But she was in no position to complain, or insist. She was just his friend with benefits so far, not even a real girlfriend. She’d been hoping that Sergio would say something about that over the last two weeks. But he hadn’t, despite their many deep and meaningful conversations. Their sex life was also better than ever, and even more intimate. A starkly erotic image sprung to mind of her being bound to that four-poster bed yesterday. Naked, of course. In the afternoon, in the daylight, with everything exposed to those dark smouldering eyes of his, every part of her body accessible to his large knowing hands. But she’d felt no shame, only excitement and the most exquisite of tensions, followed by the most incredible releases. At one stage he’d left her there, alone, whilst he’d gone downstairs for a reviving swim, returning with his body all cold and dripping wet, straddling her straight away and presenting himself to her mouth for her to...
‘Tell you what, Bella,’ Jeremy said, interrupting her runaway train of thought.
‘What?’ she said, hoping she didn’t look as hot as she was suddenly feeling.
‘Don’t you ring him. Leave that up to me.’
‘But...but...’
‘Trust me when I say there isn’t a meeting alive which can’t be postponed, or shortened, or abandoned altogether. All you have to know is what to say.’
Bella winced inside. She tried to think of a logical reason why she should ring Sergio and not Jeremy, but nothing came to her scrambled mind. On top of that he was already getting his phone out of his pocket. In the end, she had no option but to sit back down and try not to look panic-stricken. Though why she should be panic-stricken, Bella had no idea. There was no real reason for her to worry. But worry wasn’t always logical. Sometimes, it was instinctive.
As she watched Jeremy fiddling with his phone— obviously bringing up Sergio’s number—a feeling of imminent doom swamped Bella. She could not imagine what would be said between the two friends that would burst her bubble of happiness, but she just knew that something would. All of a sudden she wished that she’d told Sergio over the weekend that she loved him. She almost had, several times, but had always changed her mind.
She hoped that it was not too late.
But Bella had an awful suspicion that it was...
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
THE MEETING WITH the designers for the new ranges of shoes and bags had just concluded when Sergio’s phone buzzed. He smiled when he glanced at the ID of the caller. Trust Jeremy to remember that it was his birthday. Alex hadn’t, but then Alex wasn’t into birthdays. Rather like Sergio himself. Jeremy, however, had used all sorts of reasons for them to get together over the years, especially after they left Oxford and went their own ways to a degree, birthdays having constituted the perfect excuse for a reunion . They never exchanged presents or cards, just had dinner somewhere swanky where the bill for the wine and meals could have fed a small country for a week. According to Alex, that was.
Well, there would be no expensive get-togethers this year, with Alex in Sydney and Sergio in Milan. Sad, really. But then Sergio remembered his plan to marry Bella before the year was out. His friends would surely come to his wedding.
Sergio refused to countenance the possibility that Bella might not say yes when he finally confessed his love and proposed. Failure, he’d resolved during the last two weeks, was not an option. He loved her too much for that. And felt sure she loved him in return. It was just a matter of waiting till enough time had passed for her to be confident of his love. He’d almost said something over the weekend but decided in the end it was still too soon.
He lifted the phone to his ear and said ‘Pronto,’ without thinking, his mind still on Bella.
‘Good God!’ Jeremy boomed. ‘Two weeks back in Italy and he’s gone native! If I knew how to say happy birthday in Italian I would. But I don’t. So happy birthday, dear friend. Have you heard from Alex yet?’
Sergio laughed. ‘Are you kidding me? Alex is hard pushed to remember his own birthday. So the answer to that is a resounding no.’
‘I dare say he’s down there in the great land of Oz, making more millions and giving most of it away.’
‘Probably.’ Alex had told them years ago that his goal to become a billionaire was so that he could make a difference to the migrant communities he’d grown up in in the far western suburbs of Sydney where unemployment was high and life pretty tough. He’d been able to get out and live a better life himself because of his near-genius intelligence, but he’d never forgotten his roots. As a philanthropist went, Alex was the real deal. ‘I’ve been expecting an email from him,’ Sergio said, ‘asking for a donation from our share of the franchise deal.’
