His Poor Little Rich Girl (17 page)

He smiled and reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. ‘You’re forgiven.’

Rachel curled her fingers around his. ‘You’re doing so well with your walking now,’ she said. ‘I can’t believe the difference in a few days.’

‘Perhaps it’s been your presence here,’ he said with another smile. ‘You’ve been an added incentive.’

She traced the back of his hand with her fingertip. ‘It must have been a terrible shock to become so suddenly vulnerable,’ she said. ‘You’ve always been so active and strong.’

‘Yes, we all to some degree take good health for granted until we are faced with a crisis,’ he said. ‘It’s been a lesson to me. I won’t be taking too much for granted again.’

‘Lucia says you work too hard, that you need more balance in your life.’

Alessandro frowned. ‘Lucia forgets her place sometimes.’

‘She cares about you,’ Rachel said. ‘She wants to see you happy.’

He began to rise from the bed. ‘I should let you sleep.’

Rachel reached for his hand to stop him. ‘Don’t go.’

‘Rachel, it’s best I go so you can get some rest.’

‘I just want someone to hold me,’ she said. ‘No one has ever done that before. Just hold me. Please?’

Alessandro sat back down and stroked the hair back from her face. ‘You haven’t drunk your tea.’

‘I don’t want it,’ she said. ‘I just want you.’

He lay down beside her and gathered her close. ‘I’ll leave once you’re asleep.’

‘Don’t leave me,’ she said, burrowing closer.

I have to leave,
Alessandro thought.
I always leave.

But when morning came he was still there with his arms around her, the soft breeze of her breath tickling his neck where she was pressed so close to him. She had looked so vulnerable with her beautiful face all washed out and pinched with pain that he hadn’t been able to maintain his distance. But now was another story. He had to refocus, to remain strong.

He gently untangled himself from her arms and got off the bed, reaching for his stick for balance. But in spite of his determination he couldn’t stop himself from looking down at her for a few more precious moments. She looked so young and innocent in sleep. He thought of waking beside her every morning, not just for a week or two but for the rest of their lives. Was this what his father had felt for his mother? He didn’t want to feel anything like that for anyone. It had destroyed his father and it would destroy him. Love was an addiction that could not always be controlled. He had felt it before and it had blinded him. It was better this way, to have his fill of her and let her go, better for both of them. She thought herself in love with him but women were wired that way to associate good sex with emotion. She would move on and find someone else, someone who wanted the same things in life, marriage, commitment, a child or two. He pushed aside the image that came to mind of her swollen with someone else’s child. That was taking self-torture way too far.

He bent down and brushed a soft kiss against the plump curve of her mouth. She murmured something but he couldn’t quite catch it. She nestled into the pillow and let out a tiny sigh.

He grasped his stick and limped out of the room, closing the door softly behind him.

When Rachel came downstairs Alessandro was out on the terrace. He turned when she came through the French doors and smiled at her. ‘You are looking a little less peaky than last night,’ he said.

‘I’m feeling much better now.’

‘I thought if you felt up to it we might go out for breakfast,’
he said. ‘I gave Lucia the day off and I have to warn you I am no cook.’

‘I can make us something,’ Rachel offered.

‘No, it’s probably time we faced the music, so to speak,’ he said, nodding towards the paper that was on the table of the outdoor setting.

She couldn’t read the article but there was a photo of her that had been sourced from somewhere. She recognised Alessandro’s name and hers. She could just imagine what had been said about her. She was glad she couldn’t read it. She knew none of it would be flattering. It never was. She would be tagged as one of Alessandro’s gold-digging lovers, intent on money and prestige.

‘The press will probably be about,’ he said. ‘They always want an exclusive. Just do your best to ignore them. You don’t have to say anything. It’s better if you don’t.’

‘I don’t want to go out,’ she said. ‘I’d rather stay here.’

‘Rachel, we have to go out in public sooner or later,’ he said. ‘This can be a practice run for next week in Paris. It’s not a big deal.’

‘It’s a big deal to me,’ she said. ‘I don’t like being seen as a rich man’s mistress. It’s demeaning.’

