She sighed. Her job had been her life for years; she was not used to being idle. She had gone to college with no great career ambition, but had assumed she would end up as a translator in the foreign office. Marrying Jake and getting pregnant had changed all that. She supposed in a way she had Jake to thank for her career in hotel management. It was an occupation she loved. She had discovered that she had a flair for administration and she enjoyed meeting a wide variety of people, but it looked very much as if the career Jake had given her he had ruthlessly taken away from her again.
Restless and ill at ease in the quiet splendour of the salon, she let her glance settle on the telephone on a small table by the fireplace. Leaping to her feet she crossed and picked it up dialling the number of the Piccolo Paradiso. She had every right to check up on her job, never mind that Lorraine was now in charge. Plus she felt guilty disappearing the way she had, even though it wasn’t her fault. She should have rung earlier to make sure everything was running smoothly, and she would have done if Jake had not swept her into his bed. She squashed the quick flush of remembered pleasure, as Anna’s voice echoed down the line.
‘Pronto. Le Piccolo Paradiso.’
It was great to hear a familiar voice. ‘Anna, it’s me, Lexi—I—’ Before she could finish her sentence Anna cut in, her voice bubbling with excitement.
‘Aren’t you the dark horse? All this time you had a husband, and what a husband! He’s gorgeous. I can’t think why you ever left him. But it’s so romantic him finding you again, it made me cry—’
‘You’ve met Jake...?’ Lexi cut in, not in the least interested in the younger girl’s romantic fairy-tale image of him.
‘Of course, he was here this afternoon for a staff briefing. There are going to be a few changes, but he congratulated us all on our hard work for Mr Monicelli and hoped we would work as well for him. Wasn’t that nice? And guess what? I’m the new senior receptionist, and Franco, after two weeks’ training with the new computer Mr Taylor is having installed, is going to take over from Miss Lorraine as the manager.’
‘Yes, very nice,’ Lexi managed to get out, silently seething; obviously she was not indispensable, quite the reverse if Anna was to be believed, and that hurt... ‘So, everything is going smoothly, no problems?’ she couldn’t help asking.
‘You’re not to worry about anything, Lexi, just relax and enjoy your gorgeous husband. I know I would if I were you. In fact, he’s here again now, I’ve just sent coffee into the office for him and Miss Lorraine. Do you want me to put you through?’
‘No,’ Lexi snapped, ‘it doesn’t matter. I’ll be in touch.’ And she dropped the receiver into the cradle.
She wished she had never telephoned. Her pale lips tightened at the way Jake had so quickly organised her life, cutting her off from her career and her friends with ruthless efficiency. She stood up and walked slowly back out on to the terrace. She thrust her hands into the pockets of her dress, and strolled around the terrace, her head bent, lost in her own thoughts; she didn’t notice the magnificent sunset. Jake was playing havoc with her life, her emotions, and she could see no
way out. The fact that he had dashed straight back to Lorraine she tried to dismiss from her mind but it was there like a gnawing cancer eating at her self-esteem, her pride. Jake had destroyed her trust years ago and agreement or not, she did not trust him to be faithful to her. Had he found time to bed his mistress this afternoon? she wondered. Or maybe that was what he was doing now.
Suddenly a flash of light startled her and she jumped, her heart thudding. She sighed and looked around, surprised to notice that she had walked right around the house, and it was dark. The outside lanterns had switched on. For a long moment she gazed around. Lights glowed in the trees, illuminating the flowers and shrubs. She turned her head towards the house and outside the kitchen was a white wrought-iron dining-table surrounded by half a dozen chairs. Soft cushions in pink and blue picked up the colour of a huge parasol with an exquisite Chinese lantern suspended from its centre. A few comfortable loungers were spread around in front of the dining-room window along with a low table. As she watched, Maria bustled out on to the terrace, a loaded tray in her hand.
‘Can I help?’ Lexi asked.
‘No, signora,’ Maria declared disappearing back through the patio door into the kitchen.’
Lexi sighed and sat down on the nearest lounger. Lying back against the soft cushions, she stared up into the night sky; it was so peaceful, but the turmoil in her heart would not be stilled.
‘Did you miss me?’ A drawling voice made her heart leap, her eyes widen in shock.
‘Jake...’ She sat up, swinging her legs to the floor, and stared up into his shadowed face.
‘Well, did you?’ he asked, his hand reaching out to catch a tendril of her hair and twist it lightly around his finger, before curving it gently around her small ear, his finger lingering on the soft lobe and pulling gently.
He was still wearing the shorts and shirt, his hair somewhat rumpled and a day’s stubble darkening his hard jaw. He looked incredibly sexy and his teasing smile promised everything. Lexi shook her head away from his hand. She was confused and angry. How did he manage to affect her like this? Every time he came near her, touched her, his masculinity hit her like a blow to the heart.
‘Some half-hour,’ she snapped, angry anew at his casual disregard for her feelings. She had come down earlier at his instigation only to find him gone, and gone to the lovely Lorraine. He had a damn cheek asking if she had missed him.
‘You did miss me, Lexi, though getting you to admit it is probably impossible. Sorry about before, but I had an urgent call and had to leave.’
‘Says you,’ she scorned, knowing full well where he had been.
‘At least I was only gone a couple of hours, Lexi darling.’ Jake gave her a derisive smile. ‘Unlike you, who vanished for years without a word.’
Lexi felt her temper flare, and getting to her feet she looked straight up into his hard face. ‘And I’m sure you missed me,’ she drawled scathingly, knowing very well that he had been desperate to get rid of her.
‘Yes. Yes, I did.’ His soft-voiced confession had Lexi’s eyes flashing wide open in disbelief.
‘Tell it to the marines,’ she snorted inelegantly, and would have walked past him, but Jake caught her arm.
‘That’s your answer to everything, Lexi. Run away. I had hoped you might have matured in the last few years but it seems I was wrong, you’re the same selfish child you always were.’ His fingers bit into the flesh of her bare arm and she flinched at the pain. ‘It doesn’t matter to you who gets hurt—not your husband, your friends, Meg and Tom.’ His upper lip curled in a cynical sneer. ‘Just as long as little Lexi has what she wants.’
He had some nerve calling her immature and selfish, but his mention of Meg did hit a nerve. ‘I wrote to Meg,’ she defended, ignoring the way her heart-beat accelerated as she stood next to Jake.
‘Once, posted in Bahrain; the poor woman thought the white slavers had captured you.’ One dark brow arched with sardonic amusement. ‘You might fetch a good price, at that.’