Читать книгу The Best Of The Year - Modern Romance 2016 - Эбби Грин, Кейт Хьюит - Страница 55

CHAPTER NINETEEN

WHEN BELLA WOKE the next morning, she was astonished to find herself back in her own bed. She had definitely been in the master bedroom when she’d finally fallen asleep last night. Sergio must have carried her back to her room at some stage but she had no memory of it. The clothes she’d worn the night before were draped over a chair in the corner, her sandals placed neatly underneath.

Clearly, Sergio didn’t want Maria knowing they were sleeping together. No doubt if she knew, Maria would have them married off even quicker than the Countess. Though how he imagined they could keep their relationship a secret for a whole month she had no idea. Maria was a very intuitive woman.

Sighing, Bella rolled over and glanced at the small antique clock that sat on the mantelpiece over the fireplace. Lord, it was past noon! She hadn’t slept so soundly in years. Obviously, a satisfying sex life was the answer to that. And it was satisfying. Very. After their first rather frantic mating last night—up against the back of his bedroom door, no less!—Sergio had proceeded to make slow love to her in bed for ages, Bella adoring the way he’d looked deep into her eyes as he’d done so. She’d lost count of the number of times she’d come. It was no wonder that in the end she’d fallen into such a deep sleep, one where she’d been blissfully unaware of being carried back to her own room.

A soft knock on her bedroom door had her sitting up abruptly, pulling the sheet up over her bare breasts.

‘Sergio?’ she said, feeling perversely shy all of a sudden.

‘No, no, it is me. Maria. Sergio...he has gone to Milan. He left a couple of hours ago.’

‘Oh, yes. He did tell me he was going there today but I forgot. Come in, Maria.’

She opened the door and bustled in, looking uncharacteristically worried. ‘I’m sorry to wake you. Sergio said you had a late night. But I must go home soon. My little Antonio, he has a bad cold and Carlo, he is working on the other side of the lake today.’

‘Then you should go home straight away, Maria,’ Bella said.

Maria frowned. ‘But I have to make your bed and clean your bathroom.’

‘I am quite capable of making my own bed and cleaning my own bathroom. Now off you go.’

‘Are you sure? What about your lunch?’

‘Maria, I am sure I can rustle up something. I saw how much food was in the cupboards and fridge. On top of that, it is only a short walk to the closest village where there is an excellent café and bakery. I have stayed here before, you know. A long time ago, but, as the driver told me the other day, Italy does not change much. And please, do not even think of coming back tonight. I will get Sergio to take me out somewhere for dinner when he gets home from work.’

Maria smiled with relief. ‘You are very kind. I will go now, then.’

‘Yes, please do.’

After Maria hurried off, Bella lay back on the pillow and sighed, having remembered that Sergio planned to go into Milan every weekday from now on, not just today. Which was somewhat disappointing. She’d been hoping to have him all to herself for the next month. Still, the family business was in dire straits, he’d told her during one of his brief rests from lovemaking last night. It had, in fact, been losing money for several years, his father not proving to be as astute a businessman as his grandfather.

‘Of course, the economic climate has changed,’ Sergio had explained. ‘So have the markets. Where once Morelli leather goods were huge sellers, both overseas and here in Italy, they now can’t compete with the cheaper imports from Asia. We don’t have any branches in any other countries any more. They just weren’t profitable. We now use independent agencies to try to sell our wares overseas. Without much success, I’m afraid.’

Bella recalled he’d looked very concerned.

‘Some of the staff have been with the company all their working lives,’ he’d continued. ‘My father found it impossible to let any of them go, but I will have to do some restructuring or all the staff will be out of work. Luckily, I have plenty of money of my own to invest in some much-needed change. But what those changes will be, I have yet to determine. Hopefully, I will get some inspiration tomorrow when I go through the factory and talk to the employees.’

Bella had made all the right noises, saying she had every confidence in him, but in reality she hadn’t been concentrating, her focus distracted by the way he’d been caressing her as he’d chatted away. He couldn’t seem to keep his hands off her. Not that she was any better. As the night had worn on she’d become addicted to stroking him very intimately, loving the way she could bring him back to erection within minutes of his having climaxed. She’d been doing just that when she’d playfully asked him what she had to do to make sure he’d visit her in New York. He’d just smiled and said she didn’t have to do anything special. Just be there when he arrived at her apartment, wearing nothing but perfume.

A smiling Bella had given him her faithful promise, at which point Sergio had stopped talking and started making love to her yet again.

