‘Not far now,’ he said, stroking her arm.
He’d expected a lot from her today. Too much. After the debacle at the airport he’d thought he’d made a huge mistake. But he’d misjudged how much the press would love Sienna. His Cinderella.
She faltered slightly and he tightened his grip.
‘I hate these shoes,’ she muttered.
He laughed. ‘You’re the only woman I know who hates heels.’ He liked that about her. Most women he dated expected expensive trappings – jewellery, couture, penthouse suites with a dedicated handmaid. Carmela had told him how Sienna helped her unpack all the Sabatini clothes. Although Carmela said nothing – she was too much of a professional – he knew she loathed most of the women he brought to the hotel. But she’d given a huge stamp of approval to Sienna.
During the opera, he’d scanned the internet. The media coverage proved better than expected. The press loved her.
They arrived at the hotel. Antonio led Sienna to the lifts and up to the penthouse.
‘Take a seat and I’ll fix us a drink,’ he said.
‘I’ll be back in a moment,’ she said as she disappeared into the bedroom.
He walked to the bar and fixed himself a scotch. What would Sienna like? He leant against the counter and waited, replaying the events of the day. His aunt and uncle should read the stories in the newspapers tomorrow. Events continued to unfold just as he’d planned.
He finished his scotch and checked his watch. Why did women always take so long in the bathroom?
‘Sienna, what would you like to drink?’ he called and waited. ‘Sienna?’
He tapped on the bedroom door and opened it. Sienna was asleep on the bed, fully clothed, complete with her strappy sandals. She must have sat down for a moment and fallen asleep sitting up against the pillows, legs dangling off the side of the bed.
Jetlag. Of course, she must be exhausted. Brad said she’d worked sixteen-hour days before she left. He frowned. He hadn’t really considered how tired she must be.
He knelt by the bed and unhooked a sandal. Her skin felt smooth and soft as he slid the shoe from her foot. Sienna murmured at his touch. This was dangerous territory. Each time he came close to this girl he felt something he didn’t want to feel. As though she had the key to some part of him he kept locked away. Locked away tightly so no one would ever find that black part of his soul.
He lifted her legs and slid them onto the bed. What should he do? Wake her? But she looked so peaceful.
A cool breeze swept in from the bay. She shivered and he pulled the throw rug over her golden skin. She drew her legs up to her chest like a small child. She seemed so small and vulnerable snuggled on the huge bed. But she was tougher than she appeared. She had stood her ground against Marcella’s onslaught. What had Sienna said? Perhaps he wanted a woman who could see beyond the money.
No!
He stepped back. That was exactly the opposite of what he wanted. He didn’t want anyone close. He didn’t want anyone to understand him. He forced his eyes away from the beauty that lay so alluringly near. He’d spent his life keeping people at arm’s length.
He walked from the room.
That was the way to survive.
Chapter Six
That noise. Sienna winced. Make it stop. She shook herself awake. The phone. She snatched it from its cradle.
‘Hello,’ she said sleepily.
‘Oh . . . sorry.’ The woman sounded as if she’d been crying.
‘Can I help you?’ Sienna said, sitting up in bed.
‘Is Antonio there?’ the voice said tentatively.
Sienna looked about the room. She noticed the other side of the bed had been slept in. Her eyes widened. She’d slept next to Antonio and hadn’t known it.
‘Hold on a moment please.’ Sienna covered the phone. ‘Antonio,’ she called. Silence. ‘I’m sorry, he’s not here. Can I take a message?’
‘No. I shouldn’t have rung.’ The woman’s voice broke. ‘I’m sorry.’ She hung up.
Sienna replaced the phone and rubbed her eyes. What was that all about? She noticed her black evening gown. She groaned. She’d fallen asleep fully dressed like some small child.
She slid out of bed and took a quick shower. A few minutes later she walked into the living room wearing a lush white hotel robe sporting the Moretti emblem stitched in gold. A plate of fresh fruit and a carafe of juice stood on the sideboard with a room-service breakfast menu next to them.
