The Claim (21 page)

“Nice manicure,” Mimi said in such a glib manner, Anna was instantly on the Colombo.

“You know something!”

Mimi finished her apple juice. “Think I can still operate if I ask for a shot of sambucca?”

“Amelia Johnson!”

“If you pay, will that make you feel better?” Mimi drawled.

“Possibly.”

“Then go forth and Visa it. Which means I will have a dessert or two.”

“Go ahead.” She could really do with a Nonna cake. Without wanting to think too hard about what secret ingredients were in the sponge or the cream, they always made her feel better. Nonna had the right connections to put a whole bunch of soothing narcotics in the cakes.

“You look like you need a hit of something.” Mimi laughed.

“I think Nonna puts something in her cakes. I’m really craving one.”

Mimi rubbed her forehead. “You’re really making me wish for drugs now.”

Anna found herself unceremoniously returned to her office after trying to convince Mimi to take her south to get at least a grape and pistachio gateaux. Mimi said “no” in a manner that made Anna feel like a sex offender.

She wandered back into her office and came to a grinding halt at the sight of the huge box on the desk. “Bernie!” she yelped. Her secretary jumped. “Who the hell brought that?”

“I don’t know, I went to get a wrap and a can of Coke!” Bernie nudged her. “Open it.”

“What if it’s a bomb?”

Bernie looked over Anna’s shoulder and they both screamed when the box moved. “Bombs don’t move.”

Urged by Bernie, Anna approached her desk. Circling it, she sat down and pulled the box onto her lap. Box, bowed, holes in the top. Whimpers coming from inside. In a rush she opened it, and a small, fluffy white thing launched at her.

“It’s a puppy!” Bernie cried. “Ohmigod, it’s so cute! Can I hold it?”

Rocco had bought her a puppy. She’d never been allowed a pet growing up, and she’d told him that in passing years ago, and he’d remembered. With its wild coat, the dog did have an uncanny resemblance to her. It touched its nose to her own, scrambling up her chest to lick her face, and she gave a tearful laugh. “Hi, beautiful!” she murmured. “How dare Daddy put you in a box? Oh Jesus, I called Rocco Daddy.” Anna let go of the dog, and he would have slid off her lap onto the floor if she hadn’t caught him.

The puppy huffed, arched its neck to look at her, and then settled in her arms. “Okay, baby, we are getting you insured, ordering you some designer shiz, and definitely getting you regular beauty treatments. I can tell, there’s African woman in you, you want to look after your hair.”

“I like it, maternal instincts there,” Rocco teased. He was leaning in the doorway, hands inside the pockets of a suit that swords could be sharpened on.

“Why are you buying me gifts?” Anna threw at him instantly, covering the puppy’s ears. “What did you do?”

Rocco laughed. “
Tempesta
, I haven’t done anything.”

“I don’t believe you. You’ve been all sneaky about something.”

“Have a look at Chase’s collar.”

“You named
my
puppy?” she said, her voice dangerously low. Rocco stepped inside her office and closed the door.

“I had to, the breeder wouldn’t sell him to me unless I gave him a name. It was the first one that came to mind.”

Anna didn’t quite take her eyes off him as she felt for the puppy’s collar. “Okay, beautiful, what’s wrong with your collar.” Her voice died in her throat when her fingers touched circular metal.

“The dog’s an Italian Bolognese. The jeweller is British. The diamonds are African. Ethically sourced. If you wear it, just don’t hit anyone with it, you’ll take a good chunk of skin and bone with it.”

He wasn’t joking. The canary yellow diamond was pretty big. If that didn’t hurt, then the smaller white diamonds surrounding it would definitely leave their mark. Why was she thinking of it as a weapon? Her hands started to shake. Chase gave a yelping bark and licked her knuckle as if trying to comfort her.    

“Let me help,” Rocco said softly, kneeling by her chair to untie the ring from the puppy. He was on his knees before her. And it had nothing to do with sex. The ring slid from the ribbon, the same shade of red as her nails. He held it up between his forefinger and thumb.

“This is for surviving six years without each other, God only knows how. It’s for getting over lies and mistrust. It’s my apology to you for everything that went wrong, my promise that you will never need to doubt me or my love for you. May I?” He reached around the puppy and fit the ring to her finger. The yellow set off her skin perfectly.

“Oh Rocky,” she whispered. “This ring is awesome, but the puppy is so much cooler.”

