An Invitation to Sin(54)
‘No! You’ve done more than enough. I’ll sort it out.’
Luca caught her arm. ‘Tell me why you’re scared of him.’ His tone was low and urgent. ‘Why do you care what that guy thinks of you?’
Her mouth was dry. ‘Because he has…power.’
‘Power? You mean over your performance?’
No, she didn’t mean that.
‘I just don’t want more bad headlines.’ That much was the truth. ‘I just want to act.’
Luca stared at her for a long moment and then lifted his hand and brushed her cheek gently, his expression inscrutable. ‘Mi dispiace. I’m sorry if I made things difficult for you. That wasn’t my intention. Go and finish filming that scene. There’s something I need to do.’
Determined to make up for his momentary loss of control, which had clearly made things awkward for her, Luca spent the afternoon on the phone. By the time he drove back to the docklands to collect Taylor he was feeling particularly pleased with his plan so it spoiled the moment slightly to see her waiting for him, white-faced and tense.
‘Your cousin fired Rafaele.’
Luca wondered why she thought that came under the heading of ‘bad news.’ ‘Good. For once he and I are in agreement on something.’
‘Rafaele is going to be furious.’
‘And we care about that because…?’ When she didn’t answer, he sighed. ‘Get in the car.’
‘I’m starting to think this project is doomed.’ She slid into the car next to him and closed her eyes but her phone rang immediately.
Luca tensed. ‘Is that him?’
‘No.’ She relaxed. ‘It’s just Zach. I’ll call him back later.’
‘Zach? Who the hell is Zach?’
‘Just a friend.’
‘I thought you didn’t have friends. I thought there was no one you trusted.’
‘I trust Zach more than I trust most people, but that isn’t saying much.’ She dropped the phone back into her bag. ‘What a day.’
Luca forced himself not to ask all the questions he was burning to ask about Zach. ‘Does Santo have a replacement yet?’
‘Well, that’s the odd thing…’ She pushed her hair out of her eyes. ‘He’s given the job to his PA, Ella. I’ve talked to her loads of times. She’s crazy about everything to do with movie making which is why she’s working for Santo but I never knew she wanted to direct. He’s giving her the chance.’
‘I’m sure she’ll be brilliant. I’ll even let her kiss you—in fact, I’ll hang around in case she does.’ Noticing movement out of the corner of his eye, he leaned forward and kissed her himself. ‘Press approaching downwind. Look pleased to see me.’
Her lips were soft and sweet under his and he took his time, kissing her slowly and deliberately until she pulled back with a frown. ‘OK, enough already.’
Luca, who was unsettled to discover he’d had nowhere near enough of her, reached into the back of the car and put a baseball cap on her head.
‘Ugh—you’ll ruin my hair!’ She lifted her hand to remove it but he stopped her.
‘Wear it,’ he ordered softly. ‘Put on your sunglasses. And for once in your life, don’t argue with me.’
She was still staring at him when one journalist, braver than the others, approached the car. ‘Taylor, do you have a statement on the fact that Rafaele has been replaced as director?’
‘No, she doesn’t.’ Luca settled his own sunglasses over his eyes, started the engine and rammed the car into gear but the journalist persisted.
‘Any plans for tonight? Where will the two of you be spending the evening?’
‘In bed.’ With a dangerous smile, Luca pulled away and Taylor groaned.
‘Thanks so much. Now the headline will be Taylor Carmichael, Sex Addict. Couldn’t you have said something else? You could have told them we’re going out to dinner. Why would you let them think we’re going home to bed?’
‘Because that’s what I want them to think. I don’t want them to follow us.’
‘They always follow us. And you don’t care.’
‘Tonight, I care.’
‘Why?’
‘Because tonight, Cinderella Carmichael,’ he drawled, ‘I’m making your dreams come true.’