Her Venice Affair (The Albury Affairs) (8 page)

Allan shook his head chuckling. He stood up and
signaled for the waiter. “
Portare
il
conto
laggiù
per
favore
.” He pointed to Riana asking him to bring their bill
to where she was, then he turned and leisurely walked to her rescue.

“Allan, I have no idea what they are saying but I like
the stuff they are putting on me,” she confessed laughingly.

Unable to help himself, he leaned down and captured
her lips in a long, slow kiss. He pulled away, his eyes on her flushed face.
“You look beautiful.”

The vendors began to clap and Allan chuckled when
Riana hid her face in his chest. He stiffened when the man started talking
about young love and how he should always make sure his
piccola
bellezza
stayed happy because she had a smile that rivaled the
intensity of the sun. It warmed him right to his heart.

Riana didn’t notice his reaction because the lady had
already pulled her away, showing her more jewelry that would make her more
beautiful for him so he would love her more. Riana just laughed, not
understanding a word but having the time of her life.

He’d heard this type of sales pitch before—using a
person’s emotions to close a sale. But for some reason, Riana and him being
referred to as a couple madly in love sat wrong with him. He was spared further
contemplation when the waiter arrived with their bill. He pulled out a few
notes from his pocket and handed them to the waiter, telling him to take the
change as his tip in Italian. Then he turned to the vendors and told them to
give Riana anything she wanted. Allan then retreated, taking a seat at the
table close to her, silently watching her trying to communicate with the
vendors. He would have found the scene funny, but he was too disturbed to enjoy
it.

* * * *

Riana watched Allan sit silently a few feet away from
her, clearly deep in thought. She feared he was worrying about work and how
much he’d neglected just to entertain her.

Maybe they should just go back to the hotel?

“
Gratzie
,” she said to the vendors and held up one finger as
she pointed back to Allan with her thumb. “Could you give me just a minute. I
just want to make sure he’s all right.”

They responded with holding up a finger and pointing
at Allan, too. Riana laughed, realizing too late that she should have brought
an English-Italian dictionary with her.

She moved toward Allan and stood next to him. She
smiled. He hadn’t noticed her yet. She pushed her fingers into his raven hair
and tugged his head back. “Earth to Allan?”

His lips twitched in what looked like a forced smile.
“Get what you like?”

“What’s wrong? Are you worried about work because we
can always—wow!” she exclaimed falling onto his lap when he pulled her down. He
pressed his lips against hers in a disappointing, chaste kiss.

“I’m not worried about work.”

She would have asked what he
was
worrying about, but he turned to the vendors and said something
to them in Italian.

 
Riana sighed,
nibbling on her lower lip.
That was the
end of that discussion.

The vendors brought almost half the cart plus the sun
hat she was admiring forward, placing them all on the table until they
overflowed. She sat up straight on his lap. “Wait, that’s too much. I don’t
need all that.”

Allan continued speaking to them, all three of them
ignoring her.

“Allan!”

He turned to her with a patient smile. “Honey, your
protest has been duly noted. You aren’t bankrupting me, more like filling their
pockets. I’m sure you can share some of them with Loraine.” He kissed her on
the cheek. “We leave Rome the day after tomorrow and you may not find the same
things elsewhere.”

“But—”

“No buts.” He stood up, placing her on her feet as he
exchanged money for the full bag the vendor handed him. “Say
gratzie
to the
nice couple and let’s continue with our day.”

Riana felt chided like a child but she thanked the
couple with a smile and followed Allan when he took her hand and led her away.
They walked quietly for a while before Allan stopped them and turned to face
her.

“You are angry with me?”

Riana exhaled loudly. “I’m not mad, I just don’t want
you to feel obligated to buy me stuff.”

Allan smiled. “You are a unicorn.”

“What?”

“Most women jump at the chance to spend my money. But
you just don’t care, as long as we are having fun.”

She quirked her brow, feeling a little confused. “But
that’s a good thing, right?”

He wrapped his arms around her and drew her close to
him. “The best. I’m just not used to seeing it in the women I’ve dated.”

Riana was annoyed at the mention of the other women.
“Well, the women you’ve dated are only interested in your money.” She winced,
that came off harsher than she’d meant. She looked up at him, hoping she hadn’t
offended him, but Allan just laughed, shaking his head.

 
His arms
tightened around her. “And what about you? What about me do you like?”

She blushed. “I like you for you. Though you can be
bossy and pushy, I still like you.” His lips parted ready to speak but Riana
pressed her finger to his lips. “But you have to cut it out, especially when I
say no to you spending hundreds of dollars on me. You didn’t have to spend so
much. I’ll probably wear half the things in that bag.”

He kissed her finger. “It only cost me fifty dollars.”

