Italian Marriage: In Name Only (10 page)

‘Ah, that will be the
signor
. I will tell him that you are waiting.’ The housekeeper hurried out of the room and Victoria sat down on the sofa.

The house felt ominously silent, the only sound the ticking of the gold carriage clock on the mantelpiece.

Then suddenly she could hear footsteps on the parquet floor.

She looked up as Antonio appeared in the doorway and her heart seemed to constrict somewhere in her chest. He was wearing a dark cashmere suit that emphasized the powerful breadth of his shoulders. And the pinstripe shirt and plain grey silk tie complemented his Mediterranean dark good looks perfectly. By contrast he made her feel totally inadequate.

‘Good evening, Victoria.’ The cool Italian tones made her heart thud faster, as did the way his eyes swept with assessing intensity over her appearance. ‘Are you ready to go?’

‘Yes.’
Didn’t she look ready?
Self-consciously she got to her feet. ‘I’ve been waiting since seven as you requested,’ she murmured, a note of defiance creeping into her voice.

‘Good.’ He merely looked amused and she noticed he didn’t bother to apologize for keeping her waiting. His eyes lingered once more on the shapeless suit she was wearing, making her feel hot inside.

‘You told me to wear it,’ she found herself telling him defensively.

‘Yes…and I was right. It’s perfect.’ His dark gaze met with hers. ‘You are perfect.’

She frowned, knowing very well that she was not. For a second she remembered how her aunt used to mock her appearance. Remembered that even when she had made an effort to get contact lenses she had shrieked with laughter.

No, she knew very well that she was definitely not perfect. She looked away from him towards Nathan, who was standing
quietly watching them, the red sports car still gripped in his little hand.

‘I really think we should go,’ she changed the subject stiffly. ‘I don’t want to be out late as it’s well past Nathan’s bedtime now.’

‘Of course.’ He noted the vulnerable way she looked away from him, as if desperate to escape. Obviously she didn’t want his compliments—or didn’t believe them. There was something poignant about her self-effacing attitude, something that made him…what…? Want to reassure her…protect her? He frowned, wondering where the hell his thoughts were going with this.

He was paying her well for her time—this was just a job.

He certainly wasn’t going to start feeling…defensive towards her or about what he was doing.

‘I wouldn’t worry—we won’t be out long. In fact, when we get there we might find dinner has to be postponed.’

The comment puzzled her. ‘Why?’

‘Because my father can be difficult,’ Antonio muttered, his expression suddenly harsh.

‘I see.’ She frowned but didn’t really understand. ‘Do you think he will be angry that you’ve got married without inviting him to attend the ceremony?’

The thoughtful reasoning made him smile at her. ‘No, I can safely say that won’t be a factor he’ll be concerned with.’

Antonio glanced down as Nathan toddled over to him, holding up his red racing car. ‘So…what is that you have?’ He crouched down so that he was at eye level with the child. ‘I recognize that car.’

Nathan held it out closer for his inspection, with serious intent.

‘Ah…’ Antonio said with approval. ‘Very fast, very sleek—one of the world’s most desirable cars.’

Nathan looked suitably pleased and then giggled as he was lifted and swept up into powerful arms.

‘Right, we shall go.’

Nathan seemed thrilled to be carried so high on Antonio’s shoulder and he smiled at his mother as if to say,
Hey, look where I am.

The whole situation felt slightly unreal, Victoria thought nervously. To a casual bystander they would probably have looked just like any ordinary family going out for the evening. But there was nothing ordinary about these circumstances.

Antonio had dismissed his driver for the evening and had his car waiting for them outside the front door.

‘Do you have a different car for every day of the week?’ she asked him in surprise.

‘No, just every second day.’ He cast an amused glance in her direction, but she wasn’t looking at him now, because she was distracted by the fact that there was a child safety seat in the rear of the vehicle.

‘Have you had that specially put in for Nathan?’ she asked as she watched him fasten her son securely in.

‘Well, it’s not for my briefcase, if that’s what you think, because I draw the line at that,’ he joked, then glanced around at her more seriously. ‘I thought as we are not using the limousine tonight that it would be best.’

