Scandals Of The Powerful: Uncovering the Correttis / A Legacy of Secrets (Sicily's Corretti Dynasty) / An Invitation to Sin (Sicily's Corretti Dynasty) (Mills & Boon M&B)

by Carol Marinelli

  That statement ripped away another layer of her protection. ‘Why?’ The word was barely a whisper and it was a long time before he answered.

  ‘Because I’m your fiancé.’

  Taylor looked away quickly, horrified to realise she’d hoped for a different answer. ‘You were...very convincing. Unfortunately you’ve also upset another director.’

  And she knew just what that could cost her.

  Rafaele was the wrong man to upset.

  And suddenly fury mingled with despair. She’d been walking on eggshells trying not to upset him and now Luca had made things worse. ‘Did you have to go to those lengths? You humiliated him. You made him look like a fool.’

  ‘He did that with no help from me.’ Luca was unrepentant. ‘Why was he kissing you anyway?’

  ‘Because he was demonstrating a scene.’ She rubbed her fingers over her aching forehead, feeling crushed by the situation. ‘If he walks out too, Santo will freak.’

  ‘I hope he does walk. I don’t like the way he looks at you.’

  Slowly she dropped her hand to her side. ‘You mean the fake part of you that is “engaged” to me doesn’t like the way he looks at me? I think you just might have blown my film career by acting out a part we created in order to protect my film career.’ She looked away from him because looking at him made her think of the night before and they were both in enough trouble. ‘And what about you? You agreed to this to make yourself respectable. Does your board approve of a man fighting over his woman?’

  ‘Of course. They’re Sicilian.’ But he was frowning, as if something she’d said had given him pause for thought. ‘I don’t want to have blown your career. I’ll talk to Santo.’

  ‘No! You’ve done more than enough. I’ll sort it out.’

  Luca caught her arm. ‘Tell me why you’re scared of him.’ His tone was low and urgent. ‘Why do you care what that guy thinks of you?’

  Her mouth was dry. ‘Because he has...power.’

  ‘Power? You mean over your performance?’

  No, she didn’t mean that.

  ‘I just don’t want more bad headlines.’ That much was the truth. ‘I just want to act.’

  Luca stared at her for a long moment and then lifted his hand and brushed her cheek gently, his expression inscrutable. ‘Mi dispiace. I’m sorry if I made things difficult for you. That wasn’t my intention. Go and finish filming that scene. There’s something I need to do.’

  Determined to make up for his momentary loss of control, which had clearly made things awkward for her, Luca spent the afternoon on the phone. By the time he drove back to the docklands to collect Taylor he was feeling particularly pleased with his plan so it spoiled the moment slightly to see her waiting for him, white-faced and tense.

  ‘Your cousin fired Rafaele.’

  Luca wondered why she thought that came under the heading of ‘bad news.’ ‘Good. For once he and I are in agreement on something.’

  ‘Rafaele is going to be furious.’

  ‘And we care about that because...?’ When she didn’t answer, he sighed. ‘Get in the car.’

  ‘I’m starting to think this project is doomed.’ She slid into the car next to him and closed her eyes but her phone rang immediately.

  Luca tensed. ‘Is that him?’

  ‘No.’ She relaxed. ‘It’s just Zach. I’ll call him back later.’

  ‘Zach? Who the hell is Zach?’

  ‘Just a friend.’

  ‘I thought you didn’t have friends. I thought there was no one you trusted.’

  ‘I trust Zach more than I trust most people, but that isn’t saying much.’ She dropped the phone back into her bag. ‘What a day.’

  Luca forced himself not to ask all the questions he was burning to ask about Zach. ‘Does Santo have a replacement yet?’

  ‘Well, that’s the odd thing...’ She pushed her hair out of her eyes. ‘He’s given the job to his PA, Ella. I’ve talked to her loads of times. She’s crazy about everything to do with movie making which is why she’s working for Santo but I never knew she wanted to direct. He’s giving her the chance.’

  ‘I’m sure she’ll be brilliant. I’ll even let her kiss you—in fact, I’ll hang around in case she does.’ Noticing movement out of the corner of his eye, he leaned forward and kissed her himself. ‘Press approaching downwind. Look pleased to see me.’