That was thoughtful – Antonio organising breakfast for her. She reprised the events of the previous evening. She and Antonio seemed to have reached a place of cooperation. She stroked the golden insignia. Maybe this plan could work after all.
A stack of newspapers lay next to the breakfast offering. Sienna gaped. Her face stared back at her from the front page. The photo featured Antonio and her outside the restaurant. It captured the moment she’d reached up and kissed him. Her cheeks warmed as she touched her lips, remembering.
She scanned the caption. Australian Cinderella captures Italy’s most eligible bachelor.
She flipped to the next paper. Antonio Moretti Engaged.
And the next. Moretti’s Shotgun Wedding. She laughed at that one.
She pulled the final paper from the stack. Antonio’s Secret Love Child.
She sat heavily. Blinking, she read the headline again. It screamed over a photo of Antonio arm in arm with Amy West. An inset photo featured Amy leaving an obstetrician’s office. The paper slid to the floor.
The door of the suite flew open and Antonio walked across the floor. His gaze flashed from her face to the paper on the floor. ‘It’s not true,’ he said as he scooped up the paper and hurled it into the bin.
‘How can you be sure?’
He walked towards her. ‘If there’s one thing I know, I did not father this child or any other child.’
She stood slowly. ‘Accidents happen.’
‘Not with me.’
‘Come on, Antonio, even —’
‘No!’ He shook his head fervently. ‘I made a decision a long time ago not to have children and I’ve taken the necessary steps to ensure that never happens.’
Sienna slumped on the sofa. ‘You really don’t want kids? What about your business? Who will inherit all this?’ She spread her hands wide to encompass the luxury around her.
‘When the time comes, I’ll simply list it on the stock exchange and divest my shares.’
Sienna sank back into the cushions. Heirs and succession planning was so important in her family. Her father had always talked about the De Luca curse: if the eldest child didn’t take over the family business, bad things happened. He’d then list a series of incidences that proved the curse to be true. She didn’t believe any of that curse nonsense, but if Amy’s baby was Antonio’s, it should be Antonio’s heir.
‘Have you spoken to Amy?’
‘No.’
Sienna remembered the phone call she’d received a few minutes earlier. ‘I think she phoned,’ she said, straightening. ‘A woman called this morning. She sounded upset.’
Fury flashed across his face. ‘Damn. I forgot to change the password.’
‘Password?’
‘Reception. They only let callers through who know my password. I haven’t changed it – damn – since Amy.’
‘Oh.’
He snatched up the phone and dialled. ‘I want a new password.’ He looked over at her and smiled. ‘Glass slipper.’
She couldn’t help smiling.
He hung up and sat down next to her. ‘There’s no baby. This doesn’t change anything,’ he said.
‘She sounded pretty upset.’
‘The baby is not mine,’ he said again. ‘It’s impossible.’
His mobile rang. He pulled it from his pocket. ‘It’s Amy.’
‘Answer it.’
‘No. Just another blackmail attempt.’
‘Blackmail?’
‘Happens all the time to men in my position.’
Amy had
n’t sounded like a blackmailer. She’d sounded devastated. ‘Answer the call,’ Sienna said, standing up. ‘Amy’s a rich and famous movie star, she’s not going to blackmail you.’
Antonio looked at her carefully. He pressed a button on his phone and held it to his ear. ‘Amy,’ he said, his voice harsh.
Sienna watched Antonio’s face. It remained impassive, but he stood and walked to the bedroom and shut the door.
If the baby was Antonio’s he couldn’t walk away from it. Family was the most important thing. She knew from experience that when everything fell apart, the only people standing next to you were family. She wouldn’t let Antonio walk away from his responsibilities. Even if she was only his fake fiancée.
Antonio clicked his phone shut and stared at the canal busy with morning traffic. The bright, sunny day did nothing to improve his dark mood. He knew Amy well enough to know she wasn’t lying about being pregnant. She was clearly genuinely distressed.
He rubbed his brow between his forefinger and thumb. The baby couldn’t be his. He always insisted on double protection. Was it even possible for two types of contraception to fail at the same time? The odds were infinitesimal.
