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A proper meeting? Kate’s heart began to thunder. She didn’t want time alone with him. She couldn’t risk a question and answer session.
It was too late now to wish she had told him the moment she’d realised she was pregnant. Back then she had still been reeling from her parents’ rejection, and no sooner had she and Francesca settled in Meredith’s farmhouse than a story had broken in the press that had rocked Kate’s world. It had stoked the fires of the gossipmongers yet again, making Kate retreat further into herself.
It was said that while Santino Rossi had been in England he had fathered a child. Santino hadn’t let it rest there, and had taken the supposed mother of his child to court, exposing her as a fraud. Kate’s face had burned with the same humiliation as the woman’s family on the day the girl had been discredited, and she had been riveted to the television screen when the shamefaced young woman had been ushered out of court.
Seeing one woman exposed for a gold-digger had made Kate all the more determined to start paying her way the moment Francesca could be left. When Meredith had identified an opportunity with a theatrical agency in London and offered to care for Francesca, Kate had known it was her chance to hold her head up high again and save some money for Francesca’s future. She had also known she couldn’t risk a long-running court battle with a man like Santino Rossi, and so she had erased him from her life, if not her conscience.
Kate’s little girl Francesca was surrounded by the love of her family at Meredith’s warm and happy farmhouse where she was untouched by all the ugliness in the world, and she was growing up unspoiled the way Kate wanted her to. As Francesca was just a defenceless child it was up to Kate to make decisions for her, and so now she took the only path she could. She didn’t know the man she had slept with. She didn’t know what Santino Rossi cared about, or if he cared about anything other than himself. The world of film was a fascinating place, but not all the characters inhabiting that world were entirely stable. Until she knew more about Santino Rossi the man, she would not trust him with the knowledge that they had a child together.
After their brief chat Kate watched Santino on the set. Everyone responded well to him, and had she been meeting him for the first time she might have been impressed. He had reacted as quickly as she had at the first sign of trouble on the lot, dropping everything to come and sort it out. It made her want to trust him, but could she do that after so short an acquaintance? Could she trust her own judgement after what had happened five years ago? She wouldn’t risk Francesca’s happiness on a whim in the same way she had risked her own.
Kate could feel Santino assessing her in the same way she was weighing him up and felt her face burn when their gazes clashed. How could she ignore the fact that time had only improved upon perfection? Apart from silver wings creeping into his thick dark hair Santino appeared stronger and more virile than ever. He belonged on the big screen, rather than behind it, but she could not allow herself to be swayed by Santino’s good looks, or by his blatant sex appeal. She wasn’t eighteen now. She was a grown woman with responsibilities. She couldn’t allow herself to feel anything for him.
The crew weren’t even listening to their conversation, Santino realised, though it should have raised some interest, surely? Whatever she had been saying to them must have worked because everyone was going quietly about their business. Relieved to have the burden of decision-making taken from their shoulders, he guessed. The thought drew his gaze back to her and to her slender shoulders…too slender to bear a burden, their shape was clearly discernible beneath the cheap fabric of her blouse. A quick mental sketch of her naked body lit an old fire that invoked another strong physical reaction, and that in turn warned him to keep his gaze firmly fixed upon her face in future.
He felt like a caged lion. She made him feel like a caged lion. He was used to taking charge; he didn’t sit on the sidelines. It seemed incredible to him that a mere scrap of a girl could come in and take over his film set.
A scrap of a girl with big ideas, maybe…
Santino’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Kate. He’d had trust issues since the day his mother had gone shopping and never come back. At six years old that made quite an impression on you. Women were all the same in his experience, which was why he had never married. They all bailed out when they discovered his personal bank was closed to them. But this one was an enigma. She hadn’t put all the goods on display with a price tag on her bosom like the rest. Rather the opposite. She had made no effort whatever to remind him of the time they’d spent together five years ago, which, perversely, he found insulting. It challenged something deep inside him that suggested she should make more effort when he was around.
Santino felt a mounting sense of possession as Kate stared back at him. After the night they’d had how long did she think she could hang onto the role of buttoned-up spinster? Her ringless hands hadn’t escaped his gaze…
Which was all too much distraction when there was work to be done. Of his director there was no sign, which didn’t concern him unduly since that useless piece of excess baggage was about to be fired. But he would handle one problem at a time. His attention switched back to Kate and he couldn’t have been more surprised when she seized the initiative.
