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“I shouldn’t wonder. Boone Rutledge is unquestionably a rogue. In the last few years, he’s gained the reputation of playing the field, although I suspect Max might be the cause for that,” Tara added thoughtfully.
It was the kind of remark guaranteed to pique Laura’s curiosity. “Why do you say that?”
“I suppose because Max has been so openly critical of nearly every woman Boone has seen. And when Max doesn’t like someone, he can make things very uncomfortable for Boone, and painfully humiliating for the object of his scorn.” She sent Laura a smiling look of approval. “Fortunately, that’s something you don’t have to be concerned about. In one short meeting you managed to completely captivate Max. What exactly did you say to him before I arrived?”
Laura smiled, feeling just a bit smug. “The kind of things you taught me. Something respectful yet laced with a careful touch of sass.”
Tara’s soft laugh was rich with amusement. “I should have guessed you would instantly pick up on that. Above all else, Max Rutledge despises weakness.” She ran a thoughtful glance over Laura. “You have an innate ability to make a quick read of a person. It’s quite likely a knack you inherited from Chase. It certainly can’t be taught—not by me or anyone else.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” Laura idly watched the other traffic zipping through the streets.
“It could prove to be an invaluable asset to the Rutledges,” Tara mused. “Max doesn’t do as much business entertaining as he should. You could easily change that, though. And the education you could obtain in the machinations of big business would be priceless.”
“Matchmaking again?” Laura teased.
“No, merely fantasizing. And perhaps doing a bit of reminiscing, too,” she added with a hint of melancholy in her voice. “I always knew your father and I together could achieve great things. There really wasn’t any limit to the possibilities we had. I confess, when I imagine you and Boone together, I see a bit of Ty and me. Heaven knows, you are too much like me to ever be content merely becoming some man’s wife and the mother of his children. Obviously, you can always have a career of your own, completely separate from whatever your husband may do. But it can be infinitely more stimulating when the two are combined.”
Laura listened, aware that there was invariably wisdom in Tara’s counsel. But this time Tara’s words seemed only to remind her how unsettled her future was. Sooner or later, this tour of Europe would come to a close, and she had yet to decide what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. The income from her trust fund meant she didn’t have any financial concerns. At the same time, Laura knew she wouldn’t be satisfied for long flitting from one party scene to another. A tension wound through her, making her edgy and restless.
When the car rolled to a stop in front of their hotel, Laura swung her legs out of the car before the doorman had her door fully opened. Ignoring his outstretched hand, she climbed out of the car unassisted and waited by the steps for Tara to join her. She watched with impatience while Tara paused to rearrange the drape of her satin stole.
Headlights caught Laura in their wide beams as a low-slung convertible halted behind their hired car, the sound of its motor reducing to a powerful purr. Laura glanced at the red Porsche, welcoming the distraction of its arrival. An instant later she had her first clear look at the driver’s face when he agilely levered himself out of the car. A deep, heady satisfaction quivered through her at the sight of Sebastian Dunshill.
Chapter Two
Without bothering to open the door, Sebastian vaulted from the sports car and approached them with a long-striding walk. All that edgy frustration that had darkened Laura’s mood vanished under the warm regard of his hazel eyes.
“Mr. Dunshill, this is a surprise,” Tara greeted him, then tilted her head at a curious angle. “Are you staying at the Hassler, too?”
“Not at all. I came to give you this.” He held out a folded slip of paper to them. “When Bianca told me you had left, I realized I had failed to let you know how to contact me when you come to England.”
“We would have tracked you down somehow,” Laura assured him, a knowing smile dimpling the corners of her mouth as she took the paper from him and slipped it into her evening bag. “But this makes it easier. You see, Tara and I just decided to fly to London at the end of the week.”
“You have? Wonderful,” Sebastian replied with an easy show of pleasure. “Give me a call after you arrive, and we’ll settle on a time to view the portrait.”
“We’ll do that,” Laura promised. “We’re both curious to see it.”
“Indeed we are,” Tara agreed, but at the moment her interest was on something else. “You must have known the contessa for a long time to be on a first-name basis with her.”
“I’ve known her most of my life,” Sebastian replied. “She and my mother are third cousins.” Without giving Tara a chance to question him further about his connection to the countess, he changed the subject. “You two aren’t calling it an evening already, are you? Rome is just coming alive at this hour.”
“If that’s an invitation to show me some of the nightlife, I accept,” Laura declared with unabashed boldness and threw a brief look at Tara. “You don’t mind, do you, Tara? I’ve been a dignified lady all evening. Now I’m ready to let my hair down and do something improper.”
“Not too improper, I hope,” Tara admonished lightly. “You two go and have fun. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Laura turned expectantly to Sebastian, an alluring sparkle in her brown eyes. “Well? Was it an invitation or not?”
“It was.” An answering light danced in his own eyes. “If I seem at a slight loss for words, you must forgive me. I thought it would require a great deal more persuasion.”
She laughed. “You thought wrong.”
“To my everlasting delight,” he said and ushered her to his car. After Laura was comfortably settled in the front passenger seat, Sebastian made his way around the hood and slid behind the wheel. Hands on the steering wheel, he asked, “Which nightspots would you prefer—something secluded and romantic, or loud and crowded?”
“Let’s start with loud and crowded,” Laura s
tated.
“Loud and crowded it is.” The powerful engine roared to life.