She lowered her finger. “Oh.”

He chuckled. “But I understand. I’ll try not to
bee
too bossy or pushy on one condition.”

She had a feeling she wasn’t going to like it. “What?”

“We are going to dine out at every city we hit and
that means designer clothes and shoes. You will buy them, with no argument.
Agreed?”

One designer dress and a pair of shoes, what would it
hurt? And Loraine would call her an idiot for going to the shoe capital and not
get at least two pairs.

She reached up and pressed her lips to his. “Agreed.
Oh and, could you teach me some Italian?”

* * * *

The rest of the day went well, and, as promised, Allan
didn’t buy her more stuff. Their final stop was the Pantheon. It was a
beautiful structure with Corinthian columns and gigantic dome. It was so
romantic especially with the full moon shining down at them through the
skylight in the dome. He kissed her, gently, sweetly, unlike when they were at
the
Colosseum
, and then they stood wrapped in each
other’s arms looking up at the moon.

They went to
Trastevere
to dinner and as Riana went on and on about how
wonderful the day was between bites of linguine, Allan just stared at her with
a smile and a faraway look in his eyes.

He seemed distracted and in a hurry to get to the
hotel. She was sure it was for work and didn’t mind ending the night early. Her
feet were beginning to hurt and they had one more day in the romantic city.

But the moment she
toed
her
shoes off, Allan showed her exactly why he was in a rush to get back to their
suite. Before she realized it, her dress was on the floor, she was thrown over
his shoulder and carried into their bedroom. He made quick work of her
underwear and his clothes and was inside her before she could register what was
happening.

Their coupling was frantic and fast like on the jet
but he made each time last longer, taking the time to explore her body between
taking her. He made her soar in a haze of pleasure with his hands on her body,
his fingers inside her and his mouth between her thighs and on her breasts.

Riana didn’t mind acknowledging it again. Steve didn’t
hold a candle to Allan’s love making.

But what warmed her heart was how he held her once
they’d come down from the clouds after he’d joined their bodies. She felt
cherished, sleeping in his arms and trusted when he didn’t bother with condoms.
But that would have to change in a month. She was scheduled for another
injection then, but being in Italy was going to make it impossible.

* * * *

It was their last day in Rome and Riana stood in front
of the full-length mirror in their closet, admiring the transformation. She
looked different, sophisticated, a lady Allan would actually date.

She ran her hands down her sides, caressing her first
designer dress. It was,
Versace
, a
white, figure hugging dress that
sparkled when hit by the light, and she matched it with four inch
Nila&Nila
silver slippers and clutch bag. She’d straightened her hair for dinner and it
fell to the middle of her back, with the ends curled inwards. She didn’t wear
any jewelry; the dress shimmered enough. She’d insisted on not having an entire
cosmetic store on her face and the makeup artist had done a great job, using
earth colors and keeping the look natural.

After just half a day of sight-seeing, he sent her
away with a stylist with strict instructions to spoil her and dress her for
dinner, while he used those few hours to attend to some work. Riana didn’t mind
the spa, shopping and the makeover until she spied the bill. Then the stylist
reminded her of her promise and she had to swallow her protest.

The sooner she learned that Allan was going to spend
as much as he wanted on her with or without her approval the better. She just
worried he’d start seeing her like he did all those other women who wanted the
company of his Visa card more than him.

Well, she just hoped he liked what he saw.

Riana took a deep breath to get rid of the butterflies
in her belly and rolled her shoulders to relax. “It’s show time, Riana
Albury
. Don’t mess this up.”

Chapter Six

Allan rolled his stiff neck. The owners of
Casa
Italiano
,
the Torino family, had found out that the other shareholders had sold to him
and were now putting up roadblocks to keep him from completely taking over.
They held forty percent and after that afternoon’s sale, he held sixty. That
was great if he intended on keeping them on, but he didn’t. He wanted all of
it.

A week of their ignorance, that’s all he had needed to
buy their debt from the bank. But someone had alerted them and they now—somehow—had
gotten two months’ extension on their loan. That meant accumulating additional
interest at a higher interest rate and more money for him to shell out if they
faulted.

Mr. Torino wanted to meet in Venice in two days’ time.
Allan didn’t respond because he had no intention to. He had less intention to
change his plans because Mr. Torino was desperately trying to hold on. He’d
give him two months to sweat before he swooped in to take the load out of his
hands.

 
He’d have to
call his accountant soon to discuss the hiccup and how much more it would cost
him.

“Allan.”

He turned around, the hand on his neck slowly dropping
to his side. For the first time in his life, he was speechless.

She turned full circle, exhibiting her hourglass
figure in the flowing dress and her straight hair. “Do you like it?”

