The Correttis (Books 1-8). Кейт Хьюит

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СКАЧАТЬ never said you were a lech.’

      ‘What then?’

      ‘Let’s just concentrate on work for now. Paulo can’t come till next Sunday.’

      ‘It will be the final day of filming.’

      ‘If I can rearrange the ship.’

      ‘You have to,’ Santo said. ‘We’re getting nowhere.’

      ‘Okay.’ Ella sighed. ‘I’m doing my best. I’ll arrange for Paulo to come about four. You can do a brief interview in your trailer and then I’ll take him out to dinner, while you lot all party.’ She gave a tight smile, because the parties Santo threw at the end of filming were legendary, though the way this movie was going it might end up being more of a wake.

      ‘What about the other one?’

      ‘Marianna seems to think she should be discussing things directly with you.’

      Santo merely shrugged. ‘I’m a bit busy with other things to be sorting out interview times, Ella.’

      ‘I know that. I was just letting you know. Okay, if there’s nothing more you need me for here I’ll head back to the hotel.’

      ‘Stay,’ Santo suggested. ‘Rafaele is going to give the crying scene a rest, thank God, and work on the final kiss.’

      That, she did not want to see, because she remembered them acting it out. But more than that, she wanted to give in to him, to just give in to herself and say yes.

      ‘I have a ship to sort out.’

      ‘Ella…’ He could not stand this. He had never wanted someone so badly. He was turned on and pissed off and he did not understand why she was so reluctant to be with him, why she didn’t even seem to want to talk to him.

      Santo blew out a breath called frustration. He had been nothing but nice. The sex had been great and he had kept his distance. He didn’t know what he was doing wrong. Finally there was a woman his user guide manual couldn’t work out and he didn’t like it a bit. ‘I want to talk to you,’ Santo said. ‘Away from here. I am going to finish at seven tonight and then I am taking you out for dinner. No work—’ he made it very clear ‘—there is no need to bring my diary. We are going out for dinner.’

      ‘I don’t think that’s necessary.’

      ‘It’s very necessary…’ he started, but he didn’t get to finish because his assistant came to tell him that Taylor was getting upset.

      ‘That’s all I need.’ Santo rolled his eyes and then turned to Ella. ‘Can you talk to her, maybe have lunch with her. You’re good with people. It might calm her down.’

      ‘That’s not my job, Santo.’ And she should say nothing, Ella knew it, should just walk off and be done, except she couldn’t resist. ‘And I don’t blame her for being upset—she’s done an amazing job this morning. If Rafaele didn’t get his shot, it has nothing to with Taylor. If I were directing we wouldn’t be wasting so much time on the crying scene. I’d zoom into an Italian shot of Taylor crying, which could be done back in the studio if it doesn’t work out here, and I wouldn’t have Vince walking over to her. I’d have a moment of him watching and then Taylor turning, just his hand moving towards her face… .’ And she was sulking—oh, yes, she was—because it should be her directing this film, and with that she walked off.

      And Santo stood there, when he wanted to chase after her.

      Ella was affecting him in a way no woman ever had. Since their time together she was all he had thought about—and for what?

      He looked up and straight into the eyes of a pretty young actress who smiled straight back at him. If he just took her to his trailer he’d feel better in ten. He should just get over Ella in ways of old, but he was back to the wedding that never happened again—just utterly bored and unmoved by the usual temptations. He’d been working in the chocolate factory too long, perhaps, Santo realised, had possibly reached his fill, except he wasn’t sure he wanted it over.

      And for what?

      For someone who didn’t even want to talk to him?

      For woman who was heading for Roma and that sleaze Luigi?

      A moody, unreasonable, uptight woman who wasn’t even a very good PA, Santo told himself.

      So why had he hired her?

      You know why, a small voice told him.

      Because it wasn’t for her PA skills that he wanted her around, and no, he hadn’t been thinking with his head when, despite her terrible Italian, he’d kept her on.

      And then he stopped thinking about Ella. Santo had no choice but to, as suddenly, albeit not completely unexpectedly, all hell broke loose on the set.

      CHAPTER NINE

      IT WASN’T ALL about Santo.

      Ella had been telling the truth.

      Today was the day she had been dreading for weeks now.

      Calling home had always proven difficult, but in the past six months it had become almost impossible.

      She put it off for as long as she could. Ella completed some of Santo’s banking, rang and arranged the interview with Paulo and left a message for Marianna to call her. When she could put it off no longer, Ella dialled her parents’ number and prayed that she’d get the answer machine.

      She didn’t.

      ‘Hi, Mum.’ Ella attempted upbeat. ‘Happy birthday.’

      ‘Ella!’ She could hear the strain and discomfort in her mother’s voice. No doubt she had been dreading this phone call too. There was just so little they had to say to each other. ‘It’s so lovely to hear from you–where are you?’

      ‘We’re on location, filming.’ Ella did her best to be vague, but when her mother pressed for more information about her beloved homeland, Ella told her where she was.

      ‘Oh!’ There was silence for a moment. ‘That is close to where I grew up.’

      ‘I know.’

      ‘Have you been to have a look at my village?’

      ‘Not yet,’ Ella said. ‘I’ve been so busy with work and everything and the shooting is falling way behind.’

      ‘Your aunts will be so excited to finally meet you,’ Gabriella said. ‘I told them so much about you, about your work in the film industry.’

      ‘I’m not working in the film industry.’ It was a very sore point. ‘I’m a PA.’

      ‘For now,’ Gabriella said. ‘But you don’t need to tell your aunts that. You tell them how well you’re doing, how good things are….’ Ella could hear the veiled warning, the call to keep up the pretence, to carry on with the hopeless charade that everything was perfect. ‘Or maybe it would be better for you СКАЧАТЬ