What amazing stamina he had! And what incredible know-how. He knew exactly how to move when he was inside her. And how to move her. She’d been amazed at the various positions he’d shown her. She was already looking forward to Sergio coming home tonight. She would wear something sexy for him. Something new. The village she’d spoken of to Maria also had a nice little fashion boutique. Or they used to. Hopefully, it would still be there.

It was. Though with a new owner. It had also gone very up-market, selling high-end accessories along with designer clothes. Fortunately, the new lady owner didn’t recognise Bella despite her not wearing the red wig, though she did fuss over her once she realised money was no object. Bella’s stylist had drummed into her that buying quality was always worth it in the end, as long as you didn’t buy super-trendy things that would go out of fashion the following year. The owner was delighted when Bella invested in a sundress, a cocktail dress, a pair of shorts, two summery tops and a lovely cashmere wrap, Bella determined to have something for every occasion during her stay here with Sergio. Her last purchase was a pair of sensible but very expensive walking shoes, which would cope with the cobblestone paths better than the sandals she was wearing. Keeping them on, she asked the woman to hold her purchases till she’d had some lunch, which of course she was very happy to do.

Fifteen minutes later, Bella was sitting at an outdoor table connected to a nearby café, eating a delicious salad and drinking some sparkling mineral water when a brilliant idea came to her. At least, she thought it was brilliant. Excitement raced through her veins at the realisation that this might be the answer to Sergio’s prayers. Bella would have called Sergio immediately with her idea, but she didn’t have her phone with her, having deposited it in the top drawer of one of her bedside tables. She’d been determined to remain out of touch with the rest of the world for several days at least; hadn’t wanted to be confronted by the long line of missed calls that would inevitably be there, along with a whole swag of unread messages. Her mother would be the main culprit, trying to find out where she was and who she was with.

Bella felt a twinge of conscience at this last thought. She supposed it was a bit mean not to let her mother know she was safe and well. And she wasn’t a mean person. If truth be told, she was too kind for her own good, sometimes, especially where her mother was concerned. When her career had first taken off, she’d kept her mother on as her manager for much longer than she should have. Bella had known people didn’t respond well to Dolores’s aggressive, stage-mother manner. She’d been told more than once that she would do better with a professional manager, someone with the experience and the contacts to take Bella’s career to the next level. At the time, she’d been getting only minor roles on Broadway, plus the occasional singing gig on television back home in Sydney.

But she hadn’t wanted to hurt her mother. She also hadn’t had the confidence to take such a step. She’d only been a teenager, after all.

It had been Raoul coming into her life that had precipitated her finally getting out from under her mother’s thumb. An international polo player from Argentina, Raoul had pursued her with the kind of persistence Bella would always find very flattering. Even so, it had taken the Argentinian playboy several weeks to seduce Bella away from her mother’s stultifying influence and into his bed. Any satisfaction he had initially found in deflowering Bella, however, had gradually turned to dissatisfaction. He hadn’t been cruel when he’d broken up with her but he had been blunt.

‘You need to get that mother of yours out of your life, Bella, if you want to become a real woman,’ he’d told her. ‘She is keeping you like a little girl. You need to grow up and take control of your life, and your career. Get yourself professional representation before it’s too late.’

So she had, firing her mother and signing with Josh, who was a top New York agent. Dolores, of course, had put on the biggest tantrum, only alleviated when Bella had signed a contract where her mother still received ten per cent of her income, though only for the next ten years. Which possibly explained why her mother was so keen on her doing that movie, Bella realised, with her gravy train running out in just over a year’s time.

Not that Bella would ever see her mother go short of money. Neither did she want her to worry unnecessarily. Bella decided to bite the bullet and give the woman a call this afternoon, but not till after she’d rung Sergio. He was her priority at the moment. It gave her a warm fuzzy feeling to think she might be able to help him with his family business. Hopefully, he would agree that her idea had merit.

Excited now, she finished her lunch, then hurried along to the boutique where she collected her parcels, saying a silent thanks that the clothes she’d bought were not heavy items. Nevertheless, by the time she arrived back at the villa Bella was a little puffed, having walked at a solid pace all the way. Racing up the stairs to her bedroom, she dropped the parcels on the floor, retrieved her phone from the drawer, turning it on as she sat down on the side of the bed. Ignoring the ping that informed her of all her missed calls and messages, she took a few calming breaths, then called Sergio.

He didn’t answer for several rings, by which time Bella’s heart was racing.

‘Bella!’ he said at last, anxiety in his voice. ‘What is it? What’s happened?’

