VINA IN VENICE (THE 5 SISTERS) (13 page)

“Oh, for Pete’s sake, stop trying to m
ake a mountain out of a molehill!
  Forget the dress,” she snapped.  “I’ll wear my black pencil skirt with that red cashmere sweater Victoriana got me for Christmas.”

“With the matching red spiky heels?” Kelsey coaxed.

Vina was tempted.  The red stiletto heels always made her feel glamorous and sexy.  No, she told herself firmly.  That was not the image she should be portraying if
she truly wanted things between her and Travis to get back to normal. 
What if he thought she was purposely trying to doll herself up so he’d notice her? 

“Black shoes, medium heel,” she said absently.  “They’re sensible and
much safer.”

“Safer?”

Vina turned to find Kelsey staring at her with an odd expression.  “The…shoes, the black ones, are safer because
the…um…heel is lower.
”

“Oh,” Kelsey dismissed it with a shrug.  “Do you need help putting your hair up?”

“Thanks, but I’m just going to leave it down.” 
Because it was easier, or because Travis liked it better that way?

“Wise decision, considering you have about five minutes to make yourself presentable.”

Draping the skirt and sweater over one arm, Vina snatched up the black heels before she changed her mind.  “I swear I don’t know how that man can plan everything to the minute
and actually pull it off every time.” 

“
Don’t sweat it. 
I’ll go down stairs and keep him
entertained
while you finish getting ready.”

Vina didn’t dare say anything
to
indicate
how prickly she was feeling over Kelsey’s casual remark
, although she did take a few seconds to glare at the door after Kelsey
had gone
.  It was one thing to witness other women flirting with Travis, it was quite another
to watch your
own sister
do it
. 
Not that Travis had ever expressed any romantic or sexual interest in her sisters, but the idea that he
might
was enough to make her stomach churn.

“Which is incredibly stupid,” she muttered as she stepped into her skirt.  “Not to mention completely irrational.”
 

Vina
refused to
call it jealousy
, but whatever this feeling was, it made her uneasy.  It also made her want to yank her clothes
on
as fast as she could and race down stairs
to put an end to the flirtatious banter between Kelsey and Travis.
 
Vina’s mood was deteriorating at an alarming rate as she sat down on the edge of the bed, impatiently tugging her silk stocking up
and running
it
in the process.

If isn’t jealousy, then why are you suddenly taking such a predatory stance where Travis is concerned?

Cursing under her breath, she retrieved another
stocking
from her dresser
.  Slipping it on with more care than necessary
was
Vina
’s way of
prov
ing sh
e
would
n
o
t
cater to absurd emotions she neither welcomed
,
n
or understood.
  She even managed to pull on her cashmere with deliberate languor
, ignoring the nagging impulse to rush through the process of getting dressed.

Returning to the bathroom, she ran a brush through her hair, applied a minimal amount of mascara and lip gloss
,
then padded back to her room to put her shoes on.
  Halfway to the bed where she’d left the black heels, Vina stopped and tilted her head, certain she’d heard Kelsey’s laughter floating up from the sitting room below.  It was
impossible, of co
urse.  With her door closed, her bedroom was virtually sound proof, yet it spurred her into doing exactly what she’d promised herself she wouldn’t.

Whatever reservations she had as she slowly descended the stairs instantly dissipated the moment she entered the sitting room. 
The look on
Kelsey’s
face was priceless
when Vina sauntered through the doorway in
her wickedly sexy red high heels.
  The look Travis gave her was something else altogether.  His dark eyes moved appreciatively down the length of her body
, pausing when they reached the stilettos before traveling back up to her face.

“You look…stunning,” his voice
was thick and so seductively intimate, a shiver of
excitement
raced
up her spine.

“Thank you,”
she replied with a timid smile
. 

Despite the heated blush that had fused in her cheeks at his
compliment
,
Vina
couldn’t keep
her own gaze
from
wander
ing
over his muscular physique.
  Black slacks and tie, dark blue shirt, black leather jacket; Travis looked pretty stunning himself
as he crossed the room
to meet her
. 
Close up, he
took
Vina’s
breath away.

“I am going to be the envy of every man in the restaurant tonight,” Travis said.

Vina’s blush deepened.  “I’ll bet you say that to all your dinner dates.”

“Yes,” he chuckled, “but this is the first time I’ve act
ually meant it.”

***

Their date was going was surprisingly well, but that was only because Travis
had been a perfect gentleman all evening. 
And it was killing him.  Vina looked exquisite
, and even though there was nothing revealing about what she was wearing, it
only
seemed to enhance her innate sexuality
.
  He was glad they’d been seated at a cozy table instead of a booth
where they would have been side by side instead of across from each other
. 

