Alessandro's Prize Read online

  ‘Let me take care of it,’ Alessandro said as he moved to her side, and her eyes flared a little as he expertly dispensed with the cork before pouring a portion of wine into each of the four goblets.

  With ease he passed them around, then lifted his goblet and offered a toast. ‘Lily. A new and happy life.’

  Five minutes, maybe ten, and she’d retreat into the kitchen, set the pasta to cook, transfer the chicken into a serving dish, arrange the vegetables, then as soon as the pasta was ready she’d serve the starter.

  There seemed no valid reason for the onset of nerves. She didn’t do nerves when it came to food. So why the feeling she was treading on eggshells? It didn’t make sense.

  Although, nothing made sense when she happened to be in Alessandro’s presence. The air seemed to shimmer with sensual electricity, so much so it almost became a palpable entity.

  Was it just her fanciful imagination…or did he sense it, too?

  For heaven’s sake, she silently chastised. Get with the programme. Go do what you do best, put the final touches to the starter, retrieve herb bread from the oven, and put food on the table.

  ‘If you’ll excuse me?’

  ‘Would you like some help?’ Sophia queried.

  ‘I’m fine, thanks.’

  It only took a matter of minutes to drain the linguini, set it on plates and add the delicate funghi sauce. The main course rested in warming dishes, ready to transfer to the table.

  Lily took a spot check, set the herb bread into a napkin-lined basket, then she called her guests to be seated.

  The linguini was declared perfecto, the chicken ambrosia, and the fruit torte followed by mango sorbet excellente.

  It was, even in Lily’s critical opinion, a satisfactory dinner. Even if she’d been dogged by more nerves than she could remember. A fact she laid solidly at Alessandro’s feet.

  ‘Miei complimenti,’ Carlo added quietly.

  ‘Grazie,’ she accepted with a warm smile, and almost froze as Alessandro brushed light fingers to her cheek.

  ‘Superb, Lily.’

  Her eyes dilated, and for a moment she lost the power of speech. ‘Thank you,’ she managed at last. ‘Would you like to move into the lounge while I clear the table? Then we can relax in comfort.’

  ‘It’s pleasant to sit around the table for a while, don’t you think?’ Sophia said wistfully. ‘It reminds me of my family, when we caught up with each other, laughed a little and talked a lot.’

  ‘The table it is,’ Lily agreed gently. For, like her aunt, she associated food with family camaraderie, for it had been the one time of the day when they were all together…the closeness mattered, and the love.

  Any further wine was declined as both men had to drive, and coffee was delayed as they sat informally at the table and exchanged anecdotes.

  ‘Do you remember, Lily,’ Sophia began, ‘when you visited with your parents? You were, I think, fourteen, or was it fifteen years old?’

  Lily chuckled. ‘Please don’t. I had braces, wore my hair in a tail, I lived in jeans and bewailed the fact I would never be tall.’

  ‘I recall your mother endeavouring to persuade you to wear a dress.’

  ‘While I thought jeans made my legs seem longer, and therefore added the illusion of height.’

  ‘A cute teenager,’ Alessandro drawled, sparing her a gleaming look.

  Cute? That was what he remembered? Better that, than the way she’d secretly fantasized, no, tell it how it was…drooled over the tall handsome young man with a wicked past, whose image invaded her dreams far too often.

  Except that was more than ten years ago, and there had been a lot of changes in her life, some good, as she recalled time with her parents, her travels, success as a chef. And more recently, the not so good.

  Lily turned towards Alessandro. ‘And what of your teenage years, Alessandro?’

  His eyes held her own, dark obsidian and bearing an edge of mockery. ‘I’m sure you’ve heard how Giuseppe and Sophia took me into their home, their lives, and shaped me into the man I’ve become.’

  ‘Yes,’ she said quietly. ‘I have. But very little of your life before then.’

  ‘It’s something I share with very few people.’

  ‘That bad?’

  Living hand to mouth, with no home to go to; learning to fight dirty in order to survive on the streets; being one step ahead of the polizia, constantly watching his back.

  ‘Sì.’

