CHAPTER EIGHT
RACHEL didn’t see Alessandro for the rest of the day. Lucia told her he was working on an important business project and did not want to be disturbed.
‘He told me to remind you about Rocco Gianatto coming this afternoon to see you about fabrics,’ Lucia added. ‘He should be here any minute. I’ll make coffee and bring it in when he arrives.’
‘Thank you, Lucia,’ Rachel said. ‘I’ll wait for him in the salon.’
Lucia brought in a smartly dressed man in his forties a short time later. Rachel rose from the sofa and greeted him with an outstretched hand. ‘It was very good of you to come here to see me, Signor Gianatto,’ she said.
‘It is no problem,’ Rocco said with a smile. ‘When Alessandro called me he told me about his little accident.’
Rachel wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say. Alessandro had told her nothing other than he did not want the press to know about his illness. She wondered if this was a test of some sort, to see if she would be indiscreet at the first opportunity that presented itself. ‘He is finding it rather frustrating,’ she said at last.
‘Yes, spraining his ankle would be rather a nuisance but no doubt you are cheering him up,’ Rocco said.
Rachel blushed but forced herself to stay focused on the business at hand. ‘Here is my portfolio,’ she said, opening it before him on her laptop.
‘Alessandro must be very impressed with your work to put his money in your business,’ Rocco Gianatto said after several moments of perusing her designs. ‘He is a very careful investor, but then who is not these days, sì?’
‘I am very fortunate to have his support,’ Rachel said.
‘Your designs are quite lovely,’ Rocco said. ‘I am sure you will do very well.’
‘Thank you.’
He reached into his briefcase and handed her a thick folder of fabric samples. ‘Here are some of my best fabrics,’ he said. ‘All top-of-the range quality. Have a look through at your leisure. I will leave my contact details and if you have time to visit the factory before you return home I would be very happy to show you around.’
‘You’re very kind,’ she said.
‘Not at all,’ he said with another charming smile.
Rachel was about to offer Rocco more coffee when Alessandro appeared in the doorway using only a walking stick. Rachel’s eyes widened a fraction but Alessandro simply smiled and moved over to where she was standing. He leaned on the stick and placed his other hand around her waist.
‘So you have met my lovely young companion,’ he said to Rocco.
‘Yes, she is quite lovely, Alessandro,’ Rocco said. ‘Not your usual type at all. Perhaps you will keep her a little longer than the others, sì?’
Rachel bristled. ‘I am not used to men discussing me as if I am not in the room,’ she said.
Alessandro pressed a kiss to the top of her head. ‘See what a little firebrand she is, Rocco? Maybe I will keep her a little longer than the others. She is certainly very entertaining. I think I will miss her when she goes back to Australia.’
‘If you are not careful I will leave right this minute,’ Rachel shot back.
Alessandro gently tapped her on the end of her nose. ‘You know you don’t mean that.’
I do, I do! Rachel wanted to scream out loud but instead pressed her lips tightly together. Of course she couldn’t leave, not without repaying every penny he had given her. He had covered all his bases. He was too street smart to have left himself open to exploitation. He was toying with her, amusing himself while his business associate looked on in amusement. He couldn’t have planned a more effective revenge. It made her love for him turn sour. How could she have been so trusting to have opened her heart to him about Craig’s treatment of her, only for him to have turned her into a rich man’s plaything, a toy to be picked up and put down when his interest faded?
The door had barely closed on Rocco Gianatto’s exit when she swung around to glare at Alessandro. ‘How dare you treat me like a cheap little trollop you’ve bought for your entertainment?’
He leaned on his stick but even so he towered over her. ‘You’re being overly sensitive. You know the terms we laid down. You agreed to act as my mistress in public. That fact that you chose to sleep with me in private is neither here nor there. It is no one’s business but our own.’
She ground her teeth together. ‘How can you be so coldblooded about this? Of course it’s different. It changes everything.’
‘You are making things complicated when they don’t need to be,’ he said evenly.