He rolled his eyes in frustration. ‘Do you know there are times when I just don’t get you? Yesterday you were asking me for contacts so you could land yourself a rich husband. Now you’re balking at being seen in public with me. Or is it this stick that is worrying you? Is that what this is about?’

‘How can you think that of me?’ she gasped. ‘How
can
you?’

‘I am trying to do the right thing by you, Rachel,’ he said. ‘Now I am asking you to do something for me. The business meeting in Paris is very important to me. It’s a big one, a
massive one. I don’t want any hint of my illness compromising it. Being seen in public with you both here and there will help my cause. This is your turn to do me a favour. I don’t see why you are so hesitant about this. It’s not as if it’s going to cost you anything.’

‘Why is everything always about business with you?’ she asked.

‘Because that is what counts,’ he said. ‘I can rely on facts and figures.’

She frowned at him. ‘And you can’t rely on people?’ ‘I have taught myself never to rely on people,’ he said. ‘It doesn’t matter who they are, they always let you down in the end.’

‘You don’t give anyone a chance to prove you wrong about that,’ Rachel said. ‘You cut people out of your life before you get attached to them.’

He scowled at her. ‘When did you become such an expert on relationships?’

Rachel lowered her gaze, stung by his cutting remark. ‘I never said I was an expert …’

He tipped up her chin and let out a heavy sigh. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘That was low of me.’

She tried to smile but her lips wouldn’t cooperate. ‘It’s OK. I know I’m not great at relationships. I guess it’s because I’m scared no one will love me unless I do everything that’s expected of me. I just wish … I just wish for once in my life I could be loved for just being me.’

He continued to hold her gaze for a pulsing moment before his fingers fell away from propping up her chin. ‘Come on,’ he said gruffly. ‘I want to get this over with.’

The café Alessandro took her to for breakfast overlooked the sparkling blue of the ocean, with the Isle of Capri a jewel in
the distance. Rachel had mentally prepared herself for the barrage of the press as soon as they stepped out of the car. She avoided most of the questions by letting Alessandro do the talking. He was polite but firm with them, answering what he wanted to answer and ignoring what he did not.

‘Signor Vallini, tell us about your accident.’

‘I tripped down some steps,’ he said with a self-deprecating smile. ‘I was lucky not to have broken both of my ankles.’

‘Is it true you are in the process of negotiating a deal with Sheikh Almeed Khaled from Dubai?’

‘No comment.’

‘How long do you plan to stay in Positano?’ another asked.

‘Until September,’ Alessandro answered.

‘Signor Vallini, is it true that you were involved with Miss McCulloch five years ago?’ a female journalist pressed forward to ask just as they were about to enter the café.

‘Yes, that is true,’ he said.

‘That’s a first, isn’t it, Signor Vallini?’ the journalist persisted. ‘You’ve never revisited a previous relationship before. Does that mean that we can expect to hear wedding bells in the very near future?’

‘No, it just means that Miss McCulloch and I are enjoying spending some time together for the time being,’ he said with a frown.

‘Miss McCulloch.’ The journalist swung to Rachel. ‘If Signor Vallini were to ask you to marry him what would you say?’

Rachel smiled back even though it hurt to do so. ‘I would say yes.’

She felt Alessandro’s hand tighten on hers. ‘If you will excuse us?’ he said curtly and escorted her into the café. Once they were seated and coffees were ordered Alessandro
looked at her with brooding intensity. ‘You think you can manipulate me into offering you marriage?’ he asked in a sharp undertone.

Rachel returned his look. ‘I am doing no such thing.’ He frowned. ‘Then why say such a ridiculous thing to the press?’

‘Because you told me to act like a devoted lover,’ she said. ‘If I was truly in love with you then of course I would want you to ask me to marry you.’

He continued to frown at her. ‘You were supposed to leave all the talking to me.’

‘I don’t like other people speaking for me,’ she threw back.

The waiter came with their coffees and Alessandro sat back. He leaned forward once the waiter had gone, his voice still tight with tension. ‘I know what you’re up to, Rachel. You want it all: the rich husband, the lifestyle you were brought up with and the security of knowing it can’t be taken away from you a second time. But I am not playing ball.’

‘I’m not asking you to,’ she said. ‘I just want the money for my label.’

