by Andie Brock
‘Perhaps your godfather doesn’t speak English?’ That would explain Vieri’s high-handed manner.
‘Aflonso speaks perfect English.’
So that was that theory crushed. And it would make her job harder, even though Vieri didn’t seem to recognise it.
‘Then obviously I need to be able to converse with him.’ She tried to assert some authority. ‘And to do that I need to know more about him. And we need to know more about each other.’ She tailed off, her authority already slipping away. Talking about herself was not a subject she was comfortable with.
‘Very well.’ Vieri immediately pounced on her reluctance, his full attention suddenly on her. ‘Tell me your life story, Ms Harper McDonald.’
Harper swallowed hard. Her life story was not something she was fond of recounting. Everyone in her home town of Glenruie knew it anyway—those poor wee girls, left motherless by a tragic accident that took their mother then drove their father to drink. Left struggling to make ends meet, to keep a roof over their heads. But where strangers were concerned, Harper was careful to keep her tale of woe to herself. Except now this particular stranger was silently, unnervingly waiting for answers. She decided she would stick firmly to the facts.
‘Umm, well, I am twenty-five years old and I’ve lived all my life in a small town called Glenruie on the west coast of Scotland with my father and my sister.’ She paused. ‘My father is a gamekeeper for the Craigmore estate. He manages the birds and the fishing for Craigmore Lodge, which is still owned by the Laird but now run as a hotel. Leah and I work there sometimes, housekeeping, waitressing, that sort of thing.’
‘And your mother?’
‘She died.’ Harper pursed her lips, then forced herself to continue. ‘A long time ago now. An accident with a shotgun.’
‘I’m sorry.’ Vieri lowered his voice.
‘That’s okay.’ But of course it wasn’t. In truth the accident had all but decimated their lives.
‘And I gather there are problems with your father.’
Harper silently cursed her sister again. ‘Umm, he hasn’t been well lately so things have been a bit tough.’
‘Leah said he’s a drinker.’ She really would kill Leah. ‘Is it true that if he loses his job you lose your home?’
‘Well, in theory that could happen. But I’m sure it won’t come to that. Anyway...’ she folded her arms over her chest ‘...that’s enough about me.’ She attempted a small laugh that died in the purring quiet of the car. ‘What should I know about you?’
Vieri laid his arm on the armrest between them, his fingers curling over the end. He turned to the front. ‘Thirty-two. Sicilian by birth but I’ve been living in New York for fourteen years. CEO of Romano Holdings. I started in the hotel and leisure industry, but now control over a hundred companies, and that number is growing all the time.’
Harper frowned. This wasn’t the sort of information she wanted. She wasn’t looking to invest or compiling a list of the world’s most successful businesses, though she had no doubt that if she did Romano Holdings would be up there at the top. She was supposed to be engaged to him, for heaven’s sake; she was supposed to know him personally.
‘What about your family?’ She focussed on his proud profile. ‘Parents, brothers and sisters?’
‘No, none.’ His voice was bleak, his hand tightening on the armrest.
‘What, no living relatives at all?’ His obvious reticence only made her want to push further.
‘No.’ A muscle now twitched in his cheek. ‘I was raised in a children’s home.’
‘Oh.’ The word seemed ridiculously inadequate. ‘Did your parents die, then?’
‘I’ve no idea. But if not they might as well have done. I was left on the steps of a church when I was a few hours old.’
‘Oh, how sad.’ The image of the tiny abandoned bundle lodged in her mind and refused to be shifted.
‘Not really. I’ve done pretty well for myself.’
‘Well, yes, of course, but—’
‘And from what I’ve seen of other people’s families, maybe I was better off without one.’
Was that a swipe at her? Harper scowled to herself.
‘But actually I was very lucky. Alfonso Calleroni was a trustee of the children’s home. He looked out for me, became my godfather. Without him I may well have strayed down the wrong path.’
‘You owe him a lot?’
‘Everything.’ Harper could hear the emotion in his voice. ‘Which is why I want to do this one last thing for him. His happiness means a great deal to me.’
