The redhead was openly flirting with Roman, and Piper wasn’t surprised. Roman’s innate friendliness and charm never failed to draw others, especially women. He won them over with a mere crook of his charismatic smile. But why would he be encouraging her flirting when he planned on meeting with Piper?
Indignation sent blood rushing up from Piper’s chest to her throat, face and ears. Staring daggers at them, Piper counted to ten so the hot flush on her face would dissipate.
When she felt composed enough not to scowl, she put steel in her spine and marched past the male patrons at the bar who gave her an appraising once-over. Her long oatmeal sweater skimmed over her skinny jeans that were tucked into slouchy taupe suede ankle boots with three-inch heels. At 6’2” Roman would tower over her, but at least she wouldn’t look like a shorty next to him.
As she got closer, she willed her wobbly legs to slow down to a saunter. Let him see that you’re in no rush to see him.
When she was about two feet away, Roman looked up and their eyes met and held for a searing moment. Topaz-flecked eyes glowed in his tanned face as he rose from his chair to greet her.
Piper’s breath caught. The reckless boy she’d loved so deeply had metamorphosed into a compelling man. Gone were the shaggy layers of long, chestnut hair. He wore it cropped close now, throwing his chiseled bone structure into bold relief. The press hadn’t dubbed him The Roman Lion for his leonine eyes and thick mane of caramel hair, though those attributes would have been enough. It was his hard-muscled physique, athletic grace and fierce competitiveness on the courts that earned him the title of The Roman Lion.
Blessed with insane eye/hand coordination, a deadly forehand and a formidable serve, the Lion had dominated all court surfaces and dazzled crowds around the world. Though retired from competing, Roman appeared in high-end ads, the latest for Tesla automobiles. Every time the TV commercial appeared to haunt Piper with his memory, she quickly changed the channel.
When Piper got to the table, the girl made a hasty exit, leaving Piper feeling at loose ends with Roman. She scrambled to pull herself together and not give into the bittersweet jumble of emotions threatening to undo her. Her pulse jackknifed when his gaze slowly roved over her from head to toe.
He leaned forward to kiss her hello on the cheek, but she stepped back and half-toppled into the chair across from him. Quickly righting herself, she felt his searching eyes peruse the mass of long, ebony waves that cascaded over her shoulders and down her back. Normally, she would have tamed her wayward curls with a flat iron for a first date, but this wasn’t a date.
She hadn’t bothered with makeup either. Her only adornment was her handcrafted rose gold dangling earrings - hollowed out long diamond shapes that reached midway down her neck and a serpent ring that wound around her pointer finger and ended with a ruby eye at the tip.
“Gypsy.” Roman’s deep voice rumbled out huskily causing her a flutter deep in her belly. “Thanks for joining me here.”
I’m not your gypsy…not anymore, she wanted to remind him. She should have never worn her hair down, but she knew Roman had a weakness for her hair. Years ago, he’d called her Gypsy when he’d tenderly kissed her for the first time, threading his long fingers through her wild mane of hair and anchoring her to him. The nickname – and sweet memory - had stuck ever since.
Piper coolly lifted her chin, reminding herself of the flirting scene she’d walked in on. Did he really think he could pick up where they’d left off?
The corners of Roman’s mouth inched upward as he watched her. Nothing she did escaped him. He’d always been fine-tuned to her moods, accepting that she had the temperamental soul of an artist. He’d often said being around her creative energy was exciting.
In mounting silence, they stared at each other until a smile spread over his face. “You look wonderful,” he said.
“Thanks.”
“What would you like to drink? Wine, beer…a cocktail?”
“Nothing…thanks.” Piper squared her shoulders. “This isn't a social visit, Roman. You summoned me with an urgent message, and I'm here.”
His smile vanished. “Fair enough.”
“So, what's going on that we had to meet today?”
Roman’s dark brows drew together at her challenging attitude. “I'll get right to the point. My mother is driving me crazy.”