‘That’s great, thanks! There are not many bachelors who would have thought ahead in that way.’

He grinned. ‘Maybe you’ve just been out with a lot of thoughtless men.’ He opened the passenger door for her and watched as she got in.

‘Not really, but then I don’t have much time to socialize,’ she told him with a shrug.

He noticed that her skirt rode up a little as she got into the car, revealing shapely legs. Slamming the door closed, he walked around to get into the driver’s seat.

‘So when was the last time you went out on a date?’ He couldn’t resist the question as he flicked the powerful engine into life. And even in the darkness he could see that her skin was flushed with heat now.

‘Are you referring to this evening as a date?’ Swiftly she batted the question back. ‘Because technically speaking, I don’t think it is.’

Antonio smiled; he liked her shy yet fiery intelligent manner. It made him want to tease her, challenge her. ‘Don’t you? Well, correct me if I’m wrong, but technically I’d say a date can be any kind of a social rendezvous, can’t it?’ He shrugged.

‘I don’t think so.’ She looked over at him pointedly. ‘Not in the context you are using the word.’

‘Really, and in what context was I using the word?’ he asked humorously.

She felt herself getting hotter now. ‘In a romantic way…and, well, you know it.’

‘I didn’t realize, Victoria, that you were such a stickler for detail.’ He smiled at her and it did strange things to her senses, sent her heart fluttering somewhere down into her stomach and back up again.

She hated that he could have that effect on her. Because she knew all too well that he was just bantering with her, knew he wasn’t remotely interested in when she had last gone out on a date. And if he knew the truth, that in reality she hadn’t been out with a man in nearly three years, that her one reckless night with Nathan’s father was the sole extent of her experience with men, he’d probably find that amusing, too.

Biting down on her lip she looked away from him. ‘Yes, well, maybe I am…a stickler as you put it.’ She tried to maintain an even tone. ‘But I prefer the term
businesslike
. And after all, that is what you want from me, isn’t it?’

‘Yes, that’s exactly what I want.’ For a moment he looked across at her. The way she threw up barriers against him intrigued him. But it shouldn’t, he reminded himself firmly. Because it meant that he had chosen wisely and he didn’t have to worry that she would get carried away with this charade. ‘At which moment I feel I should point out that you referred to me as a bachelor a few moments ago and, in technical
terms, according to the gold band on your finger, I’m now your husband.’

‘On paper,’ she intercepted quickly.

‘Indeed.’ He flicked her a probing look. ‘And in my father’s presence.’

‘Oh! I see!’ She swallowed hard. She might have known what lay behind the reminder. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t forget when we are with your father.’

Antonio gave a grim smile. ‘Don’t worry—I don’t think there will be a chance for you to forget.’

What did that mean? Victoria wondered uneasily.

Silence fell between them. Antonio now seemed lost in his own private thoughts.

Victoria watched the ribbon of road as it twisted through the mountains. Beside them, the lake shimmered silver under the light of a full moon. And for a moment she allowed herself to savour the enchantment of the scenery. If she and Antonio really had been newlyweds on honeymoon this would have been so romantic…so perfect.

But nothing was further from the truth, she reminded herself as she glanced over at the stern expression on Antonio’s face now.

They turned at some high gates and Antonio stopped and wound electric windows down to tap in a security code on a system attached to the pillar. The code allowed them access, and a few moments later the heavy iron gates opened and they swept through and down a long dark driveway.

The house came into view, its majestic towers and crenulated walls dramatically shadowed against the backdrop of mountain and lake.

It was beautiful yet somehow utterly sinister, Victoria reflected. Or maybe it just seemed that way because of the tension that was escalating inside of her.

They came to a halt beside a huge front door guarded on either side by stone lions that seemed to glare ferociously out into the night.

‘Welcome to the homestead,’ Antonio murmured, his tone mocking, then went on to say something in Italian that she couldn’t understand.

‘Sorry…what does that mean?’ she asked him softly.

‘It means…’ He hesitated, as if searching for the exact translation. ‘It means, welcome to the eye of the storm…’

She wanted to ask what that meant, but one look at the closed expression on Antonio’s face and she didn’t dare. Instead she got out of the car and busied herself, taking Nathan out from the backseat.