  Her lips were soft and sweet under his and he took his time, kissing her slowly and deliberately until she pulled back with a frown. ‘OK, enough already.’

  Luca, who was unsettled to discover he’d had nowhere near enough of her, reached into the back of the car and put a baseball cap on her head.

  ‘Ugh—you’ll ruin my hair!’ She lifted her hand to remove it but he stopped her.

  ‘Wear it,’ he ordered softly. ‘Put on your sunglasses. And for once in your life, don’t argue with me.’

  She was still staring at him when one journalist, braver than the others, approached the car. ‘Taylor, do you have a statement on the fact that Rafaele has been replaced as director?’

  ‘No, she doesn’t.’ Luca settled his own sunglasses over his eyes, started the engine and rammed the car into gear but the journalist persisted.

  ‘Any plans for tonight? Where will the two of you be spending the evening?’

  ‘In bed.’ With a dangerous smile, Luca pulled away and Taylor groaned.

  ‘Thanks so much. Now the headline will be Taylor Carmichael, Sex Addict. Couldn’t you have said something else? You could have told them we’re going out to dinner. Why would you let them think we’re going home to bed?’

  ‘Because that’s what I want them to think. I don’t want them to follow us.’

  ‘They always follow us. And you don’t care.’

  ‘Tonight, I care.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because tonight, Cinderella Carmichael,’ he drawled, ‘I’m making your dreams come true.’

  ‘My dream is to get on with my life without being bothered and you’ve just—’

  ‘I’ve just made that happen.’ Glancing in the rearview mirror, he took a sharp right and ducked into the private underground car park reserved for the executive team of the hotel.

  He parked the Ferrari next to a battered, ancient car.

  ‘What on earth...?’

  ‘Move.’

  And she did. But being Taylor she didn’t do it without demanding answers.

  ‘Where are we and what are you—?’ She broke off and stared at the couple that had just climbed out of the battered, ancient car parked next to them.

  ‘Give her your jacket, your sunglasses and the baseball cap.’

  ‘But—’

  ‘Accidenti, do you ever do anything without arguing? You are enough to drive a man to an early grave.’

  ‘I’d haunt you.’ Visibly confused, she pulled off the hat, the glasses and her jacket and handed it to the woman, who immediately put them on.

  Luca narrowed his eyes. ‘Not bad. From the back she could be you.’

  ‘I know. It’s seriously freaky. How did you do it?’

  ‘I found a Taylor Carmichael double. She earns her living being you so she owes you a few favours.’ He took off his own jacket and sunglasses and handed them to the man. ‘Remember what I said. Straight home. Follow my security guards. You don’t stop. Don’t look at anyone. And drive too fast—that’s what I’d do. You’re sure you can handle the car?’

  The man nodded and Luca sighed and reluctantly handed over the keys to his precious Ferrari. ‘This had better be worth it. Is everything in the back?’

  ‘Just as you instructed.’

  ‘Then go.’

  The couple drove off in the Ferrari and Luca yanked open the door of the battered car. ‘Maledezione, is this piece of junk even roadworthy? I’ve owned toothbrushes with more impressive engineering.’ He hauled a bag out of the back of the car and thrust it at her. ‘Put this on. And do it quickly before someone drives into this garage.’
<
br />   Taylor opened the bag gingerly. ‘A wig?’

  Busy pulling on his own wig, Luca ignored her. ‘I hope you appreciate the lengths I’m going to for you. Do I look hot as a blond?’

  She glanced at him and gave a choked laugh. ‘You look...unbelievably weird. The hair doesn’t match the suit.’

  ‘The suit! I have to get rid of the suit.’ Reluctantly, Luca stripped off the exquisite Italian suit he’d changed into following his altercation with Rafaele. ‘I can’t believe I’m doing this for you.’

  ‘Why are you doing this for me?’

  ‘Because you said it’s what you want more than anything and I wanted to make that happen for you. I wanted you to have fun.’ His eyes met hers and he saw the shock there and he knew she was seeing the same thing in his eyes because the only fun he was usually interested in having with a woman involved getting naked. ‘Cristo, you ask too many questions. Can’t you just enjoy an evening out without dissecting it?’

