The Italian Billionaire's Disgraced Fiancée (10 page)

‘I…um…,’ she mumbled, much relieved that he hadn’t spotted her stupid desire for him after all. ‘Did you know about this? Is that why you asked, if I’d ever thought of the possibility that Luca might turn to someone else while he is in Las Vegas?’

He nodded. ‘I was made aware of that picture when we arrived at the hotel,’ he admitted. ‘One of my cousins sent it. Seems he found it posted online on some gossip news site.’

‘And you didn’t feel the urge to throw it right into my face?’ She snatched the phone out of his hand and closed it before he accidentally stumbled over Bella’s message. ‘Don’t tell me you’ve turned into Sir Chivalrous now.’

‘Give me a chance, Izzy.’ With a pained expression Enzo stroke his thumb across the bridge of his nose. ‘We have a truce, remember? I try to be civil, although I must admit for a moment I
did
have the urge to rub it in that Luca is already canoodling with someone else.’

‘And now, where do we go from here now you’ve reached your goal, and your brother has dropped me? Do you expect me to leave, or what is the plan?’

His eyes narrowed, scanning her face.

‘You’re not going anywhere,’ he bid out. ‘The re-design of my hotels is important to me, and you’ve agreed to do the job. There’s no way I’ll allow you to get out of your commitment now and, let’s face it, I still don’t trust you. Who can guarantee me you don’t take the next flight to Vegas to chase Luca until he is stupid enough to put a ring on your finger?’

She sighed. ‘
I
could guarantee it, but you wouldn’t believe me, I guess.’

‘Quite right, I wouldn’t, and I never will. Not after the way you betrayed me.’ He raised himself off the bed and strode towards the door. ‘You can’t blame me for that, can you?’

‘You’re mistaken,’ she said. ‘I can and I do, because you are the one who was the traitor, not me.’

Putting his hand on the door handle he glanced back at her. ‘I don’t have the time nor the patience to discuss this now, but if you insist on a good fight at some later stage I’m more than happy to oblige; just not as long as you work for me. And now excuse me, please. I have business to attend to.’

Shaken to the core, Izzy grabbed her washing bag from her suitcase and went into the bathroom to have a shower. Since they had left England, Enzo was visibly trying to stick to his end of the deal and keep a truce, and so far he had fared much better with fulfilling the task than she had. She couldn’t believe how difficult it was to keep her feelings in check. One second she was so angry with him that her whole body shivered from head to toe, and in the next she wanted to fly into his arms and forget the world. Why on earth couldn’t she stop herself from making pointed remarks although he gave his best to be friendly for a change?

Unfinished business
, she reminded herself. That’s what it was, and she had no clue how it could possibly ever be finished. Not with him hating her and believing her to be a slut. And not with her dreaming of him day and night and constantly saying the wrong thing or turning into a nervous wreck whenever he came close.

It was hopeless. He’d never love and trust her again, he’d said so often enough. The sooner she managed to finish his design brief, the sooner she could finally get out of here and start the rest of her life.

CHAPTER TEN

When Enzo stepped out of the lift and entered the entrance hall, Izzy was nowhere to be seen. He glanced at his watch. Ten past five, he was slightly delayed. She should be here, waiting for him, not the other way round. Unless…

His mouth pressed into a thin line, he strode across the marble floor to ask at the reception desk whether she had checked out, when unexpectedly he glimpsed her willowy figure outside on the piazza in front of the hotel, her long blond hair slightly blowing in the wind.

He stopped in his tracks and changed direction.
Dio
, she was beautiful. The most stunning woman he had ever laid eyes on and the only one who consistently managed to touch his heart. When she had been so upset upstairs in her bedroom after seeing that photo of Luca and his new lover, he’d almost taken her into his arms to console her. It had taken all of his control to keep his hands off her.
Maledizione!
And where
consoling
her was concerned…

A steep line appeared between his brows. He wasn’t interested in her feelings, no way. All he wanted was to bed her, and that was the
only
reason why he couldn’t get her out of his head. On the plane he’d closed his eyes, still shattered after his restless night, only to find himself fantasising about kissing her, again, and again and again. The fact that she had been sitting in the chair next to him with the lemony scent of her shampoo temptingly wafting around his nostrils hadn’t been helpful either.

There was no reason to seduce her now that Luca had already found someone else and didn’t need to be convinced that Izzy was as slutty as they came. Still, Enzo found himself
wanting
to seduce her;
longing
to seduce her;
needing
to seduce her. Hell, he wanted to bury himself inside her and never let go until she was finally out of his system - and now his brother had left her, there was nothing that could possibly stop him.

Her face slightly bent sideways and her silver hair glinting in the sun, Izzy greeted him with a smile.

‘I left a note at the reception desk where you could find me,’ she said. ‘I hope you got the message.’

