Italian Boss, Proud Miss Prim. Susan Stephens

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СКАЧАТЬ around her and the clear blue sky like an umbrella overhead, the temptation to linger and soak it all in was irresistible.

      If she didn’t do it now she never would. Everyone had their shoulders thrown back in the warmth of the sun, and were talking loudly—as much with gestures as with their voices. This way of life intrigued her. It was so different from seeing people with their backs hunched against an icy wind and she wanted to be part of it, even if it was only for an afternoon. She wanted to let her hair down and be as uninhibited as all the other girls her age, who looked so fashionable and sassy in their street clothes.

      Let her hair down? Yes. She might even unbutton her jacket, Katie decided in a wry moment of abandon. Spotting an empty table in a prime position, she targeted it. Why not? Shouldn’t she make the most of this short trip and live a little while she had the chance?

      The handsome, dark-eyed waiter who brought Katie the menu was quite a flirt. He repeated the old cliché that while she was in Rome she must do as the Romans did—though the look in his eyes suggested that might be a step too far for her. When her cheeks pinked up he pursued a different line, suggesting gelato alla vaniglia as an alternative—making vanilla ice cream sound like the most decadent food on earth. He advised that this should be accompanied by a strong black coffee and some iced water to help the sweetness down.

      Katie thanked him in Italian. ‘Ringrazie molto, signore.’

      ‘Ah, you speak Italian…!’ Elaborate gestures accompanied this exclamation, and then he continued to stare at her with deep pools of longing in his puppy-dog eyes. ‘Are you quite sure that’s all I can help you with, signorina?’ he murmured passionately.

      ‘Quite sure, thank you.’

      Katie smiled. She knew the waiter was only joking but, looking around, she had gathered that was the Roman way—every man was duty-bound to flirt. ‘However,’ she said, deciding to play the waiter at his own game, ‘there is one thing…’

      ‘Sì…?’ Hope revived, the man dipped lower.

      ‘May I have my coffee now, please?’

      ‘Certamente, signorina,’ he said, affecting disappointment, but as he left he gave Katie a wink as if to say he’d recognised a fellow tease.

      She was really beginning to enjoy herself, Katie realised, eyes sparkling with fun as the waiter walked away. She hadn’t flirted with a man since before the accident and then never seriously. In fact, this was the most excitement she’d ever had. Rome was proving to be everything it was reputed to be—magical, romantic, awe-inspiring…a city of adventure, and it had unleashed something in her.

      Let’s just hope it wasn’t her reckless, inner self, Katie mused, because that fantasy Katie was far safer locked away. Thinking of Rigo—which she was doing rather a lot lately—it wouldn’t be wise to push the boundaries too far on this first attempt to live her dream.

      A shadow fell over her table. A ripple of awareness ran down her spine.

      No.

      It couldn’t be—

      ‘Signorina Bannister.’

      ‘Rigo!’ Lurching to her feet, she quickly sat down again. Why should she feel so guilty? But she did. ‘You’re the last person I expected to see—’

      ‘Clearly.’

      Tipping designer shades down his nose, he shot a glance at the waiter. Had he heard something of their conversation? Well, if he had he’d got the wrong idea. Rigo’s hackles were so far up he was practically snarling. ‘So, this is what you get up to while I’m away?’ he demanded when the waiter disappeared inside the café.

      ‘Did you enjoy your drive around the track?’ she countered pleasantly.

      ‘I thought I asked you to wait for me at the penthouse?’

      ‘I didn’t know how long you would be—’

      ‘I also thought you had a plane to catch,’ he interrupted. ‘You were in a tearing hurry to leave, as I remember—’

      ‘But how can I before I’ve read the will? And I missed my plane.’ She resisted the temptation to add, thanks to you. Leaning on her hand, she stared up and from somewhere found the courage to hold his stare.

      Rigo visibly bridled again as the waiter returned with her coffee. What was the poor waiter supposed to do? She’d ordered coffee and he was perfectly within his rights to bring it. And how dared Rigo question her actions when he had left her on the flimsiest of pretexts and for an unspecified length of time?

      But as they still had business to complete her reasonable self conceded that it might be better to build bridges. ‘Would you like to join me?’ She pointed to an empty chair.

      Rigo pulled out two chairs. ‘As you can see, I am not alone…’

      Now she noticed his companion was the beautiful young blonde in the magazine. The girl had been shopping and was making her way towards them, weighed down by countless carrier bags. The café was obviously a prearranged meeting place.

      Every man turned to watch as the young girl threaded her way through the tables. Katie couldn’t blame them, the girl was gorgeous—especially when she lifted the carrier bags on high to avoid hitting anyone with them, revealing even more perfectly toned thigh.

      Composing her face, Katie determined to love this young woman for the short time she would have to know her—if only so as not to appear small-minded and deadly jealous, though this resolution took a nosedive when the girl draped herself over Rigo.

      ‘Rigo, il mio amore,’ she pouted, tugging at his resistant arm, ‘sì sara lunga?’

      Having asked whether he would be much longer, she turned her luminous stare on Katie.

      Katie smiled, or tried her very hardest to.

      After taking full inventory of Katie, Rigo’s companion appeared satisfied and risked a sultry smile.

      No doubt having concluded I’m no threat, Katie reasoned.

      ‘Antonia,’ Rigo protested in a weary voice, ‘please try to remember that Signorina Bannister is here in Rome on business.’

      Rigo was defending her? She had gone up in the world, Katie thought wryly, trying not to mind when Rigo settled his young companion into the chair next to her own.

      ‘Don’t worry, I know when I’m not wanted,’ Antonia responded sulkily, refusing to sit down now she had deposited her bags. ‘I don’t want to be here while you’re talking business—’

      ‘Oh, please, don’t go on account of me…’ Katie seized the opportunity to stand up. ‘I was just going anyway—’

      ‘No, you weren’t,’ Rigo argued. ‘You’ve barely started your coffee.’

      Katie’s instinctive reaction was to look down at Rigo’s hand on her arm. Could he feel her trembling beneath his touch?

      ‘And you sit down too,’ he instructed Antonia, lifting his hand away from Katie. ‘What’s СКАЧАТЬ