  He bore the scars from the slashes he’d taken from knives; tattoos now removed by laser, and the few he’d kept as a reminder of a life he’d left long behind him.

  ‘I’ll make coffee,’ Lily ventured. ‘It’s becoming late, and Carlo and Sophia need to return to Como.’

  It was a simple matter to grind the coffee beans and set up the coffee machine. She set out the requisite crockery on a tray while she waited for the machine to percolate. Then when it was done, she added the sugar bowl and took it to the table.

  Soon Sophia, Carlo and Alessandro would leave, then she’d clean up and retire for the night.

  Except it didn’t play out that way.

  Alessandro stood at her side as Sophia bade them both an affectionate buona notte and preceded Carlo from the apartment.

  ‘I thought you might be leaving, too,’ Lily said as he closed the door and turned to face her.

  ‘When I’ve helped you clean up.’ He removed his jacket, deftly rolled back his shirtsleeves and moved towards the kitchen.

  ‘It’s not necessary.’ Her protest went unheeded, and she had little option but to follow him. ‘You don’t have to do this.’

  Be honest, she didn’t want him there, invading her space, dominating the room. Worse, she definitely didn’t want to feel on edge and so acutely aware of him.

  ‘I’ll rinse, you stack the dishwasher,’ Alessandro said calmly, and proceeded to do just that.

  ‘This happens to be my kitchen…’

  ‘And you’d prefer I wasn’t in it,’ he said calmly, shooting her a perceptive look. ‘Let me know when you’ve worked out the reason why.’

  With deliberate calm she took the rinsed goblets, the plates and cutlery and stacked them carefully. Clattering them noisily would only give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d ruffled her feathers.

  When he was done he dried his hands and turned towards her, and she became trapped by the darkness in his eyes, the hint of something she didn’t want to explore as he lifted a hand and trailed light fingers down her cheek.

  Her eyes flared momentarily before she attempted to mask them, and his own darkened as he cupped her face and touched his mouth to her own, tracing the seam of her lips with the tip of his tongue.

  He felt her stiffen, but didn’t stop, teasing gently as he sought her response, which she fought against giving, until her body betrayed her and she succumbed with a despairing groan.

  It was a kiss like no other she’d experienced, and she recalled beating a helpless fist against his shoulder as he deepened the kiss into something more before gently releasing her, his hands holding her steady as she stood locked into immobility, wide-eyed with a mixture of shock, dismay and wonder, that she’d allowed him so close.

  ‘I think you should leave,’ Lily managed shakily, her eyes darkening as he brushed gentle fingers over the swollen curve of her lower lip.

  ‘If that’s what you want.’

  Want? She daredn’t even consider what she wanted, because if she listened to the heat of desire, she’d lead him into the bedroom, tear off his clothes, her own, and indulge in wild wanton sex.

  Except treading that path would only lead to disaster.

  He watched as she reassembled her resolve…the way she swallowed a sudden lump in her throat; the telltale pulse slow its rapid beat; the tinge of pink colouring her cheeks.

  ‘Yes.’

  He used his thumbs to soothe the curve of her shoulders, then slowly slid his hands down her arms before releasing her.

  ‘Your
call.’

  His very presence was a threat to her peace of mind, and she crossed her arms over her midriff in a gesture of self-protection. ‘I’d prefer not to see you again.’

  No sooner were the words out of her mouth before she realized the futility of them. Alessandro del Marco was as much Sophia’s son as if he bore the dalla Silvestri name.

  He looked at her in silence for what seemed an age, and she had to consciously force herself to meet and hold his gaze.

  ‘Afraid, Lily?’

  ‘Of you? No.’ Myself, she owned silently, and for a moment she thought she caught a glimpse of humour in his dark gaze as he ventured softly,

  ‘You’re sure about that?’

  She didn’t answer, couldn’t for a few heart-stopping seconds. ‘Yes.’

  ‘And you’d prefer me to leave.’

  ‘Please.’

  He reached for his jacket and shrugged it on as she crossed the lounge to the front door. ‘Grazie, Lily. For a pleasant evening.’

