Lynne Graham's Brides of L'Amour Bundle

‘Don’t you?’ Andreo breathed smooth as silk when he strolled forward into view and proceeded to sack the guilty couple for gross misconduct.

Pippa had not even suspected that Ricky, who was a married man, and Cheryl might have been having an affair. While they slunk out, Pippa straightened the room for the client’s imminent arrival.

‘You were shocked. You really don’t listen to the rumour mill, do you?’ Andreo murmured. ‘Even I had heard that Brownlow was believed to have pushed Cheryl for your job because it would make it easier for them to spend time together. It only remains for me to appoint you back to Acting Finance Manager—’

Pippa stiffened. ‘No…no, I don’t want it now. Not this way and not when you and I are…er…involved.’

Andreo quirked a questioning brow. ‘That’s not a sensible decision.’

‘I think that’s my—’

‘No, you should start thinking like the career woman that you keep on telling me you are, cara,’ Andreo countered with sardonic bite, and left her.

While Pippa dealt with Lester Saunders, however, she asked herself why it was that she had automatically rejected the job that she had longed to have just two short weeks earlier. Was she that committed to her plans to relocate in France? Or had Cheryl’s appointment soured her on the idea of remaining at Venstar? Whatever, she could see that she did owe Andreo an explanation. After all, hadn’t she told him that he was responsible for her loss of promotion? Naturally he wanted her to accept the position that he beli

eved should have been hers in the first instance.

As soon as she was free, Pippa headed off to see Andreo, only to be told that he was busy and that she would have to wait. She took a seat and wished she had simply phoned Andreo direct instead of going through businesslike motions.

The receptionist leant across her desk to whisper confidentially, ‘I shouldn’t say but Mr D’Alessio is with his girlfriend. Apparently she’s just back from working abroad.’

‘Really?’ Jolted and then realising that she could only be hearing office gossip, Pippa grinned. ‘Tell me more.’

‘She’s Lili Richards…you know the famous model. You wouldn’t believe how breathtaking she looks in the flesh!’

‘Lili Richards…’ Pippa had never heard of her.

‘You could see how close she and Mr D’Alessio are.’

Pippa’s interested smile had grown a little fixed round the edges. ‘Could you?’

‘Yes. The minute she saw him, she just dived on him. A reaction most of us could sympathise with. Let’s face it, he’s to die for,’ the receptionist said dreamily. ‘And with his wild reputation, I bet she’s been worried sick that he would find someone else while she was away…’

Pippa’s mobile pulsed in her pocket. She took it out. It was Andreo calling and her tension dissolved. Honestly, an attractive woman visited him and the office grapevine went mental on colourful rumours!

‘I can’t make lunch,’ Andreo informed her without any preamble.

Pippa’s brow indented. ‘But I wanted to talk to you—’

‘Unfortunately, some business has come up. I’ll call you later…OK?’

Pippa opened her dry mouth but no sound emerged.

‘OK?’ Andreo prompted, sounding cool, distant and impatient.

‘OK,’ she almost croaked and he rang off.

Her hand trembling, Pippa put her mobile back in her pocket and slowly rose upright.

‘The boss and Lili Richards are about to leave!’ the receptionist was gasping into the phone for someone else’s benefit.

No, she wasn’t going to hang about behaving like a possessive girlfriend who didn’t trust him. She began to move down the corridor. All along it heads were emerging from offices. Every employee on the floor seemed to be angling to get a first-hand look at Andreo and his visitor. Pippa backed into a clump of indoor plants and hovered. He had said he had business and if he said he had business, she believed him because she trusted him absolutely. She was only hanging around to celebrity-spot.

Andreo strode into view and hit the lift button. He was not alone. A woman who looked even to Pippa’s unappreciative gaze like a fantasy pin-up was clinging to his arm. She had a mane of baby blonde hair and flawless features. She was just beautiful, just really, really, really beautiful, Pippa conceded in a daze. A famous model, yes, she looked as if she would be famous. There was something unearthly about someone that beautiful who did not even seem to be wearing make-up. Something rather sick-making too…

Maybe Lili Richards was really spoilt and had made it difficult for Andreo to avoid taking her out to lunch. Maybe she was a client, a family friend…a sister, cousin, childhood playmate? Maybe Andreo had been bullied into it. Maybe he was being kidnapped.

While Pippa watched, Lili slid caressing hands beneath Andreo’s suit jacket with the familiarity of a lover confident of her welcome. Making it patently obvious that she couldn’t keep her sex-starved hands off him, she stretched up to kiss him with similar enthusiasm…at which point Pippa could no longer stand to look.