Enemies at the Altar. Melanie Milburne

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СКАЧАТЬ of a miracle—for her to get it back.

       Or was there?

      Sienna thought of the money Guido Ferrante had bequeathed her. It was more than enough to buy a decent piece of real estate. The rest of it, invested sensibly, would set her up for life. She would be able to pursue her hobby of photography, perhaps even take it a step further and make a proper career out of it. How wonderful to be known for her talent instead of her mistakes and social blunders. How wonderful to be on the other side of the lens for a change, to be the one taking the pictures instead of being the subject.

      She chewed at her lip as she thought of the conditions put on the will. Six months married to her worst enemy. It was a high price to pay, but then the reward at the end surely compensated for it?

      It wasn’t as if it had to be a real marriage.

      An involuntary shiver rippled over her skin at the thought of lying in Andreas’s strongly muscled arms, with his long hair-roughened legs entangled with hers, with his …

      Sienna dried her hands on a fresh tea towel before she picked up her bag and keys. ‘I’m going away,’ she said. ‘I’m not sure when I’ll be back. I’ll send you the money for the rent.’

      Kate swung around with the empty milk carton in one hand and a wet dishcloth in the other. ‘Away where?’

      ‘To Florence.’

      Kate’s eyes bulged. ‘You’re going to say yes?’

      Sienna gave her a grim look. ‘This could turn out to be the longest six months of my life.’

      ‘Six months?’ Kate frowned in confusion. ‘Isn’t marriage meant to be until death us do part?’

      ‘Not this one,’ Sienna said.

      ‘Aren’t you going to pack?’ Kate asked, eyes still out on stalks. ‘You can’t just turn up dressed in torn jeans and a T-shirt. You’ll need clothes, lots and lots of clothes and shoes and make-up and stuff.’

      Sienna flung her handbag strap over her shoulder. ‘If Andreas Ferrante wants me to dress like one of his mistresses he can damn well pay for it. Ciao.’

      ‘Signor Ferrante is in a design team meeting and cannot be disturbed,’ the receptionist informed Sienna.

      ‘Tell him his fiancée is here,’ Sienna said with a guileless smile.

      The receptionist’s eyes widened as they took in Sienna’s travel-worn appearance. ‘I’m not sure …’ she began uncertainly.

      ‘Tell him if he doesn’t see me right now the wedding won’t go ahead,’ Sienna said with a don’t-mess-with-me look.

      The receptionist reached for the intercom and spoke in Italian to Andreas. ‘There’s a young woman here who claims to be your fiancée. Do you want me to call Security?’

      Andreas’s deep mellifluous voice sounded over the system. ‘Tell her to wait in Reception.’

      Sienna leaned over the desk and swung the speaker her way. ‘Get your butt out here, Andreas. We have things to discuss.’

      ‘The boardroom,’ he said. ‘Ten minutes.’

      ‘Out here now,’ Sienna said through gritted teeth.

      ‘Cara,’ he drawled, ‘such impatience fires my blood. Have you missed me terribly?’

      Sienna pasted a false smile on her face for the sake of the receptionist. ‘Darling, you can’t imagine how awful it’s been without your arms around me. I’m going crazy for you. It’s been absolute torture to be without your kisses, your touch and your body doing all those wonderful things to—’

      ‘Let’s keep some things private, shall we?’ he interjected coolly.

      Sienna smiled at the now goggle-eyed receptionist. ‘You wouldn’t know it to look at him, but he has the most amazingly huge—’

      ‘Sienna,’ Andreas clipped out, ‘get in here right now.’

      Sienna slipped off the desk and gave the receptionist a fingertip wave. ‘Isn’t he adorable?’

      The boardroom was empty by the time Sienna arrived. Andreas had a face like thunder and the air was crackling with palpable tension.

      ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?’ he asked even before she had closed the door.

      Sienna threw him a contemptuous glare. ‘Apparently we’re engaged,’ she said, clicking the door shut with considerable force. ‘I read about it in the press.’

      His mouth went to a flat line. ‘I’m not the one who leaked that to the media.’ He raked a hand through his hair. ‘You know what they say about a woman scorned.’

      Sienna raised her brows. ‘Perfect Portia did that? Wow, I bet she didn’t read that in the Good Girl’s Guide to Avoiding Social Slip-Ups.’

      His brows snapped together. ‘I was about to ask her to marry me,’ he said. ‘She has a right to be upset.’

      ‘My heart bleeds,’ Sienna said on an exaggerated sigh.

      He threw her a flinty look. ‘Bitch.’

      She smiled at him sweetly. ‘Bastard.’

      The air crackled some more.

      Andreas paced the floor, his hand tracking another ragged pathway through the thick pelt of his hair. ‘We have to find a way to manage this,’ he said. ‘Six months and we’ll be free of this. I’ve looked at it from every angle. There’s no way out of it. We just have to do what’s expected. We can both win.’

      Sienna pulled out one of the ergonomic chairs and sat down, swinging it from side to side as she watched him work the floor. ‘What’s in it for me?’ she asked.

      He stopped pacing to look at her, his frown deepening. ‘What do you mean what’s in it for you? You get a truckload of money at the end of it.’

      She held his hazel gaze. ‘I want more.’

      His mouth tightened even further. ‘How much more?’

      ‘How about double?’

      His jaw worked for a moment. ‘A quarter.’

      ‘A third,’ she said, holding his look.

      He slammed his hands on the table right in front of her, his face so close to hers she could smell the good quality coffee on his breath. ‘Damn you to hell and back, you’re not getting any more,’ he said. ‘The deal stands as it stands. I’m not negotiating on it.’

      Sienna rolled her chair back and rose to her feet in one fluid movement. ‘I guess that’s it then,’ she said. ‘If you want me to marry you then you’ll have to pay for the privilege.’

      She was at the door when he finally spoke. ‘All right,’ СКАЧАТЬ