‘I don’t like people thinking I am sleeping with you for money,’ she said. ‘You have to admit that’s what people are going to automatically assume once they hear about you backing my label. It’s certainly what Rocco Gianatto assumed and as far as I could tell you were actively encouraging him to think it.’
‘Why do you care so much about what people think?’ he asked.
‘Why do you care so little?’ she flashed back.
‘You’ll have to get used to it, Rachel, because I’ve released a press statement,’ he said. ‘By morning everyone will know you’re my mistress.’
‘I could release my own press statement,’ she threw back.
His eyes pinned hers. ‘You could but you know what will happen if you do. You read and signed the agreement.’
‘I wish I hadn’t come to see you,’ she said, stalking to the other side of the room. ‘You’re the last person I should have come to. I should have known it would backfire on me.’
‘How has it backfired on you?’ he asked. ‘Your company is safe. You’ve got what you want. I could have continued to refuse to help you but I didn’t.’
Rachel turned around to face him. ‘You don’t get it, do you?’
‘What am I supposed to get?
Rachel shook her head at him. ‘Never mind. I’m being stupid as usual.’
‘You’re not stupid, cara,’ he said. ‘I wish you would not denigrate yourself all the time.’
She let out a sound that was half a laugh. ‘You’re so nice to me and yet you want me to leave at the end of the month and never see me again.’
‘It has to be that way, Rachel,’ he said.
‘Why does it?’ she asked.
‘You live in Australia and I live in Italy,’ he said. ‘There’s one obstacle and there are probably dozens more.’ ‘You won’t compromise, will you?’ she asked. ‘No.’
Rachel gave him a tight little smile. It seemed important now to hide from him how much he had hurt her. Let him think she was after his money instead of his love. It was easier that way. ‘I guess it was worth a try,’ she said. ‘I quite fancy being the wife of a billionaire. Maybe you could give me a few contacts of yours or even set me up on a blind date once you’ve finished with me.’
A hard look came into his eyes. ‘I’ll see what I can do,’ he said and left without another word.
Rachel let out a heavy sigh. What was the point of winning a battle when the war was already lost?
Alessandro came in for dinner and frowned when he saw the empty seat opposite his. He felt his chest tighten. Surely she wouldn’t have called his bluff? She had too much to lose. She wouldn’t walk away from such a binding contract. It would be financial suicide. ‘Where is Signorina McCulloch?’ he asked Lucia.
‘She is not feeling well,’ Lucia said. ‘She’s gone to bed.’
‘What’s wrong with her?’ he asked, frowning.
‘Female trouble,’ Lucia said matter-of-factly.
Alessandro looked at the empty chair again, his heart rate settling back down to normal again. ‘See that she gets everything she needs, will you?’
‘Sì, signor,’ Lucia said. ‘I have already given her some paracetamol and a hot-water bottle.’
‘Grazie.’
‘Signor …?’
‘Lucia, I employ you to cook my meals and keep the villa tidy,’ Alessandro said stiffly. ‘I do not need your advice on my love life.
’
Lucia pursed her lips. ‘Sì, Signor. ‘
Alessandro picked at his food and ignored the wine altogether. Lucia came in with another course but he waved her away. ‘I’m not hungry.’
‘Do you want coffee?’ she asked as she cleared the table.
‘No.’
‘A cognac?’
‘No.’
‘Signor?’
‘What?’ Alessandro snapped.
‘I was about to take a cup of tea up to the signorina,’ Lucia said.
Alessandro stood up and reached for his stick. ‘You go home, Lucia,’ he said. ‘Have the rest of the night off, tomorrow too, if you like. I can look after Signorina McCulloch.’
Lucia beamed at him. ‘Grazie, signor. ‘
Rachel was lying in bed when there was a knock at the door. ‘Come in, Lucia,’ she said.
The door opened and Alessandro appeared carrying a cup of tea with one hand while the other grasped his walking stick. ‘I gave Lucia the rest of the night off,’ he said.
‘Oh …’
‘How are you feeling?’ he asked. Rachel felt her cheeks heating. ‘I’m fine.’
