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‘So you just happen to be working in the same hotel I frequent?’ He glared at her. ‘Just happened to bebitterlypolishing your brass door as I walked past one day?’
‘I’m not bitter.’
‘Oh, Alicia, the hell you aren’t.’ She flashed him a dark, angry look that told him he was right. ‘And if you ever pull a stunt like this again I’ll have you escorted from the building before your feet can touch the floor.’
‘Dante, please...’ She was embarrassed, dying inside, appalled at how wrong it had all gone, but he clearly didn’t want to hear any of it.
‘Alicia, go and tidy yourself up in the bathroom.’
‘What?’
‘I’m summoning my breakfast in precisely two minutes,’ he told her. ‘So go and tidy yourself before you head out—because right now you look as if you’ve just left my bed...’
He gestured to the bell that would summon the butler and, bastard that he was, then proceeded to set a timer on his phone.
‘Two minutes.’
‘Dante...’
‘I would take my advice if I were you,’ he warned. ‘Isn’t screwing the guests frowned upon in that policy manual you just quoted from? One minute forty-five seconds now...’
Alicia headed into the sumptuous bathroom and saw that unfortunately Dante was completely correct. Her hair was wild, her mouth swollen, her neck and chest dappled like some old pony, but in red...
She splashed her face with water, and then buried it in a hand towel for a moment, appalled at the turn of events. She lifted her face, did her best to tame her complexion, and then retied her hair and hastily straightened her clothes.
‘Better,’ he said as she walked out.
He was about to press the bell, effectively shutting any further communication down. At least if she valued her job. And now that sense had returned, suddenly Alicia did.
‘Mi scusi, signor...’
He told her, in rather rude Italian, exactly what she could do with her apology, as well as the sudden use of the wordsignor. ‘Just get the hell out.’
‘Dante, I never...’
Perhaps it was self-preservation that halted her. For how could she admit that, ten years on, all it had taken was the low purr of his voice to have her walking towards him. In some ways it would be easier to let him think this morning’s events actuallyhadbeen intended rather than let him know the power he still held.
Yet for her own dignity Alicia decided shewouldcorrect him on one thing. ‘Can I say one thing before you summon the butler?’
He rolled his eyes.
‘The most embarrassing moment of my life was when you saw me in mynonnaknickers and my donation cupboard bra...’
She watched his jaw clamp, and rather than look at her turned to the view, but she saw that he’d closed his eyes. It would seem that he, too, would like to block out the memory of that time—or, knowing Dante, callously disregard it.
Alicia forced herself to push on. ‘With my first pay cheque I bought some nice underwear. It is my one indulgence.’ He said nothing. ‘What I am wearing beneath my uniform is for me, not you.’
Still he refused to look at her. ‘Just go.’
‘Bastard.’
Nowhe looked at her. ‘You have no idea how right you are. Don’t attempt games with a black heart, Alicia. It never ends nicely.’
It ended now, Alicia decided and flashed him a smile. ‘Here is the butler now,signor. Enjoy the rest of your day.’
CHAPTER FOUR
ALICIADIDNOTenjoy the rest of her own day.