Antonio went ahead of her up to the front door and pressed the bell.

Despite the warmth of the evening Victoria felt cold as she followed him. She was glad of Nathan’s warmth in her arms…because she was suddenly quite terrified.

V
ICTORIA
had thought Antonio’s home was grand but this was something else; this was more like a palace than a home. The marble-tiled floor in the massive entrance hall led through to a reception area lined with what looked like family portraits that dated back for generations. Behind that a majestic staircase branched into two separate directions, leading to a gallery above them. Victoria had the impression that if she wandered off alone in here she could easily have got lost. Not that she intended wandering anywhere alone. Even the butler who had answered the door to them was intimidating.

Antonio sent the man away and then led her along a dark panelled corridor.

He opened double doors into a drawing room that held a roaring log fire. Chandeliers sparkled over fine Persian rugs and dark wood furniture.

There was no sign of Antonio’s father and they were completely alone. ‘I’m starting to feel a bit nervous,’ Victoria admitted softly.

‘Don’t worry about it—the old man just likes to make an entrance.’

Nathan was wriggling impatiently to get down from her arms and rather than struggle with him she allowed him to slip to the floor so that he could play with his cars.

‘Do you want a drink?’ Antonio moved to the sideboard and picked up one of the crystal decanters.

‘No, thanks.’ She was too much on edge to have a drink. ‘Do you think your father will believe for one moment that our marriage is real?’ Victoria asked him suddenly.

Antonio looked over at her. Up until today he’d have answered that he didn’t particularly care what his father thought; in fact, he’d been looking forward to gloatingly telling the old man the truth, but a conversation with his lawyer earlier had put him off that idea. Roberto had counselled caution, had told him it was best to maintain the pretence of a relationship until the shares were actually transferred into his name. Antonio supposed he was right; he didn’t want things to get messy. Anyway, it would be revenge enough to see his father’s expression when he found out that Victoria already had a child and that child was no blood relative of his. ‘I don’t see why he shouldn’t believe it,’ he said nonchalantly. ‘You’re wearing my ring. We
are
married.’

‘Yes, but…’ She swallowed hard. ‘I’m not your type, am I? And everyone knows it.’

Antonio frowned. ‘To whom are you referring?’

‘Well…everyone…Your accountant was very sceptical—I could see it in his expression.’

‘Tom Roberts is just an employee who only thinks about money.’

‘Well, then…there is your housekeeper. She knows full well—’

‘Sarah isn’t going to say anything.’

‘She doesn’t need to say anything, that’s my point. People know that you have dated some of the world’s most glamorous and perfect women. Your father will know that this marriage doesn’t add up as soon as he sees me.’

Antonio’s eyes narrowed on her for a moment and she blushed uncomfortably. ‘I don’t think so,’ he said softly.

‘I’m being realistic, Antonio.’ She watched as he walked
across towards her. She had to be realistic—couldn’t risk fooling herself for even a moment about this situation.

‘Well, I think we can easily convince my father that we are a real couple.’

‘You do?’ He was standing very close to her now and she felt her emotions starting to dissolve into chaos as she looked up into the darkness of his eyes.

Was he just being kind? She couldn’t think straight for a moment.

Something about the way he was looking at her was making her heart slam against her chest.

Vaguely she was aware of footsteps approaching along the hallway, but she couldn’t drag her eyes away from Antonio.

He reached out and put his hands around her small waist and her heart missed several beats as surprise and consternation thundered through her. ‘Antonio?’

Was he going to kiss her?

‘Don’t!’
Her whispered plea was ignored as his head lowered towards hers.

She didn’t want him to kiss her; she didn’t want to know what it would feel like to be possessed by those lips, because she knew instinctively that it would be a dangerous kind of ecstasy. But too late—his mouth had captured hers.

She trembled violently under the onslaught to her senses, willing herself not to respond. But it felt so…so good. Pleasure flooded through her rigid body, unlocking her, heating her to boiling point. And before she knew what she was doing she was kissing him back.

Antonio felt a dart of surprise as he pulled her closer. He’d only been kissing her to prove a point to his father—had intended it just to be a mock display of passion. But…
hell
…this was intensely pleasurable.