Allan opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out.
His tongue lay dead in his mouth from the shock. She cantered her head to the
side and stared up at him with a raised brow. “Allan are you alright?”

“You look beautiful,” he breathed out.

“Thanks, you clean up pretty well too,” she returned,
her eyes moving slowly up and down his form.

He was dressed in the dinner suit the stylist he’d
hired sent to the boardroom. It had arrived right in the middle of the meeting
he was holding with Torino’s lawyers. He hadn’t paid much attention to it until
his own lawyer, from one of the largest firms in Italy threw his hands up in
exasperation after bickering for hours. That’s when he stood up, took the
Gucci
suit, and walked out without a
word or a backward glance. He went to their suite and changed in the extra room
while she was being pampered in their room and went down to the bar for a few
drinks. He wanted to be in a good mood before he met her for dinner.

But he was now in the best mood ever after seeing her.
Damn, she was a beauty.

“
Signore
,
your car is ready,” the concierge spoke, pulling Allan’s eyes away from Riana
for just a moment.

“Thank you.” He took Riana’s hand and placed it on his
arm. “Let’s leave before I change my mind.”

Riana blushed. She lowered her head, her hair flowing
down like water to shield her face from him. He took a breath to calm his
raging hormones. Yup. If they intended on going anywhere they had to leave
immediately. It was a good thing the restaurant was just ten minutes away.

Alan knew Riana would appreciate where he was taking
her just by her reaction to the hotel’s décor.
L’Archeologia
was a warm,
welcoming restaurant with open fires, and the best part being the walls lined
with their finest wines. Since it was summer, dinner was going to be served in
the beautiful garden with its three hundred year old wisteria and Roman
remains. He knew Riana would definitely love that, but he’d booked a table
inside. With most of the diners outside, it would grant them some sort of
privacy.

With great difficulty for Allan, they’d managed to
reach the restaurant without him attacking her in the limo. The host—part owner
of
L’Archeologia
—gave
them a tour of the restaurant and Allan had to bite his lips shut to keep from
laughing at Riana’s reactions. She oohed and
aahed
and squealed like a little girl in a candy store when they toured the Roman
remains. It was wonderful to watch, and Allan noticed the host kept on puffing
his chest out with pride.

Owning a restaurant like this, with very few people
appreciating the surroundings, who wouldn’t feel proud with a guest like Riana?

Riana had seemed disappointed for just a moment when
Allan said no to staying for one more day. He knew she’d wanted to paint the wisteria
and the remains, but
 
there was no way
she was going to do it all in one day. She got back her giddy school girl joy
when he promised to bring her back at the end of their trip. The host had been
pleased with that, too.

They were escorted back to their table where the host,
who served them personally, listed their specialties of excellent grilled meat
served with a wide range of sauces using olive oil from the Sabine hills and a
selection of cheese, salami, vegetables and seafood in their pasta dishes. By
the time he was done, he had them both salivating.

Allan had been surprised by the attention and the
free, very expensive red wine that accompanied their meals until the host
addressed him as ‘Mr. Sinclair’. He’d reserved a table under Riana’s name.

Allan was well known in Rome. Partly because of the
famous Italian women he’d dated and also because of his business ventures. The
worst thing that could happen was if his acquisition of
Casa
Italiano
became public knowledge.

He had to speak to his lawyer about that.

They were well into dessert after talking and laughing
about their two wonderful days in Rome when she asked him a question none of
his dates had ever cared enough to.

“What exactly is it you do for work?”

Yup. She’d asked him what he did, and
not
how much he raked at the end of the
month. He was impressed.

“I buy manufacturing companies that are bankrupt or
leading toward that, break them down into independent, functioning pieces, and
sell them to other companies who need them.”

Riana was silent, her eyes spaced out in thought.

Surely I
didn’t say anything worth deep thought?
Allan was about to question her IQ when she blinked a few times and turned her
eyes back to him.

“So you don’t acquire businesses then tear them down
and throw the pieces to the hyenas for a quick buck?”

Admitting he was shocked at that moment would have
been an understatement. “Excuse me?”

She shrugged her bare shoulder. “Those were Loraine’s
words. So what happens to the people who worked there, once their employment
has been fed to the hyenas?”

Allan noticed that her voice had grown as hard as her
stare. Almost like she resented what he did, like he was some kind of villain
terrorizing helpless people. He didn’t like it and almost found himself
apologizing for it, except he had nothing to feel guilty about.

He stiffened his back and sat up straight, instigating
the same reaction from her. “It’s nothing personal, just business.”

“
Huh
!” She
sputtered a few times. “It is personal for those parents who can’t provide for
the families because you’ve taken apart their place of work like it was nothing
but a game of
legos
and monopoly!”