‘I think you’ll find everyone is happy with the arrangements I have made,’ she told him confidently.
And then she stared at him, waiting for his endorsement of her actions as if she already worked for him, clearly unaware that she was treading on hot cinders around the lip of a volcano.
‘It has been agreed that for the next couple of days, or until the new director arrives,’ she went on, ‘actors will use the time to work on the script while the crew takes this opportunity to hone the technical side of things—’
He was tempted to ask what the hell business it was of hers. ‘Really?’ There was a heavy edge of sarcasm in his voice, but she either missed it, or chose to ignore it, and she didn’t break eye contact with him once. Plus she was speaking to him in the same considered tone she used for everyone else, which grated on him, which made him impatient to exert his authority over her. He only held back because a purposeful air had crept over the set, and right now she had him between a rock and a hard place.
As he stared into those cool grey eyes he guessed she knew where she had him, but that didn’t mean he had to make things easy for her. ‘Don’t you think you should at least introduce yourself, Ms…?’He felt a rush of satisfaction seeing her glance flicker for the first time. The fact that he had affected not to know her, or to remember their night together, had dealt a blow to her pride even she found hard to hide.
‘I am Cordelia’s cousin, as well as her new manager.’ She had recovered and was using a brisk voice. ‘Ms Mulhoon appointed me shortly before you arrived—’
She broke off at Cordelia’s approach, and as he turned to his leading lady for confirmation he was surprised to see tension colour Cordelia Mulhoon’s customarily sunny features.
There was something here he wasn’t getting. But he would. And then Cordelia gave a small nod to confirm what their visitor had said was true.
Interestingly, as he dipped his head to acknowledge Cordelia’s response he noticed that his leading lady was carefully avoiding his gaze.
CHAPTER THREE
‘WELL, Ms Mulhoon’s new manager…’ Santino switched his attention back to Kate ‘…we’d better take ourselves somewhere private where we won’t be interrupted—’
‘We’re not disturbing anyone here.’ She held her ground and his gaze.
‘Don’t my cast have plotting and rehearsals scheduled? They should stick to them.’ His voice was uncompromising.
‘Are you suggesting the actors should work on the set without a director?’ she asked him pleasantly, but with an edge of steel. ‘Their moves might be changed, and they could become confused. My suggestion is that everyone works on their script quietly for now—’
Somehow he managed to control himself. ‘And mine is that they take the afternoon off.’ Walking away from her, he said in a louder voice, ‘Gather round, everyone. I know you’ll all be pleased to hear that I’ve appointed a new director. Diane Fox will start work tomorrow—’He had to break off as a buzz of anticipation swept the set. There wasn’t anyone who hadn’t heard of the award-winning director he had brought in to replace the waste of space, no good junkie currently sleeping off his latest hit of the white powder in his trailer. ‘Take the rest of the day off and relax while you can. See you on the lot tomorrow at five a.m…’
He glanced at Kate. ‘If that’s all right with you?’
His gaze might have been ironic, but hers was a little evasive, he thought. And what was with the no-make-up look? Was there some point in scraping back such glorious hair into an unforgiving pony-tail? The last time they’d been together her hair had flowed free and had felt silky beneath his hands…
He wanted her. He felt it like a heat running through him. She had been a revelation the first time around; to see her melt now would be sensational. And a thought was growing in his mind that maybe she could be useful to him…
The film industry didn’t respond to the usual rules of logic, which frustrated him. He had been in love with films since he was a boy when they had been the only magic in his life, but it was the finished article that enchanted him. He had no patience for the mechanics of film-making and even less for the people involved in it. This woman had proved she could handle the heat. And she intrigued him. He wanted her close; he wanted to know more about her and what had happened in the five missing years. A business meeting over dinner would give her the chance to answer some of the questions pounding his mind, and would give him the opportunity to propose she come and work for him at his film studios in Rome.
If Santino wanted to give the cast the rest of the day off that was up to him. Kate refused to be fazed by his hard-eyed challenge. As she’d said to Caddy, she didn’t have the final word on his set, and for obvious reasons she was keen to get away once Caddy’s mind was put at rest.