He grinned and leaned up to touch his mouth to her eyebrow. “Are you going to marry me?”

“Course I am!” She carefully put the puppy on her desk and then wrapped her arms around Rocco’s neck, tightly. It took every little bit of control to not start bawling. “I’m a mess,” she grumbled, wiping a hand under her eyes. “I’ve got an appointment in ten minutes!”

Rocco leaned back to kiss her tears away. “I’ll look after Chase.”

What? Puppy and man out of sight? “No, he’ll be good if he stays! You stay too,” she offered. “You’re very good.”

“Right. Well. Thank you, but I’m not sure your new client would be impressed.”

The puppy went skidding on her notepad before he landed on his furry little bottom and sneezed. Rocco glanced between her and the puppy. “If there was a fire at home, you’d save the puppy first, wouldn’t you?”

“You’re fine,” Anna said distractedly, kissing him.

“I’m thinking I should have saved the puppy for... Annie, are you listening?”

“Hmm?” She looked up from where her beautiful little pet was munching on the corner of her desk. “I like you.”

“Like?” he echoed in disbelief. “I just asked you to marry me, and you
like
me?”

“Yes. And I
love
my puppy.”

Rocco slowly got to his feet. “Yeah, my mum’s not going to be impressed.”

“About what?” Anna demanded, stroking Chase’s spine. “Your heart’s not broken any more, we’ve got a grandbaby here, so what would she be unimpressed about?”

Rocco shook his head. “I really should have talked the dog thing through with your dad properly.”

Anna stood up as well. “That’s what you two were whispering about in the corner?”

“I have no desire to die at your father’s hands, and he made it pretty clear that I would if you didn’t have a ring on your finger by the end of the month.”

“My dad’s a pacifist as well, so I’m glad you saw sense.”

Rocco gently touched his hand to her jaw so she could look at him. “Even if he’d told me he’d kill me if I didn’t stay away, I’d have asked you anyway. Death or no death.”

She cleared her throat, trying to dislodge the lump of tears. “You’re starting to catch up with the puppy.”

Rocco leaned around her and caught Chase with one hand, just as he was about to take a flying leap from the edge of the table. “Good to know.”

She sighed. “I would say give us five minutes, but I can’t have a f-u-c-k in front of the p-u-p-p-y.”

Rocco made a sound of utter exasperation. “I’m confiscating the puppy.”

“You can’t do that!”

“I will until you regain your normal sense of rationality.”

“You shouldn’t have bought him for me then.”

The phone rang once for the intercom. “Anna, your client’s here!”

Anna, with Chase clutched to her chest, marched to the door and opened it. “Out you go. We can philosophise on rationality another day.”

“Woman, you have a puppy on your chest like you’re about to start breast feeding.”

Anna opened her mouth to say something particularly cutting but was interrupted. “I’m interrupting a marital argument already?”

Blouse and skirt
,
it’s Rocco’s mum
. “Mrs. Mamione. Hi.”

The older woman gave a hesitant smile. “Is everything all right? Did you say yes?”

“I did, but now he’s being mean about my puppy.” Anna appealed instantly to his mother’s softer side. She didn’t know if the woman had one at all, but using the puppy’s paw to wave at Carmen Mamione worked immediately.

“Rocco, why are you being mean to your fiancée?”

Rocco sighed deeply, while Anna gave a rather evil laugh of satisfaction. “I’m not! I’m being ganged up on now.”

“Well come along, and we’ll talk it out. Sensibly. Anna, get your bag please.”

With Chase tucked under her arm, she turned to pick up her bag. Rocco was at her side to whisper in her ear, “Enjoy it for now,
Tempesta
. We’ll see who’s being mean when you’re in my bed later.”

She grinned. “Game on, Mamione. I’ve got your weak spots.”

He curled an arm around her waist to lead her out of the office. “You don’t count.”

“We’ll see.”

Epilogue

Michelle Taylor wasn’t a woman who was convinced by a nice face and a charming smile. It made sense that she wasn’t at all convinced by her daughter’s future husband. She’d done her utmost to raise her children to respect themselves first and demand the same from anyone who dared cross their paths. Anna was her pride and joy. Mothers weren’t supposed to even think that, let alone say it out loud, but Michelle did and it was all true. Anna had Michelle’s brains, her father’s wit and her grandmother’s fine legs. All she’d ever hoped for her daughter was a man to match all that Anna was capable of and more. Rocco Mamione was that on paper and in the flesh. But he had damaged her child once. Taken the shine from her eyes for too long, and in Michelle’s experience, it only meant a repeat performance was on the way.

