Sweet Seduction (10 page)

‘Have you spoken to Amy?’

‘No.’

Sienna remembered the phone call she’d received a few minutes earlier. ‘I think she phoned,’ she said, straightening. ‘A woman called this morning. She sounded upset.’

Fury flashed across his face. ‘Damn. I forgot to change the password.’

‘Password?’

‘Reception. They only let callers through who know my password. I haven’t changed it – damn – since Amy.’

‘Oh.’

He snatched up the phone and dialled. ‘I want a new password.’ He looked over at her and smiled. ‘Glass slipper.’

She couldn’t help smiling.

He hung up and sat down next to her. ‘There’s no baby. This doesn’t change anything,’ he said.

‘She sounded pretty upset.’

‘The baby is not mine,’ he said again. ‘It’s impossible.’

His mobile rang. He pulled it from his pocket. ‘It’s Amy.’

‘Answer it.’

‘No. Just another blackmail attempt.’

‘Blackmail?’

‘Happens all the time to men in my position.’

Amy hadn’t sounded like a blackmailer. She’d sounded devastated. ‘Answer the call,’ Sienna said, standing up. ‘Amy’s a rich and famous movie star, she’s not going to blackmail you.’

Antonio looked at her carefully. He pressed a button on his phone and held it to his ear. ‘Amy,’ he said, his voice harsh.

Sienna watched Antonio’s face. It remained impassive, but he stood and walked to the bedroom and shut the door.

If the baby was Antonio’s he couldn’t walk away from it. Family was the most important thing. She knew from experience that when everything fell apart, the only people standing next to you were family. She wouldn’t let Antonio walk away from his responsibilities. Even if she was only his fake fiancée.

Antonio clicked his phone shut and stared at the canal busy with morning traffic. The bright, sunny day did nothing to improve his dark mood. He knew Amy well enough to know she wasn’t lying about being pregnant. She was clearly genuinely distressed.

He rubbed his brow between his forefinger and thumb. The baby couldn’t be his. He always insisted on double protection. Was it even possible for two types of contraception to fail at the same time? The odds were infinitesimal.

A knock at the door stirred him from his black thoughts.

‘Antonio,’ Sienna called.

‘Come,’ he said.

Sienna poked her head through the door. ‘Everything all right?’ she asked hesitantly.

‘I can’t talk now,’ he said. ‘I’m late.’ Work, that always helped. Bury yourself in work and you didn’t need to face anything emotional.

He walked past her. ‘I’ve organised a personalised sightseeing trip for you today.’ He picked up his briefcase. ‘You’ll enjoy it.’

‘But Amy?’

‘I’ll deal with it.’ Without another word, he walked out the door.

Sienna stared after him, blinking. Was he kidding? The press knew all about a potential love child, which could wreck their plans – her chance to save the Plaza – and he just leaves?

She picked up an apple and crunched hard. Their plan? What was she thinking? This was his plan and she was clearly just another pawn on the board.

Antonio walked quietly past the bed.

‘Morning,’ Sienna murmured.

He turned and watched her rub her eyes and stretch, the fabric of her pajama top hugging her chest. His pulse jumped. ‘Morning.’

‘Leaving already?’ she asked, sitting up. ‘Three days and I’ve never actually seen you sleep.’

‘I don’t need much sleep.’ Each night after dinner he worked until she was asleep and he was always dressed or gone before she woke in the morning. Sleeping next to her was torture, but necessary. ‘I’m meeting the builder at my new hotel.’

She leapt out of bed. ‘Can I come?’

He laughed. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve organised a personalised shopping trip for you this morning.’

‘No,’ she said, holding up her hands as if for protection. ‘No more shopping. I don’t ever want to talk about evening wear, cocktail wear or afternoon wear again.’

‘You’d rather come to a building site?’ he said, walking past her into the living room.

‘Absolutely,’ she said, following.

He picked up his briefcase. ‘You’d be bored.’

‘Please,’ she implored. ‘I’ve spent the last three days wandering this city by myself.’

‘You’ve had guides.’

She glared at him.

A rare emotion touched his heart – guilt. The work on his new hotel demanded a great deal of his time and organising a wedding at short notice made things worse. He and Sienna had dinner together every night in high-profile restaurants to keep the press happy, but other than that he didn’t see her.