When Santino had asked for her name she had wondered if he was trying to humiliate her on purpose. But like the worst type of arrogant male Santino gave nothing away. Had he not been a world-class industrialist he would have made an excellent poker player. One thing was sure, the night that had made such a huge impact on her life meant nothing to him.
‘You do have a name?’ Santino prompted, breaking into Kate’s thoughts.
His lips curved in the hint of a smile, but his gaze was hard. Kate felt as if ‘humiliation’ must be branded on her forehead, hearing him coolly repeat the question a second time. Would he remember her name if she thrust her visitor’s badge in his face? Had she even given him her name five years ago?
Her face flamed red. There had been no time to exchange names on that occasion; polite introductions had been the last thing on their minds. She had only learned who Santino Rossi was later from the newspaper, by which time he had left England for Rome, having judged Westbury an unsuitable setting for his film.
Kate refocused seeing Caddy hurrying across the set. She had sensed the stand-off and was rushing to her rescue, Kate realised fondly.
‘Is it all right if I take Kate away now?’ Caddy turned her most beseeching look on Santino.
‘Kate,’ Santino repeated softly, the corner of his mouth tugging up with faint amusement. ‘Would that be wild Kate? Or conformable Kate?’
The Shakespearean reference made Kate’s cheeks fire up. So he did remember her. Santino remembered every moment of their night together and now he was taunting her with it. ‘Kate Mulhoon,’ she said briskly, holding out her hand for a formal handshake.
Santino ignored the gesture and the humour died in his eyes. ‘We’ll discuss arrangements for your client over dinner tonight, Ms Mulhoon.’
‘Dinner?’ Kate’s breath caught in her throat. A cosy nighttime meeting was the last thing she wanted.
‘Time is short. You have to eat and so do I. And you’ll want to protect your client’s interests, I presume? The only available time I have is during dinner. We’ll discuss the way forward then.’
There was no way out of it, Kate realised, and as Caddy’s representative she couldn’t afford to be indecisive. ‘I’ll need to talk things over with my client first—’
‘Eight o’clock sharp. I’ll pick you up at your hotel.’
Santino had quickly restored the balance of power, Kate realised, feeling her hackles rising. But it was too late to argue with a man who had already turned on his heel and walked away.
As the two girls linked arms Caddy drew Kate out of earshot of the rest of the cast. ‘I wanted to fling my arms around you and cheer the moment you arrived, but I thought I’d better let you establish your authority first. I didn’t think you’d want me hanging round your neck. But now you’re here—’ Caddy gave Kate a hug.
‘I don’t care what anyone thinks,’ Kate said with feeling, unable to stop herself tracking Santino’s progress across the lot.
‘Then you should,’ Caddy argued with concern, ‘because there are people in this industry who will stop at nothing to get what they want.’
‘Is that what this is about?’ Holding Caddy at arm’s length, Kate stared into her cousin’s face. ‘Has someone been unkind to you? It’s not Santino, is it, Caddy?’
‘No, of course not…’ Caddy took a quick glance around to make sure they weren’t being overheard. ‘I only hope he knows I’m not involved in the drugs—’
‘Drugs?’ Kate made an incredulous sound. ‘I doubt he’s that naïve. You’ve nothing to worry about, Caddy. If there are drugs on his set Santino will know about them and common sense will tell him you’re not involved. What would you have to gain by disrupting filming or risking your reputation? Nothing,’ Kate said, answering her own question. ‘You’re the best person for this role and Santino knows it, or he wouldn’t have hired you in the first place.’
‘He hired that scumbag director, didn’t he?’ Caddy threw a hostile glance towards the trailers parked up nearby.
‘Everyone in the industry knows he was Santino’s second choice. He’d done some good work in the past and Santino wanted the film completed on time—’
‘Are you defending Santino?’ Caddy tried but failed to hide her smile.
