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‘Yes?’ He was standing in the shadows where his thoughts were unreadable, whereas Kate was in a pool of light cast by one of the elaborate chandeliers. It gave him chance to examine her face. She was beautiful in an unaffected way. And he wanted to believe that her beauty was more than skin deep, but past experience warned him that was unlikely.
The lift bell rang and the doors slid open, which was a cue for her to hold out her hand in the formal manner for him to shake.
‘Thank you again, Santino,’ she said coolly.
At first he was affronted by her composure; her voice so detached and aloof. For a moment he thought he might have read her wrong, but when he brought her hand to his lips he felt her tremble.
CHAPTER SEVEN
KATE was glad Caddy had decided not to wait up for her. She didn’t want to relive every moment of an evening that had left her so confused. In order not to disturb her cousin she closed the door carefully, with a barely discernible click.
There were so many shadows in her past and so many secrets she could hardly bring herself to face, let alone confide them to Santino, and none of this was easy to share. How could she admit to Caddy that she had wanted Santino to kiss her and that he almost had, but for some reason had pulled back? How could she admit how disappointed she had been? Santino knew she wanted him, and his response had been to reject her; she couldn’t be more humiliated.
But at least the business side of things had gone well. She had been given all the assurances she had asked for regarding Caddy’s position. So at least there was nothing wrong with her business acumen even if her judgement when it came to her personal life remained severely flawed.
She knew she had to tell Santino that he was Francesca’s father. But the longer she left it, the harder it would be. She still wanted to know more about him before she could trust him with Francesca’s future. She could only hope that working alongside him would give her that opportunity—
‘Kate? Is that you?’
Kate’s breath caught in her throat as Caddy’s sleepy voice reached her from the bedroom.
‘Yes, it’s me … I’m sorry I woke you—’
‘Did you tell him? Did you tell Santino about Francesca?’
It was Caddy’s first thought too. Of course it was.
‘We’ll talk about it tomorrow. Go back to sleep now, Caddy. You’re due back on the lot in just a few hours …’
The next morning Kate was relieved when Caddy didn’t mention their brief conversation in the middle of the night. But she knew Caddy suspected something was up, and the name Santino Rossi hung in the air between them like an unspoken threat.
‘Where’s my suit?’ Kate asked when they were both getting dressed. ‘I’m sure I left it in the bedroom, and now it’s gone.’
Caddy’s gaze slid away.
‘Where is it, Caddy?’ Kate pressed, her suspicions growing. Half of her was glad they could be discussing mundane things like what to wear, while the other half of her was on the point of panic. She didn’t need things going wrong in the one part of her life she could usually rely on to provide her with an anchor. Work had been her saviour on so many occasions, allowing her to immerse herself in a world that left her with little time to dwell on the past.
‘When I saw it hanging over the chair I thought you must have left it out for cleaning,’ Caddy said, reclaiming Kate’s attention. ‘I sent them both to the laundry, just to be on the safe side—’
‘Both my suits?’ Kate exploded, knowing she was overreacting for reasons she couldn’t explore now. ‘What am I supposed to wear to work?’
‘Calm down,’ Caddy said, putting an arm around her shoulder. ‘You’re going to wear something fabulous from my wardrobe—’
‘I’m going to work, not a première,’ Kate pointed out, raking her hair with exasperation.
‘Thanks for reminding me about your hair,’ Caddy said, refusing to be dismayed. ‘You know, you should have highlights—’
‘Not a chance.’ Kate was already scraping her hair back as a prelude to tying it securely out of the way.
‘A trim, then?’
‘I’m happy with my hair the way it is. What’s Santino going to think if I turn up for my first day at work with a new haircut and wearing your paint-me-on jeans?’
‘So, do you care what Santino thinks?’
Yes, she did, and that was the trouble.
‘Perhaps you’re right about the jeans,’ Caddy admitted thoughtfully.
‘I know I am. Look, you’d better call Housekeeping and see if they can return my suits—’
Caddy’s response was to walk across the room and delve into her collection of exclusive carrier bags. With a cry of triumph she plucked out a dress made from the softest cashmere. In a wonderful soft buttery gold colour, it was a simple tube of a dress with nothing that Kate could take exception to. The sleeves were long and slightly bell-shaped and the length was respectable. The neck was high and slashed, showing some flesh, but nothing too revealing.
‘It’s absolutely gorgeous, but not for me,’ Kate said firmly. ‘And you haven’t even worn it yet,’ she added.
‘It’s no big deal if you borrow it for one day. And as you’ve got nothing else to wear.’
She was in a corner, and Caddy knew it. The hotel had proved to be so efficient in every way Kate couldn’t imagine the laundry service would let it down. Her suits wouldn’t be returned for another twenty-four hours and she had to wear something.
‘And don’t forget these,’ Caddy insisted.