‘Don’t worry. It’ll come.’
‘True. Now enough about Alex, what have you been up to? Bought an ailing advertising company yet?’
‘No. But I have bought an ailing publishing company.’
‘That’s very impulsive of you, considering you don’t know anything about publishing.’
‘I’m an impulsive kind of guy. Guess what I’m doing right now?’
‘Let’s see. Reading a manuscript, perhaps?’
‘Very funny. I’ll be leaving that up to the editors, especially the new gung-ho one I hired this week to put a bomb up the old ones. No, I’m sitting by a fabulous pool with the most beautiful blonde by my side.’
‘That’s hardly news, Jeremy. Isn’t that how you spend most of your summers?’ Up till now, besides giving him a hand with the financial side of the WOW franchise, Jeremy had worked as an investment consultant in the London branch of his family’s highly successful merchant bank. His consultancy, however, was mostly done by phone or email. He spent winters on the ski-fields of Europe and summers at the family’s country home down in Cornwall, with his latest blonde girlfriend by his side. Jeremy had a preference for blondes.
‘True,’ he said. ‘But I don’t always spend them on Lake Como.’
Shock—and something else—had Sergio snapping forward on the chair. If Jeremy meant what he thought he meant, then the beautiful blonde by his side was Bella.
Play it cool, Sergio, he warned himself before panic—and a surge of jealousy—took hold.
‘You sneaky devil,’ he said in what he hoped was a casual tone. ‘You tried to surprise me on my birthday, didn’t you?’
‘Guilty as charged. But I didn’t expect you to be absent without leave. I thought you were going to have some time off before you tried to rescue the family firm. Or so you said the day we sold the franchise.’
‘I was. Initially. But that was before I invited Bella to stay.’
‘Yes, she told me about that. And about her going to your father’s funeral. In disguise, no less.’
Sergio sucked in sharply. Clearly, Jeremy had wormed out quite a few details from Bella already. He was good at that. Hopefully, she hadn’t told him that they were sleeping together. Though if she hadn’t, then Maria undoubtedly would. Maybe not directly, but she’d drop enough hints for someone as intelligent as Jeremy to get the gist of things. Sergio didn’t mind Jeremy knowing they were having an intimate relationship, or even that he was in love with Bella. What worried him was his saying things to her before he had a chance to, things like his thirty-fifth birthday bringing an end to his bachelor status, not to mention his confessed intentions to marry and have a family. He probably wouldn’t—Jeremy was no blabbermouth—but Sergio couldn’t take the chance.
‘Yes, that’s right,’ he said. ‘She came to the funeral to apologise for the way her mother had treated my father. That’s how we came to be in touch again. And yes, you’re right, I didn’t tell you or Alex for reasons which will become obvious in due time. Anyway, Jeremy, enough about that for now. I have a favour to ask you. Don’t say anything, just listen. This is important.’
‘Okay...’
‘As soon as you can, I want you to say you’d like to go up to your room and freshen up. Then, when you’re safely alone in the bathroom, ring me again. There are some things I need to tell you. Now be careful what you say right now, since Bella’s listening. Just say something like get away as quickly as you can, Sergio. Then hang up and go upstairs. Okay? Fire away.’
‘You know what they say about all work and no play, Sergio. Still, I suppose we can manage without your company for another couple of hours, can’t we, Bella? Just get away as quickly as you can, okay? Ciao.’ And he hung up.
* * *
The relief which came with Jeremy’s hanging up almost overwhelmed Bella. Thank God she was sitting down.
‘That man needs to get himself a life,’ Jeremy muttered, then swallowed the rest of his coffee. ‘It’s just as well I flew over or he probably wouldn’t even celebrate his birthday.’
‘You could be right,’ Bella said. ‘I didn’t even know it was his birthday, till Maria told me this morning. But Sergio had already left for work.’
‘Then it’s up to us to see that he has a good time tonight. Meanwhile, I think I’ll go up to my room and freshen up. I might even have a little siesta. Hell, but it’s hot here today.’