As she scrubbed and cleaned and rearranged her few pieces of rented furniture in the grisly flat Beth came to a decision. The next chance she got to speak to Luca alone, she would ask him what she could do to learn more.
It wouldn’t be a climb-down, or a return to her bad old ways, she told herself. It was simply networking. That was what sensible people did. They used contacts to keep themselves up to date and get the best advice. She really needed this job. It was spectacularly good pay for someone with few qualifications and no experience, and she knew how lucky she was to have it. She needed money, and fast. There were all her father’s debts to settle, and she was only managing to keep the tenancy of Rose Cottage through the generosity of her uncle, the landlord. This was the ideal situation—she would make a fresh start through work, here in Venice. And, however she might yearn, there would be no romance on the horizon—she would have to force herself to get used to that idea. However difficult it might be.
Litres of black coffee later, Beth dragged herself into work. Then she wished she hadn’t bothered. It was hell. She made a lot of silly typing mistakes, and only remembered she hadn’t backed up the morning’s work when she accidentally deleted a whole spreadsheet. Exasperated, she decided to go out and fetch Ben’s elevenses from a deli, rather than nipping upstairs for something from the executive lounge. The fresh air would wake her up, and Luca was bound to be hard at work in his own office. In the brutal light of day, the thought of seeing him again made her uneasy about her grand plans. Pretending to care more about her work than she did about him would take an almost unbearable effort. The way she felt now, everything would probably end in tears. At least if she was careful, there was no chance of meeting him beyond the executive floors of FFA during working hours.
Or so she thought. As she hurried past a particularly smart café in a very fashionable strada she heard his voice.
‘Elizabeth…Beth? It’s not like you to be out in broad daylight. What’s the matter?’ His soft, beautifully accented English drifted over of the strains of the café’s resident piano player.
She stopped, and had to look back to see him. Luca must have watched her pass by before deciding to speak. He was leaning against the door of the building—perfectly groomed women and paunchily prosperous men regarded him with awe as they passed on their way in, or out.
‘You look like a tiger in a dogs’ home,’ she observed, and was rewarded with a wry smile.
‘I’ve been hosting a business meeting here. My clients like to see me living their dream. They enjoy a little easy listening while we work, and prefer the international snacks served here, rather than the local food on offer back at FFA. You don’t think I would come to a place like this voluntarily, do you? I leave that to social climbers—much like you once were.’
Beth blushed, remembering her past. ‘I needed a walk,’ she said cautiously. Switching her handbag to the other side, she clamped it under her arm like someone trapping a secret. ‘Coming out to fetch a snack seemed ideal, but Ben is waiting. I have to hurry back.’
‘Oh, let him do his own running about for once.’ Luca made an expansive gesture. ‘Come and have a hot chocolate, to show there are no hard feelings between us.’
Beth’s face drained like a bank account. ‘In a ritzy place like that?’
‘Don’t worry, I’ll pay. I know how rich English families get to stay that way. They are careful never to spend their own money.’ Luca rolled his eyes, but as she got close enough for him to study her properly he whistled. ‘Our brand of fresh air obviously doesn’t agree with you, Beth! Waiter?’ He called over his shoulder into the depths of the café. ‘Hold the chocolate, please; the lady will have a double espresso instead.’
‘More coffee is the last thing I need today, thanks. I’m fine.’ She waved away his concern. ‘I didn’t sleep very well last night. That’s all.’
He looked intently into her face. ‘It does not look as though you have slept at all.’
She shrugged. ‘The amorous neighbours and the blood feuds kept me awake.’ She tried to laugh at the horror of her night. ‘And the assorted vermin.’
Luca reached inside his jacket and pulled out his mobile. After stabbing out a few numbers, he began speaking quickly in Italian. ‘Ettore? I want you and a couple of guys to come to the office. Collect the keys to Miss Woodbury’s apartment and have all her possessions brought home to the palazzo. I shall tell Silvia to put her in a guest suite. Miss Woodbury will be staying with us for a while. Ciao!’
He snapped the phone shut before Beth could react, but she flared up anyway.