‘I didn’t, in fact,’ he replied. ‘But I spotted you easily enough. You’re like a beam of sunlight with all that long blond hair. I merely had to follow the admiring whistles of my fellow Italians.’ He pointed at the sunglasses she had shoved back into her hair. ‘You’d better wear them, unless you’re keen on ruining your eyes.’

‘It’s already late in the afternoon and the sun is not that strong anymore.’

‘If you’re sure about this…’ With a shrug of his shoulders Enzo changed the topic. ‘So tell me then, have you had any ideas yet how to improve the entrance hall, or am I putting too much pressure on you, so shortly after our arrival?’

Izzy pushed a strand of hair that had been flying in the wind behind her ear and carefully sat down on the edge of the impressive marble fountain in the middle of the piazza.

‘You
are
a bit pushy,’ she admitted with a grin and slightly bent to the side to let her fingers flitter through the clear water. ‘But this is your lucky day. I’ve had a few ideas that I’d like to run past you, if you have the time.’

He sat down next to her and looked at her expectantly. ‘Fire away.’

Half an hour later Enzo had to admit that he was hooked. Her vision for a possible new design of the entrance hall included the most inspiring, beautiful and heart wrenchingly beguiling ideas he’d ever come across - at least from any of the designers who’d been working for him in the past. And, even better, it wouldn’t cost the earth. Enzo couldn’t believe that she’d come up with such a perfect plan in such a short time. After all, he’d hardly left her a moment to think about it before he had wanted to hear her ideas.

‘Wow,’ he said raking his hand through his dark locks. ‘I’m speechless.’

She looked at him questioningly. ‘You like it?’

‘I do,’ he said grinning from ear to ear. ‘I really do. Turning the entrance hall into some kind of outside piazza with the help of a mirrored wall at the far end and a central water feature sounds just about perfect for the wow-effect I’d like to create.’

‘My idea was to place a semi-circular fountain against the mirrored wall. That way it will be reflected in the mirror and appear round to the eye, just like this fountain outside the hotel in the piazza,’ Izzy explained flitting her fingers through the cool waters once again. ‘The sound of the font will have a fresh and soothing effect. I thought we could dot a few potted lemon trees along the walls to bring the outside in even further - again just like here in the piazza.’

‘I agree with just about everything,’ Enzo beamed, more than happy with the outcome of her brainstorming. He glanced at his watch. ‘I’m sorry, I have another meeting coming up, so please forgive me for rushing off. My plan was to take you out to dinner tonight, if you don’t mind. Would eight o’clock suit you?’

Hesitantly Izzy wrenched her fingers, suddenly visibly pent-up like a rabbit facing the muzzle of a shotgun. ‘Dinner?’

She seemed frightened, but he
quashed the idea straight away. There must be another reason. How the hell could she possibly worry about having dinner with him - a mere
dinner
- experienced as she was?
Dio
, she had spent many a steaming hot night with half the millionaire club. Carson, Hetherington, Luca and heaven knew who else had shared her bed… How come she started to play the innocent now, the one who couldn’t even accept a dinner invitation without blushing?

Had she set her eyes on
him
now, after Luca wasn’t available anymore? Was that why she was playing this act, or what was it about?

Whatever, he wouldn’t give her any choice in that matter.

‘Dinner, eight o’clock,’ he reconfirmed. ‘We’ll talk business for much of the time, but I’d like you to wear a little black dress. Something short and elegant to match the other diners.  You did bring some evening clothes along, didn’t you?’

She nodded.
‘Eight o’clock suits me fine.’

***

As soon as Enzo had left, Izzy relaxed. Of course she had brought a several elegant dresses, together with a stunning gown for the upcoming charity ball for which she had designed young Ruby’s fairy tale dress.

For a moment she had feared that dinner with him might be too intimate. He was too attractive, too dark and handsome for her liking, and she didn’t trust herself when he was around. Not after the way she had melted in his embrace when he had kissed her before. But a business dinner in the hotel restaurant was different. As long as they talked about design, or his hotels or any type of work she was happy to follow him wherever he took her. Everything else was out of the question. As much as she longed to lie in his arms, her heart still hadn’t properly healed after the end of their engagement, and she just couldn
’t risk having it broken again.

Izzy cursed herself for bringin
g these sun glasses to Italy. She’d nearly worn them in Enzo’s company. Thankfully she’d realised that they were exactly the same model Bella had taken with her to Las Vegas, and quickly pushed them up into her hair. There was every chance that another picture turned up soon with her sister wearing them. No way could she run the risk of Enzo noticing the similarity between their faces hidden behind the same sun glasses. Without further ado she paid the hotel boutique a visit to get hold of another pair. Something funky and colourful, the exact opposite of the classic designer frames Bella and she had been presented by their brother for their last birthday.