He handed her the tea. ‘Do you want biscuits or toast or anything?’
‘No, this is fine,’ she said.
There was a beat or two of silence.
‘I’m sorry for being such a nuisance,’ Rachel said, not looking at him.
‘You’re not being a nuisance.’
A moment of silence passed.
‘Do you often have painful periods?’ he asked.
‘Not often,’ she said. ‘I guess it’s the stress or the travelling or both.’
He sat on the edge of the bed. ‘It must have been a very worrying time for you over the last couple of years,’ he said.
‘You have no idea,’ Rachel said on a sigh. ‘I’ve fought back so many times. It’s cost a fortune in legal fees trying to clear my name. Craig fraudulently used my name in several loans he had taken out. I had no choice but to cover them as best I could. I tried to get another business loan but no one would come near me after that. That’s why Caitlyn put in so much of her own money. We’ve both worked so hard and the thought of losing it all was so terrifying. This trip to Italy was my last hope.’
‘But you’re OK now,’ he said. ‘That’s the main thing.’
‘Yes, thanks to you.’ She looked up at him. ‘I can’t tell you how grateful I am. I’m sorry I was snarly with you earlier. I can be such a cow sometimes.’
He smiled and reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. ‘You’re forgiven.’
Rachel curled her fingers around his. ‘You’re doing so well with your walking now,’ she said. ‘I can’t believe the difference in a few days.’
‘Perhaps it’s been your presence here,’ he said with another smile. ‘You’ve been an added incentive.’
She traced the back of his hand with her fingertip. ‘It must have been a terrible shock to become so suddenly vulnerable,’ she said. ‘You’ve always been so active and strong.’
‘Yes, we all to some degree take good health for granted until we are faced with a crisis,’ he said. ‘It’s been a lesson to me. I won’t be taking too much for granted again.’
‘Lucia says you work too hard, that you need more balance in your life.’
Alessandro frowned. ‘Lucia forgets her place sometimes.’
‘She cares about you,’ Rachel said. ‘She wants to see you happy.’
He began to rise from the bed. ‘I should let you sleep.’
Rachel reached for his hand to stop him. ‘Don’t go.’
‘Rachel, it’s best I go so you can get some rest.’
‘I just want someone to hold me,’ she said. ‘No one has ever done that before. Just hold me. Please?’
Alessandro sat back down and stroked the hair back from her face. ‘You haven’t drunk your tea.’
‘I don’t want it,’ she said. ‘I just want you.’
He lay down beside her and gathered her close. ‘I’ll leave once you’re asleep.’
‘Don’t leave me,’ she said, burrowing closer.
I have to leave, Alessandro thought. I always leave.
But when morning came he was still there with his arms around her, the soft breeze of her breath tickling his neck where she was pressed so close to him. She had looked so vulnerable with her beautiful face all washed out and pinched with pain that he hadn’t been able to maintain his distance. But now was another story. He had to refocus, to remain strong.
He gently untangled himself from her arms and got off the bed, reaching for his stick for balance. But in spite of his determination he couldn’t stop himself from looking down at her for a few more precious moments. She looked so young and innocent in sleep. He thought of waking beside her every morning, not just for a week or two but for the rest of their lives. Was this what his father had felt for his mother? He didn’t want to feel anything like that for anyone. It had destroyed his father and it would destroy him. Love was an addiction that could not always be controlled. He had felt it before and it had blinded him. It was better this way, to have his fill of her and let her go, better for both of them. She thought herself in love with him but women were wired that way to associate good sex with emotion. She would move on and find someone else, someone who wanted the same things in life, marriage, commitment, a child or two. He pushed aside the image that came to mind of her swollen with someone else’s child. That was taking self-torture way too far.
He bent down and brushed a soft kiss against the plump curve of her mouth. She murmured something but he couldn’t quite catch it. She nestled into the pillow and let out a tiny sigh.
He grasped his stick and limped out of the room, closing the door softly behind him.