When her husband told her that Rocco had asked his permission to marry Anna, Michelle frostily said, “I hope you said no.”

“I’m not going to be responsible for taking that doe-eyed look from my daughter’s face. Besides, he knows I’ll happily kill him if he makes my little girl cry.” Unhelpfully, a smile lifted Michelle’s features. She always got slightly overexcited when her husband became defensive about their children. Her husband turned serious. “Give him a chance, Shellie. Anna’s big enough to deal with him with her eyes closed and her hands tied behind her back.”

Easier said than done. With everyone, absolutely everyone and their pet parrot telling her how happy Anna was and how much they were looking forward to the wedding, all Michelle could do was put a gloss on it. Smile and acknowledge that her daughter had made a decision and she was old enough to learn from her own mistakes without her mother running in and screaming,
Don’t do it!
So she was polite when she needed to be, helpful if there was no other option, and didn’t comment on the fact that her daughter’s wedding dress was far too low cut. To make matters worse, that terrible boy pulled the charm thing on her.

He started with shy smiles and “hello Mrs. Taylor’s,” which always worked on her. Who knew she loved being called Mrs. Taylor? It ticked her ring finger every time without fail and made her grin. Damn the boy. So he was in his early thirties—he was still a boy to her.

At Rocco and Anna’s engagement party, he sat next to her and passed her a huge slice of his grandmother’s cake. As utterly insane as that old woman was, she made a damn good sponge. “It’s apricot and almond.”

Michelle had a weakness for any cake with nuts in it. Dammit. “Can I ask your advice?” Rocco asked gently. Michelle choked on her cake. Her children
never
asked for advice. Goddammit, that was a mother’s ultimate weakness. Nosing. “Hmph,” Michelle replied.

Rocco took it as a yes. “My dad asked if he could bring someone to the wedding. I didn’t even let him finish the sentence before I said absolutely not. Mama asked me about a half hour ago if she could bring her new boyfriend. I can’t tell her no. She needs someone with her, like Mr. Taylor has you.”

Suck up
, Michelle thought, despite her cheeks glowing with pleasure. “What did Anna say?”

He laughed. “Your daughter told me that I would be the one to live with it, as she planned on spending most of the wedding drunk.”

“My God, that girl’s her father’s child,” Michelle sighed. “Although she is right, you’re the one who’ll have to live with it. Talk to your mum. Does she really need to have her boyfriend there? Just for argument’s sake, how long have they been going out?”

“Three weeks.”

Michelle rolled her eyes. “For goodness’ sake, your mum can manage. She gave birth to five children,” she interrupted his protest. Sweet child, he wanted to defend his mother. “She can handle being without her boyfriend of three whole weeks for a maximum of four hours. Isn’t that fair? No favourites that way. Or at least, no girlfriends or boyfriends until the evening bit, after photographs.”

Rocco sent her a smile that made her feel she was signing a devil’s contract. “Thank you, Mrs. Taylor.”

“Call me Michelle,” she offered begrudgingly.

“All right, Mrs. Taylor,” he replied, leaning over to kiss her cheek. Michelle’s cheeks turned a fiery red. Naughty boy.

She spent Anna’s wedding day mostly in tears, so she only partly paid attention to her son-in-law. The adoration in his eyes bypassed her, the worshipful tone in his vows were ignored completely, and his thanks to her and Anna’s father was lost in the haze that she was giving away her baby girl to a man who had so much control. Only when she opened her present solely from Rocco—“I had nothing to do with it,” Anna claimed—did Michelle’s eyes dry with shock. In a white silk bed sat a string of black pearls. Michelle had a weakness for black pearls. Her husband had bribed her on many occasions with black pearls.

“Clever boy,” she muttered, instantly switching the pearls she had on for the new necklace.

“Don’t you look pretty?” Rocco complimented.

“Stop buttering me up!” Michelle fumed only for the evil boy to laugh her off. It didn’t stop him from sending Michelle and Anna on a short girly holiday before Anna had her honeymoon. “What’s he doing?” Michelle asked at the airport.

“Making sure you understand that you have gained a very thoughtful son and you still have a daughter. Besides, someone needs to keep an eye on Chase. That dog takes after Rocco. Trouble the minute my back is turned.”