LITMIR.BIZ

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time she wanted to explore her own body.

      Shocked, Isla turned off the shower taps and stepped out. She quickly dried herself and pulled on some underwear and dressed. She wore a very pale green summer dress that did nothing to reduce the flush on her cheeks. She simply couldn’t stop thinking about Alessi and that he’d be there tonight and so, too, that smile.

      And the memory of that kiss.

      He’d use you, Isla reminded herself as she put on lip gloss. The same way he’d worked his way through half of MMU.

      Not that any of the staff seemed to regret their flings with Alessi.

      Would she regret one?

      Isla snapped herself out of it.

      There was no way she was going to do anything about the reluctant torch she carried for Alessi. She could actually picture his incredulous smile if she told him her truth. Scrap that, incredulous laughter, she amended, and then headed out to the lounge.

      ‘You look great.’ Darcie smiled. ‘I’m actually nervous about meeting everyone.’

      ‘Well, don’t be,’ Isla said. ‘They’re a friendly bunch.’

      It was a warm, sultry night and they took a tram for a couple of stops and then arrived at the bar and, as promised, everybody was incredibly friendly and pleased to meet the new obstetrician.

      ‘This is Lucas,’ Isla introduced them. ‘He’s a senior midwife on the MMU …’

      ‘It’s nice to meet you,’ Darcie said with a smile, and Isla continued the introductions.

      ‘And this is Sophia, a community midwife …’ Thankfully, for Isla, Alessi wasn’t there, and she allowed herself to relax. She went and bought some drinks and ordered a couple of bottles for the table but as she walked back she saw Alessi had just arrived. What gnawed at Isla was that he was there with Amber.

      ‘This is Alessi.’ Isla pushed out a smile. ‘He’s a neonatologist. Alessi, this is Darcie …’ She watched as he smiled his killer smile at Darcie and then Isla continued. ‘And this Amber, a student midwife …’ Isla almost winced as she heard the tart note to her voice and she caught Alessi’s eye. She wasn’t jealous that he was dating her student; she wanted to tell him instead that she was cross.

      ‘Hi, there.’ Isla jumped as she heard Rupert’s voice and felt his arm come around her waist. ‘Sorry if I’m a bit late.’

      ‘It’s fine.’ Isla had never been more pleased to see him and gave him a kiss—the practised kiss that they were both used to. What she wasn’t so used to was turning back to the table and the black look Alessi was throwing in Rupert’s direction.

      He looked then at Isla and gave the smallest shake of his head.

      All evening she found herself aware of his disapproval.

      Well, she very much disapproved of who Alessi was dating, too.

      Her skin prickled when he spoke with Amber. Her usually cool edge seemed to be melting and though the conversation flowed at the table, for once Isla wasn’t the perfect hostess. Thankfully everybody was keen to hear about how things worked in Cambridge, where Darcie was from and where Isabel would now be working. No one, apart from Rupert and Alessi, seemed to notice her tension.

      ‘Take it easy,’ Rupert said, because Isla was again topping up her glass. Isla rarely drank more than one glass of champagne but tonight she was rather grateful for the wine, and Rupert, who could sense her volatility, was right to warn her.

      Not that Alessi approved of Rupert telling her what to do—Isla saw the sharp rise of his eyebrows at Rupert’s words.

      Alessi didn’t like it that Rupert, given what he was putting her through, had just warned Isla to slow down. He didn’t like it that Rupert was here in the least. Alessi was, in fact, having an extremely uncomfortable evening, though it wasn’t Isla that he felt bad for, but Amber. Alessi, even if his relationships didn’t last very long, would never cheat or flirt with another woman, except his mind was fighting not to do just that.

      It felt wrong to be sitting with Amber while Isla was there.

      He was very aware that he was sitting next to the wrong woman.

      ‘I’m just going to go to the loo,’ Isla said, and as she got up to leave, Alessi made himself sit there, though the temptation was to follow her.

      The restrooms were located right on the other side of the bar and Isla headed off. She knew she had maybe had a little bit too much to drink and was glad of the chance to just take a breath.

      No one had said a word about Rupert. They were all used to Isla bringing him along but she was aware of slight pity in her colleagues’ eyes and Isla loathed it.

      Tonight she was ending it, which left her without a safety net, and as she walked out of the loos and straight into Alessi the Rupert-free tightrope got its first wobble, the first inkling of what was to come.

      ‘Everything okay?’ Alessi asked, because the look that she gave him was less than pleasant.

      ‘Actually, no,’ Isla said. ‘What are you doing, dating one of my students?’

      ‘Excuse me?’

      ‘You heard.’

      ‘She isn’t my student,’ Alessi pointed out. ‘You’re talking as if Amber’s eighteen when, in fact, she’s a thirty-two-year-old single mother of two. I’m hardly leading her astray—’

      ‘I don’t like the way you flirt with my midwives,’ Isla interrupted, and Alessi gave her a slow smile, though his eyes told her he was less than impressed with what she was saying.

      ‘Have there been any complaints?’

      ‘Of course not.’

      ‘Any hint as to inappropriateness on my part?’ Alessi checked, and watched Isla’s cheeks turn to fire as she shook her head. ‘Then I’d tread very carefully here if I were you, Isla,’ he said. ‘The staff don’t have an issue?’ He raised an eyebrow and Isla gave a terse shake of her head. ‘And I don’t have an issue,’ he drawled. ‘So, in fact, the only person who has a problem with my dating Amber is you. I wonder why that is?’

      Isla stood, her face flaming. She knew that she shouldn’t have said anything, especially not tonight, but now that she had it was impossible to take it back. ‘I’m just letting you know how I feel about the issue.’

      ‘What issue?’

      Isla licked her tense lips as he backed her to the wall but her lack of response didn’t end the conversation.

      ‘I flirt, Isla. I date. I enjoy women but only women who get that it’s only ever going to be short-term …’

      ‘Why?’

      The question was out before she considered it but it was pertinent enough to halt Alessi in his tracks.

      Why?

      It was a question few, outside the family, asked him. A question he had never truthfully answered and he had no intention of doing so now.

      ‘Because that is how I choose to live my life. I don’t need your approval, or you to rubber-stamp who I date from MMU, but I can tell you now I have never once cheated on anyone. I don’t have to make up lies or excuses about what’s been said or where I’ve been …’

      ‘I need to get back,’ Isla said, not liking where this conversation was leading, but Alessi wouldn’t let her off the hook.

      ‘We’ve only just started talking,’ he said. ‘And given you’re so inclined to discuss my sex life, I’m sure you won’t mind if I share my feelings about yours. Have some respect for yourself …’ He met her eyes and Isla took a sharp breath as he now voiced what nobody else had had the guts to. ‘What are you with him for, Isla? It’s all over the internet

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