When Rachel came downstairs Alessandro was out on the terrace. He turned when she came through the French doors and smiled at her. ‘You are looking a little less peaky than last night,’ he said.
‘I’m feeling much better now.’
‘I thought if you felt up to it we might go out for breakfast,’ he said. ‘I gave Lucia the day off and I have to warn you I am no cook.’
‘I can make us something,’ Rachel offered.
‘No, it’s probably time we faced the music, so to speak,’ he said, nodding towards the paper that was on the table of the outdoor setting.
She couldn’t read the article but there was a photo of her that had been sourced from somewhere. She recognised Alessandro’s name and hers. She could just imagine what had been said about her. She was glad she couldn’t read it. She knew none of it would be flattering. It never was. She would be tagged as one of Alessandro’s gold-digging lovers, intent on money and prestige.
‘The press will probably be about,’ he said. ‘They always want an exclusive. Just do your best to ignore them. You don’t have to say anything. It’s better if you don’t.’
‘I don’t want to go out,’ she said. ‘I’d rather stay here.’
‘Rachel, we have to go out in public sooner or later,’ he said. ‘This can be a practice run for next week in Paris. It’s not a big deal.’
‘It’s a big deal to me,’ she said. ‘I don’t like being seen as a rich man’s mistress. It’s demeaning.’
He rolled his eyes in frustration. ‘Do you know there are times when I just don’t get you? Yesterday you were asking me for contacts so you could land yourself a rich husband. Now you’re balking at being seen in public with me. Or is it this stick that is worrying you? Is that what this is about?’
‘How can you think that of me?’ she gasped. ‘How can you?’
‘I am trying to do the right thing by you, Rachel,’ he said. ‘Now I am asking you to do something for me. The business meeting in Paris is very important to me. It’s a big one, a massive one. I don’t want any hint of my illness compromising it. Being seen in public with you both here and there will help my cause. This is your turn to do me a favour. I don’t see why you are so hesitant about
this. It’s not as if it’s going to cost you anything.’
‘Why is everything always about business with you?’ she asked.
‘Because that is what counts,’ he said. ‘I can rely on facts and figures.’
She frowned at him. ‘And you can’t rely on people?’ ‘I have taught myself never to rely on people,’ he said. ‘It doesn’t matter who they are, they always let you down in the end.’
‘You don’t give anyone a chance to prove you wrong about that,’ Rachel said. ‘You cut people out of your life before you get attached to them.’
He scowled at her. ‘When did you become such an expert on relationships?’
Rachel lowered her gaze, stung by his cutting remark. ‘I never said I was an expert …’
He tipped up her chin and let out a heavy sigh. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘That was low of me.’
She tried to smile but her lips wouldn’t cooperate. ‘It’s OK. I know I’m not great at relationships. I guess it’s because I’m scared no one will love me unless I do everything that’s expected of me. I just wish … I just wish for once in my life I could be loved for just being me.’
He continued to hold her gaze for a pulsing moment before his fingers fell away from propping up her chin. ‘Come on,’ he said gruffly. ‘I want to get this over with.’
The café Alessandro took her to for breakfast overlooked the sparkling blue of the ocean, with the Isle of Capri a jewel in the distance. Rachel had mentally prepared herself for the barrage of the press as soon as they stepped out of the car. She avoided most of the questions by letting Alessandro do the talking. He was polite but firm with them, answering what he wanted to answer and ignoring what he did not.
‘Signor Vallini, tell us about your accident.’
‘I tripped down some steps,’ he said with a self-deprecating smile. ‘I was lucky not to have broken both of my ankles.’
‘Is it true you are in the process of negotiating a deal with Sheikh Almeed Khaled from Dubai?’
‘No comment.’
‘How long do you plan to stay in Positano?’ another asked.
‘Until September,’ Alessandro answered.
‘Signor Vallini, is it true that you were involved with Miss McCulloch five years ago?’ a female journalist pressed forward to ask just as they were about to enter the café.
His Poor Little Rich Girl Page 13