Alessandro set his jaw as he fought his knee-jerk reaction to her little game with the press. ‘I thought we were starting to trust each other but now I’m not so sure you’re being straight with me.’

She flicked her hair back from her shoulders. ‘You don’t trust anyone. That’s not my problem, that’s yours.’

‘Two and a half weeks,’ he said through gritted teeth.

‘That’s all.’

Rachel tossed her head. ‘I’ll be on that plane so fast you won’t get time to say goodbye to me.’

He made a sound in his throat as he reached for his coffee. ‘I was a fool to allow you inside the villa.’

‘Oh, come on,’ Rachel said with a roll of her eyes. ‘You laid a trap for me.’

He looked up at her, a frown still pulling at his brow. ‘You really think it was me who sabotaged your attempt at finance?’

She arched her brow at him. ‘Wasn’t it?’

He took a breath and slowly released it. ‘Now who’s talking about a lack of trust?’ he asked.

‘But this whole set-up.’ Rachel waved a hand to encompass them both. ‘You mean you didn’t plan it? None of it?’

Alessandro shook his head. ‘You turned up at a very inconvenient time for me, Rachel. I wasn’t prepared for visitors. There was no way I was going to agree to see you. But then you worked your charm on Lucia. And then, when I got the invitation for the dinner with Sheikh Almeed Khaled I decided there was a way that things could work for both of us.’

Rachel absorbed this new angle on things for a moment or two. She had always thought Alessandro had engineered things to have her under his command, but now it seemed he had simply used the opportunity that she had put in his hands by turning up on his doorstep. ‘Tell me about this business thing with the sheikh,’ she said. ‘Why is it so important?’

‘If he chooses my business analysis service it will be the biggest coup of my career,’ Alessandro said. ‘His inviting me to spend a week in Paris for dinners and meetings is a sign he is coming close to making his decision.’

‘And he asked you to bring your current mistress?’ Rachel asked.

‘Sheikh Almeed Khaled is a bit of a playboy himself,’ he said. ‘He admires beautiful women. He is rarely without one by his side. But I think in this instance he wants a glimpse
into my private life. You will have to be on your best behaviour. I don’t want any slip-ups. Just keep in mind how much money you will have to pay back if you don’t behave yourself.’

Rachel gave him a little glowering look. ‘Do you have to keep reminding me?’

He signalled for the bill. ‘Just keep playing by the rules, Rachel,’ he said. ‘That’s all you have to do.’

T
HE
boutique hotel in Paris was booked out by the sheikh and his entourage and select guests. Security were posted everywhere, their silent uniformed and armed figures making Rachel feel as if she had stepped into another realm, even beyond the privileged one she had grown up in. This was a world of private jets and servants to see to every need. It made her realise again how much Alessandro had achieved. He mixed with the big time movers and shakers as if it was an everyday thing for him.

The last few days at the villa however, had shown her many different sides to his personality. He was a quiet man who liked his own space. He didn’t enjoy idle chatter. He was well read and kept himself informed on everything that was going on in the world. He wasn’t bombastically opinionated but he had strong, well-thought-out views. He had a sense of humour but it was dry and he didn’t waste his smiles. He always treated his staff with respect and politeness. When the team of gardeners arrived to do their weekly maintenance at the villa he was out there with them chatting over plants and hedges as if he were one of the gang. It was a painful reminder of how badly her father had treated him in the past.

Alessandro cupped her elbow as they were shown to their suite of rooms. ‘Dinner is not until eight this evening,’ he said
once they were finally alone. ‘Would you like to rest for a while or do something physical?’

Rachel caught the gleam in his dark eyes. Although he had kissed her many times since, they had not made love again. Her body had missed him so much it was like a constant ache. Her period had long gone but she had felt hesitant about encouraging him to make love to her. How could she stop herself from falling in love with him when he made her feel so amazing? The physical sensations he had evoked in her had a counterpoint emotionally. ‘What did you have in mind?’ she asked, trying to disguise how she was feeling.

He came over and tipped up her chin, looking deeply into her eyes. ‘What’s wrong?’ he asked.

‘Nothing,’ she said, trying to smile.

His thumb brushed over her lip. ‘That smile wasn’t genuine,’ he said. ‘What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours? You were very quiet on the trip over. Have I done something to upset you?’