Rival Attractions & Innocent Secretary(34)

But it wasn't her place to question. It was her job to just book the vet  in for home visits, or make sure that the dog sitter knew when Luca was  suddenly called away.

'Look in the bathroom,' Luca called from the bedroom. 'There is probably  some perfume there that has been left behind-help yourself.'

It was like the beauty section in a chemist's shop-perfumes, lipsticks,  body lotions, all left behind by their previous owners-but it wasn't  them that caught her attention. In the mirror she could see Luca's  reflection-dressed in black hipster underwear, he was selecting an  evening shirt, and though she was getting used to Luca, she wasn't used  to seeing quite so much of him.

He was stunning.

He was so pompous and arrogant that for the most part Emma was able to  switch off from the fact he was, quite simply, the most beautiful man  she had ever seen-only now she was seeing him.                       
       
           



       

He had long muscular legs that even managed to look sexy in socks. As he  pulled on his shirt, she caught more than a glimpse of his chest, a  smattering of black hair that made Emma's toes curl in her already too  tight shoes. Dragging her eyes away, she selected some perfume and  squirted it on, but her eyes wandered back to the stunning view of him,  to those long lean legs as he sat on the bed and pulled on his trousers.

And then he caught her looking.

His eyes held hers in the mirror for an indecently long time, a ghost of  a smile spreading on his lips, and then she snapped her eyes away.

'Ready?' So flustered was Emma that his voice in the doorway made her  jump. 'If we want to stop at your father's, we'd better leave.'

He knew.

* * *

Cheeks burning, her back and thighs pressed into the leather seat of Luca's car, Emma knew that he knew.

That despite the banter, despite the rebuffs, despite her thoroughly  cool demeanour around him-Luca D'Amato knew that he moved her.

And suddenly, for the first time in six weeks, Emma felt vulnerable.





CHAPTER THREE


'SO WHERE does he live?'

Emma gave the driver the address and sat back in her seat, her tension  mounting as the car neared the leafy street, lined with huge impressive  homes.

'It's nice here … ' Luca glanced out of the window. 'So, is this where you grew up?'

He had no idea, must just assume that her father could afford a house in  this area, but instead of answering she just shook her head, tempted to  tell the driver to forget it and take them straight to the Hemmings'  dinner dance, except her father would be devastated if she rang and  cancelled again.

'After that red car on the left … ' Emma instructed the driver. 'Just here  will do.' Only he went past the red car and pulled up at the gates,  pressing the button in the intercom. Emma could feel her cheeks burning  as Luca took in the nursing home sign. 'Could you tell them Mr  Stephenson's daughter is here for a visit?'

'I'll wait in the car.' She could feel Luca's eyes on her as he spoke,  but couldn't look at him, just climbed out as the driver handed her the  small suitcase.

'I shouldn't be long.'

* * *

'Hi, Dad!'

The way his face lit up when she walked into his room only made her feel  worse. He looked forward so much to her visits, but lately they had  been becoming fewer and further between.

'You look like your mum … ' Frank beamed ' … when we used to go out  dancing.' And on and on he chatted as Emma put away his laundered  pyjamas and replaced his deodorant and talc and filled up his little  dish with money for a newspaper in the morning. And it seemed like a  nice visit because her father was chatty and for once there wasn't a  hint of malice about her mother, but it hurt more than she could  explain.

His face had never used to light up when Emma had walked in the  room-that had only started to happen in these past few months. Growing  up, he'd practically ignored her, or when he did talk to her, it was to  bad-mouth her mother, as if it had been her fault she'd died. So in all  it had been a pretty wretched excuse of a childhood and Emma knew she  had every reason to walk away, to leave it to the system to look after  him. Only now, since his stroke, it was as if her horrible childhood had  somehow been erased. For the first time they had a father-daughter  relationship, for the first time she was hearing little bits about her  mother, about her history, and despite it all, he was her dad-and even  if they'd left it rather late they did have a relationship and she could  never, like her brothers had, bring herself to just walk away from him.

