in my way.’
‘This isn’t about you,’ she gasped, feeling her emotions boiling over in a way she now recognised as part of her pregnancy. ‘Or about your barbaric deal. This is about our baby. Your child.’
‘A child I had no intention of creating.’ His denial flew back at her, and the accusation in his voice was clear. ‘But right now you are due to meet Elizabeth. This discussion will have to wait.’
He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialled, almost instantly giving instructions in Italian while he picked up papers and put them into his briefcase. He ended the call as he turned back to her, putting on the sunglasses she was beginning to understand were far more than just protection against the sun. They shielded him from everyone, hiding his cold, emotionless eyes.
‘My car is waiting.’
The silence in the car as they negotiated the busy streets of Rome was intense to the point of being explosive. The brief conversation that had leapt unwittingly to life between them this morning had exposed all that was wrong with the deal she’d made with this man. They might have shared the most wonderful night of sex, and she might have given him her virginity in a spontaneous act of rebellion against the hand life had dealt her, but she had also fallen just a little bit too hard for him—and she would have to get over that quickly. Having any kind of feelings for a man such as Dante went against all her hopes and dreams for the future. The happy-ever-after ending her father had always promised her was out there, waiting...
Dante was incredibly attractive even now, and his brooding presence dominated the interior of the car as they sat together in the back, where she was powerless to resist the temptation to glance at his handsome profile. How was it possible that she, an ordinary girl who’d led a sheltered, protected and happy life in Sydney until her father’s death, could fall under the spell of this undisputed pleasure-seeking billionaire bachelor?
* * *
Dante could still feel Piper’s scrutiny as the car pulled up at outside a boutique he knew first-hand was visited by women from afar. Elizabeth had suggested it when she’d contacted him by email after Benjamin Carter had put the wheels in motion.
Dante hadn’t been able to hide his pleasure at Benjamin’s shock when he’d called to tell him about Piper and how very convenient it had been that she’d chosen that very day—the day he’d accepted that he needed a wife—to wait in his office, saving him the trouble of selecting a woman. But not only did Piper possess information about him that could destroy him professionally, she was carrying his child. He hadn’t told Benjamin he would do anything to protect that child—even give up his bachelor lifestyle.
He got out and went round to Piper’s side, aware that opportunistic photographers might be at such locations but hoping against it—at least until his fiancée had assumed again the identity she’d very skilfully used in London. Once she was that hot redhead again, and wearing his ring, he intended to give the press every opportunity to photograph them and spread the good news.
He took her hand, and the hesitation in her step was obvious as they walked into the shop, which he’d instructed would have to be closed to any other shoppers for the duration of their visit.
‘Buongiorno, signor...signorina.’ If the assistant was surprised at his presence in the shop she hid it very well. ‘Signora Young is in my office. Please, this way.’
The assistant’s use of English proved that his every request was being followed to the smallest detail. He looked down at Piper, at the glorious red hair which had been piled luxuriously on her head in London but which now fell loose around her shoulders, and felt a moment’s hesitation at trying to change her. She was different from his usual choice of woman, enticingly different, and hadn’t he become bored with the women of his circle?
He pushed that thought aside as quickly as it had formed. Didn’t every woman like to be dressed up, styled by experts and then whisked away to a beauty salon to be pampered? She had a role to play in this deal and he intended she would play it properly.
‘I will leave you in the capable hands of Elizabeth.’
He saw her swallow, the movement of her throat giving away the nerves she was trying to hide. It made her look vulnerable and tugged at his conscience—until he remembered the role of confident woman she’d played in London. She had looked confident and comfortable then.
‘And what are your instructions for this transformation of your fiancée?’
The spark of fury in her voice only served to bring a smile to his lips, and from the flash of defiance in her eyes it was not a smile she wanted to see.
‘Elizabeth has instructions for exactly what is required and she will ensure you know all that is necessary for an evening dinner party. I have seen you poised and elegant, Piper, so I am sure it will be easy for you to act that role once more.’
Before she could formulate any response he knocked on the office door and opened it. The woman who stood and greeted them was dressed simply, in a tan leather jacket over a white blouse and short skirt, and yet had an understated elegance about her. First impressions were important to Dante, and this time he was happy with Benjamin’s suggestion to utilise all that Elizabeth Young’s company, Leviathan Solutions, could offer.
‘Signor Mancini... Ms Riley, good morning.’ The woman’s smile was warm and friendly as she stepped from behind the desk to greet them.
‘Buongiorno.’
‘I have all your instructions, Signor Mancini, and Piper—may I call you Piper?’ She directed the question at Piper, who Dante thought now seemed remarkably relaxed. Was she resigned to the situation she was in? Maybe her insistence that it wasn’t needed had been a ploy.
‘Yes, of course,’ Piper replied, and looked up at him and smiled.
He was shocked to realise it was a genuine smile, one which lit up her eyes, taking him right back to the moment he’d first seen her at that dinner party in one of London’s top hotels. He’d known in that instant that he wanted her—and had set about making it happen, using the champagne and the anonymity of such an evening to achieve just that, with his usual disregard for social proprieties.
‘Bene, then I shall see you this evening. My car will be at your disposal all day, and will return you to the apartment later this afternoon.’
He had no wish to spend the day judging dresses, shoes and handbags. There were far more important things for him to do, such as finding a way to convince Bettino D’Antonio that making a deal with his business would be beneficial to both of them.
* * *
Piper relaxed as the door closed behind Dante and she heard him saying goodbye in the shop. At least nobody else would witness her so-called transformation as his fiancée other than Elizabeth Young, a woman with warm eyes and a friendly smile whom she couldn’t help but like instantly, despite her part in all this.
‘We should get started,’ Elizabeth said, picking up a notepad and pen, and left the office.
Piper, wishing she could achieve that effortless chic style, followed her through the shop into a large changing room adorned with many ornate mirrors.
‘Dante’s list is extensive. I had already selected several gowns for this evening’s dinner party, but the moment I saw you I knew there was one that was perfect.’
Elizabeth’s