Allan clenched his fist to quell the anger building
inside him. They’d already drawn enough attention from the nearby tables with
her loud exclamation. If she went on with this crusade, she was going to make a
public spectacle of them.

 
“You don’t know
what you are talking about!” he hissed.

She leaned back, arms crossed under her breast,
propping them up and exposing more flesh and his body tightened in response.

Allan hissed and looked away from her. “Riana, this
discussion is over.”

“I don’t work for you, Allan Sinclair, so don’t think
you can just dismiss me.” She leaned forward and pressed her hands on the
table. Allan let out a heavy sigh of relief then turned back to look at her.
“Did you ever stop and think about all those families you are making suffer,
because of your ambition and lust for money?”

Allan jerked back like she had just slapped him. In
fact, she had, with her words. No one had ever questioned his integrity, ever,
and she wasn’t going to be the first!

He rose from the table, pulled money out of his jacket
pocket and dropped it on the table. The entire time his eyes holding hers in a
livid gaze. “You don’t know me, Riana
Albury
. And
having sex with me when the urge warrants doesn’t entitle you to question my
integrity. You can take the limo back to the hotel. Don’t bother waiting up for
me; I’ll be using the spare room tonight.”

Her expression grew stricken. “Allan, I didn’t mean—”

“I don’t care,” he said harshly. “Goodnight, Miss
Albury
.”

* * * *

Riana felt her body tremble at Allan’s anger. She
fought the urge to stand up and run after him as he stomped away. She’d never
seen such anger in his eyes before and the fear of rejection kept her where she
was. She didn’t even turn around to watch him leave.

She just sat there, with her head bent and her shaking
hands in fists on her lap. She hadn’t meant to offend him, she just found his
line of work and what it did to people inexcusable and had hoped what Loraine
said wasn’t entirely true.

But when she’d practically called him a vulture
feeding a pack of hyenas and he’d responded with ‘it’s nothing personal just
business’ something inside her just snapped. She had been one of those families
that were left stranded when the textile factory her mother worked at was taken
apart. Allan may not have had anything to do with it, but from the cold way
he’d said ‘it’s nothing personal just business’ she couldn’t help but let him—a
member of the vulture clan—have all that anger she’d felt when she was just
twelve years old.

The two years following had been some of the worst out
of their lives. Her mother had had to work three jobs just to keep the roof
over their heads and Reno, still in high school, had had to get a job
exclusively to put food on their table. She was left to look after herself,
only catching glimpse of her brother and mother when they came home.
Mom to change her uniform for another and
Reno to get something to eat and leave his books before they left me alone
again
.

Riana blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay. It was
a long time ago but she still felt the pain, the loneliness, and the guilt. It
was for her they were working themselves to the ground. So she learned to
always smile and laugh the few moments they were together and she cleaned,
cooked, and washed dishes to spare her mother. And once she was engulfed by the
dark loneliness again, she would cry out her frustration, cursing their father
for not caring enough to help.

Nothing had changed. She still felt the same pain,
guilt, and loneliness.

Riana drew in a strangled breath, a tear escaping and
running down her cheek as it dawned on her.
What
have I done?

* * * *

 
Riana paced in
the living room, wringing her fingers worriedly. It was midday and Allan wasn’t
back yet. All the worst possible scenarios had already filled her mind and
she’d spent half the night crying and praying he was safe wherever he was.

She’d come home and gone straight to the spare room to
find it empty. A spark of hope filled had her as she rushed across to their
room only to find it empty. So she changed out of the dress and wore one of his
shirts, hoping to seduce him into forgiving her. She’d waited, battling sleep
until it won only to wake up a few hours later, curled up on the couch alone in
the suite.

Disappointed and hurt, she packed their few belongings
into a suitcase, leaving out an outfit for him to change in to once he came
back. Then it occurred to her that maybe he didn’t want to continue with the
trip, that he may come back to the suite to announce he’d booked her a flight
back to the States and she was to leave immediately. The thought frightened her
and made her tear up but she prepared herself just in case he sent her away.

 
But once morning
came and he hadn’t made an appearance, her heart grew heavy with fear. She
couldn’t call anyone to ask and she’d been too star struck to get Allan’s cell
number.

“Allan where are you?” she cried, rubbing her cold
arms.

Then she heard the door jiggle and the handle bend and
relief flooded her. She ran to the door and pulled it wide open. “Allan, I’m so—you
are not Allan?”

“No,
Signorina
Albury
, I’m not.” The
stranger responded with a smile.

 
Instinctively,
Riana stepped back, her arms coming back up around her frame. “Who are you?”

“
Signore
Sinclair sent me to fetch you. The train leaves in an hour.”

Riana nodded. “And where is Mr. Sinclair.”

“He just left for the train station,
Signorina
.”