The Flaw in His Diamond(20)

'Where?' she asked him when they reached the helicopter.

'Get in and I'll tell you.'

'Roman?' she prompted while he was buckling her in.

'Close.' His lips curved in a smile as he settled the headphones on her head. 'We're going to Rome.'

She looked at him. 'Why not Rome?' He shrugged, stood back and closed her door.

'Explain,' she demanded through the headphones the instant they were in the air.

'I have an apartment in Rome.'

'Of course you do.' She sighed with resignation.

'It's a city apartment and I think you'll like it.'

'But all my clothes are at the palazzo.'

One rucksack and a heavy parka? 'So we'll buy some more.'

'Life is always so simple for you.' She didn't sound pleased. 'And no.  We will not buy some more clothes for me. What do you think I am?'

'A small shareholder in the mining company I've invested in. Just call it an advance on your next dividend.'

That silenced her-for around ten seconds. 'That sounds very confident.'

'I'm a very confident man, Signorina Skavanga.'

'I noticed,' she murmured beneath her breath.

* * *

This was amazing, Eva thought as Roman led her through the grand  entrance into a tiled courtyard of what had to be one of the most  magnificent buildings in Rome. To describe this as a city apartment  hardly did it justice. If there was one thing she had noticed about  billionaires-bearing in mind she only knew one-it was that they were  masters of understatement. And they certainly knew how to rack up the  miles. Distance meant nothing to them. Hotels were redundant. Roman  appeared to have a home in every worthwhile stopping off point in the  world.

And Rome was definitely worthwhile, Eva reflected, marvelling at the  grandiose surroundings as the cool of plaster walls and marble floors  soothed her heated senses. Roman had pointed out all the unbelievably  well preserved historical sites as they were driven from the airport to  the city. To see ancient buildings co-existing next to very modern  structures was astonishing. The modern city of Rome had been built  around artefacts that left history intact as a lasting reminder that  everyone carried a legacy from the past. The Coliseum was so much bigger  than she had imagined, and infinitely more menacing, while the Vatican  City with its stunning rococo architecture was breath-taking. Roman had  asked their driver to stop at the Trevi Fountain, where he had pointed  out the statue of Oceanus, god of all the waters, who gazed out sternly  from his horse-drawn shell chariot, which was guarded by conch shell  blowing tritons.

'It's magnificent...'

'You'll have to come back here one day,' Roman had teased her when they  got out of the car to take a closer look. She had stood gaping like the  country bumpkin she was. And then he had pressed a coin into her hand,  and when she had asked him what it was for he'd told her to toss it over  her shoulder into the water, and she would come back... She'd laughed,  but she did as he said. Hearing the coin splash into the water had made  her think about all the other wishes it was joining. Had any of them  come true? she had wondered.                       
       
           



       

'Eva?'

'Sorry.' She shook herself round, realising Roman was waiting for her to cross the shady courtyard and join him.

'The security is for the Italian president, not me,' he murmured  discreetly when she gazed at the security guards in their dark suits and  dark glasses. 'We share the same building,' he explained.

'Of course you do,' she said wryly. 'No. Seriously,' she added, teasing  him with what was fast becoming their catchphrase, 'I believe you.'  They both laughed.

'Would you like to go out for supper tonight?' Roman asked as he ushered her in through an ancient ornate door.

She clocked the butler in his dark, beautifully tailored dark suit, who  had appeared seemingly out of nowhere to open the door for them, and  who now faded into the background, as if he worked on astral orders  rather than spoken instruction.

'Eva?'

'Sorry.' She shook her head in an attempt to shake herself round from all the surprises. 'I was distracted.'

'I was just saying-or would you prefer to stay in?'

'Oh, go out,' she said quickly, and then blushed, realising how naive  she must sound to him, but she longed to see something of the city while  she was here. And also, after her last disaster in the bedroom, staying  in seemed by far the riskier choice.