“How is that urgent?” Piper asked, exasperated. Didn’t most mothers drive their single sons crazy? “What is she doing that has you so worked up?”
“She’s acting like a teenager. At 74 she should know better,” he groused with a disapproving shake of his head.
Piper crossed her arms and lifted a brow. “So she’s a seenager. There are plenty of them in Naples.”
Roman gave her a blank stare. “Seenager. What’s that?”
“A senior teenager. Haven’t you heard the term?”
“No, but I guess in your line of business you’d know about seenagers.” He grunted. “That’s an apt description for my mom.”
“You’re not telling me anything new. Sadie has always been young for her age.”
“Young, yes, but she’s become reckless.”
“Really? How so?”
He ran a hand roughly through his thick chestnut hair. “She’s taken up water sports and recently injured herself in a Jet Ski accident.”
“Oh, no. Is she OK?” Vivacious and free-spirited, Sadie had always seemed unsinkable.
“Her left arm is in a sling.”
“Did she break her arm? Is it in a cast?”
“No cast. She hasn't given me any details on her injury and insists she’s fine. But she has been driving her car with the sling on, and she shouldn’t be.” His lips tightened. “I can’t even get information from her doctor because of privacy laws.”
“Sorry to hear it.” She could see how that would frustrate him.
“Her injury isn’t all I’m concerned about. I feel like I’m the parent and she’s the child. She is getting more unmanageable by the day.”
Piper suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. It was just like Roman to think he could tell his mom what to do. “Why do you need to manage her?”
“She’s gone off the rails and won’t listen to reason.” He exhaled forcefully. “I need your help, Piper.” His lean hands formed a steeple as he watched Piper with somber eyes.
What exactly did he want her to do? “I think I’ll have that drink after all.”
Roman summoned the redhead over. So she was the waitress, Piper realized after the fact. Maybe Roman hadn’t been outwardly flirting with her and just being friendly while he waited for Piper to arrive. The redhead’s eager smile as she rushed over to Roman wasn’t lost on Piper though.
Piper ordered a glass of Pinot Grigio, and when the waitress left to get it, Piper leaned back and regarded Roman with curious eyes. “Why me?”
The waitress discreetly placed a glass of wine before Piper and left.
Roman waited until Piper took a sip of wine before answering her. “You and Mom always got along great.” He hesitated, and then said bluntly, “She has never forgotten you, still holds you close to her heart. Bottom line, she still hasn’t forgiven me for the break-up.”
Neither have I. Piper stared at him in dismay.
“I haven’t spoken to your mom in a long while. When she remarried, we kind of lost touch.” That wasn’t the only reason. She was no longer Roman’s girlfriend and staying friendly with his mother was too painful, so Piper had slowly distanced herself, only seeing Sadie once a year on Sadie’s birthday.
“She widowed six months ago,” he said quietly.
“Oh, I didn’t know that. What happened?”
“It was sudden. He had a heart attack on the golf course.”
“How awful. If I’d known about it, I would have reached out to her.” Piper felt heartsick wishing she’d been there for Sadie.
A hint of a frown darkened Roman’s face. “You would think she’d slow down a bit after that, bu
t she hasn’t. She is up to all kinds of shenanigans.”
He sounded so disgruntled it was almost comical.
“Lucky lady. What kind of shenanigans?” Piper had been working so hard balancing both jobs, she would have welcomed shenanigans in her life.
Fascinated, she watched a flush of red color Roman’s sharp cheekbones and jaws. Mr. Cool was actually flustered.
“Her new mission in life is to cheer up lonely old men,” he said through his teeth. “Her words, not mine.”
Piper almost choked on her wine. If anyone could cheer up lonely old men it was sassy Sadie. “So what’s wrong with that?”
“It’s the way she’s going about it,” he muttered. His hand curled around the bottleneck, and he knocked the beer back. “I don’t think she’s all there anymore,” he said, pointing to his temple.
