An Invitation to Sin(41)
Rafaele ignored Luca and looked straight at Taylor. It was like an eagle spotting a vole.
To give her credit, Taylor managed to look relaxed as she greeted him. ‘Rafaele.’
‘Querida. We have so much to catch up on.’ The sentence was loaded with subtext and Luca frowned slightly and was about to intervene when Taylor stepped forward.
‘My name is Taylor.’ Her voice was steady and strong. ‘And we don’t have anything to catch up on.’
‘And soon she’ll be Taylor Corretti,’ Luca said coldly, ‘so you might want to bear that in mind before you call her “querida” or anything else that implies intimacy. I don’t tolerate other men hitting on my woman. Unlike the wimp in your movie, I don’t forgive or forget.’ He draped a possessive arm around her shoulders, his eyes fixed on the older man’s face in blatant challenge. He thought of Taylor as she must have been at seventeen and then looked at the man standing in front of him and decided he didn’t like what he saw.
Rafaele stepped forward, eyes narrowed. ‘I read about the engagement. I see her taste in men hasn’t improved over the years.’
‘I disagree.’ Luca delivered his coolest smile. ‘Any time you want to treat yourself to a suit that fits properly, just give me a call. Well-cut quality fabric can transform even the most unfortunate of body shapes. I’m sure we can do something for you.’ He could sense Taylor’s tension. And something more. Nerves. This man made her nervous.
Clearly her history with Rafaele upset her deeply and it was obvious the director knew it and used it.
‘I hope all this personal stuff isn’t going to distract you from your work. This is a challenging role for someone like you.’ With every carefully chosen word he chipped away at the woman Taylor had become, exposing the vulnerability underneath.
Luca, who loathed bullies, resisted the urge to rearrange the other man’s features. ‘Taylor is the most talented actress of her generation. When you worked with her she was hampered by bad direction.’
Rafaele’s lips curled. ‘Taylor always responded well to direction.’
Luca stepped forward but Taylor’s hand gripped his arm.
‘I can handle this. I just want to do my job.’
‘Good—’ Rafaele gestured to one of the crew ‘—because today we’re filming the scene where you discover the husband you thought was dead, is alive.’
‘Obviously going to be a laugh a minute,’ Luca drawled, turning her away from Rafaele and towards him. ‘I’ll leave you to it, tesoro, and pick you up at the end of the day. The board want evidence that you’re real so we’re going to a drinks reception at the hotel. Not my favourite way to spend an evening. I’d much rather be alone with you.’ Before she could say anything, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her slowly and deliberately on the mouth. The kiss was for the benefit of Rafaele but the moment their mouths met they were lost in it, the passion raw and elemental. He kissed her hungrily and she kissed him back, their surroundings forgotten, everything forgotten until the blare of a car horn cut through the sexual storm. Luca lifted his head, disorientated.
He stared down into her shocked blue eyes, saw his own confusion reflected right back at him and released her instantly. ‘I should get to work… .’
‘Me too.’ Her voice was husky and Luca, unsettled by how badly he wanted to kiss her again, backed towards the car and crashed into Rafaele, who made his frustration known.
‘Look where you’re going!’
Luca was too shaken to bother responding. Instead he slid behind the wheel of his Ferrari and started the engine, instantly comforted by the throaty roar. At least something in his life felt familiar which was more than could be said for his feelings.
He couldn’t remember a time when he’d been so out of control with a woman. When had he ever before lost track of time or place? Never.
Pulling onto the road that led to the office, he told himself that he’d got a little carried away with his role. After all, she’d questioned his acting ability, so it was only natural that he would try and prove how wrong she was, wasn’t it? He was as competitive as the next guy and any suggestion that he might not be convincing in his role as ‘fiancé’ was guaranteed to result in a performance worthy of Hollywood.
Having justified his behaviour to his satisfaction and confident that he had the situation completely under control, Luca relaxed.