'I'm sorry I haven't been in more recently.' She broke his favourite  chocolate she had brought him into pieces and put some on a plate in  front of him. 'Work's so busy … but I'll be in properly at the weekend.'

'You have to go?' Frank's eyes filled with tears. 'You've only just got here.'

'Dad, I have to work.'

She felt awful leaving him so soon-except she had no choice. Until the house sold, it was her work that was paying for the home.

She knew what the nurses must think of her as she clipped past the desk  in high heels, and she was so close to crying it hurt-she was tired, so  tired of juggling things, of scrambling to get everything half done. At  work she was calm and efficient, yet on the inside she was a festering  mess.

'Miss Stephenson.' As the cool night air hit her she gulped it in,  turning to see who was following her. Aware Luca must be watching, she  died inside as the supervisor waved an all too familiar manila envelope.  'We've been trying to contact you about the account.'                       
       
           



       

'I spoke with Accounts yesterday … ' Emma tried to keep her voice even,  tried to lower her shoulders and pretend, for Luca if he was watching,  that there was nothing wrong. 'I explained that I have a new job, that  I'm catching up on the outstanding balance-they're putting a new payment  plan in place.'

'I'm aware of that-it's here for you in writing.'

She took the envelope. 'Thank you.'

'Any default on this plan and I'm afraid … '

'There won't be.' Emma swallowed. 'You know Dad's house is on the market.'

'We have a long waiting list,' the supervisor answered. 'We're trying to help, Miss Stephenson, but we're not a charity.'

The car was full of music when she entered, and Luca was sending emails  on his phone. She breathed out a sigh of relief that he surely hadn't  noticed the uncomfortable exchange with the supervisor.

'How was he?' Luca checked.

'A bit teary,' Emma admitted. 'Still, I'll see him properly at the weekend.'

'Does he get other visitors … ?' His voice trailed off. Evelyn had told  him about her mother's death and, seeing Emma's tight lips, he changed  tack. 'It looks like a nice place,' Luca commented, glancing up at the  impressive building as the car crunched out of the driveway.  'Expensive?'

'A bit.' Emma shrugged. 'You do what you can.'

* * *

Unexpectedly, Emma found herself enjoying the Hemmings' dinner dance.

It wasn't an exceptionally lavish function they attended-that was the  type of thing that had got the company into a mess in the first  place-but it was a genuine, feel-good party and Luca was the man  everyone wanted to greet. His prowess had salvaged a sinking ship and in  the process had saved hundreds of jobs.

And Luca was a very nice date.

He turned off his phone the moment they arrived and he remembered to  introduce her to enough people so that when he was circulating she  didn't feel like a complete spare part. He even swapped his white  chocolate and nougat mousse with her when she got landed with the almond  torte, and when the dancing started he didn't ditch her just because  she was a work date, even though on many occasions he could have. In  fact, apart from one duty dance with the CEO's wife and a long  conversation with some potential investors, Luca for once appeared off  duty.

'Thank you … ' He held her loosely in his arms as they danced. 'I know you had other things to do tonight.'

'It's actually been nice.'

'It has,' Luca agreed. 'I was worried, I admit.'

'I'm sure you'd have found someone else to join you.'

'I meant, I was worried whether I could salvage them from bankruptcy,'  he explained, and he laughed at her blush. 'I do think about work  sometimes.'

'Sometimes!' Emma laughed. 'I don't know how you fit it all in.'

'I just do.' He stared down at her. 'And so do you.' He looked down at  her for a long moment. 'How long has he been there?' All evening he had  made no comment about her father, yet the question had hung between  them.

'Six months.'

'You are very young for him to be … '

'Dad was quite a bit older than Mum.'

'Oh.'

'He had a stroke at the beginning of the year … ' Her voice trailed off,  she didn't want to talk about it, she really, really didn't. Yes,  tonight was work, but in his arms, swaying to the music, when Luca  didn't push or press the point, really it was just a relief to be here,  to be away from it all, even for just a little while.