‘Now wait a minute, Luca—I’m not having strange men stripping my flat!’
‘OK—so take the rest of the day off and go with them to supervise.’
‘And how can I possibly move into your place, anyway? What if Ben finds out?’
Luca called for his bill. He was looking at her as though she were mad.
‘It won’t be a matter of finding out, because this isn’t a secret. You can tell him—and anyone else who bothers to ask—the truth. They will understand. What is wrong with that? Your apartment is uninhabitable. You and I shared a…mutual friend. So I am helping you out, temporarily. Why look so shocked, Beth? That’s all there is to it.’
After their confrontation of the night before Beth was painfully aware of that, but she wasn’t fooled by Luca’s careless manner. She had seen the way he’d grimaced when he’d referred to Tristram as their ‘mutual friend’ and knew exactly what must be going through his mind. Her day had started badly. If Luca was going to bring up her self-seeking past, she was on the way down to an even deeper circle of hell.
‘I’d rather you said we were related!’ she said with a shudder. ‘With your background, it’s believable. Does Ben know your mother came from London?’
‘Everyone who reads the financial press must know that by now.’ He finished his drink. His expression thoughtful, he said, ‘There’s no need for any deception in my dealings, Beth.’
His voice ran like experienced fingers up and down her spine. Combined with his smile, the effect was heavenly. But Luca was soon back to business. ‘Why should Ben need to know where you live? If anyone starts asking any awkward questions, send them to me. I’ll soon convince them it’s nothing more than a convenient arrangement. Aren’t you going to get moving? Anybody would think you were enjoying my company, Beth. You need to be back at your desk as soon as possible, in time to meet Ettore and the boys.’
Before she could get a word in edgewise, he held up his hand. ‘No arguments! By moving into my palazzo you will be right on the spot for my party on Friday night. It will also mean you can be taken to work in my launch each morning. You will never be late while you are living in my house.’
She could believe it. Luca was punctual to a fault. It was Beth’s fault she wasn’t often punctual.
‘Living in my house will be perfect for you,’ he went on, warming to his idea. ‘You will not have to worry about tottering through the streets, trying to get to that horrible flat on those pretty little high heels you love so much.’
‘Wind back a minute—so this party you’re hosting for Ben is going to be at your palazzo?’
‘Of course. There could be no finer setting. And after I told my clients all about my two new employees, they cannot wait to be impressed by you.’
Beth gave a hollow laugh. ‘You’ve seen the luxury in which I live right now, Luca!’
He pushed himself upright and strolled with her as they headed off. ‘I’m inviting you for your beautiful English voice and your social skills, Beth, nothing more. I intend people to have a good time.’ His smile was dazzling. ‘And I know you’ll bring your own special brand of class to the evening. It’s my job as host to give people what they want. Only one thing really impresses a member of the Italian chattering class, and that’s real, living members of the aristocracy. I’ll have Earl Ben and his PA, who is the granddaughter of a duke, on display under my roof. They’ll l
ove it.’
Beth had been waiting for the chance to interrupt him and explain her wish to learn more about the business and maybe get more involved. Hearing that he wanted her to do nothing but impress his guests changed things. She pursed her lips and fell into step beside him. Perhaps it would be better to keep quiet about her idea, at least for the moment. Luca might think she would try and use his party just for her own selfish reasons, not for the good of FFA. If he did, she would never convince him she wanted to find her own way out of the mess she was in. She had to let him see how determined she was to succeed on her own terms. Until he had proof of that, he’d think she wanted him to bail her out. But the emotionally needy girl Luca had rejected in Balacha was gone for ever—although he didn’t know it yet.
So Beth decided to keep quiet and sit on her own ambitions, at least until his party was over.
CHAPTER FOUR
BETH travelled light. It didn’t take the workmen long to pack all her belongings and ferry them over to the palazzo. Taking Luca’s advice, she left Ben to fend for himself for the first time since she had taken the job as his PA, and went with them.
