The Devil to Pay (11 page)

“No!” Rianna blurted with embarrassment and the boutique’s manageress gave a her a look of utter disdain. “I’m not tired,” she replied firmly and made for the door.

“So,” Daniel grated out as they climbed into the waiting limousine. “After your little demonstration, do I take it you really would like to head to the proposed venue? Or was it for the benefit of the shop staff?”

“It wasn’t a
demonstration.
I was just wanted to go, and I’d had enough.”

“I see.”

His flat reply uncomfortably forced home the way she had just behaved. She hadn’t even said thank you. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, staring at the buckles on her toes. “You’ve been incredibly generous, but I’ve never been in a place like that before. And I’ve never really wanted to, either.”

“There’s nothing wrong with feeling out of place, Rianna,” he replied gently. “I just want to help you.”

She swallowed her pride. “I find
help
hard.”

“I know.” He shot her a look that reached a vulnerable part of her. “And I didn’t help matters by getting so carried away with your amazing new look. I apologise. It must have been embarrassing for you. It won’t happen again.”

It wouldn’t?

“Perhaps neither of us behaved our best back there,” she murmured. “Shall we pretend it didn’t happen?”

A muscle worked in his jaw. “Good idea. And the venue?”

“I am a little tired now.” She smiled weakly. “Can we do it tomorrow after all?”

Daniel nodded. “Tomorrow it is, then.”

****

He clamped his jaw tightly shut as the car pulled off, knowing the determined set of his mouth would effectively disguise the truth. And the truth was that he felt bad. He realised that subconsciously he’d been expecting her to fall gratefully into his arms for the smallest trinket or morsel of affection. Like all the others, the creatures who eventually left a taste so sour in his mouth they had to be discarded like cheap toys. The women who were just too easy. And greedy. And so transparent they made his stomach churn.

Rianna Peters was as sexy as Venus and he wanted her. There was no question, but she also had strength and dignity. He knew just how hard life could be in those mining terraces, he’d seen it firsthand, lived it, suffered the damp grey chill. And she survived, battling for her family, struggling on day after day

He shuddered inwardly and made a promise to himself. He’d give her the trip of a lifetime, and ensure she got a promotion at the quarry or, as it was probably going down the tubes, a position in one of his other enterprises. He’d certainly make sure she never had to stack shelves for a pittance again.

Chapter Eight

“We’re not far off now,” Daniel said as the car sped away from Portofino the next morning. “Gianpiero will drop us off and collect us later. I’m sure you’ll be delighted with what I have in store for you.”

The car had turned inland away from the coast road some ten minutes earlier and edged its way through a small village until it came to a halt in a shabby concrete square. Daniel held open Rianna’s door and looked from one side to another over his shoulder as a black cat shot from behind a scrubby hibiscus bush, hissing its way down the nearest alley.

“It gets better, believe me,” Daniel said with an ironic tilt of his dark head.

“I guess I’m just going to have to trust you,” Rianna replied with a small, nervous laugh. He had been the perfect host and gentleman since the shopping trip the day before and hadn’t laid a finger on her until a few moments ago when he’d helped her out of the car. Their hands had brushed and Rianna was angry with herself for allowing her heart to leap like a schoolgirl’s.

The building nearby looked like an abandoned railway terminal. Surely the board wouldn’t be seduced into accepting her proposal in this place? She was no snob, but it wasn’t exactly impressive, especially after the luxurious delights of Portofino and the coastal resorts they had passed through on their way. And hadn’t Daniel mentioned one of the directors had just been on a cruise? They were used to the best. Rianna looked anxiously around and watched the limousine disappear around a narrow corner. Now the place had an eerie feel to it.

“It’s usually a lot busier than this,” Daniel said as if reading her thoughts. “The
funivia
doesn’t usually run this afternoon, but I’ve managed to pull a few strings. I suggest a similar approach when we entertain the board.”

Funivia...
It rang a vague bell, but for the life of her, Rianna couldn’t recall what it meant.

“Let’s get started,” he announced. “Now where’s that old devil Alberto when you want him?”