A knock at the door stirred him from his black thoughts.
‘Antonio,’ Sienna called.
‘Come,’ he said.
Sienna poked her head through the door. ‘Everything all right?’ she asked hesitantly.
‘I can’t talk now,’ he said. ‘I’m late.’ Work, that always helped. Bury yourself in work and you didn’t need to face anything emotional.
He walked past her. ‘I’ve organised a personalised sightseeing trip for you today.’ He picked up his briefcase. ‘You’ll enjoy it.’
‘But Amy?’
‘I’ll deal with it.’ Without another word, he walked out the door.
Sienna stared after him, blinking. Was he kidding? The press knew all about a potential love child, which could wreck their plans – her chance to save the Plaza – and he just leaves?
She picked up an apple and crunched hard. Their plan? What was she thinking? This was his plan and she was clearly just another pawn on the board.
Antonio walked quietly past the bed.
‘Morning,’ Sienna murmured.
He turned and watched her rub her eyes and stretch, the fabric of her pajama top hugging her chest. His pulse jumped. ‘Morning.’
‘Leaving already?’ she asked, sitting up. ‘Three days and I’ve never actually seen you sleep.’
‘I don’t need much sleep.’ Each night after dinner he worked until she was asleep and he was always dressed or gone before she woke in the morning. Sleeping next to her was torture, but necessary. ‘I’m meeting the builder at my new hotel.’
She leapt out of bed. ‘Can I come?’
He laughed. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve organised a personalised shopping trip for you this morning.’
‘No,’ she said, holding up her hands as if for protection. ‘No more shopping. I don’t ever want to talk about evening wear, cocktail wear or afternoon wear again.’
‘You’d rather come to a building site?’ he said, walking past her into the living room.
‘Absolutely,’ she said, following.
He picked up his briefcase. ‘You’d be bored.’
‘Please,’ she implored. ‘I’ve spent the last three days wandering this city by myself.’
‘You’ve had guides.’
She glared at him.
A rare emotion touched his heart – guilt. The work on his new hotel demanded a great deal of his time and organising a wedding at short notice made things worse. He and Sienna had dinner together every night in high-profile restaurants to keep the press happy, but other than that he didn’t see her.
‘Don’t you think we should spend a little time together before we get married?’ she pressed. ‘We’ll be husband and wife in a few days.’
She walked a little closer. ‘Whenever we’re together we’re surrounded by all those damn cameras flashing,’ she said.
He hesitated. He didn’t really want her to be part of his world – work was his solace. But she had a point. ‘Fine,’ he said. ‘But no complaining if you’re bored.’
‘Deal. Give me five minutes,’ she said, rushing for the bathroom.
Great. No woman ever took five minutes. He rolled his eyes as he heard the shower. He glanced at his watch. Now he’d be really late. He grabbed a couple of newspapers and settled onto the sofa. Might as well use the time to see how the media were handling the love-child story. He’d reviewed the coverage on the internet earlier. The press seemed to believe he wasn’t Amy’s child’s father. Well, they probably did, but they loved the Italian Cinderella story better, thank goodness.
He hadn’t even turned the page when Sienna bounded into the room. ‘Ready,’ she said enthusiastically.
He stared. She was. Dressed in long trousers and a navy striped top and sensible shoes. He looked at his watch. Seven minutes. She’d even dressed appropriately for a building site.
‘Told you I’d be five minutes,’ she said confidently.
‘You were seven,’ he said with a smile.
‘Oh well, what’s two minutes between friends?’
He laughed. Spending time with Sienna was incredibly easy. She was so . . . undemanding.
‘Shall we?’ he said, taking her hand.
‘So where are we going?’
‘I bought one of the last old buildings on Giudecca.’
‘Giudecca?’
‘One of the islands in the lagoon.’
‘Can’t wait,’ she said, excitement glittering in her eyes.
He shook his head. Sienna really was like no other woman he’d ever met. If he’d suggested a day at the building site to any other women he’d dated, she’d have thought him insane.