‘Don’t you think we should spend a little time together before we get married?’ she pressed. ‘We’ll be husband and wife in a few days.’

She walked a little closer. ‘Whenever we’re together we’re surrounded by all those damn cameras flashing,’ she said.

He hesitated. He didn’t really want her to be part of his world – work was his solace. But she had a point. ‘Fine,’ he said. ‘But no complaining if you’re bored.’

‘Deal. Give me five minutes,’ she said, rushing for the bathroom.

Great. No woman ever took five minutes. He rolled his eyes as he heard the shower. He glanced at his watch. Now he’d be really late. He grabbed a couple of newspapers and settled onto the sofa. Might as well use the time to see how the media were handling the love-child story. He’d reviewed the coverage on the internet earlier. The press seemed to believe he wasn’t Amy’s child’s father. Well, they probably did, but they loved the Italian Cinderella story better, thank goodness.

He hadn’t even turned the page when Sienna bounded into the room. ‘Ready,’ she said enthusiastically.

He stared. She was. Dressed in long trousers and a navy striped top and sensible shoes. He looked at his watch. Seven minutes. She’d even dressed appropriately for a building site.

‘Told you I’d be five minutes,’ she said confidently.

‘You were seven,’ he said with a smile.

‘Oh well, what’s two minutes between friends?’

He laughed. Spending time with Sienna was incredibly easy. She was so . . . undemanding.

‘Shall we?’ he said, taking her hand.

‘So where are we going?’

‘I bought one of the last old buildings on Giudecca.’

‘Giudecca?’

‘One of the islands in the lagoon.’

‘Can’t wait,’ she said, excitement glittering in her eyes.

He shook his head. Sienna really was like no other woman he’d ever met. If he’d suggested a day at the building site to any other women he’d dated, she’d have thought him insane.

It took less than half an hour to arrive on site. His foreman met them and fitted them with hard hats.

‘We’re demolishing the west spire today,’ the foreman said escorting them inside to what would obviously be the hotel lobby.

‘What!’ Sienna exclaimed, horror gripping her features. ‘Why?’

The builder looked from her to Antonio as if asking permission to answer. Antonio nodded. ‘We’re putting in a rooftop infinity pool.’

‘But that’ll ruin the roofline of the whole building.’

Antonio stared at her. She appeared genuinely upset. ‘Infinity pools are expected in this class of hotel,’ he said, patting her arm.

‘There must be a better place for it,’ she said, sounding desperate.

The foreman laughed. ‘Antonio hired Alberto Ricci to design this project,’ he said, as if speaking to a child. ‘He’s one of Italy’s best.’

‘Obviously not good enough,’ Sienna muttered.

The builder snorted and tramped ahead.

‘Are those the plans?’ Sienna asked, walking to a series of noticeboards covered with detailed architectural drawings.

‘Yes,’ Antonio said, joining her at the wall of paper. ‘You understand building plans?’

‘I completed four years of my degree before I had to give it up,’ she said, as she ran her finger over the pages until she tapped the spot where the pool was marked.

Antonio stood, intrigued, as she studied every inch of the plans.

‘Back in a sec,’ she said, running out of the building the way they’d come.

‘We don’t have time for this,’ the foreman said. ‘I want to get that spire down today.’

‘Sure,’ Antonio said. ‘When she gets back, we’ll press on.’

Sienna walked slowly back into the building, her face a picture of concentration. Without a word, she walked back to the plans and placed her finger on the paper.

‘Here,’ she said. ‘The pool should go here.’

‘And how do you figure that?’ the foreman asked derisively.

Antonio shot the man a dark look. Sienna might be holding things up a bit, but she was his fiancée after all. ‘Let’s hear what she has to say, shall we?’ he said, a warning clear in his voice.

‘
Naturalmente
.’ The foreman faced the plans. ‘So, why there?’

‘It faces south,’ Sienna said emphatically.

‘It’s an infinity pool. The view is important. This position gives an unobstructed view of St Mark’s.’

‘Yes. But if you sited the pool here and aligned it . . . Have you got a pencil?’

The foreman grimaced. ‘No.’

‘Here,’ Antonio said, pulling a pen from his jacket pocket.

Sienna hesitated, clearly worried about defacing the plans.

‘Don’t worry,’ Antonio said. ‘We can print more.’

