Alessandro's Prize by Helen Bianchin Page B

foyer.
    This was just dinner. For four, not à deux .
    So chill, smile and have a great time .
    Yet she only had to look at him to know she was way out of her depth.
    The chiselled facial features, the dark, almost black eyes, which saw much more than she wanted them to. As to his mouth…the memory of how it felt possessing her own was so vivid, she barely controlled a faint quiver.
    Deal with it.
    And she did, offering a generous smile as she moved to his side. ‘Hi.’ Too bright, too much?
    â€˜ Buona sera , Liliana.’
    There it was again… Liliana . Did he know what it did to her?
    â€˜Shall we go?’
    How was it possible to look forward to sharing dinner with a man who turned her emotions every which way, when all she felt impelled to do was to retreat to safety?
    It didn’t make sense.
    â€˜You’re interested in restoring old buildings,’ Lily ventured as they purred through the streets. ‘Are you working on a project at the moment?’
    â€˜Yes. There are various stipulations in place. Permissions to be granted, the submission and approval of plans. The legalities involved. All of which can become a long process.’
    â€˜Bureaucracy and red tape while numerous sources confer, consult and compare,’ she lightly posed, and glimpsed his wry smile.
    â€˜Occasionally for several months.’
    â€˜I imagine patience is key.’
    He spared her a glance. ‘You don’t consider me to be a patient man?’
    Lily considered him carefully. ‘Perhaps,’ she conceded. ‘If you wanted something enough.’
    The man seated at her side was capable of achieving whatever he wanted, by whatever means it took to gainhis objective. For beneath the sophisticated exterior was a ruthlessness born from a need to survive at any cost.
    A loyal friend, she perceived, but a dangerous adversary.
    It didn’t help that she was incredibly aware of him, the primitive sensuality he generated with no seeming effort at all. He had the look of a man who knew everything there was to know about women, what they wanted, needed , and the skill to deliver—in bed, and out of it.
    Where had that come from?
    Like she needed another man’s touch?
    She’d sworn off men, remember? All men.
    Especially men of Alessandro’s calibre. With whom even the lightest dalliance would be akin to treading a precarious path through an emotional minefield.
    The light touch of his hand at the back of her waist felt warm, almost protective as he guided her towards the bar where Giarda and Massimo were seated.
    Giarda stood and brushed her lips to Lily’s cheek. ‘It is so good to see you both,’ she greeted, and repeated the action with Alessandro, with Massimo following suit.
    â€˜We shall have a drink together before moving to our table,’ Giarda indicated, and Massimo’s eyes gleamed with latent humour.
    â€˜My wife likes to be in charge.’
    â€˜Because it amuses you to allow me to do so,’ Giarda responded sweetly.
    The chemistry between them was almost palpable, and Lily felt a momentary tinge of envy. They looked so good together, so right. It made her faintly wistful that such a shared passion would be missing from her own life.
    Once bitten, twice shy …kind of said it all.
    It was interesting to see that both Alessandro and Massimo appeared to be the best of friends, as well asbusiness associates. Any past rivalry had obviously been dispensed with long ago.
    The restaurant seemed to be a favourite among the social elite, of whom Massimo, Giarda and Alessandro obviously ranked highly, given the almost obsequious attention accorded them by the maître d’ and wait-staff.
    The food was perfection, the presentation superb. On a scale of one to ten, Lily mentally afforded top marks.
    They had just finished the main course when Giarda lifted her goblet of wine and took an appreciative sip, then returned the goblet to the