Harper hesitated. A thought had occurred to her that wouldn’t be pushed away. ‘Do you not think...’ she started cautiously, all too aware that Vieri was not the sort of man who liked to be challenged ‘...that your godfather is thinking about your happiness when he says he wants to see you married? Not his own.’
Swinging round to face her again, Vieri positively shimmered with hostility. ‘In the unlikely event that I should ever want your opinion, Harper McDonald, I will ask for it.’ His voice was a low hiss. ‘Until then I will thank you to keep your thoughts to yourself and do the job your sister has been paid to do. Is that understood?’
‘Perfectly.’ Harper straightened her back and turned to look out of the window. From now on she would keep her mouth shut. Even if she was the only one who could see this whole charade was stupid.
The rest of the short journey was travelled in silence until the car slowed before turning off the main road and up a long driveway. Only when it drew to a halt did Vieri turn to look at her again.
‘Before we go in, you will be needing this.’ Slipping his hand into his trouser pocket, he brought out a ring box and passed it to her. The velvet box was still warm from where it had nestled against his thigh. ‘If it doesn’t fit we can get it resized.’
Harper cautiously opened the box, realising she was holding her breath as she did so. Which was stupid. What did it matter what the ring looked like, or indeed if it was as fake as their engagement? Nevertheless as she removed it from the box, felt the weight of the green stone, saw its mocking sparkle in the dim light of the car, she had no doubt that this was the real thing. When she slid it onto her finger it fitted perfectly. Which only made her feel more uncomfortable. As did Vieri’s dark gaze, which drifted from her hand to her face, making her stomach do an inexplicable swoop.
‘You are ready?’
Harper nodded, stuffing the offending hand into her coat pocket to keep it from view as the driver came around to open her car door for her. ‘Yes.’ Somehow the right word came out, even though every part of her body was screaming no.
‘Bene. Then let’s do this.’
CHAPTER THREE
‘COME A LITTLE closer so that I can see you better, mia cara.’
Harper did as she was told, edging towards the reclining chair where Alfonso Calleroni was propped up by a pile of cushions, a blanket draped over his bony knees.
‘Ah, that’s better. Sit here beside me. Vieri, don’t just stand there. Pull up a chair for your young lady.’
Vieri dutifully produced a chair and placed it beside his godfather. Harper awkwardly settled herself down. If this whole situation weren’t bad enough, Vieri was making it worse by standing right behind her, his hands on the back of the chair, his unnerving presence all around her.
‘So, Harper, you say. Have I got that right?’
‘Yes.’ Harper suspected from her very brief acquaintance with Alfonso Calleroni that he probably got most things right. Despite his age and frailty and the poor state of his health she could tell he was still a very astute man. Which meant he wasn’t going to be easy to fool. Only now did she realise that she had been hoping Vieri’s godfather’s faculties would be somewhat impaired. Which was an awful thing to hope for. Ashamed of herself, she tried to make up for her nastiness by giving him a bright smile. ‘That’s right.’
‘And is that a Scottish name? Am I correctly attributing that wonderful accent
of yours?’
‘Yes.’ He was as sharp as a pin. ‘But the name came from my mother’s favourite book, To Kill a Mockingbird. She called me and my twin sister Harper and Leah. As a loose sort of tribute.’
‘So there are two of you? How wonderful.’
‘Yes.’ Although it felt slightly less wonderful from where she was sitting.
‘And you met in New York, Vieri was telling me? A long way from home.’
‘Harper’s sister, Leah, was working in one of my clubs. Harper came to visit her,’ Vieri smoothly interjected.
‘And the two of you fell in love.’ One gnarled, arthritic hand reached out to take hold of Harper’s, holding it in his shaky grasp so that he could inspect the traitorous ring. ‘How wonderful.’ He raised his rheumy eyes to Harper’s face. ‘And your parents? I trust Vieri has done the right thing and spoken to your father to ask for your hand in marriage.’
Harper swallowed.
‘Not yet, Alfonso.’ Vieri cut in again. ‘This has all happened rather fast. We wanted you to be the first to know.’