‘Nothing’s happened,’ she reassured him. ‘Nothing bad, that is. I went into the village to buy a few things and when I was there, I had this idea I thought might be helpful for the business. I would have rung you then and there but I didn’t have my phone with me. Anyway, I got so excited that I practically ran home so that I could call you ASAP. I haven’t rung you at a bad time, have I? You sound stressed.’

‘If you’d seen our sales figures you’d be stressed too. You’re going to have to be a miracle worker, my darling, to turn them around. But I’m all ears.’

Bella was so taken aback by his calling her his darling that she was speechless for a few seconds. Not that he’d meant anything serious by it. But it had thrilled her all the same. Thrilled her to pieces. The possibility that she was falling in love with him worried the life out of her. Not that Sergio wasn’t a man worth falling in love with. He was, his concern for his employees very touching. His spirit was generous, not greedy. Caring, not selfish. As Luigi had said, he was a good man.

But if she did fall in love with him, there was no use fantasising that he might fall in love with her in return. That would be too good to be true. It wasn’t going to happen. Sergio would never let himself fall in love with the daughter of the woman who’d ruined his father’s life. The truth was he fancied her for the reason men always fancied her. Because they found her beautiful and sexy-looking. Love had nothing to do with his feelings for her.

Best you concentrate on just being his friend with benefits, that sensible inner voice warned her. Because to start hoping for more is the way to a broken heart.

‘Bella?’ Sergio prompted. ‘Are you still there?’

‘Yes, yes. Still here. Just assembling my thoughts.’ And trying to be sensible.

‘Is this idea of yours complicated?’

‘Not really. Just hard to put into words.’

‘What’s the basic thrust of it? Try to use as few words as possible.’

‘Well, the bottom line is your products are too cheap.’

‘Too cheap! Are you mad? We can’t compete, price-wise, as it is.’

‘Then don’t. You’re on a losing battle to nothing trying to compete with imports from countries that can make things for a fraction of what you can. You should do what Italy does best, Sergio. Produce stylish, super-quality products for which you can charge a premium. People will pay over and above for true quality. Trust me. I know. I’m one of them.’

Sergio was silent for a long moment before he answered. ‘Yes, I see what you’re getting at,’ he said slowly. ‘My God, Bella, I think you’re right. We should be putting our prices up, not down. What a clever girl you are!’

‘But only if you lift the quality,’ Bella pointed out, glad Sergio couldn’t see how her heart had squeezed tight at his compliment. ‘You might also have to rebrand and advertise extensively. People need to look at your products with new eyes.’

‘Sounds good but that’ll take a lot of money, Bella. Money and time.’

‘Well, you have plenty of both, don’t you, Sergio? It’s not as though you have anything else to do.’

His laugh struck an odd note to Bella’s ears. ‘I dare say you’re right again,’ he said. ‘I don’t have anything important on my agenda in the near future, other than flying over to New York occasionally to see a certain person.’

‘Oh? And who might that be?’ she asked playfully. Yes, this was the way to handle things. No point in putting your heart on your sleeve.

‘A very beautiful lady with a very brilliant mind.’

Bella couldn’t help flushing with pleasure. And feeling exasperated with herself at the same time. ‘You don’t have to flatter me, Sergio,’ she said a bit tartly. ‘I’m a sure thing.’

‘Now that, my darling Bella, is something you’ll never be. Look, I’d better get off this phone and have a chat with some of the designers. See what they can do about creating a new top-of-the-range line of shoes and handbags. I suspect they’ll be quite excited.’

‘That’s excellent. Before you go, Sergio, could you bring home some samples of your shoes and handbags so that I can have a look at them and compare them with what I buy?’ In truth, she was genuinely curious. And very keen to help.

‘Will do.’

‘What time do you think you might be home?’ she asked.

‘Not early. I have a lot to do here. Possibly around seven, seven-thirty. Ciao.’ And he hung up.

The abrupt termination of the call, plus the realisation that it would be hours before she saw him again, left Bella feeling rather deflated, her brilliant idea having backfired on her a little. Clearly, Sergio was fired up by her suggestions and couldn’t wait to get to work on them. Making that scale of changes would be a huge project, however, and would mean his working long hours. She would miss him terribly. At the same time, Bella was glad that she’d been able to help him. She’d seen how worried he was, not just about the fate of the family company, but the people who worked there.

Her sigh carried resignation to the fact that she wouldn’t have as much of Sergio’s company as she would have liked. And she wasn’t thinking just about sex. She loved talking to him as well. Loved just being with him.

And the reason for that, she told herself firmly, is that you’ve definitely fallen in love with the man.