“Oh no, Daniel,” Rianna whispered with horror as she turned to see a battered ticket office to her left. “If I’d known, I’d have said
no
.” Her heart slammed inside her chest with terror as they stood just a few feet from the rocky foot of Monte Allegra. Dominated by the dark grey ridge towering overhead, a small red and white cable car rocked in the breeze as it awaited them.

“Oh, you’ll be fine,” Daniel said glibly, as a portly, grey-haired man waved them over. “It only takes twenty minutes and the views, well, you’ll see!”

Rianna had no time to argue as the conductor gestured irritably for them to hurry. He frowned beneath his thick moustache as he issued them two pink return tickets, clipped a neat and semi-circular hole into each one and closed the cable car door. Clearly Daniel Bracchi was to be treated like anybody else except of course he’d not been asked for payment again. Maybe he owned this too, Rianna thought as her stomach twitched with apprehension.

A violent jolt preceded a grinding mechanical noise. The car scratched and squealed like a trapped animal as they began a rapid ascent. Rianna made straight for the centre of the car, which was supported by a metal pole. There were no seats, just standing room only and she gripped the pole with both hands, staring hard at the scattered ticket clippings at her feet.

Daniel pinched her sleeve and tugged insistently. “Come here, you’re missing the view.”

Her gaze quickly darted three hundred and sixty degrees around her. The rest of the mountain looked pretty close to her. He must have been exaggerating about the ride taking twenty minutes. She ground her teeth together and took two stiff steps to the edge of the car and could have sworn it swayed with the movement of her weight. She glanced anxiously at the operator, but his expression was blank as he lit a cigarette and fiddled with a crackling portable radio.

“Look.” His voice was excited. “Can you see the tops of the trees? Look how small the piazza is now.”

Rianna focussed on the immediate horizon, breathing slowly and deeply to stay calm. She could see the summit, just a few more minutes and then she’d be out of this deadly cage. Inch by inch the car swayed and trembled as its climb slowed. She could almost taste the relief coming. The soles of her feet itched to feel firm ground, and her leg muscles were tensing, ready to charge for the door as soon as they docked.

She turned to smile at Daniel with relief, but was met with an impassive expression. He smiled back at her and then jerked his neck sideways as the summit of the mountain suddenly disappeared. The cable car lurched into a massive chasm, where trees, rocks and all things terrestrial disappeared into an abyss beneath their feet. Rianna gaped with horror. There was nothing,
nothing
, except hundreds of metres of cool air and a wisp of cloud.

Her stomach clenched violently and wave of nausea forced her eyes shut as she fumbled once more for the pole at the centre of the car. “D-Daniel, this is awful. I can’t—”

“Hey! You’re shaking!” Daniel let out a nervous laugh as he grabbed her from behind and steadied her swaying frame against him. He quickly twisted her shoulders until her cheek was pressed in firmly against his sternum. “Everything is going to be fine. Hold on to me. I’ll make sure you’re OK.”

For a few minutes, Daniel stroked and soothed Rianna and she let out a low moan of relief as the cable car reached its upper station with a lurch and a clatter. The screech of machinery slowed to a hum as he gently peeled her off him. “Up in eighteen minutes. That’s got to be a record!” His smile faltered. “ You’re crying... If I’d known—”

“I did try to warn you,” she snapped. “But as usual, you were too busy doing what
you
wanted to even begin listening to anyone else.” She elbowed her way past him and stepped out of the cable car onto a path of dry rocky scree. “It would serve you right if I was violently sick all over your nice designer shoes after subjecting me to that.”

“I’m already quite damp from all those tears.” Daniel regarded his tan leather loafers thoughtfully and kicked away a large stone. “And it wouldn’t be the first time you’d ruined a pair of my favourite shoes.” He broke into a crooked smile. “But please forgive me. I should have let you speak before I dragged you up here. It’s a really bad habit of mine apparently, not listening, but usually only happens when I get a bit carried away with things. It used to drive my father mad.”

