you blame me?’ she countered before looking pointedly at the fine lines of his linen jacket. ‘And you don’t want to lose too much more weight, Luca.’
Without breaking eye contact, he put one hand over Beth’s, and removed her plate. A wave of excitement broke over her as she felt the rough, parched touch of his fingertips, once so familiar but now moving with clinical precision.
‘It doesn’t take much to convince me.’ He nodded, replacing her portion with his own, smaller one.
‘Then it’s a good job I’m not hungry.’
He sat back and laughed. ‘Oh! That was almost a retort. And I thought something must have extinguished your spark, Beth. Perhaps I was wrong, for once.’
‘No.’ Beth scowled, remembering just how infuriating one of his greatest talents had always been. ‘You were right, as always. It’s just that life has doused me pretty well over the past few years.’
Beth could hardly hold Luca’s piercing gaze as he answered, ‘Then welcome to the club.’ He sat back, his legs stretched out in front of him. ‘When the army let me go, I had no alternative other than to come here to Venice. This was my great-uncle’s firm. He died a couple of years ago, and left everything to me. His home—and his business, which I have developed into the success you see now.’
Beth gaped, still trying to catch up.
‘Luca—you left the army?’
‘I didn’t say that.’
She stared at him. All sorts of images tumbled through her head. They must have thrown him out for some reason. She knew he had a short fuse. But he had always managed to control his temper, when they were together.
When they were together…
What on earth had she started, the night she had abandoned him in Balacha?
‘But…the army was your family.’
‘They had to let me go.’ His features were unreadable as he took a small container from the breast pocket of his jacket and shook out a couple of small white tablets.
‘Oh, Luca…’
He took no notice, but concentrated on taking the painkillers. Beth moved forward, but he stopped her by stabbing a finger on the table between them. It was a noisy gesture of ownership.
‘Don’t worry about me. I have all this now.’
His hand had landed on the cover of the latest Time magazine, and she wondered if he was grinding in a further insult. A haunting photograph of Luca’s face gazed up at her, above the headline EUROPE’S RICHEST MAN. Now he had money, and she had none. There’s irony for you, Beth thought bitterly.
‘I can only hope you have better luck than I’ve had, Luca.’
‘Luck has nothing to do with it.’ His eyes burned into her like glowing coals. ‘Nobody has ever been lower than I was when they brought me back here, five years ago. From a position of authority, travelling the world, and fending for myself, I was reduced to nothing more than a poor relation. Worse than that, I was trapped indoors for twenty-four hours a day.’ Despite his story, there was no self-pity in him. His low laugh was a dry, humourless sound. ‘That didn’t last long, believe me. I whipped myself, and Francesco Fine Arts, into shape at the same time. Nothing stops me, Elizabeth. Not even life. And certainly not you,’ he finished meaningfully.
She looked away from him and the intensity of his words, focusing instead on the delicate pastry in front of her. Principles were slippery things when it came to luxury, and she had not tasted cake like this for a very long time. At last she came to the crumbs, then put down her spoon and fork. There was nothing for it now but to try and make a dignified exit from Luca’s watchful presence.
‘Well, delightful though this has been, Signor Francesco, I’ve delivered Ben’s notes so I really must be getting back to my work,’ she said in a cool, detached voice. ‘Is there anything else you would like to discuss with me?’
‘No.’
‘I mean with regard to Ben’s conference notes.’
‘So do I.’ He checked his Rolex. It was identical in design to the one she had presented to him, all those years ago.
Given the look in his eyes, it was probably not exactly the same watch.
His glance flicked across the table. He was clearly waiting for her to add something. But Beth’s heart was hammering so hard in her chest that speech was impossible. For an instant she wondered if he could hear it, too. As she looked into those deep, dark, irresistible eyes it brought back the delicious thrill of his hand moving over hers a few moments before. All of a sudden, nothing mattered to her any more except winning his forgiveness, so she could have that sensation again. Then reality hit home. Luca was the boss in more ways than one now. She was nothing more than the hired hand. She would have to stifle her own feelings—all of them.
‘I’d better get back to work, Signor Francesco. I always match my hours to Ben.’ She met his stare calmly. ‘He won’t take a midday break today because he’s had to go out for an optician’s appointment, so I won’t, either.’
Luca did not look impressed. ‘You must eat, Beth. I shall tell the staff to expect you here at one o’clock. That is the time you eat at Rose Cottage, yes?’
His expression was severe, but then she remembered how she had always managed to get around him in the past. And his mention of Rose Cottage seemed like a reminder of their time together. As she handed him the copy of Ben’s notes she risked everything.
‘That almost sounded like an invitation to lunch, Luca.’
‘No.’ He shook his head and turned away from her. ‘Not today, Beth. Perhaps some other time, eh? Ciao, bella!’
Hope flickered again, until Beth realised his last remark was not directed at her. He was raising a hand in salute to the waitress who had served them. Beth watched him go, but he didn’t once look back at her. Luca was abandoning her in the same brisk way he left the room. He could not wait to get back to a world in which she had no place at all. It was the ultimate dismissal.
CHAPTER TWO
BETH continued to stare after Luca until the door of the executive lounge eased itself closed. That broke her trance, but she gave him a few minutes to get back to his eyrie before leaving the room herself. To meet him a second time so soon after that brush-off would be awful. She needed time to steady her nerves before she saw him again. Burying herself in the reassurance of work would help. As she walked back to her desk she wondered how long it would be before she could face Luca with courage. A long time, a small, sad voice replied.
From that moment on, Beth could not concentrate properly. She had always wondered if Luca still hated her. Now she knew. He had made it clear exactly how deep his feelings ran. He had every right to feel that way. Painful though it was, she would have to isolate herself from him as much as possible. She did not want to increase his bitterness. The only way to cope was to forget they had ever meant anything to each other. She would have to stifle all her emotions, and treat him with nothing but cold formality.
But something was busily working away at