Bella groaned, any happiness this realisation brought—she much preferred love to lust—tempered by the reality that it was a one-sided love. Sergio did like her. And he desired her. Maybe, after today, he even admired her. But that wasn’t the same as love.

Frowning, Bella stood up and wandered out onto the balcony, wondering how she could get Sergio to fall in love with her. Despite being a confident girl where her career was concerned, she wasn’t at all confident when it came to men, her past relationships having battered her self-esteem in that regard. Also, there was still the problem of whose daughter she was. That could be a huge hurdle in Sergio’s mind. It was a dismaying thought.

* * *

In the end, Bella decided all she could do was love him to the best of her ability and hope he eventually reciprocated. She dismissed the idea of telling him she loved him. That would make her sound needy and clingy. A long-time bachelor like Sergio would not respond to a woman who was either needy or clingy. No, she would have to be patient.

Patience, however, was not one of her virtues. Neither was not getting what she wanted. Dolores had unfortunately passed along a degree of stubbornness to her daughter, plus a determination to win. Bella had never wanted to win a man before. In the past, it had all been about men trying to win her.

Bella was mulling over lots of various thoughts when her phone rang.

Her groan carried exasperation at the realisation that she hadn’t turned it off after talking to Sergio. She knew who it would be. Who else but her mother? Dolores didn’t have the patience to wait for someone to ring her back.

Bracing herself, Bella walked back into the bedroom and over to where she’d left the phone on the bedside table. Picking it up, she checked the caller ID then lifted it to her ear.

‘Hello, Mum,’ she said calmly. No point in getting herself in a twist. After all, she’d already decided earlier to give her mother a call.

‘At last she deigns to turn her damned phone on and answer me!’ came the snappy retort. ‘What on earth have you been thinking, girl? You have responsibilities. And a career. Or you did have one before you disappeared off the face of the earth without telling anyone where you were going. Do you know how many calls I have had complaining that they can’t get in touch with you?’

Bella smiled a rueful smile. Lord, but her mother was just so predictable. She wasn’t worried about her daughter’s physical safety. Just her career.

‘Actually no, I don’t,’ Bella replied with deliberate nonchalance. ‘How many?’

‘Too many to recount. Just go to your voicemail or your message bank and you’ll see for yourself. Josh is desperate to get in touch with you. And so is Charlie. I’m sure it’s about the Angel in New York movie. I did ask but they wouldn’t tell me.’

Thank heavens.

‘I’ll ring Josh as soon as I get off the phone to you,’ Bella offered. She could not deny being curious. Josh was never desperate. But if Charlie had been able to get that movie onto the drawing board again, then her manager would be very excited. And so would she. She loved that musical. Singing the song she wrote for it last night had reminded her just how much.

‘That’s more like it,’ Dolores said. ‘Go do it right now. But promise you will ring me back straight away and tell me what’s going on.’

‘Don’t you want to know where I am?’ Bella couldn’t resist asking.

‘Humph! No point in asking that when I know you won’t tell me.’

‘True. But I still expect you to ask.’

‘Do you know you’ve grown into a very frustrating woman?’

‘Takes one to know one, Mum. But at least you called me a woman this time, instead of a girl.’

A heavy sigh wafted down the line. ‘I don’t want to argue with you, Isabel,’ she said, always resorting to her daughter’s full name when she was severely irritated.

Bella relented with the teasing. ‘I don’t want to either, Mum.’

‘Good. Then get off this phone and ring Josh!’

Bella did as she was told for once and rang Josh, who informed her that he and Charlie had got together and decided to produce An Angel in New York independently with their own money, provided she starred in it. Naturally, she told him she would, but she also stood her ground and said she needed a holiday first. Thankfully, he didn’t argue with her, though he did make her promise to be back in New York by the first of August to help them with the casting and the costumes. She agreed, knowing that she couldn’t hide away here with Sergio for ever. Her dream holiday had to come to an end some time.

She hung up, feeling an odd mixture of excitement and apprehension. Part of her wanted to tell Sergio about the movie—she was thrilled that it was going ahead—but instinct warned her not to. She’d just made an important connection with him with her ideas for his family company and she didn’t want to spoil that by talking about her own career. In the short time she had left, Bella wanted to concentrate on him and his needs. It crossed her mind as she planned out the rest of her day that Sergio was as lonely as she was. He needed her as much as she needed him.

Hopefully, by the time she had to leave Lake Como for the flight back to New York, he would realise that. Hopefully, he would come after her the way he’d said he would. And even more hopefully, he would eventually fall in love with her.

‘And who’s being the cockeyed optimist now, Bella?’ she said to herself as she took a deep breath, then resignedly rang her mother back.