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‘That would be Suzanne’s stepmother,’ Vidal put in resentfully. ‘And what, may I ask, have you been doing this evening, Cesare?’
‘The same as you, no doubt, visiting my stubborn and wilful grandmother. When she informed me of your visit to her I thought it only polite to see you before I retired. As you only arrived this afternoon I thought perhaps you would be alone. I can see I have wasted my time.’ Again those grey eyes flickered over Suzanne’s still form.
Usually rudeness didn’t bother her, but she was perfectly well aware that coming from this arrogant man it was a gross insult. He certainly wouldn’t talk about one of his own countrywomen with such ill-disguised contempt, and definitely not in front of them. ‘If you are referring to me, signore, then you are quite wrong. I’m not detaining your brother,’ she said icily.
‘Whether you are or whether you are not is not Cesare’s concern,’ Vidal cut in. ‘I am no longer a child, Cesare, but a grown man. You would do well to remember it.’
The Conte stood up in unhurried movements. ‘And you would have done well to remember, Vidal, that the Grant contract was an important part of my plan for greater expansion into America,’ the words rang out with contempt. ‘And if you had contacted me immediately on your arrival this afternoon instead of—instead of flirting with this child—we may have still been able to salvage something from the mess. As it is, Leroy Grant has cancelled any further business with us.’ He bowed stiffly to Suzanne. ‘Miss Hammond. I will see you in your office tomorrow, Vidal.’
There was no mistaking the anger in his voice and Suzanne watched him nervously as he walked out of the lounge. The hand that lifted her glass shook with delayed reaction and she sipped the fiery liquid gratefully. So that was the Conte Martino! Vidal was right, that man was pure granite. She looked at Vidal and was shocked by his appearance. His face was paled somewhat and he was glaring after the Conte with undisguised dislike.
She put out her hand and touched his arm tentatively. ‘Vidal?’ she said questioningly. ‘You mustn’t let his anger bother you so much. I’m sure he’ll have forgotten it by tomorrow.’
Vidal seemed to visibly drag his attention back to her, smiling slightly at her concerned face. He patted her hand reassuringly. ‘Cesare forgets nothing. But I am unconcerned with his anger. Grant had already decided not to sell to us before we even made our offer. It was his rudeness to you that I find unforgivable. And do not say it does not matter, because I can see it did. He annoyed and upset you.’
‘Perhaps,’ Suzanne admitted. ‘At the time. But it isn’t important, at least, not important enough to ruin our evening.’
‘To me it is. He would not have spoken to one of our own nationality in that way. Cesare dislikes the freedom of your countrywomen.’
‘I had already guessed as much,’ she said with a light laugh. ‘But it doesn’t matter. He wasn’t half as old as I imagined him to be.’
Vidal Martino studied her suspiciously. ‘You do not find him attractive, do you?’ he demanded haughtily, looking curiously like his brother at that moment.
‘Why, I—–! No, of course not. What a strange thing to say!’
‘Not so strange when you consider what he has—money, harsh good looks, and most important of all, a title. I am not so foolish that I do not realise how attractive these things can be to a woman. Cesare is thirty-seven, only five years my senior, and yet at times he reduces me to a mere schoolboy. Imagine what havoc he could evoke in a babe like yourself.’
‘I don’t need to imagine anything, I’ve seen him with my own eyes, and as you’ve already said, he only annoyed and upset me. What do you take me for, Vidal? A gold-digger?’ Her green eyes sparkled angrily.
Vidal gave a throaty chuckle. ‘Forgive me, Suzanne. Of course I think no such thing. You must try to understand.
Cesare has always taken everything he wanted, and occasionally it has been women whom I thought I had prior claim to.’
These words gave Suzanne a warm glowing feeling and yet she still felt angry. ‘Now you’re being silly. You heard what your brother called me, a child. He obviously disliked me.’
‘Perhaps, perhaps not. It does not matter, as long as you disliked him.’