Rianna was gradually beginning to feel calmer as she inhaled the sweet mountain air and for a second, she seemed to be looking at a much younger more light-hearted man than the Daniel Bracchi she was accustomed to. It would have been difficult to imagine him having a remorseful bone in his body a few hours ago, but if she was correct, he’d actually apologised to her twice now and on each occasion a surge of warmth had flashed through her heart. It was a pathetic reaction. If she wasn’t careful, she might start convincing herself he genuinely liked her in some way other than sexually. But there had also been a flicker of wistfulness in his expression when he mentioned his father, and this combination of surprising factors took the angry wind out of Rianna’s sails.

She stared back toward the forbidding ridge from where they had just come. The cable car was making its return trip and the thick twisted metallic cables vibrated as if they had a life of their own, plunging sharply over the edge like serpents.

“I do hope there’s a well-stocked bar up here,” Rianna muttered. “Because the only way you’re getting me back on that thing is if I’m unconscious.”

“And have a double dose of sick all over me?” Daniel shot back with a lopsided grin. “I don’t think so!”

He took Rianna’s chilly hand and threaded his strong fingers though hers. The brush of his skin set off a chain reaction inside her, fanning the small flame of desire into a much bolder and distinctly unladylike flash fire of lust.

“You’re still shaking,” Daniel noted with concern. “Want to sit down?”

“No, no I’ll be just fine,” Rianna replied, knowing that sitting on the grass with Daniel at her side could so easily turn into
lying
on the grass, which would make the situation into something entirely different. Could it be just the cable car shock hiking up her blood pressure? She certainly felt light-headed, and in spite of the nausea, she still felt an overriding need for Daniel to kiss her again.

She’d panicked in the cable car, and being pressed against Daniel’s hard, strong chest was the only thing to distract her from the terror she experienced. The slow thud of his heart indicated his total calm. He had the situation under control.

Having his arms wrapped around her so nothing seemed to be moving was incredibly comforting, and she had melted into him, happy to remain there for as long as she could. Which, she reminded herself sharply, would be a very short time indeed—a week at the most—and probably less if she gave in and tumbled into his bed. He’d tire of her pretty quickly once the thrill of the chase was over, and then the next dusky supermodel would totter down the catwalk into his life.

There was no point in getting used to this lifestyle or getting too comfortable beside Daniel Bracchi. He’d made his position quite clear at dinner in Titherly Hall. He saw and desired no future connected to Wales, her home. He despised everything about the place apart from his dear old, chain-smoking
nonna
, of course. And he had also made it blindingly obvious that Rianna was completely out of place in Portofino, hence the emergency couture expedition—anything to disguise her shabbiness—and mask his embarrassment. She must try to put Daniel Bracchi to the back of her mind.

Rianna let her fingers slip away from his and painted on a bright lie of a smile. “Thanks for the help back there.” She closed her eyes, put her hands on her hips and took an exaggerated lungful of air. “But I’m over it. I can manage on my own now.”

****

“Am I forgiven now you’re up here?” Daniel’s voice echoed as Rianna tramped behind him along a rocky path through the profusion of tree roots.

She paused and raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sun. “I know I was a complete drip on the cable car, but you’re so right. I’ll never see a view like this again.”

The coastline was an arc of cobalt sea, fringed by tiny multicoloured clutches of civilisation along the way. The sunshine-warm air caressed Rianna’s cheeks, and she marvelled at the flora flourishing in the woods at the summit. Skinny green lizards skittered from rock to rock, tumbling over the wild thyme and carpet of blue and white anemones at their feet.

Daniel flipped down the designer sunglasses lodged jauntily in the black skeins of his hair. “This is the best place to see Rapallo and there, over to the right, Portofino.
Magnifico, si
?”

“I am totally impressed,” Rianna replied with a small laugh. “So I guess I’m just going to have to forgive you this once.”

“Come on,” he beckoned. “We’re on a mission.”

As they descended, the path levelled out and became twisty as rocky walls emerged from the ground, insects buzzed and the air grew even warmer. A few minutes’ walk led them to a clearing where the forest opened up on the other side of the mountain. Basking in the sunshine was a two-story building made of golden pine and whitewashed stone. Its pitched roof was covered with uneven terracotta tiles, but the eye was drawn instantly to the outdoor terrace and pergola.