Thoughts of Luca had been racing through her mind all morning. The memory of his low, deep voice whispered continuously in her ears. As she stepped onto the wide pavement in front of his home she looked up at the grand west front of the building and sighed. There were three words she ached to hear him say. I love you. But it was an impossible dream. The looks of dark disdain he could give her now told Beth that. And he had recoiled the instant she had melted into his arms. She still winced at the pain of that rejection. But as she remembered that embrace her body reacted with a rush of adrenalin. There had been a reaction between them. Not even Luca could deny the insistent pressure of his arousal. The thought of it made her close her eyes and imagine…
For a few precious moments she could almost convince herself her fantasies might still come true. Then the main doors of the palazzo creaked open, and she was escorted inside.
Her surroundings helped to fan the flames of hope, if only for a few seconds. The entrance hall Beth remembered as being cold and formal was now much more welcoming. The crackle and hiss of a huge log fire brought it to life. Tall yellow flames danced in a great black hearth, outshining the glow of a dozen electric lights. As each twig caught it crackled like gunfire and sent sparks bouncing across the marble floor. Had Luca ordered it in honour of her arrival? With one look at the woman who greeted her, Beth realised it might be better if he hadn’t made any special arrangements. Silvia, his housekeeper, did not look the sort to enjoy entertaining guests. She wore a severe black uniform and an expression to match. Too scared to smile, Beth greeted her with a formal handshake. Silvia burrowed beneath her spotless white apron and brought out a heavy iron ring noisy with keys.
‘As we have no idea how long you will be here, Signorina Woodbury, I have put you in the bridal suite.’ Silvia’s lip curled with distaste.
Beth wondered how many of Luca’s girlfriends Silvia had seen come and go. It wasn’t something she wanted to know. But to judge from her expression, she might just tell me unless I can brazen this out somehow, Beth told herself.
‘Thank you, Silvia, that’s wonderful,’ she said with a wide, innocent smile. ‘When Signor Francesco showed me around, it was the part of the house I liked best.’
Silvia’s face froze. I’ve managed to surprise her, Beth thought, and felt every muscle in her body relax a fraction.
‘But those rooms are furthest away from the master suite, signorina.’
‘Which suits me fine, Silvia. May I go straight up?’ Beth said lightly, already heading for the stairs. ‘What has Signor Francesco told you about me?’
‘Nothing, as usual.’ The housekeeper snorted. Beth had to laugh.
‘Good, then I’ll get in first with the truth, Silvia, so you can hate me for a reason rather than waiting for me to pounce on your employer. Luca and I used to be an item, a long time ago. I was young, and too stupid to know how lucky I was. I left him for another man. So I’m only here today because of his generous nature, believe me.’
The housekeeper stopped. Beth went on walking up the wide, shallow staircase, only pausing when she realised Silvia was staring at her, horrified.
‘You left him? Our signor?’
‘Yes—impossible to believe, isn’t it?’ Beth pouted. ‘But I had my reasons at the time. I loved him, but he didn’t love me as much as I thought I deserved. Luca lived for his work. That’s hard to take when you are young. And when another man offers you a shoulder to cry on…’
‘Pah! You are still young.’ Silvia rustled up the stairs, passed Beth and started off along the wide, portrait-heavy landing. Luca’s housekeeper was the model of efficiency again, but Beth was glad to see she no longer looked quite so bad-tempered.
All Beth’s luggage had been taken up in the service lift, so she spent the next couple of hours arranging her belongings. Her suite was pure luxury. The Meissen dish and many others like it had been filled with dried rose and lavender petals, and their subtle perfumes drifted through the warm air. Although there was no one else around, the rooms were so grand Beth found herself creeping about like a mouse.
One of the first things she did was to open every window. It let in a cheerful racket from the canal below, which made her smile. As she looked down Beth saw Silvia leaving the palazzo by the front door. That was a surprise—she had assumed all the staff lived in, but Silvia was obviously off for the night. Beth wondered where she was going, and hoped it wasn’t far. Mist was already beginning to drift in from the lagoon. It smudged the lights of bobbing water taxis into glowing dots, dancing like fireflies as dusk approached.