‘All I’m saying is that everyone is entitled to one mistake…’
Kate fell silent as her careless words hung between them, and she was glad when Caddy squeezed her arm in a silent show of support. But she had come to Rome to look after Caddy, and it shouldn’t be the other way round, Kate reminded herself. ‘Diane Fox is said to be the best director in the business,’ she said, both to reassure Caddy and steer the conversation onto safer ground. ‘You’ll be fine once you start working with her—’
‘But will you be fine, Kate?’ Caddy’s voice had turned serious. ‘If I’d only known Santino would get here so fast—’
‘Of course I will,’ Kate said firmly, cutting across Caddy. ‘The only reason I’m going to meet Santino tonight is to talk business. I want everyone here to know that you have his full support, and I want you to concentrate on what you do best, Caddy, which is acting. You’re going to light up the screen—’
‘Do you really think so?’
Caddy was easily distracted and was soon dreamy-eyed.
‘I’ve got no doubt,’ Kate said with confidence. ‘Holding a meeting over dinner is the most sensible way forward given the time constraints. All I’m going to do is speak to Santino on your behalf, relay any concerns you have to him, and—’
‘You make it all sound so easy,’ Caddy broke in, ‘and it isn’t easy, Kate. It never can be where you and Santino are concerned—’
‘But this isn’t about me and Santino. It’s about you, Caddy. You seem to have overlooked the fact that the agency I work for takes a huge chunk out of your fee and I’m responsible for you. The buck stops here. It’s my job to look after you.’
‘But what about you, Kate? Who looks after you? What about your feelings in all this?’
‘What feelings? My feelings for Santino, do you mean?’ Kate did her best to look incredulous. ‘I have no feelings for Santino, and he’s made it quite clear he feels the same way about me.’
‘Be careful, Kate. You’re taking an awful lot for granted.’ Caddy’s eyes clouded with concern. ‘And that’s a big mistake where Santino Rossi is concerned…’
His suspicions regarding the morals of the film industry had just received another ringing endorsement. It seemed he couldn’t leave the studios for five minutes without some new and potentially damaging scandal occurring. This time drugs and intimidation. Next time…? He couldn’t afford a next time. What he needed was a firm hand on the tiller during his absence…a hand not dissimilar to Kate Mulhoon’s.
Santino’s hard mouth curved in a rare smile as he thought about it. Kate’s soft, pale hands had surprised him once before with their strength and ingenuity. If she came to work for him it would be interesting to see how long the new ‘ice princess’ version of Kate Mulhoon held out.
Meanwhile he had other things on his mind. He had to wait for the police to arrive and take his director into custody. A private interview with Cordelia had revealed that the trouble on the lot went deeper than the drugs his old friend Carlo had told him about, and the humiliation of one of his cast was something he would not tolerate under any circumstances.
As soon as Cordelia had told him what had happened he had called in the police right away. His leading lady had been subjected to a raft of cruel tricks, including silent phone calls, wreaths instead of the flowers she had ordered, manure dumped outside her trailer, and, in one final play of a pervert’s repertoire, a particularly sickening brand of sexual humiliation. All of it, he guessed, designed to break Cordelia’s spirit in order for the director’s heroine-hag girlfriend to take her place. It had been an ordeal for Cordelia to go over it again with him, and it made him sick to think about it now.
An invitation to the director’s trailer for a ‘coaching session’ had led Cordelia to find her ‘coach’ on the telephone while his girlfriend was busy on her knees beneath the desk…He’d stopped Cordelia there. He hadn’t needed to hear more to know she’d been through enough.
Santino’s thoughts switched back to Kate. With the arrival of the police imminent and everything back under control he risked her changing her mind about dinner now that Cordelia had been reassured. Kate might even decide to leave Rome before it suited him. Her dedication to her work was his only safeguard. She wouldn’t be satisfied he had fired the director for incompetence and drug taking, she would want to know that proper charges were being filed on Cordelia’s behalf. He wouldn’t be surprised if she insisted on staying on until the new director arrived. But of course, there were no guarantees…
Easing back in his chair, Santino smiled. Yes, there were. Kate wouldn’t leave Rome until she was sure Cordelia was happy and working well under the new regime. He hardly knew her, but after seeing Kate Mulhoon at work he could be sure of one thing—she wasn’t a quitter.
When the two girls reached the Hotel Russie they went straight up to Caddy’s suite, which she had insisted Kate share with her. As they walked in the room Caddy was still imploring Kate to cancel her meeting with Santino.
‘I won’t do that,’ Kate said firmly. ‘I won’t put you at a disadvantage by allowing Santino to think your advisors are weak.’