‘Well, I did,’ she said impatiently. ‘And I think this conversation is all rather pointless. You will be going to your apartment tomorrow and I’ll probably never see you again.’ She badly wanted to see him again, but in the last few minutes she had learnt that you could not go on looks alone. Vidal Martino might be perfect to look at, but his jealousy of his brother over even the little things certainly wasn’t an endearing quality. But perhaps he had good reason to feel that way—who was she to judge?
‘You will most certainly see me again, Suzanne,’ he said softly, caressingly, and Suzanne felt her bones melt at the warmth in his eyes. ‘We will meet often. You are staying long in London?’
Suzanne shrugged. ‘Until Celeste says we leave.’
‘I see. Then I could perhaps call on you some time during the next few days? I am unsure of when it will be,’ he grimaced. ‘Cesare will make sure I make reparation for losing the Grant contract, so I will probably be kept busy.’
‘I wouldn’t like to cause any more trouble between the Conte and yourself,’ Suzanne said stiffly.
Deep brown eyes looked at her imploringly. ‘Please do not be angry, cara. I would like very much to see you again. Answer truthfully, would you like to see me also?’
‘Well, yes, but I—–’
‘Then it is settled.’
Suzanne would have liked to point out that he might find it quite difficult meeting Celeste and herself without Celeste actually finding out about it, because it was a sure fact that her stepmother didn’t intend sharing Vidal with anyone. But the temptation to see this fascinating man again was too much for her. Why should she care about the Conte’s disapproval if Vidal didn’t? And it was only when reminded of his brother that Vidal became not quite the man of her dreams, and she doubted very much if she would ever meet the Conte again. She nodded her head wordlessly.
Vidal grinned. ‘Good. Would you care for a short walk in the garden? It is still quite warm and the perfume delightful.’
She knew that if she went out into the garden with him he was bound to kiss her goodnight, and her senses jumped in anticipation. Why not? This was London, sin city some people called it, so why not accept a kiss from a romantic Venetian? She smiled at him shyly. ‘I would love to.’
The garden seemed more than usually beautiful and Suzanne walked with this tall Venetian as if in a hazy dream. Everywhere appeared to have a special look and the flowers a strong heady perfume, and she knew this was entirely due to the presence of Vidal Martino. Never before had she felt so breathlessly nervous, as if she were floating on a silver cloud. This had to be love, this wild beating of her heart and the excitement of her senses by just being with him. What on earth would happen to her when he kissed her! She felt as if she would faint from pure delight at being in his arms.
‘You have beautiful hair, Suzanne,’ Vidal said close against her ear, making her aware of just how close to her he was. A slight movement and his hard thighs came close against the back of her legs and she knew he was standing directly behind her. Her breath caught and held in her throat and she felt afraid to turn around in case she broke the spell. She could feel his soft warm breath on the nape of her neck and she waited expectantly for his next move.
Strong hands closed firmly around the top of her arms and she was turned slowly to face him. His dark head bent and his lips lightly caressed the hollow visible at the base of her throat. Suzanne quivered with pleasure and sighed her disappointment as those firm passionate lips were reluctantly removed. She could see his handsome features in the moonlight and her heart turned over just at the sight of him.
‘You are trembling, Suzanne,’ he said, huskily soft. ‘Do I frighten you?’
She shook her head. ‘No.’
‘Ah,’ he smiled gently. ‘Then dare I hope that I—excite you?’
Suzanne blushed a fiery red. ‘Vidal!’ she said reprovingly.
‘Now I have shocked you. It is not shameful to admit to physical pleasure. With you I feel this pleasure. There, you see, I am not ashamed to admit such feelings.’
‘But you’re a man!’
‘And it is only men who are permitted to feel like this? Come, Suzanne, your studies must have told you differently.’
‘I’m not such an innocent, it’s just that it isn’t something one usually discusses.’
‘But why not? Sometimes the discussion can be almost as pleasurable as the action. But I will not tease you any more, no matter how delightful you look when you blush. Don’t ever lose that innocence,’ he said, suddenly serious. ‘It is a fascinating part of your charm.’
‘I have to become a woman some time, Vidal,’ she pointed out, her cheeks still aflame with colour. No Englishman would ever talk in this way—well, not on such short acquaintance anyway.