‘No,’ Kate said flatly. Caddy’s enthusiasm had to be curbed somehow. She was holding out a pair of fabulous cream suede boots. Close fitting to the knee with a medium-height heel, they laced up the side and were finished with a buckle. The brand name on the box was enough to tell Kate they had cost a small fortune.
‘Why not?’ Caddy shook them provocatively.
‘They’re so delicate. I might spoil them.’
‘You?’ Caddy huffed with amusement. ‘I don’t think so, Kate.’
‘But my own shoes are in the bedroom. I’ll go and get them—’
Caddy cut her off at the door. ‘If you think for one moment I’m going to allow you to wear those flat boats with my divine new dress you are absolutely wrong, Kate Mulhoon. You’re my manager, remember? You’ve got to dress the part now.’
Kate frowned as Caddy retreated into the bedroom leaving the tempting articles behind her. She had been outmanoeuvred for once.
Dressing quickly, Kate glanced at her watch. It was still too early to call Francesca, which she badly wanted to do. She called for a cab instead to take Caddy and herself to the studio. She’d call home later, the first chance she got …
The moment she put the phone down Kate overheard Caddy chatting away to Meredith on her mobile. She couldn’t hear the words, only that Caddy sounded concerned and then excited …
She shouldn’t be listening, Kate told herself firmly, collecting up her things. Meredith was Caddy’s mother, and they were entitled to a private conversation.
‘Caddy, come on,’ Kate called the moment she heard Caddy walking across the room. ‘The cab rank’s only across the street and the taxi driver will be waiting for us. We don’t want to be late …’
Kate had some free time on her hands when she arrived at the film studios. While Caddy was in Make-up she took the bull by the horns and had her hair trimmed. She felt a little unsure at first about the new modern style, but the hairdresser soon reassured her, and Kate had to admit she was quite pleased with her new look.
‘Why don’t you let Marie have a go at your face next?’ Caddy suggested after approving the finished result.
‘It’s that bad?’ Kate grinned.
‘Worse.’ Caddy laughed as she pulled a mock grimace.
By the time Kate walked onto the set she was transformed. Wearing the smart outfit, and with her hair trimmed into a face-framing bob, she was attracting more attention than she had ever done. It felt strange to begin with, but then it felt great. She felt great. Until the moment Santino appeared on set and strode straight up to her.
‘What on earth have you done to your hair?’
His obvious disapproval shocked Kate and stabbed into her newfound self-esteem. But the last thing she intended was for Santino to know how she felt. She tipped her chin and referred him to her clipboard, angling it in front of him so he had nowhere else to look. ‘I wasn’t aware that the job required me to adopt a particular hairstyle.’
As he stared at her she held his gaze until it was Santino who looked away. Then she made a point of saying, ‘Good morning, Santino.’ She said it brightly, determined he wasn’t going to have everything his own way. ‘There are a few things we need to go over—’
‘Such as?’ He looked her up and down.
‘The showers ran out of hot water yesterday,’ Kate continued briskly, ‘and the on-set catering needs an urgent review. The toast was burnt today and there weren’t enough eggs to go round—’
‘Really?’ Santino murmured.
The expression in his eyes made Kate’s heart thump painfully in her chest and she had to force herself to concentrate. ‘Yes, and that’s not all—’
‘It is for now.’ Taking her by the arm, Santino steered her out of earshot of everyone else on the set. ‘I tried to ring to tell you what I planned for today, but both the hotel phone and Cordelia’s mobile were engaged. You’ll have to give me your mobile number, Kate. I expect to get hold of you whenever I need you even if you are only working for me for a few days.’
Kate ground her jaw and somehow managed to remain silent. It was clear she should have read the small print before agreeing to work for Santino. It appeared he demanded twenty-four-hour availability as well as an approved hairstyle.
‘If I could have got hold of either of you it would have saved Cordelia the trouble of arriving on the set so early,’ he went on. ‘What on earth was so important both of you were on your phones so early in the morning?’
‘I can’t speak for Cordelia—’ Kate’s pleasant tone belied the anger rising inside her ‘—but I was ringing for a taxi to bring us here.’ She wasn’t about to be intimidated.
‘There’s no point in Cordelia hanging around the set without a director to direct. You should have known that, Kate. Tell her she can go—’
Kate’s first thought was, Tell her yourself! But a show of emotion wasn’t appropriate between employee and employer. She had worked for difficult people in the past and knew how to handle them. And no one had forced her into this job. She had agreed to take on the role of Santino’s PA for a few days until he hired a proper assistant, because it suited her—on a number of levels, not least of which was making sure Cordelia’s best interests were always at the forefront of Santino’s mind.
‘I imagine your client will appreciate having the time to perfect her role.’
