”
“You have more of me than that,” he whispered into her hair.
He hoped his surprise tomorrow would do the trick in convincing her to choose him over her career.
Chapter 13
“Do you mind if we sit down for a bit, darling? The men can clamber all over these broken down buildings. I just want to relax and enjoy the sunshine.” Leslie plonked down on a stone wall and pulled the bottle of water from her bag, taking a long swig.
Sophia waved at Luca, indicating he should go ahead with Chet. Despite having seen the photos, the village was larger than she expected and more dilapidated. There wasn’t a building left with a roof, and she worried if she leaned against a wall it would collapse on her.
When they’d first arrived after eleven this morning, a sudden lightness had taken over her heart. The place was a disaster—no way would Chet want to build here. After the heavy weight that had been sitting in her chest for the past week lifted, she’d bounded from the backseat of the Land Rover, ready to explore and enjoy the day.
Within half an hour, however, Chet’s concerned features had turned to elation and his expressions of “this is just perfect,” and “I can see it now,” became more frequent. He was enthralled with the site and the vision Luca presented to him. And glancing around now, as Leslie drained her water bottle and hunted around for another, Sophia couldn’t blame him. Nestled in a small valley, sunshine seemed to bounce off all sides of the village. A flock of birds, unused to human companions, called out warning messages to their loved ones. The hills were covered in wildflowers, especially red poppies. Sophia wouldn’t put it past Luca to have planted them for effect dur
ing his previous visit.
The project that would rip her and Luca apart took a giant leap closer to reality.
“We were once like you, you know.” Leslie’s nasally voice interrupted Sophia’s musings.
“Pardon?”
“Chet and me. We were once in love like you and Luca. Now, as soon as we get back to the States, I’m going to file for divorce.” Leslie tossed her plastic water bottle over the wall. Sophia made a mental note to pick it up later. This place was too beautiful to leave litter.
“What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”
The other woman gave a bitter laugh. “Life happened, darling. It always does.”
Yeah, life had happened to her parents, too. But Isabella and Dante seemed to be coping. Then again, they’d only been married a few years.
“If you loved each other once, can’t you get back to that point?” Sophia had never had a real high opinion of marriage. Marriage to Luca, however, had changed that. It could be wonderful, if done right. It was something worth fighting for.
“Too much water under the bridge, as they say. Or, I guess in our case, too much infidelity and empty whiskey bottles.”
“Oh.” Sophia wished she hadn’t asked.
“Take my advice. Don’t give up your dreams for your man, and don’t let him out of your sight.”
“What if the two are mutually exclusive?” Sophia sat on the wall next to Leslie. The stones giving way under her now seemed the least of her worries.
“Then you’re screwed. I was a lawyer, believe it or not, when we first married. I was smart, had a career, people looked up to me. Now, I’m the pitied wife of a billionaire, someone to be entertained and accommodated so they can do a deal with my husband, and completely ignored when he’s not around.”
“I’m sure that’s not the case,” she tried to placate Leslie.
“I’m not blind, darling. I see how people look at me. But you know what? It’s all a goddamned show. The drinking, the flirting … I do it in the hope that my own husband will notice me. He hasn’t. Not once said a word. Never said, ‘Leslie, can you please stop grabbing other men’s asses while I’m standing in front of you?’ He can spend hours staring at a pile of rubble and see the potential. But he can’t spend five minutes with me without turning on the TV or checking his phone for messages.”
Sophia shaded her eyes with her hand. Luca and Chet were on the far hill, surveying the village from a height. Luca had his arms spread wide as though he was embracing the whole valley. The fluttering in her stomach increased. How could she bear not to join him here? How could she not fight for her marriage—give up her dream and follow his?
And then what will I have when he gets bored with me?
“Why did you give up your legal career?” She turned her attention back to Leslie. Silent tears were coursing down the American woman’s cheeks. Sophia searched in her bag for a tissue.
“Chet travels a lot. Scouting out locations for new properties or visiting the ones he already has. I couldn’t go with him as I was up to my eyeballs in work. We were always apart. One day, a trial cancelled at the last minute; the two parties reconciled or something. Anyway, with no case to present, I suddenly had a week free. So I jetted off to join my husband. I didn’t tell him I was coming; it was going to be a surprise. Well, I was the one surprised as I walked in on him in bed with his personal assistant.”
“I’m so sorry.” It was the lamest thing to say, but she couldn’t think of a more appropriate response.
“Yeah, so was he. Sorry he got caught. But Chet begged me to give him another chance. Said all the time apart was killing him. So to save my marriage I gave up my career and started following him around the world.”
“Surely Chet realized the sacrifice you made to be with him.”
“You’d think, but no. He’s so obsessed with his blasted hotels, they’re more important to him than me. Some days, I wonder if he’d even notice if I left. Do you know the last time my husband made love to me?”
“I hope that’s a rhetorical question,” Sophia replied.