‘Even at your own expense, Kate?’
‘I’ll be fine. Listen to me, Caddy.’ Taking her cousin by the arms, Kate drew Caddy in front of her. ‘This is your big chance and I’ll never forgive myself if it doesn’t work out for you because of something I’ve done—’
Caddy shook her head and pulled away. ‘Don’t do this, Kate. You’re pretending everything’s all right, but I know you’re hurting inside. Look at the tension on your face.’ She turned Kate round to face the mirror.
‘That’s my strategic planning face.’ Kate laughed, but her attempt at humour sounded hollow.
‘Do you look this strained every time you have a client meeting?’ Caddy shrugged her shoulders to show her disbelief. ‘You must really inspire confidence.’
This time Kate didn’t pretend to smile. ‘I’m not strained. I’m just not sure how this meeting with Santino is going to play out yet…’
‘You and me both,’ Caddy murmured anxiously.
CHAPTER FOUR
HOWEVER many times Kate told herself that it was only dinner; only a business meeting, she couldn’t rid herself of the hummingbird wings in her stomach. There were too many feelings competing for attention inside her: she didn’t want to let Caddy down; she didn’t want to let the agency down; she didn’t want to let herself down, or give anything away. In the end she felt quite sick agonising over the question of whether she could be forceful enough on Caddy’s behalf without antagonising Santino, and whether she could get away with sitting an arm’s reach away from him across a dinner table without blurting out the fact that they had a daughter together. The end result of all this was that she grew tense and pale and uncommunicative in spite of Caddy’s best attempts to draw her out.
‘Honestly, Caddy, what I’m wearing is fine,’ Kate protested when Caddy held up the latest in a succession of possible outfits for her to wear. Clothes were absolutely the last thing on Kate’s mind.
Sharing Caddy’s luxurious suite at the Hotel Russie was a mixed blessing, and right now Kate would have preferred to be alone rather than have Caddy see her hand shaking as she tried unsuccessfully to apply some colourless lip salve.
‘What about this?’ Caddy held out another fabulous designer outfit.
The last thing Kate wanted was for Caddy to think that the meeting with Santino was going to be an ordeal for her and so she pretended to inspect the designer jeans and delicate silk top Caddy was holding out to her. The bright jewel colours were beautiful, but not for her…they would draw attention. ‘Perhaps too casual,’ Kate suggested gently, feeling bad when she saw Caddy’s expression falter. ‘I don’t know where Santino intends our meeting to take place—’
‘It’s sure to be somewhere fantastic, and there’s a whole wardrobe of clothes here for you to choose from,’ Caddy said generously. ‘Just take your pick.’
Reaching out, Kate squeezed Caddy’s arm. ‘You’re the best friend anyone could have. And it may surprise you to know that I hadn’t even realised we were the same size in clothes.’
Caddy gave a faint smile as she picked up all the outfits Kate had discarded with barely a glance. Nothing about Kate could ever surprise her.
But it was true, Kate reflected. She had never really thought about her figure before. As long as the clothes in her wardrobe fitted she saw no reason to change them, or indeed her casual attitude to what was and what wasn’t ‘in’. Standing in front of the mirror, she smoothed down the front of her skirt and turned to check the hang of her jacket.
‘You can’t go out to dinner in the same outfit you wore for travelling,’ Caddy pointed out in a last ditch attempt to get Kate to change her mind.
‘Why ever not? I had a shower and changed my underwear and blouse.’
‘And now it’s too late,’ Caddy complained, grimacing as the doorbell rang. ‘Honestly, Kate, you’re impossible.’
Kate’s heart thundered so hard she could hardly speak. ‘But you love me?’ The question made Caddy laugh, but the truth was Kate needed her cousin’s reassurance.
‘You know I do.’ Caddy gave Kate a quick hug and then crossed to the door. Reaching it, she rested her hand on the doorknob as if waiting for Kate’s say-so before she let Santino in. ‘You can still change your mind, you know…’
‘And you know I won’t do that. Well? What are you waiting for? Let him in.’ Having assumed a bright tone to reassure Caddy, Kate kept the smile fixed to her face—she only hoped she could keep it in place long enough to last the evening.