  ‘Thank you.’ She whispered the words and there was a sheen of something that looked scarily like tears in her eyes as she stepped towards him and pressed her lips to his. ‘No one has ever done anything like this for me before. You’ve made me feel really special.’

  Luca jerked back, rocked by emotions he hadn’t expected and had no idea how to deal with.

  Maybe this had been a bad idea.

  He had no problem with making a woman feel special as long as it was only for a short time, but he didn’t want to make one feel so special she decided to stick around. ‘Really special’ sounded suspiciously like a warning alarm that in normal circumstances would have had him running. But he couldn’t run because he was the one who’d arranged this.

  ‘I’m not surprised no one has done it before. The wig itches and the car is unlikely to make it out of the car park.’ Unsettled by his own feelings, which he had no intention of analysing, he took refuge in humour. ‘Get dressed.’

  Checking that there was no one in the small car park, she shimmied out of her trousers and Luca set his teeth. He wondered if he were the only one thinking about sex all the time. He couldn’t look at her without wanting to strip her naked.

  ‘I said get dressed, not undressed.’

  ‘One comes before the other.’

  He dragged his gaze from her long, slim legs. ‘You’re doing it on purpose.’

  ‘Doing what on purpose?’

  ‘Driving me crazy.’

  ‘Am I driving you crazy?’ She lifted her arms and removed her top in a graceful movement, exposing her lean fit body. She was sexy and she knew it.

  Taylor Carmichael didn’t need anyone to reassure her. She made her own choices and was confident in herself.

  ‘What would you do if I said I didn’t like what you were wearing?’ The question fell from his lips before he could stop it and she raised her eyebrows.

  ‘You don’t like me in my underwear?’

  ‘That wasn’t what I meant.’ He wished he hadn’t spoken and truthfully he could hardly concentrate. He was so hard his brain had ceased to function on any level above basic.

  She looked at him thoughtfully. ‘To answer your question, if you told me you didn’t like what I was wearing I’d probably just take it off. Is that what you want?’ Her fingers toyed with the lacy edge of her panties and his mouth dried.

  ‘No, Cristo, don’t take any more off. Put something on. Fast.’

  ‘But you said you didn’t like what I was wearing.’

  ‘That wasn’t...’ His flesh throbbed and his mind blurred. ‘Never mind. Just get dressed.’

  ‘Maybe I won’t.’ She stepped closer and slid her arms round his neck. ‘Maybe I’ll tease you just a little bit longer. I still owe you for the opera.’ Her mouth was a breath away from his and Luca felt his control unravel.

  ‘Taylor—’

  ‘Is there a problem?’ Her lips curved slowly as she covered him with the flat of her hand. ‘Because I could probably fix that.’

  The skilled stroke of her fingers made him groan.

  Her confidence in herself was as sexy as her body.

  He’d grown up with a woman who needed constant reassurance and worked with women who were body obsessed.

  He’d never met anyone like Taylor.

  ‘I thought you were careful not to be caught doing naughty stuff in public.’

  ‘We’re not in public. We’re in your private, high-tech garage with just your car as witness. And anyway, you’re talking about Taylor Carmichael and thanks to you she’s currently driving back to your palazzo. Which means we’re alone.’ Her hand slid slowly down his shaft and he groaned and hauled her against him.

  ‘This wasn’t part of my plan.’

  ‘It’s always good to be flexible. And talking of flexible...’ She curved her bare leg around his thigh and he gave in to it and pressed her back against the car, breathing hard.

  He looked deep into her eyes and then his hands were in her hair and he was kissing her and she was kissing him and it was exactly as it had been the night before. Exactly as he’d remembered it. The intense chemistry, the desperation, the clawing need that made him ignore the fact that his relationship with this woman wasn’t following the usual pattern.

  It was the wrong place, the wrong time and not part of his plan but his hand slid low and found the wet warmth of her and he heard her moan against his mouth.

  A loud crash in the distance had them both pulling apart.

  Frozen, they stared at each other and then Luca gave a soft curse. He would have taken her right there. Right then and not paused to think about the sense of it.