‘To become a woman does not necessarily mean you lose your innocent approach to life. You are youthful and refreshing and it would be a great loss for you to become hardened and sophisticated.’
Suzanne could quite well believe this was the type of woman he usually entertained; wasn’t Celeste such a woman? ‘Thank you,’ she smiled shyly. ‘I think that’s the nicest compliment I’ve ever had.’
Dark velvet eyes held her mesmerised and she waited expectantly while his dark head bent slowly for his lips to claim her own. Strong arms held her against the lean length of him and her own arms slowly slid up his shoulders and around the back of his neck to lengthen and deepen the kiss. At first his lips played gently with hers until finally he parted the softness of her mouth to greater explore her sweetness.
Never before had Suzanne experienced such a caress. It was beautifully sweet while being temptingly serious. And yet she felt disappointment too. No flashing lights and sounds of thunder to tell her this was the man she could love, and yet his kiss gave her more pleasure than she had felt before with any man. But no flashing lights and sounds of thunder! This knowledge spoilt everything. Was she to believe Celeste and admit that these things just didn’t happen? It would appear so, because she felt sure she was falling in love with Vidal Martino.
She felt bereft when at last those lips were removed but sighed with pleasure as he moved to continue his exploration of her creamy throat and shoulders. ‘Vidal!’ She couldn’t suppress her groan of pleasure at his touch.
‘You are beautiful, Suzanne, so beautiful.’ He drew back regretfully. ‘But for now we must part. I will call you and arrange a meeting. You will come?’
Her eyes glowed and her lips throbbed and it was all she could do to nod her agreement. A fleeting touch of lips and Vidal was leading her back into the hotel. They parted at the lift doors with a formal goodnight and at Suzanne’s surprised expression Vidal looked pointedly at the hotel receptionist, who was watching them with unconcealed curiosity.
‘I have no intention of giving them a free show,’ he told her with a smile, keeping his voice low and only for her ears.
Suzanne saw that the hotel porter was also watching them and she felt rather resentful at their intrusion into her perfect evening. But of course it hadn’t been perfect! Hadn’t the Conte Cesare Martino seen to that? Oh well, the latter part had more than made up for it. ‘Goodnight, Vidal,’ she said huskily. ‘I’ll look forward to hearing from you.’
The intimate glow in his eyes was his only indication that he would have liked to do more than politely kiss the back of her hand. Blushing prettily, she gave him one last glowing smile before pressing the button to close the lift doors. She hugged herself tightly. Wasn’t he wonderful, perfect, all that she had ever wanted in a man! And yet still the nagging doubt remained. No flashing lights and sounds of thunder. She dismissed this as unimportant, it had to be. Celeste must be right, because this had to be love she felt. It had to be!
She walked dreamily into her room, discarding her evening bag and her shoes before looking at her reflection in the mirror. She didn’t look any different, a little starry-eyed perhaps, but that was all. Shouldn’t there be something more than that to show how gloriously happy she felt, something more tangible than this bubbling feeling inside?
The door flew open without warning and Celeste marched purposefully into the room, interrupting and breaking into Suzanne’s dream world. ‘What a liar you are, Suzanne!’ she spat out with a sneer. She looked about the room as if she were surprised to see Suzanne alone. ‘Where is he, then? Skulking in the bathroom?’
‘Where is who?’ Suzanne’s eyes were bewildered. ‘What are you talking about, Celeste? Who could possibly be in my room at this time of night?’
Celeste gave a harsh laugh. ‘Don’t act the innocent with me, Suzanne. Not any more. I saw you—I saw you, I tell you! Out there in the garden!’
Suzanne began to look apprehensive. ‘You—You saw me?’ Oh, God, no! Celeste would never forgive her.
Celeste walked about the hotel room, a mocking smile marring her beauty. ‘Mmm. Mooning about the garden with your gigolo.’
‘Gigolo?’
‘Yes, gigolo. He could hardly be anything else, he thinks you’re rich, remember? I was right, wasn’t I? It was Carlo. How could you do it, Suzanne!’ She sat down on the bed. ‘You know my position here. You know how important it is that we retain an air of respectability. The Martino family won’t stand for any scandal. If it’s known that my stepdaughter keeps company with the waiters then the respectable appearance we’ve built up here will become non-existent. How could you do it, Suzanne? How could you!’