Sienna proceeded to draw the pool in a new location. ‘If the pool goes here, you don’t have to demolish any of the front facade, you get a better view of St Mark’s and you’ll capture the sun for longer.’ She stepped back. ‘But the most important thing is that you retain the integrity of the building.’

‘These designs have been in the planning for two years and Antonio approved every detail,’ the foreman said, without looking at Sienna’s newly inked alterations. ‘We can’t change them now.’

Antonio stepped in close and examined the drawings. He shook his head. He couldn’t believe it. ‘
Mannaggia
! You’re right.’ He stepped back and looked at the foreman. ‘She’s right.’

The foreman threw his hands up. ‘It doesn’t matter. The plans are approved. The crane is in place. The spire must come down today.’

Antonio prided himself on developing the best hotels in the world. The original plan was good, but Sienna’s was so much better. Her idea would definitely be worth the additional cost.

‘No,’ he said. ‘We go with Sienna’s plan.’

The foreman swore. ‘That will put the project back months. The cost increase can’t be justified.’

‘I think I’m the one who makes that decision,’ Antonio said, a hard edge to his voice.

The foreman’s weathered face grew ugly with fury but he simply nodded and walked from the room.

‘I didn’t mean —’ Sienna’s face was a picture of shock.

Antonio took her hand. ‘So few people challenge my decisions it’s hard to know if the advice I’m given is right or just what people think I want to hear,’ he said. ‘Your changes improve the building and you weren’t afraid to tell me.’

The smile that lit her face struck him with such force he sucked in a sharp breath. He realised he hadn’t seen her smile like that since he’d met her. For the second time in hours, guilt seared his consciousness.

‘I love design, but . . .’ she said.

‘But?’ Suddenly he wanted to know more. He wanted to know what she liked, what she didn’t like and why.

‘My parents let me indulge my passion for design by studying architecture. But the Plaza is a family business and being an only child, my destiny was always to take over when my parents retired.’

‘Your parents kept you from doing what you loved?’ Antonio couldn’t imagine being constrained by anything. If he wanted something, he just went out and got it.

‘It sounds terrible when you put it like that,’ she said. ‘But family brings responsibilities.’

Exactly
, he thought, as he took her hand to show her the rest of the building.
That’s why I never want one.

‘Ready?’ Sienna asked, picking up her handbag.

‘I can’t believe you talked me into this,’ Antonio said, tucking in his shirt in as he walked into the penthouse living room.

Sienna couldn’t believe Antonio had agreed to come. ‘You haven’t had a day off since I arrived. You’re gone before I wake up and you work every night after dinner. All work and no play makes Antonio a boring boy.’

‘Boring,’ he said, one eyebrow arching. ‘No one’s ever called me that before.’

‘You live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world and you don’t take the time to notice it.’

‘I don’t have time to admire the view.’

‘Exactly, so today we make time.’

Antonio picked up his phone.

‘Can’t you leave that thing behind?’ Sienna asked. Antonio had the blasted thing almost permanently attached to his ear.

Antonio looked confused. ‘What thing?’

‘Your phone.’

‘No,’ he said, as if what she requested was completely insane. ‘Let’s go. I have to get back to Giudecca to meet the new foreman at three, remember.’

‘Sorry about that.’ Sienna couldn’t believe the previous foreman at the site had quit over the relocation of the pool.

‘You’ve upset a couple of people in my life since you arrived.’

‘Perhaps they weren’t people who deserved to be in your life,’ she said.

Antonio looked at her so intently, she felt colour rising in her cheeks.

‘Right, St Mark’s first,’ she said, picking up the itinerary she’d drawn up so carefully. They only had a few hours together and she planned to make the most of it.

‘Now, I have been to St Mark’s,’ he said.

She placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head to the side. ‘When was the last time you stepped inside that building?’

Antonio cocked his head. ‘When I was twelve on a school excursion.’

‘Thought as much,’ she said. ‘Come on.’ She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the door. She enjoyed being the one in control for once.

‘Are you going to be this pushy all day?’ he asked as they walked hand in hand to the lift. It opened immediately and she dragged him in.

‘I’m boss today,’ she said.

‘Hmm, I might enjoy this.’

‘That is the general idea.’

They walked through the lobby onto the street. Even this early in the morning tourists packed the streets.