by Jessica Gray
“Forgive me?” He jumped up and shouted, “I’ll haul her miserable ass here and make her…”
Ornella put a hand on his arm.
“I’m sorry.” Preston sat down again, jaw clenched, hands fisted.
Sandrine ended her interview with some more tears, saying she had no idea who the woman was, and then she looked straight into the camera with the look of a wounded dear and offered a hundred-thousand-dollar reward to the person who finds the woman that is trying to steal her fiancé from her.
I could kill her. God, I hope Gina doesn’t watch television.
Within seconds, the phones in the outer office started ringing, as did all of their cell phones.
“Let them ring until we figure out how we’re going to respond,” Preston suggested.
“We need to re-write the press release. Now. Nobody’s going to believe you anymore.” Monica agreed.
“Why’s she doing this?” Preston asked.
“Money of course.” Monica answered.
“You think someone is paying her to make that video?” Preston was confused.
“No, that’s not the way it works. I think your ex-fiancé offered the story with exclusive rights to the highest bidder.”
“That’s…”
“How these types of things work. Let me make a few phone calls and see what I can find out.” Monica already spoke into her Bluetooth headset before she’d reached the door.
How could he have misjudged Sandrine so badly? He silently vowed to always heed the advice of his siblings from now on. Okay, maybe that was too drastic. But he’d at least hear them out, and consider their judgment if three or more of them came to the same conclusion. They’d warned him about Sandrine more than once. Even Linda, his brother Chuck’s girlfriend had joined their ranks of Sandrine-haters.
Ornella gave him a sad look, but didn’t say a word. There was nothing to say.
“Aside from my brother River and Gina I haven’t told anyone else what why we broke up. I’d rather not have the entire world knowing I was cuckolded.” Preston tried to form a clear thought.
“I can understand that, but in this case, you might need to share some of those private details in order to mitigate the damage.” Ornella answered.
Unfortunately she probably was right. But that didn’t make him feel any better. Preston valued his privacy as much as he valued loyalty. Sandrine had already trampled on his trust, now she was playing whatever morbid game, spinning stories for the press.
He wasn’t sure how this was going to play out, but he’d be damned if he let Sandrine get away with her lies.
Chapter 18
Gina thanked the hotel employee who delivered her bags from the apartment and she hauled them her bedroom. A smug smile crossed her face as she remembered Preston’s disappointment when she’d insisted on separate bedroom. He’d tried to hide it, but without much success.
At first it had been an impulse to punish him for dragging her life into utter chaos. Making me the other woman. Sending the entire universe of Italian paparazzi on my tracks. The more she eyed the Queen size bed that was hers now, the more she liked the idea to be able to lock the door after her.
She couldn’t trust herself in Preston’s presence. She’d already kissed him twice, when she’d really wanted to slap him. Make him feel the same shame, pain, and horror she was feeling.
Wrath boiled in her veins and she was in dire need to release her energy. Just how? A cold shower? Or better yet…a challenging swim in cool water. She dug through her bags until she turned it upside down and scattered the ingredients across the bed. Shit. Shit. Shit. Off course she’d forgotten to add her swimsuit to the list of things she needed.
The hotel owned an upscale boutique with sports accessories. Gina was pretty sure a swimsuit from there would be way out of her budget. Perhaps they had a clearance rack? Well, it didn’t cost anything to take a look. Otherwise she’d sneak out of the hotel and run downtown to buy a swimsuit. Nobody would recognize her. She hoped. And if someone did, she still had her Vespa and could outrun any pursuer.
She took the elevator own to the ground floor and wandered into the boutique, feeling slightly out of place, especially since it seemed all of the hotel’s employees knew who she was. They all nodded to her and offered smiles of welcome, which was unusual to say the least.
She instantly fell in love with a turquoise one-piece suite hanging on a rack. It had a simple sportive cut without frills, a round neckline and high-cut legs that would accentuate her long legs. The back was low-cut with sturdy straps crisscrossing down from the shoulders to hold the swimsuit in place even during a hard workout.
Exactly what she needed. She fingered the shiny fabric when the clerk approached her, “Signorina Giordano, you’ve found something you like?”
Gina looked up, mildly confused that even the clerk knew her name, but apparently this was the way a luxury hotel like the Palazzo Borghese worked.
“No, I was just looking. Taking a study break,” Gina said and put the swimsuit back on the rack. It was priced so far above what she could afford, she’d decided to skip the pool and get some studying done.
The elegant clerk gave her a knowing look and took the swimsuit off the rack, “This will look lovely on you. Enjoy the pool.”
“I’m sorry, I…I can’t afford a suit like that.” Gina backed away, leaving her holding out the swimsuit.
The woman smiled and followed her, handing her the suit, “Don’t worry about it, anything you want is on the house. Owner’s orders.”
Preston…? Well, in that case… “Are you sure?” she asked, fingering the suit again.
“Yes. Positive. Enjoy the water.”
“I will. Thank you.” She unlocked the gym and pool floor with the keycard one of the employees had given her. It was like she’d been caught in some sort of weird dream. In the dressing room she found plush hotel robes and towels for her use.
