A Pawn in the Playboy's Game

‘Idiots,’ Laura said tersely. ‘Would they be hoping that you might be interested enough with their antics to prolong the relationship?’

Alessandro was still smiling that smile that made her go all shivery and adolescent inside. ‘Not a one-way street,’ he countered smoothly. ‘I’d like to think they’d get as much pleasure as they might be desperate to give. Angling for a committed relationship wouldn’t have entered the equation.’

Laura didn’t say anything. What was there to say? She directed her attention to the stunning vista now sprawling into view and gasped. She’d had no idea what to expect at the other end of the flight she had largely slept through. Her life had hardly been littered with holidays abroad. Growing up, she and her grandmother had been to France a couple of times and she had been to Spain with girlfriends a few years previously. While she had been working in London her holidays had consisted of returning to Scotland. She certainly had no experience of anywhere outside Europe and her stunned amazement at island life continued to keep her entranced as she followed in Alessandro’s imperious wake until finally, with the sun beginning to set, they were heading off to his villa.

It was hot. She had to dispose of the thin cardigan as soon as she stepped foot out of the plane. And the sounds... The sounds of insects all around her, noisy but out of sight. She could smell the faint, salty tanginess of the sea. She began peppering him with all the questions she would have asked on the plane had she managed to keep her eyes open. It seemed that the island was very small, tiny, a little jewel in the sea where the rich and famous had houses that were nestled in lush, tropical grounds, far, far away from the prying eyes of the paparazzi. Tourism accounted for most of the income of the locals and the businesses that had sprung up on the island were there as a response to the millionaires and billionaires who had houses there, some of them permanently occupied rather than used now and again.

There was someone to meet them, a smiling, dark-skinned guy who chatted for the duration of the short trip, at the end of which the four-wheel-drive car bumped away from the main road and ascended an incline. On either side of the narrow road, trees and bushes vied to gain control. Tall coconut palms swayed above dense shrubs, and wildly colourful flowers dotted the undergrowth.

Laura feasted her eyes until the road gave way to a small courtyard in which stood a low, ranch-like house. Simply put, it was spectacular. A wooden porch spanned the length of it. She barely noticed the driver melting into the darkness, and inside the house she paused and looked around her, open-mouthed.

‘How can you never come here?’ she wondered aloud, and Alessandro shrugged.

‘Time constraints. It’s late. The place is fully stocked with food. I could have arranged with someone to come and cook while we’re here, but I didn’t see much point, considering we’re only going to be here for a short while...’ Her hair had fallen into wild ringlets. He had never set eyes on anything quite so disingenuously tempting. ‘But shall we postpone the food until we’ve freshened up?’ he murmured encouragingly, strolling towards her, wanting her to feast her eyes on him and not on her surroundings.

He hadn’t been to this house for quite a while, but he could still recall its layout, and if memory served him right the bathroom adjoining the main bedroom was big enough and lavish enough to host a party. He looped his arms around her, turned her so that she was looking at him and lowered his head to kiss her.

‘I want to explore the house first,’ Laura breathed, and Alessandro groaned.

‘It’s a house. Some bedrooms, a few other rooms, a pool, some lawns. What’s to explore? The only room I want you to explore is the bedroom.’

‘It’s not all about sex!’ But the hot urgency of his voice filled her with a fierce longing that craved satisfaction. He occupied so much space in her head that just seeing the way his dark eyes were fastened on her made her want his hands and his mouth on her body. As easy as that, he could ignite all her senses.

It took all her willpower not to blindly let him lead her into the bedroom. Instead, they explored the house, which was beyond amazing.