‘I’m sure she will, and thank you for your consideration,’ Kate said coolly. This wasn’t about her, or how she felt about Santino, this was about Caddy and work, and … If only life could be that simple! Right now she was trying not to breathe in case she inhaled Santino’s intoxicating cologne and was willing her body not to tingle all over just because he was within touching distance.
‘You’d better come with me—’ his voice was brusque, his glance impatient ‘—and I’ll go over what’s expected of you.’
Accustomed as she was to difficult people, Kate had to take several deep breaths before she could trust herself to speak. ‘Good idea,’ she managed pleasantly.
‘We’ll talk over breakfast.’
‘Breakfast?’ Another meal together? Another opportunity to sit close to Santino? Another opportunity to have her mind blanked and her senses take her over?
‘A breakfast meeting suits me.’
‘I’m sure it does,’ Kate murmured under her breath as she followed him. Any excuse to exert his authority over her suited Santino. ‘Do we have time for breakfast?’
He stopped, and after a moment turned. The tug of self-assurance at one corner of his mouth made her heart thunder.
‘I’m the boss, Kate. If I say we’ve got time, we’ve got time.’
He hid it well, but he was still smarting as he watched her rush off to tell Cordelia where she was going. He couldn’t accept Kate had someone back in England and wouldn’t admit as much to him. He had hired her because she was happy to take the heat, but who took the heat for her? Jealousy ripped through him at the thought that there was someone back in the UK who did that for her, someone she was eager to get back to by the weekend.
But jealousy was disabling and not an emotion that Santino was used to.
‘You mentioned breakfast?’ she reminded him calmly when she returned.
She was prompting him? And she was acting as if there were nothing between them—no sexual tension, no undercurrents, no unanswered questions. She didn’t appear to be rattled in the slightest. Far from it, her face was composed as if she was resigned to dealing with truculent employers.
‘We need to talk,’ he said bluntly, dipping his head to stare into her eyes.
‘Talk about what? The job?’
There it was again … anxiety in her gaze. Then she looked away, proving he was right to be suspicious. She was just as untrustworthy as the rest of her sex. He would keep the pressure on until she told him everything.
‘You can leave your clipboard here; you won’t be needing it.’ He could sense her unease growing. She knew breakfast gave him another chance to probe.
‘I’ll get my bag.’
‘You do that.’ He watched her walk away. He had to admit she looked fantastic. She could have given any starlet a run for her money. The soft suede boots drew his attention to the length of her legs, and the slim column of a dress clung to her hips, moulding them as she moved. If she strolled along the Via Veneto dressed like that she would stop the traffic. Did she have any idea how sexy she looked?
Almost certainly. She had all the grace of a feline predator wedded to the prim characteristics of a Victorian maid—an explosive combination. She had a new haircut and the outfit suited her. Was she trying to impress him? If so she had succeeded. Like a costume she might have put on to play a role in one of his films, the elegant outfit had affected the way she walked and even the way she felt about herself, he guessed. She oozed confidence, which was a very attractive quality in a woman. But he was sick of women thinking all they had to do was lie on their back to hit the jackpot. A night with him wasn’t a passport to riches, it was a journey to nowhere.
When she got back she reminded him the canteen wasn’t open yet.
If she thought he was going to call off breakfast she was wrong. ‘Looks like we’ll have to eat somewhere else.’ He shrugged, having never intended to eat at the studio. ‘I’ll go and get the car and pick you up at the gate in five minutes.’
Her grip tightened on her bag, but she kept the panic under control.
‘Where will we go?’ she called after him.
‘Somewhere typical of the region.’ He couldn’t resist it, and was smiling when he started walking away.
‘Not too far away, I hope. I’ve got a lot of work to do.’
His jaw firmed. He admired her grit, but he wasn’t prepared to give an inch. ‘Not too far away.’ He glanced in the direction of the hills above Rome. He was allowed a small lie, wasn’t he?
***
Kate’s heart sank as Santino’s sleek black Maserati drew up outside the hotel. He had brought her to the hills above Rome, and it had taken hours. Thanks to the heavy traffic they had travelled the whole way at a crawl. She would be lucky to be back at the studio before it closed for the day, and she had wanted to review the ordering procedures in the canteen.
‘Ready?’ Santino said to her as he passed his keys through the car window to the hotel valet.
‘You’re the boss,’ she reminded him with faint sarcasm.
And didn’t he like her to know it? Kate thought as Santino came around the front of the vehicle to open the door for her. Climbing out, she stared up at the impressive façade of the pale sandstone building.
‘Does it meet with your approval?’ Santino enquired without the slightest interest in her reply, Kate suspected, well aware of the irony.
But the truth was, the hotel was magnificent. It was the hotel equivalent of the first restaurant he had taken her to, but this time she kept her thoughts to herself. For one thing, they had driven for miles without seeing a single habitation, so she could hardly ask if they could go somewhere else!