The moment she dove into the deep end of the pool, her spirits lifted. She was alone and the reduced gravity in the water enveloped her body and even extended to her soul. All the worries of the day drifted away. She felt light – and happy.
After swimming a dozen laps, she paused with her arms resting atop the pool’s edge. The pool featured an abstract shape, resembling a seashell. Small niches featured bubbling water loungers, a color therapy cave where the lighting alternated every minute in different colors, and a center long enough to offer swimmers a chance to do laps.
She glanced around and noticed that the luxury of the rest of the hotel hadn’t stopped here. The ornate ceilings and gold-trimmed wall sconces still existed here, but instead of the old paintings, large plants in a variety of shapes and sizes provided the artistic element to the space.
Gold painted patio furniture and elegant teakwood loungers were scattered around the area, giving her the impression to be on the beach. She swam two more laps and then soaked in the hot whirlpool. The bubbling heat had a soothing effect on her mind and soon enough every last bit of irritation had slipped away.
Gina was sure, Preston had overreacted when painting the gloomy pictures of her being hounded by the paparazzi. The press never stayed on one story for long. They’d soon lose interest and move on. And she could get back to her normal life.
She stepped out of the pool and after drying off, she slipped into the plush robe, tying the belt around her waist and taking the private lift back up to Preston’s suite. There she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and headed for the bedroom, intending to get dressed and then hit the books.
She untied the robe and was preparing to rinse off in the shower when her cell phone rang. She glanced at the caller i.d. and then swiped her thumb across the screen. “Roberto?”
“Gina, are you okay?” he asked with a worried voice.
“I’m fine. Why? What’s going on?”
“There was some guy over here, taking things out of your apartment.”
“Roberto, did this guy happen to h
ave a key to my apartment?” She smiled into the phone.
“Well…yeah, but…”
“Then don’t you think maybe I sent him over there?” she asked, stretching the truth just a tiny bit.
The voice of a ringing doorbell came through the phone.
“Hang on a second, while I get it,” Roberto said.
Gina listened as Roberto opened the door and greeted whoever was on the other side. Seconds later she heard cursing, shouting and what sounded like a fistfight happening. “Roberto? Roberto!” It was several long moments before he finally came back to the phone.
“Sorry about that,” he wheezed into the phone.
“What in the world is going on over there?”
“It was nothing.” He tried to appease her.
“Nothing? I heard fighting. How can you pretend it was nothing?” Gina all but shouted into the phone. Since what had lying and hiding the truth become such an integral part of her life?
“…Gina… there are reporters everywhere. They were in front of the building when I came home for lunch, and they must have followed the guy who took your things up here.”
“I’m sorry about that.” Gina’s calmness fell away. It looked a lot like Preston hadn’t exaggerated about the manhunt. Womanhunt.
“Have you done something horrible? Are you in trouble? Dou you need help?” he sounded honestly concerned, “Gina, I know I’ve been pestering you lately with…you know…but I’m still your friend and if you are in trouble, you can count on me, always. You know that, right?”
“Right, but I’m fine.” Gina sighed.
“Then why is someone is offering a hundred-thousand-euro for your head?”
Gina swallowed. Hard. “What? A bounty of one hundred thousand euros? On my head? That’s insane. I didn’t do anything wrong.” Well, according to the moral standards of her parents, sleeping with a man you weren’t married or at least engaged to, was wrong. But it wasn’t anything evil, and definitely not a crime that justified a head money.
“Tell me about it. The guy at the door offered me an additional ten grand if I would call him with a tip off the moment you arrive home.”
“Roberto, tell me you didn’t take the money,” she demanded, feeling like the entire world came crushing around her. She dropped on top of her littered clothes on the bed with the noise of a door thunking shut.
“Of course I didn’t. What do you take me for, some two-bit gold-digger who’s only interest in you is for your money?” Roberto growled.
Gina laughed, “Well considering I don’t have any money, you might have to look for another victim.”
“Talking about victim. I’m afraid that particular guy has to go easy for a few days. But it’s only a matter of time before someone else knows where you are. Where are you, by the way?”
“Some girls in my class recognized me and must have tipped off the newspapers.”
“Still haven’t answered the question,” Roberto chuckled.
“And I’m not going to. I’m hiding out for the weekend.” She returned his chuckle. “I don’t have time to deal with a bunch of reporters.”
“I know. You could always come hang out at my place. I’ll gladly punch some more faces for you,” Roberto suggested with a note of hope in his voice.
“Only in your dreams,” she said.
“Every night, babe.”
“Stop it. We’re just friends, remember?”
“Unfortunately I remember. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m sure. Thanks for looking out for me.” Gina covered her eyes with her hand. If she could just make everything go away. Return in time. Stop at the red traffic light. Never meet Preston in the first place. She already missed him. His touch. His kisses. The heat he sparked in her body with a simple glance.
Robert’s voice reached her ear. “…Earth calling Gina. Are you still there?”
“Yes sorry. I’m a bit distracted.”
“No problem. Still haven’t told me what you did, but I’m here if you need me. Don’t forget.”
