“Look at me, strega.” When she did, he added, “I’m sorry you had to hear that.” His blue eyes were contrite. “I had to say it to Eleni-”
“It’s the truth. Don’t apologize. We’re nothing to each other.”
To hell with trying to get to the wedding. She would find another way. Maybe camp out in the lobby until the family arrived. Or bribe the bellhop. She should have thought of that first rather than this ridiculous attempt at being mercenary.
She felt a thrill of satisfaction in seeing him wince.
“Eleni’s my ex-girlfriend. She still doesn’t like seeing me with other women.” Luca ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll explain later. After the meeting. I’ll take you to dinner.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“Ten minutes ago, on that couch, you thought it was a very good idea.”
“Not anymore.”
“We can be good together, Sabrina.”
“In bed,” she said starkly.
“Where it matters.”
She had nothing to prove to him or to anyone else. “I’ve changed my mind.”
“Are you afraid?” he asked maddeningly.
“Of you?” She injected disdain in her tone.
“Of this thing between us.” He frowned, sounding puzzled, as if he had just made an unpleasant discovery.
“There is nothing between us,” she said crisply.
Luca’s tone hardened. “If that’s the case, then there’s no problem continuing where we left off later. It will be just sex, then we'll say goodbye.”
“No, Luca." Sabrina pushed past him to the door. “We say goodbye now.”
“I’m not done with you yet, Sabrina Connelly,” he said, his voice ringing resolutely as she trudged down the length of the deserted corridor . She resisted the urge to look back, knowing he would still be by the door of the suite. She pressed on the button of the elevator several times, willing it to open. When it did, she stepped inside quickly, seeking sanctuary. She sagged against one of the cold, metal walls in relief. She hadn’t felt that raw and vulnerable in a long time. And she hated it that for a few moments, in his arms, she had forgotten it was all just about sex.
She’s no one. She stared back at her reflection in the mirror. Wild hair, swollen lips, a hint of blush on her cheeks. And her eyes. Luca had it right. She could see it in them now. She could see her fear.
He should have gone after Sabrina the way his gut dictated him to, but business had to come first.
Eleni was waiting at the conference room, her laptop open. She looked up when he strode in, spearing him with her unnervingly direct gaze. The Konstantinos had a familial condition called heterochromia iridum. It rendered one eye different in color from its pair. Eleni shared it with her billionaire cousins. Luca was used to it, but he understood how people who saw them the first time would find it a bit disconcerting, especially when you were being subjected to intense scrutiny, as was the habit of the entitled family members when it came to meeting other people not of their own social ilk.
Luca had admired Eleni even before they had started dating. She had been born rich but had not been content to live off on her family’s wealth. Eleni was focused and driven. She was a go-getter. They were things Luca admired in a woman.
Until Eleni made marriage to Luca one of her goals. Her determination and manner in achieving that goal was one aspect Luca found unacceptable.
“Please take a seat. Give me just a few seconds to find the folder.” She tapped on the keyboard briskly. “The advertising firm Markos chose has done a great job.”
Luca settled on the chair beside Eleni. “We’ve worked with Laurenti and Papillon in a couple of our ad campaigns for the Casa Argenti line. They’re a young firm but brilliant and promising.”
“I agree.” The video presentation of the relaunch for The Medeia Seirenada appeared on screen, and for a few minutes they watched in total silence. Capitalizing on the Greek influences on the island, the ad campaign panned around several spots and ruins in the principality juxtaposed against the refurbished interiors of the hotel. It ended with a shot of a stylized mythical creature that was half-woman, half-bird–a siren that was carved on the domed ceiling looming over the hotel lobby.
“What are you doing with her, Luca?” Eleni got to the point. Luca’s opinion about the marketing material was not needed at all. It was just a pretense to further her agenda.
“Judging from what you interrupted, I would guess it’s pretty obvious.”
There was the tiny flinch that Luca almost missed. He felt mean and petty, but what she said after wiped off any misgivings.