It took less than half an hour to arrive on site. His foreman met them and fitted them with hard hats.
‘We’re demolishing the west spire today,’ the foreman said escorting them inside to what would obviously be the hotel lobby.
‘What!’ Sienna exclaimed, horror gripping her features. ‘Why?’
The builder looked from her to Antonio as if asking permission to answer. Antonio nodded. ‘We’re putting in a rooftop infinity pool.’
‘But that’ll ruin the roofline of the whole building.’
Antonio stared at her. She appeared genuinely upset. ‘Infinity pools are expected in this class of hotel,’ he said, patting her arm.
‘There must be a better place for it,’ she said, sounding desperate.
The foreman laughed. ‘Antonio hired Alberto Ricci to design this project,’ he said, as if speaking to a child. ‘He’s one of Italy’s best.’
‘Obviously not good enough,’ Sienna muttered.
The builder snorted and tramped ahead.
‘Are those the plans?’ Sienna asked, walking to a series of noticeboards covered with detailed architectural drawings.
‘Yes,’ Antonio said, joining her at the wall of paper. ‘You understand building plans?’
‘I completed four years of my degree before I had to give it up,’ she said, as she ran her finger over the pages until she tapped the spot where the pool was marked.
Antonio stood, intrigued, as she studied every inch of the plans.
‘Back in a sec,’ she said, running out of the building the way they’d come.
‘We don’t have time for this,’ the foreman said. ‘I want to get that spire down today.’
‘Sure,’ Antonio said. ‘When she gets back, we’ll press on.’
Sienna walked slowly back into the building, her face a picture of concentration. Without a word, she walked back to the plans and placed her finger on the paper.
‘Here,’ she said. ‘The pool should go here.’
‘And how do you figure that?’ the foreman asked derisively.
Antonio shot the man a dark look. Sienna might be holding things up a bit, but she was his fiancée after al
l. ‘Let’s hear what she has to say, shall we?’ he said, a warning clear in his voice.
‘Naturalmente.’ The foreman faced the plans. ‘So, why there?’
‘It faces south,’ Sienna said emphatically.
‘It’s an infinity pool. The view is important. This position gives an unobstructed view of St Mark’s.’
‘Yes. But if you sited the pool here and aligned it . . . Have you got a pencil?’
The foreman grimaced. ‘No.’
‘Here,’ Antonio said, pulling a pen from his jacket pocket.
Sienna hesitated, clearly worried about defacing the plans.
‘Don’t worry,’ Antonio said. ‘We can print more.’
Sienna proceeded to draw the pool in a new location. ‘If the pool goes here, you don’t have to demolish any of the front facade, you get a better view of St Mark’s and you’ll capture the sun for longer.’ She stepped back. ‘But the most important thing is that you retain the integrity of the building.’
‘These designs have been in the planning for two years and Antonio approved every detail,’ the foreman said, without looking at Sienna’s newly inked alterations. ‘We can’t change them now.’
Antonio stepped in close and examined the drawings. He shook his head. He couldn’t believe it. ‘Mannaggia! You’re right.’ He stepped back and looked at the foreman. ‘She’s right.’
The foreman threw his hands up. ‘It doesn’t matter. The plans are approved. The crane is in place. The spire must come down today.’
Antonio prided himself on developing the best hotels in the world. The original plan was good, but Sienna’s was so much better. Her idea would definitely be worth the additional cost.
‘No,’ he said. ‘We go with Sienna’s plan.’
The foreman swore. ‘That will put the project back months. The cost increase can’t be justified.’
‘I think I’m the one who makes that decision,’ Antonio said, a hard edge to his voice.
The foreman’s weathered face grew ugly with fury but he simply nodded and walked from the room.
‘I didn’t mean —’ Sienna’s face was a picture of shock.
Antonio took her hand. ‘So few people challenge my decisions it’s hard to know if the advice I’m given is right or just what people think I want to hear,’ he said. ‘Your changes improve the building and you weren’t afraid to tell me.’
Sweet Seduction Page 8
