Italian Escape with the CEO

‘Also correct.’ He pushed the plate towards her and she picked up a square of the confection. Nibbled it and closed her eyes. ‘That is absolutely divine.’ She took another small bite, savoured the taste of the almonds mixed with the tarter tang of the pears. Opened her eyes to find his eyes centred on her lips and she felt heat touch her face. Ate the last bit and returned to the questioning.

As the hour went on and the barchiglia reduced in size it became a challenge, both of them trying to find harder, more difficult questions until finally there was just one square left.

‘All to play for,’ he said.

‘And it’s my question.’ She leant back in the chair, her eyes narrowed as she thought of a question that might flummox him. ‘Name three products that I modelled.’

Liam paused, thought for a moment. ‘Sahara clothes, Madeline cosmetics and...you were also the cover girl for lingerie, but the name of the company escapes me. Something to do with Temptation, I believe.’ His voice was deep and husky as he said the word and she found herself leaning forward.

‘It was called Allure.’ And she couldn’t help it, she said the word with a deliberate emphasis, and now the atmosphere seemed to cloud and haze with the simmering fog of tension. The urge to reach out, to touch, was almost too much. Almost.

He pushed his chair back, the scrape of wood against the marble dispelling the mist of desire. ‘We need to talk about this.’

‘About what?’ The question was disingenuous but she needed to be sure she hadn’t misinterpreted the signals.

‘This chemistry. This attraction.’ Against her will the words sent a small thrill of satisfaction through her. The idea that this desire was mutual, that he felt the same pull, the same yearning strummed a triumphant chord through her whole body. ‘Because if we don’t figure out how to deal with it, ironically it will undo our whole act.’

‘You’re right. So we need to work out a way to feel comfortable with the attraction. Accept it and control it. Switch it on and off for the camera.’

‘How?’

Ava inhaled a deep breath. ‘First we need to get used to being in the same space. Let’s give it a try.’ His expression was so ludicrous she almost sighed, until she glimpsed her own reflection and saw the proverbial rabbit-in-the-headlights glint in her own eyes. ‘We look terrified and that is not a good look for the camera. So let’s start small. We need to smile.’

‘Like this?’ His lips turned up, the line forced and rigid but at least pointed in the right direction.

‘That’s not a bad start, but it looks a little forced and your eyes are still...’ shadowed, hard ‘...not relaxed.’

‘OK. Show me how it’s done.’

‘Easy. What sort of smile do you want? Girl next door, sultry, loving, flirty?’

‘You pick.’

Ava closed her eyes for an instant and then smiled, a smile that she knew held a hint of fun, a touch of flirt and a dollop of come hither. ‘So that’s flirty. This is girl next door.’ She widened her eyes and her smile, conjured up the idea of fresh-faced and wholesome. ‘It’s all about showing teeth without being toothy.’

‘That’s incredible.’

‘I figured it out from a young age. I started family photo shoots when I was a toddler. I worked out the quickest way to get them done was to achieve whatever look the photographer and my mother wanted.’

And then she’d worked out the power of smiles—they could be used to impress people, to make people believe she was happy, to make other people feel good. A smile was a perfect disguise. She had learnt to keep her thoughts private and her smile on display. Hidden her hurt that she knew her mother’s love was not really for her, for Ava. Her mother had loved her as long as she played her part. Her father would only love her as long as she was perfect. And so she’d smiled until her cheeks had ached and she’d looked perfect.

‘But how does anyone know when it’s genuine? How do you know?’

The question took her aback and as she considered her answer a level of discomfort tinged with uncertainty touched her. When was it genuine? Her smile, her façade so much part of her daily life she didn’t even think about it. ‘Because I mean it.’ The answer was lame and she could see he was about to question it. ‘But that’s not the point. It’s your smile we need to focus on. Try again.’

This time the attempt was woeful and she raised her eyebrows. ‘Is that really the best you can do?’

‘Right now, yes. Perhaps you could pass on some helpful tips.’

‘Think of something happy.’

Liam looked up at the ceiling and then a smile did tip his lips, but it was not a smile that implied relaxation or joy. There was a grimness to it, an edge that held more than a hint of danger. A smile that sent a shiver down her spine.

‘What are you thinking of? I mean, that’s better but not exactly what I was after. That’s more the smile of a man who has won a fight.’

Two raised eyebrows and a nod. ‘Ten out of ten. I was picturing AJ’s face when I win the Beaumont contract.’

‘OK. But now try for a different sort of happy. Maybe think of a more relaxing activity than a fight. Such as...’ Oh, hell, the only image that entered her head right now was definitely not appropriate. ‘Um...think of chocolate.’