Piper recoiled at his words and the insinuation that Sadie was losing her mind. It would break her heart to see such a vibrant woman diminished at only 74, in a city where most people lived into their 90s healthily. Naples was the capital of healthy living in the whole country, and its residents prided themselves on being healthy, fit and active.
She narrowed her gaze on Roman. He had to be exaggerating. “What do your sisters think of all this?” Roman was the oldest of three children. Sadie claimed she loved them all equally, but it was obvious she doted on Roman as her only boy.
“They live far away and can’t see the changes I’ve noticed lately. I check on her once a week, and she calls when she needs something. Otherwise she’s pretty independent and prefers it that way.”
His eyes were laser sharp as they zeroed in on Piper. The intensity made her shift in her seat. Piper looked away and inhaled deeply, wondering where all this was leading. When she met his eyes again, he said, “I want to hire your company…specifically you.”
“To do what?”
“To check in on my mother daily, spend time with her and report back to me.”
Piper stiffened. He wanted her to spy on his mom and report back to him? At this point her loyalty was with Sadie, not him. As much as Roman’s response irked her, she had to be professional.
“I’m curious. How did you know I had a senior concierge service?”
“Mom told me. She said, and I quote, ‘If I ever get to the point where I need help, I want you to call Piper. She has a nifty service for seniors. I’m not there yet, but just keep that in mind.’”
“Comfort Creatures is always open to business. We have a new employee I can send over. Amelie is wonderful with the seniors, and she…”
“No. It has to be you,” he cut in. “I'll pay you three times the normal rate, just help me out on this. I can’t babysit my mom every day. You know what February is like around here.”
She nodded. “Yeah, it’s our busiest month too. The demand for concierge services has doubled this month. We have to take advantage of all that business because things die down in the summer.” Four years into their business, and she and Georgie still adjusted their budget to compensate for the seasonal needs of a resort town like Naples, which boomed in the fall and winter, but dwindled during the spring and summer
“How is your jewelry design coming along? You haven’t quit that, have you?”
“Of course not.” She jutted her chin. “Why would I quit what I love doing most? Have you quit playing tennis?” Her index finger, encircled by the serpent with the ruby, pointed at his heart.
His eyes crinkled at the corners. “Is that a serpent? Should I be worried?” he said with a low chuckle.
“Maybe.” She took a long sip of wine and didn’t say more.
“I’m glad to hear you’re still designing your jewels. You’re very talented.” Roman’s face was earnest, not cocky, and she realized he was genuinely trying to win her over. For his gain? Perhaps. She wasn’t going to read more into it.
“Thanks.”
He drummed his fingers on the table. “Getting back to my offer…I’ll pay you three times the rate you charge.”
Piper set her wine glass down and stared at him incredulously. “Three times? Do you realize how much that is?”
“I don’t care. Money is no object when it comes to my mother.”
Piper twirled the serpent ring as she pondered what to do. She swirled the remaining wine in her glass and stared at it morosely. Sadie needed her, but she wasn’t about to let Roman pay her for checking in on her friend, even if it was his mother. Lord knew she could use the extra money to fund the exquisite semi-precious stones from Sardinia she had her eye on for her next collection, but she’d never consider accepting Roman’s money.
“Amelie can do what you’re asking me to, and she would be impartial. She’s hardworking, patient and kind—all the qualities we guarantee our clients.”
Roman leaned in close. Shards of burnished gold in his dark-lashed, tawny eyes lured her like a hypnotist. Eyes so mesmerizing, gooseflesh rose on her nape and spine. “Amelie sounds great, but I don’t want her. I want you,” he said, not taking his eyes off her.
I want you. How could he say that to her now? Those three words dredged up the past when he hadn’t really wanted her, when he’d left her because he wanted a lot more than her love. Restless, adventurous and ambitious, Roman had craved stardom, a stellar tennis career and the freedom to enjoy both unencumbered.
Piper had been eager to get married young and have babies. She’d yearned for a happily ever after with the man she loved so much it hurt. They had tried a long distance relationship while she went to community college and he traveled the world, competing in tennis tournaments and bringing home trophies.