  He made no attempt to touch her, and she tamped down the contrary urge to feel his lips brush her own.

  Which was crazy.

  ‘You’re welcome.’ The polite words were an automatic acknowledgment as she opened the door and stood aside for him to pass.

  Then he was gone, and she locked up the apartment, doused the lights and went to bed.

  CHAPTER NINE

  CRISTO’S absence during the lunch shift meant Lily and Giovanni were required to share the work of three, and, although the kitchen staff co-ordinated as a team, there was the added pressure of ensuring there were minimum delays in plating up and serving orders.

  Hectic didn’t cover it, and together they breathed a sigh of relief as the lunch shift drew towards an end.

  ‘We made it,’ Lily declared as she shared a high-five gesture with Giovanni. ‘Amy did well.’

  ‘Sì,’ he agreed. ‘Go take a break for an hour.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  Some fresh air and a change of scene would be good, and she removed her apron, head cap, then she collected her shoulder bag and exited the restaurant.

  Yoghurt, fruit and a salad roll, juice, and she collected a daily newspaper as she headed towards a small café where she made her purchases, selected a table, and settled in to skim through the daily news.

  She flipped the top of her juice and took an appreciate sip, then unwrapped the salad roll.

  ‘Lily. Mind if I share?’

  James? What was he doing here? ‘I have nothing to say to you.’ Civil, she could do civil, in spite of an initial reaction to pick up her food and leave.

  He slid into a chair opposite and attempted to take hold of her hand, only to sigh as she instantly removed it out of his reach.

  ‘Can’t we at least try to resolve our break-up?’

  She met his gaze squarely. ‘It is resolved. As in finito, finished, over. With not a hope in hell of reconciliation.’

  He leant forward in an earnest attempt to redeem himself. ‘We shared a great life in Sydney. Surely you can accept I’ve—’

  ‘Realized the error of your ways, James?’

  ‘Yes. I swear.’

  ‘No.’

  His expression hardened. ‘That’s your final word?’

  ‘Yes. Absolutely. Beyond doubt,’ Lily added with emphasis, in the hope he would finally get it.

  He sat back in his chair. ‘Then you leave me no choice.’

  She measured him carefully. ‘The only sensible choice you could make is to return to Australia.’

  ‘You’re going to pay, big time,’ he vowed with ill-disguised vengeance. ‘I’ve prepared a comprehensive list, waiting to be emailed to my lawyer to file suit to sue.’

  ‘Which no lawyer will touch, given you lived in my home, for which you failed to contribute so much as a cent.’

  ‘There’s breach of promise, loss of future benefits, expenses incurred, to name a few. I’m entitled to half your income for the time we were together, the loss of a home in which I expected to reside as your husband. Not to mention a comparable sum to compensate for my grief and heartache resulting in my inability to continue working.’

  He really imagined he would succeed? When she had proof to negate any claim he made?

  ‘A cool two million should do it.’

  He was out of his mind.

  Don’t lose it, she bade silently. Anger on her part would only feed the fire.

  Lily looked at James, the man she had once thought she loved and planned to marry, and wondered how she could have made such an error in judgment—been so wrong.

  All along James had wanted her for what she had. A person with whom he could share a cruisy life, and enjoy sexual satiation outside the sanctity of his marriage.

  What she’d thought was affection and love was merely an image she’d conjured that had little basis in reality. He’d played a part she’d believed to be genuine…and it hadn’t been. Their marriage, if she’d gone ahead with it, wouldn’t have lasted long. His indiscretions would eventually have come to light, and she’d have filed for divorce.

  With enforced calm she stood, collected her shoulder bag, and fastened his truculent gaze with her own. ‘Good luck with that. Be aware I’ll counter sue,’ she added with deadly resolve.

  If there was going to be a legal battle, then she’d need to be prepared. An email to her lawyer outlining James’s threatened intention would clarify legal right under Australian law.

  The dinner shift was even more hectic, if that were possible, than lunch had been, and there was a sense of relief to finish up at evening’s end and drive home.

  The apartment was silent, and she reset the security system, tossed her keys onto the table, followed them with her shoulder bag, and headed for the shower.

