The Italian's Runaway Princess. Andrea Bolter

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      He could give it a try. Pulling his phone out of his jacket pocket, he punched in a hotel search, hoping he’d recognize the names of some that were reputable.

      “Yes,” he spoke after calling one. “Do you have any rooms available for tonight? I see. Grazie.”

      He phoned another. “Have you a room tonight? No? Grazie.” After three more, his patience was up.

      “That’s all right, Gio,” Luci said, although the quaver in her voice belied her words. “I’ll find somewhere.”

      With her obvious lack of street savvy? What if some other criminals tried to take advantage of her like the boys did with the jewelry? He might not know this vulnerable young woman, but a gentleman was a gentleman and he could not send her away alone.

      “Why don’t you stay here tonight?” Gio voiced the thought that had been bubbling up, despite raising caution. “I’m staying in this one.” He pointed to one of the side-by-side cottages. “Why don’t you sleep in the other?” He hoped that suggestion wouldn’t prove to be a mistake, but he couldn’t think of what else to do. He’d station her here, and the staff at his office could help get her situated tomorrow.

      “Oh, no, I couldn’t.” Luci quickly shook her head with a side-to-side motion. “It wouldn’t be right.”

      He put his hand over his heart in mock insult. “What do you take me for? I assure you I offer only to fulfill my quota of rescuing beautiful maidens from the mean streets of Florence.”

      Was he flirting with her?

      “How are you doing so far?”

      “I’m desperately behind. You’d be helping me out.”

      She looked at him with a bite to her lip. He knew she was deciding on his merits versus his potential risks.

      “I’ll only consent if you let me repay you in some way.”

      The idea quickly fell from his lips. “I have a very dull dinner with some investors to attend tonight. They will have no doubt chosen the poshest restaurant in Florence with a continental menu that manages to avoid anything authentically Italian. They’ll pick an impressive bottle of wine chosen for its price and torture the sommelier as they swirl it around in their glasses pretending to know something about the vintage. They’ll discuss the weather and the latest political scandal in Italy, and it will make watching paint dry sound compelling. Would you like to join me?”

      “With an invitation like that, how could I possibly refuse?” Luci answered with a huge smile that shot straight into Gio’s heart. He returned the grin.

      Once he’d extended the invitation to dinner, it suddenly sounded like a marvelous idea. She was far more interesting than the blah-blah-blah he’d have to exchange with the investors. Rightly, they’d save any substantial conversation for boardroom conferences.

      Why shouldn’t he have a pleasant evening with an attractive woman? He knew he’d never take it any further than that. It was just dinner. And bringing her with him was better than leaving her alone on his property tonight. He’d get her out of the villa in the morning.

      “It’s set then? Pick you up right here?” He gestured to the fountain.

      “I have a cocktail-length dress. Will that be sufficient?”

      “And obviously you can accessorize.” He pointed to the purse with all of the jewels. “You’ll be the toast of the town.”

      “I hope not.” Luci’s eyes opened in alarm.

      “I was only joking. See you at eight.”

       CHAPTER TWO

      “THANK YOU, VIGGO.” Gio acknowledged his driver as he parked the car in front of the villa. Viggo quickly got out of his seat and dashed around to the passenger side to open the door for Luciana and Gio. After Gio helped her out of the car, she straightened the skirt of the pale blue dress she’d worn to dinner with him and his investors.

      It was her little secret that she’d chosen the dress to complement the color of her handsome companion’s eyes. Of course, the color of Her Royal Highness Princess Luciana’s dress for the evening was the least of her secrets. Nonetheless, with her cool blond wig, silver shoes and diamond earrings, she felt like a woman who had been on a real date with a real man, as opposed to a shielded virgin locked in a stone tower. Gio had quickly become part of her grand adventure.

      “Do we have to go in?” Luciana touched Gio’s jacket sleeve as he reached in his pocket for his fob entry to the wooden exterior door.

      “Would you like to walk?”

      “I’d love to.”

      Driving from the restaurant after the dinner, Luciana was agog as they drove past landmarks she wanted to visit while she was here. The incredible piazzas, historic churches, marketplaces, museums and neighborhoods she’d seen only as an armchair traveler in the solitude of her palace sitting room. While she’d traveled to many places in the world for ceremonies and royal engagements, she’d never seen them as a tourist, able to meander and linger, and appreciate anything that caught her fancy. She could hardly wait to get started.

      “Let’s walk this way.” Gio gently placed his hand on the small of her back to direct her away from the villa door. Her awareness arched to meet his touch.

      “Thank you for accompanying me to dinner. As I mentioned, I generally leave the finessing of investors to my brother, Dante, now that our father has retired.”

      “And Dante was unable to attend tonight?”

      “Dante is spending some time at our offices in Mumbai. We have restructured the company and I will now serve as CEO.”

      “What did you do before?”

      “Product development. Which is where my heart is. You’d find me happier trying to make an AGP bus that can carry graphics faster than anything else on the market than you would seeing me in a conference room.”

      “AGP?”

      “Accelerated graphics port.”

      “Of course,” she joked. “How would I not know that?”

      “But now I’ll do what needs to be done for the company. Actually, I welcome the opportunity to do things my way. To get them right.”

      “Are things not right?”

      “Look at those two.” Gio pointed to two dogs on leashes across the street that barked at and sniffed each other with great interest.

      Ah, Luci noted, she had asked too snoopy a question about Gio’s work and he’d changed the subject. Her inner Princess Luciana should have known better than to pry, in spite of her curiosity to know more about him.

      She hoped to recover with, “Your investors were a lovely group of people. I saw photos on many a smartphone of grandchildren СКАЧАТЬ