But it soon became apparent that marriage was the furthest thing from Roman’s mind. With an exciting tennis career on the horizon, he was at the brink of athletic stardom and fame and nowhere near wanting to settle down.
When he ended things, he said he never meant to hurt her, but he left and never contacted her again. A clean break, he must have thought, but it had shattered Piper. For months afterward, she’d been filled with anguish and confusion, unable to eat or sleep or study, unwilling to accept that he’d dumped her. Now here he was, re-entering her life bold as you please.
One corner of Roman’s mouth lifted into a crooked grin, making her heart flutter in spite of herself. “Can we put our past behind us and concentrate on the present? I’m a different man now.” His burnished eyes bored into hers expectantly.
He didn’t seem all that different to her. He had the same powerful personality tempered with charm. Five minutes in, and he was already fogging her senses, muddling her reasoning and tearing down her resistance.
They didn’t call him The Roman Lion for nothing. He was circling her, using everything at his disposal - his looks, his charm and his massive wealth, to weaken her resolve. If all else failed, he was willing to pay her handsomely. Three times the normal rate!
Piper didn’t return his smile. She might be slight in stature next to his tall, muscular build, but many years of economic strife and personal pain had made her a fighter…and an unabashed realist. She had risen from an underprivileged childhood to finish college, fulfill her dream of designing jewelry and build her side business, Comfort Creatures, successful.
Her head was swirling, yet she’d only had one glass of wine. She couldn’t let Roman get to her, especially when he still had the power to make her tongue-tied.
This was rubbish. She needed to get a grip or he’d crush the precarious confidence she’d summoned to deal with him.
Looking away from temptation, Piper recalled his parting words years ago that still burned in her heart like inextinguishable tinder. I can’t give you what you want, Gypsy. Had he missed her for even a moment? Had he ever regretted leaving her? Did it make a difference now?
And then there was Sadie. What was going on with her? It wasn’t like Roman to be an alarmist. He was usually levelheaded, even calculating, in his concentration on the game, as evidenced by his amazing success. He might have been emot
ionally restless and sometimes hot-tempered, but when it came to his goal of becoming a top seeded tennis star, he hadn’t wavered until he got there.
Piper felt the weight of his intense gaze on her. He was waiting for her answer. Pushing strength in her voice, she said, “I don’t want you to pay me. Your mother and I are friends.”
“Business is business. If it’s not you, it’ll have to be someone else – a stranger. I need someone with total discretion who will be kind and patient. My mother was once a celebrity. I can’t risk anyone disclosing personal things about her to the public.”
Sadie Spenser had been a rising tennis player in her day, but she’d ended her stellar career when she became pregnant with Roman’s older twin sisters, Clarisse and Celeste. Neither girl had shown an interest in tennis, but when Roman was big enough to hold a tennis racket, Sadie had taken him onto the courts and guided him to be the very best he could be.
As much as she wanted to help Sadie, Piper’s mind and emotions seesawed as she considered the consequences of having Roman back in her life. It had taken her a long time to heal, and she never wanted to feel so broken again.
“This doesn’t make sense. Why would anyone want to sully Sadie’s reputation?”
“Some weird stuff has been going on.” Roman rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I need to know if her mind is OK, or if she’s losing it. And from what I’ve seen, I’m beginning to wonder…” He spoke deliberately, letting his words sink in as Piper stared at him. “Will you do it? I need an answer today.”
The last time Piper had seen Sadie, she was far from losing it. Why was Roman being so persistent? “I can’t give you an answer just yet. I need to discuss it with Georgie.”
A flicker of discontent in Roman’s steady gaze surprised her. “Who’s Georgie? Your boyfriend?”
He had no right to ask. “No. Not that it’s any of your business, but Georgie is short for Georgiana. She’s my business partner and best friend.”
“Oh.” He rubbed the edge of his jaw, his eyes unreadable. “Piper…I haven’t told you everything.”
“What else is there to tell me?” she asked, bracing for more. This conversation was getting odder by the minute.
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