‘Of course you did.’ Alfonso’s eyes travelled to Vieri’s face, lingering there for several seconds. ‘After all, I won’t be around much longer. It would have been such a shame for me to die without knowing you had chosen a wife for yourself, wouldn’t it now?’
‘Let’s not talk about dying, padrino.’
‘Ah, but I am afraid we must, mio figlio. There are things that need to be discussed now that my time on this earth is short.’ Raising Harper’s hand, he brought it to his lips and gave the back of it a dry kiss. ‘But I am tired now so I think they must wait for another day. Thank you so much for coming to see me, my dear.’ He shifted in his seat, his face suddenly contorting with pain so that his nurse, who had been hovering in the background, rushed forward to help him. ‘You have chosen well, Vieri. She is a lovely girl.’
As he pressed a button on his chair it slowly started to lever him upright until he was able to lean forward and grasp the walking frame that had been positioned in front of him by his nurse. ‘Now, if you will excuse me.’
‘Of course.’ Vieri bent to give his godfather a kiss on the cheek. ‘We will see you tomorrow.’
‘Tomorrow, yes.’ Alfonso gave him a weak smile. ‘Let us see what tomorrow will bring.’
* * *
The next day’s visit involved a longer stay, as did the day after that. Alfonso obviously delighted in his godson’s company, the affection between them clear to see. But the affection between Vieri and Harper was another matter. Far from treating her like the love of his life, Vieri merely paraded her like some sort of trophy, to be perched on a chair and then ignored. With Alfonso’s sharp intelligence missing nothing, Harper was becoming more and more convinced that they weren’t putting on a good enough act.
On the third day, after returning to Vieri’s stunning penthouse apartment in the luxury hotel he owned in Palermo, she decided she couldn’t keep quiet any longer. Shrugging off her coat, she confronted Vieri.
‘I’m worried that Alfonso knows we are not a real couple.’
‘Why do you say that?’ Vieri had made straight for the bar. ‘I thought he seemed very cheerful today. He had more colour in his cheeks, less of that grey pallor.’ Uncorking a bottle of wine, he poured Harper a glass and handed it to her.
‘Yes, that’s true.’
She watched as Vieri dropped ice cubes into his glass, pouring in a generous measure of whisky. With his shirtsleeves rolled up, his hair casually messed, he was the epitome of the billionaire playboy at ease. He was strikingly tall, his physique a perfect combination of long limbs and honed muscle beneath taut olive skin, his movements both graceful and dangerous, like a tiger on the prowl. Yes, he was far more handsome than was good for him. Or her for that matter. Despite her best intentions to remain aloof, he seemed to have the bizarre capacity to heat her skin from within whenever he looked at her, to set her body tingling with anticipation at the mere sound of his faint, but deeply sexy Sicilian accent.
Taking a healthy sip of her wine, she turned away. She knew she had to be on her guard. She knew she really, really shouldn’t be starting to look forward to this brief, early evening time they spent together. It wasn’t as if Vieri had ever given her the slightest encouragement, shown any interest in her at all.
In the few days since arriving in Sicily they had fallen into a routine of sorts. Vieri would work all morning while Harper was left to amuse herself. She had taken to wandering into Palermo, exploring the narrow, cobbled side streets and the exotic markets or ordering a cup of bitter dark coffee and sitting outside to watch the bustling crowds go by. The city was full of such colour and vibrancy, she was already starting to love it. Their afternoons would be spent visiting Alfonso and then in the evening Vieri would disappear into his office and she wouldn’t see him again. Despite being able to choose from the hotel’s extensive menu, prepared by one of Sicily’s top chefs, Harper had little appetite. Eating alone on the sofa, she would spend her time making calls to her father or searching social media sites on the Internet in the hope of finding some information about Leah. But there was nothing. Which only made her worry deepen still further.
Now she moved to sit on one of the cream leather sofas. ‘I did think Alfonso was looking better today, but that doesn’t alter the fact that he knows our engagement is a sham. You underestimate how sharp he is.’