  ‘Oops.’ A strange smile on her face, she eased away from him and finished dressing in a flash. ‘Maybe this isn’t such a good place after all.’

  ‘We could go back to the house.’ His mind was a blur, his body rock hard.

  ‘No. You’ve arranged a secret night out for me. No one has ever done this for me before. I want to do it.’ She grabbed the bag and tugged on a pair of floral shorts. ‘These clothes are hideous. Who chose them?’

  ‘Someone with no taste whatsoever.’ But it made no difference, he realised. Whatever she was wearing, she was the hottest woman he’d ever met. Trying to think cold thoughts, he changed into jeans and slid into the car, ducking his head so that he didn’t bang it on the roof.

  ‘Do you really think we won’t be recognised?’

  ‘I sincerely hope not or my reputation as the head of a fashion house is for ever destroyed. I would rather shoot myself than have someone think I chose to wear this. Come on. Let’s do this.’ Making an effort not to look at her, Luca turned the key in the ignition, rolling his eyes as the engine coughed and spluttered. ‘Believe me, even if the clothes don’t convince people, this car is a perfect disguise. Everyone who knows me also knows I wouldn’t be seen dead driving this piece of garbage.’

  Still laughing, Taylor was pushing stray wisps of hair into the wig. ‘Do you like me as a redhead?’

  In the process of reversing the temperamental car out of the garage, Luca allowed himself a brief glance. ‘You look surprisingly cute given that you’re dressed in something that should be banned by the fashion police.’

  She pushed her feet into a pair of running shoes. ‘Are you going to tell me where we’re going?’

  ‘No. It’s a surprise. And turn your phone off just in case some nosy journalist is tracking you.’

  Her eyes widened slightly but she turned it off. ‘You’re a very surprising person.’

  ‘Surprising how?’ He winced as the car bumped over the uneven road.

  ‘Doing this for me. I thought you only ever did things for yourself.’

  ‘I am doing this for myself. I want to have fun and you’re no fun when you think people are watching your every move. Tonight you can be yourself. That’s if we ever get there.’ He pushed the accelerator but the car chugged along at the same pace. ‘I’m starting to think that it might be quicker to walk. What is under the bonnet? I think so
meone forgot to install an engine.’

  She clutched the seat as they bounced along. ‘It must be killing you to drive something that doesn’t go over ten kilometres an hour.’

  ‘Next time I’ll hire a donkey. It will be faster. How are you doing with that disguise? Have you tucked away all your hair?’

  ‘I’m one hundred per cent redhead.’

  Luca turned his head. But still beautiful. ‘Scrub the make-up off.’

  ‘You just kissed off the only make-up I was wearing. Where exactly are we going?’

  ‘To a charity concert at the Teatro Greco at Taormina.’ He could taste her lipstick. Taste her mouth. Distracted, he crunched the gears and winced. He hadn’t had trouble driving since he was a teenager. ‘You said you wanted to go to a concert, stand in the crowd and not be recognised. That’s what we’re doing.’

  ‘I—seriously?’ She sounded doubtful. ‘I read about it and the lineup is fantastic but we’ll be recognised.’

  ‘No, we won’t because we’re not in the VIP seats, angelo mia. We are in with the crowd just as you requested. You are no longer Taylor Carmichael. Tonight, you are Teresa, a good Sicilian girl from a strict Catholic family—’

  ‘You’re kidding, right?’

  ‘And I am Tomas, the son of a local farmer who is hoping to get lucky.’ Luca flattened his foot to the floor to try and overtake a tractor but nothing happened and he rolled his eyes and made a mental note never to complain about his Ferrari again. ‘We are sneaking you away from your strict parents, who would beat you if they knew you were out with me.’

  ‘You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?’

  Luca discovered that he was. ‘Maybe I’m into role play. Think you can play the role of a virgin from Catholic school who has never been alone with a boy before?’

  ‘Sure.’ There was a shimmer of humour in her voice. ‘Pull over and take your clothes off.’

  ‘Shouldn’t you be shy and nervous?’

  ‘No. If I were a virgin from Catholic school who has never been alone with a boy before, I’d be desperate. So pull over and get your clothes off, Tomas.’