“I won’t. Thanks Roberto,” she answered and disconnected the call. Then she tossed the phone onto the mattress and got up. She needed that shower now, or rather a bathtub full of hot water.
Chapter 19
Preston wandered around the hotel after the watching the Sandrine’s disgusting performance on the national news channel. The need to kill someone coiled in his gut. For a moment he wished he lived in the Wild West, where actually doing this was a valid option. Then he called his publicist.
“Hey, Monica,” he said as she answered on the first ring.
“What’s up Preston? I’m nearly finished with the press release? You want to hear it?”
“Yes.”
After she finished, he made some small suggestions and then said, “About the press conference. I’d rather not go. I’m afraid I’d squash one of those pesky reporters when they say anything negative about Gina.”
A dry laugh came through the line. “Yes, I thought about that too. I actually wanted to suggest to let me handle everything. There’s no need for you to get exposed. At the moment the atmosphere is a bit heated.”
“Thanks,” he sighed into the phone.
“Okay then, I keep you informed,” Monica answered.
He heard the blip, announcing another waiting call on her line and grinned. He’d never seen her without the Bluetooth headset in her ear, which reminded him of the beautiful Borg drone Seven of Nine.
“Sorry I have to get that one. Anything else you needed?” Monica asked.
“No. Thanks.”
Several minutes later Preston arrived at his suite, pondering whether to tell Gina about the latest developments or shield her from the truth, when he heard her voice. Talking to someone.
“…I don’t have any money, you might have to look for another victim.”
He waited for her to explode. But nothing happened. On the contrary, she seemed very friendly with the caller. Even thanked him for looking out for her.
What if this was all part of some grand scheme? A carefully devised plot. Gina and Sandrine thick as thieves, intent on squeezing the most amount of money from him. What would be their next move? Blackmailing him?
He strolled through the room and opened the left ajar door to her bedroom. When she turned and notices him, she jumped and screamed in fright. Her alarmed face was prove enough. Guilty as charged. Caught red-handed.
“Who were you talking to?” he asked, strolling into the room and narrowing his eyes at her.
She gathered her bathrobe and tied the belt, as if he was the was the tiniest bit interested perusing her body. Okay, he was. A lot. But not now. For all he knew she was just another bitch after his riches.
Gina put the hands on her hips, “I don’t like you sneaking up on me. And I definitely don’t like your tone of voice.”
“Who were you talking to?” he asked again.
“That’s none of your business.”
Preston made a face and then leveled cold eyes her direction, “You’re staying in my hotel, at my expense…it’s a simple question, really. Who. Were. You. Talking. To.”
“I don’t feel like telling you,” she quipped, red anger blotches appearing on her cheeks.
“I should have known it,” he growled at her.
“Known what?” Her green eyes had transformed into a lime-green color, sending flashes straight into his hear.
“You’re just another gold-digging bitch. God, why am I even trying to help you?” he growled. Gina visibly flinched but she didn’t back down.
“I don’t know, why are you?” she tossed back at him.
“Tell me about the hundred-thousand-dollars,” he asked.
“You know about that?” her eyes widened.
Preston didn’t give her any indication whether he did or not, but he insisted, “Tell me. The truth.”
Gina was shouting by now, “That was a neighbor and friend. He was just offered a shitload of money if he wo
uld tell the press where I was.” She took a step forward and stabbed a finger at his chest, “This is all your fault. You hear me! I’m not some criminal to have a bounty on my head. You’re ruining my life.”
Preston could see the fury in her eyes, as well as the hurt. After her outburst the flame lapsed and she covered her face with her hands and started sobbing. “I wish I’d never met you.”
Her last statement shattered his heart into a million pieces. She was nothing like Sandrine. She was innocent in all of this.
“I’m sorry, the whole thing freaked me out,” he said and pulled her in for a hug. She stiffened for a moment, but then her body melted against his and he could feel the tension evaporate. He closed his eyes as her scent swamped his senses. They stood there for a few moments, until her sobbing subsided.
“I’m sorry too,” she whispered. “I’m going crazy with all this.
“It’ll all work out, somehow. I promise. I just returned from a meeting with the hotel’s publicist and the manager and they are working on a press conference to calm things down,” Preston said and swiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb. The tiny movement made her shiver.
“That’s a good thing, right?” she asked, pushing back from his embrace to meet his eyes.
Preston looked down into her green eyes. He kissed her forehead, “It will help. It won’t make it all go away, but it will help. Now, it looks like someone was down in the pool.”
His eyes dragged down her body, as she stood in front of him with a partially opened bathrobe and an enticing turquoise swimsuit showing of her luscious curves. The last bit of his anger dissipated as need for her rose.
Preston slid the tie of the robe loose and moved the sides apart, giving him unfettered access to the body beneath. “God, you’re gorgeous.”
Gina bit her lip and then drew a finger down his chest, “You’re not bad yourself. I was getting ready to take a bath…”
“I could help with that…I have a few minutes…” Preston captured her finger and drew it to his mouth, where he bit the tip of her finger and then licked the small hurt away.