‘I can assure you I never underestimate anything about my godfather.’ Vieri seated himself on the sofa opposite her, the ice clinking in the glass. He sounded vaguely irritated, as if she was a slightly annoying appendage that had to be tolerated in order to solve a problem. Which she supposed she was. But the more he treated her like that, the more Harper found she couldn’t hold her tongue. She was forthright by nature, and if something needed to be said, she couldn’t help but say it. Even if every broodingly dark muscle of Vieri’s finely honed body was silently telling her to shut up.
‘Then you must have noticed the way he looks at us, the way he takes everything in. He is not fooled by our pretence for a minute, Vieri. If you think he believes us, the only one being fooled is you.’
A muscle twitched ominously in Vieri’s cheek, silently conveying just how close she had come to overstepping the mark.
‘Well.’ With an exhalation of breath he leant back into the sofa, crossing one long leg over the other, his relaxed posture not fooling Harper for a minute. ‘As you seem to be so much more perceptive than me perhaps you would like to suggest what we do about it.’
‘Fine, I will.’ Refusing to be cowed, Harper placed her glass down on the table beside her. It was already half finished. She was drinking far too quickly. ‘First off we need to look as if we like each other—that would be a good start. Make eye contact, for example.’
‘I wasn’t aware we didn’t do that.’
‘Really? You spend more time looking at Alfonso’s nurse than you do me.’
Vieri gave a wry laugh. ‘Not jealous are we, Harper?’
‘Hardly.’ Her reply was too fast, too vehement. ‘Why would I be?’
‘Why indeed?’ Dark brows quirked upwards. ‘So, lack of eye contact, duly noted. What else am I doing wrong? I’m sure you are bursting to tell me.’
Harper frowned as she scanned his supremely confident pose. Yes, there were several things that she would be only too happy to point out to him, but many more she would keep to herself. Like the frantic beat of her blood when she was faced with that midnight-blue stare of his. And the fact that, far from lessening on a longer acquaintance, the impact of his powerful persona and stunning good looks seemed to be having an even more potent effect on her nervous system.
He altered his position, uncrossing his legs and running a hand over his jaw. For all his arrogant ease, Harper could see that he was waiting to hear what she had to say, even if he did intend to totally disregard it. Because beneath that languid exterior, Vieri Romano was as stubborn and unyielding as an iron girder. Well
, fine, she was stubborn too. Something her father liked to hurl at her, along with a lot more colourful adjectives, when he couldn’t get her to procure another bottle of whisky for him from the bar at the Lodge, or give him the money so that he could stumble down to the pub for himself.
‘Well, your body language is all wrong,’ she began purposefully. Vieri had asked for his shortcomings so she would give them to him. It was too good an opportunity to miss. ‘And you are far too evasive when Alfonso asks you questions about us. And you jump in all the time, when he is trying to talk to me.’
‘Is that so? Clearly I am no good at this.’ Vieri took another sip of whisky and set the glass down beside him. ‘So, shifty-eyed, stilted posture, evasive and interfering. Is there anything else you would like to add?’
‘No.’ Harper pursed her lips to suppress a rogue smile. ‘I think that’s enough to be going on with.’
‘Bene, then we had better do something about it.’
Harper’s smile knotted inside her. Something about the glint in his eye told her she wasn’t going to like what was coming next. Ditto, his use of the word we.
‘What do you mean?’
‘I suggest we try some role play.’ Somehow he managed to make the idea burn with seductive intent.
Harper’s anxiety spiked. ‘Role play?’
‘Yes.’ His eyes travelled lazily over her increasingly tense frame. ‘A little role play will help us be more comfortable in one another’s presence.’
Being in Vieri’s presence made Harper feel many things but comfortable wasn’t one of them. And she strongly suspected that the sort of role play he was talking about would do nothing to help with that.
‘I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.’ She turned her head away, flustered, desperately trying to escape from the trap that was of her own making.
‘No?’ Rising to his feet, Vieri moved to stand in front of her. ‘Well, it has to be worth a try. Come on, up you get.’