Suzanne felt a glimmer of hope. Celeste didn’t realise that her companion in the garden had been Vidal Martino, and she certainly wasn’t going to tell her. ‘You believe I was with Carlo?’
Her stepmother shrugged. ‘What does it matter which one of the waiters it was? You may go out with anyone you choose when at home in Manchester, but not here. I won’t allow it. If Vidal Martino gets to hear of this affair you’ll ruin my chances.’
‘V-Vidal Martino?’ Suzanne echoed hollowly. How could he not hear of it when it had been him all the time?
‘Yes, Vidal Martino!’ Celeste stood up angrily. ‘So this little flirtation must stop. Do you understand?’
‘Celeste, you can’t—–’
‘I can, Suzanne! This affair stops or you’ll return to that hovel you call home immediately. I mean it, Suzanne,’ she walked to the door. ‘So you’d better tell your little friend that it’s over.’
Suzanne stared at the closed door. Well! Just who did Celeste think she was? How dared she walk in here and proceed to order her life? The fact that Celeste considered her to have been meeting a waiter and not Vidal made no difference. She had no right to come in here and issue orders concerning Suzanne’s conduct. No right at all.
She walked restlessly about the room. Celeste must have seen her from the window of her own hotel room, they both had that view from their window. Obviously the darkness had prevented her from recognising Vidal, but her own golden hair must have shown up very clearly in the moonlight. Thank God she hadn’t actually seen the person who was with her; there was no telling what she would have done if she had known that.
Suzanne was late down to breakfast the next morning. She had tossed and turned most of the night. She was feeling so indignantly angry that she had great trouble getting to sleep at all. Celeste’s reprimand had stayed in her thoughts late into the night until finally she fell into a restless sleep.
Celeste was just finishing her coffee when Suzanne arrived at their table. She looked at her stepdaughter critically. ‘That’s a pretty dress,’ she remarked coolly.
Suzanne sat down reluctantly; she had hoped Celeste would already have breakfasted. ‘You’ve seen it before. You paid for it.’
‘There’s no need to be bitchy, Suzanne. I only said what I did last night for your own good. My marriage will benefit you as much as it does me.’
‘Why?’ Suzanne asked sharply. ‘Because I’ll get you out of my life once more? You don’t know how much I wish for that, Celeste. If I’d realised just how obnoxious you were going to be I wouldn’t have agreed to come here at all. I’ve managed without you so far and I’ll do so again.’ She poured herself a cup of coffee. ‘I can’t wait for the day.’
‘No one forced you to come here, Suzanne. Luxury appealed to you, didn’t it?’
‘Yes, it did, I don’t mind admitting it. But I wish now that I hadn’t bothered—I can’t stand being here with you.’
‘Now that’s a shame, because I quite like you. You’re like your father in many ways.’
‘Will you leave my father out of this!’ Suzanne’s cup clattered down into the saucer. ‘I couldn’t give a damn what you do with your life, but leave my father out of it.’
‘All right, Suzanne, I will. We never liked each other, did we? Perhaps you were right and I shouldn’t have shut you out of our life together. We would maybe have been friends then. Well, it’s too late now,’ she crumpled her napkin and stood up. ‘I’ll be seeing Vidal this morning, so you please yourself what you do.’
‘Thanks.’ Suzanne obstinately kept her eyes downwards, helping herself to a piece of toast and concentrating on spreading it with butter. ‘I was going to anyway.’
Celeste laughed, looking beautiful and vital in a black and white spotted sun-dress. ‘That’s what I thought. I may be out all day, so it’s up to you what you do. As long as you don’t meet that waiter,’ she added darkly.
‘I’ll meet who I please, when I please,’ Suzanne looked at her defiantly. Celeste’s casual mentioning, of her expected meeting with Vidal only made her feel more angry and contemptuous. How could Vidal help but find the attractive and sophisticated Celeste more beautiful than she?
‘Not on my money you won’t,’ was Celeste’s parting shot.
