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But he had recovered his equilibrium and his faint consternation had been replaced by a slow smile of anticipation which was making her tummy tighten. ‘You want me to teach you everything I know about sex, do you,cara?’ he murmured, sliding his hand between her thighs to target her aching bud. ‘It’s certainly the most unconventional request I’ve ever received from a woman but rest assured, Nicola, it will be my pleasure. And yours, of course.’
‘Oh!’she said faintly as he began to strum her aroused flesh and before too long she was contracting around his finger and choking out his name. As powerful waves of pleasure washed over her she pulled his head towards hers and her last thought before their lips met was that she could handle this.
Of course she could.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THEWINDWASbiting as Alessio emerged from his Munich flight and slid into the limousine waiting on the runway, ready to speed him towards central London. Lost in thought, he stared out of the window, barely registering the red-gold blur of autumn leaves swirling through the air. But for once he wasn’t preoccupied with his latest project, nor the rapid global expansion of his chemical company, which had made him the wunderkind of the international markets.
No, his mind was consumed with one thing, and one thing only. His mouth grew dry. A woman with glacial eyes and a pale fall of hair, with an irritating habit of failing to return his calls.
Nicola.
Tantalising, aloof Nicola Bennett, who was driving him completely crazy.
He scowled.
He had imagined that her elusiveness might have dissolved a little by now, but he had been wrong. Her behaviour still perplexed him and he couldn’t shake off the sense that, somehow, she was running rings around him. He wondered if she had any idea just how much he’d gone out of his way to accommodate her wishes. She wanted him to teach her about sex? Fine. He was more than happy to oblige. A muscle fired at his temple. Which meant there had to be a little give and take, since they lived on opposite sides of the globe.
What was so wrong with diverting his flight last week and ringing her unexpectedly at midnight? He had suggested she get over to his hotel as quickly as possible, promising that he’d be able to devote most of the following day to her, before returning to Manhattan. But her anticipated delight hadn’t been forthcoming—and neither had his fantasy that she would arrive shortly afterwards, wearing very little underneath her coat. Instead, he had been subjected to an uncomfortable barrage of questions.
Was it too much to ask that he give her some notice? she had demanded coolly. Or was she just expected to cancel her existing plans in order to see him?
He had replied—with equal cool—that he didn’texpecther to do anything and she should only cancel her plans if she wanted to see him, which it appeared she didn’t. Because she had turned him down flat and told him to contact her next time he was in London!
At first, he had been disbelieving, then angry and then—bizarrely—curiously chastened. It had made him re-evaluate the way he treated women and think that maybe she deserved better. It had occurred to him that he might have to start doing things differently with her—but this realisation was cushioned by the reassuring rider that it wouldn’t impact too significantly on his life. Because there was no perceived threat from Nicola Bennett. Their agreement had been straightforward from the start—a basic sexual compatibility which wasn’t complicated by unrealistic emotional demands.
Which was why he had given her plenty of warning before arranging to meet her for dinner tonight. He’d offered to rebook the Starlight Room at the Granchester—the no-show destination of their first date—but to his surprise she had said it was too public and couldn’t he find somewhere more discreet?
No, she definitely wasn’t like other women.
Perhaps it was time he got to know her a little better. Would that lessen his fascination for her, he wondered idly—or simply increase it?
He leaned back against the leather seat and gave a soft sigh of satisfaction, because never before could he recall feeling such a heightened degree of anticipation.
Nicola flipped the door sign toClosedand turned to find Sergio watching her.
‘Is everything okay?’ he asked.
Nicola smiled at her boss, trying to reclaim the familiar sense of calm which seemed to have been eluding her these past few weeks—but it wasn’t easy. Not when Sergio was hovering right beside the spot where she’d enjoyed that hot encounter with Alessio last month. Were theyevergoing to sell that wretched bronze—or was she doomed to endure a daily reminder of how decadent she had been?
‘I’m fine, thank you, Sergio,’ she answered politely, but didn’t pursue the conversation. She didn’t want to give him any opportunity to probe, but it seemed that, for once, his curiosity was roused.
‘It’s just that you seem...’ He shrugged. ‘It’s hard to put into words.’
‘Then don’t even try!’ Her words were bright. ‘After all, I’ve sold three paintings this week, haven’t I?’
‘This is true, you have. With two more in the pipeline. Nobody could ever question your commitment or your success, Nicola. You just seem different, that’s all.’ He narrowed his eyes. ‘Distracted.’
‘Maybe it’s the autumn weather. Chill in the air and all that. Look, I’d better get on. I’ve still got an email I need to send before I can go home.’
But there was truth in his words and she wondered what Sergio would say if she told himwhyshe was so distracted. If she just happened to explain that she was conducting a clandestine relationship with one of his oldest friends and trying very hard to keep her feelings compartmentalised—a task being severely compromised by a lack of sleep and the constant gnaw of worry. Because Stacey had given birth three short weeks ago and the new mother was finding it a struggle. Actually, that was an understatement.
It had been a difficult birth and Nicola was discovering that nothing could really prepare you for the arrival of a screaming newborn. Little Jago was tiny and unbelievably cute, but solo parenthood was always going to be a challenge and nobody could take away the painful fact that his daddy was in prison—though Nicola had done her best to compensate for her brother’s absence.
Some nights she’d slept on the floor of Stacey’s living room, getting up to feed the baby to give the new mum a chance to rest. And of course, on nights when Alessio was in town, she got practically no sleep at all, though for very different reasons. But these late nights and early mornings were beginning to show. She’d used an inordinate amount of foundation on her face—but even the smooth matte finish couldn’t disguise the inky shadows beneath her eyes.
Yet, despite the massive worry brought about by the birth of her new nephew, at times Nicola had felt almosthighwith happiness. Sometimes she wondered if it was wrong to enjoy such a giddy sense of well-being when Stacey was finding it so difficult to cope. But she couldn’t help herself, no matter how much she tried to temper her feelings, or force herself to refuse Alessio’s last-minute invite last week, because at the time she’d been dealing with dirty nappies. Bottom line—no pun intended—ever since she’d asked the billionaire chemist to teach her about sex, she’d been seeing him whenever he was in London. And every time she did, it just got better.
