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Nicholas had learnt
a thing or two about women since his divorce. He had learnt that they could be naturally duplicitous; they could draw you in with a soft smile and a delicate femininity that hid a tough calculating mind.
He remembered the look on Cat’s face earlier as she had tossed the photograph of the man her father had lined up for her into the drawer. It had been a look of resolve. His first assessment of her had been correct. Catherine McKenzie was nothing but a siren—and she certainly didn’t need anyone’s protection.
‘Here’s our water taxi now,’ he said briskly as the distant chug of a boat cut the silence.
Considering they were at the gateway to a large city, the place was strangely deserted, the only sound the taxi as it pulled in beside them, then, as it cut its engine, just the swish of the sea against the platform.
Cat felt as if she had reached more than a gateway to a city—she felt as if she had reached a threshold and, once she stepped over it, there would be no going back. Hastily she told herself that she was being fanciful. She would conduct herself in a businesslike manner, get Nicholas to agree to the ad campaign and then she would insist he take her back to the airport and home. Despite the firm assurances, she could feel her heart thumping against her chest in slow painful beats.
Nicholas jumped down into the boat and then held a hand out to assist her. She pointedly ignored it and stepped down unaided. The boat rocked slightly but she managed to keep her balance and her dignity and move past him to sit down at the back. A few moments later he sat beside her. He was too close for comfort; she could feel the warmth of his thigh pressed against her, smell the provocative scent of his cologne. She wanted to move away but there was nowhere to go.
The engine flared into life and the boat backed out into the dark silky waters before turning and skipping across the waves with speed. The night air was hot against her skin, the spray from the boat misting in the air, white against the stark darkness. Then the boat rounded a corner and she could see the city shimmering in golden light. The domes of the cathedrals and churches, the bridges and the dark shapes of the gondolas moored alongside were like something from a film set. It looked so beautiful that she drew in her breath in pleasure.
‘First time in Venice?’ Nicholas’s voice close against her ear made her senses quiver in response.
She nodded, aware that if she turned her head a fraction towards him their lips would meet. Instantly the feeling of need that had overwhelmed her earlier started to surface again.
‘Tomorrow, if we can get out of bed, I will take you out and show you the sights if you’d like.’
The self-assured words seared against her consciousness. ‘Tomorrow I will be back in London,’ she stated firmly.
He laughed but said nothing. For the time being he was content to allow her to pull her barriers up. For the next hour or two he wanted to concentrate on the ad campaign. Business was important and her ideas merited a deep consideration. But once work was out of the way, he would bring her back to where he wanted her. He was confident after the way he had left things earlier that he wouldn’t have too much difficulty with that. Once he held her in his arms again she would realize the futility of pretending and she would be his—totally his to take again and again as he pleased.
After that her defences would be trampled to dust, paving the way for his ultimate goal—revenge.
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE Hotel Zentenas was a magnificently restored palace that had been designed in the late fourteenth century to meet the requirements of Europe’s travelling nobility. Its impressive exterior was lit up by golden lights that reflected softly over a small terrace at one side with ornamental box hedges and yew trees and shimmered over the waters of the canal.
The water taxi left them directly at the private pontoon leading up to the front door. And this time as Cat left the vessel she was forced to take Nicholas’s hand as the boat bobbed unsteadily beneath her and the water swished against the building.
‘Are you OK?’ he asked solicitously, keeping hold of her as she found her balance.
‘Yes, thank you.’ She pulled away from the warmth of his grasp and tried to ignore the heat that even the most casual of contact seemed to stir up inside her. Instead she turned her attention to the hotel.
The heavy front door lay open and as they stepped inside Cat was completely overawed by the majesty of her surroundings. Enormous Murano glass chandeliers lit the medieval entrance hall, sparkling over Persian rugs and marble floors. Candlelight flickered in the deep recesses by the mullioned windows; antique gilded furniture and sumptuously comfortable sofas were positioned there for privacy and relaxation. And further back at one side there was a reception desk in polished rosewood, at the other an imposing staircase.
It was a lesson on how a place could be luxuriously refurbished without losing its authenticity and character. And Cat was completely enchanted by it.
‘I thought your hotel in London was fabulous, but this is something really special,’ she said softly.
‘Yes, I have to admit this place is a particular favourite of mine,’ Nicholas said with a smile. ‘It has a unique character.’
Before Cat had time to answer, the hotel manager hurried over to welcome them.
‘Nicholas, it is good to see you again,’ he said as they shook hands.
‘You too, Antonio,’ Nicholas smiled and then smoothly introduced him to Cat.
Antonio Belgravi was a tall handsome Italian in his late thirties. His dark sensual eyes flared with undisguised interest as they fell on her. ‘Ms McKenzie, it is indeed a pleasure to meet you,’ he said as he took her hand and, to Cat’s surprise raised it to his lips.
‘Call me Cat, please, everyone does.’ She tried to sound nonchalant but, in honesty, she was a little embarrassed by the warmth of his welcome.
Nicholas watched as a faint tinge of colour lit the pallor of her skin and felt a twist of impatience. ‘Shall we get on?’ he said abruptly. ‘We have rather a lot of business to get through and then we will dine, Antonio. You did make the necessary arrangements for that?’
‘Yes, of course.’ The manager smiled at Cat. ‘Please come through to my office.’