For one thing, Travis wasn’t sure he could have resisted the need to touch her if they’d been that close.  At least this way, he was able
to
get his fill of looking at her without being quite so obvious.  He was also glad that her feet were safely tucked beneath the table so he couldn’t see those damnable red heels.  Ever since she’d
sashayed into the sitting room, he’d been plagued with visions of Vina wearing those sinfully sexy shoes and nothing else.

“…and I still have some shopping to do before we leave next week,” Vina was saying.

Travis took a sip of wine and tried to focus
on
the words coming out of her mouth instead of the shape of her lips and how much he wanted
to kiss them. 
Outwardly, he
was careful to
behave as he always had
, so he doubted she had any idea how many times his
thoughts
had strayed
.  Their conversations
had
revolved around work, mutual friends and family
, and now the trip to Venice.
  He kept up the pretense of listening while his wayward
mind conjured up an image of
Vina shimmying out
of
her skirt and then slowly peeling off her sweater to reveal lacy underwear
.

“Anyway, I hope it hasn’t caused a problem for you,” Vina said, looking at him expectantly.

Travis blinked.  “I…uh…no, it’s no problem at all.”

“Oh, well…that’s good,” she replied, though she didn’t exactly seem pleased by his answer.

Certain he’d just made a huge mistake, Travis attempted to right whatever wrong he’d unknowingly committed.  “What makes you think it would be a problem?”

Vina shrugged, lowering her troubled eyes to her plate.  “If
the man I was involved with told me he was taking off with another woman for a whole month, I
would be pretty upset about it.”

Ah, now he got it.  “But we’re just friends,” he pointed out.

“I know,
but it would still make me uncomfortable.
”  Vina glanced up at him.  “
I’m glad your
girlfriend is being so
understanding,” she added
hastily.

“She’d have to be, wouldn’t she?  Friends or not, you’re a very beautiful woman, Vina.  And forgive me for even suggesting I understand how the female mind works, but I doubt
any
woman would give it her stamp of approval.”

“
But you said it wasn’t a problem.”

“It’s not. 
I’ve
dated
occasional
ly
over the past year, but none of them
lasted long enough to qualify as a girlfriend.
”  Warmth engulfed him when he spied the soft smile on her face.  “It wouldn’t have mattered anyway,” he said truthfully.  “You mean more to me than any woman I’ve ever been involved with.”

“Really?”

“Really.
”

Vina was silent, idly shuffling food around on her plate for a few minutes before
setting the fork aside and reaching for her glass of wine.  “
What if I…meet someone right away?  Won’t it bother you to
be
left all alone in a foreign co
untry
while I’m being…entertained by someone else?”

Travis leaned forward, sporting a cocky grin.
  “
Now, what makes you think I’d be alone?”

The color leeched from Vina’s face.  “I…I guess it was silly of me to think…I mean, it’s not as if I expect you to wait around
the whole time
, but…”
her voice trailed off.

“But what?”

“It’s…
nothing,
”
she sounded deflated.

“Go ahead, Vina.  What were you going to say?”

“I know this is going to sound selfish, but…” she took a deep breath, “
I don’t like the idea of you…pursuing other women when you’re supposed to be my escort.”
 
 
 

Travis reached across the table and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. 
“
I wouldn’t dream of it,”
he
said.

It was a promise Vina could count on, and it was evident by the look of relief
in her eyes that
she believed he’d be true to his word
.
  And he would be, Travis thought.  Because there was only one woman he had any desire to pursue
.  Only one woman he intended keep pursuing until she was his.
 

Until they left for Venice, he would continue to play nice.  After that, it was open season, and he was going to hit Vina with everything he had.

Chapter 7

Vina checked her watch for the third time in as many minutes, impatient for Travis to arrive.  She was the last one to leave
, and even though the staff was still here, the mansion felt incredibly empty without her sisters. 
Victoriana and Maria had flown out the night before
;
Kelsey and Sophia
departed
early this morning
, all of them as excited and anxious as she was
to be on their way
.

Anxiety, however, seemed to be leading the barrage of emotions she was feeling right now.
  She and Travis had only gotten together once since her date with him the week before, and that was only for a few hours so they could go over some of their investment figures.  He’d been attentive as far as the books went
, but Vina could have been a two hundred pound man with bad breath for all the attention he’d paid to
her
.  At least it had laid to rest any foolish notions she’d had about him being physically attracted to her.

She
should
have
guessed
Travis
honestly didn’t think of her a
s anything but a friend when she mentioned meeting a man in Venice.  There had been no sign of jealousy, no tell-tale remarks to indicate he didn’t want her to
find someone else.  In fact, he’d seemed completely indifferent.  Yes, he’d told her she
looked
stunning, and he’d been very charming throughout the entire evening, but he’d done nothing more than give her a little peck on the cheek when he dropped her off.