Suzanne suddenly wasn’t hungry. Her appetite hadn’t been too great to start with, but now it was non-existent. She left the dining-room to collect her bathing things and then went to the pool, intending to spend the morning lazing beside the pool and bathing in the soothing water.
Carlo, the waiter, brought her out a long cool lime juice at her request, placing it on the low table beside her. ‘Miss Hammond,’ he began nervously. ‘Someone is asking for you in reception, someone of importance,’ he indicated her bikini. ‘It would not be proper to meet him dressed so.’
Suzanne’s eyes opened wide at Carlo’s tone of rebuke. It wasn’t usual for the staff at this expensive hotel to act in this way. Perhaps Carlo guessed that she wasn’t one of its rich patrons, but a masquerader. But even so … ‘Who is it, Carlo?’ she asked sharply, not a snob herself, but she didn’t welcome this boy’s familiarity either.
Carlo, one of the Italian staff at the hotel, broke into a spate of his own language, the pure complicated Italian that only they could speak. Suzanne understood little of it, although she knew a little of the language, once having shared a flat with a young Italian girl over here for her education. The only thing that seemed to make any sense out of this tirade was the name Martino. Suzanne sat up, her eyes bright and happy. She had seen Vidal Martino leave the hotel with Celeste earlier, but perhaps he had returned to see her.
‘Mr Martino?’ she said excitedly. ‘Is Mr Martino waiting for me in reception?’
‘Si, si,’ Carlo nodded vigorously, watching as Suzanne jumped to her feet, pulling on her bathing robe. ‘But, Miss Hammond, it—–’
Suzanne didn’t wait to hear any more but ran into the hotel, slowing down to a fast walk as she neared the reception area. Her face glowed and her eyes shone. Vidal had come back to see her, she felt sure of it. She knew he had checked out of the hotel at eleven o’clock, she had seen him leave, and she had also seen Celeste clinging to his arm. But he had come back to see her.
She looked around for him excitedly, coming to a shocked halt as she saw who was waiting for her. ‘Conte Martino!’ She said breathlessly.
CHAPTER THREE (#ulink_f1af7f86-55bf-5bd5-910c-1f01faa30aa8)
HE walked towards her with those familiar long easy strides, completely male and dominant. He took her proffered hand, bowing low over her slender fingers. ‘Miss Hammond.’ Those icy grey eyes searched her startled face. Her hand was slowly released and he stepped back away from her. ‘You did not expect me,’ he surmised correctly. ‘Did the waiter not explain that I wished to see you?’
To see her! But why? Last night he had treated her with nothing but contempt, so what did he want with her now—not more insults, surely? ‘I—I thought you were—–’ She broke off in confusion. It sounded rude to say she had thought him to be someone else, even if it was true. She shook her head wordlessly.
‘You thought I was Vidal,’ he guessed correctly again. ‘But did the waiter not explain that it was Cesare Martino, and not Vidal?’
Suzanne put up a nervous hand to her disordered hair. It badly needed washing after her dip in the pool and at the moment surrounded her heart-shaped face in riotous curls. Oh, why hadn’t she stayed to listen to the end of Carlo’s conversation, for she felt sure now that he had been going to explain exactly who her visitor was. ‘He may have done,’ she said hurriedly, realising he was looking at her strangely for her prolonged silence. ‘He was talking in Italian at a very fast rate,’ she explained. ‘I’m all right with bookish Italian if it’s spoken very slowly, but anything else defeats me, I’m afraid.’
‘But surely he must have known this,’ the Conte said harshly. ‘All the non-English staff are requested to speak only English.’
‘Oh please, don’t be angry, Mr—Signor Conte,’ she amended hastily. ‘He was so excited, because you’re a count, I suppose, he just forgot for a moment.’ She looked down at her lack of clothing. ‘That’s probably the reason he told me I wasn’t dressed properly too,’ she said wryly.
The Conte’s swarthy face darkened with anger. ‘He dared to do that?’ he demanded coldly. ‘A waiter told a guest at my hotel that she was insufficiently dressed? But this cannot be!’
Only one thing made any sense to Suzanne. ‘Your hotel, Conte Martino? You own this hotel?’
