LITMIR.BIZ

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in it, the passion raw and elemental. He kissed her hungrily and she kissed him back, their surroundings forgotten, everything forgotten until the blare of a car horn cut through the sexual storm. Luca lifted his head, disorientated.

      He stared down into her shocked blue eyes, saw his own confusion reflected right back at him and released her instantly. ‘I should get to work… .’

      ‘Me too.’ Her voice was husky and Luca, unsettled by how badly he wanted to kiss her again, backed towards the car and crashed into Rafaele, who made his frustration known.

      ‘Look where you’re going!’

      Luca was too shaken to bother responding. Instead he slid behind the wheel of his Ferrari and started the engine, instantly comforted by the throaty roar. At least something in his life felt familiar which was more than could be said for his feelings.

      He couldn’t remember a time when he’d been so out of control with a woman. When had he ever before lost track of time or place? Never.

      Pulling onto the road that led to the office, he told himself that he’d got a little carried away with his role. After all, she’d questioned his acting ability, so it was only natural that he would try and prove how wrong she was, wasn’t it? He was as competitive as the next guy and any suggestion that he might not be convincing in his role as ‘fiancé’ was guaranteed to result in a performance worthy of Hollywood.

      Having justified his behaviour to his satisfaction and confident that he had the situation completely under control, Luca relaxed.

      He’d helped her deal with that slimy bastard Rafaele and she, in turn, could turn on her charm for the board.

      So far their plan was working magnificently.

      ‘So, Taylor, I admit we never saw this happening. Luca has never shown any degree of responsibility in anything he does. He’s chosen to live his life on the fringe of this family.’ The air on the sunlit terrace of the Corretti flagship hotel was thick with cigarette smoke and disapproval of Luca.

      Taylor, who knew exactly how it felt to feel disconnected from the family you’d been born into, disliked the pompous chairman on sight. ‘I’m confused.’ She smiled her most feminine smile and had the satisfaction of seeing him blink, dazed. ‘You say Luca has no sense of responsibility and yet he’s built a staggeringly successful business worth a fortune.’

      ‘Luca appears more interested in the models he employs than he is in taking business seriously.’

      ‘I disagree. Luca is a man who works hard but also plays hard. He appreciates beauty. To be able to achieve the level of success he has achieved and yet still have fun seems to me to indicate a man who appreciates the importance of work-life balance.’

      ‘Your defence of him is to your credit.’

      ‘But should a man need defending from his own family?’ Taylor was beginning to understand why they drove Luca mad. She glanced up and saw him surrounded by members of the hotel management team. He didn’t even bother to conceal his boredom and she hid a smile because she sensed he went out of his way to live up to his terrible reputation.

      And suddenly she realised what a clever strategy that was. Because he didn’t appear to hide anything, no one looked deeper. No one suspected there was anything more to expose, which gave him an extraordinary level of privacy.

      He lifted his head and caught her eye.

      Just for a moment they looked at each other and the sexual charge was so powerful she felt the punch of it from across the room.

      Her stomach tightened as she remembered the way it felt to kiss him and be kissed by him.

      Turning away quickly she reminded herself that a kiss, even an exceptionally skilled kiss, wasn’t trust. A kiss was a type of sensual manipulation. Trust was something different.

      And trust was an indulgence she didn’t allow herself.

      Extracting himself from the group of grey-suited businessmen, Luca joined her.

      The chairman smiled. ‘You’ll be pleased to hear your fiancée was defending you vigorously. We were discussing your addiction to beautiful women.’

      Feeling Luca’s tension, Taylor slid her arm through his. ‘I’m thrilled Luca appreciates beauty.’

      ‘Many women would be jealous.’

      ‘Perhaps. But not me. We’re with each other through choice. Love cannot be bound and held captive. It has to be freely given.’

      Luca was looking at her strangely but he didn’t say anything and the chairman beckoned to an overweight man in a suit. ‘Taylor, this is Nico Gipetti, manager of our flagship hotel. You’re his idol so he’s been hoping for an introduction.’

      Nico Gipetti’s face turned scarlet up to his ears as he shook her hand vigorously. ‘I love your work.’ Having stammered his way through a stream of compliments, he turned to Luca. ‘Any news from Matteo?’

      ‘Not a sound.’ Luca was looking at her mouth. ‘But I suppose that isn’t so surprising in the circumstances.’

      The manager’s features tightened in disapproval. ‘What does he think he’s doing?’

      ‘I should think right now he’s probably smashing his way through all ten commandments,’ Luca murmured and then winced when Taylor drove her elbow into his ribs.

      ‘What Luca means,’ she said swiftly, ‘is that he’s probably keeping a low profile out of sensitivity to Alessandro’s feelings.’

      ‘So you have no idea when he will be back?’

      Luca suppressed a yawn. ‘No, but while he’s away I intend to increase your profits by an indecent amount so I suggest you all relax and let me get on with it. I work much better alone.’

      And why was that? Taylor studied him thoughtfully, wondering why he was so determined to keep himself apart, both in work and in play.

      ‘It’s a difficult time for the market,’ Nico snapped. ‘What makes you think you can do what we can’t? You know nothing about the hotel business.’

      ‘And that is precisely why I will make it a success.’ Luca paused to study the cut of the suit of a man walking past, a perusal that ended in a disbelieving shake of his head. ‘I don’t come weighed down with preconceived ideas, nor am I working from a palette of ideas that have been used a million times before by both yourselves and the competition.’

      The chairman joined in the conversation. ‘Perhaps this is a good time to give us some detail. I’m sure Nico is interested to hear how you intend to add value to the brand.’

      ‘That’s easy. Your occupancy is down because you have no appreciation of style or beauty,’ Luca said bluntly and Taylor almost laughed at the shock on their faces.

      She loved his honesty. He didn’t care what people thought, which meant he wasn’t afraid to speak the truth. Working in a profession where people rarely told the truth, she found it a refreshing change to be with someone who spoke his mind.

      Sadly Nico didn’t agree. ‘Perhaps we should talk in Italian so that we don’t bore Taylor with our business.’

      Luca scooped up two glasses of champagne from a pretty waitress with a wink and a smile. ‘Taylor doesn’t speak Italian—’ he handed her a glass ‘—and unlike you, Nico, I have no problem with my fiancée expressing an opinion. I’d like her to be part of the conversation.’

      They put him down at every turn and yet he was bigger than all of them, she thought. He had an innate confidence, a powerful belief in himself that resisted all their attempts to diminish him. They tried to make him look small and yet each time they knocked him down he rose higher, towering above them in every way.

      She felt a flash of pride and then wondered why she would feel pride in a man who wasn’t hers.

      Unsettled,

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