Unfortunately she found the available choice
of sunglasses lacking - all of them came in the sleek designer style she already owned. So Izzy spent the remainder of the afternoon checking out the surrounding area and especially several small boutiques that caught her eye. In the end she bought a funky set of sunglasses in a vivid blue matching the colour of her eyes and a white silk top with a sleek bow tie collar that she hadn’t been able to resist.

When she returned to the suite there was only half an hour left before she was due to meet Enzo. She left her shopping on a low table in her room and opened her wardrobe to glance at its contents.

A little black dress, he had demanded, but quite frankly she owned no such thing. The dresses she designed for herself ranged from colourful and fun to more sophisticated creations in muted colours but certainly nothing in black.

Well, for tonight she needed something suitably
businesslike, which instantly excluded everything showing too much cleavage, if any, or too much leg. On the other hand, Enzo had especially demanded she’d match the other diners, and Italian women were widely known for their elegance and style.

Having decided on a slim fitting shift dress covered in large silver sequins, one of her newest designs that she still needed to test for comfort and practicability before it could be added to the
Clarissima
collection, she stepped into the bathroom.

As soon as she switched on the light the glittering bathroom curtains in a stunning shade of mermaid blue caught her eye. Curiously she went closer to feel the shiny fabric. It turned out to be pure silk in an excellent heavy quality, its edges embellished with beautiful ornate stitching and sparkling rhinestones. Smiling she let her fingers glide along the silk. No way would she recommend a redesign of this particular bathroom. It was much too perfect down to the last detail.

After a quick shower, she slipped into her dress, stepped into a pair of matching evening sandals and added the merest touch of make-up. Just a bit of mascara and eye liner to highlight the shape of her eyes and a hint of pink lip gloss on her lips. Satisfied with her looks, Izzy shook her hair until it fell down to her hips like a cascade of silver and grabbed her purse.

Enzo already waited for her in the living room of the suite, impeccably dressed in a white dinner jacket and as breathtakingly beautiful as ever. Izzy took a deep breath to steel
herself against the impact of his concentrated sexiness.

This is business, she reminded herself. He is your boss, so stop longing for more.

‘Perfect,’ he said into the stillness of the room.

‘What is perfect?’

He made a vague all-encompassing movement with his hands. ‘The timing, the dress, your hair… Everything. You look stunning tonight, Izzy.’

‘Thank you,’ she whispered, not sure what to make of his unexpected compliment.

‘No worries.’ He gave her a lop-sided grin as if he’d been reading her mind. ‘I don’t plan to clubber you over the head at the first opportunity and drag you into my bedroom. As I’ve already told you, this is predominantly a business dinner. I’ve already booked the table yesterday, back in London. It’s not far from here, but I suggest we go by car.’

‘So we won’t be eating at the ‘
Vallorini’?’ Izzy couldn’t hide her surprise. ‘I was already looking forward to it.’

He smiled. ‘You’ll have plenty of opportunity to savour the delights of the hotel restaurant in the next couple of weeks, but for tonight I’ve planned something else. I hope you won’t be disappointed with my choice of venue. I’ve been there before and can promise you that it’s just perfect for a night out. Cosy atmosphere, lovingly prepared food, soft background music…but we’ll be spying on the competition.’

‘Oh.’

Enzo guided her to the lift. ‘You might know the place, actually. It’s one of Hetherington’s hotels, the
Doria.’

Izzy lowered her lashes. Of course she knew the
Doria. It was one of the ten hotels she owned, one of those she had put up for sale. Only last year she’d been to Rome in order to oversee the hotel’s redesign, and she was more than content with the way it had turned out. Now more than ever the Doria was one of a few outstanding places to stay in Rome, and the bookings kept coming and coming…

‘You want to
spy
on them?’ He couldn’t be serious. Izzy threw him a disbelieving glance while the lift silently carried them downstairs. ‘What do you mean?’

The lift doors slid open.

‘It’s not what you think,’ he replied following her outside and through the entrance hall. ‘I just want to have a good look around their new restaurant. It was redesigned last year, and I was hoping you could use a few of their ideas for the ‘Vallorini’.’

She couldn’t help breaking into laughter.

‘What’s so funny?’ Irritated he raised his brow. ‘I thought it would be a good idea, but obviously you seem to think otherwise.’

‘So who do you think redesigned the
Doria, when it was refurbished last year?’ she asked, still very much amused. ‘Have you already forgotten where I’ve been employed before I came to work for your brother?’

He stared at her blankly, and only then it seemed to dawn on him. ‘You mean you helped with the new design of that restaurant?’

‘Of course I did,’ she reconfirmed. ‘I was in Clarissa’s design team, remember? And we did not just redesign the restaurant but the whole hotel – and afterwards the nine others.’

‘In that case you must tell me everything about the changes Clarissa decided upon, and why she felt they were necessary,’ he said and held the back door of the waiting limousine open for her. ‘I can’t wait to hear more about that.’