'Let's say, we'll meet in an hour,' Roman said with easy charm,  glancing at his watch. 'If you need me you can reach me on the internal  phone. My number's one.'

'No. Seriously?'

She got the killer smile for that.

'At least it's easy to remember,' she said, tongue in cheek.

A housekeeper in a dark uniform took over from Roman to show Eva the  way to her fabulous suite of rooms. There were high ceilings, gracious  furnishings and beautiful mouldings on the pale silk-covered walls. All  the many fascinating architectural details had been renovated with  respect and skill. The quality of everything was unsurpassed. Even the  air seemed to hold a particular scent. Money, she thought, reverently  running her fingertips across a gilded console table. On the top of the  table was a single turquoise vase. White roses had been arranged in this  together with fragrant spikes of lavender. The scent was indescribably  lovely. She could scorn such extreme wealth all she liked, but Roman's  money would save Skavanga, just as it had allowed him to restore this  historic building. Perhaps she needed to rethink her beliefs a little.  She was beginning to wonder if some of her less worthy campaigns hadn't  been an escape from her insecurities, and a chance to expend some of her  frustrated sexual energy.

Having examined every inch of the sitting room overlooking one of  Rome's most impressive squares, and then her equally lavish bedroom,  bathroom and dressing room, she kicked off her shoes and threw herself  down on the vast bed. But there was no time to bask in these fabulous  surroundings. She must be ready to go out and explore Rome in less than  an hour. Explore Rome with Roman. That was as perfect as it got.

She took a bath in the gloriously restored bathroom, where the best  technology and efficient plumbing existed happily side by side with  stained-glass windows and marble pillars. She could have basked in warm  suds all night, but shot up hearing a knock on the door. It definitely  wasn't Roman. His rap was unmistakeable and this was a polite knock.

Wrapped in a robe with her hair in a towel, she opened the door. The  landing was deserted, and it was only when she turned back to the room  that she saw the gown rail packed with the most amazing clothes. This  was flanked by a line of carrier bags from possibly every exclusive  store in Rome. Closing the door, she went to investigate and found  handbags, underwear, shoes, shawls, and-

'Roman Quisvada, come here this minute,' she blasted down the phone.  'No, I won't take no for an answer. How did you guess I wasn't going to  accept your largesse? Don't you know me yet? You're sure I must like  something? If you want to take me to supper, you can take me as I come  or not at all.'

'Is that a promise?' he drawled.

'You-' She growled at the silent receiver in her hand. Roman was on his  way to 'help her pick out an outfit', apparently. That should go well!                       
       
           



       

* * *

A sense of anticipation gripped him as he approached Eva's suite of  rooms. It was useless telling himself this was wrong, and that she was a  baby and he was not. A fiery baby, maybe, but an innocent one, none the  less.

So why was he taking the stairs two at a time?

Because he wanted her and she wanted him. Why complicate things?

He knocked on the door. She swung it wide. 'Problem?' he said, walking in.

'This,' she said, gesturing at the gown rail. 'An advance on my  dividend? Do you know how small my personal investment in the mine is?  I'll never be able to pay you back for all this.'

'So don't keep all of them. Choose one.'

'Even one of these outfits would take me a decade of dividends to pay  off. And what's wrong with what I'm wearing?' she said, indicating her  jeans. 'Or are you ashamed to be seen with me?'

'Not at all. I don't even know what makes you think that. I just  thought it would be nice for you to have some clothes to choose from.'

And he was right. It was better than nice. Did she have to throw every  gesture back in his face? 'I just feel awkward,' she admitted. 'I'm not  used to all this fuss. It was very thoughtful of you, but it's too  much.'

'I'm just trying to save time. Stop ranting and start dressing is my advice, or we'll lose our table.'

'I hardly think that's likely.' Bearing in mind who had booked that table, but she was hungry, and-

'Look, Eva. If you're so worried about paying me back, why don't you come and work for me?'

The bombshell dropped out of the blue, and she had nothing to say to that. No speech prepared.