in the distance, coming through the estate’s main gates.
’Bravissimo—you look stunning.’
A warmly welcome voice descended on Meg from above, making her jump.
‘Gianni!’
Looking up, she saw him leaning over the wrought-iron balustrade of an upstairs balcony. Her stomach leapt as she remembered what he had said about watching her from his window. The darkness behind him must be his bedroom. Still warm and fragrant from her shower, Meg’s body began fizzing with unusual excitement.
‘W-what are you doing up there?’ she said, trying to disguise the depth of her need to know.
‘Waiting for you to appear, of course. Another ten seconds, and I would have sent out a search party.’
His admiring look made her bold.
‘You’re such a devoted employer, Gianni, I thought you’d be only too keen to take on the job yourself.’
He wrinkled his nose in disdain at the idea. ‘No, certainly not. Any visit to Garden Cottage would deserve time I don’t have at the moment. If I undertake a task, I follow it right through to the end.’
His voice was slow and deep with meaning. Until that moment Meg had been convinced her desire for him would never be allowed to come to anything. Now she saw her destiny. It was written in his eyes, and her temperature went off the scale. Only one thing would satisfy her now, and he knew. She saw it in his stance and his confident attitude. He was totally at home, and at ease with himself. It was the best aphrodisiac Meg could wish for.
A hot breeze rustled among the ornamental bamboos. It carried the sound of expensive engines prowling closer by the second.
‘I—I must get to my place in the greenhouse.’ She backed away towards the kitchen garden, wanting to keep eye contact with him until the last possible moment. His lips parted in the famous Bellini smile, an inheritance that surely must have spelled disaster for dozens of girls.
‘Don’t worry, mio dolce,’ he said with leisurely confidence. ‘I won’t be starting without you.’
MEG had been on pins all day. It was her job to show Gianni’s guests around the restored kitchen garden and the new greenhouses, before the banquet. How to keep calm among dozens of wealthy and glamorous guests was the last thing on her mind now. As she waited to welcome the first visitors into her workplace, her mind was feverish with possibilities. Other aristocrats and billionaires meant nothing to her. All she could think about was their host.
While she was stuck out here in the grounds, Gianni was inside greeting his guests. He was within forty metres of her, but she wouldn’t be able to catch so much as a glimpse of him yet. She shut her eyes and imagined what was going on inside the house. Every inch the rich, pampered playboy, Gianni would be charming everyone. She knew exactly how he would look, the warmth of those fathomless dark eyes, the perfection of his skin, and the contrast with his even white teeth. Her body lurched with desire for him, and her eyes flew open with the sensation.
In desperation she tried to focus on the ordeal ahead. All the time she was counting down the seconds until she could see Gianni again. She already knew the dining hall’s seating plan off by heart. She had been placed opposite him, and between two of the most important local businessmen. It was her job, along with all the other heads of department employed by the Castelfino estate, to persuade them to join Gianni’s local suppliers’ scheme. He would be working his own particular brand of magic on two other dignitaries on the other side of the table. One of them was a Signora Ricci. Without knowing a thing about the woman, Meg’s instinct was to hate her. To deserve an invitation to Gianni’s stellar event the woman had to be rich and well connected. What if she was beautiful and charming as well? Already green with jealousy, Meg retreated to the place where she felt safest. Roaming restlessly through the glasshouses, she checked her watch. There was an hour to wait until they were summoned in to dinner. Meg didn’t know how she was going to stand the suspense.
She need not have worried. When the first visitors straggled in through the gate to her kitchen garden, pride overwhelmed her. She was so busy trying to give everyone a glowing account of the work in progress the time flew past. It was in everyone’s interests that the evening went well. Gianni had a lot of money riding on the result. Meg’s job might well be at stake too, and she was determined to make a success of her life. She didn’t intend disappointing herself, or anyone else.
To her relief, no one shared Gianni’s opinion of greenhouses as an expensive, outdated luxury. Not one of them mentioned the words ’carbon footprint’. They all loved the exotic displays she had built and the luxurious feeling of walking through a rainforest. Meg felt vindicated, and relieved. When the time came to shepherd the last few guests in towards dinner, she had an extra reason for needing to see Gianni. She couldn’t wait to tell him how well everything had gone. The hot summer evening and that vision of him on his balcony had sent all her fears of making another mistake into a black hole of desire. Her body now hungered for him more than any food. She was glowing with arousal as well as success.
The ground floor of the villa teemed with hundreds of people. Meg scanned the crowds, searching for that one unmistakeable figure. When she saw him, she smiled with recognition at the image. He was working the room, and looked effortlessly impressive. Uniformed waiters moved smoothly through the crowds, ensuring the champagne flowed like water. Huge silver salvers of canapés were circulating, and no one was allowed to stand around empty-handed. Gianni was the most generous host, and his famous charm kept the party mood buoyant. Meg had all of five seconds to watch him doing what he did best before her ordeal began. The dinner gong sounded, and the waiters began showing everyone towards the lofty splendour of the summer dining room. Although everyone smiled at her and many men gestured for her to go ahead of them, Meg shook her head. She hung back, careful to let all the grand guests go in to dinner before her.
Suddenly Gianni was at her side. ‘What’s the matter?’
It was such a relief to stop smiling for the guests, Meg couldn’t help letting her true feelings show.
‘I feel so awkward! I don’t know anyone!’ she muttered. He dismissed her attitude with a wave of his hand.
‘You know me, and that’s all that matters.’
He flipped the edges of his jacket, momentarily showing off his expertly fitted waistcoat and snowy white shirt beneath. Meg’s heart jumped. All the polite, charming and witty things she had been planning to say to him fled from her mind. She was left gazing at him in wonder. His crisp shirt accentuated the fine colour of his skin and the darkness of his eyes. He smiled at her, showing his beautifully white, even teeth. Meg felt a tingle of anticipation. Then with a jolt she saw she wasn’t the only one. Behind Gianni’s politely formal expression she sensed something very different. It was raw, naked desire. Her senses spun out of control. Suddenly she wanted to stride forward, push her fingers through his unruly tousle of curls and experience his kisses again, no questions asked.
Instead she blushed, dropped her gaze, and shuffled uncertainly on the spot. Gianni knew exactly how to reward such touching allure. He took a few lazy steps forward and cupped her chin with his hand.
Meg raised her head. Their eyes connected in a look that was totally out of place in such a high-class setting. But Gianni Bellini thought nothing of convention.