Leslie laughed, a bitter, horrible sound that echoed off the broken walls, throwing the sound back to them in shattered waves. “No, really. I was hoping you’d remember. Because I sure as hell don’t.” Her gaze flicked to the two men on the hill. “But I’m guessing you don’t have that problem. Yet.”
No, Luca was an incredible lover. Always making sure she was satisfied first, bringing her to the edge of ecstasy time and again until she begged him to take her. He liked hearing her scream his name as she climaxed. Except last night. She thought he’d forgone the lovemaking in deference to her pretend headache. But what if it was the excitement of being so close to his precious deal that made him want to bask in that glow instead?
“Maybe you could convince him to take some time off. You two could reconnect. Talk,” Sophia suggested.
“Trust me, I’ve tried. But there’s always one more building, one more site, one more whatever. It never ends. Business is his passion.”
“Are you going to go back to the law?”
“Who wants to hire a washed-up fifty-eight-year-old lawyer with a drinking problem? No, the best I can hope for is Chet settles one of his beachfront houses on me. Then I can hire a pool boy who won’t mind me ogling him as he skims the palm fronds from the water.”
“That doesn’t sound fair.”
“It’s not. I gambled my career on my marriage and lost both.”
Sophia leaned over the wall and threw up her breakfast.
• • •
Luca could fly down the hill. He couldn’t wait to tell Sophia. Chet had decided on Teramo and wanted construction to begin as soon as the contracts were signed. Castellioni’s was going to be the biggest restoration firm in Italy. And this was just the beginning.
He slowed to keep pace with the older man.
“You have a classy wife,” Chet said. It was the first personal remark Luca had heard the other man say.
“Yes, we are very happy.”
“Well, I hope you can make it last. Leslie used to be classy.”
There was no reply to that.
When they finally made it back to the village, Luca searched for Sophia. He’d seen her sat on a wall chatting to Leslie, but now she was nowhere to be found.
“If you’re looking for Sophia, she’s laying down in the truck.” Leslie appeared from behind a bush, squeezing some hand sanitizer into her palm.
“Is she okay?” Luca didn’t wait for the answer and jogged back to where he’d parked the Land Rover.
As he got closer he could see the passenger seat reclined, both front doors open for some cross-breeze. Her eyes were closed, her breathing soft and gentle. Another wave of warmth filled his chest. He didn’t want to wake her but needed to know if she was all right.
“Sophia?” He caressed her cheek. As her green eyes fluttered open he sucked in a breath. She was so beautiful.
“Hi.” Her voice sounded raw and her face was blotchy. Had she been crying?
“Are you sick? Shall I take you back to the hotel?”
“No, I’m okay. Just needed to lay down. The sun is really powerful in the valley, and I forgot my hat.”
He wasn’t convinced that was all that was wrong but couldn’t challenge her here. Chet and Leslie were about five meters away. “I have a surprise for you. Are you sure you are all right to keep going?”
She smiled, a faint replica of her usual full mega-watt grin. His chest tightened again.
“Feeling better, darling?” Leslie’s saccharine endearment made his skin crawl.
“Yes, thank you, Leslie. Luca has a surprise for us. Are you all done here?”
“Yup. It’s going to be the most amazing hotel in my portfolio. Your husband is a visionary, Sophia. If this turns out half as good as he says, I see a bright future for our two companies.”
Sophia swallowed at Chet’s announcement. “Yes, he’s brilliant. He sees the potential in thing
s that others miss.” She put the chair back into its upright position and exited the vehicle. “I can’t wait to see what he has in store for us next.”
She resumed her seat in the back and Chet climbed in the front. Luca tried to check on her through the rear-view mirror but she kept her head turned to the side, looking out the window. He wished he hadn’t arranged for the surprise now. Sophia looked like she could do with some downtime away from Leslie … and he could do with some private time with his wife.
The road grew more rutted as he drove. There was no way a regular car would make it down here. He made a mental note to order some gravel before construction got underway. After twenty minutes he finally pulled up in front of a two-story stone cottage, set against the hillside. He shut off the engine and the only sound to be heard was the trickle of a waterfall and birds singing in the trees.
“What’s this?” Leslie asked.
Luca turned around in his seat to see Sophia’s face. “This is the house I rented, in case Chet and I were able to come to an agreement. One of the restaurants in Teramo has prepared a meal for us. Come, this is my surprise.”
Sophia stared out the windscreen at the house then did a long, slow blink. The kind of blink that said she wasn’t sure what he expected her to say. After two months of marriage, he was finally learning her tells. He could almost see her acting mask slip back into place.
She got out of the Land Rover and stood beside him. Luca tried to see the cottage through her eyes. It was a bit sad looking, not having been lived in for over a year. But the gardeners and cleaners he’d hired had tidied the place nicely. The curtains and windows were clean, and the bramble had been cut back from the path. With a fresh coat of paint on the shutters and a little maintenance here and there, it would be a cozy home for the two of them.
“What do you think?” he finally asked, unable to bear her silence any longer.
“It looks charming,” she said, with only a slight hitch in her voice.