It wasn’t long before Beth realized she was hungry. Her lunchtime snack had not gone very far. She should have checked with Silvia about what would be happening while she was staying at the palazzo—was she supposed to prepare her own food, or would it be provided? And she would have to ask about paying rent. Beth’s spirits had been kept alive by the idea of living under the same roof as Luca. Now she began to feel uncertain again. Moving into the bridal suite was bound to be as expensive as it was luxurious. She looked around, uncomfortable at the way she had made herself at home. Perhaps she ought to go and ask in the kitchen what the arrangements were.
She didn’t get that far. As she was walking down the grand staircase a member of staff was opening the doors for Luca to step in. Beth stopped, transfixed. The only man she had ever loved arrived in a billow of fog. No matter how many times she looked at him, Beth knew it could never be enough. For precious moments she feasted on the sight of him, striding into the sanctuary of his house. Her position on the stairs meant he did not see her straight away. She was able to watch him spreading out his capable hands to the warmth of the fire, which was now roaring like a furnace. It was only when the butler caught her eye that Beth managed to struggle out of her trance.
‘L-Luca! I was coming down to see if there was anything I could do towards dinner.’
She reached his side as he shrugged off his coat giving Beth another excuse to watch him covertly. His sable hair was misted with droplets of water, each one alive with light from the hearth. As the fire warmed him he began to relax into something like the Luca she had once known. And yet there was something missing. The hollowness in his eyes reflected that new, strange heartlessness. And brought her up short. Thinking back, she remembered all the romance Luca used to bring to her life in the way of flowers, chocolates and midnight drives into the middle of nowhere. Could she honestly say what she felt for the man behind all those gestures was love? Had she been so infatuated back then it had made her blind to this side of him? Perhaps Luca had been hiding these same feelings beneath all his charm, back then. She nipped her lip. All she could rely on now was his generosity.
‘You are a guest in my house.’ Luca’s voice brought her back to the present. ‘The only thing I expect from guests is that they should be polite, and good company.
I know you are both. That’s enough for me.’
Beth clasped her hands. Although the entrance hall could never be called ‘cosy’, it was warm beside the fire. It made the cold clamminess of her palms come as a shock.
‘Look, I must talk to you, Luca. It’s so kind of you to let me stay—’
Still looking into the depths of the fire he cut her off. ‘I know what you are going to say, so I’ll save you the trouble.’ His smooth, lilting accent enveloped her. ‘I would not dream of asking you to pay rent during your stay here, Beth. Think of it as a simple bonus. You need some kind of recognition for all the work you have to put in as Ben Simpson’s PA. There’s no need to hurt his feelings by telling him, though. He can think of your stay here as merely a private arrangement between…’he looked down at his hands, wriggling his cold fingers to bring back the circulation ‘…friends.’
His hesitation made Beth think that was the last thing they would ever be. Swallowing her disappointment, she nodded.
‘That’s generous of you, Luca. But you must let me do something for you in return—why don’t I go and arrange dinner?’
He smiled, glancing at his watch again. ‘There’s no need. It must be nearly ready by now, Beth. I’m assuming you would prefer to dine in your room.’
The desire to put her arms around him and plead until he let her sit with him almost overwhelmed her, but Beth knew what she was expected to say.
‘Thank you, Luca. If you are sure you won’t mind very much if I left you on your own tonight?’ she said slowly.
‘Not at all.’
He looked relieved. Beth’s heart sank. Hiding her disappointment, she went back upstairs in silence, but it was not the last she heard of Luca that night. A handwritten note was delivered just before her meal. As she opened it the faintest familiar hint of Luca’s aftershave drifted out. Beth began to tingle. As she looked at the flowing handwriting she knew so well the paper trembled beneath her hands. It must be a call to join him for dinner after all. Excitement filled her with liquid warmth. In her dreams she was already running through the big old house to find him, but her fantasy was short-lived. Luca’s note was cool and businesslike. It was light years away from the seduction she wanted.
Her Ruthless Italian Boss Page 5