He heard the door into the drawing room opening but he didn’t let go of Victoria immediately, still he continued to kiss her. She felt so turned on! He could taste her need trem
bling from her lips…feel her hunger in every shiver of her slender body.

‘Good evening, Antonio!’ His father spoke in Italian and the cool words brought him sharply to his senses and he stepped back.

What was he thinking? Kissing Victoria wasn’t supposed to be pleasurable! She was off-limits! This was strictly a business deal!

He looked down at her; she looked flustered…totally mortified. ‘Are you OK?’ he asked softly.

She didn’t answer him…couldn’t answer him.

Obviously the kiss had stunned her too. But there was no real harm done, Antonio told himself briskly. It was a moment of madness that had served its purpose. He glanced over her shoulder towards where his father was watching.

‘You’ll have to excuse us, Father,’ he said quietly in Italian. ‘But we are still on our honeymoon and can’t quite drag ourselves away from each other.’

‘You’re…on honeymoon?’ The man’s voice was startled.

‘Yes.’ Antonio smiled and changed over to speaking in English. ‘I’d like you to meet your new daughter-in-law.’ He glanced down at Victoria. ‘Turn around and say hello.’

She couldn’t think straight…her mind was filled with the way Antonio had just made her feel and waves of confusion were flooding through her.

‘Victoria.’ His voice was firm, as were his eyes as he looked down at her.

Slowly she turned to do as he asked.

Victoria didn’t think she would ever forget the look of surprise on the older man’s face when he saw her.

‘And you should also meet your grandson.’ Antonio switched back to speaking in Italian again as he indicated Nathan, who was sitting quietly on the floor beside them playing with his cars. ‘Not a blood relative, I’m afraid—but some things are just not meant to be.’

Clearly Luc Cavelli hadn’t noticed Nathan until that moment.

Victoria watched the man’s expression turn from dismay and shock to outright fury.

She didn’t understand anything of what was being said now but she knew from the grim tone in both of the men’s voices that this was not a pleasant exchange, and she certainly didn’t have to be fluent in Italian to know that Antonio’s father was very displeased with his son’s choice of wife.

As if sensing the tension in the air Nathan suddenly started to cry. ‘There, darling, don’t worry.’ Victoria bent down and picked him up, cradling him close. She tried to sound reassuring but in reality she was shaking inside. The confusion she felt over Antonio’s kiss and now his father’s unwelcoming attitude were all just too much to bear.

Then suddenly without a word Antonio’s father turned around and stormed out, slamming the doors behind him with an almighty bang.

The noise made Nathan stop crying and he looked around to see what had happened.

Then there was silence and Antonio smiled. ‘That went well, I thought.’

‘Excuse me?’ She stared at him as if he were quite mad. ‘It went terribly! Obviously he hates me…and…what the hell was that kiss all about?’ Despite her best efforts to control her emotions, her voice wobbled precariously.

Antonio’s eyes narrowed on the pallor of her skin. ‘You know what the kiss was about,’ he told her coolly. ‘I thought I made it clear—it was about ensuring my father took our marriage seriously.’

Of course it was, she realized dully. A man like Antonio would never have any real feeling for someone like her.

Fierce pain thundered through her as she remembered how passionately she had responded. What a fool she was…

‘You had no right to touch me like that!’ Her voice trembled with sudden anger.

‘Let’s not get this out of proportion, Victoria. You and I have a business deal, that’s all. And I told you I expected you to play your part.’

The coolness of his reply made the pain and anger inside of her intensify. ‘But I didn’t agree to kiss you!’ she cut across him fiercely.

‘Once our lips met I thought you were okay about it.’ He looked at her pointedly. ‘You didn’t exactly try to pull away…did you?’

She tried to angle her chin up. But her distress was palpable. And a sudden sharp feeling stabbed through Antonio as his eyes raked over her.

She looked so vulnerable…so hurt. And for a moment it was as if he were seeing her for the first time, taking in everything about her. The tender way she held the child, the look in her eyes…The flush of colour over her high cheekbones…the way she was pretending not to have enjoyed the kiss—when in reality she most definitely had.