  It was late, it had been a long day, and bed had rarely seemed more welcome. Yet she took her time, letting the hot water ease tired muscles before drying off and donning sleepwear.

  Then she retrieved her laptop, logged on, checked emails, composed one to her lawyer, and pressed ‘Send’. With the differing time zones, he’d receive it during Sydney business hours and she’d have a response within twenty-four hours.

  Surprisingly she slept well, and woke feeling refreshed. Perhaps it was because it was her day off, the knowledge James, now he’d shown his hand, would leave Milan, especially her, and life would return to normal.

  A spur-of-the-moment decision to do some exploring on her own added enthusiasm to the day, and with the aid of a map she sorted out a picturesque route, ate a hasty breakfast, then she caught up her keys and took the lift down to the lobby.

  It was cool…OK, cold, although the sky looked clear as she slid in behind the wheel of her car and began heading south west.

  There was a yen to wander the Piazza della Vetra linking San Lorenzo to Sant’Eustorgio. She recalled her mother relaying historic events linked to the area, the beautiful churches, and she had the day, the time, and there was a sense of freedom in having no set plan, other than to return to her apartment by sunset.

  Music emitted from a disc she slotted into the player, upbeat and mood-elevating, and she smiled, really smiled for the first time in a while.

  There was a small trattoria where she pulled over and ordered lunch, lingered over a latte, then just as she was about to leave the insistent peal of her cell-phone caught her attention.

  Alessandro appeared on caller ID, and she picked up. ‘Hi.’

  She sounded happy, and he leaned back in his chair as he idly viewed the city skyscape. The terracotta roof tiles of aged buildings, the church domes, spires, and the gathering of clouds looming low.

  He liked the sound of her voice, the light Australian intonation and lilt apparent. Yet she spoke Italian like a native.

  ‘I have tickets for tonight’s performance at the Teatro alla Scala.’ He named a time. ‘I’ll collect you.’

  ‘I haven’t said I’ll accept the invitation.’

  ‘Are you going to refuse?
’

  La Scala? Are you joking? ‘La Scala is very appealing.’

  ‘Consequently you’ll suffer my company in order to enjoy opera,’ he drawled with a hint of humour, and heard her soft laughter.

  ‘Yes. But it’ll be a stretch.’

  ‘Such a gracious acceptance, Liliana.’

  ‘What would you have me say?’ It was easy to tease, easy to assume a slightly breathless tone. ‘Caro mio, grazie. I can’t wait to see you?’

  ‘That’s an improvement.’

  ‘Enjoy it while you can. Ciao.’

  La Scala, she mused as she paid for her meal. Dress-up time. Thanks to her shopping expeditions with Sophia, she possessed a choice of suitable gowns to wear.

  She adored opera, and bit back an oath that she hadn’t thought to ask which performance was scheduled.

  Did it matter? Not in the least, and as she set the car in motion she punched up the volume a fraction, and sang in tune with the vocalist as the final track played out.

  The day’s light was beginning to dim as she reached her apartment, and she made straight for the shower, shampooed and dried her hair, she donned a robe, checked the time, then padded out to the kitchen to cut up some fresh fruit to eat.

  Alessandro hadn’t mentioned dinner, which indicated they’d probably go on somewhere afterwards. Sophistication worked for any occasion, and Lily tended to her make-up, using a light touch with emphasis on her eyes and a red lip gloss. The gown in brilliant red complemented her fine textured skin, and she chose to leave her hair loose in a cascade of natural waves that fell just beneath her shoulders. A heart-shaped diamond pendant and matching ear-studs, together with a slim diamond bracelet completed her jewellery, and with minutes to spare she slid her feet into black killer heels, caught up a matching evening purse, keys, a slender wallet containing sufficient euros should she need them, and collected a black coat as the in-house phone rang.

  She picked up, saw Alessandro’s features, and said, ‘On my way down.’

  Attired in a black evening suit, white shirt and black bow tie, he projected an enviable aura of power. Strong masculine sculpted features with faint grooves slashing his cheeks, dark almost black eyes, a sensuously shaped mouth…dynamite.