He muttered something in Italian, something that sounded fiercely angry.

‘Do you think you could speak in English…please?’ she asked him quietly.

He hesitated and then shook his head. ‘Let’s go home, Victoria.’

Antonio lay in bed staring up into the darkness. He had achieved exactly what he had set out to achieve and the shares in Cavelli Enterprises were now as good as his.

No doubt his father would be rallying his lawyers at first light but there was nothing they would be able to do—the old man had stitched himself up into a corner and Antonio had ensured there was no way out for him.

He should have felt jubilant. After all, he had spent the past ten years of his life dedicating himself to building the company up to where it was today. If he’d just walked away
instead of challenging his father like this, everything would have been blown apart. And OK, he could have just stepped away into the life raft of his other company, Lancier, but how comfortable would he have felt with that as he watched the train wreck of Cavelli? Shares would have crashed, jobs would have been lost—and all because his father hadn’t got his own way. But of course his father wouldn’t see it like that; all he cared about was himself.

Grimly Antonio stared into the darkness. A major catastrophe had been averted just by a simple marriage of convenience, so why didn’t he feel euphoric?

Why did he keep seeing Victoria’s stricken face as she’d stood before him in his father’s house? Why did he feel angry with himself for even bringing her there?

She was gaining a lot from this situation, he reminded himself angrily for the billionth time—a fabulous new restaurant, a lovely new home. What the hell was wrong with him?

As for that kiss…it
had
just been for show and she should have understood that. After all, she’d been the one to point out that Luc might question the validity of their marriage. A little bit of a smokescreen had been necessary. He just wished he hadn’t enjoyed it quite so much. Victoria was for business only.

Impatiently he threw the covers back and got up from the bed. Dawn was breaking outside; he’d get an early start in at the office and forget this nonsense.

A little while later, showered and dressed ready for work, Antonio made his way downstairs. He’d planned to head straight out to his car, but a quick glance at his watch made him decide to have a coffee first.

It was a shock to find Victoria already in the kitchen. She had her back to him and she was staring out of the window, lost in thought.

What was she thinking about? he wondered.

He put his briefcase down onto the sideboard and she spun around in surprise.

‘You startled me! I didn’t realize anyone would be up at this hour!’

‘Yes…so I see.’ His eyes drifted lazily over her slender form.

She was wearing the long blue satin dressing gown that he’d seen on her during their flight. It didn’t cling, just gently skimmed her curves, and her dark hair was loose and tumbled around her shoulders in glossy perfusion.

She looked so…different, he thought objectively. The blue of the dressing gown brought out the vivid green of her eyes. And her hair really was quite beautiful; it glistened under the overhead kitchen lights, the colour of rich chestnut.

Self-consciously she put a hand up to her hair and he remembered how he’d told her that he didn’t like it loose.

Impatient with himself he transferred his attention towards his briefcase and snapped it open. He wasn’t interested in Victoria and he didn’t want to give her the impression that he was.

‘I thought I’d get an early start and beat the traffic going into Verona this morning,’ he told her idly. ‘What’s your excuse?’

For a moment she hesitated before answering honestly, ‘I couldn’t sleep.’

He glanced back at her. ‘You’re probably still jet lagged—I know I am.’

‘Probably.’

As their eyes connected, memories from the night before flooded painfully through her. That kiss and subsequent scene at his father’s house, the tense angry atmosphere that had accompanied their journey home—all had haunted her throughout the night,
especially the kiss
.

She still didn’t understand what had happened to her when their lips had met; it was as if she had completely lost her mind. The only thing she did know was that it was best forgotten, she told herself angrily. As was the fact that his father had hated her and had obviously had other ideas for whom he wanted for his son’s wife.

She didn’t care, she told herself fiercely.

Hastily she looked away from him. ‘I’ll get out of your way.’

‘No need.’ He glanced over at the coffee pot on the stove. ‘In fact, you may as well make yourself useful and pour me a coffee whilst you’re here.’

Victoria frowned. She didn’t want to make herself useful; she wanted to escape to the privacy of her own room. She needed to get dressed; she felt completely at a disadvantage walking around like this. Especially as he looked his usual suave sophisticated self.